3 The hermit's dwelling

The three princes learned through inquiry that it was May 8 when they boarded the dock, which meant that their ship had been lost in the sand and dust for a whole day! This made them very frightened, and even when they were hurrying in the scorching sun, they could not help but shudder.

Led by Pala Dax, the group made their way along the stone path, and while they looked around, although the desert was unobstructed in the distance, there was a thick layer of sand in the distance—rather a "wall of sand".

"Don't wonder what's there, and don't go in there," Para warned, pointing to the "sand walls," "and you'll get lost when you go in." The three princes were still haunted by the horror of the ship's sinking into the dust, and naturally they did not try it lightly, and they used the way of chatting to relieve the tension.

Para is a talkative woman, even if her status is not equal to that of a prince, but in this era of kingdoms and city-states, not to mention princes, even kings are not a rare breed. The three princes asked a lot of questions about what the hermit's dwelling was like, what the hermit taught, and what kind of person the hermit was, to which Para replied in one sentence: "You will know when you arrive." She seemed a little displeased, however, that the three princes did not pay particular attention to her master, the Prince of Dragon.

"Why are the princes of two countries in the same boat?" Parra asked sharply. Ryan explains why, recounting how he was rescued by House after his ship sank. He also mentions the horrors of the ship as it crosses the dust layer before the shore, and the loss of five men. To this, Para snorted and said disdainfully, "What is it to lose some of his men for the sake of studying...... this almost cold-blooded answer surprised Lane, but Para continued, "Our prince has sacrificed half of the flotilla for this study. But what he learned would make the kingdom of Dragonon stronger, and the sacrifices would deserve to die. After hearing this, Ryan wanted to say something, but was stopped by Albert.

"IMHO, is knowledge really more important than human life?" Albert questioned.

Para didn't look at him, but asked, "Isn't it?" Albert didn't know how to refute this sentence, because he understood that knowledge and technology were indeed very important in the development of the country. And now, his homeland, the Kingdom of Split, is being sandwiched between many countries, although it is not precarious, but it is also often frightened by the turmoil of the surrounding countries, who knows which country is coveting its own territory and resources? Moreover, the disasters and famines in recent years have caused grain production in most countries to decrease, and the tension between countries has only increased, and war has become a priority option for resolving the food crisis...... Under this premise, some rulers began to listen to various rumors in the hope of solving the current crisis, and the "hermit in the desperate desert" was one of them.

Prince Ryan Royer of Spreet was an absolute supporter of this rumor, but he also knew that the sand and dust in the desert would make people lose themselves and not be easily approached, so Ryan had to spend a lot of money to buy information about entering the desert from the sea, and at the age of sixteen, he decided to go. Albert Royer, his elder brother and the eldest son of the royal family, was not interested in the rumors themselves, but feared for his brother's safety, so he decided to escort him to the dangerous desert. At this time, the Kingdom of Sprelet was still a landlocked country and had no coastal ports, so the two took their retinue to buy boats into the sea through neighboring countries.

The group chatted all the way, and soon stopped talking—the desert was dry, and no one wanted to say anything more. Ryan wanted his brother to drink more water, but the latter refused outright, apparently wanting to cherish fresh water. When Para saw it, he said, "Feel free to drink it, there is a lot of fresh water." ”

"How much fresh water is there? In this desert? House asked, confused, but Para didn't answer, she thought she had made it clear.

"Then drink!" House broke the can, gulped down the water, and the entourage who accompanied him was not polite and drank freely.

Albert thought with some caution: "Is there an oasis ahead?" Or groundwater? Despite Parra's assurance, he gave his brother all the fresh water.

It was getting dark, and the entourage carrying the luggage was tired, so everyone simply set up camp and rested for the night. At the end of the meal, Para showed the three princes and their retinue a fruit, attracting onlookers—

"Is this a melon?" "It smells so good! I really want to try it! "Is this growing in the desert?" I've never seen it! Under the various questions of the crowd, Para cut the light green melon, revealing an orange-yellow pulp, which caused another exclamation.

"Eat as much as you want, there's still one here." Para said generously, and the crowd couldn't wait to divide it up. House ate a piece, and immediately felt that the melon was fat, crisp and refreshing, sweet and fragrant, and exclaimed: "It's delicious!" It's so sweet, I love it! Then feast. The Roye brothers on the side also felt that this melon tasted as sweet as honey, and there was an indescribable deliciousness.

