Chapter 107: Signing the Contract

Kevin felt a genuine sense of sorrow at the departure of the raven. After spending so much time together, it is easy to form an attachment even to an object, let alone a living, breathing bird. However, within the confines of a military camp, many things are beyond one's control; aside from expressing his regret, there was nothing Kevin could do.

He tried to lift his spirits and began training the new parrot. The parrot’s official serial number was too long, so Kevin simply dubbed her "Big Sis," and she dared not object. Newly trained parrots are much like fresh recruits—extremely cautious and timid.

Kevin chatted with her for a moment, and she stood perfectly straight, motionless. Among birds, this is quite rare; his previous raven had almost never sat still. Even when perched on his shoulder, the raven would constantly bob its head or go off to tease the dog at the canteen entrance, pulling its tail for fun. The only time the raven was truly quiet was when it was reading.

Looking back now, Kevin realized that the raven was inherently quite bellicose. Yet, because the bird possessed considerable intelligence, it had suppressed its true strength, avoiding any display of overly startling feats.

After chatting for only a short while, Kevin clearly felt the gap. This parrot was obviously a novice—orderly and obedient, but currently lacking any real talent and in need of cultivation. The raven, by contrast, had been a seasoned expert.

Regardless, being orderly is never a bad thing. After their talk, Kevin felt reasonably satisfied and immediately signed a contract with her. Naturally, it was an equal contract. Military regulations stipulated that parrots were, in a strict sense, military "personnel," and the relationship between them was that of superior and subordinate, not master and servant. Sometimes, however, it was hard to break old habits, and the birds would still occasionally refer to their handlers as "Master."

People would often ask the parrots, "Who is your master?" or "Where did your master go?" In truth, this was impolite, but the parrots themselves hadn't quite adjusted either, generally regarding humans as their superiors. Strictly speaking, one should ask, "Who is your superior?" or "Who is your contractor?"

Once both parties agree, signing a contract is usually quite convenient. The process involves using a spell to link the two parties' mental energies, taking about three minutes—though this was only because Kevin’s own strength was relatively low. Both closed their eyes, projected their mental energy through the spell, allowed them to converge, and then sealed the contract.

An equal contract is essentially like opening a door, allowing direct communication between the two parties via mental energy. The human has little binding power over the bird; high-level mages can forcibly suppress them with mental energy, but at Kevin’s level, it was easier to simply rely on his military rank.

"That's all for now, Big Sis," Kevin said after finalizing the contract. "Rest for today. Starting tomorrow, I need you to familiarize yourself with the surrounding terrain. Build good relationships with the parrots in the Communications Department. As a recruit, it might be difficult, but these are necessary tasks if you are to have any value in communication."

"Yes, sir!" the parrot replied, still quite nervous.

"And this." After a moment’s thought, Kevin reached into his drawer and pulled out a pair of steel talons. They were extremely sharp, gleaming with a cold light, and featured leather sleeves at the ends with ribbons for binding—essentially "gloves" designed for a bird, complete with steel claws at the "fingertips."

"Try to see if you can wear these," Kevin said, handing them to the parrot. Originally, these had been intended for the raven, but he had never been able to read the bird well enough to risk giving them to him.

"This? What is this?" The parrot didn't even recognize this novel piece of equipment.

"You can call them reinforced steel talons. Basic soldiers in the Dragon-Hawk unit have them; their talons extend by half a meter, like attaching a steel blade to their feet. But these are a bit dangerous, so we don't wear them during military exercises," Kevin explained casually. "I once asked if parrots should also have combat armor, but since the parrots' primary mission is communication and combat is secondary—plus, there are too many parrots to easily equip them in a short time—everyone is currently 'naked'."

The parrot stood motionless, listening intently to Kevin’s lecture.

"But I expect they will be standard issue in a couple of years. I made a pair, so you might as well wear them," Kevin said. "If anyone bullies you, you can fight back. Don't worry about it; if trouble arises, just report my name."

"Yes!" the parrot replied, looking slightly timid.

Kevin’s cultivation method was targeted; this parrot appeared too fearful, so she needed items to help build her confidence. If it had been the raven, Kevin would have strictly forbidden him from causing trouble, or told him to go home and read a book instead.

On the other side, the raven was being led back to the Communications Department by Colonel Stina. Along the way, the raven kept squawking "Aah! Aah!" and hopping between her shoulders, appearing to be in high spirits.

Colonel Stina, however, frowned repeatedly. "Your voice is truly unpleasant."

The raven ignored her and squawked even more joyfully. The Colonel said nothing further.

