The scorching heat of the wind blew from the west without stopping, and the wind mixed with coarse grains of sand hit people's faces with pain.

On that day, they withdrew from the ruins of the ancient halfling, and the thieves and the muscular daddy returned with a load of valuables. The map of the present Teal Age was handed over to the old man Kharazi, who was in charge of manipulating the balloons, and was a scholar, so it was most appropriate to keep it.

The Coral Witch claimed that Muhati was her friend, and the Psychic was pleased with this. Although he is extremely lacking in the ability to be happy, he is also expected to be friends with such a great person.

The adventurous team boarded the manned balloon and went out again, and along the way, the female druid Camilla used her ability to attract all kinds of birds for them to throw themselves into the net, so that they would not be afraid of lack of food. Muhati felt it was a wise decision to invite Starch Spencer to send a druid to join the venture.

Leaving the ruins of the halfling capital, they continued in the direction of the Salt Sea. There were fewer and fewer living creatures in the air, and the vegetation in the desert was becoming more sparse and rare, and every sign was that they were approaching the shoreline of the Salt Sea.

Few people in Atas have ever witnessed the magnificence of the Salt Sea, and even fewer have seen it from the air. And anyone who has seen it will admit that it will be remembered for a lifetime.

The yellow desert is gradually replaced by the white salt plains, which stretches as far as the eye can see. Here, the view is extremely open, and the surface of the salt plain is extremely smooth and at the same time extremely flat, like the surface of ice. The blue sky and the endless white salt grains meet on the horizon, and the beauty is breathtaking.

At one time, it was a blue ocean that covered almost 80% of the surface of the world of Attas. After the Battle of Purification, the sea of Atas was thoroughly steamed and the blue sea disappeared. Where the sea receded, a white salt plain was revealed, and the salt layer was hundreds of feet thick.

Looking down from the manned balloon, the boundless salt plain looks like a white picture, white and dazzling. A qiē looks so small in front of this natural beauty, and it looks like a huge manned balloon on the flat ground, which is like a drop in the ocean between heaven and earth.

If you look closely, you can see that this huge scroll is still dotted with scattered colors. Depending on the minerals contained in the salt, there are also brick-red, light green, turquoise or silvery-gray crystals. Some of the salt grains crystallize perfectly, like a complete snowflake, taking on a variety of complex and beautiful geometric shapes.

Some of the salt grains are bright and refreshing, beautiful and neat. Some of the crystalline shapes form the shape of a star with delicate counterstaining. Some complex crystals are entangled with each other to form powerful shapes, like mandalas in pagan legends.

Some of the huge crystals are hundreds of feet in size, like the murals of the Nazca Desert, which can be seen from the air. None of Muhadi's lessons from Earth can explain crystallization on this scale.

The desert wedged deeply into the salt plain at a breach, forming a yellow fan-shaped pattern in the white salt plain. It was once the mouth of the A1-Ni1E, also known as Bahr el Abiad, the Mother River, and was one of the most prosperous trading nodes in Attas before the Battle of the Purification.

In that vibrant era, large areas of verdant forests covered most of the 6 lands. Four large rivers, Lucarrara, Maugo, Nyabalon and Kagera, flow into the same large lake near Old Tyre. Almost every day, there is a blue sky and white clouds overhead, the lake is rippling, and the coastal area is lush with vegetation, flowers and fresh air.

The A-Neil River leads to the Guò waterfall and leaves the magnificent lake, turning north and winding its way forward. After a hundred palersans, she flows through Lake Chioga into Lake Albert. Then she swerved again, passing the city of Mystner, where the people called her the Jabeel River.

After that, she entered the great basin south of Mysterna. Before the Battle of Purification broke out, it was a vast swamp with no bounds. There, the A-Neil loses half of its water due to steaming and transpiration.

In Bahzaal, the A-Neil River will welcome her wildest daughter. The well-watered Thanil River flows from Malakal through a long journey of one hundred and forty palersans, swallowing the Sopot River and finally joining the A-Neil River.

But at this time this great river was far from reaching its maximum width, and at the scimitar lake, the Engén River was raging, and as the black daughter of the mother river, she brought from the blazing forests of Bird, rich timber and pine cones, bright golden pages and lakes. Further west, the Mother River receives the Lalulu River, which flows down from the Nibenai Plateau through numerous waterfalls. The Horus River flows a little further west into the A-Neil River, and as the shyest of daughters, her course is forever hidden in the reeds and turbulence.

By the time it joins the sea, the A-Neil River has become so wide that no one rowing in the river can see its banks. The enormous flow of the Mother River pours unsalted fresh water deep into the ocean, so that the sea here at the mouth of the river dries up and does not leave a salt plain, but allows the desert to occupy a vast fan-shaped area.

