Chapter 433 The Oasis under the Mountains and the Truth Behind the Legend
"A sneeze——"
General McClung, who was standing at the door of the camp, sneezed, accidentally biting his teeth, and blew the cigarette butt in his mouth into the sand.
He rubbed his sunburned nose, glanced at the cigarette stuck on the ground, and cursed.
"……Oh shit."
Although this was a perfect plan, McClun couldn't help but feel aggrieved when he thought that he, a two-star captain and a noble "conqueror of the sky", was reduced to working as a contractor in the desert.
And I don't know why.
From just now, he felt a chill running down his spine.
He had this feeling two or three months ago, and not long after that, the propeller of his precious Heart of Steel was caught in a hydrogen balloon that floated from nowhere.
To this day, he is still not sure which dog put that balloon...
"Intensify patrols!" McClun looked at the newly promoted commander and gave the order with a dark face, "The search range is expanded from 3 kilometers to 5 kilometers. Anyone who approaches will be arrested, and anyone who resists will be shot!"
The officer on the side stood up straight, stood at attention and saluted.
"yes!"
Watching the officer trot away after the order, General McClung stamped out the cigarette butt, crushed it with his boot, and then walked to the north of the camp with his hands behind his back.
The airport's runway is under construction.
There are no forklifts, so you can only dig with shovels, and use wheelbarrows and trucks to move the earth.
The land here is severely desertified. In order to prevent the ground from collapsing when the plane lands, the runway must be solidified.
More than 50 Army troops patrolled the edge of the runway and supervised the construction work by the retinues.
And more than a thousand followers were bathing in the scorching sun, digging in the earth with their upper bodies bare.
Looking at the bare arms and shoulders, McClung cleared his throat and shouted louder.
"The sun in August is like a red-hot furnace. I know you are dizzy from the sun right now and your limbs are so tired that they feel like they are filled with lead... But it is better to be baked by the sun here than to be baked into coke by white phosphorus on the front line.
, it was burned by gasoline until there was no residue left.”
"That's what happened to your friendly forces. Your enemies will torture you in the most cruel way, so you must fight and move forward. This is the only way for you to survive. Thank us for pointing out a clear path for you.
You don’t have to be the slaves of kings or the puppets of enterprises, and the suffering you endure today will be paid back a hundredfold to our enemies tomorrow.”
"They will repent in the flames, turn to ashes under tens of millions of degrees of heat, and be crushed into slag by our anger!"
"Try harder!"
"Move!"
Seeing those people digging harder, McClun nodded with satisfaction, turned around and walked back to the military camp.
It would be perfect if he could get a bucket of ice cream at this time. It would be best if Princess Teresa fed him... No, she was already dirty after being caught by the barbarians. It would be better to wait until the battle is over and go to the old
Let's take a tour of the king's harem.
His interest in women is actually average, after all, it's too easy for him to get that kind of thing.
Those ice creams, on the other hand, are rare products produced in the alpine pastures on the banks of the Sorat River. Even if they are tens of thousands of kilometers away, they are luxuries specially provided to nobles.
With that unlucky guy Finold around, those natives should know its value.
I hope those rubes didn't blow them away...
…
The sunset has already set in the horizon.
Under the shadow of the wooden wine barrel, a black and white cat yawned lazily and licked its paws.
At this moment, a small dried fish dangled in front of me.
Smelling the salty scent, the cat narrowed its amber pupils and walked up with elegant cat steps.
He purred politely towards the dried fish. Being good at observing people's emotions, he saw that the "servant" had no objection, so he moved his mouth rudely.
Obviously, it has become accustomed to people feeding it... or worshiping it.
It seems that the old man named Boomer is right. People here love cats so much that the cats here live very leisurely and are not afraid of people at all.
"Mimi~"
Gently stroking the back of the warm and fluffy head, listening to the comfortable purring sound, the sesame eyes squatting on the ground narrowed into crescent moons, the cat ears swayed leisurely back and forth, and his face was full of satisfaction.
The huge white bear squatted next to her, looking curiously at the little guy on the ground.
"Have all the cats in the wasteland come here?"
"Well, it's really strange to say that I haven't seen cats anywhere else... but I have seen dogs." Sesame Paste recalled carefully.
