Shepherd Tantra

Chapter 1157 Desert Guide Anar

June 19th.

While Iris was still in the process of undergoing a dramatic change in sustainability, Aiwass and his party had already passed through Narcissus Territory.

There is no clear border between Narcissus Territory and the ancient kingdom of Parthia. Or rather, the real border is so clear that it can be seen at a glance.

The eastern side of Narcissus Territory, formerly the Principality of Narcissus, is a barren forest.

There is a strange dampness here, smelling like soil and blood. It is slightly poisonous to mortals, and although it is not fatal, it will make people weak and depressed. Because of this, there is such a rich resource here, but it has hardly been cut down or collected.

According to the guide, a certain kind of mushroom grew in abundance here - he was a Parthian and didn't recognize that kind of mushroom.

But Zhu Tang knows him.

"That's black ant fungus, we call it corpse gentleman."

The gray-robed wizard with his eyes closed replied, "This is a relatively rare ritual material. This mushroom will simulate the smell of a rotting corpse by secreting a kind of mucus, and prey on a special kind of black ant, which only eats the rotting corpses of animals. Therefore, this mushroom will only appear in places where corpses are often seen, and it will be quiet and will not spread.

"By the way, although it smells bad and is slightly poisonous, it is delicious when cooked in soup. If it is stewed with cardamom, it will have a strong meaty flavor. As long as it is cooked, there will be no problem. In our area, people catch this kind of mushroom every spring and sell it for money."

This oriental wizard was currently playing chess with Sherlock in Aiwass's luxurious carriage.

Because there were so many people traveling together, Yulia was worried that the road would be too noisy, so the empress of the new empire personally modified the carriage for Aiwass for their trip - she used the lost knowledge obtained from the legacy of the Helasar Empire to create several space-folding carriages.

Although this carriage looked only slightly larger from the outside, it was about 60 square meters from the inside. There was a small living room, a bedroom, and a bathroom. It was roughly equivalent to a not-too-large hotel suite. There were four sofas inside, and many people stayed inside.

Yulia also modified the other carriages. The space was expanded to about half, at least enough to accommodate all the followers to spend the night in a closed space.

This is like a savior for the group of people who are about to head into the desert.

Although Sherlock was able to provide water for everyone, and there was water and food stored in the carriage just in case, it was not convenient to spend the night in a carriage - even if the big shots could barely sleep in it, their entourage couldn't live with the food.

With the carriage expanded and renovated by Yulia, the comfort of the trip was instantly raised by four or five levels. It went from a drudgery to a real trip.

It is said that this is a technology obtained by the Alchemy Association after it was disenchanted during the Helasar Empire. The space folding technology of the Mage Tower is a similar method, but alchemy allows them to be used by people who do not master the path of wisdom and rune skills.

At this moment, Lily lived in Aiwass's shadow for the first time in a long time, and felt at ease. Isabel stayed with Haina to chat, and even with the bored Ligeia. Sherlock was playing Go with Zhu Tang who closed his eyes, while Aiwass sat beside and watched with the guide.

The guide was a little girl with dark skin.

Her name was Anar, with a high forehead, black curly hair tied into a ponytail, and eyes as bright as black pearls. She wore a loose robe made of white linen, which was completely different from the exquisite clothes worn by others.

She is a professional guide, whose main responsibility is to bring people from the border of Narcissus to the border of Parthia, or vice versa, from the border of Parthia to the Principality of Narcissus.

Of course, this is definitely illegal... just like the profession of taking people across the border illegally. Although in fact, there is no legal way to enter or leave Anxi.

Today, the ancient Parthian Empire has been completely divided. Although they still nominally worship the mysterious monarch whose name is unknown, in reality, the rulers of various desert city-states have become new kings one after another.

Because of this, it was basically impossible for other countries to establish normal diplomatic channels in the ancient country of Parthia. Even if they did, it was only a channel established with the benevolent ruler of this city. The benevolent rulers of other cities did not recognize this kind of diplomatic relationship.

Since good rulers usually did not want their subjects or slaves to escape, contact with foreigners became a crime in itself. In this situation, the interior of the ancient Parthian Empire was a chaos for most countries.

Only a few people who escaped from inside could bring back the latest - or perhaps outdated - information.

In this case, the local resistance organization must be the one that can steadily bring people out. Zhu Tang and Mu relied on her to escape from the disorienting desert.

It was thanks to their introduction that Aiwass found her as a guide.

"Once we pass through this dense forest, we will enter the desert." Anar said in Xingtian language with a strong Parthian accent, "By then, we won't be able to go down. We have to walk for a day and a half to reach the first city - Rock Cellar City. This is a very small city. If you don't count the slaves, there are only about 800 residents. It may not even have as many people as a Xingtian community."

"Such a small city...are there any good people there?"

Aiwass asked.

Hearing this, Anar smiled and said, "Of course there is, sir. There is no city without a good master in Anxi."

"If there is a good master, how did you escape? Wouldn't he catch you?"

Aiwass asked.

"Because the snake people will help us," Anar replied, "Since Rock Cellar City is next to Star Antimony, there are many reinforced rock slabs imported from Star Antimony. We use them to build underground rock cellars... As long as we use them to separate the blood-sucking sand, it will not be so easy to lose water.

"Although we are in rest, there is relatively no shortage of water here. The Maharaja is also gentler than the philanthropists in other places... or lazier. We ran to the temple outside the city through the underground passage, and then led the camels out of the temple."

"Maharaja" is the respectful title used by the Parthians to address their lord. Its meaning is roughly similar to "Your Majesty".

"I don't think so."

Zhu Tang said slowly, "I actually think... that benevolent master is very likely to know of your existence."

Hearing this, Anar was stunned for a moment.

“That’s natural.”

While playing chess, Sherlock said leisurely, "Since he built the tunnel, how could he not know that the tunnel would lead to the temple outside the city? Without him paying, where did he get so many alchemical slabs from Star Antimony?"

"But……"

Anaer subconsciously wanted to defend herself.

But Sherlock said mercilessly: "He just acquiesced to your existence. The purpose is very simple... As a weak lord, he can only obtain resources that are not available in Parthia through trade with foreign countries, so as to exchange resources with powerful lords in Parthia.

"In this situation, he only has two options. Either plunder from the outskirts of Xingtan, or establish a trade route with Xingtan. But no matter which one he chooses, as long as he does it openly, he will be found out by other good people, and then he will be attacked and his territory and resources will be divided up.

"So he can only remain isolated in public and establish connections in secret. You must know some merchants who often come and go through you. They are the resources of the good master of Rock Cellar City.

"If you plan to rebel, or if you plan to quit... to keep it secret, he will execute you. The excuse is that he has discovered your illegal behavior... With this handle that can be executed at any time in his hand, you are the safest and most useful slaves."

Anar obviously wanted to refute.

But she thought about it and seemed to have thought of some people. So her lips turned pale - she realized that she might be under the surveillance of the good master at any time.

——When she realized that her actions that could have sentenced her to death more than twenty times had been exposed under the eyes of the benevolent master, it was impossible not to feel fear.

"Don't scare the kid." Aiwass reached out and knocked Sherlock on the head.

He turned around and asked Anar, "You mean... the temple? Where is the temple outside the city?"

"Ah...outsiders are not allowed to enter there."

Anar said timidly, “We can only go in when we come out.

"That is the holy temple of the snake people, and it enshrines Huan Tiansi."

(End of this chapter)