170: Chapter 170 The [Non-Human Host] of the Amazon Rainforest—The Parrot Man [Harvey]

I am [Harvey], the sixth child of the Clan Chief of the largest macaw flock in the Amazon Rainforest. From the day I hatched, I possessed more wisdom and spirituality than my other siblings or any of my kin.

Perhaps it had to do with my birth; from the moment I first opened my eyes, I saw colorful specks of light drifting in the sky. I asked my kin about them, but only a few could see these specks.

As a young macaw, I could only stay in the nest and wait for my parents to feed me nuts, until I curiously ate the specks of light in the air. A soothing sensation spread throughout my entire avian body; although it did not provide the fullness of eating fruit, I felt that I was becoming wiser and more special because of this action.

When I was able to fly on my own, I had many friendly interactions with the human explorers stationed in the Amazon Rainforest. They always called me [Harvey] and fed me food I had never seen before. Yes, I have a name; I am called [Harvey].

My feathers are the brightest in the flock — like the burning red clouds of an Amazon sunset. It is a beauty that even my father, the Clan Chief, cannot help but envy.

Our flock's territory is in the rubber forest deep within the rainforest. The hollows of century-old giant trees hide the nuts the flock has gathered, and the clay by the stream is the "treasure" we use to grind our beaks.

After more and more of my kin learned to consume the specks of light, [Wisdom] and [Knowledge] spread throughout the entire flock. My father, the Clan Chief, established strict clan rules: the eldest son guards the territory, the second son is responsible for hunting, the third son protects the fledglings, and as for me, the "low-ranking yet beautiful" sixth son, my only "duty" is to satisfy my curiosity — such as staring blankly at metal scraps discarded by humans, or following migrating hummingbirds to explore unknown streams.

"Harvey! The Witch Doctor wants you at the Council Tree!" My cousin's cry pierced through the canopy, carrying an unprecedented urgency.

I flapped my wings, skimming over vines, and saw that the flock members were all huddled on the branches; even the noisiest fledglings had their beaks tightly shut.

Inside the hollow of the Council Tree, the Witch Doctor was pecking at a smooth piece of obsidian with her beak, and my father, the Clan Chief, had all his feathers standing on end.

"[The Whisper of the Sky] has come again." The Witch Doctor's voice was aged but clear.

"At noon today, the sun was swallowed by dark clouds, and the sky whispered once more. A [Non-Human Host] will be born within our flock—a messenger chosen by the sky, who will lead us to leave the branches and step onto solid ground."

Her gaze swept over every parrot in the hollow, finally landing on me. "You are always chasing after human things; perhaps it is you."

As soon as she finished speaking, I fell into a deep sleep under the watchful eyes of everyone. There were four parrots in the entire flock who fell asleep just like me.

I only felt a warm light suddenly envelop me—there was no sound, but a piece of information drilled directly into my mind: [High-intelligence organism detected. Do you accept the [Dream System] recruitment to become a [Non-Human Host]? Complete the [Trial Task] to manifest a humanoid body.]

I almost immediately flapped my wings and uttered the word "Yes," which I had learned from the human explorers. I knew this was what the Witch Doctor grandmother of the flock called [The Whisper of the Sky], and I knew that the most special parrot, [Harvey], was a being chosen by the sky.

When I opened my eyes again, I was standing in a small town drifting with mist, with my fourth brother, my cousin, and two other kin beside me.

The [Dream System] screen popped up: [Dream World Task]: The Postman of Mist Town. [Task Type]: Trial Task. [Task Hints]: 1. Work as a postman in [Mist Town] for three days and deliver 10 letters. 2. Avoid the black shadows in the mist that steal "memories."

Before we five parrots could think too much, the [Dream System] screen popped up again. ["Non-Human Host" detected entering "Trial Task." Beginning to condense "temporary humanoid body" for "Non-Human Host."]

