Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 1060 - 175: Journey to the Meadow in the Woods

Chapter 1060: Chapter 175: Journey to the Meadow in the Woods

"Shh, try not to make any noise," Pannis whispered from behind a tree, cautiously peering out at the open meadow in the forest before him, stretching over more than four hundred square kilometers and home to numerous wild beasts and magical beasts. Even though the Forest of Death was dangerous, not all creatures there were magical beasts. In fact, most were just ordinary wild beasts, most of them highly reproductive herbivores, which formed the base of the food chain in the forest. The same was true for the meadow in the forest; herds roamed leisurely on the grassland, a water-rich environment that supported luxuriant plant growth, offering abundant food for herbivores and enabling them to reproduce without constraint. Since Arrow Mice were the only predators in the area, substantially smaller and requiring less food compared to other predators, this territory was practically a paradise for herbivores. Even though a dozen or so might fall prey to Arrow Mice daily, in comparison to the base population of the herbivores, it was a trifling number.

"When walking later, watch your step. The entrances to Arrow Mouse burrows are much larger than those of ordinary mice," Pannis cautioned. "Don’t step into one by accident. Twisting your ankle is the least of your worries. Stepping in would certainly startle the Arrow Mice inside, and then things would get lively."

"When walking here, one must tread lightly and not too quickly, just maintain a brisk pace, and definitely do not run," Flare added to the instructions. "Considering the large herbivores on the grassland, vibrations do not easily alarm the Arrow Mice. But it isn’t guaranteed. If the vibrations are too strong and the Arrow Mice do come out, it could spell trouble for us. So, it’s best to avoid trouble by keeping our footsteps light and avoiding jumping."

"Also, Catherine, keep an eye on that thing scratching at your hair," Pannis pointed at the small fox. "I don’t know if it has a habit of burrowing, but I certainly don’t want it burrowing and interrupting our halfway finished plan due to it playing around."

"Little guy, back in you go. Don’t come out unless called," Catherine patted the head of the Illusion Fox. It seemed to understand, yelping a few times before turning and burrowing into a pouch specially sewn on the outside of Catherine’s backpack; it even provocatively waved its tail at Pannis as it entered.

"Someday, I’ll turn you into a scarf," Pannis waved his fist at the little fox in a threatening gesture, only to find the girls glaring at him in unison. He forced a dry laugh, scratched his head as if he hadn’t done anything, and cleared his throat, saying, "Don’t be too nervous. Arrow Mice aren’t that clever; they can’t really distinguish between ordinary herbivores and intruders. Just don’t attack those herbivores. Their blood and cries might make the Arrow Mice think another predator is invading their territory. Oh, Conaida, that tree..."

"I got it already, damn Kyle," the Dwarf Shieldbearer muttered loudly, annoyed, "I won’t smash stuff around me to vent frustration anymore. It’s such a short path and you’ve nagged me about it three times already. I didn’t even notice. A hundred years haven’t seen you, and you’ve become more naggy, really, I never noticed you had this tendency before."

"Let’s go," Pannis gestured with his hand, giving one last instruction: "Everyone keep quiet. If you have questions, try not to ask them and be always aware of your surroundings. Flare..."

"I know." Queen Her Majesty had already taken down her hunting bow and held it in hand, with an arrow also set on the string, clearly prepared to prevent any unfortunate Arrow Mouse that might detect their trail from alerting its companions—provided, of course, it wasn’t hidden inside a burrow.

With a wave from Pannis, the team, after five minutes of observing, resumed movement, tiptoeing past the last tree and stepping onto the meadow among the forest.

Upon entering the meadow, the girls immediately noticed a distinct change in the environment. Inside the dense forest, the environment was dark and damp, and because the canopy trapped the hot vapors, heat lingered within the space beneath the treetops, resulting in not just a humid and hot atmosphere but also one filled with the turbid air, constantly filled with the scent of rotting plants. Staying there for too long meant their clothes were perpetually damp, emitting a musty smell, and the constant noise of birds and odd sounds in the forest also contributed to their irritability.

However, the grassland in the forest was quite different. With almost no trees growing across the grassland, sunlight was unobstructed, shining down on the grass, and moisture freely evaporated into the sky. Hence, even though it was still hot, it felt markedly dry here. The damp sticky clothes were quickly dried by the sun, returning to their usual dry state, and gazing at the bright sunshine seemed to chase away the clouds of irritability, lightening their moods drastically.

