In Sumeru, pretend to be a scholar

Wang Yan said goodnight and turned to leave Eros's room.

Back in his room, Wang Yan realized that he was covered in sweat, and the clothes he had changed into earlier were sticky and wet.

How can I possibly sleep now? I'll take another shower.

After tossing and turning for a while, Wang Yan finally lay down on the bed and slowly fell asleep.

...

The next morning.

Wang Yan was awakened by shouts outside the window.

Looking out the window, in the distant warehouse area, the caravan from Aru Village had already begun reloading its pack animals.

The traces of yesterday's battle on the field have been cleaned up, and there is no indication that a major battle took place yesterday.

However, after leaving the house, there was still a burnt smell in the backyard of the Golden Sands Tour.

In the front hall, a number of people were still gathered, talking about what happened last night.

As soon as Wang Yan stepped into the front hall, he was stopped by Mayam, the innkeeper, who was walking towards him.

The tired-looking shop owner, with obvious gratitude, said, "Oh, you must be Mr. Wang Yan! Thank you so much for everything last night!"

Mayam's voice was slightly raised due to excitement, drawing the attention of the surrounding merchants and scholars.

"The inn's guards all told me that if you hadn't intervened in time and shot down those arsonists when the fire started, the fire would have definitely spread to the animal pen and the main building... I really don't want to think about what would have happened!"

As she spoke, she took out a bulging money bag and tried to stuff it into Wang Yan's hand without saying a word: "This is the room fee for you and your mentor for the next few days. Please take it back! From now on, whenever you come to Kawan Inn and stay at my Golden Sands Inn, I will never charge you a penny!"

Wang Yan was caught off guard by this sudden enthusiasm and quickly waved his hand, taking half a step back: "Boss Mayam, you're too kind, too kind... Anyone would have helped in that situation last night, there's really no need for this..."

He took action simply to test the power of his hand crossbow, and it was only because Valusanne was there to back him up that he seemed so brave.

Without Falushan, Wang Yan would never have dared to go out and face the bandits. At most, he would have shot an arrow from a distance and then run away.

Unfortunately, although he thought so, Mayam clearly did not think so.

Of all the people in the hotel last night, only Wang Yan offered to help.

Although no one was obligated to help, this only made Wang Yan's help all the more precious.

“That won’t do! You don’t know, those bandits came specifically to cause chaos. The backyard is piled with hay and wood. If it all burns down, all my hard work of half a lifetime will be gone… You saved my shop!”

As she spoke, her eyes reddened, and she held the purse forward a little further.

Just as Wang Yan was wondering how to politely refuse, he caught a glimpse of Falushan walking slowly towards him from the side.

He was immediately overjoyed, pointing and raising his voice, "Boss, you really don't need to thank me. This is my mentor, Ms. Estelle. I was able to get to the backyard in time last night because she had foreseen it and instructed me to go check. If you really want to thank someone, thank my mentor!"

Upon hearing this, Mayam immediately turned his gaze to Falushan, who had just come down the stairs.

Wang Yan also took the opportunity to turn around and slip away, leaving the gold sand journey and rushing to the warehouse area where the caravan was located.

It was half an hour later when Wang Yan saw Falushan again.

"My foolish apprentice, how could you leave your master all alone in such a terrible place!"

"Boss Mayam isn't exactly scary, is he?"

"How dare you talk back! Sometimes kindness is harder to deal with than malice!"

As she spoke, Falushan stood on tiptoe and gave Wang Yan a hard tap on the head.

Wang Yan didn't dodge; instead, he bent slightly to make sure his mentor could reach his head.

Chapter 72 Entering the Desert

"Hey, you two, it's time to go."

Dixia's shout saved Wang Yan's life. Falushan glared at her disciple, tossed the package to him, and climbed onto the beast on her own.

Eros's bundle was quite heavy, but Wang Yan didn't dare to put it down. He huffed and puffed as he tossed the bundle onto the pack beast before climbing up himself.

The caravan set off, with nearly a hundred pack animals leaving Kavan Post Station and heading into the desert under the watchful eyes of passersby.

After setting off, Dixia, as usual, went to Wang Yan and Falushan's beast.

