Beastmaster: I'm really just a forest ranger

Chapter 269 Those Totem Beasts Lost in History

It was sunny on March 12.

December in Yunnan Province is always sunny and breezy, without the cloudy days that Runrun Duck hates.

But Runrun the ducks, who stayed on the farm, never got to see such bright weather. Cola, on the other hand, grabbed the curtains and pulled them aside, letting the brilliant sunlight stream in through the huge French windows.

Cola plopped down on the ground and lazily basked in the sun.

As a light-type pet, Spark also loves sunlight. It flapped its wings and came to the balcony, only to find that there was no place for it to land.

Then, Spark spotted Cola's head.

It folded its wings and slowly descended, sparks landing on Cola's head, bathing it in sunlight.

"Ow"

Faced with the boss's blatant bullying, Cola dared not refuse, and didn't even dare to move her head, silently maintaining her posture to make the boss comfortable.

"Yinyin".

As sunlight streamed into the room, the twin flowers naturally transformed into their daytime form. They stepped gracefully and lightly into the sunlight and approached Cola.

"Ow~"

Faced with the adorable little guy, Cola grinned and cautiously raised its paw.

"Yinyin".

The twin concubines lifted their long skirts, smiling broadly, and bowed to Cola and Spark respectively. Then they opened their arms, making a gesture of embracing the sunlight, and danced gracefully on the sunlit floor.

"Is it already this bright?"

The sunlight falling on the bed was like an invisible hand waking Chen Yuan from his slumber. He opened his sleepy eyes, leaned against the wall, and looked dazed.

As his mind gradually cleared, Chen Yuan's gaze fell on the three little ones huddled together. He rested his chin on one hand, and a smile slowly spread across his face.

Then, he stretched and said, "It's a new day again."

"I wish there would be no boring battles or annoying unexpected events today."

"Ow!"

Upon hearing its owner's voice, Cola turned its head and, no longer caring about the boss above it and the little creature dancing gracefully, flicked its tail, scraped its paws on the ground, and leaped towards Chen Yuan from several meters away.

Master, I'm here!

After a while, Chen Yuan wiped the drool off his face expressionlessly, packed his luggage, and called out, "Let's go."

next moment,
Cola barked and came to his side, head held high and chest puffed out, like the most loyal and reliable dog general;
Sparks fluttered lightly and landed gently on his right shoulder. The fire-breathing bird seemed to have no danger whatsoever.

With the help of Cola, the twin concubines flew onto Chen Yuan's left shoulder, straightened their long skirts and smoothed their hair, looking as obedient as a little princess on an outing.

After leaving the hotel and having a quick breakfast, Chen Yuan and his three companions set off for Deqing County.

Li Junyue was driving, Chen Yuan was in the passenger seat, and Jiang Wenning and Chang Yuhuan were in the back.

Jiang Wenning was always the first to start a conversation: "Xigua, how did things go yesterday?"

Chen Yuan was also curious about this matter and turned his head to look at Li Junyue, who was driving seriously.

The actions of these members of the Rising Star Society are highly unusual, and there must be a deeper conspiracy at play.

Given the interrogation methods employed by the Criminal Investigation Department, uncovering these conspiracies should not be a problem.

Li Junyue seemed to have anticipated this question, and without changing his expression, he answered directly: "I asked earlier, and there was a problem during the interrogation."

Li Junyue's answer surprised the three of them. Jiang Wenning quickly asked, "Something went wrong? Did someone rescue them?"

"No, not at all." Li Junyue chuckled. "While our Investigation Department may inevitably make mistakes and oversights, we wouldn't make such a big mistake."

If the New Star Society can break into the branch and forcibly rescue these guys, then all members of the Seventh Branch can be laid off.

"Actually, it's because they came prepared." Li Junyue didn't keep them in suspense, but carefully chose his words to explain in detail, "As usual, the department used mental-type pets to interrogate them, but this time they failed."

Chen Yuan frowned.

Upon entering the mysterious forest, Captain Yao from Shanghai had his Mingguang Crane use the "Breath of Truth" to directly hypnotize the two members of the New Star Society and force them to speak the truth.

Each branch has a pet beast that possesses the same ability.

"Why did it fail?" Jiang Wenning asked curiously while stroking the Ice Crystal Cat in her arms.

