Chapter Forty-Eight: Apache

Chu Tian used his magical communication stone to call out to Clark, then mounted the Thunder Eagle and flew out of Agula Mountain.

"You're incredibly fast! You're several times quicker than a Boeing 747!" Chu Tian gripped the eagle's feathers tightly, exclaiming in admiration. The sensation of racing through the sky was truly exhilarating.

But the Thunder Eagle was puzzled. "What is a Boeing 747?" It was such an odd, inelegant name, one he had never heard before. In fact, the eagle hadn't mentioned another thing: if he weren't worried about injuring Chu Tian, he could fly at least ten times faster! After all, the Thunder Eagle was already the swiftest of all flying magical beasts on the continent, and now, after Chu Tian’s enhancements, he had reached the ninth rank.

"She's another of my magical pets—originally a seventh-rank Sky-Obscuring Lark!" Chu Tian explained proudly. "Boeing 747 is the new name I gave her."

"So, she's a Sky-Obscuring Lark! Master, what other magical pets do you have?" The Thunder Eagle was curious about his new companions.

"There's also AK47, Humvee, eight Swiftfoots, and several hundred Wild Wolves—though I can't say exactly how many," Chu Tian admitted, a bit embarrassed. He didn't think much of the Wild Wolves, not even giving them codenames, but they were still his pets. Not knowing their exact number seemed careless.

The Thunder Eagle was bewildered—not so much by the sheer number of magical beasts, but by those peculiar names, aside from the Wild Wolves. "What kind of horse is a Humvee? I’ve never heard of such a beast. And what is an AK47? What are Swiftfoots? Are they as fast as I am?"

Ah! Communicating with magical beasts from another world was always challenging. Chu Tian patiently explained the origins of these names to the Thunder Eagle.

"Hmph! If I ever see that Baston again, I'll deal with him for you!" The Thunder Eagle was furious to hear that Baston had dared to ambush his master. Chu Tian was quite satisfied with his reaction. Ha! What does a mere eighth-rank Sword Saint matter now?

"By the way, there's one more thing." After introducing his pets, Chu Tian added, "I also have a little dog named Little White. He’s your leader from now on. If I’m not around, you’re to listen to him!"

"Yes, Master." The Thunder Eagle agreed without hesitation. His loyalty to Chu Tian was unwavering—even a command as absurd as obeying a dog was executed without question. Perhaps he was the only ninth-rank magical beast on the continent willing to take orders from a dog.

While they conversed, they had already left the region of Agula Mountain and entered the Dusty Mire.

"I'm ready! You can give the order!" The Thunder Eagle halted in midair, awaiting Chu Tian's command. The round grooves beneath his beak deepened, and faint magical lights began to flicker.

"Begin!" Chu Tian ordered. Sharp whistling sounds burst from the corners of the Thunder Eagle's beak—at first one or two, then rapidly increasing in frequency. With each whistle, a beam of magical light shot from the grooves beneath the eagle’s beak.

The first beam was red—fire magic! The second was pale blue—water magic! The third, yellow for earth; the fourth, green for wind; and occasionally, black beams—no doubt from the dark magic scrolls Barbossa had given Chu Tian, used inadvertently. To his amazement, Chu Tian saw nearly every type of magic unleashed from the Thunder Eagle’s beak.

The beams came faster and faster, ultimately forming a torrential downpour. Under this relentless magical bombardment, the mire below writhed in agony, enduring the fate of being blasted dry into yellow earth. In the end, a perfect square of dry land, a hundred meters across, appeared on the mire.

"Master, I’ve just advanced in rank and am not yet used to the new strength in my body. This is the best I can do for now," the Thunder Eagle said regretfully.

"Praise be to the Goddess of Life!" Chu Tian smacked his lips in astonishment. This wasn’t even his strongest state? Ninth-rank magical beasts were truly monstrous!

After recovering from the shock, Chu Tian steadied his heartbeat and donned a mystical expression. At that very moment, down at the foot of Agula Mountain, Little White, AK47, Boeing 747, Humvee, and the eight Swiftfoots all shuddered together.

"In the name of the Goddess, I bestow upon the Thunder Eagle a new name—Apache..."

"Then Apache shall be my new name from now on!" The Thunder Eagle—no, Apache—accepted it without hesitation. Obeying Chu Tian’s every command was his duty, even if it meant embracing a strange name.

"Very good!" Chu Tian smiled as he patted Apache’s broad back. Such an obedient ninth-rank magical beast was truly pleasing. "By the way, ninth-rank magical beasts can take human form. What do you look like when you transform?"

Chu Tian’s magical beasts all shared one trait: they were tall. Apache was no exception, and that brought its own problems. Chu Tian didn’t want to keep his beasts confined in a mysterious alternate space, summoning them only when necessary. But neither could he bring these massive creatures with him everywhere. He urgently needed a smaller companion to stay by his side for protection. A shape-shifting Apache would be the perfect choice.

But Apache disappointed him, for now. "I only just reached the ninth rank. I won’t be able to take human form for a while." Seeing Chu Tian’s disappointment, Apache quickly added, "At most, half a year! After that, I’ll be able to do it."

Half a year? That wasn’t too long. Chu Tian could wait. "Then I’ll wait half a year..."

———

Chu Tian and Apache returned to Agula Mountain, but were stopped at the entrance platform by Clark, who hurried over.

"Mr. Vladino, please wait a moment!" Chu Tian’s feat of rebirthing the Thunder Eagle had already caused a stir among the dragons. Strength was always respected, and Clark’s attitude toward Chu Tian had subtly changed. "I’m sorry, but according to the rules, pets are not allowed into Agula Mountain."

"Hmph! And why not? I just came out from there!" Before Chu Tian could reply, Apache spread his wings wide and glared at Clark, positioning himself protectively in front of Chu Tian. They wouldn’t even allow him through the gate? Did this mere eighth-rank Azure Dragon dare challenge a ninth-rank magical beast?

"No, that’s not what I meant!" Clark smiled wryly, powerless before the aura of the mutated Thunder Eagle. "Previously, you were brought in by Elder Frodo, so there was no issue. But now, your master is Mr. Vladino..."

"So I can’t go in anymore?!" Apache stared Clark down, his wings beating so fiercely that the wind stung Clark’s face, and the rows of magical launchers beneath his beak began to glow ominously.

"Mr. Vladino, what do you think..." Clark turned to Chu Tian, perched on Apache’s back. If this mutated Thunder Eagle forced his way in, Clark had no means of stopping him. All he could do was appeal to Chu Tian. "Please, could you have your magical pet wait in the quarters at the foot of the mountain? It’s the rule of our dragon clan."

Hearing the veiled threat in Clark’s tone, Chu Tian narrowed his eyes and smiled. But now was not the time to antagonize the dragons. "Apache, go on down."

"Yes!" Apache obeyed, landing lightly beside Clark. After Chu Tian had mounted the dragon’s back, Apache shot a glare at Clark. "Hmph! I’ll remember you!" Then, with a flash of lightning, he vanished.