I nodded, saying, "Indeed, the master of that tomb is truly mysterious. If I have the chance, I must investigate his identity thoroughly."

Xiao Bai remarked, "You should stop thinking about that. The Toad King seems to be brewing something; we haven't seen him in months. I predict some action is imminent, likely in the next day or two. If we arrive too late, we might not be able to control the situation."

Hearing him say this, I stopped talking and followed him forward in silence.

As we walked, I suddenly noticed that some of the ice crystal lamps ahead were already damaged, with ice fragments scattered on the ground.

The vegetation had also grown much more luxuriant; the entire place looked more like a jungle than a grand hall.

At this point, Xiao Bai warned me, "Be careful. We are entering the Toad King's territory ahead. I have divided the area with him—we live and let live—but he is very wary of me. The insects in this thicket are not to be trifled with. So..."

I paused, asking, "So what?"

Xiao Bai replied, "So you walk in front!"

I was momentarily speechless, thinking, Fine, I guess I'm just a mobile bug repellent.

This wasn't the first time I'd taken the lead in scouting, so I didn't mind much.

To prevent bugs from crawling onto me from the undergrowth, I used my telekinesis to part the grasses ahead and peeked inside.

Xiao Bai praised my superpower profusely, saying, "Although we Ilherizzi are one of the most intelligent races in the universe, we lack psychic abilities—a genuine pity. Your ability to control objects with your mind, even in this era of universal psionics across the Star River Civilization, ranks as an upper-tier skill. It seems Atlantis was truly an extraordinary race."

I smiled faintly and said, "Thank you for the compliment."

Pushing the grass aside, I discovered that the ice crystal pillars ahead were either obscured or destroyed; there was absolutely no light.

The first ball of karmic fire given to me by No. 2 had extinguished itself; it was time-limited. I didn't want to use the karmic fire stored in the bottle yet, as that was reserved for critical life-or-death moments.

But this meant we had no lighting source. How could we navigate through grass taller than my waist without any light?

It seemed Xiao Bai read my mind then, saying, "That musical pipe you're holding—press the third and fifth holes simultaneously, and it will emit light."

I nodded, remarking, "So this thing really is called a 'magic pipe.' It's not surprising a flute can make sound, but being able to generate light is a first for me."

Xiao Bai explained, "It’s not exactly light, but rather sound waves that can alter the sensory perception of living things. Eyes can receive these sound waves and form an image, much like how bats on your Earth use ultrasound to map the shape and size of objects."

I said with some surprise, "That’s quite high-tech."

Saying that, I tried the method Xiao Bai described. Sure enough, there was a whirring sound in my ears, and my vision blurred.

When my sight cleared, everything before me was visible in perfect detail, just like natural daylight.

I thought to myself that if we ever got out of here, I absolutely had to take this magic pipe; it was too practical. My Night Eyes could discern objects in darkness, but the range was short and the view fuzzy. This was far superior to Night Eyes.

However, once I could see clearly, I realized things hadn't necessarily become easier, as I spotted a swamp not far ahead.

This swamp must have formed because those ice crystal lamp posts were shattered, melting into a massive amount of water.

For some unknown reason, the ice crystal pillars maintained their form and remained frozen despite the ambient temperature of over ten degrees Celsius, but once shattered, they turned into ordinary ice and melted.

Though I couldn't fathom the underlying principle, with the Ilherizzi's advanced technology, achieving such a feat shouldn't be difficult.

Just then, Xiao Bai confirmed, "It is indeed a swamp formed by melting ice. Like all amphibians, the Toad King prefers dark and damp environments, so these ice pillars were deliberately destroyed by him to create this marsh."

I frowned and asked, "That swamp looks extremely perilous. Without the Reed Boat, I fear it will be very hard to cross."

Xiao Bai scoffed, "Even with the Reed Boat, we couldn't cross it. Do you plan on paddling? This mud is stickier than paste."

I looked at him and asked, "Then what should we do? Swim across?"

Xiao Bai snorted, "Are you an idiot? You have psychic protection. Just create a massive, wide platform under your feet, and you won't sink into the swamp."

I replied, "Of course I know how to do that. Even without creating a solid stepping stone, I could likely leap across several times using short bursts. I meant, how will you cross? I haven't tried having someone create a telekinetic object under their feet, and you have far too many legs for that to be simple."

Xiao Bai huffed, "Don't worry about me; I have my own way to cross. But this swamp is riddled with dangers—it's the Toad King's first line of defense against me. We must be cautious."

I looked at Xiao Bai, intending to see what method he planned to use to cross the swamp.

