A Terrifying Conjecture

Inside the tent, Cang Xu continued speaking with eloquence.

"I served the Shata Family and lived in the Desert Oasis for decades. The desert lacks water, and every year there are especially severe dry seasons. Most oases dry up, some even vanish entirely."

"Where I lived, there was a kind of red frog. It buries itself deep underground, drinking as much water as it can. Its body swells several times over, storing as much moisture as possible."

"Then, when drought arrives, they remain completely still, like bears hibernating through winter."

"At such times, they are exceptionally vulnerable. They cannot move at all, and because their bodies hold so much water, their skin swells taut and becomes extraordinarily thin and fragile."

"Yet it is precisely this change that allows the Water Sac Red Frog to endure the dry season. Beasts far stronger than them, meanwhile, perish in the sea of sand."

"That is nature's charm. The Water Sac Red Frog found its own suitable place in nature. It possesses formidable survival abilities, yet it is also very fragile."

"To survive in nature, it has already done all it can. It cannot grow claws, fangs, wings, and the like. The more powerful an organ is, the more nourishment it requires to develop. The more intricate a structure is, the longer it takes to evolve."

"Competition in nature is brutally cruel and the pressure immense. Species like the Monkey-Tailed Brown Bear and White Bone Winged Deer would never evolve."

"If the environment were too forgiving, if there were no pressure to survive, creatures would become lazy, fat, and idle. There would likewise be no powerful lifeforms such as the Monkey-Tailed Brown Bear or White Bone Winged Deer."

"Such species can only be artificially made."

Zi Di let out a long sigh. "I have learned much. Mr. Cang Xu, your knowledge earns my heartfelt admiration."

Zhen Jin nodded, also expressing his agreement.

Lan Zao had long heard this analysis from Cang Xu and now echoed him. "Without Mr. Cang Xu, we would likely have died in that desert long ago."

Cang Xu continued, "Of course, all this is merely my conjecture. I have yet to find evidence to prove it. But I am almost certain that these bizarre Magic Beasts are not creations of nature. Aside from artificial creation being the most likely possibility, they may also be species mutated by some mineral or the aftermath of magic."

Lan Zao could not help asking, "Then who could create so many Magic Beasts? Some great figure in the Empire? Could it be a god? Only gods possess the mighty power of creation, don't they?"

Zi Di shook her head slightly. "Mages are also possible. As far as I know, Legendary-level mages can alter and manage Demiplanes. Isn't that an imitation of a god creating the world?"

Cang Xu sighed bitterly. "Perhaps it is a legendary archmage, or perhaps some god among the Empire's upper ranks, who has established Their creation experiment grounds here. This island is not small, yet it has never been discovered. Its location is actually very close to the Pig Kiss's route. We were able to land on this island only because of the shipwreck. It was entirely an accident."

Lan Zao's face paled several shades. "This island is far too terrifying. How powerful must an existence capable of hiding this island and creating so many monsters be?! If They wanted to kill us, it would be easier than crushing ants. Strange—why haven't They simply wiped us out? We discovered Their secret!"

Cang Xu said in a low voice, "Perhaps They are not on this island for the moment. Perhaps They have gone elsewhere. Or perhaps They simply do not care; our every move may be under Their surveillance. They watch us struggle here and treat it as entertainment. Perhaps only when we are about to successfully escape this island will They be moved to act."

Lan Zao lost his composure. "Then aren't we as good as dead?!"

For a time, the atmosphere inside the tent was exceedingly heavy.

Before such a great existence, any escape plan—even the Young Knight's grand ambitions and brilliant strategies—would be nothing but a joke.

After a long while, Zhen Jin exhaled a breath of stale air. "Mr. Cang Xu's conjecture is chilling. But it must be said that it makes sense. Following this line of thought, the transformations in this island's terrain should also be artificial. Then, Elder Cang Xu, do you think this is a divine art that moves land, or a teleportation-type Magic Array?"

Cang Xu said, "First, I personally believe that the terrain transformations are not aimed at us. If They wished to target or eliminate us, it would be far too easy for a great existence. There would be no need for such a grand fuss."

"Second, compared to divine arts, I am more inclined toward teleportation through a Magic Array."

"We experienced the terrain transformation ourselves. The entire process was extremely swift. In a daze, we went from the desert to standing within a forest. This closely matches the descriptions of magical teleportation in books."

"I believe the terrain transformation here only occurs because we are teleported; the land itself has not moved. Otherwise, shifting a huge stretch of land every so often would consume far too much."

"Of course, all of this remains my speculation—like ants guessing at the scenery above the clouds, laughable and beyond my station."

"Lastly, I believe that this teleportation mechanism, which appears to be terrain transformation, is very likely one of the island owner's measures for maintaining the island's ecology."

Zi Di blinked. "May I ask how you reached that conclusion, sir?"

Cang Xu answered, "I have discovered that it is not only us who are teleported. Many wild beasts and ferocious beasts are also transported along with the teleportation to new places."

A bolt of lightning flashed through Zhen Jin's mind, and the youth thought of that group of Scaled Horn Black Panthers.

The Scaled Horn Black Panther group should originally have lived in the jungle, yet it had arrived in the mountain forest together with the young man and woman.

Here, they needed to carve out new territory, so they first clashed with the Monkey-Tailed Brown Bear, then suffered losses among the Blade Spider swarm.

