Chapter 1117, Catching Insects in the Night

Translator: Silavin

 

Night had fallen across the land, and Su Bai led Yu Ying into the heart of the forest.

 

Behind them, a number of Totem Warriors followed at a measured distance, their postures suggesting they were out on some sort of mission.

 

“Shaman, isn’t it a little dangerous to be out this late?” Yu Ying asked, her fingers tightening around Su Bai’s arm.

 

Yu Ying’s eyes swept warily across the surrounding darkness, her pink irises filled with open unease.

 

“We have to come at night if we want to find what we’re looking for. You wouldn’t be able to see them during the day.” Su Bai said in a calm, reassuring tone.

 

He could feel the tension coiled through Yu Ying’s entire frame, so he reached out and gave her shoulder a gentle pat.

 

“Can we really find them out here in the forest?” Yu Ying tilted her head back, gazing up at the sky with wide, curious eyes.

 

With the reassurance of that broad hand resting on her shoulder, the fear that had gripped her began to slowly dissolve.

 

“If they can’t be found in the forest, then I wouldn’t know where else to look. It really isn’t that difficult to find them,” Su Bai said, the corners of his mouth curving upward ever so slightly.

 

“Catching glowing insects isn’t difficult, but why has the Shaman suddenly decided you want glowing insects?” Yu Ying asked, her curiosity undisguised.

 

“That’s right, Shaman. If you truly wanted them, you could have sent any one of us to collect them. Is it worth taking this risk yourself?” Sha Lan flicked her cat tail back and forth. She was scanning their surroundings with great alertness, her gaze searching for any trace of the luminescent insects.

 

Indeed, the primary purpose of this nighttime forest venture was to locate insects capable of producing light. That was precisely the reason they had come after dark, since it was only under the cover of night that such creatures could actually be seen.

 

“There’s nothing much going on back at the Yong’an Building anyway. Consider it an outing to pass the time,” Su Bai said.

 

He turned back with an easy smile. “Besides, the Tribe has Warriors on patrol throughout both the settlement and the surrounding forest. Most of the Ferocious Beasts in the area have already been driven off. Where exactly is the danger?”

 

As he spoke, he pushed aside the broad leaves blocking their path and began examining the shadowed corners between the trees.

 

“Why does the Shaman suddenly need glowing insects?” Sha Lan asked, pulling back leaves herself as she searched alongside him.

 

“To be used as a light source. Relying on fire for illumination isn’t sustainable long-term.” Su Bai plainly explained.

 

What he was looking for was something akin to a living lantern, creatures whose luminescent bodies could serve in place of electric lights. Was that not far more practical than burning fire for light? And surely the brightness would be a step above as well.

 

Of course, it would all depend on the actual luminosity of whatever insects they managed to find.

 

“To use as a light source? But even if burning wood is costly, don’t we already have Kerosene Fruit?” Yu Ying asked.

 

“Silly girl. What happens if our wood supply gets soaked through during the rain, or if we run short on wood during the snow season?” Su Bai reached over and ruffled her hair lightly. “Kerosene Fruit can be seen as a critical reserve. Its primary purpose is for burning glass and ceramics. Wouldn’t it be a waste to burn it for everyday lighting in one’s home?”

 

“You’re right. If we’ve already burned through our stored firewood by the time the rainy season arrives, things could get very difficult,” Yu Ying said.

 

If the Tribe’s street lanterns and the lighting inside their buildings no longer required Kerosene Fruit, that alone would preserve an enormous quantity of fuel.

 

Despite being surrounded by the primitive forest, obtaining properly dry firewood was no simple matter. The environment tended toward moisture, which meant trees had to be felled well in advance and left to dry before they could be used as fuel.

 

That process consumed a significant amount of effort and required no small number of Warriors or Tribe members to carry it out.

 

Of course, the difficulty of the task was never a reason to abandon it entirely. Su Bai’s thinking was simply that wood and Kerosene Fruit should be reserved for where it was truly needed.

 

Lighting, by contrast, was something that could be replaced by other means. That line of thinking was what had led them here, into the forest, on a hunt for glowing insects.

 

“So, let’s find them quickly. When we’re done, we’ll go back and have sweet soup,” Su Bai said with a smile.

 

The night air in the primitive forest carried a heavy dampness. The dew clinging to the leaves had already begun to seep into their clothing.

 

“Shaman, look. There’s something glowing up ahead!” Sha Lan suddenly called out.

 

Sha Lan’s blue eyes blinked rapidly as she broke into a light, nimble run toward the source of the light.

 

Sha Lan moved with remarkable agility, taking care to minimise the sound of her footsteps, determined not to startle whatever was producing that glow.

 

Su Bai took Yu Ying by the hand and followed quickly. He had spotted it from some distance away.

 

It had been many days since his Transmigration, and between his daily training and the reinforcement provided by the Ferocious Beast Crystals within him, Su Bai’s eyesight had become extraordinary. Looking into the distance now felt like peering through a telescope. The details he could see are really sharp, even at a distance.

 

“Shaman, there really are glowing insects here! But there are so many different kinds. Which ones are we actually after?” Sha Lan’s eyes went wide with delighted surprise.

 

She was gazing upward at the air just ahead, where a host of insects floated in flight. White, blue, and green lights drifted among them, the whole scene resembling nothing so much as a gathering in full swing.

 

The lights of every colour played across Sha Lan’s delicate features, lending her an almost otherworldly quality in the darkness of the night.

 

Su Bai found himself momentarily transfixed at this beauty. Her profile, illuminated from all sides by coloured light, was simply too striking.

 

He cleared his throat quietly and drew himself back to the task. “Let’s go with the white ones. The white insects are a bit larger in build, and the light they produce is brighter as well.”

 

Su Bai had fixed his attention on the insects emitting white light. Each one was roughly the size of two fingernails placed side by side, which made them comparatively large as far as insects went.

 

The lower half of each one was round and luminous, like a small lantern, radiating a clean white glow that called to mind an incandescent bulb.

 

And truly, the white light those insects gave off was remarkable in its intensity. The entire area around them was rendered clear and visible by it.

 

In Su Bai’s estimation, it was quite similar to having a desk lamp nearby, the kind of thing one would be reluctant to set down.

 

“Shaman, let me catch them! I’ll do it!” Sha Lan was already rolling up her sleeves.

 

“No need. I’ll handle this myself. I’ll need to use a Shaman Technique to bring them under control.” Su Bai said, raising a hand to stop her.

 

He had deliberately held back that day’s use of his Taming Skill rather than transferring it into a Shaman Bone Tablet. He had been saving it for precisely this moment.

 

“Okay.” Sha Lan stepped back at once.

 

Su Bai had Yu Ying produce a small measure of honey and deposit it in the centre of his palm, then he extended his open hand slowly in the direction of the glowing insects.

 

The honey had been produced by the White Foot Six Legged Insects, and the reason he had brought it along was specifically to attract these luminescent creatures.

 

The moment it was exposed to open air, the sweet fragrance of that honey spread outward immediately, detectable from more than ten metres away!

 

“It smells wonderful.” Sha Lan breathed, her nose working involuntarily.

 

“Let’s hope all the insects come our way,” Yu Ying whispered, clasping her hands together in a small gesture of prayer, though the honey’s fragrance had already captured her own attention as well.

 

Even for the young women who occasionally enjoyed such things back at the Yong’an Building, catching a fresh whiff of it was impossible to ignore.