Chapter 1 The Trees in the Forbidden Forest

The trees in the Forbidden Forest grew quite sparsely. Those at the edge were only the thickness of a bowl, and the ground was bare, with little grass. Even the leaves of the trees had a blackish tinge. A light mist clung to the ground, limiting visibility. As Fang Senyan searched for the jue yin bird (sound-killing bird) around the edge of the forest, he saw a huge, bizarre tree through the gaps in the mist. Its root system covered at least a square mile, with countless roots twisting and coiling across the ground like the veins of a patient in the late stages of cancer.

Just seeing this tree filled Fang Senyan with immense fear, a clear warning from his senses. He turned and fled without hesitation; this was no time to play the hero. According to the information he had gathered, the forest held many dangers: werewolves, unicorns, centaurs, the giant spider Aragog, the Whomping Willow... and of course, the greatest danger of all: Voldemort, who was currently hunting unicorns within to drink their blood!

Finally, Fang Senyan found what he was looking for on a collapsed, withered tree:

Four grubs.

These were the larvae of the emerald green chafer beetles. These plump, white worms were considered a rare delicacy by birds, much like caviar was to humans—after all, grubs usually lived inside rotting wood. While woodpeckers might disdain them, Fang Senyan believed that the jue yin birds, with insects on their menu, would find his four gifts quite interesting. The saying, "Men die for wealth, and birds die for food," had been around for thousands of years for a reason.

Next, he needed to find a tall tree with lush foliage and, ideally, a canopy like an umbrella, the kind of tree the jue yin birds preferred to perch in. Fang Senyan planned to make a rope from bark and set up a simple snare near the grub bait. When a bird pecked at the grub and pulled, the snare would tighten around it. Even if the snare was crude and easily broken, Fang Senyan's current speed was nearly three times that of an ordinary person, so as long as he could delay the bird for a few seconds, he was confident he could complete his mission.

Time passed quickly, and it was noon when Fang Senyan finally found a suitable tree. He carefully observed the surroundings for any danger before approaching. However, just as he was about to climb the tree, the peaceful atmosphere was suddenly shattered. Several dark shadows swooped down towards Fang Senyan's head, their sharp claws scraping against the bark with a "scratching" sound as they attacked, sending splinters flying! Even as Fang Senyan leaned back sharply, blood splattered across his face, making it appear as if his eyes had been severely injured!

The dark shadows struck and then plunged into the ground. The damp earth immediately kicked up dust, and in the next second, the shadows sprang up and attacked the blind, bloodied Fang Senyan again. But Fang Senyan remained calm, his left hand snatching one of the shadows out of the air. The shadow immediately emitted a series of unpleasant screeches, like a cicada being squeezed in someone's hand. Fang Senyan slowly opened his eyes, revealing a five-centimeter-long gash on the corner of his left eye, from which blood gushed. If you didn't look closely, it would really look as if the left eye was badly injured.

The shadow that Fang Senyan held in his hand was about the size of a palm, with skin that was naturally camouflaged, looking as if it were made of bark and small branches. It had two small brown eyes, a flat mouth, and teeth that were slightly green, like the color of young branches. Its incredibly sharp claws, however, were like those of a cat, retractable at will, and were still flailing uselessly in the air. It looked quite comical, but judging by the wound on Fang Senyan's eye, it was definitely not as harmless as it seemed.

"What the hell is this thing?" Fang Senyan asked in astonishment.

But soon, the Nightmare Imprint sent a notification:

"You have captured a unique creature of this world: a Bowtruckle."

"The corresponding Milestone has been activated."

"Biologist: Discover eleven unique small creatures in the Harry Potter world in their native habitat. Currently discovered: Bowtruckle"

"Kind-Hearted Person: You have pleased 50 different Bowtruckles." (You cannot complete the "Cruel Person" Milestone after completing this Milestone.)

"Cruel Person: You have killed 200 Bowtruckles." (You cannot complete the "Kind-Hearted Person" Milestone after completing this Milestone.)

"Honorary Member of the British Museum: You have submitted a Bowtruckle to the British Museum in London. (Warning: This action may result in punishment from the Ministry of Magic.)"

