**Chapter 8: Taming the Dark Feather Crane**
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As the Cold Moon Witch approached the kneeling crane, her Black Wind Sword in hand, the players in the live stream couldn’t tear their eyes away from her back, daring not to breathe.
Her recent clash with Gongsun Ding, the chief disciple of the Inner Door from Thousand Bird City, was nothing short of breathtaking, and it seemed she hadn’t even exerted herself fully.
Gongsun Ding had fled after spitting bl**d, while the Cold Moon Witch maintained her icy demeanor, her eyes like frost, seemingly unfazed by her opponent’s retreat.
The merchant live streamer, along with other players from the merchant team, received several system alerts at once.
“Warning: The Cold Moon Witch is still in combat mode. Please do not approach at random!”
“Warning: The Cold Moon Witch is still in combat mode. Please do not approach at random!”
“…”
Beads of cold sweat trickled down the streamer’s forehead.
They knew she was tough, but they hadn’t expected her to be tough enough for the system to issue warnings.
But come on, it had only been a little over a month since the game launched! Who would dare challenge such a formidable NPC? That was practically asking for d*ath!
“I heard that crane only exists in the Crane Garden within Thousand Bird City; it’s a unique celestial beast exclusive to the city. There aren’t many of them. They wouldn’t easily use the celestial beasts unless it was a big deal.”
“And Gongsun Ding left one behind… Isn’t that like leading a wolf into a den? With Gongsun Ding gone, the Cold Moon Witch isn’t planning to take out her frustrations on the celestial beast, is she?”
“Who can say? That kind of lone-wolf villain boss is all about mystery and unpredictability; anything could happen.”
“Poor crane, look at its spindly legs shaking; it must be scared to d*ath of the Cold Moon Witch.”
“Don’t k*ll it, don’t k*ll it, oh please Cold Moon Witch!”
A flood of sympathy from female players filled the live chat as they beheld the crane’s pitiful state.
“Too bad the Cold Moon Witch can’t see the live chat; your prayers are wasted.”
“The battle between good and evil is an eternal theme since Pangu split heaven and earth. Life and d*ath are common; it wouldn’t be surprising if the Cold Moon Witch kills the crane.”
“If only the Cold Moon Witch could start her own sect! I’d want to be her disciple right now and call her Master. Hehe.”
“Ha, you just want to swoon over her, huh? Don’t dream; she’s a villain NPC boss! You’re just a lowly player; she might just slice you down to level 0, and you’d never recover!”
As the chat drifted, the viewers suddenly held their breath when they saw the Cold Moon Witch standing next to the giant crane’s head.
What on earth would she do?
Would she spare it, or would she attempt to tame it?
They say that although cranes are timid, they are fiercely loyal to Thousand Bird City; they wouldn’t follow anyone else, even to the point of self-destruction.
But the next scene left all players in the live chat utterly flabbergasted.
The Cold Moon Witch extended her slender, pale finger and lightly scraped the crane’s head. Suddenly, the crane stood up, its entire body trembling violently.
As it shivered, its white feathers transformed as if dipped in ink, turning jet black. Its body shape also drastically changed—its wings widened, its slender legs became as robust as an eagle’s, even covered with thick scales.
This drastic transformation took less than ten seconds to complete.
Once the crane’s new form stabilized, it threw its head back and let out a roar that sent shockwaves like a mini-nuke explosion, knocking the astonished crowd off-balance, sending them rolling like meatballs in the gust.
“Holy cr*p!”
“Holy cr*p!”
The live chat was instantly flooded with those two words.
“What kind of operation is this?! The Cold Moon Witch can actually transform celestial beasts?! That’s unreal!”
“My mind is officially blown. Honestly, this is the most unique NPC boss I’ve encountered in all my years of gaming.”
“Ha, I can’t wait to level up and have a showdown with her; it’s bound to be an unforgettable experience.”
“Ha, just don’t get yourself turned into dust by the Cold Moon Witch.”
“What on earth are you all jabbering about? Hurry up and get the camera focused on the crane’s head! Let’s see if the system recognizes it! That’s the Cold Moon Witch’s exclusive mount!”
“Exactly! Get closer, streamer, don’t be shy! You’re a merchant anyway with no skills; losing two levels won’t hurt!”
The merchant streamer gritted his teeth and crept toward the roaring crane with utmost caution.
The Cold Moon Witch had already been lifted onto its back by the crane’s wings, ready to take off at any moment.
“Whoosh!”