A moment later, the Colonel arrived in front of a massive rack. This was the assembly point for the entire legion’s parrots. Every morning, noon, and evening, a lead parrot would command the entire group, dividing them into squads on the rack before dispatching them to their respective patrol sectors.

Last year, the parrots had gathered in the trees, but the branches were irregular, making the assembly look chaotic. At the beginning of the year, a giant rack had been built for them, shaped like a perfectly regular and symmetrical tree. Unlike humans, it would take up too much space for parrots to line up on the ground; gathering in the trees was better suited to them.

"Sir!" Seeing the head of the Communications Department arrive, all the parrots stopped, then simultaneously extended their wings in a salute.

"Aah, aah, aah..." the raven squawked again.

"So noisy," Stina frowned, waving her hand. "Someone, take a few birds and escort it to the laboratory."

"Yes!" The lead parrot turned immediately and barked to several others, "You lot, hurry!"

A dozen parrots flew off the rack. Colonel Stina gave a casual gesture, driving the raven into the air, where it was instantly surrounded by the parrots. It was essentially escorted away under guard.

"Sir," the lead parrot began, "this raven seems to be..."

"It belongs to us now," Stina said dismissively. "Take it back and test its strength. If it’s any good, we’ll try to train it."

"Yes!" the lead parrot replied.

"If the training is successful, I will have you sign a contract with it and keep it as your pet," Stina added.

The lead parrot was instantly excited, flapping its wings repeatedly. "Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!"

Stina merely smiled. Signing contracts is not limited to humans and animals; animals can also sign with other animals. However, since most animals lack intelligence and cannot learn the art of contracts, they cannot enter into them.

High-level magical beasts, however, possess considerable learning capabilities. Experts on the continent have more than once used high-level magical beasts as pets, then had those beasts sign contracts with lower-level ones. This creates a radiating, tree-like structure that significantly enhances the master's own strength.

What was once exclusive to high-level magical beasts could now be done by parrots. This was only theoretical, however; birds have naturally low mental energy, and even with training, parrots struggle to sign contracts with more than two individuals simultaneously. Yet, while most parrots cannot, a few genius-level individuals are exceptions.

Stina’s lead parrot was the strongest of its generation, a bird that had learned wind-element magic. Its mental energy was undoubtedly strong, and signing a contract with a common animal was theoretically not a problem. As a summoner-focused mage, Colonel Stina had always regretted not having a high-level magical beast. If she could achieve tree-like divergent summoning without needing such beasts, that would be a promising area of research.

She didn't particularly care for the raven—it was ugly, its voice was grating, and while it might have some strength, it offered little improvement to her own. But letting her parrot sign it was a perfect solution.

The flock of parrots escorted the raven into a room, diving through a small window in the roof. The room was filled with various parrots, and upon seeing the new arrival, they erupted in a cacophony of chatter.

"Buddy? Where are you from?" "Has another strange species infiltrated us?" "This raven looks familiar..."

"Quiet, everyone!" the most senior parrot commanded. "Come, let’s test its abilities in every category!"

The military’s execution was impeccable. Even for a flock of birds, once an order was given, they immediately placed various instruments before the raven.

"First item: test your lifting strength," a parrot nearby said, picking up an iron ball and flying up. "Watch closely, follow my lead, and see how large a ball you can lift."

Testing bird abilities had become quite standardized; every parrot had gone through similar tests, which served as one of the criteria for their enlistment. Kevin had simply lacked the equipment; otherwise, he wouldn't have minded testing the raven.

The parrot flew a circle with the ball, but the raven just stood there, motionless.

"Follow along, won't you?" "Hurry up!" "Does it not understand?" "Things without awakened intelligence are such a hassle..." The flock erupted in chatter again.

"Forget it, let’s go to the second item," the senior parrot gave up, switching to something simpler. "Come, let’s test flight speed."

"It doesn't matter if you don't understand this." A parrot from behind kicked the raven, forcibly shoving it forward.

The raven was startled, but instead of flying properly, it went on a wild, frantic run, colliding with several other parrots and drawing a chorus of curses.

"How on earth did this thing learn to operate a catapult?" "Could it be some other raven in disguise?" "Should we beat it up? It’ll behave after a beating." "The problem is that it doesn't understand; beating it to death won't help!"

The flock discussed the matter until nightfall, but through all their attempts, the raven remained clueless. The parrots didn't dare to strike it too hard; after all, it was said to be the leader's pet, and if they maimed it, it might cause trouble later.

