Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 176 - 32 Waiting Outside the Misty Forest_1

Chapter 176: Chapter 32 Waiting Outside the Misty Forest_1

(263...084...458... my dear reader, feel free to join the group. Ps If you happen to pass by, please add this book to your collection and recommend it to others, your support is my greatest motivation. Also, I would appreciate your feedback? Thanks. Ps2: There’s a change in the title, check under the relevant information about this book.)

The white mist permeates the Misty Forest, the hazy fog adds a mysterious mask to the dense forest. Looking in from the outside of the Misty Forest, all you can see is a sea of fog, where no scenery or light can be perceptible. No one knows what the forest looks like when it’s shrouded in fog, people can only see the white mist, white mist, and nothing but white mist.

The foggy forest is not silent, the rustling sound of fallen leaves being trodden upon, the friction sound of small magical beasts shuttling through the forest, the deep and rhythmic panting sound of large magical beasts, the last groaning sound of prey before death, the wing-flapping sound of birds on the tree, as well as some whispers that seem deeper and nearer as if they are whispering in your ears.

From afar, the Misty Forest was divided into two halves of upper and lower, demarcated by a height of ten meters. Above ten meters, a dark tree canopy blocked out all the light sources underneath. Below ten meters, a blurry dreamscape was formed by condensed white fog. The breeze gently blows, fluttering the fallen leaves, but cannot shift the persistent fog. The fog remains steadfast in its position in the Misty Forest as if it was guarding this patch of woods.

Somewhere outside the Misty Forest, an unidentified beast crawls out from the withered bushes, staring unwaveringly at the fog-filled forest. The enchanting fragrance of fruits carried in the air continually stimulates its hungry stomach. The overwhelming desire to eat gradually erodes its simple and fragile mind, coaxing it to creep slowly out of its hiding place, inching closer to the Misty Forest, inching closer to the food-filled paradise it imagines. As it gets closer, its steps slow down. Finally, it stops at the edge of the foggy forest, its internal conflict between safety and food continues. Suddenly, as if sensing danger, the little beast bristles its fur and in a flash, turns to scurry back to its hiding place. No sooner had it started running than a shadow abruptly springs out of the layer of fallen leaves, biting the creature then quickly disappearing back into the layer of fallen leaves. The leaves rustle once again, and the peace of the woods returns, as if nothing had happened whatsoever.

"What was that? Did you guys get a good look?" Not far away, ten pairs of eyes had been watching the Misty Forest, witnessing everything that had just unfolded. Lina, rubbing her eyes, asked in astonishment, "I clearly did not see anything, it moved so quickly."

"I only saw the movement," Catherine, being a physical attacker, had better dynamic visual acuity than Lina, but she too was somewhat nervous and took a deep breath, "As for what animal it was exactly, I did not see."

"It’s probably a snake." Night Owl, whose main task was reconnaissance and alert among the mercenaries, suggested with a hint of uncertainty, "I didn’t see it clearly but it looked like one."

"No, it’s not a snake, it doesn’t have scales." Pannis commented with a wry smile "It looked... like an eel. Good heavens, since when can eels go on land?"

"An eel?" Lina alarmed at the thought, frantically flicking through her book "I’ll look it up; I’ll look it up."

"Good catch." Elrad gave Pannis a thumbs-up, "That’s a forest eel, it’s one of the unique creatures in the Death Fog Sea. They can only survive within the domain of the Death Fog Sea. Due to the fog’s high humidity that suffices for their breathing, they can move freely in the fog just like their aquatic relatives. The fallen leaves in the forest function as water to them. They hunt by swimming in the layer of fallen leaves every day. They are very aggressive."

"Oh, it was a forest eel." Vivian who was squatting beside Catherine pondered for a while, and then suddenly she clenched her fist and hammered it into her palm "That’s right! How did I not think of this before? We can use that to catalyze the activity of the purple mountain flowers, at the same time it can inhibit the assimilating properties of the lava grass, and can soothe the irritation of the lava grass on the human body, although white clover will need to be added to neutralize its alkalinity. Ah, if we add white clover, it will conflict with Duckbill Algae, that won’t work, we need to replace it. Wait, why are you guys staring at me? Also, what are all those facial expressions on your faces."

"Nothing, just fancy you being cute." Pannis shrugged, taming down his helpless facial expression.

"Speaking of which, Pannis, if you have spare time, could you please catch me ten forest eels. You don’t need to bring back the whole thing, just extract the gallbladder. It might be useful for that research I mentioned while we were in the cave. But since gallbladders of forest eels have so few uses, it’s rather tricky to get them on the materials market. So we’ll just source locally."

"You already started?" Pannis looked at Vivian in amazement, "This soon?"

"Of course, what else did you think I was doing up late every night?" Vivian looked scornfully at Pannis’ surprise, "What, did you think I would hold a ceremonial party before getting started?"

