While scratching his head in frustration, he spotted an inconspicuous short tree nearby. He put the bird eggs back for the moment, then tested the tree with his other hand. Finding it sturdy enough, he flipped himself up like a hawk and landed abruptly on the short tree. Just as he settled himself, Henry Linton happened to glance at the ground, and suddenly felt a wave of dizziness. No matter what, this was the first time he had tried something so dangerous. Even though his body was not unfamiliar with such activities, deep down he was still that pampered prince, not so easy to adapt. Taking a deep breath, Henry Linton slowly calmed his nerves. This was the first thing he had done since being reborn—if he couldn’t accomplish it, how could he continue living as Henry Linton?

Reaching to his waist, Henry Linton found his familiar sickle, which gave him a bit more confidence. He skillfully cut a few vines and deftly wove them together. In no time, a simple basket took shape. One, two, three, four—he carefully placed all four bird eggs into the basket, then stuffed in plenty of weeds until he was sure that ordinary bumps wouldn’t break these precious foods. Only then did he show a satisfied smile. He tightly sealed the basket’s opening with the leftover vines, then firmly strapped the basket to himself, finally completing all his preparations.

Climbing down the cliff was far harder than he had imagined. With the extra weight on his back, Henry Linton slipped several times. If his body hadn’t reacted faster than his mind each time, he would have fallen long ago. Even so, one of his shoes fell off, and his knee was scraped and bleeding. After such a perilous descent, he finally set foot on level ground.

Chapter Three: Harvest

He had just breathed a sigh of relief when Henry Linton heard a gust of wind by his ear, followed by a sharp pain in his left arm as a powerful force instantly knocked him to the ground. Although ambushed, danger was right before his eyes, and the hunter’s instincts immediately kicked in. He pushed off the cliff wall with his legs, rolled several times, and quickly tumbled into a nearby thicket of short trees. He didn’t even need to think to know what had attacked him. He had clearly tried to steal those bird eggs, and now he had run into the real owner—he just didn’t know what kind of giant bird could be so fierce.

The thicket was less than three meters high and only covered a small area, but the trees grew surprisingly dense. Through the gaps in the branches, Henry Linton was shocked to see a giant bird as tall as a person anxiously flapping its wings. Unfortunately, its wings were so large that it could only fret outside. The bird was extremely ugly, but its eyes shone with a sharp light, and its jet-black feathers gleamed with an eerie luster. Man and bird, inside and outside the thicket, two utterly different creatures faced off in a tense standoff.

It only took a short while before Henry Linton felt sweat pouring down. His earlier actions had drained too much of his energy, and he knew he couldn’t hold out much longer. Gripping the sickle in his hand, Henry Linton gave a bitter laugh, then casually cut the basket from his back and set it on the ground. If he died at the hands of this monstrous bird, he certainly wouldn’t need those things anymore.

With a flick of his toe, he kicked up a huge cloud of dust, sending it billowing toward the giant bird. Henry Linton had no confidence in facing such a beast head-on, so he had to try something clever. But the giant bird was quick-witted, too—it flapped its wings and took to the air, the sound of wind whooshing loudly, making it clear the dust had no effect at all. Henry Linton dashed out of the thicket and, relying on instinct, swung his sickle. With a squelch, he actually hit the target. But what happened next was unexpected: though the sickle wasn’t top quality, it had been used and sharpened daily, so it should have been quite sharp. Yet, the blow didn’t harm the bird at all, and the huge recoil forced him back several steps, leaving his hand numb.

Seeing the giant bird swoop at him again, Henry Linton had no choice but to dodge, but he was no match for the bird’s wings. He took a heavy blow to the shoulder, feeling a burning pain as half his body went numb. Staring at the massive black shadow before him, Henry Linton closed his eyes in fear. However, the giant bird stopped just a foot away from him, its eyes fixed in alarm on the thicket.

Suddenly, there was a crackling sound, as if something had broken. Henry Linton couldn’t care about the threat of the giant bird anymore and quickly turned to look. A chubby little creature appeared before his eyes, then a second, a third, a fourth. At this critical moment, all four bird eggs had hatched. The four newborn chicks quickly broke free from the vine-woven cage and cheerfully ran out. Seeing this, Henry Linton felt his vision go black and plopped down on the ground. Sigh, all his efforts had come to nothing, and now he might even lose his life—he really was useless.

But the four chicks behaved very strangely. Instead of running to the giant bird, they moved toward Henry Linton, with one even playfully hopping onto his head. The giant bird seemed furious, letting out a piercing wail as it stepped menacingly toward Henry Linton. The four chicks seemed a bit scared, too, burrowing frantically into Henry Linton’s clothes, making him both laugh and cry. In that moment, he even felt as if these four little creatures were like long-lost friends.