Zi Di looked at Cang Xu. "If those ferocious beasts are also teleported, perhaps this island's owner is doing it to make them fight and kill one another, selecting the strongest monsters. Just like the Alchemy Golem Competition held by the Alchemy Guild—perhaps They wish to cultivate the strongest living weapons?"

Cang Xu smiled. "Lady Zi Di's analysis is quite reasonable. That is indeed one possibility. But I still maintain that preserving the ecology is more likely."

"Don't you think that this island's natural balance is actually hanging by a thread?"

"Nature may seem vast and boundless, but in truth, it has a fragile side."

"Every year, the Shata Family hired bishops from the Life Temple to help increase crop yields. I once spoke with them and was fortunate enough to learn from wandering druids as well."

"Nature contains all kinds of cycles of life. To give the simplest example: plants grow from the soil and are eaten by herbivores. The flesh and blood of herbivores become food for carnivores. The dung of these animals becomes nourishment for plant growth. After they die, their bones and corpses decompose in the soil, becoming fertility within it."

"Nature is filled with such cycles of life. Even the most powerful predators suffer losses while killing one another, constrained by their lifespans and challenged by harsh environmental changes."

"The Shata Family once suffered several consecutive years of locust plagues. Only with the help of a master druid did they find the root cause. The locusts had grown so numerous and become so difficult to control because the Bread Scorpions that ate their eggs had diminished."

"Why had the Bread Scorpions decreased? Because during those years, the Shata Family began forming its own cavalry. They purchased Land Strider Birds in great quantities, and when these birds were left to forage freely, they most loved pecking at the Bread Scorpions beneath the sand and gravel."

"The cycle of life is like a chain, link clasped to link. They affect one another. Once a problem appears in a single link, it can easily magnify until it becomes a catastrophic result."

Having reached this point, Cang Xu drew the topic to a close. "There are too many monsters on this island. They were not formed naturally, and for this island's ecology, bearing the burden of so many monsters is extremely taxing. With the slightest carelessness, the cycle of life may be broken, resulting in a disaster that cannot be undone."

"That is sound reasoning." Zhen Jin nodded.

He thought of the Monkey-Tailed Brown Bear.

This silver-grade ferocious beast fed on ore, and from what they could see, it clearly had no natural enemies.

If it were allowed to live unchecked, sooner or later it would eat up every last bit of ore. The mineral veins that emitted heat had always exerted a major influence over that region. Once they were eaten clean, many other aspects would be violently affected—for instance, the temperature would plummet.

But in the end, because of the teleportation mechanism, the Monkey-Tailed Brown Bear fought the Scale-Horned Leopard Group and ultimately died at Zhen Jin's hands.

The future natural crisis on the island had thus been resolved ahead of time.

Zi Di's thoughts spread outward. "So, the reason the master of this island deliberately created terrains such as jungles, forests, deserts, snowy peaks, and so on was also to restrain these manufactured ferocious beasts, stabilize the island's ecology, and maintain nature's balance? But why do I keep feeling that He wanted to select a monster capable of adapting to every environment—the strongest one of all?"

The young girl had not abandoned her conjecture regarding Biological Weapons.

Cang Xu added, "I believe teleportation is merely one of the Sea Island Master's measures for stabilizing the ecosystem. He made other efforts as well."

"For example, the Fire Poison Bees."

"Don't you think this swarm was specially created to prevent towering infernos from breaking out in the jungles and forests?"

"And then there is the magic-restricted environment. This environment strictly forbids low-level magic and battle qi; it is even harsher than Sky City's Magic Restriction Ring. It does not resemble a defensive mechanism, because there is no need at all to defend against low-level enemies. Rather, it is like shackles, preventing those Magic Beasts from unleashing their true strength."

"That is why I speculate that this magic-restricted environment is actually a measure meant to protect these Magic Beasts."

"Please enlighten me, sir." Zi Di took the initiative to ask for guidance.

Cang Xu said, "The Magic Beasts on this island did not arise naturally. Although their bodily structures are very stable, they are incompatible with the natural environment. At the same time, the magic power within them conflicts with itself, preventing them from smoothly absorbing elements and forming magic crystals."

"This may be what the Sea Island Master wished to improve. He achieved stability in flesh and blood—an utterly astonishing accomplishment. But bodies cobbled together from east and west brought with them the problem of elemental absorption. For the time being, He could not resolve it perfectly."

"Chaotic magic power is extremely unstable. Sometimes it causes explosions; even when forcibly suppressed, it erodes its host with magic power. If left to wreak havoc, the chaotic magic power would make it difficult for a Magic Beast to survive even a week."

"Therefore, He created a special environment. Within it, low-level magic and battle qi were forbidden, thereby protecting these Magic Beasts, preserving their stability, and allowing them to endure in the world."

"Sir Zhen Jin and Lady Zi Di should know more about matters concerning magic power than I do."

Zi Di nodded slightly and sank into thought.

Zhen Jin, however, wore a grave expression.

He quietly analyzed the situation before them. "On this island, we have discovered Bronze-level, Iron-level, Silver-level, and even Gold-level Magic Beasts."

"According to our current analysis, even the chaotic magic power of a Gold-level creature can be successfully suppressed by this environment."

"If that is the case, would one need to be at least Saint-level to use battle qi freely here?"

No matter how gifted Zhen Jin was, at his age, it was absolutely impossible for him to have reached Saint-level.

P.S.: I recommend a good book—"The Calamity of Origin." It is also a fantasy novel, with excellent writing. Even the most ordinary system needs a heart fiercely burning with the desire to cheat! It already has 270,000 characters. Those who are interested can go take a look.