He seemed to understand my meaning and impatiently said, "Hand over the Insect Incense."

I was completely confused and asked, "Insect Incense? What Insect Incense?"

Xiao Bai replied, "Don't play dumb. When you entered the botanical vault, I saw you carrying the Insect Incense—the thing that looks like an oversized lighter with something that emits smoke."

I thought for a moment and recalled having such an object. When I first received it, I thought it was some kind of ancient drug that emitted a refreshing scent.

So this thing wasn't a drug or a stimulant, but Insect Incense.

Without Xiao Bai needing to explain further, I knew what it was: a scent highly attractive to insects, generally extracted from plants that specialize in trapping animals.

I searched and pulled the Insect Incense from my pocket, then asked, "Is this what you mean?"

Xiao Bai said, "Exactly. Hold it tight; the contents inside will heat up and produce the aroma. Then, place it on the ground, and it will attract some specific types of bugs."

I strongly felt like saying, You don't have hands, so I have to do everything, but realizing I needed his help, I suppressed the urge.

I found a patch of ground free of grass and gripped the Insect Incense tightly.

In no time, thick, fragrant smoke billowed from the small vent on top. I instantly felt the surrounding undergrowth rustling—some kind of insect was approaching.

The most common bugs near the swamp were leeches or grass mites; both preferred warm, wet environments and survived by sucking animal blood. They always came in swarms, and if caught off guard, they would bite through the skin, drill their heads into the flesh, and feed—terrifying.

Neither leeches nor grass mites were easy foes.

Ilherizzi biology shares some crossover with Earth; I had seen creatures like mammoths, native only to Earth, here. Leeches and grass mites, with their extreme hardiness, surely existed on Ilherizzi too, perhaps even evolved forms, making them even harder to deal with.

I backed away, tightly fastening the cuffs of my trousers to avoid becoming a dried husk.

The result was somewhat unexpected: the bugs didn't seem to be crawling from the ground. I saw several small mounds moving beneath the soil, approaching the Insect Incense like tiny tunneling machines.

I grew curious about what kind of bug it was and took a step forward.

Xiao Bai immediately blocked my path, saying, "Too soon. Wait for the bugs to emerge."

Since he said they would come out on their own, my curiosity intensified, and I stared fixedly at the small mounds rising from the earth.

Sure enough, soon a pale, whitish object burrowed out from under the soil layer.

I gasped in amazement when I saw it, for it was a white worm, but far more appealing than common earthworms. Their bodies looked like they were molded from dough—rosy and plump—and they had a pair of large, round eyes on either side of their heads, almost giving them a cute, pleading look. Their heads resembled freshly sprouted bean sprouts, swaying gently as they greedily inhaled the smoke from the Insect Incense, appearing utterly content.

Suddenly, Xiao Bai lunged forward, snatched the head of one of the worms in his mouth, shook it, and tossed it into the swamp. Startled, the other worms began to retract, but a few were tossed into the mire before they could fully retreat.

I watched, bewildered, as the wriggling, fat worms slid across the surface of the swamp, slowly being swallowed by the mud, their original white color diminishing until they vanished.

Xiao Bai then came up to me and signaled me to step back.

Knowing something was about to happen, I prepared to retreat when several massive bubbles suddenly erupted from the swamp, and wet mud splashed outward as if exploding.

I couldn't dodge in time and was coated head-to-toe in mud.

But I barely registered the filth, focusing on a large, black object that rose from the swamp, resembling a turtle's shell.

Xiao Bai announced, "That's a Swamp Turtle-Shrimp, a type of wetland arthropod. It absolutely loves eating those noodle worms. I have a few more here; that should be enough for us to cross the swamp."

With that, he showed me the few worms he held in his mouth. Although the noodle worms were cute, there was an indescribable feeling of revulsion about them.

Wiping the mud from myself, I examined the Swamp Turtle-Shrimp closely. It did look like a shrimp, but its legs were much more developed, allowing for steady crawling, and its feet had paddle-like fins, likely adaptations for surviving in the marsh environment.

The creature was floating on the swamp surface, greedily digging the noodle worms out of the mud and devouring them whole.

I knew this was the moment. I grabbed Xiao Bai around the neck and jumped forcefully, landing squarely on the Swamp Turtle-Shrimp's back.

The creature was incredibly dull-witted. Although it registered the disturbance on its back, it offered no resistance, continuing to eat.

When it had eaten its fill, Xiao Bai spat a worm forward with a puff. The Turtle-Shrimp immediately moved forward without hesitation.

For more novels, visit storyread.net.