At night, Colonel Stina came to inspect and, upon hearing the situation, was not in a hurry. "Then just lock it up for now."

"Sir," the lead parrot suggested again, "the main issue is that this raven doesn't understand human speech. But if I sign a contract with it, I can convey my meaning directly through the bond."

"Fine, if you're so eager, go ahead and try," Stina said with interest.

The lead parrot was thrilled and turned to the raven. "Kid, come here! Sign a contract with me. An equal contract—don't resist."

"Aah, aah..." the raven squawked.

"I'm starting," the lead parrot said, not bothering with formalities, and began chanting the incantation.

The raven, however, flapped its wings and darted up to a ceiling beam.

The lead parrot grew impatient. "Come on, pin it down!"

A dozen parrots swarmed, dragging the raven off the beam and pinning it to the ground. The raven let out a pained cry: "Aah..."

"Kid, I’m offering an equal contract, and you’re still not happy?" The lead parrot paced up to the raven. "I'll try one more time. If you still refuse, I’ll force a master-servant contract."

"Aah, aah..." The raven was pinned, completely unable to move.

The lead parrot chanted at the raven's head. The raven thrashed wildly, refusing to cooperate, and the signing failed twice.

"You’re forcing my hand." The lead parrot was furious, flapped its wings, and began to switch to the master-servant contract.

"Wait!" Stina interrupted. "A master-servant contract is highly dangerous. It generally requires the master’s mental energy to be more than double that of the other party to succeed. Are you sure you can do it?"

"I can!" the lead parrot replied, looking clearly confident.

"Better to play it safe," Stina advised. "The penalties for a failed master-servant contract are severe. Starve it for two days, then sign it."

The lead parrot fell silent for a moment, clearly displeased, but it could not defy the Colonel's order. It nodded. "Yes, sir!"

"Lock the raven in a cage," Stina commanded, waving her hand. "Keep an eye on it, don't let it starve to death. Sign it in two days."

With that, Colonel Stina left. The flock stared at one another, instinctively releasing the raven. The raven climbed to its feet, shook its feathers, and continued to squawk "Aah, aah..." It was unclear whether it was angry or feeling some other emotion.

"Get in the cage!" a veteran parrot began driving it in. A moment later, the raven was locked in the birdcage.

"Kid, remember this," the lead parrot said, walking up to the cage. It realized it was a head shorter and jumped onto the top of the cage. "From now on, I am your master, understand? Follow me, and you'll live well. If you don't, you'll die! Die!"

The raven didn't react, didn't even look at him, just kept its head low.

The other birds found it boring and dispersed to attend to their own affairs.

Two days passed in a flash. Colonel Stina had said to starve it for two days, and so they did; it hadn't had a drop of water. The raven sat motionless, no longer squawking, looking completely lethargic. Early that morning, the lead parrot, unable to wait any longer, used its beak to unlatch the cage. "Kid, I’m here to see you. Did you miss me?"

The raven didn't speak, merely glanced at him.

Several other parrots flew over to watch; this would be their first time seeing how a master-servant contract was signed.

"You look surprisingly sturdy after two days of hunger," the lead parrot observed, looking the bird up and down. "From now on, I will ride you when I fly. You are my mount."

The raven: "..."

"Enough, let's get on with it. Come on! Drag it out and pin it down. I’m signing the master-servant contract!" the lead parrot ordered its subordinates excitedly. Moments later, the raven was pinned to the floor again. This time it had almost no strength to resist, and even its squawks were weak.

The lead parrot watched with excitement, chanting the master-servant spell. Magical runes appeared in the air, dancing around the parrot's head before all striking the raven’s forehead. Suddenly, a red light flashed in the raven's eyes, and the runes actually flew backward, striking the lead parrot square in the forehead. The parrot shuddered violently. The surrounding parrots were shocked. "What happened?" "What’s going on?" "Are you alright?"

"I... I..." The lead parrot swayed back and forth, struggling to stand. "I... am... fine. I... I succeeded."

"Really?" "Is that true?" "You look like you’re in bad shape. Are you really okay?" "Should we call the Colonel?"

"I'm fine..." the lead parrot said with great difficulty. "I'm fine. Perhaps... it's just my first time using it; the mental energy drain... was a bit much. A rest will do."

The other parrots released the raven. The raven walked slowly up to the lead parrot and bowed its head, as if it had truly become his slave. The lead parrot stared at it, motionless. A bird cannot convey much expression, but the surrounding parrots, seeing this, began to congratulate the leader. Some even felt that the leader was the first parrot in history to sign another animal, a feat that should be recorded in the history books.