Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 754 - 19 Hunter’s Mark _1

Chapter 754: Chapter 19 Hunter’s Mark _1

"Glub, glub," the sound came from a swampland covered in water. Gases formed from the rotting vegetation and animals buried within the mud seeped out, forming bubbles beneath the surface. They rose slowly, eventually popping in the open air, filling the surrounding forest with the stench of decay. The girls had become accustomed to the beautifully deceptive nature of the Whispering Swamp, but now, they beheld the swamplands as they had always imagined them - low forests, black and filthy mud, submerged terrain, rising swamp gas, and life-devouring mud holes. It was just as the stories had often described, casting a sense of dread about the perilous swamplands.

"Sss, you can finally see what you’ve hoped to see, sss." Galantis, having grown familiar with the girls during their journey, remarked jokingly. "This place is known to us as the Dark Swamp, sss. It’s filled with mud holes that could swallow a person whole and the air is thick with fetid marsh gas, sss. If you light a fire here, it often results in a Fireball that causes self-injury, sssss. It’s also common to be attacked by magical beasts lurking in the mud. I guess, sss, your description of the Whispering Swamp in the legends is mostly derived from this Dark Swamp."

"I must admit, that is possible." Catherine nodded. "Perhaps those who made the descriptions only saw the most dangerous aspects of the swamplands, hence they emphasized the Dark Swamp, unintentionally overlooking other aspects of the Whispering Swamp. I believe, they surely didn’t have your guidance, or else they would’ve discovered more beauty, just like we are now. If we were to write these stories, it certainly wouldn’t turn out this way."

"Sss, the swamp isn’t always beautiful, though," Galantis hesitated, clearly not keen to discuss the shortcomings of her homeland, but she finally shared honestly, "The Whispering Swamp is split into two sections, the north and south, sss. The Northern Swamp has a better environment, sss, as we’ve seen, sss, and isn’t overly dangerous for Upper Rank professionals like us. Even if swallowed by mud, one can escape using Aggression Burst. Sss, all our tribes are located in the Northern Swamp, thanks to this environment. The Southern Marshes are our hunting grounds for longer expeditions; only the bravest from each tribe enter to hunt. Sss, the conditions there are worse than what your books describe, filled with lethal gases and ferocious Upper Rank magical beasts. Sss, deep within the marshes lurk beings we refer to as Lurkers. They resemble fleshy orbs with tentacles like an octopus but far more numerous. Sss, Lurkers prefer to suddenly extend their tentacles from the mud, dragging prey into the swamp. Their tentacles not only have suction cups but also Thorns, sss, which can pierce prey’s skin and inject a paralysis toxin. These thorns can even pierce through our scales, forcing us to rely on our Shields. However, Lurkers are extremely large and strong; once ensnared, unless one has Legendary Rank strength or assistance, there’s not much one can do but await death. In the Southern Marshes, there are many magical beasts as dangerous as the Lurkers. Every time a tribe’s hunting expedition is sent, we always suffer some losses."

"Why do you keep organizing these expeditions?" Vivian couldn’t resist asking due to her thirst for knowledge. "Your Swamp People population isn’t massive, right? Won’t this continual consumption be a problem?"

"For the hunt, sss," Galantis replied matter-of-factly. "We are the favored of the swamp, we are the children of Artemis, sss. Hunting has become a part of our lives, sss. Besides, even if only for the sake of storing more food for the tribe, we cannot cease hunting. Moreover, participating in hunting expeditions, sss, is the best training for a hunter. Every individual in our tribe must participate at least once after becoming an adult. I’ve participated three times."

"Lizardmen are quite smart," Pannis added for Galantis. "She may not understand it completely, but hunting expeditions definitely serve more purposes than simply training the tribal members. It’s true that the Lizardmen’s population isn’t large - with fifty or so tribes and seventy to eighty thousand individuals, this population density is sufficient to support their hunting lifestyle in the Northern Swamp. However, if they persist with that hunting pattern, the growth rate of game wouldn’t keep up, leading to fewer animals. To counter this, the Lizardmen’s early leaders established a rule: All tribes, during hunting within their territorial boundaries, must practice a ’two years of hunting, one year of resting’ principle where they have a hunting hiatus every third year. During that hiatus period, the tribe survives on the food stored from the previous year and harvested fruits, and hunting in the Northern Swamp is prohibited. Meanwhile, during the hunting hiatus, the tribe sends out expeditions deep into the Southern Marshes to seize a large number of game for storage, sustaining the tribe for the coming year. This not only regulates the Lizardmen’s population growth but also effectively slows down the depletion of game in the Northern Swamp. Thanks to such traditions, we’re able to observe this vibrant swamp today. Otherwise, considering the Lizardmen’s appetite, I guess most of the Swamp’s animals would’ve been devoured over the thousands of years."

"Sss? Is that why?" Even Galantis appeared confused, her yellowish-green vertical pupils filled with doubt as she asked obliviously, "Why didn’t I know this?"

"Because when the tribe elders were teaching about this, you were busy swatting your classmates with your tail," Pannis accused, slapping the Lizard Lady’s triangular head as if reprimanding a troublemaking child. "Then after being caught by the elder, you bribed the classmate with a hind leg of a flying swamp rabbit to claim that you didn’t bully him."

"Eh? Did that really happen? Why can’t I remember?" Galantis laughed foolishly, saying, "Hehehe, Uncle, see, um, I mean, I am a well-behaved child who always listens to Mom, how could I possibly do such a thing?"

"Alcmene saw it happen." Pannis switched to tapping Galantis’ vulnerable nose, making the hapless Lizard Lady retreat while laughing, "If she hadn’t translated for us, how would we know what the elder was talking about? You should reflect on your actions and learn more things, help your mother out a bit."

"Understood, sss, just like Mom, you love to nag. Sss," Galantis swatted at Pannis’s leg with her tail while protesting, then suddenly changed the subject, "Eh, look there, that’s... a hunter’s mark." (To be continued. If you like this novel, feel free to visit Qidian to cast your recommendation or vote. Your support is my greatest motivation! Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com for reading.)