Chapter 110 Pegasus
After a brief commotion, the Pegasus herd regained its composure.
Perhaps noticing that I showed no hostility, the herd of Pegasus, despite their hesitation and wariness, ultimately did not choose to distance themselves. They simply retreated to a slightly farther position or flew in the clear sky, curiously observing me. Only one rather robust Pegasus descended from the sky, trotting its way towards me.
He's probably the leader of this group of Pegasus.
The first step was barely successful.
I made a guess to myself, then coughed again to attract attention and tried to state my purpose: "First of all, I need to clarify that I have no hostility. I am just looking for companions who can temporarily travel with me and my companions."
Pegasus, who was leading the way, snorted loudly, clearly dissatisfied with this explanation.
That's normal, I can understand.
Pegasus are, after all, intelligent and spiritual beings; simply explaining things to them is not enough to gain their complete trust.
Moreover, there have been precedents, such as pretending to be harmless and then suddenly stabbing the horse in the neck when approaching or sitting behind it.
Although this is a lose-lose situation, for such people, aiming for the more valuable Pegasus Wings is a more profitable choice than simple and worthless trust.
It was practically an incurable sore.
Influenced by the group's despicable actions, even Pegasus, who has always been close to humans, has become more vigilant and must find a way to increase their favor in order to obtain permission to ride them.
But since it's just a feeling of vigilance, it means there's still room for redemption.
The simplest way is to simply add enough credentials to gain faith.
I remember last time I came here, I got permission very easily by relying on my mentor's connections. I don't know if doing this is okay.
In front of the Pegasus group, I pulled the key from my collar with as little speed as possible without alerting them, then activated it with magic, enhancing its presence and causing a faint silvery-white glow to emanate from its surface. If they truly had some special feeling towards their mentor, this action would certainly be effective.
However, my conjecture was soon proven wrong.
The leader standing opposite me simply stamped his foot at my actions, his eyes conveying obvious confusion.
No, that's true. While Pegasus is indeed a mythical beast, why would I expect it to recognize things that only have meaning in a specific social context?
Fortunately, this attempt was not without merit. At least it proved from the side that the mentor was able to easily and simply tame the animals because of other factors.
In contrast, the carrots piled at their feet were far more effective at enticing the Pegasus herd. Several had already flapped their wings and landed, hesitantly trying to approach. However, they were all ultimately intercepted by their leader, and could only linger around, emitting a series of urging neighs of varying pitches.
Do I have any other assets that could increase my chances of success?
If there is nothing that can sway these Pegasus leaders, even if they eventually hand over the carrot, they will likely only end up throwing good money after bad.
The Pegasus leader's vigilance was deeply ingrained. Even as more and more of his brethren landed nearby, he remained steadfast and unwavering, only impatiently flapping his wings a few times to try and maintain the calm of the situation.
So, perhaps this thing will be useful.
I took something out of my personal storage space, and soon the commotion on the other side grew even bigger.
It was a leaf-shaped object, its entire body shimmering with a gem-like emerald green luster. Even without being activated by magic, it was constantly emanating the vibrant aura of nature.
"This is a gift of plant essence from my fairy friends," I explained. "If it's not enough for me alone to believe it, how about adding the fairy race, who have always been closest to the World Tree?"
This was the preparation I requested from the fairies after confirming that the destination was the Abyss Mountains. What would be a precious material that takes a long time to obtain from special plants in the outside world becomes a cheap commodity that fairies, who are experts in manipulating plants, can easily grab in large quantities if the conditions are right.
They even expressed their delight, saying that they were happy to be able to do something for me after staying here for so long.
There was a feeling of them getting a good deal and then acting innocent, but thanks to them, at least after the items were taken out, the leader of Pegasus finally showed obvious signs of wavering.
The essence of plants imbued with the aura of fairies might be more effective than ordinary ones. This is partly because they are closer to nature itself, and partly because they have lived with the World Tree for many years.
Naturally, as a spirit beast, the Pegasus would feel more at ease with this kind of aura.
After a brief standoff, the leader of the Pegasus snorted again, stepped forward first, slowly and cautiously snatched a carrot, and then turned and retreated into the distance.
This is a sign that approval has been barely obtained.
The neighing of horses came from all around. Soon, all the food that had been dumped on the ground was completely devoured.
Fortunately, after establishing initial trust, the remaining negotiations became much easier, and I was able to obtain permission to ride the three celestial horses without much effort.
Of course, the plant essences were just shown to them; I wouldn't be foolish enough to exchange them here.
Although the angry Pegasus leader slapped him on the back with his wing, it didn't hurt, so it was nothing.
After feeding them thoroughly, I finally led the selected horses back to the temporary camp for rest.
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