Beneath the red dunes gathered dozens of beasts, large and small, voraciously consuming the sand.
He Yueji rubbed her eyes, confirming she had not seen wrong.
These beasts were indeed devouring the red sand!
However, unlike the previous beasts that would rather lose their lives than attack them, these creatures didn't exhibit much aggressiveness, their attention entirely captivated by the sand before them.
It was as if nothing else in the world could attract them more than the sand in their mouths.
Just as He Yueji wondered if their brains had gone bad, she saw a Young Flame Lizard that was feeding suddenly undergo a strange transformation.
A burst of flames shot out from its body, completely enveloping it, burning intensely for a full three minutes before extinguishing.
And, as expected, the unlucky Young Flame Lizard had turned into a charred black color.
But it did not die immediately; its pair of big eyes blinked with difficulty, and then it slowly extended its forelimbs.
As it crawled forward, the charred skin on its body peeled away, revealing new keratin underneath.
"Huh?!"
Boggy, hearing the soft gasp from Ma Lu, turned back and asked, "What's wrong?"
"It seems... it has evolved."
Just now, the Traveler's Bracelet had sent out a notification, claiming it had scanned a Lava Giant Lizard, but Ma Lu looked around and did not spot any Lava Giant Lizard.
So there was only one explanation, the unassuming Young Flame Lizard before them had just completed its metamorphosis, evolving into a Lava Giant Lizard.
Ma Lu's face lit up with joy; the volcano grilled sausages had always been popular, and the fiery sausage spectacle was a big draw.
One could say that 90% of the traffic at The Universe's Number One Snack Stall came from there, with many people still coming daily, specifically requesting to eat the volcano grilled sausages.
Unfortunately, Ma Lu had run out of ingredients, and there would be no such problem if the Lava Giant Lizard could be farmed.
However, the ones he encountered in the city were bigger than the next, the lightest weighing over 2000 pounds, and even if cut in half, they still wouldn't fit into the Collection Bag.
In comparison, the size of the one before him was perfect; Ma Lu weighed it and figured it was less than 2 ounces, not heavy at all.
They were a Link Hedgehog and a Rockskin Rhinoceros.
Ma Lu first ruled out the Link Hedgehog and approached the Rockskin Rhinoceros, walking a full circle around it.
The Rockskin Rhinoceros, also a juvenile, was among the larger animals there, nearly the size of a panda.
When Ma Lu approached it, he could clearly sense its unease, as if it wanted to run away but knew it couldn't escape, so it just retreated two steps and then stood there again, pretending to stroll.
Ma Lu watched it for a while and then suddenly laughed out loud.
Because he now knew where the Beast Herding Frog was hiding.
Almost all the wild beasts nearby were busy burying their heads in the red sand eating voraciously, but this Rockskin Rhinoceros was just standing idly by, appearing quite proper.
Ma Lu took a confident stride towards it and pried open its large mouth.
The Rockskin Rhinoceros desperately tried to close its mouth, but its strength was no match for Ma Lu's.
With ease, Ma Lu pried its mouth open and found the red frog hidden inside.
Ma Lu even checked it against the field guide to make sure it was identical before reaching in with two fingers and pinching out the Beast Herding Frog.
Honestly, based on its appearance alone, it was difficult to link it to the big boss behind the beast tide.
The Beast Herding Frog was the size of an ordinary frog, looked like a typical frog, with a vacant gaze and a belly that bulged rhythmically, all covered in saliva.
And with its status as a 1-star ingredient, its power to deceive was at its peak.
Even Ma Lu began to doubt whether he had found the right creature, but adhering to the principle of 'better to err on the side of caution,' his fingers still applied slight pressure, ready to burst the frog.
That action stirred up a hornet's nest. The dozens of beasts, which had been quietly feeding until then, suddenly stopped and let out a collective wail with some even shedding tears.
Ma Lu glanced at the frog in his hand again and noticed that it too was staring back at him.
Those dull, large eyes showed a glint of pleading.
Ma Lu hesitated, then changed his mind at the last minute and threw it into the Collection Bag, planning to show it to Old Wang when he returned.
After all, the creature was light and not much trouble to carry with him. If it proved useless, killing it later wouldn't be too late.