Chapter 480

In the grasslands of Taisha Island
The sea crossing from Daikou Island to Taisha Island was surprisingly easy.
It’s apparently not deep enough for large ships to pass through, but it’s also not a particularly difficult stretch of ocean.
In any case, we crossed over to Taisha Island, stayed the night, and planned to head for the town of Hachitenza the following day.

For transportation within Taisha Island, instead of a carriage, it seems we’ll be riding in carts pulled by monsters that resemble oxen.
They look completely like bulls, with horns and everything, except they have two tails.
Their fur is a black and white patchwork, kind of like dairy cows.
I wonder what kind of ecosystem they belong to?

“Mr. Kouro, what kind of ecology do these bull-like monsters have?”

“That monster is called a Parfe. It’s a very docile, herbivorous type of monster. On Taisha Island, they’ve long lived closely with the islanders.”

“I see. You mentioned in Daikou that they also use monsters for fishing, but do the Isles of the Eight Gods have a lot of monster tamers?”

“Formally, yes. But in reality, the monsters are the ones who approach humans for protection. The monsters used in fishing at Daikou choose to work with people because it’s more efficient to receive a portion of the catch than to fish on their own. As for the Parfes, they benefit from living with people because it protects them from predators.
Parfes are strong, so they’re very useful for transportation and helping with farming. They do well with physical labor.”

I see. I hadn’t given it much thought before, but it makes sense that some monsters have symbiotic relationships with humans.
But if that’s the case, wouldn’t there be the risk of king-types or commanding individuals emerging among them? Apparently, even those tend to naturally bond with people.
It seems they instinctively understand that staying with humans is safer and more efficient for getting food than trying to survive alone.
In the sea, a commanding monster acts as a coordinator during large-scale fishing operations, while among Parfes, the leader handles pulling carts for the people of the Isles.
It seems these commanding individuals are especially intelligent.

“Oh, Miss Lily. While we’re passing through the plains on the way to Eight Gods today, you’ll be able to see wild Parfes. Please take a look if you’re interested.”

“Yes. Thank you very much.”

Wild Parfes, huh. I wonder what they’re like?

After we started moving, we eventually reached what seemed to be the plains Mr. Kouro had mentioned.
Sure enough, there were Parfes that appeared to be wild, watching us from a distance.
They didn’t seem alarmed—more like they were curiously observing something unusual.

“To wild Parfes, a procession of giant spiders must be a first. That’s why they’re peeking over at us like that.”

“Ah, you mean the Kiblinki Saltas.”

“Yes… Oh? It looks like the Parfes are approaching us.”

Just as Mr. Kouro said, the Parfes who had only been watching from afar began to approach us, one after another.
It wasn’t until they got closer that I noticed—wild Parfes are noticeably larger than the domesticated ones.
Is that because of the difference in diet?

… Now then, what should I do?

What do you think about this chapter?