Harry Potter and the Great Old Ones

Chapter 834

After resting in the Surinamese oasis, Professor Caldwell and his team set off again for their next destination—the Matisse Oasis.

The midday sun was like a fireball, incredibly hot. Fortunately, the Surinamese oasis provided them with ample water and a bit of coolness, giving them enough energy to face the rest of the journey.

To prevent sunburn, everyone on the expedition team was wrapped in thick sun protection blankets.

Of course, the scenery in the desert is not entirely unchanging. During the journey, the team will occasionally encounter some small but beautiful phenomena in the desert, such as these gypsum crystals formed by weathering, or some unique cacti.

As time passed and the sun began to set, the expedition team, guided by maps and GPS, gradually approached the location of the Matisse Oasis.

Today is their third day since they set off. The team members are no longer as excited as they were in the first two days, and the frequency of their conversations has decreased significantly.

As the setting sun cast its golden rays upon the edge of the desert, a verdant oasis gradually came into view—the Matisse Oasis had appeared.

Compared to the oases in Suriname, the Matisse Oasis is larger and has a more abundant water source. In the center of the oasis is a small natural lake with clear, transparent water, and the lush vegetation around it brought great comfort to the tired team members.

After confirming that the area around the oasis was safe, the team members immediately began setting up tents and preparing dinner.

As night fell and the stars shone brightly, the team members sat around the campfire, enjoying the cool breeze from afar.

Silent all night.

The next morning, after a brief exploration and study within the Matisse Oasis, the expedition team immediately set off for their final destination—

The central oasis of the George Ring.

“Mr. Lockhart,” Professor Caldwell said, deliberately slowing his pace to walk alongside Tierra halfway through the journey, “If all goes well, we should arrive at the Central Oasis before 2 p.m.

"Thank you for your hard work, Professor," Tierra complimented with a smile. "It's all thanks to your excellent leadership that we were able to reach our destination so quickly, according to plan."

"Not at all. It's all thanks to the competence of my students. Mr. Lockhart, your physical condition is also quite good, allowing you to keep up with our forced march," Professor Caldwell praised without reservation.

“But Mr. Lockhart,” Professor Caldwell continued, “as far as we know, the Great Oasis in the center of the George Mountains is a dense rainforest ecosystem that has developed based on groundwater resources.”

"Excuse my bluntness, but of course we don't mean to look down on you or anything. It's just that for safety reasons, I hope that when we go into the rainforest for our expedition, you can wait for us at a fixed location on the outskirts," Professor Caldwell said. "The complexity of rainforest ecosystems is much greater than that of desert ecosystems. Dense vegetation and tall trees can significantly interfere with our GPS positioning system, so getting lost in a rainforest ecosystem is almost fatal."

“Of course.” Tierra nodded in understanding; he knew these considerations were for the team’s safety. “No problem, Professor, I completely understand. I value my life more than you might imagine.”

“But,” Tierra smiled, “just don’t forget to record it.”

Before setting off, Tierra distributed state-of-the-art VCR cameras to each expedition team and required each team to record their expedition process.

This could be considered one of the conditions under which Tiera funded their scientific expeditions.

“Of course, of course,” Professor Caldwell readily agreed. Finally, after several hours of travel, the expedition team approached the central oasis of the George Ring.

This oasis has not been fully explored by anyone, so it is currently named "Central Great Oasis".

The Central Oasis is vast, estimated to stretch for thousands of kilometers. The team could clearly feel the increasingly humid air and abundant vegetation, a stark contrast to the previous desert climate.

Upon reaching the edge of the Central Oasis, Professor Caldwell did not rush to lead the team into the oasis. Instead, he instructed everyone to remain where they were and enter the Central Oasis early the next morning.

And today——

Everyone then set up camp on the spot and rested for a day.

As I said before, in the wild, mental exhaustion is far more terrifying than physical exhaustion.

Therefore, Professor Caldwell preferred to proceed with the investigation at a slower pace in order to ensure the mental health of his team members.

The other team members were clearly experienced veterans who frequently accompanied Professor Caldwell on field trips. As soon as Professor Caldwell gave the order, they immediately set up a temporary camp on the edge of the oasis.

After nightfall, Professor Caldwell convened an emergency meeting with all team members at dinner time.

He detailed the upcoming plan and each person's specific tasks. Although they had conducted countless similar explorations, this environment was particularly complex and unknown, requiring every team member to maintain the highest level of vigilance.

“Remember, although this area is not documented in detailed maps, its biodiversity may be exceptionally rich. We need to take very careful measures to avoid disrupting the ecological balance here,” Professor Caldwell emphasized at the conference. “Everyone should follow the principle of ‘Leave No Trace’ and minimize the environmental impact of our activities as much as possible.”

“Yes, Professor!” Professor Caldwell’s students responded.

Professor Caldwell, his expression shifting from the stern one when assigning tasks to the students, looked at Tiera with a friendly smile. "I'll trouble you and Algnis to stay at the camp tomorrow as well."

“No trouble at all, it’s my pleasure,” Tiera replied with a light laugh.

After the meeting, the team members were divided into their respective groups, each responsible for a different research area, such as vegetation surveys, water resource assessments, and wildlife observations.

Professor Caldwell even specifically assigned several team members to record and organize the travel videos to ensure that Tierra's requests were met.

The next morning, as the rising sun shone through the dense canopy of trees, scattering fragments of light onto the damp ground, the team began to enter the central oasis in groups according to plan.

The group left the camp at seven in the morning, while Tierra and Algnis didn't wake up until 8:30.

Their task today is simply to hold the camp; they don't need to prepare as early as others.

After getting up, Tierra and Algnis each made themselves breakfast, and then sat around the now-extinguished campfire chatting.

The task of guarding the camp was rather boring, and Algnis was a quiet person focused on scientific research, knowing very little about things outside of research. So as they chatted, they gradually fell silent. Algnis focused on looking at the central oasis through his binoculars, while Tiera idly fiddled with the extinguished campfire.