Soon after the black line on the horizon appeared, the ground changed from flat desert to rugged ground filled with strange rocks.
Bahram spent the whole day walking through the stones.
He has lived in the salt-alkali land below the hive city since he was a child, and has never climbed higher.
These stones are very smooth. The strong wind that roars all day long has corroded small pits on the surface of the stones, and some water accumulates inside, like gems dotted with them.
Ahead stood strange cliffs, with smooth surfaces at their lower parts and very jagged upper parts.
These cliffs marked his arrival in the foothills of Soames, a literal departure from his home.
The towering mountains are like a group of silent giants, truly overlooking the earth.
Bahram took some time to check his resources.
He still had half a bottle of water, half a bag of dry food, and a leather coat that didn't fit well.
In order to supply supplies, he began to search for springs in rock crevices.
If it were in the saline-alkali land where he lived, he would know where to find water - places with darker soil are often where groundwater seeps out.
But in the mountains, he can only trust his own intuition and judgment.
Bahram decided to start his search at the base of the cliff, where he speculated that water could seep to the surface through cracks and faults, and that plants would sometimes mark the location of water sources.
Don't doubt that a wild child from the bottom of the hive city knows so much.
In fact, Bahram's family used to be a member of the upper class of the hive city, but after a failed political speculation, his grandfather was deprived of all wealth and power and was reduced to the lower class of the hive city.
But this does not mean that they have fallen into decline.
In fact, relying on the knowledge and extraordinary insights in his mind, his father easily found a job as a salt mine supervisor. Bahram himself continued to receive education from his grandfather at home until his grandfather passed away three years ago.
It was from his grandfather that he first learned about the existence of angels.
They are the incarnation of the God-Emperor's will, powerful, immortal, and invincible.
If there is anything that can be a boy's ultimate dream, it is the Astartes.
This is also the purpose of his trip.
Bahram spent most of the morning searching for water, navigating a maze of ravines that led to the mountains.
It was very cool here because it was surrounded by rocks, but because he was born in the plains, he felt a little claustrophobic here.
Finally he found a bowl-shaped basin.
Although it is surrounded by cliffs, there is still enough space for the sun to shine down.
He never thought he would miss the sun so much, but after walking in the shadows for a day, he desperately wanted to see the sky.
A steep river extends from the bottom of the basin into the mountains. There is a thin waterfall here, so a small pool of water gathers at the bottom of the basin.
The pool is surrounded by a cluster of water leaves. Their immature leaves are clinging to the spiny and hard stems. The mature leaves on the outside are consumables - they are full of water and have no sharp spines, and are used to attract animals.
Eat them, spreading the seeds hanging from the tips of the leaves far away.
Bahram slid down the edge of the rock, plucked the seeds from the leaves, and began munching on them.
The water leaves taste very bitter, but after walking for three days without water or food, they taste like the nectar that angels should drink.
Afterwards, he bent down, picked up the water from the bottle, and in the process washed his face, which was as rough as frost, with clean water.
"Tsk, tsk, look what we found. There is a hive boy here who has polluted our water source."
Hearing the sound, Bahram turned around quickly.
I saw two boys standing at the entrance of the basin.
They were skinny, wearing strange clothes, with various survival tools hung on their belts, and heavy square backpacks on their backs.
On their shoulders, they also carried brackets made of white metal.
Bahram dropped the bottle, stood up, assumed a defensive posture, and touched his hand to his lower back - there was a beautiful pistol left to him by his grandfather.
The two boys were older and taller than him, especially the one who was speaking.
The second man is a bald man, but he is very strong and has some tattoos on his arms. He looks not to be trifled with.
Bahram tried to hide his alarm as he spoke.
"Hello."
"Who are you?"
the second boy asked.
But Bahram didn't answer, so the first boy could only make a helpless face, showing his black teeth, and then walked towards the basin.
"I'm so exhausted."
He put the backpack down, and the stand made a crisp sound when it was put down.
After putting down the heavy burden, the boy stretched his waist beautifully.
"He doesn't have a bright mind. I can see that you are about the same as him."
The first boy put on a big smile, and the second boy, the stocky-looking guy, scowled at his companion.
"My brain is bright. At least I know how to survive here. At least I found this place first."
Bahram retorted.
"Also, if you are thirsty, just take some for yourself."
He tried his best to be friendly. Living in the lower levels of the hive, he naturally knew how to avoid trouble and conflicts.
But the other party didn't appreciate it very much.
"We don't need to ask for your permission."
The stocky boy said, deliberately bumping Bahram's shoulder as he walked over.
"Don't waste your time, we don't know much about him yet."
The first boy said, walked to a stone next to Bahram and squatted down.
"Where are you going, boy?"
Bahram chose to avoid his question.
"One of my cousins is sick. I want to see him. It will be much more convenient to go to Graycliff Town wherever I go."
"Ah, Graycliff Town, where are you going next?"
The older boy caught on to what Bahram was saying.
"Do you want to catch the last train?"
He said cryptically, with an expression that said I've seen through you.
"Want to take part in the angel's test?"
It turned out that as early as seven days ago, the chapter leader of the Astral Knights suddenly announced that the primary election would be postponed. At the same time, there would be no restrictions on identity. Any healthy teenager who meets the age limit can participate in the selection.
However, candidates who are not in the middle or upper class of the hive city can only go to several designated registration points, register there and then take a vehicle to Soames Noble Academy.
Graycliff Town, a small town located at the junction of the lower and middle levels of Soames Hive, is one of these registration points.
The most special thing about the town is that it is built on a cliff.
The original intention of this town was to collect the excrement of a rare bird, which is an important raw material for making a special perfume.
This perfume is not only extremely popular among the upper-class ladies of the hive, but is even sold to other planets.
In order to prevent disturbing these birds, Gray Cliff Town has not built any roads or track facilities. People entering and exiting the town can only climb nearly a kilometer of cliffs with bare hands.
So people can only go there during the guano collecting season, and most of the time there are very few residents in the town.
The Astral Knight clearly had a purpose in choosing where to sign up.