The grass on the ground thrived, and unlike the Beastmen Prairie, the wild weeds here were not tall, reaching only halfway up one’s calf at most; one could easily survey the condition of the ground by bowing their head. Due to its location in the hot, rainy Forest of Death, the grass here remained vibrant all year round, never wilting from changes in the weather. Basked in sunlight, the scent of the grass spread across the meadow, and the fresh and fragrant air made the girls unable to resist breathing deeply, reveling in this rare comfort.

There were many animals on the prairie, varying greatly in size, from antelopes standing over two meters tall to dwarf pigs merely sixty centimeters high, from six-legged beasts barely a meter tall yet nearly three meters long to the nurturing deer that stood on hind legs like humans and primarily moved by jumping. Various nameable and unnamable herbivorous animals spread across the prairie.

While walking, they occasionally encountered piles of white bones covered in gnawing marks; some had only bones left, while others still had remnants of flesh, evidently having been preyed upon only a few days ago. Despite this, the white bones did not affect the life of herbivores, which could often be seen grazing contentedly right next to the bones, seemingly completely unaware of their existence, not even bothering to lift their eyelids. However, the sudden appearance of the expedition group caught countless curious stares; these herbivores, which had never encountered intelligent beings before, were not afraid of humans at all, and even several young animals came over to sniff around the girls.

Although there were leftover bodies, it was surprisingly devoid of insects such as flies, which should have swarmed over the corpses, but there were none at all. This situation could likely be attributed to the insect storm the night before last; all the insects within the vicinity had left their nests following Guo Jing’s horde, and it would not be easy to encounter other insects anytime soon. Therefore, with Pannis’s agreement, the girls simply tossed the thick black robes and masks into their backpacks and proceeded lightly dressed.

Near the skeletons, there were not only no insects, but even the common scavenger vultures weren’t present. These birds could almost be considered one with the carcasses, as any place with dead bodies would inevitably have them, the only difference being whether they circled in the sky or fed on the ground. But there were no vultures here at all. On reflection, the scavenger birds mainly lived in expansive, unobstructed environments; though the plain within the forest met this condition, the surrounded forest housed countless flying magical beasts, making it impossible for scavenger birds to reach, let alone vie for carcasses.

Moving forward past these bodies, before long, they could hear the babbling sound of running water, and after covering a bit more distance, a stream appeared before the team. The stream was crystal clear, its water gurgling softly, and even from a distance, one could smell its scent. Upon nearing it, one couldn’t help but feel the urge to jump into the water to wash off the sweat and salt from their skin.

Yet, no one in the group rushed forward; for the experienced adventurers, the scene before them was fraught with danger. Firstly, there were no fish in the stream, of any size, and despite the flowing water, an eerie stillness pervaded, with not even algae growing in it. Furthermore, another obvious issue was with the other herbivorous animals; such a stable and safe water source on a prairie should have been a central hub of activity for all animals. However, the animals around it stayed far away from the stream, with only a few hesitantly lingering nearby, looking as if they wanted to drink but didn’t dare to do so.

From the girls’ experiences, something was definitely off about this stream; the only question was what exactly it was. Although the girls were curious, thinking of Pannis’s earlier request, none voiced their doubts.

Seemingly sensing the girls’ confusion, Pannis did not provide an answer but, upon reaching the stream, bent down to scoop up a cup of water, and also filtered the stream through it. After filtering, one could clearly see a clump of gelatinous liquid at the bottom of the cup. The semi-transparent gel was impossible to notice when mixed with water, only becoming visible once all the water was drained, revealing its true form.

However, adhering to a rule of minimizing conversation, no one dwelled on the gelatinous substance. Even Pannis simply tossed the cup and gelatinous substance back into the stream, allowing the gel to merge back into the water, invisible once more.

Pannis shrugged, then pulled out the prepared inflatable floating bridge from his backpack, inflated it fully, and placed it over the water. The stream was shallow enough to wade through, but Pannis’s choice of the cumbersome floating bridge indicated the severity of the problem with the water.

"Yah." A suppressed low exclamation arose from the middle of the group, not as if they had encountered any sudden situation, but more from sheer surprise.