Chapter 55: Frog People and an Unexpected Encounter with a Classmate
Translator: 549690339
After taking his subordinates on a tour around the river mouth where it flowed into the sea, Lin Xiao ultimately decided to situate his new ho on the beach about a mile to the north of the river’s bank, directly across from Black Water Swamp located on the southern bank of the river.
According to the shared map on the Divine Artifact Platform, about forty kiloters towards the east and a bit further down from the river’s estuary, there lay a vast rmaid City, which was the core area governed by the rfolk Empire in the neighboring seas.
As for Black Water Swamp, there was no need to ntion it specifically; it was ho to Frog People, Snake People, and Fishn, along with a massive array of swamp creatures, including predators like the Ferocious Alligator, a dley of dragons and snakes. He wouldn’t dare settle his ho there.
Compared to the last mission, the situation at Black Water Swamp was much more complicated. Even though he now had more Cannon Fodder at his disposal, he didn’t act recklessly and instead ordered the Fishman slaves he brought along to chop down trees and transport stones to build nests while he took a few dozen Naga out for a stroll.
First, he headed towards the nearby delta islands at the river’s mouth, and lo and behold, as they approached that area, a plump Blue Fin Shark with a round belly ca charging at them with its mouth wide open.
This fellow was extrely well-fed, its plump body rolling as it charged with its mouth open. Yet, for so reason, the sight reminded Lin Xiao of a , eliciting a sense of inexplicable amusent.
But amusing as it was, he didn’t hold back when he struck.
With a wave of his hand, dozens of Naga rushed forward, stabbing wildly, and naturally, the corpse was treated as their snack and consud on the spot.
After they left, leaving behind a pile of scraps they didn’t eat, a large swarm of small fish ca to fight over the remnants.
They then circled around the small delta islands, encountering no fewer than thirty battles. The number of predators in this sea area was surprisingly high.
Luckily, their current strength was quite formidable. With Level 2 and Level 3 capabilities, they counted as upper-mid-level combat prowess in the shallow sea areas. Groups of dozens moving together ant that not many sea beasts nearby could outmatch them.
Circling the small delta islands and heading southward along the boundary where Black Water Swamp shed with the sea, Black Water Swamp was right on the coast, without any separation line, allowing direct entry from the sea to the swamp.
Of course, even though there wasn’t an actual dividing line between Black Water Swamp and the sea, there was a clear boundary; the water in Black Water Swamp was exceptionally black. From the border area, one could see a distinct demarcation of black and white colors, marking the boundary between the two.
He didn’t enter Black Water Swamp, but continued south along the black-and-white boundary, swimming for almost a day and estimating a distance of about sixty to seventy kiloters before seeing the end of Black Water Swamp.
“This swamp is pretty large!”
He rembered the Black Water Swamp on the map was marked in a rectangular shape. The side next to the sea was the width, while the part extending inland was the length, which appeared to be between twice and three tis the width. This ant Black Water Swamp was about sixty to seventy kiloters wide and nearly two hundred kiloters long, the largest swamp in this plane, and even on the continent, it covered a sizable area.
Having reached the edge of the swamp, Lin Xiao didn’t go further. Just as he was about to turn around, he suddenly noticed a large group of Kobolds erging at the fringe of the swamp on the seaside.
It wasn’t odd to find Kobolds in this plane, but this group of Kobolds was well-disciplined and equipped with small shields and weapons. Clearly, they weren’t natives of this plane but rather belonged to a student.
His interest piqued imdiately, and he swam over.
As he erged from the sea onto the shore, the Kobolds positioned on the shore’s barren slope also noticed him. After observing for a while, the Kobold formation parted and a group of fully-ard Kobolds surrounded a particularly tall Kobold as they approached. From a distance, they gestured with their hands, calling out in the common language:
“Which classmate might you be?”
Lin Xiao responded in the common language as well:
“Year one, class three, Lin Xiao!”
The other party seed taken aback, their dog faces showing surprise as they said:
“I’m ng Hui!”
Lin Xiao wasn’t surprised because as soon as he saw the fully-ard Kobolds, he had a slight hunch. After all, there were only one or two people in the school who chose Kobolds as their initial Clan and developed them to this extent, and ng Hui from his class was one of them.
“Your task is also here?”
“Yes, yours as well?”
“That’s right, 1 have two tasks in Black Water Swamp.”
“Well, isn’t that a coincidence.”
“Yeah.”
The two spoke in a casual tone, exchanging banter void of substance. During the conversation, ng Hui’s gaze kept darting to the Naga behind Lin Xiao, his deanor suggested he was itching to ask sothing but felt too embarrassed to do so.
After a while, he finally couldn’t resist asking:
“Your race, is it the Naga?”
Lin Xiao shook his head with a smile:
“No, they aren’t Naga. 1 created a new race that resembles the Naga.”
ng Hui’s eyes imdiately widened in astonishnt, his face unable to hide his surprise:
“You created a new race?”
“That’s right, it’s a Level 2 species.”
“Then…”
“Yes, I have already condensed the Creationist Godhood in advance, just waiting to beco a Demigod to obtain it.”
ng Hui:…
Shock and envy were nearly spilling from his face, and after a long pause, he managed to squeeze out two words:
“Congratulations!”
“Hehe, just lucky.”
That day, the conversation couldn’t continue.
It wasn’t long before ng Hui found an excuse to leave, fearing that if he stayed longer, he might not be able to suppress his envy any longer.
Watching him leave, Lin Xiao simply smiled.
Although they had been classmates for a year, they hardly spoke to each other. Before, ng Hui, who used to be in the top five of the class, looked down on him. Now it was his turn to look up at Lin Xiao, who had superior strength and potential.
Lin Xiao quickly put this little interlude behind him. After all, their tasks did not conflict.
Returning the way he ca, Lin Xiao went back to the Blackwater River Mouth, ready to cross the valley, when he suddenly saw a small group of Frog People hunting a much larger group of rfolk at the junction of the swamp and the sea.
Despite being outnumbered by the rfolk, the Frog People had the upper hand.
The Frog People, also known as Swamp Frog People, resembled humanoid frogs or toads, with fat, bulky bodies, webbed hands and feet, large eyes, and very wide mouths. They possessed long, flexible tongues, similar to those of Green Snakes, capable of sticking out to catch their targets.
Frog People liked to settle down by rivers or in swamps, building small villages and laying eggs in breeding pools on riverbanks or Swamp Floating Islands. The tadpoles would not co onto land until they grew limbs and reached about one ter in length.
Young Frog People had to successfully kill prey to be accepted by their clan. Those who failed were exiled and not acknowledged by their clan.
This group of young Frog People hunting the rfolk was likely undergoing their coming-of-age ritual.
Lin Xiao did not interfere with their ritual but observed their combat thods from the outside. This was a good opportunity to study the abilities of the Frog People and be better prepared to deal with them in the future.
The combat thods of Frog People were primitive; they generally used bone clubs or wooden sticks, even stone clubs or rocks as weapons. They spoke the simple Marsh Mire Language and typically liked to move in groups ranging from three to twelve..
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