Chapter 835: The Living Swamp
Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation
The great eagle was shocked and started screeching at Glorfindel again.
"This is impossible! I was here not even half a month ago. I clearly remember this place being full of sick and dying pines, and it was covered in snow!"
Glorfindel carefully observed around and said.
"You weren't wrong, my old partner. This place was a pine forest not too long ago. But the pines were all taken down....to become food."
He picked up a rock and threw it into the water. The water bubbled and dirt started evaporating. A reed lifted itself to reveal the rotting trunk of a pine tree half-submerged in the water. The roots from multiple reeds extended themselves like tentacles to firmly grab the pine trunk, absorbing the nutrients within.
Glorfindel walked to the edge of the swamp and extended his hand to touch the surface of the water. The water did not give off the cold sensation of molten snow; in fact, it was even a little warm. The warmth must be the cause of a swamp appearing at the foot of a snowy mountain.
What perplexed Glorfindel was, the impression a swamp give should be that of a decaying and smelly environment. It should be full of swamp vines, rotten thorns and other such plants. When one took a step in a swamp, one's foot would submerge into the dirt with a disgusting splash.
However, the new swamp in front of him gave off a clean and fragrant impression, and was brimming with life!
The water of the swamp wasn't crystal clear. From afar, it looked a mysterious azure blue, stopping one from seeing the bottom. Water lily-like plants floated at some places where the water was deep. Some of them had even absorbed enough nutrients to produce flower buds. Those should be the source of the aroma in the air.
But at some parts where the water was shallow, one could actually see the tender white roots of the green-coloured plants that floated above the water. Some brown-striped snails and mussels could even be seen digging into the mud at the bottom. There were also some yellow- and black-striped fishes swimming around.
The swamp was so full of life that it was terrifying! It gave the impression that with every passing second, the swamp would grow a bit bigger.
Glorfindel snorted and walked into the water. Maybe it was due to the refraction of light, but the part of the water that only seemed knee-deep actually reached his waist! Soaking in the warm water actually felt pretty comfortable.
The water splashed and a strange fish was caught between thumb and index finger of Glorfindel's left hand!
The fish was camouflaged quite well. From afar, it looked like a floating leaf. The fish struggled for its life in Glorfindel's hand.
Glorfindel exerted some pressure with his fingers to force open the fish's mouth, revealing rows of sharp teeth. The fish gave Glorfindel a menacing look and actually started to hiss like a poisonous snake.
As the hissing sound spread, a strange phenomenon occured. All the animals and plants nearby started swiftly moving away at the same time!
The water lilies raised their leaves and sailed in the wind like yachts. The giant reeds plucked out their tender white roots and used them to run away. The snails and mussels furiously dug deeper into the mud.
In an instant, the world that was brimming with life around Glorfindel a moment ago disappeared. The only thing that remained was the water. The water that looked clear from close, but from afar or in places where the water ran deep, looked a proud azure blue!
Glorfindel's hand emitted a faint green glow. The camouflaged fish had left his hand but was now encased in the glow. It struggled violently inside as if it was being fried in a pan.
The fish distorted its body in pain and took a bite out of its own tail. It chewed down forcefully. In the end, it broke down into multiple orbs of lights and dispersed into the air.
Glorfindel's expression turned dark. He started to feel that this trip might not be as smooth as he initially thought it would be. However, he was a still a formidable Twilight Elf! In addition, he had a firm grasp on Melody's ability. He still felt confident of coming out victorious.
Next, Glorfindel chanted a long Elven incantation. He had used this spell not long ago to great effect. He could feel natural elements congregating into his body from the surrounding.
But to Glorfindel's surprise, the spell took 3 times longer than usual to chant. This meant that there was very little natural element that he could control in the vicinity. There wasn't time for him to think too much about it; he completed the incantation and extended a finger out. From the finger, a single drop of golden blood dripped into the water.
The drop of blood made ripples on the surface of the water. The ripples radiated a faint green glow and spread for close to a hundred meters!
Anywhere the ripples passed through boiled like a pot of porridge!
The mussels buried in the mud were forced out and helplessly spread their shells open, revealing the white meat within. A grey prawn that curled like a rock was ejected out of the surface. It lost its life while it was still airborne and started decaying when it fell back into the water.
A water snake suddenly slithered out of a rotting tree trunk towards Glorfindel. However, it went limp halfway and exploded into a bloody mess. A few rock-like aquatic insects ran away in fear, but when the ripples went through them, they slowly floated up to the surface....
"You lowly creatures. How dare you attack me."
Said Glorfindel in disdain.
Even so, he felt rather astonished. His original plan was simply to come here and destroy, but now he had no choice but to investigate the situation first.
Facing the 'Blood Ripples' of Glorfindel, all living creatures within a hundred metres either died or ran away.
Glorfindel seemed to be able to swim pretty well. He moved in the water with a quite grace, like a fish.
The deeper he advanced into the swamp, the more pinewoods he discovered at the bottom. These pines looked like they were artificially placed there. A layer of algae grew on the pines. Through the water, they looked very elegant. Of course, Glorfindel wouldn't know that the scenery was plagiarised by Sheyan from Jiuzhaigou Valley.
(T/N note: https://www.google.com/search?q=Jiuzhaigou&tbm=isch)
After a while, Glorfindel found that he was leaving the shallow water area. The water ahead turned deep and its color turned into an ocean blue. He didn't know that he'd reached the end of the pinewood area and was about to enter the lake area that Sheyan traveled through during his first visit here.
Glorfindel couldn't help but hesitate for a moment. He felt a bad premonition, as if something was exerting pressure on his chest.
But he can't just leave without even seeing Melody's new city. It wouldn't sit right with him, and he wouldn't be able to explain himself to his followers. What would he tell them? That he was already at the doorstep of Melody's city, but came back because he had a bad feeling? Even his remaining followers might leave him.
He contemplated for a bit and pushed down the feeling of unease in his heart. He continued to swim forward. But every time he laid eyes on the indescribable shade of blue of the water, the feeling of unease would somehow grow heavier.
Suddenly, something happened that made Glorfindel's eyes go wide. He could feel a quake sending ripples through the whole lake. He immediately casted a few buffs and defensive spells like Barkskin, Detect Evil, Bull's Strength and Haste on himself. While he was still casting spells, an enormous ship made its appearance. Wait, no, it wasn't a ship - it was a colossal wooden fortress shaped like a pyramid!
The fortress was at least one square kilometer in size. Countless giant logs combined together into a huge raft to make up its base and enabled it to float. Numerous roots grew from the bottom of these logs to absorb nutrients from the water.
On the first layer of the raft, in each of the four directions of the compass, grew a giant tree. Their roots grabbed onto the bottom of the raft to hold it together firmly. The branches of these trees spread like umbrellas to form the platform for the 2nd level! The 2nd level was filled with buildings that displayed the characteristics of Elven architecture, but had a rough edge to them, perhaps due to the influence of the Dwarves.