Li Junyue stared ahead, his tone deep: "These guys' subconscious minds have long been hypnotized by other mental-type pets. Our pets cannot forcibly break through this mental barrier and make them tell the truth."

Chen Yuan nodded thoughtfully.

Simply put, these guys' brains have already been hypnotized and a mental barrier has been set up. If other pets want to hypnotize them, they must break through this mental barrier.

However, if they force their way through, their brains will suffer a severe shock, and there is a very high probability that they will directly become demented or insane.

Unless one's own pet is far stronger than the opponent's pet, it is impossible to easily break through this mental barrier without leaving any lasting impact.

"These guys are really crazy, so ruthless to their own people." After hearing Li Junyue's voice, Jiang Wenning hugged the Ice Crystal Cat in her arms tightly, gaining a deeper understanding of the cruelty of the New Star Society.

"Meow!"

The Ice Crystal Cat struggled to stick its head out and waved its paws in dissatisfaction.

Chang Yuhuan's eyes flashed, and her voice matured: "In other words, the New Star Society has already found a way to deal with your interrogation methods."

Li Junyue gave a soft "hmm": "Don't underestimate these guys, they always respond very quickly."

After a brief pause, he focused his attention on the road ahead and said in a deep voice, "But it's alright. We have already contacted an advisor from the Yunnan Provincial Beast Tamer Association. He has a third-tier mental-type pet that should be able to break through this mental barrier."

He paused, a faint smile appearing on his face: "At the very least, we still have interrogation methods that lean towards physical methods."

The group quickly put the matter of the New Star Club out of their minds. For them, the incident was over, and having fun was the most important thing now.

The four shared their lives with each other and entered Deqing County amidst laughter and joy.

Compared to LS City, Deqing County is much more remote and at a higher altitude, but its magnificent scenery is even more stunning.

Jiang Wenning and Chang Yuhuan chattered away about the scenery outside the window, but Li Junyue stepped on the gas and turned onto the country road next to them.

"There's a village about 100 kilometers ahead." Li Junyue had already made detailed arrangements after returning home yesterday, and slowly told everyone about today's itinerary. "This village is called Longda Village. It's very close to Puda Snow Mountain, and there are also vast forests nearby."

"Whether you're going into the mountains to pick mushrooms or climbing snow-capped mountains, this is the most suitable transit point."

After a pause, he continued, "After the spiritual energy revival, many beast tamers and mountaineers who go out to train in the wild will stop here and then hire guides."

“The local villagers are very familiar with the surrounding environment. Even after the terrain changed due to the revival of spiritual energy, they can still accurately find every route.”

“When going out into the wild, a guide is essential; he can also help us find mushrooms.”

Chen Yuan nodded in agreement.

The same applies to the Qinling Mountains. Many beast tamers choose to hire locals as guides, but very few villagers agree.

After all, selling things on the street is much easier than being a guide, and you won't encounter any danger.

Li Junyue: "I've been to this village a few times on missions before, and there's something very strange about this place."

Jiang Wenning asked directly, "What is it?"

Li Junyue chuckled, deliberately keeping everyone in suspense: "You'll find out when you get there."

After driving for two or three hours, the road gradually became winding and bumpy, and the cement road deteriorated into a dirt road. Fortunately, Longda Village finally came into view.

Longda Village is not as clean and tidy as Xuanhe Village, but it also has a main street with dense vendors on both sides, and the lively shouts of vendors rise and fall, with pedestrians coming and going.

However, a statue standing at the entrance of the village caught Chen Yuan's attention.

Upon closer inspection, it resembles an eagle with outstretched wings, broad wings, and a sharp beak.

However, upon closer inspection, its appearance differs from the eagles that Chen Yuan is familiar with. Its body is covered with irregular patterns of unknown meaning, its wings are long and thin like swords, and it has a sharp crest on its head that exudes majesty.

This is clearly some kind of eagle-like pet animal. The locals are so progressive that they actually built a statue for their pet animal.
“This is a totem that their ancestors have believed in for generations.” But Li Junyue’s explanation made Chen Yuan’s expression froze.

This seems to differ from what he imagined.

Totems can be understood as the beliefs of a tribe. Even in today's highly developed society, many remote places still preserve totem culture and continue the beliefs of their ancestors.