In those fantastic days, the ancient Atas would take advantage of the regular flooding of the A-Neil River to grow crops along the river. The abundance of food and easy terms of trade gave rise to the city of Alessandria, the largest city in the history of Atas and once bustling with millions of people.

Today, all that remains of this great city is the ruins. Muhadi stands in a manned balloon, looking down from the air over the area where the white salt plains and the yellow desert meet. He found vast expanses of ruins: rows of wide, neat streets, crumbling domes, broken and crumbling towers. Another dead city, thought the Psychman, and twenty times larger than the previous halfling.

The city was abandoned by the time of the Purification War, and was much younger than the ruins of the halflings, but it looked even more lifeless. There is no red mist here, no aimless wandering ghosts. So close to the Salt Sea, the land here has long been unable to support any plants, and the animals have disappeared with it. The ecological balance here has completely collapsed and cannot be saved.

On the edge of the white salt plain, you can see the remains of many docks. The longship of decaying wooden bones ran aground on the white grains of salt, like the bones of a group of dead beasts.

From here, there is a dead place where there is no life. Once there, as powerful as the Coral Witch can also be weakened by the lack of life force to extract, Muhathir and the others must take on the responsibility of protecting Sadiri.

"The weather is changing. Hua Razimi, who was controlling the balloon of the people, said. "Next, we're going to have to do a tough job. ”

"What's the matter?" Muhati asked the old man, recovering from his appreciation of the natural scenery. "Is there any enemy that we can't deal with?"

"Can you handle the wind?" said Kharazimi, angrily. "Are you going to cut him with a cutlass or whatever? If the wind continues to change the current trend, we're going to be blown off course. ”

"Can't you find a way to overcome it?" asked Muhadi.

"Maybe, but it's dangerous. The old man touched his chin. "We'd better have a discussion before we decide. ”

There was another unexpected situation, and seeing the old man shouting at the others, Muhadi sued himself. It would be strange if I didn't encounter some danger one day.

When everyone had been summoned, Khora Zimi solemnly told them about the problems the group was facing.

“...... The base of the peat layer structure, which extends from the six places to the ocean, is called the Great Six in the ancient book I found. The old man explained to the crowd. "The sea in this area is not very deep, at most a few hundred feet. However, if you continue to move towards the ocean, the slope of the seabed will increase dramatically, forming a large 6 slope. At this time, the depth of the ocean increases dramatically from a few hundred feet to thousands or even tens of thousands of feet. Now that the sea has long since dried up, this large 6 slope has become a huge cliff. This drastic change in terrain leads to extremely complex and changeable weather conditions in this area, such as this strong wind. ”

"Tell us how the wind will hinder us," said Amal ibn Haran to Khorezmi. "I don't really understand what you just said. ”

"The terrain of the submarine plain is more gentle than that of the sixth, and the salt sea is completely devoid of vegetation, which can easily breed occasional storms. The old man said. "After this wind encountered a large 6 slope, it was forced to rise sharply. This height difference is too large, and the temperature difference is also large, so it is easy to form a terrifying giant cyclone. ”

"Hurrican?" asked Satili curiously, looking at the old scholar with azure eyes.

The old man actually blushed a little when he was looked at, "Let's just say that it's basically the same as the tornado you see in the desert, but it's thousands of times larger." ”

"At our point, the hurricane is supposed to rotate counterclockwise. Khwarazmi then explained. "This is not good, if we are swept up in the storm, we will be blown to the extreme south, and then we will be very far from the goal. And you don't need me to remind you that we have limited food and water, and we can't supply them in the salt sea, so we can't afford to delay the slightest time. ”

"There's nothing wrong with the balloons themselves," Muscle Daddy asked suspiciously. "If this thing is blown apart in the air, Lao Tzu will pull you on your back even if he falls. ”

"What I made myself, I know in my own heart!" said Kharazi, a categorical reassurance. "Balloons will never crash, no matter how strong the wind is!"

"Wouldn't that be easy. Muscle Daddy said. "Anyway, this balloon is not afraid of the storm, so why not let the Coral Girl cast a spell to push us to avoid the storm?"

"It's not realistic!" the old man replied. "It doesn't matter if she's using fire-breathing or whatever, it's too dangerous. The light air in my balloon is a little bit of a thing, and I must avoid any dangerous moves. ”

"Ha, why didn't you tell me that this balloon would explode?