Wang Yan also took the opportunity to ask, "Who were those people yesterday?"

"Do you want to ask about their origins, or what happens next?" Dixia handed Wang Yan and Erosan each a bright red fruit.

The Red Thought Fruit—Wang Yan had tasted wine made from this fruit before.

Wang Yan didn't mind at all. He took the fruit, wiped it on his clothes, and put it in his mouth: "Mmm, sweet and sour."

Before the time travel, many players thought that the prototype of the Crimson Thought Fruit was the dragon fruit, but in reality, it should be closer to the cactus fruit.

"Everyone wants to know, what are these people's backgrounds, and how will they be dealt with?" Wang Yan asked while eating.

Erosanne was also eating fruit, but she didn't say anything; she wasn't interested in these criminal gangs.

Dixia didn't keep them in suspense and said directly, "I interrogated them yesterday, and they are a subordinate brigade of the God-King's Legacy."

"The legacy of the God-King?"

"Yes, a group that worshipped the Red King but committed numerous atrocities. They were wiped out a long time ago. However, their stronghold was destroyed, and due to data loss, it was impossible to follow the trail and eliminate the remaining members."

"Of course, many people within the Legacy of the God-King were also coerced, so after the roster was destroyed, many of them have reformed."

"There are just some truly bad people, like those from yesterday."

Dixia's words reminded Wang Yan of part of the plot.

He remembered that Dixia's father was the leader of the Gilded Brigade under the God-King's Legacy, and he was also the one who destroyed the God-King's Legacy's data.

No wonder those people were so wary and hostile when they mentioned Dixia yesterday; she was their enemy.

"However, these people are probably the last group of organized members of the God-King's legacy. In recent years, Rahman has been cleaning up these guys in the desert."

Dixia's tone softened and became more cheerful: "Speaking of which, these guys did make some contributions."

"Huh?" Wang Yan was taken aback, not understanding what he meant by these people also made contributions.

Does robbery accelerate economic circulation?

Unlike Wang Yan, Dixia didn't have such wild imaginations. She smiled and said, "Last night, there were 186 members of a criminal gang. Apart from the eight you killed and the thirty-two who were captured by Abak and his men, the remaining 126 all came to the warehouse..."

“These people are all basically under a bounty. The one with the most bounty is the leader, who has 200,000 Mora. The one with the least bounty is 1,000 Mora.”

At this point, Dixia's smile became even brighter.

“I did a rough calculation, and with over a hundred people, it’s estimated to be around seven or eight hundred thousand Mora.” She counted on her fingers, her voice brimming with joy. “This money can at least help a hundred children complete their most basic education.”

Erosan looked up from the side and said, "I want to remind you, Miss Dixia, that the basic education provided by the Order Academy is free for children, whether they are children of the rainforest or children of the desert."

When Hazard was in power, this policy was only available to children in the rainforest, but now that the Grass God is in charge, everyone is treated equally.

“Of course, Senior Falushan, I am well aware of the kindness of the Grass God.” Dixia did not refute, but simply said, “But you should also know that a child’s growth cannot be achieved with just free education.”

Estée Lauder did not refute this either.

She also takes care of several children, namely Wang Yan's younger schoolmates who did not complete their basic education.

Erossen knew very well that a child could not grow up healthily in a group solely by relying on the group's free education.

Money cannot directly guarantee a child's healthy growth, but a child's healthy growth requires certain expenses.

“No wonder those people approve of you so much,” Erosanne remarked.

Some people, after getting caught in the rain, tear apart other people's umbrellas so that everyone can get wet.

But some people, after getting soaked in the rain, will choose to hold up an umbrella for those who come after them.

Dixia is clearly the latter.

The desert people sang songs for her, not only because she participated in the rescue of the grass god and possessed superb martial arts skills, but also because of her heart that shone like gold.

"Hey, did I get a bounty for the guys I took down?" Wang Yan changed the subject and asked with some curiosity.

Dixia shook her head: "I don't know about that, but Abak reported the situation to Beham, and he should report your situation to the Church. I don't know anything about the Church."

Upon hearing this, Wang Yan looked at Falushan to the side.

