Fang Hao and the five of them came out of the house and saw that there were many more people in the village wearing training uniforms than before, and it was estimated that there were several hundred.

This situation seems to confirm a suspicion that Xihai intends to use this village as a forward satellite stronghold to prevent the Frost Dense Country from migrating the natives to the east.

The river brought a tall horse to Fang Hao, the back of the horse was almost level with the top of Fang Hao's head, and asked, "Can you ride?" ”

Fang Hao said: "I can try, it shouldn't be a big problem." ”

Jiang Shuiliu handed the horse's reins into Fang Hao's hands. These horses are very docile in temperament, and with the physical fitness of the Yuan, as long as they are willing to try, they are actually very easy to control.

On the other side, under Taodu, Haoshu and Fang Hao, like Fang Hao, also chose to ride on their own. The Elven Queen and Vanilla of the Mist each rode with a female ranger.

More than 70 people from the 11th Brigade came out to carry out the mission this time, and they returned to Xihai Town by land and water.

More than 40 people who took the water route set off more than an hour ago, and the remaining 20 people rode by land.

The horse team came out of the village and headed northwest, led by the black locust, Feiyu was delayed, and several newcomers were arranged in the middle of the team.

For Fang Hao's three new riders, there was an agile patrol member around him to take care of him. If they make a mistake in controlling the horse, they can also help.

Fang Hao carried the reins, and there was no need to raise the whip, and the horse under his crotch would naturally keep up with the speed of the horse team. With his current physical strength and coordination, it was not difficult to sit firmly on horseback.

But the horse was obviously unscrupulous, and it didn't take long for him to feel a little awkward, and his inner thighs were not very comfortable. I don't know if running to Xihai Town will wear out my thighs with the current physical strength.

After paying attention to the posture of the river next to him, he also learned to lift his hips on his legs, bow forward, and adjust his leg posture with the rhythm of the ups and downs of the horse's back, so that his body is always at a similar horizontal height.

After persevering like this for a while, I slowly found the trick and began to enjoy the feeling of galloping.

The patrol saw that the three new riders were gradually touching the doorway, and began to gradually increase their speed.

Along the way, the caravan passed through a number of villages, all of which were inhabited. Fang Hao finally saw the living natives, although it was only a glimpse from afar, he also felt some of the vitality of this world.

After about an hour and a half of marching, the caravan stopped to rest as they passed a market town.

This market town has about seven or eight hundred people, and it is not very large. But compared to the abandoned villages I've seen before, it's bustling.

This was Fang Hao's first close contact with the natives of the Metaverse, and their appearance had some Hu characteristics, but it was not particularly obvious.

The natives of the market town are generally friendly, as they are in a sense already under the rule of Xihai Town.

After a break of about 20 minutes, the team set off again.

After about an hour and a half, we finally reached the western end of Kobidar Mountain. The horsemen turned the corner of the hill and turned southwest, and the outline of a city appeared in front of them.

Xihai Town is built on the mountain, sitting on high ground near the foot of the mountain, more than 200 meters higher than the field below. Looking up from the bottom up, it looks magnificent in the west-slanting sunlight.

The horse team ran for more than twenty minutes before they came under the walls of Xihai Town.

Fang Hao looked back and saw that there was a vast field to the west. In the distance, you can faintly see a water reflecting the sun, and there is the West Sea, about thirty kilometers away.

The Western Sea corresponds to the Caspian Sea in the Xuan Realm, but the waters are much wider.

To the north is a mountain that faces the western end of Mount Cobida, and between the two mountains is a valley thirty or forty kilometers wide. They had just come through the valley.

Following the procession into the city, what they saw was a different scene.

As far as the eye can see, a straight and wide street stretches out into the distance, and the horses' hooves make a crisp sound on it.

The road is very smooth, it should be concrete, and there are expansion joints every few meters, both longitudinal and transverse.

Several longitudinal expansion joints are lined with striking white infill that divides the road into lanes, with horses, carriages, and pedestrians going their own way.

Within about one hundred and fifty meters of the city walls, there are open spaces on both sides of the road, apparently a special lot that has been set aside. After this section of white land, there are all kinds of buildings on both sides of the road.

Most of these buildings are small two- to three-storey buildings with a height of no more than 10 meters, which is particularly short compared to the majestic city walls that are nearly 20 meters high outside, and have a sense of incompatibility.

There are also areas that are fenced off, and inside are construction sites that are under construction. Looking at the half-built building, it covers a much wider area than the small two- or three-story building on the side of the road, some like factories, and some like office buildings.

There were many people on the road, and there were many horse-drawn carriages. The men were either dressed in training uniforms or work uniforms of similar style, and it seemed that everyone had a clear purpose and a fast pace.

Several newcomers, including Fang Hao, had more or less a fearful experience when they first entered the Metaverse. At this time, I finally came to the stronghold, and when I saw so many "own people" from the Xuan Realm, I couldn't help but feel very down-to-earth.

