"... Wait a minute, you said you couldn't find Feather Owl and Lord Profound Crystal Griffin?"
A deliberately suppressed but barely concealed gasp of surprise rang out from the herd of beasts.
Several Calamity Beast widened their eyes as they stared at the Steel-Mane Bear.
"Yes, that's right, we didn't find it!" Steel-Mane Bear nodded in reply.
"How is that possible? We're all here, and we haven't found Feather Owl and the others?" one of the Ridged Beast said decisively.
"I'm also wondering, but I just can't find it!" Steel-Mane Bear frowned, somewhat annoyed.
The Ridged Beast's lips twitched, as if it were about to speak in anger, but the other Calamity Beast beside it spoke first.
"Could it be that you've overlooked some areas?"
Upon hearing this, the Ridged Beast paused, glanced at the Calamity Beast, and then turned its gaze to the Steel-Mane Bear.
The other Calamity Beast also looked at the Steel-Mane Bear with suspicion.
"I'm absolutely certain I haven't missed any of the areas I'm responsible for. As for the areas the Spiny-Back Lizard and the others are responsible for..." The Steel-Mane Bear paused, then said, "... but..."
"It shouldn't have anything to do with them!"
The speaker was interrupted.
The Steel-Mane Bear looked over and saw a Black Jade Lion there, saying in a deep voice:
"Although the beast horde is large, after being divided into four parts, each area is actually not that big. Under these circumstances, there shouldn't be many Calamity Beast that have been missed, making it even less likely that Lord Feather Owl and Lord Profound Crystal Griffin were overlooked."
Nearby, several Calamity Beast frowned, but did not refute anything.
The Ridged Beast frowned and pondered for a moment, then asked:
"Then tell me, why couldn't we find the two adults?"
"If you ask me, it's more likely that Feather Owl and Lord Profound Crystal Griffin saw us but didn't come out on their own; or rather, it's more probable that they aren't even in this world," the Black Jade Lion said.
"They saw us, but didn't come out on their own? Or weren't they even in this world?" the Ridged Beast repeated.
"Hmm." The Black Jade Lion nodded.
Seeing that the Black Jade Lion seemed to have no intention of explaining, the Ridged Beast's lips twitched.
"You're just not going to say anything?"
"I don't know the reason for the first one, and as for the second one..." The Black Jade Lion paused, looking at the other Calamity Beast, and said, "Lord Feather Owl let us in first, so we came in, but did you see Feather Owl and the others come in?"
Upon hearing this, the other Calamity Beast paused slightly, their brows furrowing.
"You mean, Feather Owl and the others didn't come in with us?" The Ridged Beast frowned.
"Hmm," the Black Jade Lion confirmed in a deep voice.
"How could that be? If we want to get out, don't we have to go into that palace? If we don't go in, how do Feather Owl and the others plan to get out? We must..."
The Ridged Beast furrowing even deeper as it spoke:
" Feather Owl and the others, they don't want us to come in, solve all the problems, and then take them out, do they?"
"As for the other adults, it's hard to say, but Feather Owl... it's unlikely!" The Black Jade Lion paused, then continued, "What Lord Feather Owl Xiao might do is delay his entry for a while and place his hopes on us. It's not something Feather Owl Xiao would do!"
"Then why didn't I see them? A day should have been enough time for Feather Owl and the others to get in, right?" The Ridged Beast looked at it.
"Perhaps they'll appear in different locations depending on when they enter?" the Black Jade Lion said uncertainly.
"How did you know?" the Ridged Beast asked.
"I..."
The Black Jade Lion opened its mouth, but for a moment it didn't know how to reply.
Seeing this, the Ridged Beast sneered and said, "So you were just guessing too, weren't you?"
Without rebuttal, the Black Jade Lion's brows furrowed slightly.
"I do have a method, but I can't guarantee it will be able to tell!" Steel-Mane Bear suddenly said from the side.
What method?
Several Calamity Beast looked over.
"We can calculate the number of Calamity Beast we've found so far. If the number is similar to the number that was with Lord Feather Owl and Lord Profound Crystal Griffin, then it means we entered the same place. Otherwise, it means there are other creatures that entered different places!" said Steel-Mane Bear.
Upon hearing this, the eyes of the several Calamity Beast lit up slightly.
The Black Jade Lion lay on the ground, nodding slightly.
but...
"Isn't it obvious?" the Ridged Beast asked, somewhat puzzled.
"No, even if the numbers are the same, it's possible that, as Black Jade Lion just said, Feather Owl and the others might enter later. If that's the case, then at most we can only be sure that if they enter together, they'll be in the same place. We can't be sure whether they'll enter other worlds if they enter later," Steel-Mane Bear said.
"Regardless, let's begin the confirmation process," the Black Jade Lion said.
Steel-Mane Bear nodded, then quickly said:
"Today, seven Calamity Beast appeared over my side, and all seven were killed!"
"I have eleven..."
The Black Jade Lion then spoke up.
Then, the other Calamity Beast also spoke up.
Soon, Steel-Mane Bear started calculating.
"7 + 11 + 8 +..., plus the 34 that were found still alive, makes a total of 82?" Steel-Mane Bear calculated for a moment, then frowned.
The other Calamity Beast nearby also frowned.
"Are there dozens of them missing?" the Black Jade Lion asked, his gaze fixed on the object.
"Hmm, it seems that Feather Owl and Lord Profound Crystal Griffin are indeed very likely no longer in this world." Steel-Mane Bear nodded.
"Are we really that unlucky? If there were even one adult here, things would be much better!" the Ridged Beast complained.
There was no response, but the other Calamity Beast nearby nodded slightly.
"Alright, since neither of you gentlemen is here, we need to consider what we should do!" Steel-Mane Bear steered the conversation back on track, pausing briefly before turning to Black Jade Lion. "What are your thoughts?"
Upon hearing this, the other Calamity Beast also looked over.
The Black Jade Lion pondered for a moment, then said:
"Regardless, there are two things we need to do: first, warn the other Calamity Beast to avoid a repeat of today's situation; second, try to find a way to return ourselves to our original state!"
Upon hearing this, the other Calamity Beast nodded slightly.
First, there's not much to say; second, let's go back to the way things were...
"How can I turn back to my original form?" the Ridged Beast asked, its brow furrowed.
The other Calamity Beast also frowned deeply.
"I'm not entirely sure either, but if I could leave this world, I should be able to turn back, right?" the Black Jade Lion pondered.
"Then how will you leave this world?" the Ridged Beast continued, frowning as it asked.