Chapter 402: Flora pastures
Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation
Trekking through the primitive jungles of planet Pandora wasn’t as comfortable as it looked.
Pandora was a world of gorgeous and splendid sceneries. Solely its various flora leaves alone,
were all fantastic oddities of every description; carrying yellow, red, purple, blue and brightlycolored
unusual streaks. It was indeed a true eye opener.
Yet in the world of nature, freshly-lit colours frequently indicated tell-tale signs of danger.
Many curious contestants had been hurt by the hidden perils of these gorgeous plants.
Naturally, they suffered thorny backlashes; blood loss, poison, ulceration and what not. If not
for the superior composition of a contestant’s body, they would’ve long been stretchered away.
The understory of this primitive jungle had no wind. Coupling the torrential thunderstorm
from yesterday and the current scorching sun, the humid and moist environment caused
everyone to be drenched in sweat. Moreover, planet Pandora just had to have a venomous
atmosphere; hence underneath their oxygen masks, even taking big breaths supplied a
suffocating sensation.
At present, only the monstrous Archeaphill could exhibit his formidable resistance; conceitedly
pulling down his mask as he smoked his cigarette at the front, and only returning for an oxygen
puff after intervals of 5-6 minutes. Sheyan randomly realized Archeaphill would’ve been a
perfect match if he were to square off with Stalo. However, Archeaphill’s weak firepower was
too excessive, which would probably become an immense problem against those obstructing ice
walls.
Even for powerful contestants, their speed of trudging through the dense forest was still largely
affected. Hence after an hour, they only managed to traverse 20 kilometres. Fortunately at this
moment, a breeze blew in from the front. As they exited the forest, their eyes met with an
expansive vacant land, along with the sounds of running water. Their noses caught whiff of a
flowery fragrance, as they discovered blooming abundance of flourishing flowers along the
riverbank.
These flowers and plants resembled Earth’s Strelitzia Reginae (Crane flower) species, with a
rough height of 1 metre. Their leaves were curled into a lotus shape, with its flower
demonstrating a horn shape. Pine green leaves complimented the pastel colored flower, along
with mesmerizing pointed stems; displaying a sight that warmed the heart, and delighted the
eyes. The air was flushed with a heavily scented sweet aroma; even through the filtering oxygen
mask, it pleased their spirits.
Huge chunks of smooth rocks were distributed amidst the flora. Due to the previous rain and
the drying by the sun, they appeared clean, sturdy and restless. The river was clear that one
could see its bottom, and occasional cold breezes would gently pass. From ahead, orders to take
a rest were issued. Very swiftly, the contestants sat down for a refreshing rest; this
commanding order was indeed satisfying to everyone.
Currently, Sheyan observed Yuan Zhan as he bluntly bent down and drew in a crane flower.
Then, Yuan Zhan leaned it towards his mouth, and seemingly poured its contents into his
mouth; his face displayed a thoroughly pleasurable expression.
Sheyan understood. These prominent summoners were individuals that were mostly biologists
or held a similar vocation of the present world. Either that or they were minimally researchers
with biology education. Following suit, Sheyan drew in a crane flower, and immediately
discovered the existence of a perfumery nectar within. Only few tiny droplets rolled into his
throat, but they brought a combination of refreshing peppermint and carefree sweetness; as
though the heat of the journey had been dispersed.
Since Sheyan had sampled its sweetness, he no longer remained courteous as he consecutively
drank down 7-8 flowers. Wherever there were flowers, there would naturally be bees. Due to
the low gravity of planet pandora, ordinary flora and fauna were all larger than Earth’s by a
notch; the amplified bees were no exception.
A distinct one nearby was a fiery looking bee, with a size that of a sparrow. It was essentially an
evil tyrant. Every time it loomed over a flower, it would rudely chase away the other bees and
butterflies; its demeanor incomparably frightening. Sheyan personally witnessed a palm sized
enchanting butterfly being stung by it; the butterfly’s wings were shredded apart, dying after
struggling for a short distance.