Seeing that the cat was eating, drinking, and being cared for, an envious expression appeared on Rourou's face.
"Damn it, I want rua too..."
"Okay, but you have to be careful, your claws are too big, don't hurt it." Sesame Paste moved to the side to make room for Rourou.
"Hey, don't worry, I have to be careful when I pet the cat!"
Rubbing his paws excitedly, Rourou carefully stretched out his bear paws.
However, before she put her paws on the cat, the cat was so frightened that its hair exploded and it made a drinking sound.
Rourou looked at a loss and quickly retracted his claws.
She was about to explain that she meant no harm, but the cat had no intention of listening. It bit into the dried fish and hurriedly turned around and slipped into the shadows under the alley.
Looking at the cat disappearing into the alley, frustration and grievance were written on Rourou's face.
"Hmm...am I too scary?"
Sesame Paste didn't know how to comfort her, but seeing the look on her face that she was about to cry, he couldn't leave her alone, so he could only clapped his hands and stood up, feeling dumbfounded. He touched his broad and furry shoulders.
"How come, Rourou is so cute... maybe it's because he has never seen a talking bear."
People here are very superstitious, but their tolerance for unknown things is surprisingly high.
Even if they see a talking bear, their reaction is just "Your bear can actually talk" instead of shouting "Monster!" and hitting him if he mentions it.
Maybe it's not just because there are a lot of strange things in the wasteland, but it's also because the locals are often engaged in trading activities, and they are no longer surprised by some strange things.
For example, the Cactus Hotel next to them.
The waiter at the front desk is an old-style android, and he's so old that his skin has faded.
It is said that during the Prosperous Era, it was working as a receptionist at a resort hotel 20 kilometers away. Later, it was sent to the waste disposal center when it reached the end of its useful life.
Before it was scrapped and the Doomsday War broke out, it stayed on the assembly line of an abandoned factory for nearly two centuries. It was not until it was picked up by the owner of this hotel decades ago that it returned to its old business.
Its actual working time has far exceeded its designed service life, so that it always says strange things, occasionally offends guests, and is always in a daze from time to time, staying there for a long time.
Whenever this happens, the hotel owner will come out and register the guest's information on its behalf.
"...I remember I was 7 years old when I first saw it. Now I am almost 47 years old. Time flies so fast when I think about it."
"Yes." Si Si, who was waiting in front of the bar, nodded and continued casually.
47 years old.
This age is considered a long life in the wasteland.
She vaguely remembered someone saying that according to the settings in the game, the average lifespan of NPCs in this world was only 35 years old, and most people would encounter unexpected accidents in their 20s.
Turning over the old notepad, the boss rubbed his index finger on it, suddenly showed an embarrassed expression, raised his head and said apologetically.
"Sorry, guest, there have been a lot of people staying in the hotel recently, and there is only one double room left... How about changing one of them to a double room?"
Before Sisi could answer, Tails came over excitedly and raised his right hand enthusiastically.
"Oh! No problem! Tails and Sisi sleep together!"
Si Si coughed lightly.
"Then...a double room and a double room will be fine."
As she said that, she put a few gold camel coins with a face value of 10 on the table. She had just exchanged some trophies from looters in the market for some change. Now their savings are about six or seven hundred.
.
Daily expenses are sufficient.
Staying in the hotel is quite cheap, with a room costing 9 gold camel coins, and it even includes a large piece of rye bread for breakfast.
I heard that if you are not picky about the accommodation environment, there are even rooms for 2 gold camel coins per day, and the utility room where the servants sleep is also available to guests.
As for renting a garage, it's a little more expensive, but it's only 15 golden camel coins a day, and a monthly subscription is only 300.
And this also made Sisi couldn't help but shout that he had been fooled.
A volume of "Scenic Area Maps" plus a travel brochure describing the local customs and customs were sold for nine days' room rate!
No wonder the boss took the money bag she left on the stall and put it into his arms without even counting it.
80 golden camel coins earned him at least 40 coins!
So sloppy!
The key to the double room was given to Sesame Paste and Rourou, and Si Si took Tai Tai upstairs.