The crane’s wings began to flap slowly, creating a wind that sent the surrounding trees scattering like frightened children, leaves, dust, and debris swirling chaotically, forming little whirlwinds.
And just as the transformed crane took off, the streamer finally managed to get enough footage for the system to analyze.
“Beep beep beep…”
“This beast is named Dark Feather Crane, level 50, transformed through dark baptism accepted from the cranes of Thousand Bird City. Currently, there is only this one in the world of ‘The Way of Inquiry’, and it is an exclusive mount for the Cold Moon Witch.”
The system analysis promptly appeared in the live chat.
Players were dumbfounded.
“Dark baptism? Just hearing that name sounds epic. That unique crane from Thousand Bird City just got snatched by the Cold Moon Witch, and it’s now her personal mount? If I were from Thousand Bird City, my face would feel like it’s getting slapped hard.”
“Right? They totally lost the plot—a double whammy. I wonder how Gongsun Ding is going to explain this back home; haha, he might not even keep his position as the chief disciple!”
“Don’t even get me started! I’m just an Outer Door disciple from Thousand Bird City. I was just killed back to the starting point by the Cold Moon Witch! I thought the Inner Door disciples could help us redeem ourselves, but she just sliced the chief disciple into bits like chopping vegetables! Our whole city’s reputation is in tatters!”
“Haha, thanks to you guys in Thousand Bird City, we discovered this hidden boss! I’m thinking of watching every single live stream about the Cold Moon Witch nonstop; it’s going to be an addiction!”
“Bro, me too! Have you noticed? Ever since the Cold Moon Witch showed up, what was once a mediocre streaming channel has now become the most populated place in the game. Everyone was initially there to watch Upgrade Maniac, but now… haha, that guy got left in the dust!”
Forget about the enthusiastic discussions in the live chat; Lin Nan was still sitting on the plush back of the Dark Feather Crane, feeling utterly baffled.
She hadn’t really done anything! The moment her finger touched the crane’s head, the system suddenly popped up a prompt.
“Will the crane submit to you and accept becoming your mount?”
Thinking having a crane for transportation was nice—after all, if the people from Thousand Bird City came after her, she could make a chic escape—she agreed.
But no sooner had she agreed than the once ethereal crane underwent a radical transformation, shedding all its white feathers, replaced by dark brown plumage. Even its spindly legs morphed into **strong hawk-like legs.
This… was too freakishly magical.
But at this point, Lin Nan had no choice but to accept it.
Fine, at least the transformation process is flashy, and it looks way more intimidating than before; it fits her new villain persona quite nicely.
“Let’s go!”
Lin Nan patted its body. Though her voice was quiet, the Dark Feather Crane seemed to be telepathically attuned, instantly taking flight.
Where to?
Lin Nan looked toward the hovering Thousand Bird City in the distance but pointed in another direction.
She wasn’t puffed up with pride just because she defeated an Inner Door disciple; she knew her place.
In any case, before the inevitable pursuit from Thousand Bird City began, she needed to find a good spot to hide, so she could log off and have a word with the game company.
Thus, the Dark Feather Crane soared in the direction she indicated.
After flying over vast fields, they finally arrived at a sprawling forest flanked by rolling mountains.
“Land!”
The Dark Feather Crane let out a cry and flapped its wings until it gracefully landed on a slightly sparse hillside.
Lin Nan looked around; apart from the forest, there was no sign of human activity.
What a perfect spot! She just hoped no one would disturb her during this time before she logged off.
Once they landed, the Dark Feather Crane obediently crouched beside Lin Nan.
Leaning against its soft feathers, it felt like resting on a warm cushion.
After such an intense battle, she was exhausted. Now that she finally stopped, fatigue washed over her, and she unknowingly drifted off to sleep.
She had no idea how long she slept, but when she woke, the distant sunset was nearly swallowed by the horizon, the sky darkening as night approached.
Startled, Lin Nan quickly checked the system page.
d*mn! She had been in the game for over eight hours! Why hadn’t the game pod in the real world forced her awake?
How could she complain to the game company if she couldn’t log out?
What kind of bug was this, making her unable to exit the game!?
Ahhhhh!
“Cold Value -10.”
Lin Nan could barely restrain her emotions, “Screw your Cold Value! System, come out here! What on earth is happening?! Why can’t I leave the game?!”
“Cold Value -10.”
“Cold Value -10.”
“…”
“Since you successfully completed the mission of surviving the pursuit of Inner Door disciples in Thousand Bird City, your Cold Value base value is 10; your current Cold Value is 10.”
Great, her Cold Value was now down to zero, with only that base score left.