Undoubtedly, Sheyan’s nasty plucking flower behavior agitated that fiery bee. Buzzing, it
exploded towards Sheyan, seemingly about to discipline this flower thief. Sheyan wasn’t one to
be trifled with. Unflustered, he reached out his finger. Who knew, the bee nimbly dodged.
Enraged, it detoured an extensive circular arc before charging in again.
Observing its threatening gesture, Sheyan actually felt a tinge of threat. A slap later, he directly
sent it colliding against a rock. The stunned bee was writhing around on the ground.
Sheyan wasn’t one to lose out. Watching Yuan Zhan feasting delightedly, he hastily browsed
around the area. The hellfire wasps weren’t like normal bees, they preferred to travel solo.
Moreover, it demarcated its territory and prevented others from invading. Hence, after
spending some effort, he managed to signal out one hellfire wasp; Sheyan immediately gave
chase. As he was about to seize it, he felt an abrupt uneven ground beneath his leg as he tripped.
Fortunately, Sheyan’s balance was great. In a flash, he recovered stability. With hands slapping
in contention, after a brief period of humiliating himself, he finally captured that unlucky
hellfire wasp. Learning from Yuan Zhan’s recipe, he tossed the bug boldly into his mouth. Who
knew with just one chew, its outer shell crackled and broke, as extremely fragrant nectar juices
splashed out from the belly of the hellfire wasp.
The interior flesh of the hellfire wasp tasted excellent and chewy, just like a chicken drumstick;
biting it resulted in a slightly al dente sensation, a stark difference from Sheyan’s repulsive
imagination. If one had to compare this with another, then the closest would be the pincers of a
large ocean crab.
At this moment, Sheyan recalled the weird uneven ground from before. While chewing the
hellfire wasp forcefully, he walked over to investigate. After pulling out the thick grass, he
discovered the uneven cavity was shockingly a tremendously large hoofprint. This hoofprint
was familiar, probably left behind by a gigantic direhorse.
Sheyan’s heart stirred as he immediately got Mogensha and Reef to scout around. Not long
later, they discovered multiple loads of hoofprints scattered around this sea of flowers. The
trio’s actions couldn’t be concealed from others. Besides, those who could survive till now were
all quick-witted individuals. Gradually, they discovered more and more hoofprints.
From Yuan Zhan’s former interpretation, the team of horses comprised of at least 300. Yet for
commonly seen direhorse teams, it wouldn’t exceed a hundred.
Secondly, beneath the root systems of these crane flowers, there were tracings of digging.
Uprooting the place would reveal carcasses buried beneath. Naturally, this place had been
artificially created.
These two factors combined, could provide a basic inference – this ‘river bank’ should be hailed
as a ‘flower garden’, inspired by a certain highly intellectual life form to cultivate direhorses. If
grass was the direhorses’ staple, nectar flowers would be a direhorses’ recreation and snack.
Thinking of that, every contestant didn’t dare to stay any further. Na'vi warriors were fine,
direhorses were manageable, but putting the two together….speed and archery coordinating
together birthed equestrian archery. In former years, Genghis Khan swept through Eurasia with
such deadly skills! Without adequate preparation, invoking a frontal assault with a na'vi clan
was naturally not a wise thing to do.
The bunch of them naturally didn’t dare to stay any second longer. The Illume-Union made
preparations for inflatable canoes, before floating along the river, while those without
preparations made their own log rafts. The river stream was crystal clear, sightings of
extremely queer fishes appeared occasionally. During their journey, when countless violet
Stingbats were startled, they appeared like a violet mist dispersing from afar.
Half an hour drifted away. From afar, one could visibly notice greyish thick fumes rising in the
horizon, sketching out gruesome outlines of fiends in the sky; utterly inharmonious with the
spotlessly white clouds and sky of Pandora.
The destination was clear to all, the destination was right ahead.
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