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After packing his luggage, riding a horse, and putting on a hooded robe, Zhou Qingfeng set out from Harmony Village in a low-key manner. Only Seth followed him, and he was alone, quite like a knight wielding a sword and traveling to the end of the world.
Passing through the forest plank road previously controlled by goblins, the lonely horse's hooves went all the way south. When the dense trees were gradually replaced by smooth hills, it was announced that Zhou Qingfeng had arrived in a new world.
But far and near, it is still a hazy gray world, silent and monotonous. Although there are no monsters screaming day and night, there is no dangerous swamp miasma, and there is not much vitality and hope.
Ever since he came to another world, Zhou Qingfeng had always hoped to escape from the Black Forest. But when he walked out of the terrifying forest, he faced a completely unfamiliar world. The roads were bumpy and the fields were lonely. It was really not as lively as the Harmony Village.
This was completely different from the 'escape' he imagined. It was more like fleeing into an unknown territory. Zhou Qingfeng had no idea what he was going to face, and he felt uncomfortable everywhere.
"Master, the outside is not as good as our Harmony Village." Seth rode a mule, like Don Quixote's servant Sancho, following Zhou Qingfeng's horse. "Look at these hills, they are all cleared of wood.
It’s so ugly.”
Most people in other worlds use wood as fuel. But in the north, there is no sunlight, and vegetation almost stops growing. Wood is a non-renewable resource, and once it is cut down, it cannot be restored.
"In order to burn firewood, the people of Coldwind City have been cutting down here for fifty years. If they continue to cut down at this rate, sooner or later the Black Forest will be cut down." Seth's fingers traced the continuous hills, and a large amount of wood was left.
The wooden stakes are on the ground.
The suffering of the other world is most vividly reflected in the matter of logging.
The reason why Cold Wind City can survive is by cutting down timber and mining mineral deposits to supply the south. Originally, the local products in the Black Forest were also an important source of income for the city, but now they have been cut off by Zhou Qingfeng.
After fifty years of continuous cutting, the forest continued to recede. Just transporting wood became very difficult. Zhou Qingfeng saw several wood transport trucks along the way. The driver was as skinny as a monkey, and his eyes were numb.
Turn.
"Logging is a very hard job. The gentlemen in Cold Wind City want to take away part of the logging profits, and the Phils family who controls the Northland want to take away most of it by setting up roadblocks on various roads. It is difficult for woodcutters to support themselves.
"
Seth rarely talks about this in front of Zhou Qingfeng, but today he couldn't stop talking when he got emotional. "Sir, compared to those noble vampires in the North, you are really very kind. If it weren't for you, many people wouldn't be able to survive at all."
In the past, the servant's heartfelt praise would have made Zhou Qingfeng very happy. But the declining situation in front of him made him feel deeply disappointed. As more and more people rushed to Harmony Village, he knew that life outside the Black Forest was not easy either.
But the population that the village can accommodate has reached its limit. If a larger living space cannot be opened up as soon as possible, conflicts and disasters will come - without the gods to deal with it, the Harmony Village itself will be destroyed.
"Let's go, we still have to drive for a while," Zhou Qingfeng said.
According to the plan, Adrian served as the outpost, riding a fast horse to act as the leader. He would explore the roads and accommodation conditions for Zhou Qingfeng who was following behind, and provide early warning if there was any danger.
The distance between the two parties is no more than ten kilometers, and they use 'Holy Light' to contact each other.
Sophia controls hundreds of invisible servants to roam around Zhou Qingfeng's flanks and rearguard, not only expanding the field of vision and exploration, but also clarifying the roads and terrain. All of this will be drawn on the map of the information network.
As for the halfling Kelly, she was following Zhou Qingfeng just now, and she only said, "I'm going for a walk." In the blink of an eye, she didn't know where this energetic Dark Sun elect had gone. Occasionally she would call out to the 'Holy Light',
The location varies from east to west.
After walking out of the Black Forest, Zhou Qingfeng immediately understood the importance of roads. In the real world, transportation is developed and it is convenient to go anywhere. But in the other world, there are only a few roads connecting cities. There may be several villages and towns providing accommodation and supplies along the way.
Whether they are pedestrians, businessmen, or troops, they must move along the existing roads. If they leave the road, they will not even be able to drink water, let alone raise supplies.
Ancient wars focused on guarding cities and passes, and the fighting was very dull. This is not without reason. Many war miracles involve crossing mountains and ridges. It is precisely because this is difficult to do that it is so precious and worthy of being recorded in the annals of history.
According to various sources of information, Zhou Qingfeng knew the approximate locations of seventeen cities in the North and surrounding villages and towns. However, this information was not enough to support a high-intensity military operation. A false visit would definitely make strangers blind.
The closest city to Zhou Qingfeng is Cold Wind City, but his target is Banshee Castle, which is hostile to Cold Wind City. This is a human settlement with a population of only 30,000, and is already the largest city in the North.