"I can't cast spells here. Coral Witch shook her head and said in an apologetic tone. "At this height, I can't extract the life force required for the spell. ”

"Maybe we can get our lovely lady Druid to figure it out," Amar came up with an idea. "She casts unaffected. ”

"Maybe she can turn into a dragon or something, let's ride her for a while. "Muscle Daddy thought to himself.

Camila didn't speak, and she couldn't help it anymore when she heard this: "Don't even think about riding me in the next life!"

"What do you have for yourself?" Muhati asked the old man. He was ninety percent sure that the old man himself had considered what to do in the situation in front of him.

"I'm building yì let's climb up. Khorazmi said. "If we fly high enough, the power of the storm will be reduced, and we may be able to survive unscathed. ”

"Then why don't you do it? This plan is also dangerous, isn't it?" Muhati saw that the other party had something to say, and had reservations.

"We'll have to throw away some counterweights," Khwarazmi admitted. "Otherwise, you won't be able to fly. Moreover, a lot of water is consumed when rising. Without consuming water, my machine would not be able to produce more light air, and it would not be able to fly. ”

They now carry enough water to venture in the Salt Sea for a month without needing to be rereplenished. Muhati calculated that if they consumed a lot of water to climb here, they would be able to hold on for a third less time. It's hard to say if twenty days is enough time to find the Pure Fortress.

"I can rehydrate somewhat," Coral Witch said calmly. "I can drain my own life force and cast spells, as long as the amount is small, it will be fine. ”

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" said Muhadi, with some concern.

"I'll be fine with a few days of water. Thank you for your concern, Lord Muhadi. Sadiri smiled as she spoke.

"You can call me Muhadi's. The Psychic Warlock said.

"I will, Muhadi. Sadiri said calmly.

Since no one else could come up with a better idea, they finally agreed to adopt the Khora Zimi Jianyì and climb upwards to avoid encountering the storm head-on.

Muscle Daddy and Amal teamed up to drop half of the ballast, and the balloon rose sharply. When the upward momentum waned, Khwarazmi turned on his strange homemade device to break down the water and get light air.

By this time they had risen nearly a thousand feet, and were still climbing, and the details on the ground were no longer visible, and the yellow desert was fading away behind them, and the endless sea of white salt filled the entire land.

The balloon became bigger, not only because the old man's machine injected more gas into it, but also because as the altitude increased, the outside air pressure decreased, and the air pressure difference between the inside and outside of the balloon decreased.

The balloons are made of taffeta coated with gum and can be stretched twice as long without bursting, so there are no problems even at high altitudes. But the adventurers were not as close to the balloon itself, and as the altitude rose further, they showed symptoms of discomfort one after another.

Muhathir speculated that they were 7,000 feet above the ground, and that the wind seemed to have diminished slightly, but it was still very strong. The wind poured desperately into the cavity beneath the balloon, violently shaking the appendages of the balloon's pipes that carried the expanding gas. Muscle Daddy and Amal had to rope to hold this part in place, but thankfully they did the job brilliantly.

"I feel like I'm tired from the wind!" Muscle Daddy grumbled. "It's like falling under the Curse of Weakness, what the fuck is going on?"

"Altitude sickness. The Psychic said that he also felt tightness in his chest and shortness of breath. "I guess. ”

"What's that, some kind of magic?" asked Muscle Daddy again.

"Hmm," the psychic mancer wanted to explain, but after a second thought, he forgot about it. "Pretty much, you can think of it as a curse on nature itself. ”

Amar, Blossom and Muscle Daddy all experienced headaches, dizziness, and tinnitus at different levels. I lost my strength in my limbs, and it became difficult to walk. Khwarazmi was still insisting on manipulating the balloon, not saying a word. Amal ibn Haran sat against the outer wall of the pod, playing with a dagger in his hand and muttering something. Only the muscular daddy scolded the heavens and the earth, and he seemed full of energy, but he was a little flustered.

Muhadi's physique is not the best, but he doesn't feel pain, so he doesn't have headaches. As a psychic mancer, he has absolute control over all of his nervous reactions, and although he can't overcome his physical limits, he can at least feel better.

The female druid Camilla didn't say anything along the way, and was already leaning on the edge of the pod to watch the scenery outside. The body of the Starch Spencer Druid had apparently been modified, and it was just thin air that had no effect on her at all.

The Coral Witch became the weakest of the adventurers at this time, and the mage's physique could not be compared to the others, so after ascending into the sky, her body reacted the most violently. At this point, her already white and immaculate face turned a slightly sickly pale, and her cheeks were unnaturally red. Satili sat quietly in the corner of the pod, clasping her legs in her hands, almost burying her face, and the gold naturally spread out.

