555: Chapter 554: Northwest Observations [Double Request for Monthly Tickets] 555: Chapter 554: Northwest Observations [Double Request for Monthly Tickets] Hou Niao flashed a smile, “Thank you for your kind offer.
Are you heading to Loulan City?”
The leader of the group glared at the young man but couldn’t do much about it, “Hello!
I am Sha Jia from the Sha Family of Loulan City.
If the guest is going to Loulan, you can join us on our journey; if not, we can provide you with fresh water and even a camel.”
In the Kneecap Desert, the camel is the only means of transportation for people, and it plays an integral role in assessing one’s wealth.
Although common here, camels are not as dispensable as cattle or sheep and are not casually given away.
However, the locals who have survived here for a long time understand the benefits of making connections with cultivators.
Regardless of whether these bonds will be useful in the future, they are a matter of causality.
This causality can lead cultivators to treat mortals with more kindness, even if it means reaching out to help them elsewhere; the impact is the same.
If every denizen of the desert does this, then there will always be passing cultivators willing to help in times of crisis.
This is their simple value system.
Hou Niao was not shy to accept, “I am going to Loulan, so let’s travel together.”
The young man quickly led an unoccupied camel over.
In caravans one, it was customary to have spare camels ready for any unforeseen circumstances.
As Hou Niao approached the caravan, everyone confirmed that he was not an undead creature in disguise and naturally put down their weapons, resuming their normal travel formation.
Seeing that although this person was dressed like an ordinary person from the inland, his clothes were spotless.
Sha Jia, of course, understood this must be a cultivator, who possessed mysterious powers that protected him from the erosion of sand and wind.
“Is this your first visit to Loulan City?” Sha Jia asked.
Hou Niao smiled, “Yes, it is.
It’s also my first time experiencing such a desert.
I was unprepared and have become a laughing stock.
My name is Hou Niao, from the south.
Please enlighten me.”
The boy couldn’t help interjecting from the side, “Are you a cultivator, sir?”
Hou Niao looked at the boy who had removed his hood, appearing youthful with a lively energy typical of fourteen or fifteen years of age.
He felt affection for the simple honesty of the boy and replied,
“Yes, I’ve heard there are many undead monsters here, so I came to see if I could slay a few and make my lifelong learning worthwhile.”
Now that they walked together, the various aspects of the Northwest began to unfold before Hou Niao’s eyes.
“Why do so many people still choose to stick to the deep desert?
As far as I know, the Northwestern nations do not obstruct your entry; if you moved inland just a bit, even a few hundred miles, the living conditions would be much better.”
The man gave a laugh, unwilling to answer, for the thoughts of mortals differ from those of cultivators.
But the child, nicknamed ‘Stone’, formally named Sha Shi, did not yet understand these things,
If our generation retreats a few hundred miles, and the next generation does the same, each time for legitimate reasons, all for the sake of a better living environment, then where will we be after a few hundred years?
That’s why this land belongs to humanity and is not rightfully claimed by the undead.
Only if we don’t retreat will people come to help us!
If we can’t even help ourselves, who else will?”
Hou Niao was surprised and had to admit, although simple, these words were a timeless truth of nature!
Little Stone lifted his head proudly, “That’s why we still have Loulan City here; it’s still human territory.
If it weren’t for the perseverance of every generation here, Loulan City would have ceased to exist long ago, including Wuqu City, Baishi City, and many more…”
Hou Niao patted his head, “You’re right; that’s exactly the point!”
He felt he had come to the right place, to help those who deserved it.
Perhaps that was what his elder, Yu Zhengxing, had in mind?
The topic was too heavy and could lead to endless discussion, which was not necessary.
“In such a desert, how do the locals sustain themselves?” Hou Niao inquired.
Sha Jia laughed heartily, “The Venerable has never been to Loulan City, right?
Loulan City used to be an oasis, rich in underground water resources – a gathering place for local nomadic tribes.
So, sustaining thousands of people with water is no problem at all; the Northwest is indeed arid, but that doesn’t mean it never rains.”
Sha Shi, who liked to show off, continued where his uncle left off, “Loulan is a good place, not like outsiders imagine, and certainly not like the barren sand dunes and rivers we have passed along the way.
We have herds of camels, sheep, cattle, and we’re not short of meat; we also have some farmland, albeit limited, but enough to provide a portion of grain and vegetables; there are many minerals in the desert, um, which we haven’t exploited much.
Animal hides and furs, rosestone, earth oil, desert ginseng, cistanche, Frost Jade, diamonds…
which of these isn’t a sought-after item inland?”
Hou Niao nodded; people live off the land, regardless of whether it’s a mountain, sea, or desert.
No land is truly barren – with hard work, anywhere can support life.
Sha Jia continued, “In Loulan, the local permanent population is around six thousand, with several thousand more who came from the interior seeking adventure and fortune.
In the Kneecap Desert, if you dare to venture out, you can certainly make a fortune.
Of course, luck plays a part; this is a place where people stake their lives for a better future.
Adventurers generally don’t last five years; they either achieve their goals and leave, or they leave their lives behind here.”
Hou Niao raised his eyebrows, “Nearly ten thousand people?
That’s no small scale.
What about the cultivators?
Do they also mix with you all?”
Sha Jia shook his head, “No, they have their own exclusive area, which is the best part of Loulan City; but most of the time, they are constantly patrolling, eliminating the undead creatures infiltrating the interior.
That’s why we always set aside the best of Loulan City for them, for every one of them, even though we know they might not even care about these things.
Like when we return this time, the freshest fruits and vegetables will be sent to them.
It’s voluntary, no one forces us.”
Hou Niao found this interesting.
The natives were clever, knowing what they were doing and who was protecting their lives and property.
It seemed they shared a decent relationship?
They talked as they traveled.
Just like when he first arrived at the Lizhi Sea, there was so much to learn.
He never saw himself as superior just because he was a cultivator, so as to ignore the wisdom of ordinary people.
For this was to become his battlefield, and he had a premonition that this was not a mission that could be completed in a short time.
Therefore, he needed to thoroughly understand everything here.
Every detail could be the elixir that saved his life.
In the Kneecap Desert, the interior was not only infiltrated by low-rank undead creatures, but also by middle-high-rank beings on the same level as human Golden Cores.
These beings did not entertain negotiations about realms of equality.
It was a fight to the death.