Love and passion, cutting up the wasteland.

Chapter 582: Visitors Returning Home (Combined Chapter)
The wasteland of bones is vast and boundless.

The fossilized bones of the giant beast are like a mountain range, stretching across the plain for hundreds of meters. It is hard to imagine that such a creature once existed in the world.

The long wind blew through its chest, rubbing against its ribs, making a humming sound that resounded through the heavens and earth like a horn.

It's like never dying.

A herdsman dressed in luxurious fur took out a knife, scraped off a layer of stone powder from the leg bone that was like a wall, and carefully put it into a small bag.

Keep it close to your body.

"What is he doing?"

Watching the herder's actions, the technological hunter behind him whispered to his companion.

"The wandering tribes in Shan worship giant beasts. According to their custom, the bone powder of dead giant beasts can be wrapped in cloth to make amulets." The companion recalled the notes left by a senior scientific hunter. "It is said that the larger the dead animal, the more auspicious the amulet made from it, and the better the effect."

“The fossilizable component is no longer bone.”

Romi questioned.

"Don't be too serious. Maybe they don't know this." The companion crossed his arms around his chest and hugged the slender sword. "Or maybe we can bring it back to the tribe and sell it for a good price... The skeletons of ancient giant beasts are not that common."

"What a superstition." Romi said casually.

The employer they were secretly discussing was now repeating his previous actions, making several amulets and putting them all in his arms.

"This is for little Dib... this is for father, this is..." Cone Far Traveler counted the number and put it away carefully.

A year has passed since he led his tribe's herds to the south for trade and sales.

He looked up at the blue sky in the distance.

The beast disaster has ended for three months.

The market for this trade was very good. The prices of both furs and pack animals were rising cyclically, allowing Cone to get a good price.

But, I am very unlucky.

They happened to catch up with the outbreak of a beast disaster. The beasts in the Skeleton Wasteland migrated northwards, blocking Cone's way home. They would have to retreat later, which would delay him even longer... During this period, they could only hide in the few human city-states here to have a chance to survive.

The beast disaster was severe.

He knows it.

This made the herdsmen from the Traveler clan worried, and they just wanted to rush back to the Land of Shan as soon as possible so that they could return to the tribe and see their families.

Hope they are safe too.

"Can we set off now?" Romi stepped forward and asked his employer.

Cone nodded.

Because he made money as a merchant, and the journey from the Skeleton Wasteland back to the Flash Land was not peaceful, he discussed with several other herdsmen and spent a large sum of money to hire a team of technology hunters who were traveling along the way to escort them.

When there is a mission to take.

They can be said to be top bodyguards.

Seeing the employer nod, a rustling sound came from the team of technology hunters who were ready to go: the sounds of crossbows being repaired and swords being sheathed were completed in an instant.

The team set off.

Draw a winding curve on the vast land.

Based on their experience, they carefully avoided animal nests along the way, but occasionally they would inevitably run into wild beasts returning from the north after the disaster receded.

This was unexpected for the technology hunters.

The animal disaster they observed from the direction of the wasteland of bones was quite severe. As a result, the returning beasts, such as the beaked beasts, were often only a few scattered ones at a time, and were not on a large scale at all.

It takes a lot of effort to deal with it, but it is no longer dangerous or threatening.

The tech hunters breathed a sigh of relief.

But Cone's heart gradually became nervous - he thought of a terrible possibility.

Unconsciously, under his urging, everyone sped up again, and after a few days and nights, they soon arrived at the southwestern border of the Land of Shinto, where it bordered the Wasteland of Bones.

The sun is shining brightly at noon.

There is a small white dot faintly visible on the grassy hill in the distance.

The technology hunter picked up the telescope and looked, only to see a tattered white tent. It was obvious that the cowhide used to cover the tent should have been of very good quality. Even though it had been abandoned, it was still as smooth and white as new after being washed by rains several times.

"To have such a big tent," Romi guessed, "it must be a big tribe..."

He hasn't finished yet.

