Three days later, in the evening, as the last rays of twilight were about to sink behind the sand dunes, Lanche appeared at the edge of the oasis with a team of camels.
“Your Highness! Your Highness!”
Lanche's voice echoed from afar before he even drew near. He rode on the leading camel, followed by six others carrying cages made of wooden slats. Each cage held several chickens.
Shane put down the bone plate in his hand and walked toward the camp entrance with Elon. The princess had already stepped out of her tent, her eyes filled with anticipation.
Lanche slid off the camel's back, stumbling slightly due to his haste. Without even waiting to steady himself, he dashed over to the princess in a few quick strides and knelt on one knee. “Your Highness, I have brought you all the goods you requested.”
“Forty-five chickens in total—forty-three hens and two roosters!”
He looked up, his face beaming with a wide smile. “I gathered them one by one from the villages and towns at the edge of the desert. When those people heard Your Highness needed them, none of them dared to overcharge. They even handpicked the liveliest ones.”
Alicia looked down at him, highly satisfied with his attitude, and offered a gentle smile. “Rise.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Lanche stood up immediately, his back straight as a board, looking like a soldier waiting for inspection.
The princess strolled over to the nearest camel and lifted the coarse cloth covering a bamboo cage. A few brown-feathered hens were crouching at the bottom, tilting their heads as they studied her.
After inspecting a few cages, the princess nodded in approval. “They are indeed in excellent condition. Thank you for your hard work. It couldn't have been easy running around everywhere lately.”
With that, she unfastened a pouch she had prepared beforehand from her waist and handed it over. “Here is your payment. It is a bit more than we agreed upon, as a reward for your efforts.”
Lanche's eyes lit up the instant he took the pouch. He squeezed its thickness, unable to suppress the grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. He quickly stuffed the pouch into his tunic, though he tried his best to maintain a serious expression. “You flatter me, Your Highness! Serving you is my absolute honor!”
“I am always ready. Just say the word, Your Highness, and I will set off immediately.”
He spoke in a booming voice, thumping his chest as if he would gladly tear his heart out to show his loyalty to the princess. The attendants behind him couldn't help but stifle their laughter, but the young man remained oblivious, standing tall and proud.
“Alright, alright.”
Alicia waved her hand, unable to stomach any more of Lanche's excessive flattery. “Go and get some rest. I have other tasks for you tomorrow.”
“Understood!”
Lanche turned to leave immediately, but after taking a couple of steps, he turned back to add, “Your Highness, I filled all the water troughs in the cages, and I fed them twice on the way. They won't go hungry!”
The princess nodded at him, and only then did he walk toward the camp with the attendants, looking thoroughly satisfied.
Shane withdrew his gaze, walked over to the camels, and lifted a cage cloth to inspect the chickens closely.
These chickens were a local breed. They were a size smaller than the plump domestic poultry found in the heart of the Empire, but they had tight feathers and sturdy legs—clearly a breed adapted to dry, hot environments.
“Not bad.”
As he spoke, Shane reached to take down a cage to move the chickens to the coop, but Elon stopped him. “Wait.”
The old druid's expression was uncharacteristically serious, signaling that what came next was of great importance. “You can't release them now.”
“Why not?”
“The roosters.”
Elon pointed at two chickens in the cages that were noticeably larger than the hens. Their bright red combs and glossy feathers clearly marked them as leaders.
“It's not completely dark yet, and the chickens are still awake and active. If you put the roosters in now, they will definitely fight to establish their dominance.”
“At best, a few will get hurt or killed. At worst, the entire flock will be stressed, and their egg-laying rate will plummet. These chickens were collected from different farmers and are complete strangers to one another. Once a fight breaks out, the consequences will be disastrous.”
Shane frowned. Most of the knowledge in his mind revolved around desert reclamation and greening; he knew very little about raising poultry. He asked, “Then what should we do?”
Seeing Shane's puzzled expression, Elon knew he had the upper hand once again. He smirked triumphantly and said, “Wait until nightfall to release them.”
“Chickens have terrible night vision and very little desire to move around in the dark. Once you put them in a new environment under the cover of night, they will instinctively quiet down, and there won't be much conflict.”
“Then I'll help soothe them. By the time dawn breaks, they will have grown familiar with each other's scent, and there will be far fewer clashes.”
It sounded like a very reasonable plan. Shane looked at Elon with some surprise. “I didn't expect you to know about this.”
“What?”
Elon raised an eyebrow, looking slightly offended. “You don't hold the stereotype that druids only deal with trees, do you?”
“I might not be as good as you at planting trees in the desert, but when it comes to raising poultry and livestock, you certainly can't claim to know more than me.”
Looking at his rare display of showing off, Shane couldn't help but shake his head, but he silently gave Elon credit.
The old guy indeed had a knack for dealing with animals.
“Alright.”
Shane pulled his hand back and shook his head. “We'll do as you say. We'll wait until dark.”
Once night fell, the three of them stood by the chicken coops, watching the attendants carefully lift the chickens out of the cages one by one.
Instead of putting them straight into the coops, they handed them to Elon. His palms glowed with a vibrant green light. As each chicken passed through his hands, he gently stroked its feathers while murmuring unintelligible syllables under his breath.
