Chapter 1002 - 21: Tree Shepherd

The reason Chen Wen was able to identify this as a bear trail was mainly because it was quite wide!

Only brown bears need such wide paths.

Chen Wen thought to himself as he looked around on this bear trail, searching for more information about the brown bears.

Soon, at the side of the trail, Chen Wen found a fork.

He followed the fork and walked a distance forward until a tree appeared in front of Chen Wen.

The tree looked like a type of Spruce, very tall and lush.

But at the base of the tree trunk, near the roots, there was a very noticeable large mark.

Chen Wen walked over and observed it carefully.

He discovered it was likely caused by something rubbing against it; the bark had become very smooth from the friction.

"This..."

Chen Wen stroked the bark, a thought occurring to him: "Bear rubbing against the tree!"

Bears rubbing against trees is a common behavior.

Brown bears are solitary animals; they rarely actively contact their kind. So to mark their territory and keep others out, brown bears constantly rub against trees to leave their scent.

Of course, the reason to mark the territory this way is because they have developed sebaceous glands on their neck, shoulders, and back, which secrete pheromones carrying their scent.

When a brown bear rubs against a tree, it leaves its unique smell on the tree.

It’s akin to putting up a "forest bulletin board," communicating to other brown bears: This area is mine, stay away!

During mating season, this information changes to: Hey, I’m absurdly strong, beautiful bear sisters come have fun!

Something like that.

Of course, rubbing against trees also has a skin-protecting effect.

It can relieve itches, remove dirt and food residues from their bodies, and even rub off thick old fur.

Thus for brown bears, the places they frequently rub are important parts of their territory that they visit often.

Standing in front of this Spruce, Chen Wen looked carefully; he decided to use his new ability—[Tree Shepherd].

This would be the first time Chen Wen tried using it.

[Tree Shepherd: You can now be more intimate with trees, actively communicate with them, sense their condition, and help them grow. Afterward, you can extract the tree’s entry. The tree whose entry is extracted is regarded as a special animal. PS: Communication requires a cooling period of one week.]

Activate!

Chen Wen gently stroked the Spruce in front of him.

In his mind, his consciousness seemed like a pair of soft hands gently caressing the Spruce before him.

The Spruce’s leaves moved without wind.

[Tree Shepherd] took effect!

Accompanied by the merging of Chen Wen’s consciousness with the Spruce tree’s, soon, Chen Wen could feel the emotions of the Spruce.

His unexpected realization was that the Spruce’s emotion...

Chen Wen opened his eyes with a peculiar expression and looked at the Spruce tree.

The Spruce’s desire was simple—by any means necessary, drive away the annoying brown bear constantly rubbing against it!

So that’s it.

Chen Wen pondered, revealing a thoughtful expression.

[Tree Shepherd] was equivalent to allowing Chen Wen to acquire a task from a plant. Completing the task would enable him to extract the top entry from that plant.

Simultaneously, that plant would be like a special animal, residing in Chen Wen’s mind.

This ability is quite interesting!

Chen Wen chuckled; it was perfect as the tree’s task aligned with his goal!

Perfect!

Chen Wen continued to communicate with the tree using his consciousness, inquiring when the brown bear would come around.

The Spruce began to communicate with Chen Wen.

After about a dozen seconds, Chen Wen showed a look of realization.

According to the Spruce’s "tell," the bear doesn’t come daily, but when it does, it’s usually in the evening or afternoon.

Seems a bit unlucky; it’d be better to actively search for that bear.

Chen Wen thought and patted the thick trunk of the Spruce: Hang in there!

But soon you won’t have to suffer!

The Spruce seemed to understand Chen Wen’s intention; it gently shook its leaves as though cheering for Chen Wen.

This tree was quite tormented by the bear.

Chen Wen smiled and left the area.

But soon after he stepped out, a call from high above by Golden Eagle resonated: "Northwest! Northwest direction!"

"The bear is in the northwest direction, it’s eating there!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Wen’s expression changed.

The northwest direction; it was a bit far from Hua Yun and the others, need to get Hua Yun and the others to come over a bit.

Chen Wen thought and said loudly: "Go and notify those people, let them come over here and wait near the trail I’m at, let them come to this side!"

As soon as Golden Eagle heard Chen Wen’s words, it quickly responded: "Then be careful, the bear is not far in the northwest!"

Chen Wen nodded: "Rest assured, if I can’t handle it, I’ll just transform and make a run for it!"

Golden Eagle pondered that if Chen Wen indeed transformed and bolted, the bear surely wouldn’t catch up with him.

Thinking this, Golden Eagle felt more at ease: "Then take care, I’ll be off!"

...

After Golden Eagle left, Chen Wen took out his spear.

He slowly approached the northwest direction.

After advancing stealthily about several hundred meters.

Chen Wen’s nostrils slightly flared as he caught a whiff of unusual scents.

The scent was somewhat foul, akin to the smell of carrion, yet also carried a faint animal smell.

Appears to be nearby!

Chen Wen thought, cautiously activating the entry [Gua Fragrance] to mask his own scent.

At other times, Chen Wen would not activate the [Gua Fragrance] entry when facing brown bears.

Because brown bears are more herbivorous; in their diet, plant-based food accounts for nearly eighty percent.

But at this critical point near winter, brown bears won’t be overly interested in plants.

They now urgently need fat reserves, so they tend to eat animals to acquire more fat.

During this time, activating [Gua Fragrance] won’t attract the brown bear’s attention.

Continuing with the entry activated.

After walking for about five minutes, Chen Wen gently paused.

In front of him, an extremely large brown bear was eating in a forest clearing.

What was it eating?

Chen Wen stared for a while and vaguely discerned the carrion appeared to be a fawn.

Judging by the state of decomposition, this heap of meat seemed aged with little fat.

Looks like this bear is very short of food and can’t find anything fresh, hence it’s interested in this rotten lean meat.

Luring this brown bear then becomes very simple.

Once a person emerges, the brown bear will naturally pounce.

After all, although Chen Wen might have less fat content compared to the carrion, he’s better than the rotted lean meat.

Thinking this, Chen Wen ceased hesitation.

He decisively stepped out and came before the brown bear.

The brown bear immediately noticed Chen Wen.

As one of the top terrestrial carnivores, if brown bears have a six-dimensional chart, it’d surely max out in perception, combat, defense, movement, intelligence, and endurance, being a hexagon warrior!

Thus, the moment Chen Wen emerged, the brown bear locked onto his position, sizing up Chen Wen’s physique.

After assessing, the brown bear concluded: The thing before him is edible!

It opened its mouth, displaying a vicious demeanor!