Another day passed, and by now, the ducks in the field had completely gobbled up the locusts.
The occasional one or two that slipped through the net were no longer a threat.
The people couldn't help but cheer when they saw that their crops had only lost half of their foliage but had not been devoured entirely.
"Our crops are saved! We won't have a fruitless autumn!"
"Our crops are really saved! They truly are! This is a blessing from Heaven!"
"And not just that - now we know that locusts are afraid of fire and ducks. We don't have to worry about locust plagues in the future!"
"Indeed, if only we could eat locusts. If so, I would fry a batch to have with wine, to vent my resentment!"
...
The county magistrate touched his neck and head, which were still firmly attached. This wasn't a dream!
He found it hard to believe that he, together with the people of the county, had actually wiped out the tens of millions of locusts!