Passing by the corridor.
She saw a man with a beard and a woman with a sad face standing by the window on the second floor.
The man was wearing a gray linen shirt, and he looked like he had been in the military, or at least had been a caravan guard, and he was the leader of the caravan.
The woman in front of him was wearing a beige dress, with slightly curly brown hair, a pretty face, and a slightly bulging belly as if she had just been pregnant.
"...There is always a way. I heard that there are people recruiting sailors in Silver Moon City. At worst, I will go there to try my luck."
"But... what should I do with the child?" There was a hint of sadness in the woman's eyes.
"..." The man remained silent and did not speak, obviously he had no choice.
The woman hesitated for a while, then seemed to make up her mind and took off the ring on her ring finger.
"How about you take it and see if you can exchange it for something..."
The man quickly held her hand.
"Don't be like this...let me think of another way."
Sisi looked at the two of them and estimated that they must have fled from Oasis No. 9 or Oasis No. 3. They had spent all their savings after arriving here.
While Sisi looked at the two of them, the man also noticed the two girls coming up from the stairs. After hesitating for a moment, he walked forward.
"Ma'am, I'm very sorry to disturb you, please...can I exchange some money with you?"
Sisi glanced at the money bag in his hand, which contained a lot of gold lion coins, estimated at three to four hundred. These two seemed to be from the Lion Kingdom.
The man probably felt that this request was a bit abrupt, so he pulled back his hand with an expression of embarrassment.
He knew very well that the currency of the defeated country was worthless.
A few months ago, this bag of money could be exchanged for at least 400 golden camel coins.
But now, removing two zeros is enough. Even if he is desperate, he can't bear to let these two little girls take advantage of him.
However, Sisi still reached out and took the bag of money from his hand and gave him a bag of money.
"Deal, after this trip is over, we are planning to go to Oasis No. 9. We won't need to change money when we get there."
Looking at the money bag handed over by the girl in front of him, the man was stunned for a moment and said guiltily.
"This... is too much."
The heavy weight contains at least 300 golden camel coins. If you save some money, you can use it to live for half a year.
You can even do some small business.
Si Si weighed the money bag in his hand and said casually.
"Your country has not lost yet. Those who are still resisting have their determination worthy of the price. Take it."
The man's Adam's apple moved, and the expression on his face was both grateful and a little ashamed.
After a brief moment of silence, he put the money bag away and bowed deeply.
This is the only thing he can do at this moment.
"Thank you for your generosity, and may the spirit of the sand sea bless you on your journey. My name is Charlie... Although this is just an insignificant name, not worth remembering, but if we meet again by fate, I will repay you for your kindness to me.
and my wife’s kindness.”
Thinking this guy was quite interesting, Sisi curled his lips.
"Don't take it too seriously. It's just a business deal. Just be nice to your wife."
The tail on the side also smiled and said.
"Oh! Let me lend you auspicious words. I hope we can find a lot of treasures on our way back! By the way, we are members of the White Bear Knights. The leader is a talking big white bear. Please pass on our legend.
It’s even more outrageous!”
The man glanced at the two little girls blankly, then bowed deeply again, returned to his wife and told her the good news.
Under the watchful eyes of two pairs of grateful eyes, Sisi and Weiwei walked towards the room deep in the corridor.
Looking at Sisi who took out the key and opened the door, he touched his chin and thought for a long time. Suddenly, as if he had discovered some terrible secret, he spoke seriously.
"It's incredible. I didn't expect Sisi to be soft-hearted and didn't suspect that the couple might be liars."
Si Si replied casually without being frank.
"No, I just thought I might not be able to buy it if I don't buy it. Let's buy it as a souvenir... Oh, by the way, this expenditure can be deducted from my share of income. After all, it is my personal interest."
Although no one seemed to care much about it, she thought it would be better to figure it out more clearly.
She has seen too many guilds that were originally very close to each other fall out because of a piece of equipment that was about to be stabbed after two versions.
Taiyi looked at Sisi who opened the door in surprise.
"Hey! Do you want to monopolize the out-of-print gold coins?"
Si Si was stunned, then smiled and put the money bag into her hand.
"...That's considered Awei's share."