"This is the variety that the teacher can grow in the desert by selecting delicious melons and fruits from all over the world and spreading their pollen to each other, and a lot of them are planted next to the teacher's residence, so you don't have to be polite" Para explained the origin of the melon, and the teacher in her mouth naturally refers to the hermit.

Ryan sighed while eating: "The hermit is so powerful! I even know about fruits. Albert next to him fell into deep thought, he had always thought that melons, fruits and even plants could not grow in the harsh desert, but he didn't expect this melon fruit to be so sweet and delicious, which made him deeply shocked, "Does this hermit really know so much knowledge?" He pondered, "Do you want to learn from him how to be a good king?" Govern my country well? To get out of this passive situation......"

"Hey, brother," Ryan interrupted Albert's thoughts, "water for you, I know you didn't drink during the day." Albert pouted and smiled, and took the kettle.

The next morning, the group set out again, still relishing the melons of the previous night, and at the same time adding some anticipation: what new and good things will be in the hermit's dwelling? Almost everyone was anxious to see with their own eyes what the miraculous hermit of the desert would surprise them.

At noon, they saw the stone path climb to the end of a small sand dune, and Para pointed to the sand dune and said, "On that side, is the hermit's dwelling." "The people, who were already tired, came up to the sand dunes and looked beyond it—

"This!" "It's, it's amazing!" "My God of Origins! Who came up with this......" exclamations kept ringing out, for in front of them was a huge desert basin, like a huge pothole, and the desert in front of them was all sunken, and the lowest point was more than a few stories below ground level. On the sloping inset slope, there are several green fields neatly arranged - like pieces of shiny jade embedded in the sand, and in some places white or black cloth sheds, which are scattered like chessboards, which are pleasing to the eye.

But the most striking thing is the towering black building in the center of the basin - from the structural composition, this black building is just a two-story house with a tower, a total of about eight or nine floors, which is not unusual. However, the pitch black of the building exudes an inexplicable and eerie luster, which is both like metal and masonry, which makes people daunting, but also mysterious, and wants to find out.

"Those are vegetable patches? Or melon fields? Ryan asked Para excitedly. This time, Pala didn't sell it, and replied directly: "Yes, there are also a lot of heat-resistant grains, potatoes and turnips, and those black sheds raise broilers, and the white sheds can be used to collect dew......"

"Collecting dew? I thought there was groundwater, or an oasis. Albert interjected, but there was a kind of respect in his tone.

Pala responds earnestly: "There is very little groundwater here, and it is mainly used to water crops, and the dew collected is clean and used for drinking. ”

"How much can you collect in a day?"

"Two barrels or so."

"So many?!"

"You see, the basin topography here is conducive to water sedimentation, and the teacher's homemade dew collector is very efficient." Hearing Parra's words, Albert shook his head in disbelief and denied his suspicions.

House also had a problem: "I remember that chickens can't be raised in the dark, why use black cloth sheds?" ”

Para motioned for everyone to walk forward, and as he walked around, he said, "I have been there once, and I have seen that there are always oil lamps or candles lit inside, and the light can be reflected back and forth by using several mirrors, but it is actually very ......bright."

"I know that this way the broilers will grow faster." Ryan said in a hurry.

"That's right!"

"But the oil and the candles always run out......," Haus wondered.

Para laughed and said, "The fat on the broiler can be used ......"

"Oh!" Several people were amazed by the wisdom of recycling.

"I can't wait to meet this hermit." Ryan was in high spirits.

"What a child," Pala said with a smile, "and these are just the tip of the iceberg of the knowledge that the teacher has, and it was an eye-opener when we arrived here a month ago, and even now we are still gaining new knowledge." ”

As the group was talking, a figure walked out of the black building, he was dressed magnificently, obviously a person of status. Pala introduced to everyone: "That is the master I serve, the future king of the kingdom of Dragon, Crown Prince Umi Liu. ”

Young Umi Ryu quickly came to the crowd and met them. "Welcome! Welcome new friends! I'm Umi Liu, the prince of the Kingdom of Dragon, and I'm lucky enough to be there about a month before you, and I've already guessed that people will be coming in the next few days, so it's a pleasure to meet you! "Umi is very friendly and handsome, slightly smaller than Albert and House, but not inferior in temperament. The princes introduced themselves to each other, and Para made a gesture inviting the group to move on.

In this way, the princes of the three kingdoms finally got together.

Albert, Ryan, and House, they are about to meet the mysterious, knowledgeable, and all-conquering hermit of legend.