"Enthusiast: Complete the ultimate commissions of four shop owners in the magical item shops of London—Gringotts Manager: Mr. Infinite Franc's ultimate commission: He requires you to find a gallstone from a Bowtruckle. Usually, only the leader of the Bowtruckles has a small chance of growing a gallstone. (This quest is not activated)"

Seeing the name Bowtruckle, Fang Senyan remembered some of the information he had previously gathered:

Bowtruckles are tree-guardians, mainly found in forests in the west of England, southern Germany, and parts of Scandinavia. They have two small brown eyes and are extremely difficult to spot because of their small size (maximum eight inches) and the fact that they appear to be made of bark and small twigs.

Bowtruckles are peaceful and extremely shy creatures that feed on insects, but if the tree they inhabit is threatened, they will leap down and attack loggers or tree-repair experts who try to damage their home, digging their long, sharp fingers into their eyes. If a wizard offers woodlice to a Bowtruckle, it will appease it for a long time, so he or she can take wood from the tree to make a wand.

He suddenly remembered the few words that Hagrid had muttered at the beginning and immediately understood that Hagrid was not questioning the Contractor’s words, but rather thought that the unlucky Stang had been attacked by a Bowtruckle while climbing the tree, causing him to fall. Hagrid was wondering how there could be a Bowtruckle in that tree, rather than being surprised by Stang's injuries.

Looking at the series of Milestones related to the Bowtruckle, Fang Senyan hesitated. Clearly, the only things he could do now were "Kind-Hearted Person" and "Cruel Person." And it seemed that "Cruel Person" would be easier and faster to complete, but the sheer number of 200 was daunting enough. (Those who have played online games know how painful it is to do a quest that requires you to personally kill 200 monsters).

In comparison, the "Kind-Hearted Person," which required pleasing only 50 Bowtruckles, seemed much more accessible. Moreover, it didn't seem too expensive to appease them, just catch some woodlice to feed them. But where was Fang Senyan going to find woodlice? He searched around but couldn't find a single one, so he had no choice but to release the Bowtruckle he was holding. Fortunately, the little creature had learned its lesson and quickly ran away. Not only that, but the seven or eight Bowtruckles that were living in the tree also fled, so Fang Senyan was not delayed in his main task of catching the jue yin bird.

After Fang Senyan set up the trap, a jue yin bird actually flew over in less than half an hour. The bird looked quite plump, making one imagine the scene of it being plucked clean, smeared with salt, spices, and cumin, then roasted until it was sizzling with oil. The jue yin bird seemed quite clever, circling for a while before landing cautiously, as if it knew there was a great danger waiting below.

After a long wait, the bird swooped down with a sense of resignation, heading straight for the bait Fang Senyan had prepared. The snare worked very effectively, but it was immediately snapped by the plump bird. It didn't seem to feel anything from Fang Senyan's self-made snare. After watching for a long time, Fang Senyan suddenly realized that it wasn't that the bird was smart enough to see through his trap, but rather that it had suffered at the hands of the Bowtruckles on this tree many times before, which was why it was so cautious...

Before long, several more jue yin birds flew over one after another, looking as if they didn't want to leave once they landed, probably because they also had a preference for this type of tree. Fang Senyan tentatively approached them, but they didn't fly away, even when he was right under the tree. It was only when Fang Senyan tried to climb the tree that the birds flew away crookedly. As soon as Fang Senyan left, they immediately flew back, not wanting to waste any time.

Seeing this, Fang Senyan had an idea. He returned to the fallen, rotten log and dug out seven or eight grubs. Then, he placed one under the tree and retreated seven or eight meters.

Clearly, the flock of plump birds immediately swooped down like bombers, devouring the grub in an instant. They returned to the tree, still seeming to be unsatisfied, shaking their heads as if they were listening to a slow rock song with headphones.

Fang Senyan placed another grub, this time only retreating five or six meters, and showed a very determined and harmless attitude, making it clear that he would not leave.

The birds hesitated, but the first jue yin bird that had arrived rushed up without hesitation, grabbed the grub, and slowly enjoyed it. The other birds looked at each other, stunned and angry, their hearts filled with envy, jealousy, and hate, no doubt.

Fang Senyan continued to put down grubs and retreat.

When he had only the last two grubs left, Fang Senyan placed them directly at his feet. The birds began to hesitate and struggle again, but the brave one charged forward, and the other birds followed suit. Fang Senyan sighed, shrugged his shoulders, and let his unbuttoned shirt slide down. He lunged forward, trapping all the jue yin birds in his shirt and wiping them out in one fell swoop.