Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 755 - 20 True Soul Whisper_1

Chapter 755: Chapter 20 True Soul Whisper_1

At the edge of the Suguwood forest ahead emerged a mark made from beast bones. Two thick leg bones were deeply cross-embedded in the mud with four ribs inserted front, back, left, and right around the crossed leg bones. Although the curved ribs were fixed separately on the ground, they touched at the top due to the curvature. A beast skull was steadily perched on top of the four ribs to complete the whole mark. The overall mark projected a bizarre and dangerous aura, the unique Hunter’s Mark of the Swamp Lizardmen.

"So, seeing this Hunter’s Marker, do we need to retreat for a while?" Catherine asked, standing cautiously outside the mark while closely inspecting the bone-made totem, "I remember the Guild mentioned, in the race interaction guidelines, that upon encountering a Hunter’s Marker, it’s crucial to wait outside the demarcated range until the Swamp People remove the mark, then proceed."

The Adventurers’ Guild depicts a rudimentary introduction to the Hunter’s Mark, which is the Lizardmen’s hunting-in-progress symbol. In case one encounters a Hunter’s Mark while adventuring in the swampland, it’s advisable not to enter the area marked without a Lizardman present. If one does enter rashly, it’s first perceived as impolite to the race that issued the Hunter’s Mark. Though the Lizardmen are a hospitable race, they hold no favorable impressions towards those showing disdain for etiquette, hence the reckless intrusion would cause difficulty in procuring the Lizardmen’s aid throughout the swamp journey. Secondly, the range distinguished by the Hunter’s Mark is a hunting ground for the Lizardmen. If outsiders intrude, the disturbance to the Lizardmen’s hunting plan is minor, but provoking the prey to injure some hunters could lead to a diplomatic altercation between the Lizardmen race and the Adventurers’ Guild. Further, the most critical aspect is that weapons aren’t discriminative. Bracing oneself for accidental wound reasons by stray arrows or traps when intruding recklessly into the hunting ground is a must. The Lizardmen’s bows, crossbows, and extensive skills with the Gift of Artemis in Yarran World, second only to the elves, excel above the elves in practicing Throwing Spears and traps. Intruding into such a race’s hunting ground is nearly akin to seeking death.

The girls had only previously seen a textural explanation of the Hunter’s Mark in the Adventurers’ Field Guide; they hadn’t even laid eyes on a pictorial representation. This was because each tribe of Lizardmen signifies their own tribal identity with uniquely different markers. The only common point is that they all comprise of beast bones, consequently making it difficult to illustrate its identifier and hence merely producing a textual description in the Field Guide.

"Hiss, let me take a look first." Galantis, completely unlike Catherine’s caution, casually strolled to the marker’s side, scanned it, and looked around in every direction, "Ah, it’s the Swamp Skull Tribe. No wonder, it’s their territory alongside the Dust Mud Tribe hunting ground. It’s normal for their marker to appear. It’s fine, we don’t have to wait outside, I am familiar with the Swamp Skull Tribe members. We can go in and take a look. I can show you our tribal hunting aspects, which I believe you’ve never seen before."

"Would we appear disrespectful?" Lina still maintained a pristine posture, asking in a gentle voice, "If it would offend them, let’s disregard it and avoid flouting other’s customs to save time."

"Hiss Hiss, rest assured, I’m with you so we won’t offend them. We’re all familiar with each other’s taboos, so it’s entirely alright." Galantis reassured, "You don’t need to worry about accidental injuries either. We all know the ways to avoid traps set by other tribes. Just follow me, and we’ll be fine. First, let’s go in, and after proceeding for a distance, we’ll climb the tree to the upper world."

The girls followed Galantis cautiously, crossing the boundary designated by the Hunter’s Mark. After crossing the boundary and walking no more than three minutes into the vast expanse, the five girls, except Ava who remained expressionless, simultaneously changed their complexions. In their hearts, the resonating whispers of countless people began. These echoing voices seeming to emerge from the depths of their souls, inherently carried a heart-throbbing power. The whisper was indeed just a repeat of the same phrase, where many people simultaneously told them: "Back off, back away, leave the hunting ground. This is our hunting time; please leave immediately."

"Is this the sound of Soul Whisper?" Vivian murmured, "Indeed, the feeling is almost like before, only a bit more oppressive this time. Moreover, why are there so many voices? It’s just too noisy."

"Indeed, it’s too noisy." Catherine couldn’t help but frown, wanting to block her ears. She knew well it wouldn’t work, thereby rationally giving up on the idea, "This can be considered a form of mental attack, can’t it? My head is aching terribly."

"Eh?" Freya exclaimed in astonishment. The discomforting expression on her face relaxed as she uttered in surprise, "Strange, the noise has suddenly disappeared. What happened? Have we been dismissed as a threat, causing the noise to stop abruptly?"

"It’s because I’ve already communicated in the same manner with their chief," Galantis explained, "They know I’m accompanying you all, so they ceased trying to drive you away. They were concerned about accidentally hurting you, which is why they were eager to get you to leave. Something strange this time, they seem exceptionally tense when hunting. Moreover, the number of participants is extraordinarily large. I suggest we hurry and see what’s happening. I believe something specific has occurred; otherwise, a regular hunt wouldn’t be this way."

"Can you find their location?" Catherine asked, "If we reach the top of the tree ascending to the upper world, it will likely be difficult to view the scenario beneath, making it harder to find, right?"

"They will come to find me." The Lizard Lady confidently affirmed and then patted the Suguwood tree beside her, "We’ll ascend from here. I’ll go first, and you’ll find me if you keep climbing."

The bark of Suguwood is soft and flexible, richly textured with inlaid patterns, unlike the nearly vertical growth direction of the poplar or phoenix trees. The tree trunk was plentiful with protruding tumor-like bumps—favorable features for climbing. Moreover, after climbing about ten meters, one enters the dense foliage layer, where the line of sight downwards is quickly obstructed by the tree branches and leaves thereby eliminating fear that could affect the climbing due to excessive height. Hence, the girls, even a rather frail team member like Vivian, could easily mount with Catherine’s assistance. The only hindrance came thirty meters upward, with excessively dense foliage obstructing their climbing speed. They had to strive to pass through the gaps between the branches and leaves. For a physique like Freya’s, this was going to prove even more difficult. Nonetheless, despite the struggle, Freya managed to successfully climb to the top of the tree. The sight that greeted them was the Lizard Lady firmly standing on a protruding tree branch with her tail wrapped around it for stability, facing the wind, head held high, sniffing the wind for any scent. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) and cast your recommendation votes. Your support is my most substantial motivation. Mobile users, please browse on m.qidian.com.)