RUSTLE, RUSTLE...
They suddenly felt a slight tremble underfoot, instinctively halting their steps.
Soon, a group of thumb-sized, golden ants emerged from the ground like a fountain of gold.
Streaming rapidly across the ground in a fan shape, they surrounded them.
Stones, grass, trees... Anything that stood in their path was almost instantly devoured clean.
They were far more fearsome than the most terrifying army ants in the tropical rainforests.
Everyone had no doubt that even an elephant would be reduced to a pile of bones in a very short amount of time in the face of these ants—and perhaps not even the bones would remain.
Clearly, this was the rule:
"Everyone must pay two Gold Coins to the Gold-devouring Ants guarding the beach in order to land on the island, and each Gold Coin must weigh no less than 40 grams."
Although Byron had been spending money like water lately, what he lacked was substantial funds; he could still afford the modest entry fee.
