Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 781 - 46 The Dry and Rainy Seasons of the Swamp

Chapter 781: Chapter 46 The Dry and Rainy Seasons of the Swamp

The swamp is a swamp after all, no matter how beautiful the surrounding environment is, some characteristics of the swamp cannot be changed. In this vast Whispering Swamp that spans hundreds of thousands of square kilometers, huge, depth-unknown mud pits are spread throughout, quietly sleeping under the accumulated suguwood fallen leaves, waiting for their prey to step into their devouring traps. During the rainy season, they turn into shallow lakes, becoming a paradise for aquatic creatures and all sorts of flying insects; countless mosquitoes swarm by the lakes, producing a teeth-grittingly huge buzzing sound with their wings. When the dry season approaches, the amount of rainfall reduces, and these lakes gradually dry up naturally, turning into vast swamps; invariably some unsuspecting animals wander in and become sacrifices to the swamp. The carcasses of the animals slowly decay at the bottom of the swamp, part of them turns into nutrients to nourish the surrounding land, while another part turns into strangely colored gases, forcibly squeezing out of the soft silt and forming water-bearing bubbles on the moist surface of the mud pits, followed by a series of "gululu" sounds as the bubbles emerge and a burst of popping noises. The gas released not only emits an uncomfortable stench but also carries a strong toxicity; breathing in this environment for a period of time will quickly cause symptoms of poisoning, or even lead to rapid death. In this season, most of the exposed water surfaces have disappeared, and the numerous continuous lakes have turned into small puddles, thus the swarms of mosquitoes have substantially reduced, with only a small number of insects gathering around these puddles. In their place are countless water snakes and loaches, as well as swamp frogs that dwell in the mud. Hundreds and thousands of these swamp frogs crawl out from their nests in the mud pits, preying on enough insects to store energy in their bodies before the driest season arrives, then they hide back in their burrows to enter estivation, getting through the dry season, which for them is fraught with scarcity of food and danger.

It must be said that our timing to enter the swamp was perfect. In April and May, the dry season was about to end, and the rainy season was on its way; it was the period of transition between the two seasons. There were some rains, but it was not as damp as the rainy season, where clothes could be wrung out every day, and it was not as stuffy as the dry season. Even the ground, in this season, was especially suitable for walking; unlike in the rainy season where everywhere you step is crisscrossed by water networks, large lakes and rivers carve the swamp into pieces. To reach a destination, what normally could be a two or three-hour journey often turns into a detour that requires an extra day or two because of the lakes and waterways. Unlike the dry season when the air is filled with poisonously foul odors, and you constantly have to be wary of being swallowed by mud pits. Even for Upper Rank professionals who can use their Aggression to break free, and hence, it is not fatal, but it is unlikely that anyone would enjoy the feeling of being coated in filth.

"So you see, hiss hiss hiss, people from the outside world consider this the best season to enter the swamp," Galantis said, casually grabbing a swamp frog that scurried about in panic as they passed by, looking at its emaciated body with a pitying purse of lips before tossing it back into a nearby pond: "However, our tribesmen don’t quite like this time, hiss hiss, by comparison, they prefer the seasonal transition that occurs half a year later. The animals are just coming out of estivation right now, hiss hiss hiss, weak and all skin and bones, not tasty at all. Hiss hiss, but half a year later it’s different, by then the animals will have fattened up, hiss hiss, like that swamp frog will grow as big as two fists, hiss hiss hiss, and the frog meat on them will be both fat and tender. Mom just needs to roast them with Fire for a bit, and then they’re... slurp, hiss hiss,"

"You might want to wipe that drool," Catherine said, hiding a giggle behind an elegant smile that held no mockery. The young girl understood the longing for one’s hometown and family after several years away, which naturally included the local delicacies from home. Passing a handkerchief to the discomfited Lizard Lady, the knightly girl fantasized about the swamp delicacies described by Galantis, wistfully saying, "That sounds very tempting. But that season is the prime time for hunting, isn’t it? All of the tribes must be busy with communal hunts."

"Quite the opposite, hiss hiss. That season is when large-scale hunting is prohibited," Galantis said, shaking her big head: "Many magical beasts give birth during that time, hiss hiss, and hunting then would harm the pregnant mothers and the young that are not yet grown, hiss hiss hiss, we wouldn’t do such a thing. However, hiss hiss, personal hunting is still allowed. When I was a child, I always loved that season the most, hiss hiss, Mom would take me out to hunt small animals every few days, heh heh heh heh, hiss hiss, my first prey was caught during that time, and I’ve never been so happy."

The Lizard Lady’s naive and cheerful disposition seemed to make her quite popular with the young girls. Although they had only known each other for a few days, the girls had become close friends, often seen gathering together and chattering incessantly. Of course, Galantis was the one who did most of the talking, and the other girls were mostly unable to keep up with her overly lively train of thought. They would only occasionally get a chance to interject a few words. At other times, the team’s surroundings would echo with the happy, hissing voice of the Lizard Lady, which made the girls admire this special Lizardman’s language skills. Even Catherine, whose lecturing could send shivers down the spine of the entire adventure team, had to admit defeat when faced with Galantis.

"By the way, Pannis," Vivian finally seemed unable to bear it anymore and had to divert the attention of the girl who was clinging to the memory of her mother with another topic, "You mentioned earlier that High Priestess Alcmene was urging us. How did she know we were coming here? And did she contact you with a Soul Whisper?"

"The range of a Soul Whisper is not that far, no matter how powerful you are, it’s impossible to do so," Pannis replied with a wry smile, looking at Vivian who had a look of threat and plea in her eyes, and sadly went along with the conversation, "It’s just a small trick between demigods who are fairly familiar with each other, using the opening and closing of Inherent Psychic Domains to pass messages. It has a much wider effective range than a Soul Whisper. Within a hundred kilometers, you can basically sense the status of another demigod’s domain. If you’ve previously agreed on specific meanings for the messages, this method can achieve long-distance communication. Just like earlier, I told her that I was coming to see her with friends and relatives, and then she acted like she was going crazy, urging me over ten times to get there as fast as possible. But she seems to have some matters to attend to and can’t leave at the moment. Otherwise, I reckon she would have already rushed over here."

"Hiss, mother has matters that she can’t leave?" Naturally, the topic of her mother immediately caught the Lizard Lady’s attention, and she habitually grabbed Pannis’s sleeve to ask, "What exactly is going on?"

"Don’t be nervous." Pannis gently patted Galantis on the head, "It’s just a guest, and it seems to be a rather important one."