106 - The Golden Egg-Laying Seagulls

  The rippling reflection of the water against the sky, the feeling of the warm sun filtering through the waves, the platforms rising from the sea, the windmill spinning endlessly with the strong maritime wind, and the walls at the end of the barrier added an extra charm to the endless ocean. Where before there was only water, now there was the beginning of a civilization taking shape. And today, my goal to improve my home even further was to domesticate the seagulls that had been stealing from us.

  Well, they didn’t steal that much, but just one or two grains were enough to make all the merfolk glare at them, as if they were starving and had to steal just a single tiny grain to survive.

  I sighed.

  At first, it seemed like an impossible task. These birds were restless, voracious, and anything but friendly. Every time I tried to approach, they flapped their wings furiously and flew away, laughing at me with their sharp cries. They didn’t trust me, and I didn’t trust them either. But if I wanted to turn this threat into an opportunity, I needed to be patient.

  With the storage covered, they no longer had as much food lying around to steal, and that’s when my plan began. I started with the basics—offering food to the hungry creatures. They seemed to have the same bottomless appetite as a Lilay.

  With grains of rice and small pieces of dried fish, I left a handful on the only platform without a roof. I kept my distance, watching. The seagulls hesitated, hovering above, suspicious. It was only when I stepped back that one of them, bolder than the rest, swooped down and pecked at the rice, testing the taste. Soon, the others followed, devouring everything in the blink of an eye.

  In the following days, I repeated the process. First, I fed them from a distance, then I got a little closer each time. Some seagulls began to recognize my presence as something less threatening. Others were still aggressive, pecking at each other to claim their share.

  — You guys really don’t change, huh… — I muttered, watching them squabble.

  That’s when one, smaller than the rest, with white feathers mixed with gray, stayed behind. While the others fought, she cautiously approached and pecked at a fish I was holding.

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  That was the first step, the first connection.

  From that moment on, I started training that particular seagull. I called her Mist, because her feathers reminded me of the mist that sometimes covered the ocean’s surface. Little by little, she stopped fearing me. First, she ate directly from my hand. She got even more excited if I gave her the fruits of the Mother of the Tides algae. Then, she learned to come when I called her with a soft whistle.

  But taming a single seagull wasn’t enough. The goal now was to make them like the place I had created—a place where they could live, feed, and maybe even reproduce.

  So, I started drying and shredding some moray seaweed to make something similar to hay, hoping they would feel more comfortable in the platform I built for them. Slowly, the children became fascinated with Mist and began to approach.

  — Can we help? — one of them asked.

  — Of course, but you’ll need to be patient. These birds don’t trust easily — I replied.

  And just like that, without realizing it, my small mission became a community project. Every day, more people showed up with ideas to make the platform more welcoming for the seagulls. They suggested different types of feeders and even built small perches for the birds to rest on. Slowly, Mist grew more and more comfortable in her new home.

  What started with one bird gradually increased in numbers. The children also managed to befriend more seagulls, which began to accept our presence. Not all of them, but some no longer fled at the sight of outstretched hands. The progress was slow but promising.

  And at the center of it all was Mist—my first winged ally. But she was also the first bird to truly surprise me.

  One week after taming Mist, I went to clean the seagull shelter, planning to use the remains there as fertilizer for the rice fields. That’s when I stumbled upon a small nest.

  But what shocked me the most was the golden egg inside it.

  I looked around, scanning the flock, trying to figure out who had laid that egg. But something felt off—every seagull was there except for one.

  Mist.

  — Wait, where’s Mist?!

  I searched the entire shelter for her but found nothing. In a panic, I looked for any holes she could have escaped through, but there were none. Finally, out of options, I hesitantly reached out to touch the egg.

  [Golden-Winged Seagull]

  Name: Mist

  Quality: Rare

  Status: Evolving

  Level: 3

  HP: 20/20 | MP: 10/10

  Attack: 6 | Defense: 5 | Intelligence: 11 | Luck: 10 | Beauty: 10

  Ability: Continuous Flight

  This seagull has eaten enough Mother of the Tides fruit to evolve into a stronger form.

  — What the hell?! Animals can evolve in this world?! What kind of nonsense is this?!