Culinary God in Wilderness

Mangrove Forest!

That’s right. It’s one of the tree species that can survive in saline soil. Their root systems are exposed above the water, creating a unique natural landscape.

It’s precisely because of this characteristic root system that the underwater environment of the coastal tidal flats is complex and sheltered. A vast number of species make their homes here, and the biodiversity is even denser than the forest he was in now.

’A water source and a shelter. Those are my two main objectives from now on.’

A shelter could be built anywhere, but first, he needed to find water.

Based on the terrain, water sources in the mountains usually flow from the summit to the base. Along the way, they were very likely to form features like waterfalls or pools.

The Dalian Mountain Range was vast and unending. Searching on foot was no different from relying on pure luck. The simplest method was to look for animal tracks.

He first descended to about halfway down the mountain, then began moving laterally to the northwest.

Before long, he found some fresh droppings.

’There are no tracks nearby, and the droppings are splattered. They must have fallen from the trees. Most likely the work of a troop of monkeys.’

Monkeys don’t travel on the ground much, so this was a dead end.

He continued onward for another half an hour or so. As he casually pushed aside some bushes, his eyes lit up. He had finally found a useful clue.

On the soil beneath the bushes, there was a strange S-shaped track. It disappeared where it crossed over some roots, then reappeared near the end of the thicket.

’It’s the trail left by a moving snake!’

Snakes also need to drink water. In weather over twenty degrees Celsius, they need to drink about once every two to three days.

And snakes generally like to burrow underground or coil up on tree branches. They aren’t good at long-distance travel.

Finding a snake trail here meant there was definitely a water source nearby!

He followed the trail for a long time, but it eventually disappeared into a hole hidden under a pile of rubble.

’Damn it, I went the wrong way!’

He sighed helplessly, forced to backtrack and search in the opposite direction.

He didn’t know how long he walked, but finally, the clear sound of water reached his ears. The air also grew noticeably damp and cold.

About a hundred meters away, the mountainside dropped off sharply. A huge, protruding cliff face was covered in thick moss. From its top, a clear spring cascaded down, scattering a fine mist into the air.

The drop from the cliff was about ten-odd meters, roughly the height of a five-story building. At the bottom, a clear pool of water had formed.

On the other side of the pool was a small stream that meandered its way down the mountain.

He walked around the pool, scouting the vicinity, but didn’t find any suitable places to build a shelter.

’The terrain around the pool is relatively flat, but the humidity is too high. All the trees and plants are soaked. Living here for long would definitely lead to sickness, and any firewood I collect would be impossible to light.’

’Most importantly, this is clearly a watering hole for a lot of wild animals. I’ve only walked a few dozen meters and I’ve already found tons of animal tracks.’

Lin Chen returned to the edge of the pool. He first peered carefully into the water, but he couldn’t see any fish or shrimp. He then stared at the stream flowing downstream, pondering for a moment.

’I’ve decided. I’ll check upstream!’

He made a wide detour around the massive rock wall and finally climbed to the top of the waterfall.

’Just as I thought. The flow at the top of most waterfalls is relatively gentle and the channel is fairly wide. Otherwise, you couldn’t form a waterfall in the first place.’

Compared to the spectacular view below, the area upstream from the waterfall seemed especially quiet.

He followed the stream further up for some distance but still didn’t find a suitable spot to build a shelter.

’Looks like I have to go downstream. Even if I found a good spot for a shelter further up, I’d have to climb the mountain every day to hunt by the coast. I don’t want to climb a mountain several times a day. That would be killer.’

Going down the mountain was much faster than going up.

Lin Chen followed the stream down the mountain and, before he knew it, arrived in a river valley.

This was where two mountain ranges converged. The space between the foothills, where they met the coast, formed a series of distinct, partitioned valley areas.

A quick glance around, and a few gigantic, leafy trees immediately caught his attention.

Amidst the massive canopies that blotted out the sky hung countless little green dots.

’Mango trees!!!!!’

His eyes widened as he cried out in disbelief.

"Look! Mango trees this big must be at least a hundred years old! Holy cow! I can see at least three or four just from here. If I get closer, there might be even more!"

"February is when mangoes in Panama start to ripen. The mangoes from these century-old trees will be incredibly sweet, no matter the variety. Plus, the season lasts until April or May. That’s more than enough to keep me alive!"

The moment he saw this grove of mango trees, he made up his mind. He had to find a place nearby to set up camp.

[WTF, what kind of luck is that? He actually found century-old mango trees, and a bunch of them at once!] 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

[Quick, quick, go get some and try them! I can’t wait to see what wild mangoes taste like!]

[If you build the shelter under the fruit trees, won’t the mangoes just fall down automatically when they’re ripe? You wouldn’t even have to risk climbing the trees.]

[With so many mangoes, he’ll have enough to make mango juice or mango jam, right? It would be amazing with seafood and grilled meat.]