Capítulo 25: Section 26: A Terrible Hypothesis

Editor: Henyee Translations

Tentatively, Cang Xu continued his eloquent speech.

"I have served the Shata family and lived in the desert oasis for decades. The desert lacks water, and during certain parts of the year, there are particularly dry seasons. Most of the oases dry up, and some even disappear."

"In our homeland, there is a type of red frog. It buries itself deep underground, drinks as much as possible, and its body expands several times its normal size to store as much water as it can."

"Then, during the drought, it remains motionless, much like a bear in hibernation."

"At this time, it is extremely vulnerable. It has no mobility, and its body, swollen from storing too much water, has very fragile and thin skin."

"However, it is precisely this change that allows the water-bag red frog to survive the drought. Conversely, much stronger beasts perish in the sand."

"This is the taste of nature; the water-bag red frog has found its niche in the natural world. It has strong survival skills, yet it is also very fragile."

"To survive in nature, it has already exerted its utmost effort. It has no way to grow claws, wings, and so on. The more powerful the organs, the more nutrients are needed to grow. The more delicate the structure, the longer it takes to evolve."

"Competition in nature is exceedingly cruel with enormous pressure, preventing the evolution of species like the Monkey-tailed Brown Bear or the skull-winged deer."

"If the environment were very lenient, with no pressure to survive, creatures would become lazy, obese, and leisurely; neither the Monkey-tailed Brown Bear nor the skull-winged deer would exhibit such powerful life forms."

"Such species can only be artificial."

Zi Di sighed deeply: "I am enlightened. Mr. Cang Xu, your knowledge deserves my utmost admiration."

Zhenjin nodded, also expressing his agreement.

Lan Zao, who had heard Cang Xu's analysis before, echoed, "Without Mr. Cang Xu, we would have died in that desert long ago."

Cang Xu continued, "Of course, all this is merely my conjecture. I have no evidence to prove it yet, but I am almost certain that these strange magic beasts are not natural creations. Aside from artificial creations being the most likely, there might also be mutations caused by certain minerals or the residual effects of spells."

Lan Zao couldn't help but ask, "Then who could create so many magic beasts? Which great figure in the Empire did it? Could it be a god? Only a god has the power of creation, doesn't it?"

Zi Di shook her head slightly: "It could also be a mage. From what I know, a Legendary Mage can modify and manage a Half-plane, isn't that akin to the creation of worlds by gods?"

Cang Xu sighed deeply: "Perhaps it was a Legendary Mage, or maybe a god among the Empire's high officials who set up His creation experiment site here. This island covers a considerable area but has never been discovered. Its location is actually very close to the Pig Kiss's sailing route. Our landing on this island was purely an accident, a result of the shipwreck."

Lan Zao's face turned slightly pale: "This island is too terrifying. How strong must the existence that can hide this island and create so many monsters be!? It would be easier for Him to crush us than an ant. But why hasn't He wiped us out? We discovered His secret!"

Cang Xu spoke softly, "Perhaps He isn't currently on this island. Maybe He left? Or He simply doesn't care, and all our actions are under His surveillance. He watches us struggle here for amusement. Only when we are on the verge of successfully escaping will He make a move."

Lan Zao, on the verge of losing control, exclaimed, "Then aren't we doomed?!"

The atmosphere in the tent became incredibly heavy.

Facing such a great existence, any escape plan, even the young knight's grand ambitions, seemed like a joke.

After a long while, Zhenjin exhaled a murky breath: "Mr. Cang Xu's conjecture is shocking yet reasonable. According to this hypothesis, we might as well speculate further. The landscape mutation here should also be artificial. Mr. Cang Xu, do you think it is due to a divine spell of land shifting or a teleportation magic array?"

Cang Xu sighed, "First of all, I personally believe the landscape mutation is not targeted at us. To target us and eliminate us is too easy for a great existence. There is no need for such effort."

"Secondly, compared to divine spells, I lean more towards teleportation magic arrays."

"We have personally experienced the landscape mutation. The whole process was very rapid. In a trance, we found ourselves transported from the desert into the forest. This is very consistent with the description of magical teleportation in books."

"I believe that the landscape mutation here is due to us being teleported. The terrain itself has not moved. Otherwise, the energy required to shift large landmasses periodically would be too great."

"Of course, all this is just my surmise. It is like ants speculating about the scenery in the clouds—ridiculous and overestimating our capabilities."

"Lastly, I think the teleportation mechanism, which appears to be landscape mutation, is likely one of the island owner's measures to maintain the island's ecology."

Zi Di blinked: "How did you come to this conclusion, sir?"

Cang Xu responded, "I have already discovered that not only were we teleported, but many wild beasts and fierce beasts also arrived at new places with the teleportation."

A flash of lightning crossed Zhenjin's mind as he thought of the Scale-Horned Black Panther group.

The group should have originally lived in the jungle, but they found themselves in the forest, alongside the young boy and girl.

