Days passed by quickly after that. Rylan and Eiden quickly acted under his orders, and they were still away, accomplishing it.

"Hey, bird, what do you think of this?" Lionel raised a brow as he opened his palm. In there was a pebble-sized mana he created.

Thank you, master

The bird made a few sounds as it flew in the air. Lionel smiled at it. He nodded his head and positioned his palms. As soon as the bird glided, he threw the mana upwards. The bird quickened, and as soon as the mana hit the air, the bird took it with its small beak.

Lionel let out a short laugh, the sound light and unguarded.

"Good," he said, a hint of satisfaction in his voice.

The small bird chirped brightly as it landed on the edge of a branch. It tilted its head before pecking at the mana it had just caught.

Lionel was alone in the greenhouse. He had dismissed everyone earlier, leaving him alone with this bird.

This was already the seventh day of feeding the bird with his mana.

Lionel watched closely as the bird swallowed the mana with no hesitation.

[Ding!]

A familiar panel quickly appeared before him.

[Bond with bonded creature has successfully deepened.]

[Current Bond Level: Increased]

[New Feature Unlocked: Skill Transmission Available]

[The host can now slowly teach the bonded creature a few skills.]

[The host may continue feeding the bonded creature with mana to increase its skill.]

Lionel’s eyes widened slightly as he read all of the notifications flashing before his eyes.

"So it worked," he murmured. He looked back at the bird. However, as soon as his eyes landed on it, a sudden burst of light erupted from its small body.

"—!"

Lionel instinctively raised his arm to shield his eyes as the glow intensified. The greenhouse was flooded with brilliance for a brief moment, almost blinding.

Then, just as quickly, it suddenly faded.

"What?" Lionel slowly lowered his arm.

However, when he looked back at the bird, his eyes widened in surprise.

The bird... had changed.

It was slightly bigger now. Not by much, but enough to be noticeable. Its feathers also looked smoother and almost refined. Its wings also looked fuller and more defined. The bird flapped its wings, and it instantly vanished from where it stood.

"—?!"

Lionel blinked when suddenly, a gust of air brushed past him.

He turned his head and saw the bird already circling near the ceiling. It was moving far faster than before. It didn’t even look like it was struggling. It glided smoothly in the air, almost effortlessly.

"Woah..." Lionel let out an amused sound under his breath, genuinely impressed.

The bird swooped down and landed right in front of him, chirping excitedly.

"Tweet! Tweet tweet!"

’I feel so good, Master! Thank you!’

Its voice sounded more lively compared to a minute ago.

Lionel stared at it for a second before a small smile formed on his lips.

"Yeah," he said softly, crouching slightly to meet its level. "I can see that." He extended his hand, and the bird hopped onto it without hesitation.

Lionel glanced at the system panel still hovering faintly in his vision. Now that it was done, that means he could train the bird to his own liking.

"Looks like you can be useful now," he murmured. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

The bird puffed its chest proudly.

"Tweet!"

’Of course, Master!’

Lionel chuckled lightly at that.

"So what can you do?" Lionel raised a brow at that.

"Tweet tweet tweet"

’I don’t know, Master. Aren’t you supposed to train me?’

Lionel pressed his lips together at that.

Right... He stared at the bird in his hand.

Train it... But how?

This was his first time handling something like this. He hadn’t had a pet, even once. Lionel lifted his other hand and lightly tapped the bird’s head.

"Let’s try something simple first," he said.

"Tweet?"

’What is it, Master?’ The bird tilted its head.

Lionel pointed toward a nearby potted plant across the greenhouse.

"Go there," he instructed.

The bird blinked at him.

"Tweet?"

’Huh?’

Lionel sighed.

"Right, that instruction is too dumb." He thought for a moment about what to do. That was when he picked up a small pebble from the ground and tossed it lightly toward the plant.

"I will throw another pebble, and you have to get it before it lands. Do you understand?"

This time, the bird reacted quickly. As soon as Lionel threw the pebble with full force, the bird shot forward. Its wings glided in the air, and a small trace of light appeared at it.

In a quick move, it pecked on the pebble before it could even reach the ground. It made a swift turn before flying back onto Lionel. Lionel opened its palms, and the bird landed on it.

Lionel’s eyes lit up slightly.

"That’s fast," he murmured.

"Tweet!"

’Thank you, Master.’

Lionel let out a chuckle when an idea suddenly formed in his head. Birds, since the ancient times, were trained for communication. They were especially used to give letters and messages in a short period of time.

"A messenger..." The words trailed off Lionel’s mouth.

"Yes. That could work." He raised his palm, which had the bird on it.

"You’re small, fast, and now you have mana in your body," he said. "That means you can travel farther and quicker than normal birds. You can also attack anything that may come your way."

"Tweet!"

Lionel glanced around the greenhouse, then walked toward a small table. He tore a thin strip of parchment and wrote a short note on it.

Test.

He rolled it up and looked back at the bird.

"Alright," he said, tying the small note gently to its leg. "Let’s see if you can transport these messages."

The bird looked down at its leg, then back at him.

"Tweet...?"

"You need to deliver this," Lionel continued. "Find either Rylan or Eiden. Give this to one of them and then come back to me, alright?"

"Tweet tweet..."

’Yes, Master.’

"After you come back, I’ll teach you how to attack," Lionel smiled as he extended his arm and lifted it slightly.

"Now go."

For a split second, the bird stayed still, then it shot forward like a streak of light. It disappeared past the greenhouse in an instant. It was really fast, like a light!