Chapter 27: The Cotton Field

Seeing the ground covered in "chestnuts" all of a sudden, Chu Jiu was somewhat bewildered.

What was going on? Why was a chestnut wailing at the top of its lungs?

It wasn't until Little Can jumped onto his shoulder and whispered, "The one crying is the one that pricked your hand this afternoon," that it clicked.

To Chu Jiu, this pile of chestnuts all looked identical—round heads with arms and legs—and he couldn't tell one from another. But hearing Little Can’s explanation, and listening to the chestnut’s intermittent, tearful complaints, he began to piece it together.

He crouched down and, using all the coaxing skills he had honed on Gulu, spent a long time soothing and questioning the little chestnut until he finally understood the whole story:

They were indeed of the "Chestnut Sprite" clan.

This crying chestnut, who had turned three just yesterday, had grown hard prickles and was considered an adult. As an adult, he was required by long-standing tradition to present his mother with a treasure of his own choosing.

This chestnut sprite, named Sheldon, had decided to gift his mother a delicacy he had gathered himself. As for what to choose, Sheldon had hesitated for a long time—until he happened to see a human picking something called a mushroom, which was then transformed into a dish that smelled divine! It was more fragrant than anything he had ever eaten before.

Sheldon immediately decided to follow the human’s example and pick mushrooms. Before doing so, however, he consulted the clan elders, who warned him: "Mushrooms? Those are dangerous. Some can't be eaten; they’ll make you dizzy and cause you to babble nonsense."

Fortunately, Sheldon believed himself to be quite clever.

Chu Jiu didn't know what "Article 10 of the Clan Rules" was, but judging by the way the other chestnuts gasped in horror, the punishment must be severe.

"W-what do we do?" The little chestnut sprite shook even harder, his voice laced with tears.

On a nearby leaf lay another chestnut, shaking its head and mumbling incessantly. If not for the fact that it had two heads—one a pitch-black goat head and the other a stark white skull—and that both heads were busy grazing on grass until they bumped into each other and let out displeased bleats, it would look just like an ordinary goat.

Sheldon was frantic and, not knowing what to do, had run to find the human to see if he had any solutions.

Hearing Chu Jiu’s suggestion, Sheldon perked up, lifting his little face. "For real?"

Even without checking the guide card popping up in his mind, Chu Jiu recognized the bird instantly.

However, since the Dodo seemed determined not to move another step forward, he tapped the giant bird on the head and signaled it to back away.

Strangely enough, even though the bird ran so fast that Chu Jiu had expected to be tossed around like a sandbag—and had even told Little Can to hold on tight or hide in his pocket—it was actually very steady on the bird's back. It felt as if the bird’s claws were equipped with special shock absorbers; there was no need to worry about a sore bottom from all the bumping.

As the morning light emerged, Chu Jiu was already up.

The bird stretched and retracted its neck, its hook-shaped beak tapping incessantly against the sand, though its intent remained unclear.

This was clearly the result of eating a bad mushroom! And these sand scorpions were obviously unaffected by his [Body Concealment].

Under Sheldon’s direction, the Dodo spread its tiny wings, folded them across its back, and formed a "backrest" for Chu Jiu.

The ground was no longer covered in slimy moss or thick mud, but in resilient green grass.

After Sheldon’s mother understood the situation, she hopped off the leaf stretcher, thanked Chu Jiu solemnly, and then scolded Sheldon.

The giant bird was as tall as a horse, with short wings but powerful, sharp claws. It was covered in blue-grey feathers, with a prominent forehead and a bright yellow hooked beak.

One wondered if, when chestnut sprites were poisoned by mushrooms, the little people they saw were also flying chestnut sprites?

***

For the chestnut sprites, these giant banana leaves, which were waterproof, tough, and could even be used to sew clothes, were natural rain gear.

The voice was unmistakably Sheldon’s.

Chu Jiu couldn't help but crouch down, disbelievingly asking, "...Sheldon?"

At this moment, Chu Jiu held onto the Dodo’s neck tightly with his upper body, while his lower body was securely supported by the "wing backrest," leaving no risk of falling off.

These words were spoken with such gravity that the group of little chestnut sprites fell silent instantly. Sheldon was so stunned he forgot how to cry.

Chu Jiu recognized these as leaves from a "Traveler's Palm"—oblong, smooth-surfaced, with natural grooves at the base of the stems to channel rainwater away.

Chu Jiu smiled, "Yes, I'm holding on tight."

Chu Jiu also noticed the abnormality ahead. This must be Sheldon’s mother.

"I carefully cut them into little pieces! Just the right size for one bite each!"

Chu Jiu asked in wonder, "Why do you look different?"

"Mother says that only when I prove my maturity and can be a true adult chestnut sprite will my prickles grow back..."

Like the goats grazing in the distance.

Watching his mother slowly wake up, Sheldon let out a "waa" and cried even louder than before.