There, they needed to establish new territories, first contending with the Monkey-tailed Brown Bear, then suffering losses among the Blade Spider Group.

Zi Di looked at Cang Xu: "If these beasts were also teleported, then perhaps the island's owner wants them to fight each other to select the strongest monster. It's like the Alchemy Guild's Alchemy Puppet Tournament to cultivate the strongest Biological Weapon?"

Cang Xu smiled: "Zi Di, your analysis is quite reasonable, and that possibility indeed exists. But I still insist that maintaining ecology is more likely."

"Don't you feel that the natural balance of this island is quite fragile?"

"Though nature seems vast and boundless, it has a delicate side."

"The Shata family annually hires a bishop from the Holy Temple to help increase crop yield. I once communicated with them and was fortunate to consult with wandering druids."

"There are various life cycles in nature. To give the simplest example, plants grow from the soil and are grazed upon by herbivores. The blood and flesh of herbivores become food for carnivores. The excrement of these animals nourishes plants. Their bones decompose in the soil, turning into nutrients."

"Nature is filled with such life cycles. Even the most powerful predators will face death from mutual battles or succumb to age and harsh environmental changes."

"The Shata family once suffered several consecutive years of locust plagues. With the help of a Druid Master, they discovered that the locusts' proliferation was due to a decline in the population of bread scorpions that consumed their eggs."

"Why did the bread scorpions decrease? It was because, in those years, the Shata family began to build their own cavalry. They purchased many land birds, which, when free-ranging, loved to peck at the bread scorpions under the sand."

"The life cycle is like a chain, with each link connected to the next. They influence each other. If any link has a problem, it could amplify into a catastrophic result."

Cang Xu concluded, "There are too many monsters on this island, which are not naturally occurring, and it burdens the island's ecology greatly. The cycle of life will break easily, causing irreparable disasters."

"You're right." Zhenjin nodded.

He thought of the Monkey-tailed Brown Bear.

This Silver Fierce Beast feeds on ores, and it apparently has no natural enemies.

If left to survive, it would eventually consume all the ores. The heat-emitting ore veins have been a significant factor in that region. Once they are consumed, it would cause dramatic consequences, like a sudden drop in temperature.

In the end, due to the teleportation mechanism, the Monkey-tailed Brown Bear fought the Scale-Horned Black Panther group and finally died at Zhenjin's hands.

The future natural crisis of the island was thus prematurely averted.

Zi Di's thoughts expanded: "So, the owner of this island deliberately created jungles, forests, deserts, and snow peaks to control these fierce beasts, stabilizing the island's ecology and maintaining natural balance? But I still feel like He aims to select a monster that can adapt to all environments and be the strongest!"

The girl did not abandon her guess about Biological Weapons.

Cang Xu added: "I believe that teleportation is just one of the measures the Island Master uses to stabilize the ecology. He must have taken other steps."

"For instance, the Fire Poison Bee."

"Don't you think that this bee species was specially made to prevent forest fires?"

"And the Magic Ban environment. Here, low-level magic and fighting energy are strictly prohibited, even more rigorously than the Magic Prohibition Rings in Sky City. This doesn't seem like a defense mechanism, as there is no need to defend against low-level enemies; instead, it's like shackles, preventing those beasts from utilizing their full abilities."

"So, I speculate that this Magic Ban environment is a measure to protect these monsters."

"Please enlighten us." Zi Di requested humbly.

Cang Xu continued, "The magic beasts on the island are not naturally derived. Although their bodies are stable, they are not in harmony with the natural environment, and their magic energies conflict, making it difficult for them to absorb elements and form Demon Crystals."

"This might be the aspect the Island Master wishes to improve. He achieved bodily stability, an incredible feat. But the patchwork bodies led to issues in elemental absorption, which He currently cannot solve perfectly."

"Chaotic magic energy is inherently unstable and can sometimes cause explosions; even with suppression, it causes magic corrosion to the host. Should chaotic magic's harm be ignored, it would be difficult for a magic beast to survive more than a week."

"Thus, He created a special environment banning low-level magic and fighting energy, protecting these monsters by ensuring their stability and longevity."

"Regarding magical energy matters, Lord Zhenjin and Zi Di, you should know more than I do."

Zi Di nodded slightly, lost in thought.

Zhenjin's expression turned solemn.

He quietly analyzed the current situation: "On this island, we have encountered Bronze Level, Black Iron Level, Silver Level, and even Golden Level magic beasts."

"According to the current analysis, the chaotic magic energy of the Golden Level is also successfully suppressed by this environment."

"In this case, at least Holy Domain Level warriors can freely use fighting energy here?"

No matter how genius he is, Zhenjin couldn't reach Holy Domain Level at his age.

P.S.: I recommend a good book—"The Calamity of Origin," also a fantasy novel with excellent writing. Even the most mundane system should have a burning heart for adventures! There are already 270,000 words, and if you're interested, please check it out.

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