The room with 9 golden camel coins is much more spacious than the small single room with 3 golden camel coins. It not only has bright windows, a big soft bed, but also a separate bathroom.
Petra Fortress is not in an oasis, but it is the territory of the Camelback Kingdom. Fresh water is only a little more expensive, but it is not scarce.
Moreover, Oasis No. 4 is different from other oases in that not all fresh water is supplied by the "river embankment". The Zhuobar River flowing from the mountains to Silver Moon Bay also irrigates large areas of land.
In the local slang of the Camelback Kingdom, the pronunciation of Zhuo Baal means greatness and mother. This is also one of the cultures formed after the Wasteland Era.
As soon as he dropped his luggage, Tails rushed into the bathroom like a gust of wind, and soon there was the sound of rushing water.
I haven't taken a shower for a month.
But she was suffocated.
Sisi walked to the window and sat down, listening to the shouting and shouting outside the window. He put the "Oasis under the Zhuobar Mountains" he bought with cash on his knees and started to read it carefully.
The author's name is Bai Ge, which seems to be a pen name. He narrated his life story in a few strokes on the title page. He claimed to be from a wandering swamp, and he was surprised to discover this star hidden in the mountains in this desperate land.
He felt like a pearl at his feet, so he gave up his job as an employer, stayed in the local area, married a fisherman's daughter, and taught and wrote at the same time.
This book, written in the 150th year of the Wasteland Era, is as famous as its author himself. It mainly records the geography, customs and customs of No. 4 Oasis and Camelback Kingdom.
If you compare the Dhobar Mountains horizontally with the "Roof of the World" in the real world, then the location of the Hump Kingdom looks a bit like a different-world version of Bangladesh.
However, its area is smaller, only 80,000 square kilometers in total, and its population is only about 1.5 million, living in a total of twelve city-states including the "Petra Fortress".
The royal capital here is Camel City, where one-third of the population of the entire oasis lives, located in the southwest corner of the bay.
If you pass through the Petra Fortress and follow the Dzobar River south to the flood plain at the outlet, you will reach Silver Moon Bay, the most prosperous place in the entire oasis.
Silvermoon City, located on the floodplain, is the most prosperous port city in the Camelback Kingdom. Its unique urban style is the scattered islands and rivers running between the buildings.
Although the population is only 300,000, more than 70% of the kingdom's fiscal revenue comes from there.
"...The locals started trade with the southern archipelago and the Borneo province in the southwest. The bighorn cattle in the desert were actually introduced from the Borneo province by Silver Moon Bay. It is said that there are fishmen with gills who can spit acid.
The big frog with liquid... it’s incredible.”
"Oh! Poro! Can we see Poro there?" Tails, who was rubbing his wet hair with a towel, heard Sis talking to himself and came over curiously as he just walked out of the bathroom.
Sisi's face suddenly turned red when he saw her appearance, and he stretched out his hand to pull the curtains up.
"You... put on some clothes at least."
The tail was held proudly on the waist, and the corners of the mouth were raised fearlessly.
"What does it matter! I heard that no one wears clothes when they live in the dormitory!"
Sisi subtly looked away.
"...I may have gone to a fake university."
Tails, who had been naughty for a while, finally found his integrity. He put on a T-shirt and sat next to Sisi obediently. He wrapped his hair in a towel, as if he was planning to wait for it to dry naturally.
There are obviously androids here, but there are no hairdryers. It can only be called a wasteland.
Taiyi, who was leaning next to the book, stared at the illustrations with shining eyes, trying to find some clues about the new map. After a while, he went to the forum to brag with everyone.
Sisi coughed slightly and returned to the previous topic.
"It just happens that the pronunciation is very similar. The literal translation is the land south of the towering mountains. I prefer to directly transliterate it as 'Bolo'. I feel that the location of that province is a bit like the widened Italian Peninsula. Our current place
The fortress is like Innsbruck, the Camel City is like Ravenna, and the Silver Moon City is like Venice...if you only look at the geographical location."
The Dhobar Mountains extending to the southwest cut off traffic on the road, so the only way to go from Oasis 4 to Borneo Province is by water.