Ella: "There will be no reward, but it will be recorded in your file, and you will get extra points when you apply for project funding later."

“That works too.” Wang Yan nodded in satisfaction.

He wasn't greedy for the small reward, but if others benefited from the same thing while he didn't, he would inevitably feel unbalanced.

During the conversation between the three, Wang Yan suddenly felt something was off.

The surrounding air seemed to freeze, and the gentle breeze that had been blowing from the direction of the rainforest had disappeared without a trace.

He raised his head and looked into the distance.

My gaze passed through the gaps in the sand-blocking wall and landed on the boundless sea of ​​sand at the end of my field of vision, which shimmered with dazzling golden light under the sun.

The road beneath our feet has completely transformed from a solid dirt and stone road into a winding yellow sand path trodden out by passing merchants and travelers among the sand dunes.

"Are we... officially entering the desert?" Wang Yan asked subconsciously, his voice carrying a hint of surprise at their first encounter.

Dixia followed his gaze and nodded: "Yes, once we cross that sand dune, we'll be completely out of Kavan Station's protection zone."

The changes in the environment are clear and rapid.

First, there's the color.

Behind me, I could still catch glimpses of scattered greenery on the edge of the rainforest, but ahead, as far as the eye could see, there were only vast expanses of monotonous and dazzling yellow and white.

The sand dunes undulate like solidified golden waves, stretching all the way to the horizon and meeting the azure sky without a single cloud.

The sky appeared exceptionally high and distant, with sunlight pouring down without obstruction, enveloping everything in an overly bright halo.

"Is this the desert?"

Wang Yan sighed again.

In fact, Wang Yan had never seen a desert before or after his time travel.

But Wang Yan was certain that the Great Red Sand Sea was more terrifying than any other desert he had crossed before.

Just a few steps closer to the desert, Wang Yan could already feel the surrounding temperature rising at an unnatural rate.

Although the intensity of the sunlight did not change drastically in an instant, the air became dry and scorching.

It was as if an invisible furnace was burning all around, and the heat rose from the sand beneath my feet, enveloping my body from all sides.

Wang Yan estimated that compared to the coolness in the lobby of the Kawan Inn, the perceived temperature had risen by at least two or three degrees, and was still rising as the caravan ventured deeper into the area.

He couldn't help but raise his hand to wipe his forehead, where a faint sheen of sweat had already seeped out.

"Can you feel it?" Dixia noticed his actions and smiled. "This is just the beginning. The desert daytime heat is a direct 'gift' and it won't hold back. In another hour or two, when the sun reaches its zenith, that's when the real test begins."

"Oh, right, you guys should have brought goggles, right?" she asked, looking at Wang Yan and Eros.

Wang Yan nodded, indicating that they had brought it.

"That's good. Remember to bring it with you later. Many scholars who come to the desert for the first time are most likely to get hurt not by being attacked by monsters in the desert, but by having their eyes injured by the light reflected from the sand."

Dixia pointed out that she had obviously encountered similar situations many times before.

Chapter 73 Spell Teaching

Eros took out her sand-proof goggles from her bag and put them on. Wang Yan did the same, quickly taking out the goggles he had prepared and putting them on as well.

At the same time, Wang Yan also discovered that although the members of the caravan did not have sand-proof goggles, they all had their own methods. Most of them used light-transmitting strips of cloth to cover their eyes, while others simply wrapped their heads with cloths.

The methods may differ, but the logic remains the same.

This is to prevent sunlight reflected from the sand from directly damaging the eyes.

"How long will it take us to reach Aru Village?" Wang Yan asked.

Dixia smiled and said, "We've only just entered the desert. If we go another thirty miles, we'll reach Aru Village's territory. No need to rush, we'll definitely be able to spend the night in the village."

The caravan was quite fast, and the beasts used by the Aru Village caravan were all camel-like beasts.

These tugs are typical desert animals, and they are much better adapted to the current desert environment than to the rainforest environment.

Although the desert was unbearably hot, these pack animals were even faster than they were in the rainforest.

"Is Aru Village very big?" Wang Yan asked curiously. "Is it as lively as Kawan Post Station?"