Dream Travel

Chapter 397 This desert is quite lively?
"I'm not sure where I am, but I'm at least tens of kilometers away right now."

Bai Mu lay on the sand, ignoring the battle and the threat of demons, feeling quite comfortable here.

He's now in a situation where he's single and has no family to worry about, and he can still use the car.

It's a vehicle used in Hell, and the environment there is far harsher than the desert.

Although this vehicle lacks features like air conditioning, it's incredibly durable; it can continue operating until the fuel runs out.

Can you identify which desert this is?

“…No.” Beatrice shook her head. She was over a hundred years old, but had spent most of her time researching life alchemy.

She had never paid attention to geography or similar subjects; she only knew about the world's famous deserts.

To figure out exactly which desert we're in, we have to rely on metaphysics—just guess.

Even a one in a hundred chance isn't low.

"It's done, but these things are hard to preserve for long periods of time; they'll spoil if left unused for two or three days."

Beatrice carefully placed the completed alchemical dream-erosion bomb away. Even if this thing was damaged, it would be due to the dream-erosion crystal itself, not because of her lack of ability!

"Okay, let's go. Who's driving?" White Curtain asked Esdeath and Beatrice.

Before Atreus could respond, Esdeath took the driver's seat first.

Bai Mu sat in the back seat.

Why don't you get in the passenger seat?

Beatrice, who had been squeezed into the passenger seat, asked somewhat uneasily.

She didn't really want to sit with Esdeath.

"I haven't showered for days, and I smell terrible."

Bai Mu came up with a reason that wasn't really a reason; in reality, he just wanted to lie down and use that block of ice as a pillow to take a nap.

As for bathing... bathing with fire is still bathing.

Having fought demons for so long, he has been tested by fire countless times.

The fire resistance feature continues to exert its power, and even Bai Mu is considering growing her hair long.

Growing your hair longer and using it to make a fireproof suit isn't out of the question.

Fire resistance isn't just a physical property; it extends to the hair as well.

Otherwise, he would have gone bald long ago after so many battles.

"Where to?" Esdeath stepped on the gas.

"Choose a direction and see if you can be Lady Luck this time," Bai Mu yawned.

Esdeath glanced at the fuel gauge, floored the accelerator, and sped off into the desert.

Inside the car, the white curtain felt no impact from the bumps; on the contrary, these bumps actually helped it sleep.

Beatrice glanced enviously at the ice pillow beneath the white curtain.

Her phantom body can ignore the desert environment, but she can still feel the heat.

It might even produce 'sweat' that shouldn't be there. Of course, this sweat is also an 'illusion' and will disappear once it leaves the body.

But the experience wasn't very good. Looking at Esdeath, she still maintained her fresh appearance.

Beatrice unconsciously moved a little closer to her, and the temperature immediately dropped a bit.

Bai Mu was awakened by a commotion. He opened his eyes and looked out of the car, where he saw flames.

"Huh?" Bai Mu sat up in surprise: "There really is a Lady Luck?"

“Isn’t that thing always being cursed?” Fragment of Luxembra scoffed. “So many people curse and swear because they can’t see Lady Luck’s underwear.”

"Then I've seen it." Bai Mu opened the car door, got out, and stretched.

The car was parked near an oasis, where, besides people, the most common sights were camels.

The atmosphere here is quite nice. Most of the people here are covered up completely, not because of any exotic atmosphere... but because it's cold.

The desert is hot during the day and cold at night, making the white curtain seem somewhat out of place.

Through the Dream-Eroded Imperial Arm, the White Curtain took in the entire situation here. There were actually more than two thousand people in this sizable oasis.

It wasn't small in terms of scale. Bai Mu met Beatrice in the oasis, and the alchemist seemed quite at ease in such an environment.

Not only that, she also seemed to be promoting something. Esdeath was not far from the car, and the white curtain did not disturb Esdeath.

Encountering a small number of people in the desert could lead to trouble, especially given Beatrice's appearance.

However, there were quite a few people here, and they weren't all together, which made it seem much safer.

At least Bai Mu has been sleeping peacefully without being disturbed by any unexpected factors.

"You actually found it?" White Curtain came to Esdeath's side and asked with considerable surprise.

“I just went in the direction where it was easier to make ice,” Esdeath explained casually. The oasis had plenty of water, making it easier for her to make ice there.

If she had really just been searching randomly based on luck, then the direction she initially chose would have been completely far from this place.

"Why don't you go and take a look inside the oasis?" Bai Mu continued to look at Beatrice's direction. The alchemist hadn't entered the oasis either; he was just moving around on its outskirts.