But on the other side, the employer, the herdsman Kone, staggered, his legs went weak and he almost fell to the ground.

He was only supported by a quick-eyed and quick-handed technology hunter.

And he also heard a whisper:
"It's over..."

As a member of the Shem West tribe, Cone naturally remembered this white tent. Even without using a telescope, he recognized it just by looking at it from a distance.

Isn’t this the chief’s tent of the North Wind Clan?
The North Wind Clan was the most powerful tribe in the west... but now even they had abandoned their tent here, and there were all kinds of decayed skeletons around... which confirmed Cone's guess.

The beast disaster is over, and the ferocious beasts are returning.

But the frequency of beaked beasts appearing is so low, probably because they are still staying in the heart of Shem, wreaking havoc everywhere.

There is plenty of food to eat.

Naturally, I don’t want to go home.

——The land of Shan may be quite dangerous.

Their own Farstrider clan is only the smallest tribe in the west, so they...

After listening to Cone's slightly trembling explanation, the tech hunters looked at each other and gathered together to discuss.

"What should we do?" Romi asked. He was the only one in the team who had never been to the Land of Flash and had not had time to read relevant information before. He was the only one who had no knowledge of that grassland.

Now I can only listen to the opinions of my companions.

Another companion, Liu Si, looked around and lowered his voice: "We must go to the Flash Land, otherwise we won't be able to contact the headquarters... All our Kai coins combined can't buy the Sorrow Mine Town."

The Skeleton Wasteland is located within the broad territory of the South United City. The Sorrowful Mine Town and the Lowland Lagoon Town were once its two important industrial city-states.

However, the crude oil in the depression lagoon was exhausted long ago, and the residents had no way to make a living and had to migrate everywhere. The local noble lords simply sold the operating rights of the entire city-state to the technology hunters, and transformed it into a giant relay station for them in the southern part of the continent.

But now, Ai Mine Town has declined because of the Bloody Rebellion. Those who took part in the riot were arrested and sold into slavery. The powerful and wealthy businessmen, samurai nobles... some left, some fled. Only a very small number of the bottom-level poor who really have nowhere to go are left, and they are still struggling to survive.

The impact of this beast disaster.

There weren't even any guards at the city gates.

It was only thanks to the towering city walls built during the prosperous period that the city survived the disaster.

In this way, a lot of losses were suffered.

As for the days ahead, only God knows.

Once the existing city defenses are breached, Ai Mine Town will probably become a hunting ground for wild beasts to come and go as they please - in fact, right now, the poorly maintained areas in the city center are already showing a tendency to become ruins.

Maybe it will become a hub station.

However, technology hunters such as Romi and Lius who came from the Depression Lagoon did get a channel, saying that the South United City would also dispose of the Sorrowful Mine Town just like it sold the Depression Lagoon before.

This is almost an obvious hint.

No one is in charge of the Mine Town now, and the only one who has the ability to take over is the Tech Hunter nearby. But after all, it is under the eyes of the United City, and it may not be easy for you to move in without saying hello. It can be considered as protection fee.

In fact, they can't choose not to do so.

The purpose of this team of technology hunters is to go to the headquarters through Flash to apply for funds.

"Well... besides, we have our employer here." Romi nodded and said, "Let's send them to the Land of Flash first and see if it's convenient to pass through... at worst, we can go directly to the Valley of Vengeance."

With the Skyfire of the Vengeance Land, the Beakbeasts will not chase there, and their technological hunters have their own secret paint, plus the route maps explored by many predecessors, they can also reach the headquarters "Black Scratch" by crossing there.

"If possible, I don't want to go that route... It's such a loss." Another tech hunter pushed his glasses, "I don't know if the headquarters will reimburse me."

To cross the Land of Revenge, an incredible amount of special paint is consumed, and they are precious.

Even if you go there specifically to explore.

It is easy for income to exceed expenditure.

"It's just a side trip, it's okay... As long as we don't leave the range of the Valley of Vengeance, there won't be any problem." Romi said, "Where does all that sky fire come from?"

