Chapter 393 - 365: The Giant Crocodile That Is Actually a Demigod_2
Da Fei nodded, "Yeah, be sure to keep track of time to ensure safety."
...
Now, Da Fei and the elder’s group returned to the swamp, where dozens of rafts around the small island were piled high with crows, dark as mountains. With the elder’s call, all the rafts began moving at once; the spectacle was indeed impressive!
Unfortunately, these rafts were too rudimentary, uncertain if they could even meet the ten single-standard of the smallest cargo ship. In short, the production capacity of these Hobbits urgently needed improvement.
Da Fei suddenly noticed the absence of the young boy and asked, "Where’s Billbo?"
The elder laughed, "Of course, he went ahead to distract and lure away the giant crocodile. Otherwise, if such a large group of us encountered the crocodile head-on, there’d be no escape."
Da Fei couldn’t help but nod in praise, "Great tactic, elder!" It seemed that the weaker-looking races were more cautious and better at utilizing tactics in battle; Da Fei’s impression of the Harter people improved even further.
Finally, the fleet arrived at a Lake Island piled high with beast bones. The elder said in a deep voice, "This is where the giant crocodile rests. Everyone, land quickly!"
In no time, dozens of rafts docked, and a crowd of Hobbits hurriedly transported the bodies of crows onto the island, stacking them into a massive black Corpse Mountain.
While busy, a plume of black smoke rose from the distant swamp. The elder exclaimed, "Hurry! Move quickly!"
After a while, two plumes of black smoke appeared from the swamp. The elder exclaimed, "The giant crocodile is coming back, evacuate immediately! Throw away the crows that haven’t been moved onto the island!"
In an instant, the Hobbits panicked, boarded the rafts, and frantically began rowing to escape. The scene left Da Fei repeatedly astonished! Though these Hobbits were underprivileged, they had perfected the ancient methods of wartime communication to the extreme!
The elder said to Da Fei, "Lord, let’s observe from afar; this giant crocodile is very cunning. If it discovers people nearby, unexpected situations could arise."
Da Fei nodded, "Following the elder’s arrangement!"
The elder lifted a long stick tied with a strange fishbone from the raft and inserted it deeply into the lake bottom, then followed the main raft fleet far away from Lake Island until Da Fei’s God-level Reconnaissance Skill could no longer see Lake Island.
This made Da Fei feel uneasy; to distance themselves this far? To what exaggerated extent was this crocodile’s vigilance range? Did it mean that uninformed people approaching would find themselves in a dead-end before they even realized the danger? So how did Billbo manage to lure and distract it with such a slow raft? Was it the Minstrel’s skill?
While Da Fei remained stunned, the elder took out an old, crumbly glass ball that displayed the scene on Lake Island. The viewpoint was exactly where the stick had been inserted moments ago. These Hobbits had some high-tech too?
Now, the elder and Da Fei concentrated on watching the glass ball. Soon, the ball showed a large wave speeding towards them; it was the giant crocodile! Its size was truly beyond Da Fei’s imagination, like a yacht! Compared to it, the ones encountered on Pirate Island were mere infants!
Da Fei stood there stunned! With such a large build, never mind his Crossbow Cannon, even transporting the Flying here with a dozen Crossbow Cannons wouldn’t guarantee bringing it down! No wonder the old man said feeding it with the village’s food supply was impossible; its appetite was beyond imagination!
However, setting everything else aside, I prepared a new dish: corpse-transformed mercury crows. If it doesn’t stuff you to death, it’ll poison you. I refuse to believe you can be immune to mercury’s poison. The toxic mechanism of mercury, a pure metal, differs from conventional toxins and doesn’t even qualify as a toxin, falling outside the resistance range of "Poison Resistance" attributes.
Now, the giant crocodile approached the shore with the impact of a landing ship. The crowd of corpse crows on the island caught its attention; it sniffed the crow mountain in front of it, and the elder’s thin, dry hand holding the glass ball couldn’t help but tremble slightly.
Yet, after a while, the giant crocodile suddenly whipped its tail, scattering the crow mountain in all directions!
It wasn’t eating!
In that instant, Da Fei and the elder were dumbfounded!
Good grief! Could it be the game doesn’t set it up for crocodiles to eat corpse crows? But what did scattering the crow mountain mean? It indicated it wasn’t entirely ignoring it, either?
The elder’s voice trembled slightly, "Lord..."
Da Fei sighed, "Sorry, elder, I’m powerless. However, I still hope we can maintain our relationship through this cooperative operation. We have time and can still accumulate strength..."
The elder laughed heartily, "Actually, this giant crocodile isn’t an ordinary beast either. Its power will soon reach the demigod level, and its intelligence is beyond imagination. We never had confidence in defeating it. We’ve already prepared to abandon the fishing grounds and relocate deeper into the swamp. Your arrival gave me a glimmer of hope. If you can defeat this demigod-level crocodile, then defeating the Hydra is entirely possible. Perhaps I overthought."
I know you’re testing my abilities! Da Fei chuckled bitterly, "There are so many demigods here..."
The elder solemnly said, "Challenging a demigod is indeed unrealistic. While this operation failed, I’m truly impressed with your strategy. Your intentions have been understood. Let’s continue to cooperate amicably. I believe you’ll find a path and lead us Hobbits out of this predicament!"
—System Prompt: Your reputation among the Hobbits has become "Friendly"!
At that moment, all the red names had turned green!
Da Fei was slightly stunned, then laughed heartily, "Elder, I admire and am deeply moved by your judgment not based on success or failure. We’re bonded in adversity. This kind of friendship is the most sincere and solid. I want to assign my advisor, Tai Da, to your village as a diplomatic ambassador, to carry out strategic cooperation thoroughly. What does the elder think?"
The elder laughed, "The honor is mine!"
Alright! Finally settled a big matter! With the Hobbits willing to cooperate, once I deploy the army, eliminating the giant crocodile or Eight-Headed Snake is just around the corner!
Just then, there was a new development on the elder’s glass ball; a large wave of creatures was closing in on Lake Island!
The elder suddenly froze, "These are scavenger giant lizards!"
Da Fei’s eyebrows twitched, old partners?
The elder exclaimed in surprise, "These giant lizards dare to intrude into the giant crocodile’s territory!?"
Da Fei had a sudden realization, then laughed heartily, "I understand now, the giant crocodile might be smart and not eat, but it doesn’t mean other creatures are equally wise and won’t eat. This will be interesting to watch!" (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit qidian.com to vote, recommend tickets, month tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)