Wearing a robe that he had somehow acquired, he was selling things to the locals of the oasis.

“We don’t speak the language,” Esdeath explained.

The language of the Maple Crown Republic is quite common, but the people of this desert oasis speak a different language. Beatrice could communicate there, but she couldn't understand a word there.

Occasionally, I could understand some of what they said, but that was like having a few English speakers among a large group of people communicating in Russian.

"She can do this? Where did she get those things?"

"We encountered some sand bandits on the way."

Bai Mu nodded knowingly, without asking what became of the sand bandits.

He wasn't even awakened; they were just a bunch of small fry.

The things Atreus was selling over there must have been processed by her alchemy.

Some seemingly dubious potions and similar items are surprisingly popular there.

Not long after, Beatrice returned, bringing with her a lot of things.

"This is the Kamru Desert, at least seven thousand kilometers away from the Maple Crown Republic... How did we end up here?"

Once she figured out their location, Atrist was able to determine how far they were from Rota City.

"This is really far, but we've already found an oasis, so getting out shouldn't be too difficult."

“It’s quite far from here to ‘Kalen’.” Beatrice shook her head. The Kamru Desert is vast, and the Karen she was referring to was an oasis on the edge of this desert.

They wanted to drive over a thousand kilometers to Karend, passing through at least ten small settlements along the way. The oasis they were in was considered a relatively large settlement.

"...Is there one closer?"

“Other places are even further away. In places like the desert, it’s all about the weather, not people,” Beatrice shook her head.

Construction in a desert is impossible without an oasis.

Just like this oasis, if the environment changes and causes problems with the underground river, this oasis will soon disappear.

“If we start from here to Karen, we can pass through at least six towns along the way, so we can take our time.”

Beatrice had found out the situation here very well.

Living conditions in settlements are unstable, but places like towns are much more stable and reliable.

Bai Mu had never been to a desert environment before. Hearing what Beatrice said, he felt that what looked like a desolate desert was actually quite lively.

Yes, it's a huge desert with an area of ​​at least several million square kilometers, but there are only a few people in this small part. A desert is a desert.

"What are the people of the desert living here for?" Bai Mu asked with some curiosity.

"Not everyone can go to other places whenever they want."

Beatrice felt that White Curtain's words were a bit like "Why don't they eat meat porridge?"

If given a choice, who would want to live in such a terrible place?
Of course, there are other reasons besides the above.

The desert environment is harsh for humans, but it is also a place rich in 'gold'.

This region is rich in resources such as oil and gold.

Every year, a large number of gold prospectors are active here.

Moreover, there are many legends about the desert, such as the lost kingdom's abandoned treasures, various treasure ruins, and so on.

The mystique surrounding the legends continues to attract those seeking to get rich.

Although many of the legends have been proven false, that is, messages spread by locals to deceive outsiders, some of the legends are true.

"People like us who drive here are very rare, which led to us being attacked by sand bandits when we approached this place."

Atreus looked in one direction; there were people in this oasis who were colluding with sand bandits.

However, they arrived here unharmed, and those who colluded with the sand bandits were not fools; they had no intention of causing them trouble.

Beatrice, on the other hand, used the 'resources' obtained from those sand bandits to create many goods using life alchemy.

These are all highly effective alchemical potions that can cure heatstroke and a range of other ailments that are common in the desert.

In addition, there are alchemical potions such as sunscreen. These things are very effective. With the addition of life force, how could the alchemical potion not be effective?

The source of this resource was the helpful sand bandits.

These goods allowed her to obtain a great deal of intelligence within the oasis, and she also acquired many valuable items from the caravans that rested there.

For example, spices unique to the desert.

These items originate deep in the desert, and their sources are unstable. If sold in different regions, the price can increase dozens of times.

Some of the alchemical techniques she mastered required specific spices as ingredients.

“Well done, we’ll set off tomorrow.” Bai Mu had no intention of wasting any more time in this oasis. He glanced at the things Beatrice had brought back.

Besides the items she traded with the caravan, she also received many water bags and food.

White Curtain can go for long periods without food, but he still needs water.

This oasis is quite large, so it gets quite lively at night.

Bai Mu had no intention of interacting much with the people of Oasis; instead, he went to tinker with the broken radio.

After all that trouble, he gave up completely and decided to find a town first.

See if there are any people over there who are good at repairing this kind of thing. If not, then there's no point in experiencing the desert scenery. Leaving this place as soon as possible is the most important thing.

(End of this chapter)