According to the description in the book, there are also alien species in the ocean, and their combat power is said to have reached the level of sea monsters.
However, these alien species are usually only active in the deep sea and are very sensitive to smells.
The locals found that these alien species hated the smell of black ironwood, so they used black ironwood to make wooden steamboats for long-distance trade. In relatively shallow offshore waters, they also used iron sheets to make boats.
The author whose pen name is Bai Ge has a very rigorous narrative style. He might be a researcher at the academy.
Sisi was thinking in his mind, resting his chin on his hands and staring at the tail of the illustration, and suddenly let out a sigh.
"I didn't expect the world to be so big!"
"Yes, it is……"
"Across the sea..." Tail touched his chin, and his expression suddenly became serious, "Is it the enemy?"
Sisi was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing.
"...I'm joining in the fun, Ah Wei."
"hey-hey……"
Tai Tai scratched the back of his head a little embarrassed.
At this time, she suddenly saw the scroll placed on the bedside table, and then she remembered the treasure map, so she stood up with a groan and took it over.
Looking at the map spread out on the ground, Sisi raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"Oh, it's quite big."
It’s not too bad to say so.
"Oh! Si! There's a red cross on the map! It's really a treasure map!"
"You can draw that kind of mark just by holding a pen."
Looking at Ah Wei who was startled, Si Si replied casually, his eyes stayed on the map for a moment, and he suddenly frowned slightly.
Her index finger subconsciously turned the pages and found a description of the Lost Valley.
Whether in a materialistic sense or an idealistic sense, this ruins has a profound impact on the kingdom in this oasis.
Therefore, the book also contains a considerable length of description.
"...According to local legends, the sky god fell there, and the burning scepter turned the plain into a valley. That is undoubtedly the No. 7 oasis. According to the known documents, I suspect that there are radioactive materials and mutations there.
Slime mold...or should I say, the remnants of a curse."
"I should go there and have a look, but my body can no longer withstand the torture. For the sake of my lovely son, I can only give up the urge to take risks. Maybe one day in the future, when I have nothing to worry about, I will go there
Look, it would be perfect if we could fix it there, although I don't have any hope."
"A century and a half ago, they were living gods. If they wanted to solve the gods' problems with wrenches and screwdrivers, it would be more reliable to light a candle and pray."
After reading this, Sisi was already certain that the author whose pen name was Bai Ge was a researcher of the academy - or an explorer.
That pessimistic and self-deprecating tone is exactly the same as that of a researcher who is obsessed with coffee machines.
"The more you know, the more pessimistic you become. Fortunately, you have an optimistic manager. I would have given up treatment long ago." This is a line that the NPC often says.
His eyes were fixed on a certain line in the book, and Si Si combined the context and reluctantly explained it with a limited vocabulary.
"...Titan."
Tails raised his head excitedly, his eyes shining with excitement.
"Titan?"
It is indeed a hidden mission!
Sisi nodded, his eyes moved on the page, and after thinking for a while, he said.
"Hmm... The author has collected rumors about the God of the Sky. Based on the descriptions of the locals, he believes that it should be some kind of large land combat equipment with frigate specifications, equipped with mobile reactors, heavy firepower and starship-level protection.
shield."
Machines wielding holy fires struggled with evil spirits wielding countless long whips, and were eventually burned under the scepter falling from the sky... This sounds like Transformers fighting tentacle monsters.
If the tentacle monster is understood as a brood, then the machine waving the sacred fire can be easily explained.
It's probably similar to the Doomsday Mech in "Civilization 6" or the Iron Pimple in "Titanfall".
This is not like a battle that took place during the Three Years' War, but more like a battle that took place during the Commission.
"Well, maybe there's something really special there, but -"
But it's best not to cause unnecessary problems at this time.
After all, compared to the difficulty and the ruins with unknown benefits, of course the goods worth millions are more important.
However--
When he met those expectant eyes, a helpless smile appeared on that smart face.
Closing the book in his hand, Sisi put it aside, patted the dust and stood up from the ground.
"...It would be a pity not to go and see it."
The tail jumped up excitedly.
"Oh! Charge!"
——
(Thanks to the leader of "xX Daidai Senior Brother Xx" for the reward!!!)