The chickens, which had been somewhat restless from being handled by strangers, quickly calmed down under his touch. They tucked in their necks and obediently let themselves be placed inside the coops.
“He really does have a way with them...”
Shane muttered in admiration from the side. Beside him, the princess crossed her arms and watched the scene, her eyes sparkling with interest. “This is the first time I've seen my instructor display this kind of skill. He never showed it off before.”
“That's because there was never an opportunity.”
Elon didn't look back, but the cheerfulness in his voice was unmistakable. “In the heart of the Empire, those nobles only care about whether they can get a few magical beasts to liven up their banquets. Who would care about how to raise chickens?”
As he spoke, he placed the last hen into the coop, then stood up and glanced at the flock, which had already settled down quietly inside. He nodded in satisfaction. “Alright, just let them stay by themselves for the night. We'll let them out tomorrow at dawn.”
The next day, just as the sun rose and the roosters crowed, Shane and Elon opened the doors to the chicken coops together.
“Cluck, cluck...”
The doors of both coops swung open, and the chickens filed out in an orderly line. Brown, off-white, and speckled hens left their nests, taking light, rapid steps onto the sandy ground. The two roosters followed their respective flocks at the rear, their bright red combs held high as they strutted out proudly.
Shane and the princess stood not far away, holding their breath instinctively as they watched.
“Will they peck at the seedlings?”
Alicia asked in a low whisper. Shane was also somewhat tense and did not answer.
Then, they watched as the chickens stepped into the crop cultivation area. First, they scratched at the sandy soil a couple of times with their claws. Then, with a swift dip of their heads, their beaks precisely plucked a plump, grayish-white larva from the ground.
“Gulp!”
The hen tilted her neck back and swallowed the worm. Then, she lowered her head to continue scratching and pecking. From start to finish, she didn't touch a single tender leaf.
The pests that had been munching on the water bean seedlings in the fields were quickly unearthed by the foraging chickens, turning into a delicious breakfast.
“They actually didn't touch them!”
Alicia's eyes widened. Watching the chickens weave through the fields while carefully avoiding the plants, she couldn't help but turn to Elon. “How did you do that?”
Elon cleared his throat, a look of well-measured reserve on his face. “I have already reached an agreement with the leaders of the two flocks.”
“As long as they only eat the pests and do not harm the plants, they will get an extra meal of wheat bran and crushed beans every day.”
“And they actually listened?”
Alicia's voice was filled with astonishment. Even Shane turned around, staring at him with a look of mild surprise.
Elon pointed to his mouth and then to his ear. “Druids can communicate with animals; it's our bread and butter. Although chickens are much less intelligent than wolves or deer, they can still understand a basic exchange of conditions.”
“Besides, a rooster is the leader of a social group. As long as the leader agrees, those under him will follow suit.”
At this, Shane thought of Sara. If this old fellow could even persuade earth stingers to become the workhorses of Silver Sand Lake, then handling simple creatures like poultry was probably child's play for him.
The guards and attendants gathering around readily showered Elon with praise upon hearing his explanation.
“As expected of Lord Elon, the great druid!”
“My Lord can even control earth stingers, let alone simple poultry like this!”
“Under my Lord's guidance, the oasis will surely get better and better!”
Waves of admiration spread through the crowd. The old druid couldn't keep the grin off his face, especially when he saw Shane looking at him with surprise. His smugness was practically overflowing.
It had been far too long since he last showed off his skills!
Thus, Shane did not hold back his praise. “Not bad. You are indeed more professional than me in this regard.”
“Of course.”
Seizing this rare opportunity, Elon was eager to boast a bit more. He raised his chin and cocked an eyebrow, grinning as he spoke. “I'll admit you're amazing at planting trees in the desert, but when it comes to livestock, let me tell you...”
“Not so fast!”
Alicia stepped between them, cutting off Elon's boasting. Looking at Shane on her left and Elon on her right—one working wonders with plants, the other performing miracles with animals—a sudden sense of security welled up in her heart.
Although one looked like a pile of dry bones that could fall apart at any moment and the other was always trying to show off, together, they truly brought life to this desolate desert.
“Alright, alright.”
The princess waved her hand with a laugh, putting an end to the increasingly enthusiastic praise around them. “Now that the chickens are settled, we'll wait and see the results. Keep up the patrols and observe them closely.”
The crowd dispersed, and the oasis returned to its daily bustle.
The three of them stayed by the pool for a while longer, watching the chickens stroll, peck, and scratch the dirt in the fields. Everything was orderly, as if they had lived on this land for a very long time.
“I can't help but feel...”
Shane sighed softly, almost to himself. “Everything is finally starting to get on track.”
The other two nodded, agreeing with Shane's words.
And yet...
The next morning, just as the first rays of sunlight pierced the oasis, a stifled cry of alarm shattered the silence.
“Sir! Lord Elon!”
Ksaz's voice came from the direction of the chicken coops, thick with panic.
Shane and Elon rushed out of their tents almost simultaneously. When they reached the chicken coops, the sight before them caused their faces to instantly darken.
The doors of the coops were wide open. Blood-stained feathers were scattered all over the ground, and several streaks of dark red blood stained the sand.
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