### Chapter 48: I Have My Own Mounts Too

Here, over a hundred magnificent magical beasts have been parked.

With wings, four legs, and covered in thick silver-gray feathers, their broad wings and powerful claws, along with sharp eyes and a special upright blue feather on their heads, make for quite the sight.

Vilyric had read about these creatures in the books of the United Kingdom.

Cloud Soaring Falcons, a species of social magical beasts, usually consist of a group of about 500 individuals, and are only found on certain floating islands in the Kingdom of Azure.

These magical beasts prefer a carnivorous diet but are quite gentle in nature; they rarely attack other creatures unless provoked. As long as their basic food needs are met, they pose no threat at all.

An adult Cloud Soaring Falcon measures around ten meters in length, with wings that can reach the same width. They belong to the third tier of magical beasts and possess immense strength and endurance; when professionally trained, they can carry ten tons and fly over a thousand kilometers in one go.

Compared to the griffons raised in the United Kingdom, they may lack a bit in attack power and speed, but they are easier to manage and have better carrying capacity, making them exceptional mid-sized transport magical beasts.

Think of it like the difference between a fighter jet and a small passenger plane.

This open-air training ground appears to be specially designated for parking Cloud Soaring Falcons, akin to an airport. The mobility tools provided by the Winged People here are much more humble than I had imagined.

Given the advanced technology emerging sporadically in the United Kingdom, Vilyric half-expected some jaw-dropping contraption to be available here as well.

A standard-sized Cloud Soaring Falcon can safely and comfortably carry about ten people, and with over a hundred of them lined up here, transporting the envoy group along with a few guards is certainly more than manageable.

As for heavier items like carts and horses, those can only be left in this city under the watch of the garrison. These transport tools aren’t very handy in the Kingdom of Azure; according to previously agreed-upon arrangements, the envoy would only bring in a few valuable goods.

Along with the Cloud Soaring Falcons, Hilda naturally brought many Winged warriors from the Kingdom of Azure to ensure the safety of the envoy group; they are now mostly scattered around the falcons in squads, totaling about two thousand people.

It seems that each group of 20 is responsible for protecting one Cloud Soaring Falcon, giving off a real mothership and escort vibe.

However, all of the Winged warriors except Hilda Kurk are red-feathered.

The weapons used by these Winged People consist primarily of three types: spears, bows, and staves, all designed for long-range engagements, even capable of attacking from a distance of at least two to three meters.

Perhaps due to the differences in combat environments, most battles for the Winged People would occur in the air, where their wide vision and greater mobility allow for fewer close-quarters opportunities.

This is quite similar to Leila and Renée’s situation; the customs between different races really are interesting!

Under the leadership of Philena and Hilda, the envoy swiftly boarded the backs of the Cloud Soaring Falcons, and Vilyric’s group was assigned a particularly majestic and lengthy individual.

Since their group—or rather, what appeared to outsiders as some strange little team—only consisted of five people, and there was minimal pressure in the allocation, Philena decided not to assign anyone else to accompany them.

However, after organizing everything, she naturally took a seat alone, and Winged Woman Miss Hilda accompanied the envoy group leader.

At that moment, Vilyric learned that the Cloud Soaring Falcon they were riding was actually the leader of this flock, having reached the fourth tier, specifically prepared for the high-ranking members of the envoy.

No wonder the feather on its head was a light reddish color; Priestess Miss had originally thought it was some sort of mutation in its bloodline.

Once the signal for readiness was given, Hilda and Philena exchanged glances, and then the beautiful long white-feathered falcon slowly took off into the sky.

“Let’s go!”

“Chirp!!!”

With the command given, hundreds of birds echoed in unison.

The well-trained Cloud Soaring Falcons all spread their wings and soared into the sky amid the rushing air.

The scenery below swiftly dropped away, and in the blink of an eye, the formation created by the hundreds of Cloud Soaring Falcons reached an altitude of a thousand meters, the city below reducing to a vague outline.

“Oh, not too bad.”

Sitting on the bird’s back, gripping the sturdy yet supple feathers of this fourth-tier elite Cloud Soaring Falcon and feeling the gentle breeze, Priestess Miss couldn’t help but exclaim with interest.

Compared to her or Little Dragon Daughter’s own flying speed, these big birds are naturally far slower; even Legendary Leila would easily leave them in the dust.

But speed aside, in terms of stability, these well-trained falcons are truly excellent.

Whether during ascent or now in a diagonal climb, sitting on their broad backs, there wasn’t even the slightest hint of shaking. To ensure passenger safety and comfort, the Winged People have also equipped simple magical barriers on the saddles to shield against air currents.

It’s a low-tier magic but extremely practical; I’ve heard that if attacked, this barrier can momentarily draw on energy from the internal magic crystals to greatly enhance its strength.

The Winged People seem to have a higher level of magical development than the United Kingdom, as can be seen in this small detail.

“Thank you for the compliment, but, it seems that Miss Vilyric, could this be your first time riding a flying magical beast?”

Not sitting atop a falcon but flapping beside them with white feathers, Hilda chuckled quietly, somehow managing to transmit her voice into the barrier while flying at high speed.

The flying ability of the Winged People is truly remarkable; Vilyric had already noticed this from Leila and Renée. If we set aside physical attributes and focus solely on skill, those two might even surpass Vilyric, with only the similarly born-to-fly Little Dragon Daughter being able to overshadow them.

Hilda and those Winged warriors are the same; they can not only easily keep up with the Cloud Soaring Falcons but can also maintain perfect synchronization with their companions in flight, consistently surrounding the falcons they are tasked to protect in a circular formation.

Right now, Hilda is flying outside, but from Vilyric’s perspective, it looks like both parties are completely still.

No wonder they are a race that has lived in the sky for so long.

“Speaking of first times, it’s not really that…”

The black-haired girl glanced at Giant Dragon Miss, who showed a bit of disdain beside her.

“Don’t let this look fool you; I actually have a pretty impressive and cool mount too. It’s just that this is indeed my first time flying with anything other than her.”

At least in this world, that’s the case.

“Oh my~ Miss Vilyric is very confident! It seems you share quite a deep bond with your mount; that’s wonderful. I wonder if Hilda will ever have the opportunity to see that powerful magical beast’s true form. Hehe~”

“Well… if the opportunity arises.”

Vilyric ambiguously swept the topic aside; after all, she couldn’t just tell the Winged Woman outside, “Actually, you’ve already seen it, but right now, she’s in human form… right?”

“Hmph~”

The mount and pet Miss, who was specifically mentioned, huffed and lifted her nose, clearly not angry with Vilyric but perhaps dealing with some competitive spirit or other thoughts, directing them somewhere entirely different.

Only she would really know what was going on!

   

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