Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 1049 - 164 Abandoned Camp

Chapter 1049: Chapter 164 Abandoned Camp

"Still thinking about the Killer Bees? Those magical beasts aren’t worth too much worry," Flare explained to Catherine. "Their hives have one distinctive feature, perhaps due to the beeswax seeping into the soil, the grass that grows within the range of their nest takes on a unique orange hue. If you’re familiar with the traits of Killer Bees, you’ll recognize it at a glance, and then you can simply choose to avoid it. As long as you don’t trample their home or foolishly attack them, they won’t mobilize their entire swarm to hunt you down, and there’ll be no danger."

"Er, Your Majesty, you might be a little mistaken," Catherine said, feeling somewhat awkward, and hesitated for a moment before adding, "Although I was indeed thinking about the Killer Bees, my preoccupation was mainly due to that abandoned campsite."

Since the team had decided to camp at the abandoned site for the night, scouts were no longer sent out. Instead, they followed the direction Pannis had pointed out. As a man, Pannis naturally took on the gentlemanly task of clearing the path along the way. As a scout, in addition to continuously scouting ahead for the team, it was also essential to clear a relatively safe and passable route for the following members, which made the role of a scout particularly strenuous. Although there is no distinction between men and women in adventures, with everyone assuming the same responsibilities, it’s common for gentlemen to take on some of the women’s burden when conditions permit or when the situation is not urgent. Of course, this is entirely up to personal preference and not bound by any moral obligation. It was for this reason that Flare could follow leisurely in the group, only needing to pay attention to the surroundings to prevent her teammates, unfamiliar with the forest, from stirring unnecessary trouble.

"Abandoned campsite?" Although Flare guessed Catherine’s concern incorrectly, she didn’t show any embarrassment and naturally said, "Actually, there are quite a few abandoned campsites like this in the forest. Because this path is relatively easy to traverse, there are even more campsites, and some, like the one we’re about to use, have been utilized repeatedly."

"Your Majesty," Lina couldn’t help but interject, "according to what you said before, wasn’t my elder sister’s grandfather also one who followed this route deep into the forest?"

"Oh? So you’re wondering if the campsite could have been left by Old Field and his team," Flare glanced at the priestess, Lina, who had a fox perched on her shoulder. The fox looked large, but its tail made up more than half of its body size, and it wasn’t as big as it appeared. The little fox sat on Lina’s shoulder, swinging its beautiful golden tail back and forth behind her, resembling a silver-haired girl who had grown a golden braid, which was amusing to look at. With a slight smile, Flare shook her head and said, "You’re thinking too much; that’s impossible. Given the forest’s natural conditions, no man-made object can last for decades. Things like abandoned campsites typically only last for about ten years before they decay into the soil, so the one we’re about to encounter is likely left by adventurers on the forest’s outskirts in recent years."

"People actually venture into such a dangerous place?" Lina clicked her tongue in wonder, "Considering the legends we’ve heard about the Forest of Death, it seems like a place of no return. It’s surprising that so many fearless people would deliberately enter."

"Haha, of course, it’s not as exaggerated as that," Conaida couldn’t help but laugh when he heard this, shaking his head, "As long as you don’t delve too deep into the Core Area, and just stay in the Outer and Middle Zones, people with Demigod strength have a significant chance of survival, although, of course, the chance of death is also not small. But, professionals, you see, are a group always associated with death. With enough profit, they’re willing to take a gamble despite high mortality rates, like me, having been to the Forest of Death three times already, and here I am, still alive and well."

"Daring to talk such nonsense, I see you’re not keen on making it out of the forest," the scorpion-tailed lion, despite being old, wasn’t much affected by the lightweight adventure at the very edge of the Death Forest and spoke energetically, "If you know how dangerous it is here, then don’t talk so much. Don’t you know the more you talk, the higher your chances of death? I don’t care if you’re not afraid to die, but I am very afraid, so don’t drag me into it with your idle chatter."

"Haha, old pal, you’re still clinging to that belief, huh?" It was clear the Demigods had heard similar statements from Dillie before, and Conaida was not offended, but chuckled instead, "I really don’t know how you came up with such an idea, you’re the first I’ve heard say such a thing."

