Chapter 254: The Golden Jellyfish Lake

People, after they are full, tend to get sleepy!

...

Half an hour later, Chen Jianhai and Xiao Lang, having devoured two pizzas each, lounged back in their seats with their bellies protruding, engrossed in their phones, too stuffed to move.

"Bro, are we going or not?" Xiao Lang nudged Chen Jianhai's shoe, yawning sleepily.

Chen Jianhai was equally lethargic. It was already noon, and after eating so much, it seemed only fitting to enjoy a nap in the air conditioning, hugging a pillow.

"Are you setting up your BBQ stall tonight?" Chen Jianhai asked, sounding drowsy.

If Xiao Lang wasn't going to set up his BBQ stall, they could wait until evening when it was cooler to go out.

Xiao Lang rolled his eyes at Chen Jianhai: "Is your hotel going to open tomorrow?"

Hearing this, Chen Jianhai sighed helplessly and jumped up from his seat, "Come on, let's go for a walk to digest!"

...

Xiao Lang had no idea where Chen Jianhai was taking him, but he just followed along anyway. Wearing flip-flops, they walked towards the northern mountains of Xiao Ma Jia Island under the scorching sun.

After a while, Xiao Lang asked curiously, "Hai Ge, isn't this the route we took for our half-marathon?"

Chen Jianhai nodded, "Yes, I'm taking you on a trip down memory lane of our glorious moments!"

They continued walking until they reached a familiar turn, and suddenly, a cold and familiar system voice echoed:

"Ding!"

"Detected nearby: Side quest available: The Disappearing Golden Jellyfish Lake. Please use hidden tools to explore the area."

This is it! Chen Jianhai stopped in his tracks and started looking around.

To their left was the blue ocean. To their right was the rising mountain of Xiao Ma Jia Island. The Starry Coast Road they were on was the main road of the island, leading directly to the mountain top.

"Could the Golden Jellyfish Lake be up the mountain?" Chen Jianhai looked up at the mountain peak on the right and carefully searched along the Starry Coast Road.

"Hai Ge, what are you looking for?" Xiao Lang, puzzled, followed closely behind, looking around.

"Looking for a path up the mountain," Chen Jianhai replied.

As he spoke, he pulled up the system panel in his mind and opened the item tab. When the island hotel faced a storm and the islanders built a dam together, they unlocked a golden achievement: Unity of the Island Residents. Among the achievement rewards was a rare one-time purple item: the Object-Finding Magnifying Glass.

"I wonder if this is the tool to find the Jellyfish Lake... Let's give it a try."

Though Chen Jianhai hesitated aloud, he went ahead and took out the Object-Finding Magnifying Glass from the item tab. Instantly, it felt like he was wearing VR glasses. The blue sky, white clouds, and green trees were now overlaid with a purple filter. About 500 meters up the mountain, a faint golden light column appeared through the filter.

"Xiao Lang, this way!" Chen Jianhai broke a branch from a nearby tree and started clearing the bushes in front of them, following the direction of the golden light.

...

Though the mountain on Xiao Ma Jia Island appeared desolate, it was actually teeming with life, with grass covering the paths. Being outside the hotel's influence, the surroundings were filled with various insects, mosquitoes, and thorny plants and vines. As they entered the mountain, the noise of the island seemed to be left behind, replaced by the sounds of insects and the rustling of grass. Initially, the climb was gentle, but it became steeper as they progressed, with no real path beneath their feet. If not for Chen Jianhai's Object-Finding Magnifying Glass guiding them, they would have been lost by now.

"The hotel is much better. The mosquitoes here are too fierce!" Xiao Lang complained, hugging trees as they climbed to avoid slipping.

Chen Jianhai, leading the way, had his legs scratched by the thorny plants. Suddenly, he stopped and cursed, "Damn it!"

The path was blocked by a steep slope, about three meters high, creating a sheer drop. To continue, they had to get over this obstacle.

"You step on me and climb up, then pull me up," Chen Jianhai suggested, squatting down to let Xiao Lang step on his shoulders.

"I'm good at this!" Xiao Lang's eyes lit up. During their school days, they often sneaked out at night to go to internet cafes. Like a nimble monkey, Xiao Lang climbed up the slope, grabbing a thick branch with one hand and reaching down with the other to help Chen Jianhai. They easily scaled the slope together.

After a few more steps along the mountain path, Chen Jianhai pushed aside some leaves and weeds, and the scene before him left him stunned. A dark green lake, like a mirror, lazily reflected the surrounding trees and clouds. In the water, countless transparent jellyfish floated to the surface, their jelly-like umbrellas shimmering with golden light, as if holding a grand ball. From a distance, it looked like a bowl of soft white fungus soup.

"This Jellyfish Lake is beautiful!" Chen Jianhai murmured, captivated by the sight. He never imagined that Xiao Ma Jia Island would have such a magical place!

The jellyfish in the lake were either orange-red or transparent white. Strangely, none of them were large; they were all small, like little water bubbles with tiny tentacles, lazily floating to the surface, pulsating in the water. Among the jellyfish, triangular fish occasionally swam by. Unlike the cute and soft jellyfish, these fish looked fierce, with silver scales glistening in the green water, patterned with black and silver like leopard spots. They had two rows of fins, with a black line the thickness of a pinky connecting the first row to their bodies. Their crocodile-like mouths pointed downward, resembling grumpy old men, swimming lazily among the jellyfish.

Xiao Lang stared at the fish for a long time, "Hai Ge, what kind of fish is this? Can we eat it?"

Chen Jianhai was puzzled, "Never seen it before! Why do you always think about eating everything you see!"

Xiao Lang extended a branch and gently poked a jellyfish in the lake. The orange jellyfish, startled, darted away, hiding among its companions.

"Do you think these fish eat the jellyfish? Otherwise, why are the jellyfish so small here?" Xiao Lang asked, having fun poking the jellyfish one by one.

Chen Jianhai shook his head, "I don't think so. Look, the fish are eating algae. They're probably herbivores. And if they were eating the jellyfish, there wouldn't be so many jellyfish in the lake."

As he spoke, a leopard-spotted fish suddenly opened its mouth and bit a jellyfish in half, swallowing one part while the other half slowly sank into the lake.

The fish, having tasted the jellyfish, wagged its tail happily and swam deeper into the lake.

Chen Jianhai: ???