A burst of colorful light enveloped all of us parrots. I felt my body slowly growing larger, my torso lengthening, and my beak disappearing. The light dissipated, and what I saw were four creatures I had never seen before, but I could vaguely tell that their wings belonged to my kin.

After a brief moment of shock and panic, we "five birds"—now it was more appropriate to call us "five people"—recognized each other's new identities and began to familiarize ourselves with our new bodies.

Looking at the nearby river surface, I saw my brand-new body. A part of it was a "human" body I was familiar with. Aside from the larger, longer sharp claws and wings, my torso and head were in the shape of a human. Fortunately, my beautiful feathers were still there, just a bit larger.

"What is a postman?" my cousin asked, tilting her head, her wings trembling uneasily.

I do not know why, but I suddenly understood the meaning of a "postman"—this was basic knowledge bestowed upon all [Non-Human Host]s by the [Dream System].

After a brief search, we arrived at [Mist Town]. Along the way, we dodged the mist blocking our path and repeatedly saw black shadows flickering within it. The fear of the unknown made us take the [Dream System]'s task hints extremely seriously.

[Mist Town] is a town shrouded in mist. Every day, the mist is dispersed by the sun for only one hour at noon.

After finding the post office in town and taking on the job of postmen, we quickly became familiar with the tasks. Relying on the town map and our ability to fly, we completed the letter count requirement for the task on the second day.

The humans in the town looked very strange; some had only one giant eye, some had bodies as thin as caterpillars, some had eight arms like spiders, and some had bellies so large they could not even leave their rooms.

Although the townspeople were strange, they treated us very kindly, giving us clean water and sweet, fresh fruit. Although we did not recognize these fruits, every time I ate them, I could feel the same soothing sensation as consuming the specks of light.

Of course, we could not avoid attacks from the black shadows in the mist. Just on the first day, when my cousin finished delivering her third letter, the mist shrouded the town again. She was attacked by a black shadow in the mist while in the air. Her body was not injured, but she lost a portion of her memories regarding the flock.

On the third day, we decided to rest at the post office for a day. The uncle Postmaster squinted his four pairs of eyes as he observed my gorgeous feathers, and tentatively asked: "Harvey, I have to say, your feathers are indeed very special. Could you give me one as a souvenir? I will give you a special gift in return."

In my life, I had never seen humans as friendly as the townspeople in [Mist Town]. In the Amazon Rainforest, we had migrated many times due to the presence of human poachers. Perhaps after the [Dream Task] ended, we would never be able to return to [Mist Town].

Thinking of this, I used my beak to pluck out a feather and gave it to the Postmaster, saying with a slight sob: "Uncle Postmaster, whenever you see this feather, you must remember that the gorgeous Harvey was a postman here!"

The uncle Postmaster solemnly took the feather from my mouth, nodded with satisfaction, and then his tail behind him curled up a necklace and placed it around Harvey's neck.

"Harvey, you are very kind, but remember that not everyone is kind. This necklace is an amulet I give you; I wish for you to be able to live better. I believe we will meet again; [Mist Town] will always be your home."

At the end of the third day, the [Dream System] notification sound rang out. ["Trial Task" completed. Obtained official [Dream System] Host qualification. Beginning to manifest "humanoid body."]

Five pillars of white light, reaching from the sky to the ground, enveloped us. At the same time, in the Real World, less than an hour had passed since we fell asleep. Five balls of white light appeared abruptly and enveloped our bodies.

In the [Real World], our macaw bodies transformed into the [humanoid body] from the [Dream World]. From then on, I was a [Non-Human Host] — the parrot-man [Harvey].

Waking up from my deep sleep, I touched the amulet the uncle Postmaster had given me around my neck. I suddenly remembered that the human explorers had also once told me, when I was in my parrot phase, that "humans are good and bad." I did not understand it then, but now I felt an inexplicable panic, a nagging feeling that something bad was about to happen to the flock.