Li Junyue stepped forward, looked up at the strange totem, and continued to explain to the three of them:

"This is what I meant by the strange thing."

“I had specifically looked into it before; this statue has existed for over a thousand years.”

"Legend has it that long, long ago, the area faced a devastating crisis, and it was this creature that spread its wings from the top of the snow-capped mountains, resolved the crisis, and saved them from suffering." "To express their gratitude, the ancestors of this village specially created a statue of it, regarding it as a totem to protect the village, and made offerings to it regularly."

"This is a widely circulated legend in the area, and before the spiritual energy revival, no one took it as true."

After listening to Li Junyue's story, Chen Yuan looked thoughtful.

Jiang Wenning's eyes flickered as she voiced her guess: "Could this totem actually be a former pet beast?"

“Very likely.” Li Junyue nodded in agreement with this guess, which was also his opinion.

Chen Yuan nodded in agreement.

Just like the legends circulating in Huozhou, a deity truly sleeps beneath the Flaming Mountain.

This story is passed down in this area. Perhaps countless years ago, a mythical beast truly descended from the snow-capped mountain peak to save humanity.

However, this is not the resting place of the gods. The totem beasts that the ancestors of Longda Village have worshipped have most likely disappeared into the long river of history.

Apart from deities, no other pet beast has survived to this day.

In fact, totem culture still continues in many parts of Donghuang, with dragons being the most prevalent.

Perhaps the existence of dragons is not just a legend; these incredible creatures truly existed in the long river of history, only to disappear with the end of the first spiritual revival.

In this day and age, those totem beasts that have been lost to history may one by one reappear.

While the three were discussing, Chang Yuhuan took out her camera and took pictures of the statue, the clicking sound echoing continuously.

"Let's buy some supplies and then hire a guide to go into the mountains."

Seeing that it was getting late, Li Junyue led the three of them to buy supplies for their journey into the mountains, and then went to the Beastmaster's office.

"Team Leader Li, another mission?" The director of the office clearly recognized Li Junyue and immediately strode over to greet him.

The two shook hands, and Li Junyue explained with a smile, "No, this trip was specifically to pick mushrooms in the mountains."

The director looked surprised, but quickly responded: "Captain Li, you have a refined taste. Let's register first."

According to the regulations of the Beast Tamer Association, any person or organization entering the wild must register at the office, and is responsible for everything after entering the mountains.

The four of them took out their Beast Tamer credentials and quickly completed the procedures for entering the mountain.

Li Junyue asked, "Director Liu, is Xiao Wang here? I'd like to invite him to be our guide."

"Unfortunately, Captain Li, Xiao Wang has already been hired by another beast tamer," Director Liu replied.

"What about Xiao Zhao?"

"Same here, they've already been hired."

"That"

After asking several locals, Li Junyue learned that they had all been hired. Helpless, he said, "Then could you please help us find a guide, preferably one who is good at finding mushrooms?"

Director Liu's answer greatly disappointed Li Junyue: "Team Leader Li, all the guides have been hired in the last few days."

After a pause, he offered a reasonable explanation: "You know, young people these days are keen on mountain climbing, and with beast tamers going into the mountains every day, our village simply doesn't have enough guides."

Hearing this, Li Junyue looked helpless. He turned to face Chen Yuan and the other two and sighed, "It seems we can only rely on ourselves."

The lack of guides is not a big problem; at most, they will get lost and have difficulty finding mushrooms because they are unfamiliar with the local environment.

Just as they were about to turn and leave, Director Liu called out to them, "Wait, if you don't mind, there is actually another guide."

"This guide is a little special."

Li Junyue asked, puzzled, "How special is it?"

"Hmm, very unusual." Director Liu's expression was strange.

after awhile,

Director Liu walked over with a thin little boy.

The boy had dark, rough skin and prominent features. His small body was covered by a thick, oversized cotton coat, and even his hands were hidden in the sleeves.

A cute little guy was perched on a head of messy black hair.

This is a fuzzy mushroom, only the size of Chen Yuan's palm, round like a miniature dandelion, with a short, fluffy stem, and the whole thing looks like a "moving mushroom gummy".

"What an adorable fluffy mushroom."

Jiang Wenning's eyes lit up, and she reached out to touch the fluffy mushroom on the boy's head.

