Molten crimson lava churned not far below their feet, bubbling furiously like a giant hot pot.
It smelled anything but spicy and appetizing, though. There was only the stench of sulfur, making their eyes sting.
Leading his two teammates down the spiral staircase along the volcano's inner wall, with several gaps requiring them to jump across, Su Ming took the opportunity to tell them about the Vanuli.
The Savage Land had originally been a zoo built by the Beyonders. They hired the Vanuli with gold to operate and oversee it, but several tens of thousands of years later, they suddenly reneged on the deal and sent a race they had newly created to replace the Vanuli.
Before they were fired, their wages had already been withheld for a long time. The Vanuli guards stationed here still had to make a living, but having signed the contract, they possessed strong business ethics and did not simply sell off the exhibits. Instead, they came up with a good solution: harvest the flowers here and take them back home to sell, thereby supporting themselves.
As the zoo's managers, they had the right to dispose of the flowers in the zoo. Plants needed trimming for aesthetic reasons anyway.
There were countless varieties of flowers here, and they came from different planets. Picking flowers here cost less than gathering them from tens of thousands of separate worlds, leaving room for profit.
The Vanuli were a commercial civilization. They loved peace, and aside from making money, they had also enjoyed the finer things in life.
Although their race looked like a cross between upright-walking pugs and toads, they were one of the Forerunner civilizations. Their technology was highly advanced, their culture was flourishing, and every household loved flowers.
Any family that did not display vases to