Although the midday exposure is a thing of the past, the sun is still blazing. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info Pilgrim Kenobi Hawkeye stretched out his white-washed canvas cloak, and covered his arms, shoulders, and old gunpowder rifle as tightly as he could, the barrel of which was exposed to the sun.

The sand lizard beneath its crotch hissed again, a sign that the large reptile creature was tired. Unlike well-trained horses and camels, it is not uncommon for sand lizards to plummet their obedience once they are overtired, leaving their riders to flee in the sand, or to attack their riders.

However, in the Rusal Gobi, the sand lizard is an indispensable mount. Fiercer than camels, more stamina than war horses, and faster in the desert. And they can also hunt on their own to fill their stomachs. For caravans or barbarian tribes, saving supplies is more important than any benefit.

Kenobi stroked the mount's bumpy head, the gentle mental power of the pilgrim soothed the animal's restlessness, and the sand lizard no longer hissed with its head held high, but lowered its head again, its blood-red forked tongue spitting out and retracting like lightning, exploring its surroundings in this way.

The tongue of the sand lizard can distinguish unusual smells wafting from several kilometers, and is very effective in finding water sources and detecting ambushes. But Kenobi certainly couldn't put all the tasks on his mount, so he straightened up in a special saddle, his hood rolled out in one hand, and looked far away, looking for a place to camp tonight.

The area around the campsite should be flat and wide, with no rolling towering sand dunes, so that the night guard sentinels can observe the surroundings. Of course, it would be nice to have a water source or an oasis, but on Kenobi's rudimentary map, there should be no oases within two days or so of the vicinity, and several water sources are likely to have dried up.

This year has been a very difficult year for the barbarian tribes living in the Rusar Gobi. The precipitation season is very short, but the dry season is so long and scary that it feels like it is directly connected to the white death season. Many of the open water pools have dried up, leaving only the bottom of the lake, which resembles the cracked and wrinkled faces of the elderly.

The situation of the underground river is not optimistic, and along the way, Kenobi has seen at least a dozen abandoned settlements, with crumbling shacks, scattered fences, dry wells full of yellow sand, and several tribesmen who have been digging for a long time, but still can't see even a little moisture.

"God the Father, I wish this bad weather didn't last long. ”

Kenobi muttered as he urged his mount to move forward. According to the map, it is far from trade routes and oases, and it is inaccessible, so there should be few bandit tribes and desert beasts, as long as you can find a relatively flat place, you can settle down.

As one of the most famous pilgrims in the tribe, Kenobi has the resounding nickname "Hawkeye" and has always been known as the chief scout. On a good day, he can see the situation within five kilometers even without using his abilities, so when Merlin Avery appeared on top of a sand dune, Kenobi's pupils contracted slightly, and he immediately sensed the stranger's presence.

"Only one man, a caravan or tribal scout, or a disoriented traveler?" Kenobi rolled his eyes, his legs slightly clamped, and the sand lizard acting as a mount raised its head and let out two high-pitched neighs, followed by a stroke of limbs, and its massive body scurried forward, faster than a horse running on the plains.

Kenobi's self-confidence as the chief scout of the clan kept Merlin Avery from taking Merlin Avery seriously. In his mind, no matter whether that person is friend or foe, he has the certainty of getting out safely.

In the Rusal Gobi, the sand lizard is not the most menacing threat, but it looks threatening enough to be a large lizard that is four meters long from head to tail and taller than an adult when it rises up. As he headed towards the dunes, Kenobi was worried that the man would flee out of fear, but Avery sat motionless on the top of the dune, calmly watching the sand lizard approach quickly, and that kind of calm temperament made people pay attention to it.

"Greetings, stranger. A few dozen meters from the top of the dune, Kenobi patted his mount's head and motioned for the sand lizard to stop. "I'm Kenobi Hawkeye, the scout of the Walker Clan. ”

"Greetings to you, Kenobi, Mr. Hawkeye. Avery stood up and pushed the hood of his canvas cloak back to reveal an extremely young face, "I'm Avery a lost traveler. ”

Kenobi's face showed a mocking expression, "It's rare to see a man like you here, Mr. Avery, may I ask more?, what made you deviate more than ten kilometers from the nearest trade route and get lost off the beaten track in Kolpal?"

"This is Colpal?" Avery asked, scratching his hair and looking puzzled, "I think I should have followed the caravan into the Rusal Gobi?

"Kolpal is part of the Russar Gobi, our local tribal language, and in other words, a deserted land. The sneer on Kenobi's face became more and more obvious, and his hand reached for the hilt of the scimitar. "Mr. Avery, I advise you not to be full of lies, for the people of the Walker tribe are industrious, simple, and hospitable, but will never tolerate any deception. ”

"I'm not lying, Mr. Kenobi, I did come here by accident. Avery spread his hands and showed a helpless expression on his face, "Look at it, I don't even have the most important water bladder with me, would anyone enter the Rusal Gobi so unprepared?"

Kenobi urged the sand lizard to circle around the top of the dune, listening to the hissing of his mount, then looking up again. "I can't take your word for it, but you're not lying about not having a water bladder. Tell me, Mr. Avery, who are you other than a lost traveler?"

Avery lifted one of his cloaks to reveal the satchel he was wearing around his waist, "I'm a pharmacist, Mr. Kenobi, and I'm especially good at healing diseases and concocting all kinds of low- and medium-level metal solutions. If it hadn't been for the accident, I would have been the safest person in the entire caravan by now. ”

Kenobi sniffled, and he smelled a breath peculiar to the alloy solution, which was extremely mellow, and the mere smell of a star made the ability in his body boil subtly.

"Apothecary, isn't it funny that someone like you deserves to stay behind a stone wall and be protected by the strictest protection?" Kenobi's tone was much kinder, the Walking Tribe, unlike most desert barbarians, did not have much hatred for the Empire, and certainly did not identify much.

"Yes, I should have stayed there, but staying in the city-state lacks opportunities, and it might be better to try my luck outside. Avery replied with a sincere face.

Kenobi laughed, "Well, Mr. Avery, whatever you just said is true, I believe you are not hostile. He jumped out of the sand lizard's saddle, took his mount in one hand, and took the water bladder from his waist with the other, and threw it at Avery with all his might. "Drink it, I guess you're thirsty. ”

Avery grabbed the water bladder and pressed closer to his mouth with some impatience. He was indeed very thirsty, the strange taste of the alchemy potion was really indescribable, and each bottle was only three or two sips, which could only barely moisten his throat that was about to smoke.

The liquid inside the bladder was bitter and spicy, with a sour taste of bad wine. Avery took a big gulp, almost choking on it, but after swallowing it with great difficulty, a cool feeling came from his throat, as if he had drunk a lot of water, and the feeling of polydipsia disappeared at once.

"This ...... This thing is a thirst-quenching thing. Avery took another sip of the liquid and rolled it on the tip of his tongue, savoring the strange coolness hidden beneath the bad taste, "Is it mint, or poison hemlock, or the rhizome of a mandala, am I right?"

"Not exactly, Mr. Avery is there, these three herbs are in them, and there are some of the specialties of the Rusal Gobi, the seeds of a plant called tumbleweed. Kenobi smacked his tongue, and the expression on his face softened even more, "To be able to distinguish these, you must be a very good pharmacist, are you interested in visiting the Walking Clan?"

Avery smiled and nodded, using plants to prepare potions is a very partial knowledge, which the academic school usually doesn't know much about, and this knowledge still comes from the introduction of Satum's apothecary, as well as the partial recipes of some alchemy classics taught by himself.

"Of course, I'm honored. (To be continued.) )