The Psychic Warlock stepped closer and whispered a few words of comfort. He grabbed Satilly's hand, and now the other party's nails were cyanotic, and even his lips were a little purple. Under the solid color mage's robe, the graceful body trembled slightly. Her fingers were thin and boneless.

It was the first time Muhadi had seen this side of Sadiri, "Why is it cast to resist the change in air pressure, it's just a small spell, you can make water, you can cast this." ”

"That would mean sacrificing all of our water for my personal comfort. Sadiri looked up and looked at Muhathir with a weak smile. "Don't worry, I can hold on, I've been in more dangerous situations, and I've survived. ”

"I can use a psionic ability to help you feel better. Muhathir said.

"I'm grateful, but that's really not necessary. Sadiri still refused.

"In fact, I insist. The Psychic Warlock focused and unleashed his abilities, and a ray of light enveloped him and the Coral Witch.

The Great Sixth Slope of the Salt Sea has appeared below the manned balloon, from where the originally gentle salt plains have descended sharply and swooped down into the abyssal plains thousands of feet deep. It is one of the most spectacular natural wonders in the world, with hundreds of paresan stretching out on either side of the cliff. If someone walks on the abyssal plain and suddenly faces this large 6 slope that stretches for hundreds of Palesans, he will feel that a huge wall has suddenly risen in front of him. This wall is infinitely far to the left, infinitely far to the right, and thousands of feet upward, impassable.

A huge Salt Sea hurricane appeared in front of the manned balloon.

On Earth, tropical cyclones tend to form pure white walls of clouds, or eyewalls, around the eye of a hurricane. The Salt Sea hurricane in Atas had a different origin from the hurricanes on Earth, and did not have abundant water vapor, but it actually had the same white eyewall, like the white marble columns in the Greek temple, straight and flawless.

This eyewall is not made up of water vapor, but of countless tiny grains of salt. It is nearly 10,000 feet wide and stands tall above the sky. The Khoraz-dense manned balloon was so small in front of it that if it were compared to the marble pillars of the temple, Muhadi and them were huddled into a small black dot the size of a bacterium floating in the air.

The Salt Sea Hurricane's wind crown is higher than the balloon is now at a higher level, like the crown of a storm-wrenching storm monarch. The wind whistled with salt grains.

Khwarazmi manipulated the balloon, trying not to be attracted by the perfect storm. "Throw away some more ballast!" shouted the old man. "We're not tall enough!"

Muscle Daddy did as he was told, and half of the remaining ballast was thrown away, and the balloon struggled to rise a little more, the wind was a little lower, but not enough to cross over the hurricane.

"We've been sucked in!" Khwarazo shouted at a crushing voice, but the thin air made his words sound so weak. "The balloon won't be able to hold it, someone can help block the salt grains!"

The hurricane's huge eyewall was already close at hand, and it looked like a marble pillar at once, but now it was like a wall, obscuring the sky and the sun, and it was irresistibly close.

Yellow lightning loomed in the walls of his eyes, and Muhati couldn't figure out what kind of natural conditions could produce such a strange weather phenomenon. But the lightning looked dangerous, like the fangs of a wild beast.

"Khorezmi is right, we have to weather the hurricane. Sadiri said to Muhadi, trying to stand up. "Help me up, okay?"

"There's no need for that. The Psychic Warlock said. "You can just go ahead and rest. ”

After Muhathir finished speaking, he went up to the upper level of the hanging basket. "Mistress Camilla," he said to the female druid. "We need to join forces now. ”

"You let the Coral Witch rest, but let me work on it?" the Starch Spencer sent the druid to snort. "I'm listening, Psychic Warlock. ”

"If you don't move much, your strength may degenerate. Muhati thought of an excuse and said to the female druid.

This is a fallacy. Camila said, but she moved quickly and was going to help.

The wall of the eye is getting closer and closer, and it is like a curtain, slowly rolling in. The curtain is an outpost of sand and salt, a wave of dust and boulders. Thousands of yellow lightning bolts appear and disappear in front of the curtain.

On the battlefield, Muhadi can fight his way out of the siege with the scimitar in his hand, and on the edge of the cliff, he still has a way to retreat. And now, he has nothing to rely on but spiritual power. From the air to the plains deep in the Salt Sea, the height of tens of thousands of feet is empty. There's no barrier between the Psychic Warlock and the Hurricane.

The horizon was completely filled with a raging hurricane, and the sky suddenly darkened, for the light of the dark sun had been blocked by the storm. The shadow was full of salt grains and flying sand and rocks, like a great wave. Muhadi stared straight at the wild and chaotic storm, as if he was witnessing the end of the world rushing towards him.

He took a deep breath and focused.

The hurricane slammed down on him with lightning speed for the last short distance.

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