Chapter 20 - Black Truffles

Chapter 20 Black Truffles

Since he had nothing to do, Guo Li used (vision sharing) to observe his surroundings. Through the eyes of the sea snakes, he could see much of the forest clearly. Even the fireflies twinkling in the night were visible as well as the fish and prawns swimming in the water.

He mentally instructed a sea snake to attack a sea fish that was in front of it and it did. Both vision sharing and the ability to issue commands from a distance were extremely convenient abilities.

After playing around for a while, Guo Li lay on the soft moss bed and watched the fire as he gradually fell asleep. Thanks to the protection of the saltwater crocodile and sea snakes, Guo Li no longer worried about his own safety. He slept very peacefully that night.

The next morning, he was awoken by birds chirping in the swamp forest. Guo Li slowly opened his eyes and got up to stretch his body.

Big Baby, who was adding firewood to the fire, noticed that Guo Li had woken up and greeted him, “Good morning, Master.”

Guo Li nodded and said to Big Baby, “Get me some water to wash my face.”

“Yes, Master.”

Getting up and walking out of the shelter, Guo Li looked at the forest in the early morning. There was a light mist floating above the surface of the water, and chirping birds and insects could be heard all around him. He felt like he was living in paradise.

Of course, if an ordinary person was here in his place, they would be very miserable rather than mesmerized by the beautiful scenery. After all, there were sea snakes and a saltwater crocodile underwater. However, Guo Li was not worried about that.

Big Baby brought over some water, and Guo Li washed his face. He brushed his teeth with a simple toothbrush. He then looked at the seafood porridge in the pot, and his appetite was aroused.

The calabash brothers had woken up a long time ago. The others were responsible for checking the situation around them and making arrangements for their next move. Big Baby was responsible for taking care of Guo Li’s food and well-being.

They had placed the rice they brought from base camp into the pot together with some crabs and shellfish, resulting in a pot of fragrant and sweet seafood porridge. It was heavenly.

Big Baby used a bowl made of coconut shells to serve Guo Li a bowl of the porridge. The warm seafood porridge was the perfect thing to start the morning with.

The rest of the calabash brothers also soon returned. Second Baby came over to Guo Li’s side and asked in a low voice, “Master, are we going to continue moving forward today?”

Guo Li put down the coconut bowl and asked, “How is the survey of the surrounding terrain going?”

Second Baby immediately replied, “Reporting to Master, we have already surveyed the surrounding terrain. If we continue to move forward according to the current route, the path ahead is submerged in water and will be difficult to traverse.”

“If we walk about one kilometer toward the right, we can enter the deeper sections of the forest. It will be more convenient to travel on land.”

Guo Li thought for a moment. If they traveled through the water, he would be able to ride on the saltwater crocodile, which was quite convenient. However, the calabash brothers and Wukong would find it tough. They would have to swim behind him in the water.

It was better for them to head deeper into the forest next to them. They covered a distance of around ten kilometers without issue. Once there, they replenished their supply of fresh water.

After doing so, Guo Li thought about it briefly and decided that it would be better to let the calabash brothers return to base camp to work on the construction while he continued on to the beach.

With the saltwater crocodile and sea snakes by his side, he would be quite safe. After making the decision, he gave an order to the calabash brothers, “Big Baby, stay behind and take charge of the supplies for me. The rest of you, return the way you came. Go back and work on the construction. Just follow the blueprint.”

First, he would have them return to base camp to start work on the construction of the Islanders’ Hall. Then, they would help him expand the wooden house. After Guo Li returned, they would recruit some people using the hall. This would grow the population of his small island somewhat.

The other calabash brothers acknowledged his order and turned around to return by the same route. They would head back to work on the construction. Guo Li brought Big baby, the saltwater crocodile, and Wukong along as they continued on toward the beach.

There was no place to fish in this section of the forest. Guo Li and his group traveled relatively quickly. Guo Li rode on the saltwater crocodile’s back, so it was the equivalent of both a mount and a bodyguard.

An hour later, Guo Li and his group entered deeper sections of the forest. They were surrounded by towering trees with luxuriant branches and leaves. Some of the roots were exposed, and the trunks of the trees were covered with green moss.

Some vine-like plants clung to the tree and bore red fruits. Wukong climbed onto the tree and gathered some red fruits for Guo Li to try.

As a primate and a native of the island, Wukong was able to tell which fruits were edible and which ones were poisonous.

The red fruit was pure and untainted. After wiping off the dust on the surface, Guo Li found the juice to be sweet and refreshing. It did not have a strong taste, but it was crispy and very delicious.

Guo Li devoured the fruit in a few bites. The saltwater crocodile under his feet suddenly crawled under a big tree. When it reached the base of the tree, it continued to move toward a pile of fallen leaves near the roots. Nudging the leaves away, a few black, irregularly-shaped fungi were revealed.

[Rare and precious fungi discovered, black truffle!)

[Congratulations! The island has gained a new rare and precious specialty product!]

new

Guo Li patted the saltwater crocodile’s big head. It crouched down, and Guo Li got down from its body. He walked over the black truffles, grabbed one, and placed it in his palm, gazing at it lovingly.

In the real world, black truffles with a diameter of 5cm or more were considered super-grade, and the price for one was ridiculously high. They could easily be sold for tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of yuan.

The black truffle in Guo Li’s hand had a diameter of at least 7cm, and its surface was irregular, emitting a special fungal aroma.

“Such a black truffle can be sold for hundreds of thousands of yuan, or even more, in the real world. In this forest, who knows how many such big black truffles there are.”

The one in Guo Li’s palm was not the biggest one. There was another one on the ground that was more than 10cm in diameter.

After collecting all the black truffles on the ground, Guo Li instructed the saltwater crocodile to search for more black truffles in the forest and got Big Baby to follow him.

These were all treasures. No matter what kind of food was cooked, as long as some shavings of black truffles were added, the taste would instantly be elevated to another level.

Big Baby and the saltwater crocodile went off looking for the black truffles. Guo Li continued to move forward with Wukong, heading toward the coastline.

After walking for another hour or so, they could faintly hear the sound of the waves and the caws of the seagulls. The wind blowing in front of them carried a trace of the scent of the sea.

Guo Li knew that he was about to reach the beach, and quickened his pace. After passing through some short bushes, Guo Li was greeted by the sight of many tall coconut trees. Not far ahead was a beach. The sound of the waves and seagulls echoed all around him.

At this moment, Guo Li finally got what he wanted. He saw his own coastline and the clear blue sea beyond!