Everyone, including Yang Lin, the viewers in the live stream, and the circus troupe, was extremely satisfied with how things turned out.
The circus family, in particular, received a substantial sum of money after selling the animals to Yang Lin. To be precise, this money was more than they could have earned in many years to come. With this newfound wealth, they could easily return to their hometown, start a business, and even renovate their old house. Most importantly, Yang Lin had paved the way for the future generations of both families, which was more valuable than anything else.
Just as they were overjoyed, Yang Lin presented them with another grand surprise.
"When you deliver these animals to Xihong Zoo, you can visit Xihong Zoo and Animal City for free and stay as long as you like," he said. "After you're done exploring, you can go home for the New Year. The New Year is best celebrated at home to truly feel its spirit."
"This..." the dwarf man was speechless upon hearing Yang Lin's words. He could only marvel at having met such a benefactor.
Once all parties had reached an agreement, Yang Lin helped them pack everything. After the tents and other supplies were loaded onto the vehicles, he returned to the iron cages that housed the animals. The animals had been put back into their cages after the performance. Perhaps due to exhaustion, they all appeared listless. Seeing this, Yang Lin began to check their condition one by one.
The first animal he examined was a brown pony, less than a meter tall.
[Dehong Pony (mild depression) 3 years old, indifferent]
Looking at the information, Yang Lin realized that this little fellow was also from Guangxi, making them practically neighbors. According to the data, apart from depression caused by prolonged confinement, the pony was physically sound. This indicated that the circus troupe had taken good care of their animals. To alleviate the pony's depression, Yang Lin immediately cast a beginner's healing spell. This not only relieved the pony's fatigue but also slightly improved its mood.
Following this, he turned his attention to the second cage.
[Male Bengal Tiger (severe depression, mild external injuries) 12 years old, indifferent]
With a single glance, Yang Lin could tell that the tiger was in its twilight years. He hadn't expected it to be this old. In the wild, a 12-year-old male Bengal tiger is considered to have lived a long life. However, this was not an issue for Yang Lin. By awakening its innate talent, its lifespan could be extended.
Similar to the previous two animals, the rest of the animals were in a comparable state: old age, depression, and various chronic ailments accumulated over time. In such a condition, other zoos would absolutely refuse them. It was only because Yang Lin had his system that he was not worried.
Among all these animals, one particularly caught his attention. In the very last cage, the large rat he had seen before reappeared before Yang Lin. He hadn't had a chance to get a closer look previously, but now, upon closer inspection, Yang Lin realized just how ridiculously large this creature was. It was at least a meter long, and he estimated its weight to be several tens of pounds.
Facing Yang Lin, a stranger, it remained calm. Even the viewers in the live stream were amused.
"Heh heh, this big rat looks so funny. Its expression is so zen."
"First time seeing this kind of animal. Are there any people from Guangdong who can explain?"
"Why should we be the ones to explain? What do you mean by that?"
"Don't people from Guangxi eat them too?"
"Alright, alright, Guangdong and Guangxi are one family. Everyone eats them, everyone eats them."
"People from Guangdong and Guangxi don't know each other, so it shouldn't be a local ingredient. Pfft, a local species."
"It has a face that seems to have seen it all. If there were four little turtles next to it, I'd suspect it lived in a sewer."
"Director Yang, what exactly is this thing? Is it a mutated species?"
The viewers in the live stream began to speculate. At that moment, Yang Lin finally recognized the large, plump rat.
"Oh, right, this thing seems to be a capybara. No wonder a rat can grow this big."
As realization dawned, a series of information about capybaras appeared in his mind.
"Capybara? What's a capybara?"
"Which butt?"
"Is it a water rat?"
...
"Capybaras are rodent animals native to South America, and they are the largest rodents in the world."
"These animals have gentle personalities and get along well with all other animals, even fierce predators. They are known as the social butterflies of the animal kingdom."
"The main reason is that their droppings contain a lot of probiotics and protein, so other animals really enjoy eating them."
"Also, it's said that capybara droppings are sweet, though I've only heard that."
"In the wild, you can often see other animals gathered around capybaras."
After Yang Lin's explanation, the viewers felt a sense of enlightenment, yet something still felt strange.
"Holy cow, is it that disgusting? Those animals become friends with capybaras just to eat their poop?"
"Hilarious! What kind of friends are these?"
"Capybara: I consider you a friend, and you want to eat my poop."
"Capybara: I have diarrhea. Other animals: Boss, can I have a straw?"
"I remember watching a video years ago. A jaguar seemed to be catching a big rat, but then it inexplicably let it go."
"I saw that one too. There was also a caiman acting like a tagalong to that big rat. Turns out it was following it to eat warm food."
"Gourmands of the animal kingdom! Let's call this capybara 'Old Eight' from now on."
"Assign it directly to the Xihong Zoo cafeteria as the head chef."
...
After learning all about capybaras, the viewers became a bit perverse.
Once Yang Lin had finished checking all the animals, he returned to the hotel. He also arranged for the circus troupe and the animals to stay at the hotel. After all, from that day on, the animals belonged to Xihong Zoo, and it wouldn't be appropriate for them to endure the cold outside any longer.
After a night's rest, Yang Lin led the special convoy of over 30 different animals back towards Ningnan. However, the netizens had a hunch that this convoy would expand again before reaching Ningnan.