Chapter 463 - 297: Forest on the Sea

Chapter 463: Chapter 297: Forest on the Sea

"Of course."

Lin Chen smiled and opened his backpack. From inside, he took out a bag of peeled garlic cloves, as well as essential ingredients like oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, scallions, and Thai chilies.

It was true they were here for a wilderness survival experience, but he hadn’t forgotten that the reason he got famous was his ability to cook delicious food.

This wasn’t a TV show set, so there was no need to make things so difficult. A taste of survival was enough. The food, however, couldn’t be too bad, or they’d lose their only source of joy and motivation.

Since they were only here for three days and two nights, he hadn’t brought much—just small portions of everything. It would be enough to guarantee one good meal a day, no problem.

After confirming last night that this was a tool-free survival challenge, he guessed they might be trying to imitate his route by heading straight for the coast. That’s why he had prepared these ingredients.

Even if they hadn’t gone to the coast, he could still use these ingredients for regular cooking.

But in that case, they would have to start a fire.

"You take her to the coast to try your luck. I’ll go find some tinder and firewood nearby, and see if I can find anything else to help start a fire."

Erica rolled her eyes, a look on her face that said, ’I knew it.’

"I’ll go gather firewood instead. You’re the star of this channel, so you should be the one leading."

Without giving him a chance to refuse, she walked straight toward the forest.

"Alright then. I’ll take you to gather some ingredients for tonight’s dinner. Besides oysters, is there anything else you’d like to eat?"

"I think I saw you make a crab dish before. I’m quite interested in that. You know, we don’t usually eat small crabs."

’Of course, Marcia had hoped Erica would go with her, but she knew that was unlikely, so she wasn’t surprised by this outcome at all.’

’Still, going with Lin Chen had its advantages. At least she could observe what kind of person he was.’

’The show might have shown a record of his real life, sure, but it was all captured on camera. It was very possible he was just putting on an act.’

’Things were different now. Although there were still cameras, for a seasoned CEO like her who had seen it all, no one could put on a perfect act right under her nose.’

’She just wanted to see for herself if this young man from Great Xia, the one her daughter had her eyes on, was worthy of her trust.’

’From this morning until now, she hadn’t found any problems yet. He had his own principles and could also mediate conflicts between them appropriately.’

’Perhaps due to cultural differences and his age, his way of handling some things was still a bit immature—at least in her eyes. But he was still a huge improvement over her own willful daughter.’

"Crabs, huh? Alright, we’ll see if we can catch some later."

Lin Chen led the way, stopping from time to time to observe their surroundings and, in doing so, wait for Marcia, who was having trouble walking.

He didn’t offer to support her. She was a hotel CEO, after all, and had her pride. Letting her walk slowly on her own was more appropriate.

When Marcia came to a stop beside him, Lin Chen suddenly pointed to a large mass of long, strip-like objects bobbing on the surface of the sea not far away.

"Do you know what that is?"

"Of course," Marcia said, following his finger with her gaze and nodding without hesitation. "Bull kelp. It’s one of the most common types of kelp in the cold waters of North America."

"Not bad. It is indeed bull kelp. So, here’s a question: what does it mean when a large amount of bull kelp appears on the surface of the sea?"

"What does it mean?"

Marcia paused, thinking silently for a moment before saying tentatively, "Abundant biological resources?"

"You could say that. For a tourist who hasn’t specifically studied it, that answer is good enough."

Lin Chen smiled, nodded, and continued to explain, "Bull kelp is one of the largest seaweeds in the world. It can grow 20 to 40 meters long—about the height of a ten-story building—and its roots are anchored to rocks on the seabed. This means that wherever it grows, it forms an underwater forest."

"March, in the spring, is when bull kelp grows fastest. These extensive underwater forest structures provide a natural habitat for fish, shrimp, crabs, mammals, and more, significantly reducing their risk of being caught by predators."

"This type of kelp forest creates a three-tiered structure in the ocean: the surface, the midwater, and the seabed."

"At this time of year, the most common sight on the surface is the sea otter. They usually float on the water to rest, occasionally catching small seafood that comes to the surface. Then there are harbor seals and sea lions, which love to linger near harbors and even come ashore to play."

"Besides them, Seagulls, Bald Eagles, cormorants, and murres are also very common creatures."

"If we could take a boat out, this is also a great season for whale watching, especially for gray whales, which undertake their great spring migration during this period. Orca activity also becomes more frequent, but none of that affects the shore and nearshore waters."

"The midwater region is home to many small marine animals: various kinds of fish, squid, cuttlefish, schools of shrimp, sea turtles, jellyfish, and so on."

"The species on the seabed are relatively more abundant, especially sea urchins. Their main food source is kelp."

