Chapter 607: Mystic Plant
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
There was a giant creature swimming across the sea, which almost resembled a moving island.
Seeing it, Han Sen and Queen did not even dare to breathe, and they steered the whale in another direction to avoid it. With the silver fox onboard, the only creatures they were likely to meet would be insanely powerful ones.
The two had been lost at sea for half a month, and this was the second time they had seen a creature like this. Fortunately, the creatures never paid them heed and would instead continue in the direction they were headed.
They waited until the giant creature was out of sight and let out long sighs. After another half day, Han Sen suddenly saw something green on the horizon. It could have been an island, he thought.
"We are saved! There is an island in the distance. Even if there is no one there, we could at least find some real food. All this time adrift, all we have been drinking is fish blood. I'm getting sick of it!"
Queen looked happy at this news, too. The entire time they had been on the back of the whale, they had been eating fish meat and drinking fish blood, and she too was starting to hate it.
As the image of green drew nearer and nearer, it revealed itself to indeed be an island of sorts. The hills were quite steep, but they were short, and it was decorated with much foliage.
There were no tall trees on the island, but there were many berry bushes. The berries they contained looked like delicious little grapes.
Queen summoned her wings and flew over to take a look. The island wasn't too big, and it didn't seem to be populated with any creatures.
Both feeling confident about their new-found parcel of land, they disembarked and climbed onto the island. Han Sen looked at the red berries and thought to himself, "These berries can't be like those red mushrooms, can they?"
Queen had already ventured inland. After a brief search, she found a pond hidden among the hills. The prospect of fresh water excited her very much.
"What are you looking at?" Queen noticed Han Sen squatting near the bushes. She furrowed her eyebrows.
"I am wondering whether or not I can eat these things. I am getting tired of eating fish meat, and I am keen to eat something fresh like this," Han Sen answered.
"Don't randomly eat stuff. Let's stick to the fish," Queen told him.
Although she was sick of fish meat, as well, not all plants in the world were safe for human consumption. The berries did look delicious, but who knew whether or not they'd cause problems if eaten?
"I think they're okay. I'd say it'd be okay for us to eat them." Han Sen continued to observe the berries, and from the knowledge he had received from Professor Sun, he was sure they would be fine to eat.
Queen ignored Han Sen and simply returned to the sea to catch more fish. She was happy enough to be able to cook the fish meat, and doing that was certainly better than risking the consumption of curious, unknown berries.
Although Han Sen was sure they would be okay to eat, he didn't take any.
Han Sen had a question burning in his mind. Why did the berries, while edible, grow in such abundance on the island? And why were they wholly untouched?
While they were out at sea, they saw many birds flying overhead. And yet, there was nothing in the remote vicinity of this island. This made Han Sen believe something was wrong.
Han Sen fought back the desire to try out the berries, and decided to take a stroll around the island, find out what he could, and see if he could witness anything strange about the place they had ended up on.
The island wasn't too large, and a regular human could walk around it in half a day. With Han Sen atop Golden Growler, combined with his abilities, it didn't take him long to scope out the place.
While the island wasn't too big, the hills inland were strange. The rocky hills were not too high, standing at about twenty meters tall, and from afar, one could mistake them for overgrown pineapples. The weirdest thing was how identical each hill was to the next.
Han Sen climbed a hill and looked around. On the tallest hill, he caught sight of a lotus-looking plant.
It looked like an ordinary lotus, with seven leaves and a bud at the center. It was also pure white.
Han Sen frowned. Lotuses tended to grow in water, or at least in very moist soil. He had never seen one grow on a hill before, which made him question whether it was really a lotus.
Seeing as it was just a plant, Han Sen didn't think he'd have anything to be afraid of. Carrying the silver fox, he decided to ascend the hill. Upon reaching the top, he took a proper gander at the seven-leaved flower.
Taking a closer look, Han Sen confirmed that it was indeed a lotus. Its snow-white petals were all folded around the fist-sized lotus cup inside. This was different than the usual green ones, as this cup was snow white on the inside, too.
It was semi-transparent, and there were many red seeds on the inside. However, it wasn't very big, which indicated it wasn't fully mature yet.
