Chapter 334 First Movement Poems of Awakening (11): Hunting for Strangeness
"?? Say it again, lick... what are you licking?"
Fan Ning suspected that he had heard Luna's words wrongly, but recalling what Massenegu said about "those idiots", he gradually realized that he might have heard correctly.
He tried hard to search for occult knowledge in his mind.
In order to find out the secret ritual of some hidden organization, you need to perform the "licking the toad" action.
Something similar makes sense.
When he saw business coming to his door, the stall owner with squinting eyes enthusiastically lifted a cage and approached the two of them.
"A big Gorado toad costs just one and a half penny a bite. It is professionally raised, descaled and cleaned daily, so you can lick it with confidence and it will reach the sky in 20 seconds."
Fan Ning's body froze for several seconds.
"...The penny can't be divided into half, right?" He had tried his best to raise this question himself.
With squinting eyes, the stall owner twisted the position of the metal wire to open a gap, and the smile on his face became wider:
"So it's usually two licks for three pennies."
"..."
The dark red bumps on the toad's body were trembling, its cheeks were bulging, and its emotionless eyes met Fan Ning's eyes:
"Quack!"
Fan Ning began to sweat on his forehead.
Luna quickly waved her hand and then pulled him aside.
She pointed to a sticker on a small desalination tower next to her.
Fan Ning moved closer, sweat dripping from his face more and more.
This promotional material is signed "United Principality of Fetton Gift Authority".
Black text on white paper, large size, and large font.
The giant bilingual title in Janus/Lange at the top is even more shocking:
"Don't lick the toad!"
"The "Fanghui Poet" has given many gifts to the South, but not everything is a direct entrance! For example, you have never seen slugs and unfamiliar mushrooms... If you see a big toad squatting on the ground with glowing green eyes in the dead of night
,please don’t lick it!”
"Any commercial profit-making activities related to toad licking are not advocated!"
"Be a civilized Feton!"
Looking at Fan Ning's curious reading expression, the little girl's face was filled with helplessness "I knew it". She held an umbrella in one hand and her hands on her hips, and her small satchel was swaying in the sea breeze.
Obviously, the many "traditional arts" of the southern people had some shock to Mr. Scheler's mind.
She feels this is the first time, but it won't be the last.
"You guys! Close the stall!"
"Turn it over! Turn it over!"
There was loud shouting in the street.
"Damn it, why is there something wrong every time he takes action? Hurry up and call out the people inside him."
"As you command, boss."
Several men who looked like police officers, leading a group of people in uniforms, crowded the small stall to the brim.
The stall owner with narrowed eyes said nothing nonsense, stepped over the hurdle, and abandoned the stall directly.
All that was left was a dashing figure running away with a bucket.
The team looked helpless and divided into three groups. Two people picked up the remaining toad cages and continued to check the surrounding stalls. A few more people rushed into several small rooms inside.
"Quack!" The water under the barbed wire was poured out.
Not long after, a dozen young men and women wearing shorts, slippers and simple shirts from the hut inside were also kicked out.
They were laughing and joking all the way, their steps were brisk, their faces were comfortable, and some of them shared cigarettes with the police in a friendly manner.
It’s not that I encountered something beautiful that only happens once in ten years, so I couldn’t make this expression.
In the mess, Luna helplessly explained to Fan Ning:
"The production of several kinds of berries and mushrooms with strong hallucinogenic effects in the South is extremely rare and the price is extremely expensive. Therefore, many degenerate people who cannot afford it are eyeing the toads that inhabit the Gorolado salt water basin.
, from time to time I would catch one in my hand and lick it... I can't always imagine what the first person who discovered this alternative method did to the toad..."
"The pimples near their heads may secrete some special substances. It is said that one lick can make people feel cool and pleasant, as well as bring strong hallucinations and pleasure. The quality is stable and the effect is quick, taking 20 seconds.
It works... But, this thing is poisonous! It can cause anxiety, vomiting or epileptic convulsions at least, or it can cause death on the spot. It is not used like this at all. The "flower-touched people" in the church only use it to practice
Make some mysterious potions..."
...Similar to 5-methoxydimethyltryptamine, compounds that can bind to neurotransmitter receptors?
Certain structural formulas and functional groups flashed through Fan Ning's mind, as well as extremely dirty environments such as field ridges and mire where toads lived, and he asked in a very strange tone:
"Putting aside the hallucinogenic harm, are they not disgusting with dirt, bacteria and parasites?"
"The latter is the reason why someone can turn it into a business." Luna curled her lips, "When you want to take a lick and the need comes unexpectedly, but you have to pay more or less attention to hygiene, someone will help you catch it in advance.
The ones that grow bigger, have more stamina, and are cleaned more cleanly become something worth paying for..."
"I think washing the mop is cleaner than it." Fan Ning stared at the muddy water flowing out of the wire cage and shook his head, not realizing that this had deviated from the focus of the problem.
"I said they are already 'fine people'." The little girl continued to curl her lips, "The money for a full meal is not something everyone is willing to pay in two mouthfuls. When we leave the town, we will pass through the coastline and salty water.
When you are in the river, you can pay attention to how many people are rummaging for toads in the fields and licking them like a coconut..."
Fan Ning: "..."
The "Patrol and Regulation Team" composed of the United Principality Police and the Gift Management Bureau were still sweeping the market, and Fan Ning saw more people starting to hurriedly clean up the stalls.
The toolbox confiscated by the police across the street was filled with nails, hammers, drills, knives and other such things. The stall was called "Professional Skull Drilling Surgery".
Before Fan Ning had time to digest the amount of information, the whole family next door picked up the wooden basin and ran away.
Bowls full of mushrooms and fungi were strewn along the street.
The styles are weird and weird, including ones made of hollow red cages, ones with a "death color" combination of green + purple + red, ones with blue-emitting mycelium, ones that look like a few stones in a cup, and ones that look like a bunch of potatoes.
The mud is dotted with tons of tomato sauce...
"Isn't this also for 'eating'?" Fan Ning was amazed by the strange mushrooms all over the place.
Someone has already picked it up.
"Theoretically, they are used for 'food', just in theory." Luna said.
"Due to the hot weather and abundant rain, there are many mushrooms in the southern continent, and their deliciousness is endless. As one of the many gifts from the 'Fanghui Poet', in theory, any kind of mushroom can be eaten, as long as you find the right medicinal materials to cook it.
Cooking method…”
"But you know, this 'suitability' is often prone to problems. The processing method of some poisonous mushrooms is often fatal if the ratio of medicinal materials or the wrong temperature is not right. Especially some mushrooms that are too rare are not only difficult to find, but also require a lot of work.
Human beings have mysterious elements and subtle differences in 'cleansing elixir' that can be safely cooked. Even the upper class cannot often enjoy this top-notch delicacy..."
Seeing Fan Ning's thinking expression, the little girl's expression became a little worried.
She extended her fingers to the promotional materials again and said solemnly: "Mr. Scheler, it is really not advisable to lick toads. In addition, several common mushrooms are also very delicious. You must not be misled by these people's words."
…”
Misleading?
Fan Ning then discovered that under the text of "Don't lick the toad!", there were countless scrawled messages:
"From now on, I just won't lick toads on weekdays. Please don't ruin my Sundays."
"Are you my dad? You're not. Are you Toad's dad? You're not either. Then what do you care about me?"
"These guys never do things with their wits. I didn't know about this at first, but now I'm on my way to find the toad. Thank you."
"You even have to deal with toads, are you going to attack slugs and mushrooms next?"
After a long time, Fan Ning sighed with conviction:
"It's not unreasonable that your place is so vast and so sparsely populated."