Chapter 57

Searching for insect eggs was more troublesome than Cloudy had imagined because not every tree had them.

She took the lead in this search for insect eggs, hopping between tree trunks while standing on Titus's shoulders. Although the life-threatening escape earlier had drained most of her energy and left a scrape on her left ankle... none of this could deter Cloudy's craving for the taste of the green beetle eggs!

She had even mentally gone through how to make a delicious beetle green juice.

"Cloudy, I think we won't find any..." Titus leaned against a tree trunk while Cloudy stood on top of his head, stretching her arm as far as she could into a newly discovered tree hollow.

"But I still want to eat them, there must be some around here!" After digging for a while, the tree hollow turned out to be empty. She accidentally pulled out a strange small animal carcass, half sticky and half dried, and she screamed as she threw it into the water.

There must be some... Titus always tried to fulfill Cloudy's wishes, but this matter somewhat touched on his weakness. His main duty was to hunt large prey, and basic foraging for food scraps was not a problem, like knowing which common fruits were edible or which plants on the ground could stop bleeding.

But treasured and tasty insect eggs? Even the tribe members specialized in gathering might not guarantee finding them. With this in mind, Titus started to feel nervous. Would he disappoint Cloudy upon their return?

"Titus, you really like eating insects, don't you?" Cloudy wiped the dirt off her hands onto the tree trunk. She was still standing on top of Titus's head, and as they didn't find anything, she began to crouch down slowly, stepping onto his shoulder with one foot, then the other, swaying until she ended up in a position as if riding a horse.

"Since you like eating insects so much, you should know a lot about them, right?"

Titus's ears drooped close to his head, "Well... I do like eating insects, but I'm not sure when they lay eggs or where they lay them. Moreover, these tree insect eggs are very rare; we might only collect three nests in a few rainy seasons."

So precious? Cloudy regretted eating all those delicious insect eggs with Titus earlier... she should have saved a few to enjoy tomorrow at least.

Ah, the green fruit juice! Sweet and fruity!

"I'm not the one responsible for gathering these things. But I've seen my companions do it." Titus scratched his head while standing on the tree roots. By now, he and Cloudy had searched through at least 10 trees, none of which had any insect nests. "If they found them, there should be more nearby... why aren't there any?"

There were things even Titus didn't know, and Cloudy, still perched on his shoulder, was also scratching her head, "Could these insects only lay eggs in specific trees?" She recalled the tree where they had found the insect eggs earlier.
It is long and slanted, with several deep tree holes on the trunk. Apart from that... there's nothing particularly special!

"I only know that after the rainy season ends, tree insects will start laying eggs, not just in tree holes, but also under large leaves, in hidden places, and even in rocks..."

Isn't that completely random!

"Perhaps we can look for the adult insects." Since eggs were laid in the tree holes in this water area, the adult insects probably are still around here looking for the next egg-laying spot.

Cloudy's hope reignited as she eagerly asked, "How do we find these adult insects? What do they look like?"

"They are long, they climb up the tree trunk, their mouths are very sharp, and they bite open the trees to drink the sap..." Titus furrowed his brow as if trying to remember. Because the rainy season has just ended, it's when trees shed their bark, making it fragile, and the tree sap is abundant. After the tree insects replenish themselves, they start laying eggs. This was all a long, long time ago... something another hunter told him.

"When I couldn't hunt on my own yet, the best hunter in the settlement brought back many exotic foods. Among them was this egg."

The now elderly hunter mentioned how he found these insect eggs... he should remember.

Titus furrowed his brow, deep in thought.

Seeing Titus silent, Cloudy assumed he didn't know... based on what he just said, if these adult insects like to drink tree sap, then the probability of finding them near plants with high water content is higher. Cloudy tapped Titus on the head, urging him to walk deeper into the rainforest with her on his back.

"Why deeper inside?"

"I feel that where the trees and roots are denser, there will be more places for the insect eggs to hide, and it always feels... a bit more humid in there." Of course, all of this was Cloudy's speculation; finding these delicious insect eggs again would rely solely on luck.

As the two continued forward, Cloudy also took the opportunity to admire the scenery. The depths of the rainforest were different from the outside; the water grass at the bottom of the pond decreased, revealing sedimented soil. Occasionally, they could see the dry bones of small animals, making it slightly more desolate compared to the outside pond.