According to what Eleanor had said about the chestnut sprite way of reaching the tenth level, Chu Jiu didn't need to struggle through the rain, trudging into the depths of every terrace, nor did he need to use a grappling hook to descend.

Riding on the bird's back, Chu Jiu felt the shadows of the trees zipping past as if he were sitting in a speeding off-road vehicle.

Following Little Can’s prompt, he stared intently at the ground ahead. After a few minutes, he whispered to the chestnut sprite to have the Dodo back away.

It was faster than using a Wind-Breath Fruit.

But he hadn't forgotten his mother's instructions: "Guide Chu Jiu well, fulfill our duties as hosts, and ensure our guest from afar doesn't get hurt on our Sunny Plateau."

Only Little Can remained calm, meowing at Chu Jiu, "Be careful, don't let go."

Chu Jiu wasn't a doctor, but he had read news about "poisoning from eating *Lanmaoa asiatica*" more than once and remembered the basic treatment: induced vomiting.

Above him, only the azure sky remained, surrounded by bright sunshine.

At this moment, Sheldon shouted loudly and cheerfully to Chu Jiu, "The Dodo is amazing, right?"

But wasn't Sheldon a brown, furry chestnut?

Sheldon laughed and said to Chu Jiu, "You are so kind!"

He asked Sheldon, "How are we getting to the tenth level today?"

Chu Jiu, who hadn't seen the sun for two days, looked up and marveled, "The weather is truly wonderful!"

The little chestnut sprite spoke while grabbing onto a hanging vine, holding a banana leaf, and hopping onto the giant bird's head.

But Eleanor hadn't specified what their method actually was.

But why, after only two bites, did his mother start dancing and talking to the air?

"If you don't mind, I will have Sheldon guide you tomorrow."

Then, the Dodo stretched its neck, let out two "Dodo" cries to the sky, and dug its claws into the rock crevices, climbing rapidly up the near-vertical cliff!

***

Little Can tensed immediately, gripping her miniature bow and arrow.

Just looking at it from afar felt incredibly warm, enough to make one want to dive in and roll around in those cloud-like mountains.

Sheldon’s mother sighed: "You... go reflect on your actions according to Article 10, Section 2 of the Clan Rules."

Chu Jiu didn't answer immediately; he pondered the sand scorpion’s guide card for a moment.

"It only listens to our clan. When we are on its back, it runs fast and steady."

The green chestnut sprite, encountering a natural predator for the first time, began to tremble.

He blurted out, "Dodo! A giant Dodo!"

"Plus, with their swimming speed... this Dodo can't fly. I'm afraid it would be stung by the scorpion’s tail before it could cross."

Therefore, suppressing his fear, he trembled and said, "I—I'll have the Dodo jump over. I—I'll cover you..."

The little chestnut sprite’s face turned black: "T-that’s so scary..."

"At the pace of you humans, it would probably take several days."

His tongue tied; he seemed very unfamiliar with the word.

Sheldon and a few other chestnut sprites carried the bowl and hurriedly poured it into his mother's mouth.

The little chestnut waved his hands frantically: "No, no, not eating them directly!"

The little chestnut repeated the words anxiously: "'Pan-fry'? ...'Boil'?"

Sheldon, who had never been to the tenth level, couldn't help but let out a big "Wow," repeating, "Sunshine! It's sunshine! This is so good!"

At this, Sheldon hung his head, looking more dejected than ever: "I’ll just have to be a soft chestnut with this ugly, soft fuzz."

Chu Jiu shook his head: "Once sand scorpions choose a habitat, they don't leave easily."

Who would have thought that beneath these clouds lay an endless, gloomy, rainy world?

Chu Jiu, who usually had a very good temper, felt his irritation rising. With a cold face, he said, "Eating *Lanmaoa asiatica* raw causes poisoning—where is your mother?"

He decided to follow the human who picked mushrooms, take one of the mushrooms he intended to pick, and give that to his mother; surely that would be fine!

The little chestnut waved his arms at the group behind him, and two chestnuts ran over carrying a leaf.

Chu Jiu couldn't help but marvel again: "Too fast! Truly too fast!"

"S-should we... find a place to hide first?"

Chu Jiu: ...

The chestnut sprite before him was covered in green, soft fuzz, looking exactly like a freshly sprouted green walnut.

Perhaps because of the brilliant sunshine and fresh air, the monsters here, while equally large, seemed much more docile.

Chu Jiu went without saying, and even the little chestnut urged the Dodo to speed up toward the cotton fields.

Sheldon’s mother sighed again, turned to look at Chu Jiu, and said politely:

"It is our clan's 'mode of transportation'!"

Chu Jiu didn't know if chestnut sprites had stomach linings like humans, but having no other options, he quickly heated a bowl of water, added some salt, and handed it to the little chestnut with a serious expression.