"Of course, that’s what people say back home," Dillie licked his paw, confident in his words, "In my hometown, these are lessons learned through blood and life, not to be trifled with by anyone. Hmph, if you fools don’t believe it, I couldn’t care less."

"Idiot Dillie." "Exactly, you’re the idiot." "Your hometown’s sayings are never accurate." "That’s right, you even said that boiling water could lift a kettle’s lid." "Hahaha, over the thousands of years of Yarra’s history, no one has ever seen boiling water lift a kettle lid; I wonder if that’s a tale made up by your people to fool you, or if you made it up to fool us." "And at that time, you were quite serious telling us that a mixture of charcoal, sulfur, and something else can burn and explode." "Exactly, without an active Fire Element, how could it possibly ignite?"

"Enough with the names, you two dumb birds, or I’ll really eat you," Dillie threatened futilely with no intimidation, but obviously with no effect, as the Winged twins continued to fly happily around him. The scorpion-tailed lion could only sigh resignedly, covering his head with his wings as if by not seeing the sisters, he could also shut out their laughter, muttering to himself, "That’s why I hate this place, I want to go home."

"Stop it, you guys, I’ve already spotted the abandoned campsite." Those familiar with the trio’s penchant for constant bickering wherever they went had grown accustomed to it. Although it still gave her a headache, Flare was quite adept at quelling their quarrels, pointing ahead as she spoke: "This place really is suitable for a campsite. However, where on earth did Kyle go off to?"

Indeed, the abandoned campsite was not far ahead, and could easily be seen with a little attention. Unlike what the girls had imagined, the campsite wasn’t set up in a clearing within the forest; instead, it was built right amidst the dense woods. At a small open space between the trees, an ugly stove had been cast from mud and burnt earth. Next to the stove, a few small wooden shelters had been constructed using logs within the gaps between trees. The connecting ropes made of vines had rotted and snapped, causing parts of two shelters to collapse, but their original shapes were still discernible.

"Oh, so the camp was built this way. It looks like they encountered torrential rain, not a thunderstorm, but the kind that pours continuously for three or four days," Flare surmised, glancing up before explaining to the girls, "If nothing has changed, there should have been a network of vine nets above the campsite, covered with leaves or waterproof tarpaulins. Normally, people would rest inside the small wooden shelters, so we can guess the size of their group from the number of shelters, which should be... um, eight people, not a large number."

"Are the shelters for sitting? I thought they were for sleeping at night," Catherine observed, inspecting the interiors of the shelters. There were platforms built close to the ground with planks, hollow beneath so that one could sit on them to avoid bothersome insects from the ground. However, these platforms had also decayed, and some parts would break upon stepping on them.

"Yes, they are just for resting; the actual sleeping spots are in the trees." Flare pointed upward where the surrounding trees were quite odd, with tree holes both high and low on their trunks. The entrances to these holes were large enough for a person to crawl into—though what the interiors looked like was anyone’s guess. Flare added, "These trees are called Tower Trees, one of the topmost plants found in the Forest of Death. Their most distinctive features, besides their great height, are the holes on them, which resemble the windows on a tower—hence the name."

"This campsite looks vaguely familiar," Conaida muttered as he dropped his shield on the ground and sat on it, scratching his head, "I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere."

"Turns out it’s yours," Flare said, resignedly. "How can you forget your own campsite?"

"Hahaha, that was years ago, how could I remember so clearly?" Conaida laughed proudly, stroking his beard: "Dwarves’ memories, you’ve heard about them."

"Hiss hiss, then don’t act like someone’s praising you," Alcmene teased the unique Dwarf, sticking out her tongue, "Anyone who didn’t know better would think it’s something to be proud of."

"It could still be used with a bit of a stretch." Flare had already done a quick check of the shelters and the stove and nodded, "Kyle must have inspected the tree holes, probably no problems there. But it’s really odd, where has that guy Kyle gone off to? He wouldn’t have gone hunting, would he?"

As they were talking, a figure appeared behind Lina like a ghost, a wicked hand stealthily reaching out for Lina’s rear... where her fox tail was.

With a "smack," the sound of a slap and a scream nearly coincided, sending the stricken figure flying headfirst into the bushes. The little golden fox nonchalantly flicked its tail, shifted its position, and lay back down, continuing to sway its big fluffy tail.