Qin Xiaoxia looked at the situation around him and found that it was not just a simple discovery of locusts on the earth, but it was very likely to be a disaster.
As a Dawn Sage, he has a lot of things to pay attention to. He knows some areas in great detail, but for others he only has a general understanding.
So although Qin Xiaoxia knew that most of the creatures on Earth were in the process of evolution and mutation, he had no idea to what extent the locusts had reached. After all, compared to other things, the tiny locusts would never be ranked at the top, so scientists would probably be more interested.
But no matter how you look at it, the locusts here are definitely not the same as in memory, whether in theory or from the shell in the hands of the caravan guard.
The largest shells shed by these locust larvae are more than ten centimeters long, and the adult shells will at least not be smaller than this.
Moreover, only two months have passed since the last so-called national sacrifice of the Qinggele Empire in this world, which would be no more than three months on Earth. To be able to eat up a whole forest in such a large number, one can imagine the reproductive capacity of these locusts.
"Boss Docler, do you know what kind of insect corpse this is?"
The captain of the caravan guards took a shell and found that the inside of the translucent shell was completely hollow, with some silk threads formed by the dried mucus, and there was an obvious crack on the back of the shell.
Most of the insects in this world do not undergo metamorphosis to change their body shape. Even the common worms are generally different from those on Earth.
Although there is a need for growth similar to molting, it is more like the shedding of animal skin, which is a discontinuous growth of small fragments, rather than a body shell growing to its limit and then molting as a whole.
Judging from the development of scientific research in the other world, there should be some entomologists specializing in this. Maybe they haven't even studied the way their own dandruff grows and falls off. Compared to this, the molting of some animals' fur is more common.
And unlike on Earth, the physical appearance of insects here is not very different between their larval and adult stages.
Therefore, most of the guards believed that these shells should be the corpses of some strange insects. Although the merchant Docler was knowledgeable, he couldn't help but think in this direction.
Docler used his hands to open the back of the locust shell and used two fingers to carefully grind the tissue threads inside.
"Although I have never seen this kind of insect, something terrible must have happened to them. Look..."
Docler took more insect shells from the guards.
"These corpses are big and small, but the common point is that their backs are cut open, and their bodies are completely hollow and dry. It should be that some natural enemy or monster cut open their bodies and ate the meat inside, leaving behind these empty shells..."
He looked at the vegetation around him and tightened his coat.
"The shells are completely dry... and here..."
"hiss……"
There was a sound of gasps all around, and the guards all felt a chill on their bodies. Even though those that died were just some unknown insects, the scale and environmental conditions were enough to make people uneasy.
Seeing a group of ridgetops feel pity for these locust shells, feeling uneasy about the possible culprit.
Qin Xiaoxia couldn't help but sigh that ignorance is terrible, and the thinking circuits of people from other worlds are not simple...
At the front carriage position, a group of people were still discussing the itinerary.
"Boss Dokler, given the situation, should we still go and buy the tender core vegetables?"
A guard asked, which was the common thought of everyone at the moment.
Docler looked at the insect shells and hesitated for about a second.
"Go! Of course we have to go! These are just some bugs and trees. We haven't seen anything happen to other animals. The tender greens account for the largest part of our annual income. If we lose this part of the income, life will be difficult for us!"
Hearing what the boss said, Vita also responded.
"Yes, and we have already placed orders with many buyers. They should have reserved the corresponding seats for important guests. You know, the only people who can afford to eat tender greens nowadays, except for the villagers and us, are either rich or noble..."
"This is... not good..."
The guards gradually figured this out.
Their caravan was very united, and of course there were people who coveted their interests, but they worked together and spent several years and a lot of money to stabilize this trade route. If they broke their promise, not only would they have to pay a huge financial penalty for breach of contract, but their lives might even be in jeopardy.
Therefore, the entire caravan not only continued to move forward, but also moved at a much faster speed than before. This was not entirely because they were eager to make money, but because no one wanted to stay in this barren and dead environment for too long, let alone camp here when it got dark.
Qin Xiaoxia's thought body stood on the top of Docler's carriage, looking around and looking down at the guards and Docler in front and behind.
"Should I say that at least as a businessman, he would take risks for huge profits?"
Even though there are various reasons, the most crucial point is that the people in the entire caravan do not want to give up the huge benefits. Even if they want to give up, they have to go and see the Yellow River.
Without sparing the energy of the camels and horses, the entire caravan advanced at least twice as fast as before, moving along a not-so-wide path from early morning to noon.
By now, everyone in the caravan had become silent because there was so little green along the way.
After a simple lunch in the carriage and on the back of camels, we continued on our journey without stopping. By the afternoon, green finally began to appear in our sight.
This made everyone in the caravan breathe a sigh of relief.
Around dusk we saw the first village where we purchased the tender greens, and we could even see some smoke from cooking in the distance.
"Finally we've reached the first village. What we saw before really made it hard to breathe. It always felt like there were some monsters!!"
“That’s what I mean!”
"The monster might actually be capable, don't let your guard down!"
The guards began to chat, and the gloom in Docler's heart dissipated a little.
However, Qin Xiaoxia stood on the top of the carriage and frowned, looking towards a place in the distance. After taking a look at the village, his thought body left the carriage and walked away to a place like a ghost, stepping into space.
At the entrance of the village, an old man was sitting there in a daze. He only came to his senses and looked in the direction where the sound came from when he heard the sound of a large number of horse wheels rolling on the road.
"Lord Dokler is here? Lord Dokler is here!!!"
He stood up from the stone he was sitting on in an instant, his agility forming a sharp contrast with his frail appearance.
"Lord Dokler is here!!! The caravan that is buying tender core vegetables is here!!!"
The old man ran towards the village shouting, reminding the villagers that the most profitable time of the year had arrived.
"The caravan is coming?"
"Lord Dokler is here!!!"
"Who's calling? Is it a lie?"
"It's Brother Temo. He has been waiting on the roadside outside the village every day. He can't be wrong!!"
“Hahaha, it’s finally here!!!”
…
No matter whether the villagers were eating, cooking, or working, they all became excited. Some even ran out of their homes quickly. An atmosphere as if New Year's Eve was approaching instantly reached its peak in the village.
The caravan's arrival received a heroic welcome here, and it also allowed everyone in the caravan to completely get rid of their previous uneasiness. Judging from the expressions of the villagers, this year's harvest should be good.
Although tender core cabbage requires a special growing environment and its yield is not very high, it has one characteristic, which is that it grows larger every time it is cut.
That’s right, just like the leeks on Earth, although not as strong as leeks, it has similar characteristics.
In this most lush season, if you cut off the stems of the tender cabbage and leave only the roots and stalks, it will sprout again in the center of the stalk in the following autumn. It can be harvested again in the following spring after frost and snow, which is very worry-free.
Half an hour later, the caravan members were taken to their respective homes for dinner, and the most delicious stewed meat with tender greens was served to everyone. Everything seemed so quiet and peaceful.
But at the junction of a forest and a field about a few kilometers away, Qin Xiaoxia felt a tingling sensation on his scalp.
“Buzz buzz buzz…” “Buzz buzz buzz…”
“Creaky…” “Creaky…”
"Crack", "Snap...Crack..."
…
Amid the noisy sounds, dense, countless yellow-gray locusts covered the forest, gnawing at all the vegetation in the forest non-stop. Some animals also fled to other places in panic.
If someone with trypophobia sees this scene, it will definitely be very uncomfortable.
The body of longing looked back and saw a farmland not far away. The field looked like harvested wheat, with green stalks as thick as a thumb and ten centimeters high left.
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