Chapter 64

An Zhongzhi knew very well that the Nanyue region was still relatively good, with people having enough to eat. In contrast, the Central Plains region was much worse, as years of drought had led to many places being completely barren. Many people were displaced, becoming refugees. These refugees would often sell their children for food, and there were even reports of cannibalism. If these people knew that there was a demon dragon that could provide them with food, they would likely rush to Nanyue in droves, even if it meant traveling thousands of miles.

Thinking about the plight of those refugees, An Zhongzhi sighed. No matter what the demon dragon was like, at least it could provide food. If one starved to death, all their abilities would be in vain. With this thought, An Zhongzhi's resistance to Lin Bei completely disappeared.

Lin Bei, of course, was unaware of An Zhongzhi's change of heart. He had already strayed off course, moving further away from the small river.

The reason was that Lin Bei had discovered the tracks of large wild animals while passing by a bush, specifically the footprints of an elephant herd. The elephant's hooves were too distinctive to be mistaken, so Lin Bei immediately forgot about finding a location and followed the tracks. He didn't know how far he had walked, but it was probably about fifteen or sixteen miles.

Then Lin Bei's eyes lit up as he found new tracks. There were over a dozen hoof prints on a patch of grass. Lin Bei examined them closely and found that the tracks were quite fresh, no more than ten days old. He looked up, his eyes sparkling. Fresh hoof prints meant that the Asian elephant herd had been active nearby. Given their habit of eating as they moved, the herd couldn't have gone far.

Continuing on, Lin Bei found that the elephant herd's tracks became increasingly clear. He then realized, "This is clearly the track of two different herds."

The tracks indicated that two herds had passed through, at different times and on different routes, but in the same direction. Lin Bei was even more delighted. Discovering two herds at once meant that there must be something nearby that attracted the elephants.

What could attract elephants? Naturally, food. Animals are driven by the need to eat, and as long as there is food, they will come. So there must be a type of food that the elephants particularly enjoy, and in large quantities.

Subsequently, Lin Bei found many elephant droppings, which were being diligently processed by dung beetles. These natural scavengers were also abundant in the forest. Elephants produce nearly a hundred pounds of droppings daily, and without the dung beetles, the stench would likely permeate the entire forest.

"Generally, after an elephant herd produces droppings, dung beetles can hatch in about ten days. In a humid and warm environment, the hatching process can be even faster, perhaps in five or six days. Given the current weather, five or six days should be about right."

This meant that the elephant herd was indeed getting closer.

This was confirmed as Lin Bei continued. After walking another ten miles or so, the droppings became more numerous, and the dung beetles were even more abundant. Then, Lin Bei looked ahead and his eyes widened: "Holy crap, what a huge pile of droppings..."

There were few things that could surprise Lin Bei, but the sight before him truly exceeded his expectations. Ahead was a 'black mountain' of droppings, about twenty meters high, quite large. Dung beetles with a slightly glossy shell were crawling all over it, creating a scene that looked like a disgusting piece of art.

"Damn, how much can they poop..." Lin Bei felt embarrassed. Even if the elephant herd pooped a hundred pounds a day, it would take years to accumulate such a large 'mountain.' However, this was a paradise for dung beetles, and if there was enough food, they could live for several years.

After a few distant glances, Lin Bei moved his gaze away, a bit apprehensive. He observed the surrounding environment and realized that this was a valley. He circled around the 'black mountain' and confirmed that it was indeed a valley, and the entrance to the valley seemed to be right where the 'black mountain' was.

"Damn."

Lin Bei circled back and stared intently at the 'black mountain.' Upon closer inspection, he could see a large cave at the bottom, about four or five meters high. The formation of this cave made Lin Bei worry that the 'black mountain' of droppings might collapse at any moment.

"If it collapses while I'm passing through... oh no..." Lin Bei felt his scalp tingle at the thought.

To enter or not to enter? Lin Bei hesitated for a long time, then gritted his teeth, held his breath, and didn't dare to look at the crawling dung beetles. He lowered his head and slipped inside.

Inside was a cave, but it was not very long, only about ten meters. Then the space opened up. As Lin Bei emerged from the cave, he heard the trumpeting of elephants.

Looking up, he saw that the valley was quite large, about three hundred meters long. The elephant herd was not far from him. The elephants had already noticed Lin Bei's presence. The ones that were lying down stood up, their trunks waving, their feet stomping the ground, and they roared to scare him, hoping that this unexpected visitor would leave.

"Wow, one, two, three... twenty-one elephants." Lin Bei counted them and was greatly amazed. In modern times, it was almost impossible to see such a large herd of elephants unless one went to the African savanna and had extremely good luck.

Among the twenty-one elephants, there were five calves, which were tightly huddled around their mothers' feet, curiously watching this unexpected visitor. They occasionally trumpeted to show their presence.

This trumpeting could only scare some unintelligent animals. Elephants are relatively gentle and do not attack other animals, so they were only trying to intimidate. Lin Bei was not afraid at all.

"What do so many elephants eat?"

The elephant herd must have gathered here because there was an abundant food source. After observing the herd, Lin Bei turned his gaze to the other side, where there was a large area of vegetation, growing exceptionally lush. Seeing the leaves, Lin Bei recognized that it was a large field of yams.

The valley, the yam field—this was why the elephant herd had gathered here. Considering the 'black mountain' he had passed earlier, it was clear that this was the elephant herd's base.

PS: Recently, many people have pointed out errors. To be honest, I am not very knowledgeable about history, so there are definitely many mistakes. However, this is a novel, and I am not responsible for historical accuracy. I am not worried that you will be misled. If you can't continue reading, please close the page. If you can continue, I would appreciate your recommendations and collections. Thank you.

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