Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 160 - 21 Shining Forest_1

Chapter 160: Chapter 21 Shining Forest_1

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"Welcome to the Shining Forest, the third largest forest on the Continent." As dusk descended on their second day within the jungle, a guide, a fourteen-year-old boy with slightly pale skin and frail stature, suddenly halted. He turned around to say, "Brothers and sisters, are you ready? How about resting here tonight to recharge and start our forest journey early tomorrow morning?"

The young guide was named Elrad, an Iron Rank professional. His grandfather had moved to Spindle Village in his youth and had lived there ever since. Three years ago, Elrad’s father had died during a solo hunt in the forest, leaving Elrad to fend for himself. From a young age, Elrad had followed his grandfather and father into the forest, inheriting their hunting skills along with their extensive knowledge. He had tread on at least a third of the nearly hundred thousand square kilometers of forest. With these skills, he primarily guided adventurers into the jungle, earning more than enough for a comfortable living. However, his deep love for the forest kept him tethered to this lifestyle, venturing solo into the heart of the jungle time and time again like his late father.

When they initially met Elrad through the village chief, everyone was shocked at the young boy’s age. Some even believed he was introduced as the guide because the chief wanted to provide some source of income for the fatherless Elrad. However, the chief vouched for Elrad, saying the boy had ventured deep into the jungle multiple times by himself, even entering the territory of the legendary magical beasts to gather herbs. He insisted that Elrad was the best hunter and guide in the village. After a brief five minutes of conversation with Elrad, Pannis confirmed to the team that the chief was telling the truth: the boy was incredibly well-versed in forest survival. Although no one else understood how Pannis drew that conclusion after a brief chat, their faith in his judgement was enough for Catherine and Lina, whose trust in Pannis influenced Dora into reluctantly accepting the young guide.

"His tone only contains confidence and impatience," Vivian quietly commented to Pannis and Catherine, "He truly does seem like an incredible guide."

And so, the ten-member group ventured into the jungle under Elrad’s guidance. After two tedious days of trekking through the sparse forest, their surroundings began to change. Until then, the forest was filled with trees spaced far apart—the distance between them was large enough to permit a horse-drawn carriage. However, the forest ahead was delineated by an invisible boundary. On the other side of this boundary, the trees abruptly became close-knit and towering, forming dense canopies that merged into a looming shadowy expanse in the distance. It was not until then that Elrad extended his belated welcome, hinting that their journey into the Shining Forest was truly about to start.

"Wasn’t the place we just passed also part of the Shining Forest?" The Rats, wearing a deflated grey cloak with a skinny jawline and two whiskers, asked with a sharp voice, "Why are we only starting our forest journey now?"

"You dare call that a forest?" Elrad scoffed, "That was just a grove. If you thought those were forests, you might as well turn back. The real forest is way more grueling than you think."

"Enough, let’s set up camp." Dora stopped the Rats from arguing any further, "Rats, you gather firewood. Shadow Wolf, go hunt some game nearby, just be careful not to lose your way. Night Owl and Illusion Fox, find eatable wild vegetables and fruits nearby. Go now. Mr. Elrad, you’re familiar with the forest, are there any water sources nearby? Can you fetch us clean water? Thank you."

"Alright, everyone left." Watching the group split off into different tasks, Pannis and the four ladies began to set up camp. While organizing the campsite, Pannis inquired, "Now that we are here, can we tell the truth?"

"Wha... what truth?" Dora nervously responded, "I’ve not lied!"

"We’re not fools," Catherine retorted irritably, "Do you seriously think we couldn’t see through your act?"

"What act?" Dora maintained her innocent pretense.

"You’re still pretending? Fine, let me spell it out for you." Catherine sneered, "First, unless your leader is an idiot, he would never dispatch just you, a Gold Rank member, and forty Silver Rank soldiers to clear out the Thousand Thief Gang, comprised of four Gold Rank members and over thirty Silver Rank members, deep within the forest. This isn’t an extermination; it’s a suicide mission. No mercenary group leader would be foolish enough to send their upper-level Gold Rank captain on such a mission. Second, the fact that you didn’t refuse such a task, but instead executed it with glee, implies that either you have problems, or this mission isn’t what it seems."