The horse team turned around two street corners and finally came to a compound.

There are people standing guard at the gate of the yard, and there are guard boxes and gatehouses. Directly opposite the gate is a four-storey main building, which is already a rare high-rise building in the city.

And they dismounted at the door. Toad Gongshu and Jiang Shui Liu asked Fang Hao and the others to hand over the horses to the other team members, and with five newcomers, they bypassed the main building and came to the back.

Behind the main building there is a large playground, and on the other three sides of the playground are rows of small red brick buildings with two or three floors.

Figures wearing training uniforms can be seen everywhere here, and there are also a few people like Fang Hao and a few newcomers, wearing Metaverse-style linen clothes.

On the east side of the playground, there is an independent area composed of more than 20 buildings, among which are functional buildings such as canteens and activity rooms, and on both sides are completely separated male and female accommodation areas.

In addition to the reserve force cultivated by the official itself, all traversers who enter Xihai Town must first be trained here, and after passing the assessment and review, they will determine the next step.

Jiang Shuiliu and Toad Gongshu respectively took three men and two women to register and settle, assigned a separate room to each person, and left after explaining some precautions.

Fang Hao entered his room and saw that there was a single bed, a simple wardrobe, a desk, and a chair.

The size of the room is estimated to be only a little more than 10 square meters, and there is no bathroom, which can be described as quite simple. Fortunately, the outward-facing windows are very transparent, so it doesn't feel cramped and oppressive.

But compared to hiding in a cave as a rat before, the conditions here are much better. Later, when I went to the Metaverse, I could be regarded as having a stable foothold.

Fang Hao took off the burden he was carrying and put it in the cabinet, and lay down on the bed. Although I rode the horse for several hours, I couldn't say how tired I was, I just wanted to relax.

After a while, there was a knock on the door, and a voice came from outside: "Jiuxiao, didn't you rest?" ”

"Nope." Fang Hao answered, went over and opened the door.

"It's okay to be idle, just chat, anyway, we're going to eat later." Tao Duzhi said.

Fang Hao had nothing to do, let him turn around and said, "Come in and sit." ”

"Wait until I call Haoshu." Momoto said as he walked to the next room and knocked on the door.

Fang Hao waited for them with the door open.

After a while, Taodu Xia and Haoshu came over. Haoshu also brought a chair from his room, put it in an empty place after coming in, and sat on it by himself.

Tao Duxia casually closed the door, sat on the edge of the bed casually, and said, "Do you think that the patrol seems to be a little wary of us? ”

Along the way, he talked to many team members, but no matter what he asked, the reply he got was either "you will know this later"; Either "this question can be asked to your counselor after going back".

Fang Hao and Hao Shu both saw this.

In fact, they also have similar experiences, but they are not as tireless as Brother Sheniu, and they don't ask more after touching a soft nail.

It can be said that from the time they came into contact with the patrol to the time they came here, apart from a few brief introductions and necessary explanations, the effective communication between the patrol members and them was almost zero.

"Of course, they won't be specifically targeting us, and it's probably true for every newcomer." ”

Fang Hao said: "I think it's understandable. The patrol team was only responsible for bringing us to the stronghold, and did not act as a counselor. ”

Momoto said: "But don't you think it's abnormal that you don't even disclose some irrelevant information?" ”

Fang Hao said: "Maybe this is their disciplinary requirement. The Xuan Realm is not peaceful, it is equivalent to being in a wartime state, and the patrol members are all soldiers by nature, so they naturally pay special attention. ”

Hao Shu nodded and said, "Jiuxiao is right. The word "town" originally referred to the important place of military defense. The importance of information is not assessed and defined from our perspective. ”

Fang Hao thought to himself, it turns out that there is still such a saying? However, looking at the scale of the construction of Xihai Town, it is by no means limited to the concept of a small town, and the function it undertakes is different from that of a town in the traditional sense of the Xuan Realm.

"I believe that behind every special regulation, there is a special story. ”

Fang Hao asked, "You mean, what happened to the stronghold before because some information was accidentally leaked?" ”

"Judging from the degree of caution of the patrolmen, this possibility cannot be ruled out. ”

Haoshu said: "For the natives, Xinghaiyuan is a zero-sum game. Xihai Town is established here, and the surrounding forces will be regarded as a threat. ”

Tao Duxia said: "These things on the bright side are just returned, and I am afraid of those who are hidden in the dark." ”

He didn't say this thoroughly, but everyone understood the meaning.

The identity of the traverser is more complicated, especially after having special abilities, it is difficult to guarantee that there will be some other ideas.

In fact, before the establishment of the Special Investigation Bureau, there were some criminal organizations led by the meta. In terms of threat and destructiveness to strongholds, these criminal organizations are still above the indigenous forces.

Fang Hao and these newcomers cannot be completely regarded as "their own people" for the managers of the base, so isolating their information is the easiest and most economical way.

The simpler the approach, the less likely it is to make mistakes.