He was really starting to crave it.
You know, he hadn’t eaten seafood or river-fresh produce in a long time. The last time was, well, last time.
"Shall we try to catch them all in one go?"
Although he didn’t think this Iron-Clawed Crab Tribe would cause much trouble for his team, they still didn’t let their guard down completely.
The difficulty of this mission was still present.
Those ordinary Iron-Clawed Crabs hid in the reeds near the water; although this species of demon was inherently aggressive, he couldn’t entirely rule out the possibility of them getting spooked and retreating into the river.
Gauss didn’t want to fight them underwater, it would just add unnecessary trouble.
"Let’s catch some prey first to lure the crabs ashore."
After thinking for a bit, Gauss decided to adopt the relatively primitive strategy of luring the enemy in.
After all, it wasn’t troublesome.
Prey was everywhere.
Gauss and his companions left the riverside and searched the surrounding area for a bit.
Soon, they caught numerous suitable targets.
"I wonder if those crabs eat goblins?" Aaliyah looked at the ten or so goblins tightly trapped in front of her.
Their mouths were firmly held open with straw, unable to make a sound, but their eyes looked almost scared to death.
Beside them were a male and a female adult wild boar.
The dragon beast Hephaestus lowered its head, looking at the group of captured prey, and glanced at Gauss suspiciously.
Thinking it was prepared for him.
Then it glanced at the goblins with a hint of disdain, but upon seeing the wild boars, it reluctantly felt it could accept them.
The two pigs looked quite plump.
It glanced at Gauss, who was discussing specific details with his companions, then sneakily eyed the wild boars, swallowing its saliva.
Although Gauss had caught a deer for him last night as a late-night snack, seeing this group of moving "fats," it couldn’t help but feel a bit hungry again.
Stealing a bite shouldn’t be a problem, right?
Just one bite?
It secretly moved a few steps toward the wild boars.
This slight movement scared the wild boars, making them struggle desperately even though they were tied up and laid on the ground, with their pungent urine spraying out like a runaway faucet.
"Oink, oink!!"
Gauss turned his head toward the wild boar’s direction upon hearing the sound.
The dragon beast Hephaestus was getting close to the boars with its big mouth wide open.
It was just about to take a bite of one pig when it suddenly felt a gaze almost crystallized, concentrated on itself.
Looking up slightly, it happened to meet Gauss’s calm, deep eyes.
The man and the dragon stared at each other for a few seconds.
"Huff—"
The dragon beast Hephaestus slowly closed its mouth, innocently stepping back a few paces, then shifting its gaze to look at the sky and then at the trees.
Appearing uninterested in the boars.
Seeing it know its place, Gauss withdrew his gaze and continued discussing with his companions.
He increasingly felt that raising a dragon beast was like raising a child.
Neglect it for a second, and it reverts to its nature.
He didn’t believe Hephaestus could be this hungry so quickly.
Besides feeding it demons, he also took it hunting daily for other ordinary prey to supplement its nutrition, so he wasn’t mistreating it.
It was purely a craving.
After a brief discussion, the plan was confirmed.
The group took the prepared prey and approached the riverbank.
"We’ll do this first... then this... finally this..." Gauss confirmed the arrangements with his companions one last time.
"Does anyone have anything to add?"
"No, the captain has already considered everything thoroughly." Serdur shook his head.
Aaliyah and Albena also nodded in agreement.
"Alright, let’s go with this."
"Try not to let too many crabs escape." Gauss reminded them.
The reason for this was not just about accumulating more hunting competition points, but more about considering that the Iron-Clawed Crab’s reproductive capabilities were excellent. If they let a few escape, they might grow into a significant demon tribe again in a few years.
"Understood!"
"The smell of work is a bit strong."
"What do you mean?"
"No, let’s just start."
Soon, Gauss’s team spread out according to the plan.
The riverside returned to its peaceful state.
A gust of hot wind blew past.
The tips of the reeds swayed, making a rustling sound.
The morning shoal remained calm as usual, with only the occasional sound of gentle water waves hitting the shore in the distance.
