Pretending To Be A Boss
Chapter 43: Chapter 30: I Want to Ride You

Tang Xian didn't sabotage. He was a human who loved to protect little birds.

Mockingbirds and cat-eared bats alike favored dry and cool places; they mostly nested in caves that were well-ventilated yet devoid of light.

Cat-eared bats had a bloodthirsty nature; if the mockingbirds weren't fluent in the language of the cat-eared bats, they would have a hard time surviving. These creatures had cat-like ears and a temperament somewhat similar to cats; they would toy with their prey just as a cat would "play" with a little mouse for a long time before finally killing it when they lost interest.

Tang Xian liked cats, but he was always aware of the cruel wildness within them. The cat-eared bats were even worse.

Mockingbirds shouldn't have appeared in the Forest Ocean, so he could imagine how miserably one mockingbird could've been bullied by cat-eared bats to the point of being driven from home.

The mockingbird returned quickly, efficiently catching a Green Phosphor Fish.

After receiving the fish, Tang Xian began earnestly roasting the fish and plotting how to recruit this interpreter.

"Gā zhī, sly human, you should fulfill your promise!" the mockingbird urged Tang Xian.

"I heard that mockingbirds can sense many illusions, some residual brainwaves from other creatures, which is why you can master various languages," Tang Xian said.

"Yes, we are clever birds. We speak all kinds of languages," the mockingbird said, obviously proud.

"That's really nice. The fish needs a few more minutes to roast; let me first tell you how to deal with cat-eared bats. These creatures have better hearing than ordinary bats, but they are averse to light and basically cannot operate during the day. All you need is a fire to light up the place where they live. Their dwelling is dry and cool, easy to set afire.

Being a neighbor, you should know this." Tang Xian said, looking at the fish while opening his prop bag.

The mockingbird was initially overjoyed, then thought for a few seconds, and finally squawked angrily:

"Gā zhī! You deceitful human! You tricked me! How am I supposed to start a fire! If the fire starts, won't my home be gone too?"

"Hmm, so that method won't work." Tang Xian did some calculations; the IQ of the mockingbird was probably slightly lower than that of an average human.

Judging from the speed of reaction to the prank, it was roughly at the level of an IQ between 90 to 95.

Plus, without human cunning, it actually scores less.

In short, it was a silly bird. Of course, that was by Tang Xian's standards.

"I will tell that fox that you are an outsider human! You are like those who can vanish suddenly! You are an invader, gā zhī!" The mockingbird clearly hadn't realized that the human in front of it—was really cunning.

"Use your bird brain and think about it, when you incited other creatures in the Mining Continent, you relied on their inability to communicate. But I have no barrier in communicating with Qing JiuYu, and I've just given her the exceedingly precious Jiuye Biphasic Orchid. Do you think she will believe you or believe me?

Life is short for a bird; why insist on antagonizing people you can't afford to offend?"

The mockingbird was stunned.

Tang Xian continued:

"Afraid of light cat-eared bats don't necessarily need to be dealt with by fire. There's a type of fungus, called Glow Mushroom, very rare. Tonight, you can go and see it; it can make dark places as bright as day. Take these Glow Mushrooms during the night when cat-eared bats go out for activity and hunting, and spread them inside the caves; they won't be able to return."

"Gā! That's how it is, that's how it is!" the mockingbird was extremely overjoyed.

"You should develop the good habit of listening before you speak. Do you know where the Glow Mushrooms are? Do you know how many there are? Know how to take them to where you live? If you pull them out directly, will they still glow?"

The fish was ready, and Tang Xian gave the tail of the fish to the mockingbird.

The mockingbird gaped; its bird brain was confused by the barrage of questions.

"However, you don't need to worry, fate arranged for you to come extort... ah no, seek help from me today. I'm a man happy to assist birds. Glow Mushroom grows at the bottom of YiSu Canyon, YiSu Canyon is south of the Forest Ocean. If you fly diligently, you can see them tonight; you can personally verify and see if they are as bright as I described."

The mockingbird immediately became cheery again.

"You are an honest human!"

"Yes, my biggest flaw is honesty, soft-heartedness. So I still need to tell you honestly, there are only three to five Glow Mushrooms under YiSu Canyon and they are extremely rare. Probably, throughout the entire Mining Continent to the south, there are no more than ten plants.

If you rely on your bird beak to take them back, let alone that they might not live at all, even if they could survive, how much can you take at a time? And even if you took them all... it is certain that three to five plants won't light up much, you would just be bullied even worse."

"Gā zhī! What should I do, what should I do?" The mockingbird's tiny head was filled with helplessness in an instant.

"Fortunately, you met me, Tang Xian, today. Have you remembered my name? Say it, will you?"

"Tang Xian, Tang Xian," the mockingbird repeated without realizing it had been completely following the other's lead.

Tang Xian couldn't discern what the bird language sounded like, but he generously said:

"I am very wealthy, I have enough Glow Mushrooms to illuminate a complete Forest Ocean. You could ask me for some. I could even personally take action and plant Glow Mushrooms in every cave north of the Forest Ocean. Furthermore, if you purchase this service now, you can get the Nine-Tailed Fox's foxfire at half the price.

Just imagine those fire-fearing dead bats; next time they come to bully you, your good friend Tang Xian, with his fox, can spew a great fire and roast them to death, eating their crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside wings. Doesn't that sound great?"