As Han Sen continued to observe it, the silver fox jumped out of his arms. It used its own nose to sniff the lotus and blinked as a human would. Then, it curiously circled the lotus as if inspecting the flower. After a while, the silver fox decided to lie down next to it.
"Silver fox, do you care to tell me what that means?" Han Sen asked, while looking at the silver fox with a puzzled expression. If the silver fox wanted to eat something, he'd usually gobble it down without a second thought. He had never waited for his food before.
The silver fox's face suggested that it did want to eat the plant, but the fox continued to just lie down next to it. Han Sen wasn't sure what it was thinking.
"Do you want to wait until it is ripe?" Han Sen thought of this possibility and asked the silver fox.
But the silver fox could not reply. All it did was squint with its eyes and continue lying there. It was almost as if it were guarding the lotus plant, like a watchdog.
Han Sen saw smoke rising near the oceanside, which told him Queen had already gathered some fish and was most likely cooking it. When he reached down to grab the silver fox, it bolted out of the way as if it didn't want to leave. It then sat down, unmoving.
"Even if you want to wait until it is ripe, it could take a while. No one is fighting for it, so let's go eat some food and come back." Han Sen comforted the silver fox and tried to grab him again.
But again, the silver fox refused to budge. He had no intention of leaving the lotus and seemed resolute in his decision to guard the plant.
With nothing he could do about it, Han Sen decided to walk back to the oceanside. As he made his way back, he thought to himself, "That lotus must be some good stuff. Otherwise, why would he be so stubborn and stay there? He is rather picky when it comes to food."
"No, I can't let the silver fox take it all for himself! I bet he is waiting for the lotus seeds. Otherwise, he'd have munched it all at first sight. What other reason could there be for him to stay there and wait? Hmm, but how can I take them away from the silver fox? If the silver fox decides to fight me, how can I expect to look after it in the future?" Many different thoughts and questions now plagued Han Sen's mind, and he wasn't entirely sure what to do.
The silver fox was refusing to leave that spot, and it was going to wait until the seeds were ripe. Stealing food from it would be a difficult thing.
Chapter 608: Ripe Lotus
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
When Han Sen returned to the oceanside, Queen was using her sword to skewer and cook fish meat. Although the fire was only fuelled by vines and sticks, it seemed decent enough to last.
Han Sen saw a few other swords propped up beside the fire as well, each packed with meat. The slices of fish were gold, and the oil sizzled on them in a tantalizingly. Han Sen had to ask, "Is this for me?"
"What do you mean, are they for you? I am planning to eat them once they are all done," Queen responded.
"Can I have some?" Han Sen asked politely.
"If you want; suit yourself." Queen did not look at Han Sen once, and continued to stare at the meat in her hand.
Han Sen smiled. He picked up some meat and took a bite. Unfortunately, he should have waited, for his mouth burnt with the heat. Still, this fresh fish tasted divine compared to the raw fish they had been eating previously.
"Where is your fox?" Queen watched Han Sen eat like a madman and, feeling more relaxed, posed the question.
"I took it back." Han Sen blinked as he told her.
"Really?" Queen looked at Han Sen, not believing him. "Summon him so we can all eat together."
"There's no need. It is just a pet; ignore the creature." Han Sen thought Queen had learnt something else about the silver fox when it healed her, but he wasn't willing to admit it.
"Okay." Queen didn't enquire any further and simply continued cooking her meat.
Han Sen ate eight slices of meat. With a bloated belly, he fell backwards into the sand. After a large exhale of content, he called out, "Awesome!"
Queen ate a few, too. But when she was done, she returned her beast soul sword and started walking off towards the hills.
"What are you doing?" Han Sen sat up and asked, worrying over whether or not Queen would find out about the silver fox and lotus.
"I'm just going for a walk," Queen replied, already walking off to the hills.
"I'll come with you!" Han Sen jumped up with a fright and thought to himself, "I really can't hide the silver fox's reason for not coming back."
It wouldn't be difficult for Queen to discover where the lotus and the silver fox were. After ascending a small hill, she caught sight of them both from afar. She turned around and looked at Han Sen. With a cocky smile, she turned back and began walking towards the fox.