Probably because there are more trees here, the soil nutrients are fiercely contested, leaving little space for water grass to thrive. Along the way, Cloudy had Titus scoop up the bones seen in the water, leaving behind parts that could be used as materials.

"How about this one?" After walking for about half an hour, Cloudy had Titus stop in front of a tree that looked very tender. It might have just shed its bark, with the new bark slightly transparent, and from certain angles, you could even see the tree core inside. Forget about insects, Cloudy felt like taking a bite out of this tree just by looking at it.

And then she did... to Titus's puzzled gaze, Cloudy spat out the bitter bark, "Not tasty."
In the midst of the rainforest, there are very few delicious things to eat, which further highlights the preciousness of insect eggs. This was something Cloudy never expected a few months ago...

Unfortunately, even though the tree they found looked crystal clear, it seemed like a perfect lunch spot for tree insects. The two of them returned empty-handed.

After wandering around nearby and collecting some dry materials, Titus and Cloudy reluctantly headed back.

...

Not finding any insect eggs was disappointing, but upon returning to the cave and seeing what Titus had brought, Cloudy became excited again.

"So many good things! Titus, you're amazing, are these all for me?"

Spread out in the clearing in front of the wooden hut was a huge... fish-like creature, almost as thick as one of her legs with a length of about two meters. It resembled a giant eel, but with a head that embodied the ugliness of rainforest creatures, so ugly she didn't want to look at it for too long.

While the long fish took the spotlight, there were other very appealing items nearby. A thick stack of thin slices wrapped in leaves, many unidentifiable edible seeds that had been dried and roasted, likely to have a stronger scent if soaked in water.

Apart from the food, there was something peculiar. It looked like a necklace one might find in a second-hand African antique market: "What is this?" Cloudy curiously picked up the necklace and examined it in her hands.

It seemed to be made of animal sinews strung together, possibly a type of vine she hadn't seen before... very thin and rough, intertwined to form a dark rope. The rope held together many things - animal bones, fruit shells, slightly lighter-colored stones, and some dried flowers.

"..." It felt like wearing it could make one start cursing annoying people. Cloudy looked up at Titus, "Is this from you?"

Titus shook his head, his expression becoming somewhat subtle, "This was given to me by the Matriarch to pass on to you."

The necklace in her hand suddenly felt heavy, Cloudy's smile froze on her face. She almost forgot about this... right, Titus would surely be questioned by the Matriarch and others about her whereabouts when he returned to the settlement. "Did you tell her where I live?"

"I didn't!" Titus raised his voice. When he returned to the settlement, his companions had embraced him, all believing he was dead... "After meeting everyone, the Matriarch called me aside. She thought you would come with me to the settlement. But you didn't show up."

At this point, Titus became somewhat dejected, "Cloudy, I... didn't want to upset you. But this rainy season, things aren't going well in the settlement. Five newborns have left, more than before, and everyone..."
"All very sad."

"The fish I caught myself, everything else, including this necklace, was given to me by Matriarch to bring to you."

"Everyone knows, they know that you are a remarkable person who can survive outside during the rainy season. Matriarch also regrets throwing you out originally and regrets letting you get hurt during the rainy season."

Cloudy rubbed the necklace with her fingers, listening carefully to Titus's words. She probably understood what Titus meant, even though during the rainy season, Titus seemed reluctant for her to go to the settlement to see Matriarch. However, upon returning to the settlement after the rainy season, they found out that a newborn had passed away, which made him very sad... and conflicted.

Titus values the tribe, or rather, he values newborns greatly. He feels a strong sense of responsibility towards these vulnerable lives that need protection. This is why Titus had helped her without hesitation in the beginning.

She reached out and patted Titus's arm, "Do you want me to go to the settlement to help everyone?"

"..." Titus didn't answer, he didn't seem very pleased, and also a bit sad. "I don't know, I also want to know why Cloudy can go out during the rainy season, but..."

"I don't know if I can help you all." Because she came from another world, her constitution is different, there's nothing she can do about it. However, she might be able to find other ways to help keep the newborns warm, which is something she is willing to try for Titus.

"But no problem, I'll go back to the settlement with you." Cloudy lowered her head, put the necklace around her neck, then placed her hands on her hips, looking at Titus. "Do I look good wearing this?"