After hearing Lin Ke's words, Musa's eyes showed even more doubt.
"Very different?"
"Is the Holy Pharaoh referring to something like the environment? Or predators?"
"The crabs over there shouldn't face as many threats as those on Delos."
"At the very least, crabs should have many safe places to live and to forage safely."
However, Lin Ke simply shook her head slightly upon hearing Musa's words.
Lin Ke then turned his gaze to a more distant place, and his thoughts returned to the past.
There are naturally many crabs on the continent where Holy Egypt is located.
But the greatest threat faced by all the "crabs" at that time was a real threat called the "Hebrew Empire".
The "Hebrew Empire" is not only like a "giant crab," but also more like an invader and plunderer who preys on "crabs" and wants to occupy the territory and resources of ordinary "crabs."
Lin Ke's approach at that time was to first arm himself and make himself stronger.
Then came the Holy Egyptian Alliance, which united all the "crabs" to fight against this powerful raider.
This is the story of the "crab" from the place where Holy Egypt is located.
Lin Ke took a light breath; he had already figured out how to tell Musa about the past of Holy Egypt.
"The crabs of Holy Egypt are hermit crabs that live in the crevices of rocks."
"When I first saw this crab, it was shedding its old shell, and not only that, but powerful, crab-eating predators were slowly approaching."
As Lin Ke spoke, she leaned forward slightly, and even her voice became a few decibels lower.
His tone now was as if he were telling a secret that belonged only to him.
"It's a type of fish that's huge and has sharp teeth. While it can crack open a crab's shell, it can also get pinched by the crab's claws."
"So it waited, waited in the dark, and waited for a long time."
"It lurks in the shadows of the coral reef, patiently waiting for the moment when the crab molts, a brief but extremely vulnerable moment that is fatal to the crab."
Upon hearing this, Musa nodded involuntarily, deeply captivated by the scene Lin Ke described.
His gaze was focused, and his breathing slowed down as he became completely immersed in the "natural" world woven by Lin Ke.
"And do you know, Mali's king? At this time, the crab is at its most vulnerable."
Lin Ke paused for a moment, allowing the other person to take a deep breath, before continuing her story.
"That moment is extremely vulnerable and crucial, because the crab, having lost its shell, must find a sufficiently sturdy shelter as soon as possible."
"After all, a crab that has lost its shell is nothing more than moving food to a predator."
Lin Ke paused again when she got to this point.
Because he thought of the past of Holy Egypt, and of the time when he first arrived in this world.
Holy Egypt at that time was like a crab without a shell.
“The king of Mali, you might want to imagine it.”
"The little crab, after shedding its old shell, has a pearly white body, which is very easy to observe due to the refraction of the seawater."
"Therefore, it proceeds cautiously with every step, and is always on high alert when it stops."
"Because it knows that death could come in the next second."
"When I saw it, it was tentatively touching various possible shelters. It gently tapped a broken conch shell with its slender chelicerae, listening to the echo and judging its thickness."
The "sanctuary" that Lin Ke mentioned was the way he was looking for to save Cairo.
“I saw it use its sensitive tentacles to probe the internal structure of a coral fragment, sensing whether there was enough space to accommodate its body.”
"Ultimately, it chose a giant snail shell with spikes."
"It first inserted its tail to confirm that the size was right, and then slowly entered the shell with its whole body."
At this point, Lin Ke slowed down her speech slightly, which made Musa listen even more attentively.
"At that moment, it was so fragile."
"Its soft body trembled in the seawater; it had not yet recovered its vitality."
"But in order to survive and to fight against predators, it did it without hesitation."
"This flexibility of the body, and even its opportunity, is its chance to enter the shell."
"Ultimately, it encloses its body within it, and even fish with sharp teeth cannot contend with those shellfish with their spiky shells."
"So, it survived."
"And since there is no food for fish to eat, they can only turn their attention to other crab species."
"But soon, the other crabs also learned of this method, and they even gathered together, carrying their hard shells on their backs."
"A fish without food will only grow weaker day by day, because it has no food to obtain."
"In the end, I saw that the fish became so weak that it was killed by the crab carrying the snail."
Upon hearing this, Musa simply looked at Lin Ke and slightly opened his mouth.
His eyelids didn't move at all, as if he was still immersed in the scene Lin Ke described.
After a while, Musa took a deep breath.
"They have found hard shells to protect themselves, and can quickly hide in the depths to avoid danger when it comes."
“Holy Pharaoh, I must say, the choice of these hermit crabs in Holy Egypt was indeed wise.”
"Compared to those species that stubbornly stay in one place, I think they are better able to adapt to the unpredictable marine environment."
"At least they're much better than these poor fellows on Delos."
As Musa spoke, a hint of sadness suddenly appeared in his eyes.
Ever since Lin Ke saw Musa, Musa's face has always been adorned with an obvious or subtle smile.
At this moment, that smile had completely faded, and his expression seemed to have merged with the black, splashing seawater in the distance.
“That’s not how it works, Mali’s chieftain.”
Seeing the other person's sorrowful expression, Lin Ke continued to speak.
"After all, that transformation process is full of pain."
"But the crabs on Delos don't experience this kind of suffering; at least they're still alive and well, aren't they?"
Lin Ke continued speaking, while Musa listened to Lin Ke's words while looking into Lin Ke's eyes, as if trying to gain inspiration and answers from them.
"The crab of Sacred Egypt must abandon its past protection and endure temporary exposure and vulnerability in order to find and obtain stronger shelter."
"Sometimes, it even needs to sacrifice some limbs just to adapt to the shape of the new shell."
"But what is the purpose of all this?"
"The most important thing is to stay alive."
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