But as she reached out, the little guy's body suddenly stiffened, the gray cap snapped shut, and the stem curled into a ball, instantly turning into an ordinary mushroom.

Chen Yuan chuckled: "As expected, it's a fluffy mushroom that's good at disguising itself."

Fluffy Mushroom is a wood-type pet that is found throughout the Eastern Empire. It is timid and cowardly by nature and has almost zero combat power.

Whenever it senses danger, it disguises itself as an ordinary mushroom and escapes unharmed.

Of course, most predators have no interest in this little guy.

Li Junyue paid no attention to the fluffy mushroom. His gaze fell on the little boy, looking him up and down. He frowned and asked, "Director Liu, what does this mean?"

Director Liu patted the boy on the shoulder and grinned: "This is the guide I was talking about."

All four of them were taken aback.

This is not just unusual, it's downright outrageous.

If we let this little boy be our guide, wouldn't it be reported as illegal child labor?

Director Liu clearly saw through the doubts in everyone's eyes and chuckled: "Don't worry, Xiao Duoji has been in and out of the mountains countless times since he was a child. His familiarity with this place is no less than that of anyone else."

"Moreover, Xiao Duoji's ability to find mushrooms is second to none in our village; he has a natural nose that can smell the aroma of mushrooms."

As soon as he finished speaking, Director Liu patted Xiao Duoji on the shoulder. The latter was taken aback at first, and then grinned as if realizing what he had just said.

His smile was pure and innocent, but Li Junyue was thoughtful: "Director Liu, these things are secondary. The real concern is that such a young child is coming into the mountains with us. Won't his parents worry?"

Although Xiao Duoji has dark skin, he looks very young and appears to be at most a junior high school student.

Faced with Li Junyue's question, Director Liu slowly lowered his hand from Xiao Duoji's shoulder, met the gazes of the four men, and sighed deeply: "Captain Li, Xiao Duoji's parents passed away in an accident a few years ago, and he has been living with his grandfather ever since."

Hearing this, Chen Yuan glanced deeply at Xiao Duoji, who still maintained a pure smile.

"His family had no money, and his grandfather was old, so Xiao Duoji had to find a way to earn some tuition fees himself."

Director Liu forced a smile and quickly tugged at Xiao Duoji's sleeve. "Captain Li, I can assure you, this child will absolutely not cause you any trouble."

“He often goes into the mountains alone, and has even spent the night alone. He can also recognize poisonous mushrooms.”

"Hmm!" Little Dorje nodded emphatically, unsure of what to do with his hands.

The four men exchanged glances and made eye contact. Finally, Li Junyue spoke up: "Alright, Director, then it'll be Xiao Duoji."

"Thank you so much, little Dorje, please thank your uncles and aunties." Director Liu was overjoyed.

Jiang Wenning immediately said, "No need, no need, just call me brother or sister."

Little Dorje bent down, and the fluffy mushroom on its head almost fell off with the movement. Fortunately, it reacted in time and quickly stretched out its short arms to grab the hair of the other one tightly: "Mushroom mushroom!"

When his hair was grabbed, Little Dorje couldn't help but cry out in pain and patted Fluffy Mushroom's body in return.

The fluffy mushroom ignored Little Dorje and continued to disguise itself as an ordinary mushroom, avoiding the gaze of Chen Yuan and the others.

Leaving the office, Chen Yuan looked at the little guide and said, "I'll leave the rest to you to lead the way."

Faced with such a formal question, Xiao Duoji was momentarily embarrassed and didn't know how to answer. After thinking for a long time, he finally nodded emphatically and uttered a single word: "Okay."

Seeing Little Dorje's reaction, the fluffy mushroom on its head finally dropped its pretense, its gray cap shaking violently and emitting a mocking sound: "Mushroom mushroom!"

The velvet mushroom's reaction made Little Dorje blush. He quickly tugged at the velvet mushroom, and it gradually stopped.

Watching the amusing interaction between the man and his pet, Chen Yuan smiled slightly and then said, "Take us to find some mushrooms."

"The more mushrooms, the better."

Little Dorje looked up at Chen Yuan, glanced timidly at the majestic Gale Hound, and whispered, "Places with lots of mushrooms are dangerous."

“Little Dorje.” Jiang Wenning walked to Little Dorje’s side, smiling. “With us here, we’re not afraid of even the most dangerous places.”

(End of this chapter)