After a long journey for a day, we arrived at a small town before nightfall. According to Adrian's description, this was a pretty nice town with taverns, accommodations, and merchants.
But when Zhou Qingfeng rode his war horse on the dirt road of the town..., "What the hell, why are all towns like this?"
"Sir, except for our Harmony Village, other places are like this. Even Cold Wind City is like this." Seth followed behind and muttered, "The country guys outside never pay attention to cleanliness."
When Zhou Qingfeng started the "New Life Movement", he forcibly promoted environmental sanitation and cracked down on open defecation. No one understood him at first, but within a few months, the people of Harmony Village were as high as the sky and were proud of the cleanliness of their village.
A clean living environment can greatly improve the quality of life and give people a strong psychological advantage. In the small town in front of you, a poor road divides the town into two halves, and the town is full of low-rise houses.
Several beggars with sad faces stood at the entrance of the village, asking Zhou Qingfeng for help with their dirty hands.
Seth was afraid that Zhou Qingfeng would show mercy, so he quickly whispered: "Master, please don't give it. They will pester you."
The population of the town is less than a thousand, and most of the townspeople are numb. Walking on the street is as dull and slow as a living corpse, which makes people feel depressed. Walking a short distance into the town, I saw a person in the wind from a distance.
Dancing tavern sign.
The sign had faded over time and was in dilapidated condition, with no original appearance visible except for a vague image of a wine glass. Adrian booked a guest room for Zhou Qingfeng in the tavern and waited at the entrance of the tavern.
But when the 'Clown' saw Zhou Qingfeng appearing on horseback, he said in embarrassment: "Sir Hugo, I'm afraid the accommodation conditions here are a bit bad."
"How bad?"
"I don't care. I'm used to being dirty and smelly. But I'm afraid a gentleman like you can't stand it. The stables in Harmony Village are cleaner than the guest rooms here."
The corner of Uncle Zhou's mouth twitched. He actually wanted to be down-to-earth and close to the people, experience life, and interact with the bottom of society. But if he was asked to live in a stable, then he wouldn't do it. He might as well go camping.
Zhou Qingfeng was still hesitating whether he should carry forward the fine tradition of "being diligent, frugal and simple, enduring hardship". Seth behind him said to Adrian: "Who is our master? How could he live in a place like this?"
Zhou Qingfeng wanted to say, "Actually, I have no identity," but Adrian on the opposite side nodded repeatedly, "Yes, Sir Hugo commands more than 2,000 people and is more powerful than the mayor. It is indeed not suitable to live here.
I asked the tavern owner that there is a widow in this town. She is young and good-looking. Maybe I can spend money to live in her house. I just don’t know if this will affect Monsignor Hugo’s reputation? I don’t dare to make decisions on my own."
Zhou Qingfeng said to himself: "Just make the decision. Why would Mao say this? This sounds weird. What does it mean to affect my reputation?"
Seth said sternly again: "Adrian, your understanding is wrong. How noble is our Mr. Hugo? It's not like we don't spend money, so what if we ask a widow to serve us? Does anyone dare to talk nonsense?
?
As subordinates, we must try our best to consider the master, so what if we take the blame when necessary? From now on, there is no need to report such things at all, otherwise you let the master answer you how he wants. He can't tell you even if he wants to, right?"
Adrian nodded repeatedly, indicating that he really lacked consideration and responsibility.
Stop..., this is even more wrong.
Zhou Qingfeng looked angry and said decisively: "Who do you think I am? I have a girlfriend, and my relationship is very strong. Besides, we should be gentlemen when we go out. What does it mean to live in a widow's house? No.
Is the tavern room just a little messy...what are you afraid of?"
Before he finished speaking, Zhou Qingfeng opened the door of the tavern with dignity and decided to conduct personal research tonight, go deep into the grassroots, observe the public sentiment, and see how bad the guest rooms in this otherworldly tavern are - no matter how bad they are, I will stay there.
Without investigation, there is no right to speak. We must adhere to a realistic style and integrate with the people!
A man who is a real man should not do those things that are beneath the melons and plums in the fields.
You have to know how to avoid suspicion, you know?
Don't let people say those baseless things.
You should learn from me and see how I set an example for others.
Within three minutes of entering the tavern...
Uncle Zhou covered his nose and escaped with an unlucky look on his face. He patted Adrian on the shoulder, "You are too young and your understanding of stables is too superficial. How can the stables in our village be so bad? Besides, in life, why should you stick to small details?
.
If you are upright, don't be afraid of a slanted shadow. Those who achieve great things should cherish their own lives. Enough is enough when it comes to things like investigation and research. As a human being, you must be happy. Don't do things like self-abuse. After all, I don't have no money, why should I?
To embarrass yourself?"
Zhou Qingfeng talked a lot of nonsense, and finally asked in a low voice: "Where does that widow live? What does she look like? Is she beautiful? You won't give me nightmares at night. Don't tell Inisa about this today.