Suddenly, a burst of chaotic noise shattered the silence.
A few green-skinned humanoid figures and two wild boars burst out of the woods as if crazed.
The commotion they caused quickly drew the attention of several elite iron-clawed crabs resting under the shade.
The crabs warily emerged from the soil.
Upon discovering that their targets were goblins and wild boars, harmless creatures, their vigilance noticeably relaxed.
The goblins and wild boars rushed onto the riverbank, and before the crabs could act, they suddenly toppled over onto the gravel, motionless, as if dead asleep.
If it were other Demons, they would likely think twice.
But these iron-clawed crabs didn’t seem like the kind of creatures that ponder details.
Faced with a free meal delivered right to their doorstep, they appeared quite pleased.
Especially with the two plump wild boars.
The leader of the iron-clawed crabs immediately laid claim to the largest boar.
This was meticulously selected by Gauss for it, weighing nearly 300 kilograms.
Now it was clear that the crab was very satisfied.
The other, slightly smaller, sow was divided among the remaining elite crabs.
With the wild boars as a comparison, they clearly weren’t interested in the dozen or so scrawny goblins.
This was why Gauss captured over a dozen goblins and still needed to catch two larger prey.
He worried the leaders and elites would hoard the food, barring other ordinary individuals from approaching.
Now it seemed none of them had any regard for the goblins or their own kin.
Soon, the ordinary crabs, observing the food on the shore, also scuttled ashore.
The crabs varied mostly in size, around tens of centimeters, and moved swiftly.
"Dada da!"
"Dada da!"
A chilling, dense clattering sound rang out.
It was the sound of the crabs’ appendages contacting the riverbank’s rocks.
The ordinary crabs clearly weren’t picky about goblins as food.
Once they approached the motionless goblins, they quickly began to scuffle with their pincers.
Some snapped necks, running off to a crab-free corner to feast on a head alone, while others snipped off an arm or a large piece of meat.
Some greedy crabs tried to drag away an entire goblin, only to quickly fall into a brawl with other crabs.
Almost every goblin was crawling with crabs.
Fighting for a bite, crazily shoveling flesh into their mandibles...
The previously quiet riverbank immediately turned lively.
High above in the sky, Gauss watched this scene with a satisfied smile.
Compared to Demons, or at least to most low-level Demons, humans’ greatest advantage is their mind.
The Dragon Beast Hephaestus beneath him stared glumly at the two plump wild boars being devoured by the crabs, and turned its gaze toward Gauss with a hint of resentment.
Probably puzzled why the food was given to that horde of multi-legged creatures and not to him.
It had always worked hard and deserved some credit for its labors.
Seeing that Gauss wasn’t looking at him, it turned its head back to the Demons below.
A smoldering, uncontainable fury arose in its heart.
It couldn’t take it out on Gauss, but it could certainly unleash it on these weak creatures, couldn’t it?
It wanted to vent all its anger on them!
"Go down!"
"Roar!!!"
Hearing Gauss finally give the order, the Dragon Beast let out an excited roar.
It flapped its wings, diving toward the ground below.
Has it changed?
Seeing its inexplicable burst of enthusiasm, Gauss sitting on the dragon’s back was somewhat puzzled.
Unable to figure it out for the moment, he decided not to overthink it, temporarily attributing it to the influence of its diligent proximity; the dragon’s natural laziness was fading, and it was becoming more motivated again.
The saying goes, ’one who stays near vermilion gets stained red; one who stays near ink gets stained black.’
Any motivation to work is always good.
A crimson figure quickly descended through the clouds.
"Boom——"
Along with a thunderous crash.
A dragon descended from the sky!
The ’resentful’ Hephaestus opened its dragon maw, and after a brief brewing in its throat, a terrifying flame erupted forth.
As it flew, it breathed fire, completely igniting the reeds where the crabs originally resided, cutting off their retreat.
The imposing presence of the dragon in its furious state was even more effective than imagined.
The crabs on the shore all froze in mid-meal.
They lifted their tiny eyes skyward.
Only to see a Red Dragon glaring at them with a chilling gaze.