Marcia stared thoughtfully at the calm surface of the sea. "You mean there are a lot of sea urchins down there?"

"No," Lin Chen said, wagging a finger. "There will be sea urchins down there, but definitely not many."

"Hmm? What do you mean? Didn’t you say kelp is the main food for sea urchins? With so much bull kelp here, the bottom should be covered in them."

"The principle behind it is actually very simple. It would be too boring for me to just give you the answer. Why don’t you think about it for a bit, Ma’am? When I used to explain things to Erica, she always got it right away."

’The implication was clear: If Erica can figure it out, then you, as her mother, can surely figure it out too, right?’

Marcia raised an eyebrow and gave him a slightly amused look, but she didn’t call him out on it.

’She had no idea what that girl Erica had been telling him. This man, who had been speaking on her behalf earlier, was now testing her.’

’Is he trying to make me look foolish to get a little payback for that girl?’

’This is more like it. While winning my favor is important, the most crucial thing is for me to see that you two love each other. Otherwise, he’s just a fake, a phony.’

She wasn’t in a hurry. After all these years, what storms hadn’t she weathered? This little test wasn’t enough to stump her.

She pinched her chin and thought quietly for a moment. After sorting out the logical connections, the answer gradually emerged.

"I’ve got it."

"Sea urchins can’t swim; they live almost exclusively on the seabed. So when they eat, they must be gnawing on the roots of the kelp."

"And the bull kelp’s roots are the only thing anchoring them. Once the roots are gnawed through, the tides will carry the kelp away, and slowly, you won’t see a kelp forest like this on the surface anymore."

"In other words, the reason there are few sea urchins where the bull kelp is dense is because they haven’t moved here yet. So, if we just move along the edges of the kelp bed, to its periphery, we’re sure to find large patches of sea urchins on the seabed."

CLAP, CLAP, CLAP, CLAP—

Lin Chen clapped, full of admiration.

’As expected of Erica’s mother,’ he thought. ’A self-made female CEO. She figured out the correct answer in such a short time, even in a field she’s never been exposed to.’

"Excellent. Your analysis is completely correct. The season when the water is cold is when sea urchin meat is sweetest and richest. Although the temperature has started to rise now, it hasn’t had much effect on the seabed yet. Plus, spring is the sea urchins’ spawning season, so they are at their plumpest right now."

Since he’d said all that, as someone who could free-dive, he would definitely have to show off his skills.

Besides, her feet were already blistered. Making her go into the sea would only make the blisters break faster.

’It’s best not to let those things break before they get worse. The skin is the body’s safest protective layer.’

He didn’t rush into the water. Instead, he walked slowly along the pebble beach at the edge of the coast.

The terrain here was rather complex and uneven. It wasn’t a long, straight stretch of beach, but was composed mainly of pebbles and reefs. Occasionally, you could see a small patch of sand, but the grains were coarse and mixed with many small stones, making it unsuitable for walking barefoot.

Scattered among the pebbles were many broken shells and empty crab carapaces—leftovers from the meals of seagulls or sea otters, it seemed.

"Quick, look."

He suddenly stopped and pointed to the sea not far ahead.

Amidst the dense kelp forest, a cute little head was floating quietly on the surface. Its pitch-black nose and dazed, adorable expression immediately gave away its identity.

"What a cute little guy."

Marcia hadn’t expected to see a sea otter so soon. She recalled the last time she’d seen one was probably when she took a young Erica to see a show at a marine park.

In the blink of an eye, nearly twenty years had passed.

"It looks like it’s taking a nap. Look at that dazed expression. I’m so envious. No work, just eating and sleeping all day."

"Tell me about it."

After sighing with emotion for a moment, the two continued walking.

It wasn’t that they didn’t want to watch longer, but time waits for no one. They hadn’t even started a fire, and dinner was still nowhere in sight. The sun was creeping closer to the horizon; if they didn’t hurry, it would be dark soon.

They walked for a good seven or eight minutes. The bull kelp on the sea’s surface had clearly started to thin out, but there wasn’t a single crab to be seen on the shore.

"Looks like the crabs here are very wary. They probably only come out after dark. In that case, we’ll have to get in the water. Shellfish like oysters, abalone, and Green Mussels usually only live on the edges of reefs that get washed by the tide. We won’t find them in our current position."

"I’m going too."

"Huh? But your feet..."

"It’s fine. We’re here for the experience. I can’t miss out on the process of getting my own food, can I? Besides, I brought medicine."

’Damn, she’s one tough cookie.’

’Once her socks get wet, walking back with wet feet in her shoes will definitely tear her blisters open. And we still have a five or six-hour hike the day after tomorrow. This lady is really tough on herself.’