Come Meet Your Two Sisters

With that, he shouted inside, "Old Eagle, Old Eagle! Come out!"

From the southern side, a door opened and an elderly man, about the same age as Grandpa Gene, stepped out and asked, "Old Goldenreed, what are you hollering about?"

"Come out and meet my two apprentices." Grandpa Gene beamed with pride as he pointed at Grace Summers and Rina Chu.

Grace Summers and Rina Chu quickly bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Dragon Steward Chief!"

The Dragon Steward Chief sized them up. "Eh? Two girls? And neither of them has ascended yet? These are the apprentices you brought back?"

"What's wrong with that? They may not have ascended yet, but they're close! Both are Spirit Masters, Sixth Rank!"

"That Spirit Tree tending job of yours—are you sure these delicate girls can handle it?"

"Heh! Just wait and see if they can handle it!" Grandpa Gene chuckled.

The Dragon Steward Chief shook his head, then handed each of them a Yellow Jade Token. Its shape was just like the one Grandpa Gene used to activate the teleportation array, but the color was deeper.

"This is your badge here in Drake Abyss: Second-class Dragon Steward," the Dragon Steward Chief said. "It's also your key for entering and leaving Drake Abyss."

Both girls accepted the tokens and thanked him, "Thank you, Dragon Steward Chief!"

"Drake Abyss is part of the Divine Realm, a sacred place of the gods, recognized by the Heavenly Dao," the Dragon Steward Chief added. "You two must not wander around carelessly. Otherwise, at best you'll be punished, at worst—you could lose your lives."

"Got it!" the girls replied sweetly.

"Of course, telling you this is probably pointless. You two humans don't have wings, and you haven't ascended yet—where could you possibly go? Just stay under the Spirit Tree with Grandpa Gene."

Hearing this, Grandpa Gene's smile was so bright his wrinkles bunched together. He said to the Dragon Steward Chief, "Hey, Old Eagle, can I ask you a favor?"

"What is it?"

"Look, neither of them has ascended yet, so it's tough for them to get around Drake Abyss. How about letting your two young eagles keep them company for a while?"

"You wish! You want my eagle clan juniors to be your apprentices' mounts?"

"Oh, come on! We're old pals—why split hairs?" Grandpa Gene went off to look for them, calling out, "Big Scarlet, Little Scarlet, where are you? Come down and meet your new sisters!"

As soon as he finished speaking, two giant Red-crested Golden Eagles flew in from behind the surrounding buildings.

Grace Summers and Rina Chu had seen Red-crested Golden Eagles in Eastwood Forest before, but never ones this enormous.

They stood two or three times taller than a person, their feathers shimmering with auspicious colors. When they flapped their wings, the wind could knock someone over.

Wait, what did Grandpa Gene just say? Come meet your new sisters?

Grace stared at them, her smile a little stiff.

They're so huge... Could they eat people?

"So there are Red-crested Golden Eagles in the Divine Realm too!" Rina Chu laughed. "Hello! I'm Rina Chu, and she's Grace Summers."

The two Red-crested Golden Eagles were already highly intelligent, nearly at the level of magical beasts. Seeing how pretty the girls were, they liked them immediately and lowered their heads for pets.

"See? Big Scarlet and Little Scarlet like them," Grandpa Gene said with a smile. "Come hang out with me for a few days! My place is way bigger than this boxy courtyard!"

The Dragon Steward Chief grumbled, "Go on, go on! But keep a close eye on those two troublemakers—don't let them cause any chaos!"

"Don't worry!" Grandpa Gene laughed, waving his hand. Grace Summers and Rina Chu hopped onto the backs of the Red-crested Golden Eagles.

With a mighty flap of their wings, the Red-crested Golden Eagles soared straight into the sky.