Chapter 26 ： Transportation

Perry decided to climb up first. He carefully placed Mushcat in his pocket, trying not to hurt it. However, as soon as he grabbed the rope, he realized it had been a long time since he last climbed one. His fingers trembled slightly from gripping too tightly, his balance was off, and his feet struggled to find proper footholds. Every inch of the climb felt unbearably difficult, sweat dripping from his forehead while his back tightened. He put all his strength into gripping the rough rope, his arms aching from the exertion, and his legs continuously struggled to find a stable spot. Despite all this effort, he still felt like he could slip at any moment.

Seeing how much Perry was struggling, Rufus called up from below, concerned, "Be careful! Don't fall!"

Perry didn't respond, biting his lip and continuing upward. Every step was cautious, but the instability of his body and the pain in his arms made each movement agonizing.

Meanwhile, Larkin stood nearby, arms crossed, and coldly remarked, "Pathetic," his tone filled with disdain, clearly unimpressed with Perry's efforts.

After a grueling ten minutes, Perry finally reached the top, gasping for breath. His legs went weak, and he collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily as his limbs relaxed and his entire body shook with exhaustion.

Perry expected that Rufus and Larkin would also take a while to climb up, but to his surprise, as soon as he lay down to catch his breath, the two had already reached the top with ease.

"No wonder they're muscle elves…" Perry muttered, looking at them in awe.

"We should hurry back to the village," Rufus said, glancing at the sky. "It's still relatively safe while the sun hasn't fully set."

Perry stood up, dusted himself off, and quickly followed Rufus. Though they didn't encounter any dangers along the way, Perry remained on edge, fearing a sudden wild beast or that Rufus and Larkin might suddenly turn on him.

Luckily, they made it back safely.

As they approached the village, Toto was sitting at the entrance, waiting. When he saw Perry, he rushed over excitedly. "Henry, you're back!"

Perry couldn't help but pat Toto's head with a smile. "Hi, Toto."

Seeing Rufus and Larkin following behind Perry, Toto immediately said, "Rufus, Larkin, the village chief was just looking for you."

"The chief? What for?" Larkin frowned in confusion.

"I don't know," Toto shrugged.

"We'd better go check it out." Rufus and Larkin exchanged glances before waving goodbye to Perry. "See you later, Perry."

The two quickly ran toward the large tree in the village and disappeared from Perry's sight.

Watching them leave, Perry started to think about where he should go next. He turned to Toto and asked, "So… do you know how I can leave here? Is there, maybe, a carriage or something?"

"A carriage? What's that?" Toto looked confused for a moment but quickly smiled and explained, "If you want to leave, you can ride a Brubird to the nearest town, then use the teleport to get where you need to go."

Perry felt relieved but immediately grew curious. "Where can I find a Brubird?"

"Just at the farm over there. I'll take you!" Toto eagerly grabbed Perry's hand and led him to a place that looked like a farm.

As they entered, a large sign immediately caught Perry's attention: "Brubird Rentals." Toto pushed the door open, and Perry saw several large, blue birds leisurely standing nearby. These Brubirds had ostrich-like bodies and colorful feather crests similar to that of a great blue turaco. Their feathers were mostly dark blue with a glossy shine, making them look powerful.

Seeing such massive birds for the first time, Perry instinctively took a step back, eyes wide in shock at their size. Toto noticed his reaction and chuckled, and just then, the farm owner, Brudo, appeared.

"Well, well, Toto! You brought me a customer, huh? That's great!" Brudo, a middle-aged man with a beard and a toothpick in his mouth, approached them warmly, patting Toto on the shoulder.

Toto pointed at Perry. "Brudo, this one wants to rent a Brubird. Get him the best one!"

Perry glanced around, noticing that each Brubird had a price tag hanging beside it, showing the rental cost. When he saw that renting one would cost 700 gold coins, his heart sank—he only had 100 gold coins in his pocket, nowhere near enough to afford one of the giant birds.

Brudo seemed to sense his predicament and smiled. "You're the magic apprentice who helped heal my wound a few days ago, right? I'll lend you a Brubird for free today. Consider it repayment for the favor you did me."

Perry looked at Brudo in surprise, unable to hide his disbelief. "Really? That's amazing! But… it was just a small favor, really, no big deal."

Brudo patted him on the shoulder again, grinning. "Don't be so modest! You did me a huge favor, and this is nothing in comparison."

With that, he turned and waved at one of the plump, blue Brubirds. "Poloco, come here!"

The Brubird named Poloco quickly waddled over and obediently stood by Brudo's side.