"What is that?" Queen pointed towards the lotus as she neared the silver fox.
"I don't know, but the silver fox refused to leave after finding it," Han Sen explained. Queen took a closer look at the lotus and began to rest near it without responding.
The next day, Queen asked Han Sen, "Are you leaving?"
"If the silver fox isn't leaving, then neither am I. Do you want to leave first?" Han Sen asked, blinking.
"If we meet again, we will split it in half." Queen looked at Han Sen, but it didn't look like she wanted to leave.
"What half? It is a pet. You want to fight for food with a pet?" Han Sen's heart was saying no and he was only pretending.
"If he eats it, I don't want it anymore. If you take it, I will accept half," Queen said.
"Why would I want it? This is for the silver fox. I am not a pet; I don't need it," Han Sen told her, sharply. He was starting to feel a little annoyed.
Queen didn't say much, and she remained near the silver fox, guarding the lotus.
"The silver fox was guarding it, which made me think I had a chance. But now there are two people guarding it." Han Sen thought to himself. He was also starting to believe that the silver fox was a girl. Otherwise, why would it be behaving like Queen was? That was the only explanation for how selfish it was being.
Han Sen never thought about the possibility that he was more selfish than the silver fox and Queen combined.
They stayed on the island for four days. The snow-white flowers started to wilt, but they did so slowly. Only two petals fell off a day. SInce there were so many, heaven only knew how long it would take for the entire thing to wilt.
The lotus seeds on the inside were growing bigger, as well. They looked like blood crystals, and they continued to grow fuller. They emitted a pleasant fragrance, and smelling it brought comfort and relaxation to their minds.
"That must be some good stuff, but how can I take all the seeds without Queen and the silver fox noticing?" Han Sen watched the lotus intently each day, all the while fostering a plan to take it from the others.
Han Sen was not sure if he could beat them both; otherwise, he'd just grab it.
Half a month later, the petals had all come off. The lotus itself was now like a plate. The blood crystal seeds were so round and full, they looked like rubies the size of a pigeon's egg.
Han Sen had yet to come up with an idea that would allow him to claim ownership of the seeds, but all of a sudden, he heard the shriek of a bird. He saw a green and blueish-colored bird that didn't look too far removed from a peacock. With no idea where it had come from, Han Sen saw it fly madly around the sky, cawing as loudly as it could. It also seemed to be afraid of the three of them, which stayed its desire to come down.
The silver fox now looked nervous. It stood up and looked at the peacock in the sky as if it were an enemy.
Han Sen and Queen were shocked. They understood that it was most likely a super creature, seeing as it paid little heed to the silver fox's presence. This made their faces bleak.
The peacock continued to circle them in the sky, refusing to leave. But neither did it want to come down. It seemed as if it was waiting for the seeds to ripen, just like they were.
"Where did that bird come from? Why would it be out here at sea?" Han Sen thought only the silver fox and Queen were competing with him for the seeds. If things had remained that way, at least he had a fair chance of obtaining a few of them.
But now with a super creature in the vicinity, who knew what might happen?
Perhaps even the combination of Han Sen and the silver fox wouldn't be enough to fight the super creature.
While Han Sen was feeling depressed amidst these thoughts, suddenly heard a sound at the seashore. Looking out to the ocean, he watched the waters boil. A lobster with a purple shell that was a dozen meters long emerged. It remained afloat for a brief while, summoning up tall waves.
It then moved on to circle the island, without getting too close.
"Crap! Another one. How many creatures want these seeds?"
Han Sen felt frustrated. He didn't know when and where another super creature might arise, but fortunately, no more decided to make an appearance. Aside from the peacock and lobster, there was no sign of another one coming to vie for their seeds.
With one of them taking the sea and one of them taking the sky, it would be impossible for him to escape now.
"Let's fall back. If we get surrounded, there is nothing we can do to fight them," Queen calmly said.
"Silver fox, come!" Han Sen shouted at the silver fox, with a tone of gravity. He was afraid if the silver fox stayed here to guard, he would quickly be overwhelmed by the two super creatures. Even though it was a super creature itself, its strength had limits.