Chapter 70: Flying Catkin Swamp

Chapter 70: Flying Catkin Swamp

Looking at the “flying catkins” filling the sky, Bran was stunned. What drifted in the swamp were not fluffy things like willow catkins as he had imagined. They were creatures of various shapes, sizes, and kinds, floating in the air like jellyfish. Some giant insects were over half a meter long, which truly made Bran experience a foreign scene.

While Bran was still admiring the spectacle before him, his cousins had already rushed quickly toward the swamp and were rapidly picking the mushrooms at the swamp’s edge one by one. It seemed his cousins were very happy to have such a distant mission, which could be seen from their enthusiasm in picking the mushrooms.

Bran carefully and slowly approached the swamp. He could feel the swamp forming a large web in a strange way. Unlike his Mana Web, which was uniform and tight, this was a whole constructed in a way he could not understand, and he did not want to just plunge headlong into it.

…

In his cousins’ eyes, Bran acted like a child touching water for the first time. He gently tapped the water’s surface with his toes, then quickly pulled his foot back, then tapped again…

This timid attitude made them look at each other, unsure what was wrong with Bran.

“Bran, what are you doing?” Dia asked and walked over to Bran.

Bran waved his hand to indicate it was fine and said casually, “Don’t worry.”

Really, no need to worry? With this doubt in mind, Dia, who had already reached Bran’s side, reached out and patted his head.

“You wouldn’t understand even if I told you.” Having tested enough, Bran brushed Dia’s hand away and stepped forward into the swamp. Then Bran felt himself merge into this web without any discomfort. This web was composed of multiple species and had no exclusivity. Here, each species emitted different vibrations, which then achieved unity in some way. It was truly marvelous.

Bran walked slowly, carefully experiencing the various feedbacks of information. He felt that since entering here, his Mana Web had gradually become a part of this place as well, without rejection, simply joining in. Then Bran slowly withdrew, entered again, withdrew again, continuously experiencing this strange sensation. So the others all put down their own tasks and silently began to watch.

Bran gradually figured some things out. Not only was the Flying Catkin Swamp a large web, but the Fertile Plains Grassland was also a large web. He just hadn’t noticed the grassland because he was used to that environment. The environment of the Flying Catkin Swamp was too peculiar, and this strong contrast made him sense the difference.

“Mana is everywhere. I am just a swimming fish stirring up the ripples of Mana.” Bran muttered to himself. After understanding some things, he became aware and only then noticed he was being watched.

“I’m fine. Don’t look at me like that. I’ll get embarrassed.”

“Idiot!” The three cousins spoke almost in unison.

…

Because he had figured some things out, Bran was in a good mood, so he decided to stretch his limbs properly. He would show his cousins through action what a true foodie really was.

After Bran returned to normal, the five of them left one after another. Bran, with Huahua, fully utilized his innate instincts and caught several birds in a row. The small ones were the size of quails, and the big ones were only about the size of geese. For several days in a row, Bran had been eating raw flesh and blood, and only two strips from the spine, which his cousins deeply looked down upon.

Now Bran prepared to show a small display of skill. He skillfully skinned and plucked the birds, took two pieces of fat from below the waist, placed them on a heated stone slab to render the fat, then placed sliced mushrooms on it to fry slowly. Instantly, the aroma attracted the gazes of the others. He picked out the hearts, livers, and stomachs of a few birds, cleaned them a little, skewered them on sticks, and roasted them slowly over the fire. He took the breast cartilage and also fried it on the stone slab. Finally, he tossed the remaining bird meat to his cousins.

This behavior of eating alone dissatisfied the cousins. Without waiting for Bran to offer, they directly crowded around, pushing Bran aside.

Bran used local materials and gave the group a big lesson, making them understand the importance of procedure. With just a few simple things, as long as the order was grasped correctly during preparation, it could turn something ordinary into something wonderful. So Bran transformed into a cook, serving the others under the calls and orders of his cousins until everyone ate their fill.

“Not bad. You’re still somewhat useful after all.” Dia, with her belly sticking out, patted Bran’s shoulder with oily hands, even wiping her hands on him in the process.

…

By now, Bran no longer had the desire to stay here. The discovery when he first entered the swamp had made Bran figure out many things; he had obtained what he wanted. Staying longer, Bran thought, was meaningless. His cousins, however, wanted to go deeper into the swamp to look around. Although Bran did not agree with this course of action, he couldn’t persuade them otherwise and had to follow behind. He couldn’t just let them come for his sake and then abandon them; that wasn’t the right way to behave. More importantly, Bran believed the swamp was not safe. Just looking at the creatures at the edge made Bran want to back out.

Following behind his cousins, Bran carefully stayed on guard. The three White Wolves occasionally lifted their heads to sniff the air, detecting the surroundings through scent.

Bran advised, “We should go back. We’ve eaten what we wanted to eat and seen about enough. If you really want to go deeper, we can wait until after the Trial. By then we will have more powerful strength, and it will be much more convenient.”

Dia said irritably, “Why are you so timid? Besides, it’s not even certain we’ll return from the Trial.”

Bran sighed. “The view here is too obstructed. The Snow Falcon can’t provide much help now. We are not familiar with this place, and we aren’t well-suited to this environment. If you really want to go deeper, we should at least observe at the edge for two more days to have an adaptation period.”

“You’re the one with all the issues!” Lia scolded Bran. At this moment, she fully sided with her sisters.

“Exactly, who has that much time?” Sia also came over. Fortunately, the other brother and sister pair remained neutral, but more because they weren’t familiar with Bran, keeping the distance typical of strangers.

Bran felt somewhat helpless and thought his mother was looking for trouble. Who did she find? If they got trapped here because of so-called helping him, it would be hard to explain. What a hassle!

…

“Stop!” Bran hissed.

“What now?” Dia, walking at the front, turned her head and gave Bran an unhappy glance, but her feet did not stop.

It was already the third day of entering the swamp. Just now, Bran felt something was wrong. He felt that the surroundings had suddenly quieted down. In his Mana perception, many of the expected noises were missing. This was not right!

Bran could not worry about that now. He darted to Dia’s side and directly grabbed her, signaling her to listen carefully. The White Wolves also bared their fangs now, beginning to warn their masters. Then everyone reacted. The surroundings had become too quiet, as if an invisible pressure was approaching.

“Run! Run back!” Bran hissed.

Now the group finally felt some panic. They turned and ran back.

Bran ran behind the teenagers, filled with pent-up anger but with nowhere to vent it. In terms of strength, Bran was not as good as his cousins, but in agility, speed, and endurance, Bran far surpassed them. Especially after being stung and chased by the giant wasp, Bran felt his body seemed to have broken through a barrier. In terms of speed, he wouldn’t be much worse than the Warriors in the castle. This was related to the goal Bran pursued in his training; he had always pursued speed, not strength. He had even given up some strength for the sake of speed.

Moreover, Bran still hadn’t realized that something seemed to have shifted between him and the Black Cat Huahua. As he continuously killed in the grasslands, the Mana fusion and spiritual Resonance between Bran and Huahua also began to affect his body, causing some unknown changes to Bran’s physique.

Bran could now even accelerate his running speed by using the rebound from trampled vegetation, just like the Black Cat Huahua. He could have quickly left the others behind, but he couldn’t. He had to protect them from behind.

Dia turned her head and shouted, “Bran, run faster!”

Bran was annoyed. “You run! Don’t look back.”

One White Wolf led the way at the front, while two ran alongside Bran. Bran reached out and patted the heads of the two White Wolves, signaling them to go protect the kids in front and not to worry about him. This scene happened to be seen by Dia when she looked back.