The entire equator and Tropic of Cancer in Ata World are covered with endless sand seas. This is also the hottest, coldest and deadliest area in the world. It is called the Sea of ​​Death. It is this Sea of ​​Death that separates the connection between different city-states and tribes. However, even so, people living in this world still stubbornly explore the path to cross the sand sea. Occasionally there are huge underground caves made of weathered rocks in the sand sea. This is to hide from the sand.
The perfect place for violent, scorching sun and severe cold, which also makes the caravans very necessary to get stuck in time. They usually set off when the cold has just receded and the sun is rising. They walk for a short half a day to arrive at the next shelter, and then wait until the hottest sunlight that can evaporate the water of the people's body will go away and then come out of the shelter. The heat on the earth gradually dissipates and the cold that is enough to drip into ice has not yet arrived - that is, the early morning and evening.
However, before this, they had to eat something as soon as possible. After all, it would take a lot of energy to rush back and drive the road. The sham beasts are used to carry cargo and transport water. Their physical strength also needs to be maintained, so people can only walk.
Ricus came to the temporary kitchen, where a bald man was stirring a large pot with a bone rod, which was boiling water, and a small pot next to it, which was boiled Sahan beast milk. A small pile of light brown oval fruits were piled on the ground. A boy about the same age as Ricus was pushing away the crisp shells outside the fruits with his dirty hands, taking out the powdery white granular seeds as big as a thumb, putting them into the boiling milk pot.
Ricas walked aside, squatted down, picked up a seed and stuffed it into his mouth.
During the chewing process, the sour and astringent smell spread in the mouth, followed by a little sweetness, and as the starch was decomposed by the saliva, it turned into a special sweetness, although it also made his throat drier.
"Little chanter, you stole the food again."
Seeing him like this, the boy trying to peel the seeds complained.
"I'm still hungry."
"I, I'll get breakfast for the tutor."
"I have to wait two minutes."
The bald man interrupted him in a rough voice, and then kicked over the fruits of several bread trees.
"You can help too."
Rikas had no choice but to peel the fruits together.
This is the "food ration" that the people in Ata world eat most now. It was also brought by the Sun Cult. Before that, they had almost no planting industry and had only relied on the moss, fungi and insects collected by the underground world to feed on it. As a result, they had a sparse population and a pitiful lifespan, but it has been different since the bread tree came.
This plant, which is thicker than a few adults, not only can withstand the high temperature on the ground, but also requires not much water. They can even be used as water storage devices. Its fruit yield is extremely high, which can also bring more calories to people. More importantly, it is also a "sweet" that a very small number of residents of this world can eat. Soon the world's population grew to a certain level, and the standard that determines the prosperity level of a tribe and a city-state has become how many bread trees it has.
Bread trees are good in everything, but they grow very slowly. It takes nearly ten years to bear fruit for the first time after planting. Moreover, the planting density is relatively low, and the first five years of growth are also very fragile. Maintaining growth still requires consuming certain precious water resources. Even Salt Pancheng, born in Ricas, can only afford less than 300 bread trees, and this is the lifeblood of thousands of residents in the city.
Of course, with a basic grain and population, handicrafts and other industries have developed, and naturally they have given rise to trade.
Their caravan was to carry salt plates of city-state specialties to exchange fabrics. The city-state mastered the technology of domesticating a silk-spitting insect, which was almost the only source of fabric in the world, or the only source known to Rikas.
Soon, the milk pot boiled, and the chef took out a handful of wriggling white insects from the small bag, rubbed them, threw them into the pot.
In this barren world, any source of protein is precious, and the Sahan beast is a more precious property. Unless death naturally, the city-state veterans will not allow anyone to kill these pack beasts. The way residents can supplement protein is either to buy expensive Sahan milk and its dairy products, or to rely on insects caught in underground caves.
Although Ricas was so hungry that he still walked to the tutor's tent with a hot pot.
"Teacher, breakfast food is here."
The big white-bearded sutra chanter was sitting on the stall, still closing his eyes and chanting sutras, with his double-headed eagle staff aside.
Seeing that there was no response, Ricas bent over and could only put the small pot on the ground.
"Teacher, we're going to set out soon."
Finally, the chanter opened his eyes.
"Ricas, how many times have I said, don't interrupt me when chanting the scriptures."
"I'm worried that it will affect your diet..."
The chanter seemed a little impatient, but he nodded after all, picked up the spoon and started eating slowly. At this time, the noise of people eating outside could be heard outside. Although Ricas was so hungry that he didn't dare to eat before the teacher finished eating, he could only lower his head and kneel on the ground.
At this time, the chanting master suddenly spoke.
"You go and eat too, otherwise you will not have the strength to walk when the yellow sand turns white."
Ricas nodded, got up and walked out, heading straight to the kitchen.
"Save it for you."
The chef seemed to know that he was coming, so he handed him a pottery bowl, which was a light white viscous liquid inside, which could also be called porridge, which looked like the bread tree fruits after they were boiled, and there were some black spots floating inside. They were moss underground and a very few things that could supplement vitamins.
Rikas took a sip, as sour as ever, then he took out a thumb-sized worm pupa from his pocket, skewed it on his black iron dagger, and grilled it on the fire for a few times.
This dagger is his only "property" and the only thing his father left him. The Ata world is not short of metal. In fact, there are often scavenger tribes that bring some strange-shaped metal fragments. However, those metals are usually very hard and difficult to process. Only a small part can be melted and recasted into production tools and weapons. The rest can only be used as building materials or decorations.
The slightly burnt bug was stuffed into his mouth, biting it in one bite, and it exploded directly, which was discovered when he was sleeping in the shelter last night.
Good stuff is very good, and you can exchange it for a complete bread fruit at the city-state market.
Meals don't last long, time is precious, and when the yellow sand turns white, it can't walk, if they hadn't arrived at the shelter, many people would die on the road, and this is the most important lesson this world has given its people-
Chapter completed!