Chapter 412 - 272: Found the Weakness

At the crack of dawn the next morning, Su Zhi left the village under Wang Baichuan’s guidance.

Wang Baichuan clearly hadn’t planned on telling his grandfather; knowing the old man’s temper, he surely wouldn’t have agreed. Su Zhi didn’t press the issue. He asked another villager to pass on a message, then set off with Wang Baichuan for the Golden Stone Forest.

The two young men walked at a brisk pace.

The signs of human settlement quickly vanished behind them, and they were soon enveloped by the quiet wilderness.

Wang Baichuan was extremely cautious along the way. He would periodically stop to listen or examine tracks in the environment, terrified of attracting Earthquake Beasts or other Exotic Beasts.

Su Zhi, by contrast, was much more relaxed.

Yu Bao’s Earth Force Field enveloped an area dozens of meters around them, able to detect any disturbance almost instantly. A few Sand Shadow Guards had also been dispatched by Yu Bao to patrol the perimeter. They not only served as lookouts but could even self-destruct if they encountered any trouble.

They were, to put it mildly, incredibly useful.

With this level of security, it would be difficult for other Exotic Beasts to even hide, let alone ambush them.

More importantly, Yu Bao’s current Energy Value had long since reached the Two-star level...

Among the Exotic Beasts of the natural world, this made it a heavyweight contender. Other Exotic Beasts that sensed Yu Bao’s scent and aura would often scramble to get away, fearing they couldn’t flee fast enough.

Even the wild Exotic Beasts that did have higher Energy Values would usually think twice, unwilling to target such a tough nut to crack.

"CHIRP!" "CHIRP!"

Shan Bao hopped along, its face filled with curiosity as it observed its surroundings.

This place looked a bit like the Land of Flash Gold, with chunks of metal covering the ground. However, both the earth and the metal were dull and lusterless, which one could say was the complete opposite of the scenery in the Land of Flash Gold.

"There... seems to be very little soil here." Su Zhi frowned slightly as he looked at the rocky ground.

It seemed to have been the same in the village yesterday. Aside from the "tributes" for the Earthquake Beasts, he’d hardly seen any soil; even the village paths were stone.

If they had been dirt roads, he certainly wouldn’t have subconsciously sat on the ground during the bonfire party.

The farmlands had soil, it was true, but it was extremely barren and saline, unable to produce much grain all year round.

"My grandfather said that a long time ago, there used to be plenty of soil. But then the Earthquake Beasts started attacking people frequently. To pay them tribute, a lot of fertile soil was handed over to the beasts."

Wang Baichuan sighed. "At first, everyone thought it was a good idea to just use some soil to keep their families safe. But over time, the Earthquake Beasts became even more brazen, showing up more and more frequently, and their numbers kept growing.

"To avoid provoking the Earthquake Beasts, everyone frantically searched for soil to offer as tribute, even digging up the fertile land meant for crops. Over time, all the good soil ended up in the bellies of the Earthquake Beasts. Now, there’s hardly any soil left in the entire village.

"The village elders say this is the earth’s retribution, that the Earthquake Beasts are meant to devour all the good soil. Eventually, we won’t be able to grow food, and we’ll all die out."

"I can’t believe things are like this..." Su Zhi couldn’t help but frown.

Combining Wang Baichuan’s description with his own experience from yesterday, Su Zhi reasoned that consuming soil seemed to have an Effect on the Earthquake Beasts similar to a Sedative, thus reducing the likelihood of them attacking people.

And besides those so-called tributes, the Earthquake Beasts evidently also ate soil in the wild, which explained the scene before him...

But what would happen in the future?

The rate at which the Earthquake Beasts consumed soil was clearly faster than its rate of regeneration. If what Wang Baichuan said was true, and their numbers were still increasing, the situation would only become more severe.

’When the day finally comes that the massive swarms of Earthquake Beasts can’t find any more soil to eat, what will they do?’

"Hey, wait a minute." Su Zhi suddenly spotted a flaw in the logic. "Don’t Earthquake Beasts turn into soil when they die? Do you use that for tribute, too?"

"Exactly!"

At the mention of this, the light returned to Wang Baichuan’s eyes. "The Lord Beastmaster sometimes helps us kill lone Earthquake Beasts. Everyone scrambles to collect the soil to make tributes, so we can be safe the next time the Earthquake Beasts show up.

"Besides that, it’s also why everyone raises earth dogs. For one, it’s for good luck. For another, the earth dogs can actually help generate more soil.

"But... compared to the amount of soil the Earthquake Beasts devour, it’s just a drop in the bucket. We have less and less soil to offer, and life gets harder for everyone, year after year."

Su Zhi nodded wistfully. "Constant compromise is not a sustainable solution."

Wang Baichuan gave a bitter smile. "That may be so, but what power do we have to oppose the Earthquake Beasts? Our farm tools can’t pierce their hides, and we’re no match for them physically. Even the Lord Beastmaster has to put in a great deal of effort every time he kills an Earthquake Beast."

"Don’t worry. I’ll help you all figure something out."

Su Zhi patted his shoulder and asked curiously, "You speak as if you’re well-read. Did you attend a private school or something like that in the past?"

"Haha, it was much more impressive than any private school!"

The topic instantly energized Wang Baichuan. "That Lord Beastmaster sometimes holds lectures in town. He teaches the Beast Taming Dao and also some of the teachings of the sages. Many people send their children to listen. If any of them could become a Beastmaster, it would bring great glory to their family!"

’So, a transmigrator predecessor was trying to cultivate local Beastmaster talent...’ Su Zhi asked with great interest, "Has anyone succeeded?"

"No."

Wang Baichuan lowered his head in embarrassment. "It’s shameful to admit, but the Lord Beastmaster once thought I was exceptionally talented and paid me special attention. But in the end, I failed to become a Beastmaster... After that, I stopped going. I’ve been at home farming with my dad ever since."