"Are you sure you don’t need more time to help the wounded?" Lisa asked.
At this point, it was more important for them to secure the goodwill and cooperation of the frogs in this village to try to find someone willing to join the guild than to just find the Swamp Slugs as was the original plan.
They had already noticed the magical insight that the old frog Gribbit had shown when breaking Lisa’s mental link, so if there were more people with such potential, even if it wasn’t anything too great, it could still be useful for future guild groups.
Although they were small and physically fragile, that was what guild groups were for, so that someone else or a creature with advantages in that area could cover their disadvantage, and together they could show a strength greater than 1+1=2, just like Lohan and Lisa.
"Don’t worry about them, this is just the natural cycle of life. The survivors will find an ideal place to bury the deceased, and the younger ones will take care of generating new tadpoles in the coming days. Given our fertility, this will not be a problem haha." Old Gribbit laughed as he held his belly with one hand, proud.
Lohan used his 360-degree vision to analyze the other frogs and realized that they didn’t really seem so sad about the death of other frogs, perhaps even a little indifferent to it?
Looking at Lisa, he noticed the confusion on her face as well and sent a telepathic message just to her. "Is this normal in different species around the world?"
Considering that she was someone from the Upper Zone with great influence, it was very likely that she had traveled to several planets and encountered various civilizations, so Lohan asked.
Lisa looked at Slime and took a moment to respond. "It’s not normal, but it’s also not unique... for some civilizations, especially the more primitive ones, death is often more comforting than life."
Lohan heard that and thought it made sense.
Although it was a strange situation, considering how dangerous this world was, it made sense not to be so afraid of death, especially for frogs that could spawn hundreds of tadpoles at a time.
"Okay, so let’s go find the slugs?" Old Gribbit asked excitedly.
"Please guide us," Lisa said respectfully, and Lohan followed suit.
As they left the confines of Kroak Village, the environment became noticeably more oppressive. The black, slimy mud bubbled under Lisa’s paws, and the air carried a constant smell of iron and decay.
Gribbit walked ahead, using his twisted wooden staff to test the depth of the swamp with each step, looking like a fragile yet persistent figure against the adversity that this environment brought.
"Gribbit." Lisa began, sending her telepathic voice so that both the toad and Lohan could hear. "How has your village managed to survive here for so long? This swamp doesn’t seem like a place for the weak, and the Kobolds don’t seem to be the only danger."
The old toad paused for a second, wiping a drop of mud from his faded moss-green skin. "Ah, Noble White Lady, the swamp is cruel, but it is also a master. Our village has been here for generations... we move whenever the mud gets too ’hungry’ or the predators get too greedy." He gave a smile that seemed genuinely weary. "We are small, but we are many. That is how nature balances us."
Lohan, who rolled alongside Lisa using [Selective Viscosity] to keep from sinking into the sludge and took the time to digest as much biomass as possible, decided to test the waters for the future of the guild. "Have you ever thought about moving to a safer place? A community with magical talent like yours would be welcome in many less... oppressive places."
Gribbit let out a hoarse, wet laugh, gesturing with his webbed hand toward the dense vegetation. "Who would accept swamp toads like us in other tribes? We belong to the mud, Little Blue Lord. However..." He looked at Halon with yellow eyes that shone with seemingly humble hope. "To hear that powerful beings like you care about our fate... it warms an old man’s heart. Perhaps, if there were a place where we weren’t just ’pests’ or ’snacks,’ my people would be willing to follow."
Lisa looked at Lohan a little surprised, feeling that the seed of the guild was being successfully planted, not only in the old toad but also in her guild’s Vice Leader.
In the toad, she did not see a warrior leader, but perhaps a perfect pillar of support for the guild’s future infrastructure.
"That’s good to hear, Gribbit. I hope that if there is an opportunity for a new monster settlement to arise, you will accept the invitation to join your village," she said politely.
"I’m glad to hear that," Gribbit replied, walking again with renewed vigor. "But now, silence. We are entering the territory of the Swamp Slugs.
They don’t hear like we do, but they sense the vibrations of every agitated touch in the water."
Lohan activated [Spatial Echo Location], sensing the vibrations of the ground and mapping the environment in 360 degrees.
He realized that Gribbit was guiding them as if he had tracking and spatial location skills like his own, avoiding pockets of methane gas and areas where the sludge was excessively deep.
The old toad seemed like an impeccable guide, causing Lohan and Lisa to gradually relax their guard as they delved deeper into the most dangerous part of the slugs’ domain.
In a few minutes, they finally reached the first Slug.
The creature was ’lying’ underwater while constantly excreting poison into that area, making that water highly toxic!
"Pay attention!" Old Gribbit said in a low voice. "Do you notice that this water is slightly yellowish, unlike the normal water around it?
That’s because this water is already saturated with poison. Stepping in a puddle saturated with poison like this would be enough to greatly weaken even a Level 7 Bear."
Hearing the warning, Lohan and Lisa looked at the puddle worriedly, thinking about how to remove this slug and its poison without hurting themselves.