Gourmet Hunter - Chapter 116 (Patreon)

Chapter 116: Civilization x Greed x Death

Surviving by a hair's breadth has always been synonymous with the Amarlo Jungle. Here, danger could lurk anywhere the eye could see, even something as insignificant as a small insect could be deadly.

The pale red ground, as if once drenched in blood, leaves shallow footprints with every step taken.

Vines and dry leaves cover the ground, leaving not much space open, also providing hiding spots for many creatures.

Surrounded by towering trees, their dense canopy weaves a solid roof overhead, making it difficult to gauge their actual height.

Apart from the river cutting through the jungle, displaying murky yellow waters, everything else is engulfed in green, with hardly any colorful flowers in sight.

Walking in such an environment, one's sense of time and space could easily become disoriented. No matter how long you walk, the scenery around seems hauntingly familiar.

Upon entering the Amarlo Jungle, the most seen plant is the arrow bamboo, which is also the main material for constructing Amarlo Village.

The trunk of the arrow bamboo is slimmer than ordinary bamboo, a size or two larger, but its crown is unusually lush, creating an illusion of covering the sky.

A group of three ventured into the jungle, with Tonpa casually bringing up the City of Gold, turning it into the topic of the moment.

"In ancient times, a powerful empire was born in the Amarlo Jungle. This empire utilized the endless gold from the jungle to construct a capital city. Be it palaces or temples, they were all built with copious amounts of gold."

"More convincing than the legend of the City of Gold is the legend of the Golden Lake. After all, there has never been news of the City of Gold ruins being discovered, but there indeed is a lake in the Amarlo Jungle."

Tonpa, with his dead-fish eyes, walked through the jungle like a tour guide, explaining the legends of the City of Gold.

He used these engaging stories to lower the guards of the two, slowly leading them into a trap.

This was Tonpa's plan, but the legends about the City of Gold and the Golden Lake were not just made-up stories; they actually existed.

Every year, many people from all around the world come to the Amarlo Jungle, drawn by the legend, but most of them only experience the terrifying aspects of the Amarlo Jungle.

Countless hunters lurking in the darkness, treating humans who enter their territory as targets for hunting, like a wide-open maw, devouring numerous outsiders.

Luo and Buhara munched on jerky, listening to Tonpa's explanation, like tourists on a group trip.

"And then?" Luo, chewing on the tasty jerky, urged Tonpa to continue.

Tonpa, like a talkative and competent tour guide, continued, "The City of Gold was a monarchy. According to legend, during the coronation ceremony for the successor to the throne, the heir would bare his body and be covered in gold dust, then walk into the lake for a swim, washing off the gold dust."

"During this process, the subjects would throw various gold ornaments into the lake as a sign of recognition and submission to the heir."

"This is the origin of the Golden Lake. By the way, these are all legends. To this day, no one has found a large amount of gold in the Amarlo Jungle."

As Tonpa spoke, he quietly observed the surroundings. This area was mainly arrow bamboo, also a common habitat for the land-walking spider crab, first to find out about the spider crab…

"So, how do you conclude that woman came for the City of Gold?" Luo swallowed his jerky, looking at Tonpa with a smile.

Tonpa, pointing his index finger, calmly replied, "Although no large amount of gold has been discovered, many people have found finely crafted gold ornaments in the only lake of Amarlo."

"Oh?" Luo was quite surprised. If this was true, it was a strong piece of evidence. However, Sanbica Norton had not seen any information about the City of Gold when researching the Amarlo Jungle, raising questions about its veracity.

Perhaps, in this vast and boundless jungle, there once was a splendid ancient civilization, even if it was just a fleeting moment in the long history…

If the City of Gold truly existed, then in those unseen ruins, there might be many ancient artifacts, time-weathered.

"The discovered gold ornaments seem to tell people that there indeed was a City of Gold here, hence, there are many who are not afraid of death, many people wanting to try their luck in the Amarlo Jungle every year."

"Of course, the end for these people is not so good, and no matter how many die in the Amarlo Jungle, you will never see their bodies, because…" Tonpa revealed a dangerous smile, like when telling ghost stories to scare children, saying, "Here, not even a bone will be left behind."

Buhara, scratching his cheek

, seriously said, "Not leaving even bones behind, seems there must be fierce dogs here."

"Mr. Tonpa knows quite a bit." Luo, surprised, clapped his hands in a friendly manner.

"Ha…"

Tonpa's face twitched slightly, explaining, "I have a habit, no matter where I go, I always do my homework in advance. Better safe than sorry."

"Good habit." Luo gave Tonpa a thumbs up.

Tonpa smiled, and just then, he suddenly clutched his stomach, stopped walking, and emitted a series of gurgling sounds.

"Are you hungry?" Buhara asked puzzledly.

"That sounds more like diarrhea." Luo said helplessly.

"Oh." Buhara realized.

"That…" Tonpa, clutching his stomach and squatting slightly, with a pained expression on his face, said, "I need to go relieve myself, you two go ahead and wait for me."

"No problem."

Luo, giving Tonpa a deep look, proceeded with Buhara ahead, preparing to wait for Tonpa to deal with his stomach issues.

The look Luo gave before turning and leaving made Tonpa's heart skip a beat, but seeing the two walking ahead, he immediately smirked slyly, quickly stood up, and retreated into a low bush, pretending to relieve himself.

He had been searching for the land-walking spider crab all along, and just now, he finally found one. So, he pretended to have diarrhea, letting Luo and Buhara go ahead.

"Good luck to you." Tonpa silently watched the backs of Luo and Buhara.

Arrow bamboo was prevalent here, along with many other large trees, sharing the common feature of dense crowns, blocking most of the light.

Luo and Buhara walked side by side for a few meters, then the surrounding arrow bamboo suddenly moved without warning. Under their gaze, four or five trunks rose from the ground, lifted into the air, revealing their sharp bottoms.

A land-walking spider crab disguised as bamboo...?

Watching the four or five suspended trunks, poised like ready arrows, Luo remained calm and smiled, "Buhara, fancy some crab?"

Buhara, looking at the suspended arrow bamboo, nodded at the question.

"Then stand by my side, and don't do anything." Luo said.

Buhara, a bit startled, simply replied, "Okay."

Before the words had fallen, the suspended arrow bamboo suddenly stabbed towards Luo and Buhara from different directions at lightning speed.

In such a situation, Buhara really did nothing, just standing by Luo's side.

Tonpa, hiding behind the bushes, calmly watched the scene, ready to run away.

The next second, Tonpa's calm expression suddenly changed to one of disbelief.

He saw... the legs of the land-walking spider crab, which could easily impale a person, were effortlessly caught by Luo with his hands.

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