"Hey, how long do you guys plan on chatting?" Dora stuck her head out from behind Pannis, rolling her eyes and said, "Should we just schedule a day-off for you guys to talk?"

"What’s the rush, we need to wait for the fog to disperse anyway," Pannis turned his head, just brushing past Dora’s long hair, took an intoxicated breath in reflex, then quickly felt several piercing gazes piercing through him - he immediately retracted his neck and nimbly jumped to one side, earnestly saying "You wish, you long-legged pervert."

"Idiotic men." Dora murmured quietly, then asked Elrad, "Will this fog really disperse soon? From the looks of it, there seems to be no change."

"Very soon." Elrad replied dismissively, "Every day at six in the morning, the fog is set to disperse. Then at twelve, or one in the afternoon, the fog will reappear. We have six hours to traverse the Misty Forest, and that’s just enough time."

"Is it safe on the way?" Catherine asked, "Are there any dangers we should expect?"

"Not at all safe." Elrad responded, "A lot of magical beasts dwell within, though the majority enter a state of hibernation as the fog dissipates. However, there are some exceptions, including the Hunter Frog, the Mist Mantis, and the Shadow Beast. Despite our bodies being dusted with deodorant powder to eliminate our natural odor, these three are particularly dangerous. Most scent-reliant magical beasts can be disregarded, but these three have unique sensing abilities. The Hunter Frog relies on sound, the Mist Mantis on sensing air movement, and the Shadow Beast on sensing temperature fluctuations. Being wary of these three should suffice."

"What if we encounter any of them?" Catherine inquired, "How strong are they?"

"Very strong. The Hunter Frog is a Silver Rank gregarious magical beast, while both the Mist Mantis and the Shadow Beast are Gold Rank magical beasts." Elrad explained, "However, they can be managed. If you encounter a Hunter Frog, stop moving and wait until it passes; any slightest movement can be detected by them. In case of a Shadow Beast, cover yourself immediately with fallen leaves; they can obstruct the beast’s temperature sensing ability. As for the Mist Mantis, the most formidable enemy, make sure to stay completely still, even holding your breath; otherwise, you will definitely be detected. If found, although you all are quite strong, getting caught up with these magical beasts could mean failure to cross the Misty Forest in time."

"What would happen if we can’t cross in time?" Catherine probed further, "We should be prepared for the worst-case scenario."

"I don’t know." Elrad shrugged indifferently, "Those who fail to cross usually end up dead. However, according to some lucky survivors, once the fog reappears, you first end up lost, unable to discern the path. Then, all the magical beasts in the forest awaken for their hunt, making it as perilous as pitching a blind man into a herd of magical beasts. And merely rumored, unseen creatures might be wandering about after the fog’s return, though no one knows what type of creatures they are or if they even exist."

"Alright, I get it." Catherine sighed, "So no matter what happens, we must cross on time."

"That’s right," Elrad nodded, "If we can’t cross, we’ll have to fight our way through as we continue in a straight line."

"Will we be able to survive in this way?" Lina asked, leaning in.

"No, it only means we’ll die a bit later," Elrad shrugged, "There’s another solution, which is to climb a tree and hide above the fog for the whole day. However, this solution introduces a new problem. The trees are typically infested with various magical beasts, including birds, monkeys, and other unidentified creatures in large quantities. The chances of staying up there for long are slim. But those who do manage to succeed have a slightly higher survival rate. All who have failed to cross the Misty Forest but survived in the end have climbed trees and were fortunate enough not to be discovered by the tree-dwelling beasts. Anyway, look, the fog is clearing."

Since no one knew when, the various strange noises within the Misty Forest dissipated, and the dense fog was visibly receding, slowly revealing the true face of the inner forest. After the mysterious Misty Forest unveiled itself from the dense fog, it differed little from the surrounding environment, except the air was noticeably damp and dewdrops carpeted the fallen leaves on the ground.

"Everyone, get ready. Now, close your eyes." Pannis waved back and announced, "It’s time to turn off the lights."

Before the words had completely fallen, all the Flashing Vines around suddenly ceased to emit light and the forest fell back into darkness. During early autumn morning, the sun rose late, and the sky was still dim. The glimmer of dawn struggled to penetrate through the dense canopy to reach the interior of the Misty Forest, which was still enveloped in darkness. However, apart from Elrad, who was a hunter guide with excellent eyesight, everyone else was a high-ranking professional, with physical capabilities far exceeding that of normal humans. Relying on the dim vision granted by their superior physical attributes, they could vaguely make out their surroundings in the dark forest.

"We can’t light up." Pannis explained, "In this environment, lighting up would only let you see things close by, while objects at a slight distance would become completely invisible. It’s better without light as we can see a bit further."

"Just hold on for an hour," Elrad began to walk towards the Misty Forest, "That’s why I hate entering here in the autumn, the transition from day to night takes an additional hour, which is too dangerous."

"Let’s go." Pannis waved at everyone, "Cross as quickly as possible, and try not to linger."