Chapter 83 9. Lustria's Special Cuisine
All kinds of brightly colored birds screamed among the branches of the towering trees. The huge plants in the jungle blocked the light, and the air was filled with a strange fragrance and a rotten stench. The two smells intertwined together, and it was so sour and refreshing.
Many of the Duruchi in the team felt nauseous in the disgusting heat, and the Duruchi's physique was simply unable to adapt to the jungle environment.
Dacus's group passed by a strange plant with creepy-looking, giant leaves. Chupakoko warned the Duruchi not to touch it, as the leaves would stick to their skin and instantly drain their blood. If they cut the plant with a knife, the blood would gush out like sap.
Ryan wrote and drew as he walked, and he named the plant "Untouchable".
Beast Tamers and Beast Warlocks didn't seem as effective against these random insects as one might imagine. Beast Taming spells could only tame poultry, cats, pigs, and dogs. Supporting spells like Beastmaster, Beast Tongue, Shrinking Beast, and Hibernation were completely useless, and some of these spells weren't even known to the Duruchi Sorceress.
Dacus's team went through another battle, and Walter was lying on the back of the Dark Ankylosaur, humming and talking nonsense. He was stung by a poisonous blood wasp as big as a bird on his uneven calf.
What the hell was this, kicking the cripple's good leg? Dacus estimated that Walter would have to use crutches for the next few days. The cane could no longer meet Walter's needs.
The only thing that Daxus's team didn't have to worry about was wading through shallow, turbulent streams. Each Duruchi in the team was equipped with a cold lizard. The piranhas in the team couldn't bite through the cold lizards' thick and powerful hind legs, but the cold lizards ate happily.
Poisonous miasma appeared in the jungle ahead, and Daxus's team began to detour, but they didn't have gas masks.
As they bypassed the poisonous miasma, they heard desperate cries, and soon they passed by the place. The jungle floor was covered with a carpet of plants, with only messy supplies, weapons and white bones left.
The Duruchis looked at each other in bewilderment. They couldn't believe that these bones had been shouting just a moment ago.
Ryan couldn't help but sigh: "This place is too evil."
Chupakoko said calmly that a swarm of insects had just passed through here, something that was unbelievable to warm-blooded animals, a living carpet of crawling, wriggling and slithering insects.
They twist and turn, and in combat, they'll wave around their enemies' legs, hissing, spitting venom, and sinking their sharp fangs into unprotected flesh. The smallest can even slip through the slightest cracks or joints in armor to deliver a fatal blow. Those screaming in agony may find even their open mouths a target.
The rest of the journey was full of snakes, nothing but snakes, and damn bugs.
Snakes play a prominent role in the jungles of Lustria, and more snakes can be found in Lustria than anywhere else in the world. There are numerous enormous snakes, such as the gigantic Amazonian swamp python, a formidable predator capable of wrapping itself around a ship and tearing through its hull. However, smaller snakes are more common, including countless species of vipers, ridgebacks, and blood-crowned cobras. There are also parasitic snakes that inject smaller snakes into their prey's bloodstream, and those who succumb to such bites suffer a particularly gruesome fate. Boring snakes dig red holes in their prey's bodies, attacking only after they're inside. There are also electric snakes and whip snakes, whose bites are extremely deadly, causing blood to boil and brains to melt.
While camping, Dacius asked questions about the Serpent God of Sotek. Chupakoko scornfully explained that Red-Crowned Skink Priests would invoke Sotek's favor, performing blood sacrifices to summon the Children of Sotek. Then, as if by magic, snakes would appear, seemingly sprouting from the ground, writhing to carry out the Red-Crowned Skink Priest's commands. Through these sacrifices, the Red-Crowned Skink Priests gained dominion over the snakes, directing Sotek's will.
From the tone of Chupakoko's voice, Daxus felt that Chupakoko seemed to dislike his fellow red-crowned compatriots?
As the group continued on their journey, rain suddenly began to fall. The birds grew silent, and a dim light fell upon Darkeus's group. Raindrops gently fell on the canopy of leaves, then slid down, turning the carpet of vegetation covering the jungle floor into a muddy mess. The cold lizards had to tread carefully. One cold lizard slipped and fell, and the Black Ark pirate riding it screamed and died after being stung by bloody larvae, the foul grubs crawling out of its intestines.
Then the rain stopped, as if this rain was prepared for this Black Ark pirate.
On the evening of the third day, led by local guide Chupakoko, Dakuus's team waded through a shallow mangrove swamp and finally left the dense jungle. What came into view was a wide open space with three huge stone structures rising in a stepped manner. They were completely covered with vegetation and carved with countless lizardman heads.
For safety, they set up camp on the highest platform atop the building. The Druki in the group were listless and lacked morale. Only Baine seemed calm and composed. He was curious about everything in the jungle. Having spent the previous half of his life training and fighting, he had never experienced anything like this.
With Genevieve's help, Daquus tried to make some Lustria's regional specialties. After confirming that the poison glands of the water chestnut tree frog, which was as big as a rabbit, could be cleaned, he began to clean the tree frog, remove the internal organs, poison glands, skin, and toes, and chopped it into pieces with a serrated dagger and put it in a bowl. He added a little seasoning and marinated it for half an hour before starting to roast it over a fire.
While the tree frogs were roasting over the fire, Dacus cleaned the snakes and put them in a pot to cook, adding some seasonings. He was going to try making some snake soup to nourish the Druks and get rid of their prickly heat.
The campsite was simple, and Darkus couldn't possibly perform a stir-fry, could he? This damn world couldn't make food particularly delicious. Forget about the joyful demonic rise, the important thing was that he couldn't make it delicious either.
Soon, a fragrant aroma wafted from the campfire and the pot. Half an hour later, he took out the tree frog and cut it into pieces again with his serrated dagger, sharing it with the druchi. Everyone got a portion. Half an hour later, the snake soup was ready and shared with the druchi. They began to eat the beef jerky and beans they had brought with them, along with the specialties of Lustria. Who would dare not eat something made by a powerful person? Who would dare not be happy?
The Duruchi may be as poor and picky as their Asur cousins. Shaped by the icy environment of Naggaroth, they eat everything, even though they are all southerners from Clar Karonde.
Of course, the one who enjoyed the meal the most was Chupa Coco, as he finally felt like he was home.