Chapter Eighty-Nine: The Culinary Journey (Part Two)

This crab, said to resemble a turtle, truly only shares a similarity in the shape of its carapace. Unlike the usual crab’s flat shell, this one is raised high like a turtle’s back, covered with stiff, linear patterns that intertwine and form a strangely mystical design. Especially near the head, several thin white lines intersect, encircling a small area that, from a distance, looks like two extra large eyes growing on its back!

These crabs are all impressively large—some are the size of a human head, others as tall as half a person, and the biggest stands taller than a man, seeming to be their leader. Their legs and pincers are incredibly robust—scaled down to the size of an ordinary crab, their claws would still be much thicker than normal. Most peculiar of all, their bodies are not the typical dark green or black, but a bright red, as though they’ve already been cooked!

Katherine tried hard to control her emotions, refraining from shouting at her master, and forced a smile as she said, “Master, this ‘hot spring’ really is hot—just a degree or two below boiling. Look, the crabs are already cooked!”

“No, there are impurities in this spring. Its boiling point should be even higher than water,” Ling Mo replied in earnest. “Besides, those crabs are called ‘Turtle Monster Square Crabs,’ fire-element magical beasts. Their shells are naturally red, not because they’ve been boiled.”

Is there really a difference?

Katherine grumbled inwardly, watching the crabs leisurely feed in the boiling water. She winced, asking Ling Mo, “Master, don’t tell me you want me to catch crabs in this boiling lake? Though my fire resistance has improved a lot since obtaining Anton’s flame, I’m not mentally prepared to be stewed alive!”

Ling Mo laughed, tapping Katherine’s head and pointing toward the lake. “Your martial talent is high, but your observation skills are abysmal. Look carefully—though the lake is boiling, are the crabs really in boiling water?”

At his words, Katherine scrutinized the crabs more closely, and soon noticed something odd. The ‘boiling lake’ was connected to five clear streams; the places where the red crabs gathered were precisely at the mouths of the streams entering the lake. Steam spewed from countless vents in the lakebed, making the water bubble everywhere, but only at the mouths, where the hot and cold water mingled and the temperature dropped, was it calm.

Suddenly enlightened, Katherine exclaimed, “No wonder I felt something was strange—those crabs had bits of fluffy matter constantly falling onto their heads. If the water there was truly boiling, those bits should float upward! But it’s too far to see clearly. Master, what are those fluffy things? All I can see is the crabs stuffing them in their mouths.”

“That’s ‘marine snow,’” Ling Mo answered.

“Marine snow?” Katherine rolled the words around in her mouth, her eyes curving like crescent moons. “What a poetic name!”

“Yes, the streams entering the lake carry masses of plankton. As they enter, the temperature rises sharply, and combined with the lake’s mildly toxic impurities, the plankton is killed almost instantly, forming white clouds that drift down like underwater snowfall. This phenomenon usually occurs where rivers meet the sea, thus it’s called ‘marine snow,’” Ling Mo explained. “These crabs feed on marine snow, spending their days lying at the stream mouths, waiting for food to come to them. They’re extremely lazy and gentle, making them perfect hunting targets.”

“Don’t be fooled by their demeanor—each of them is a third- or fourth-ranked magical beast, rich in energy. But the key is their meat, which is especially tender and delicious after roasting—absolutely mouthwatering!” Ling Mo licked his lips, urging, “You’ve got the basics now, right? Don’t waste time—go grab a couple, I’d recommend ones about half a meter long.”

Katherine made a gesture of obedience and quickly strode to one of the stream mouths. Just as she was about to act, she suddenly remembered something and turned to call out, “Master, if I go after their companions, won’t the crabs swarm up and attack me? They may not seem strong, but numbers can be deadly!”

“No!” Ling Mo replied impatiently. “Except for a few highly social magical beasts, most don’t have any concept of ‘helping their companions’ or ‘avenging them.’ Use your brain! Even a single lion can scatter dozens of wild cattle—if they cooperated, lions and leopards would have starved ages ago. Just go catch your crabs!”

Hmm, that actually makes a lot of sense!

Katherine dismissed her last worry and finally relaxed. She wrapped herself in the cloak dropped by Nelber, using it as a ‘swimming skirt,’ took a deep breath, and leapt forward, diving straight into the water!

The moment she entered, regret washed over her. In her mind, she cursed Ling Mo a thousand times: This damn master tricked me again! While the water where the crabs clustered wasn’t boiling, it was still at least seventy degrees—scalding and extremely uncomfortable! Worse yet, whatever strange substances were dissolved in the water made her eyes sting painfully after only a moment.

But once the bow is drawn, there’s no turning back. Katherine coated her skin in a faint layer of flame, releasing some internal heat, and dove quickly, reaching the cluster of crabs within seconds. The nearest was less than two meters away!

At such close range, Katherine finally saw how the crabs fed. Their mouthparts were fascinating, made up of four nearly square plates. A casual wave of their giant pincers stirred a small whirlpool, pulling nearby ‘marine snow’ into a ball and delivering it to their mouths. The four plates opened like automatic doors in four directions, revealing a soft inner mouth that sucked in the plankton cluster.

Katherine watched intently; the crabs seemed utterly unfazed by her presence, calmly continuing their meal. So docile! She and a medium-sized crab stared at each other for a moment, and suddenly she felt a mischievous urge.

Without hesitation, Katherine took out the dagger Ling Mo had given her. As the crab fed, she aimed for the instant its mouth plates opened and stabbed right in!

Hiss~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!!

A piercing shriek echoed through the water! Though the dagger plunged deep into the crab’s mouth, the four plates snapped shut so swiftly that they trapped the blade, preventing it from piercing through. The wounded crab opened its massive pincers, and from their tips erupted a thick yellow-green smoke, surging straight toward Katherine’s face!