Chapter 38: Capture the Demon Swift Eagles!

At noon, Thomas returned to the castle, having completed the tasks assigned by Gervas that morning.

“My lord, I’ve recruited fifty elderly fishermen and peasant women, and woven these twenty-five hemp nets—would they suffice?”

Gervas inspected the craftsmanship and size; they met his requirements exactly.

“Good, Thomas. Reward every peasant who helped weave with one pound of smoked meat!”

“My lord, isn’t that too generous? Even a single black bread would be plenty!”

“Didn’t you say some of them are elderly? Give them smoked meat to strengthen them!”

“You are truly a benevolent lord!” Thomas’s eyes brimmed with emotion.

Though the reward wasn’t for him, Gervas’s kindness toward the peasants made Thomas, a low-ranking civil official himself, feel it deeply.

Thomas had no idea this was also a case of paying a thousand gold for a dead horse’s bones.

It would let every peasant know: if you work for the lord, rewards will never be lacking—future initiative will soar.

Once the population grows, we’ll establish strict reward-and-punishment systems, and the entire domain will brim with vigor and drive.

With the nets ready, Gervas wasted no time and ordered all subordinates to take the nets out.

As the column marched toward the red mangrove forest, laden with nets, Lei Meng and others assumed Gervas meant to fish.

Even Mi Gen and Lei Meng felt no disdain.

For anyone from this world, picking up dozens or even hundreds of pounds of fish scattered on the ground was a luxury.

Food in this world was simply too scarce.

But soon, everyone realized today’s task was unlike what they’d imagined.

“My lord, aren’t we here to fish? Why are we hiding the nets in the mangrove branches?” Mi Gen asked, puzzled.

“Who said we’re here to fish?”

“Not to fish?” Mi Gen and the others visibly deflated.

Gervas found this amusing. “How could such a bountiful catch happen every day? What are you dreaming of? If fish were that abundant daily, who’d bother farming?”

Seeing Mi Gen and the others humiliated, Gervas changed tone.

“But today’s target, though not fish, is far more valuable than those sea creatures!”

“More valuable than sea fish?” Mi Gen and the others gasped.

“Do you know what a Demon Swift Eagle is?”

“Demon Swift Eagle? The second-rank bird most commonly ridden by the Sky Knights of the high nobility?” Lei Meng exclaimed in shock!

“Precisely—the Demon Swift Eagle, a mount. Do you think its value is lower than sea fish?”

“My lord, if it’s truly a Demon Swift Eagle, its value certainly exceeds sea fish. One adult Demon Swift Eagle is worth at least fifty to sixty gold coins—only slightly less than a Flame Horse!”

“Ten of them would be five to six hundred gold coins—far surpassing the value of last time’s fish!” Lei Meng replied immediately.

“Fifty to sixty gold coins each?” Mi Gen and the others, lacking exposure, had never heard of Demon Swift Eagles.

But the figure of fifty to sixty gold coins gave them a concrete value anchor—eyes widened in disbelief.

“Now you understand the value. Get to work and set it up properly!”

Learning that Demon Swift Eagles might arrive, the subordinates’ enthusiasm surged.

After the setup was complete, Gervas led his men to collect shells along the tidal flats.

The Demon Swift Eagle’s beak is extremely sharp; shellfish and shrimp along the coast are among their favored foods.

That’s why they choose to rest here.

To lure these Demon Swift Eagles, we must set bait, just as we did for the Flame Horses.

Fortunately, this world’s oceans remain undeveloped, and the mangrove shores still hold abundant shellfish.

Soon, over a dozen baskets of shellfish were gathered near the trap and scattered across a specific area.

Next came camouflage and ambush—critical.

The grasslands had bushes and trees for cover, but the mangrove forest did not.

The branches were sparse, and Demon Swift Eagles flew overhead; simple leaf camouflage would be instantly spotted.

“Everyone, smear mud over yourselves!”

Gervas had thought of a foolproof solution.

As their lord set the example, the guards and knights dared not complain about the dirt or discomfort.

Even Laurent, fearing it wasn’t enough, rolled himself several times in the mud, turning himself into a mud-algae monster, before finally feeling reassured.

Everything was now set. All that remained was waiting for the Demon Swift Eagles to appear.

Whether due to their sincerity or not, the Demon Swift Eagles arrived astonishingly fast.

Only half an hour after they crouched in the mud beside the tree roots, dark shadows swept overhead.

Though sunlight made details unclear, their three-meter wingspans revealed the birds’ staggering size.

“My lord, they’re here!” Mi Gen, farther off, grinned widely, teeth gleaming.

Gervas blinked slightly, signaling he understood.

Splash!

Perhaps because the view was so open, the Demon Swift Eagles deemed this grove safe—one quickly landed on a mangrove branch.

After observing briefly, though it noticed the coiled hemp nets, the eagle’s instincts told it threats came only from living creatures or massive plants—so it ignored the nets entirely.

With a flap of its wings, it landed on the ground and began pecking at the seafood “buffet.”

As the first Demon Swift Eagle feasted, the others circling above could no longer resist—they began landing one after another.

Eventually, all Demon Swift Eagles landed—eleven in total, exactly as the system had indicated.

Gervas slowly raised his hand, buried in mud, and held up five fingers.

Then five, four, three, two, one!

“Now!”

At the instant Gervas finished counting, everyone hidden in the mud around the mangrove forest surged upward and yanked the ropes before them.

Splash! Splash!

As the ropes pulled taut, over a dozen hemp nets unfurled with spring-loaded openings, blocking the mangrove branches.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The Demon Swift Eagles, startled by the sudden commotion, shrieked in terror and flapped desperately toward the sky.

But their bodies were too large to pass through the nets—they veered sideways, trying to escape.

Too late. The guards had prepared: half, led by Lei Meng and the knights, pressed forward with sharpened wooden spears, forcing the eagles back.

“Quick! Lower the nets!”

Seeing the Demon Swift Eagles mostly contained, Gervas shouted.

Even without his order, over a dozen guards already scaled the branches and sliced the spring knots with broken blades.

With the tension gone, the nets dropped, enveloping the Demon Swift Eagles.

One, two, three… soon, ten Demon Swift Eagles were fully trapped in the nets.

The guards hauling the ropes rushed forward, wrapping the birds tightly in the mesh.

“Trouble!” But the eleventh Demon Swift Eagle presented a problem.

This one was half a size larger than the others—clearly their leader.

With violent struggles, it flung off two guards and barely escaped the net.

With a cry, it soared into the sky.

The guards turned pale with fear.

“Moonchaser!” Gervas would not let his prize fly away—he shouted.