Clarify your goals and figure out your retreat plan.

The technological hunters still decided to escort the herdsmen of the Traveler Clan back to their hometown, and Kone calmed down and cheered up again.

No matter what happened to Shem.

It has to be faced eventually.

They continued to move forward. As the saying goes, a horse will die if it is too far ahead. Although they had seen the white tent of the North Wind Clan from afar, it was already dark by the time they finally got there.

The Tech Hunter stepped forward to check.

Half of this huge white tent had collapsed, and the other half was rebuilt with simple wooden branches, barely forming a shed. This surprised everyone.

Human traces.

"It seems that they came back here once after they left." Someone judged.

The herder Kone frowned.

If this is the case, then it is certainly half good news, indicating that there are still members of the wandering tribe active not far away... But judging from the way it was built, it doesn't seem like something that an old herdsman from Shan would do.

Too rough.

"It's getting late. We've been traveling for so long and it's time to take a rest... Let's do it here." Romi aimed the crossbow and looked around, a look of satisfaction on his face.

he noticed.

The terrain where the white tent is located is the highest in the vicinity. It is not easy to find such a location on this prairie. Whether in terms of view or wind direction, this place is also the most suitable for camping and garrisoning.

Even if there are enemies besieging us.

It can hold up for a while.

Whoever chose to pitch the tent here had some foresight.

He looked at the herdsman who was deep in thought, and felt a little surprised and emotional:
"The wisdom of the wandering tribe?"

The Depression Lagoon where Romi was born is an old industrial town. The entire town is built on a giant oil platform and its prosperity is unparalleled.

Even after the decline, the residents' foundation is still there, and their educational literacy, martial arts training, and other aspects are far above the average level of other wasteland areas.

From a certain perspective, the headquarters also saw this and took over the lagoon, a depression where there was no oil to be recovered. Combined with the education provided by the mechanics... the lagoon town has cultivated many outstanding technology hunters, who have spread across the continent and become famous.

Joining the technology hunters has also become a new employment option for the descendants of oil workers.

In comparison, the wandering tribes in Shem, who were still in the nomadic stage and lived by following the water and grass, lived a much more backward life... Romi took it for granted.

However, he has changed his mind now.

Just look at the location of this white tent.

There are still capable people among them...even if this may only come from the simplest life wisdom.

"Oh? Come and see--" During the inspection, Liu Si drew his sword and opened the tent, and found something: "There are camping beds and sleeping bags inside, haha."

Under the white tent, there were simple camping beds lined up in rows, like beds on the ground, all over the place.

"Why don't we just sleep here, there's enough space..." he said half jokingly and half seriously.

The Tech Hunter has its own marching tent with complete functions, but it will take time to deploy them.

And they are already a little tired.

In addition, it was the first time for many technological hunters to see the large tents of the wandering tribe. This white tent was originally considered luxurious in the North Wind Clan. Even though it had been abandoned, it looked quite shocking from the outside.

Curious.

The herdsman Kone wanted to object, but he also carefully looked at the facilities in the white tent and found that apart from the messy placement of the camping beds and the old straw mats, there were no signs of other wild animals.

I think it’s relatively safe.

However, why was the chief tent of the North Wind Clan filled with camping beds like a marching tent... This made Cone quite puzzled.

Based on his understanding of the patriarch.

The other party is not the kind of person who would give up his own things.

However, before he could object, Romi spoke up:

"Let's set up the tents again, so they're next to each other. Otherwise... come and take a look."

Liu Si went over after hearing this.

Romi suddenly lifted up the camping bed, and a foul smell mixed with the fishy smell of soil from under the straw mat hit his nose, choking the tech hunter and causing him to cough.

"Alright, alright, put it down." Liu Si fanned his nose, "I was just kidding."

It can be imagined that the camping bed has been placed here for a long time without being cleaned up, and has been exposed to wind and rain, so the accumulated smell is definitely not pleasant.

See what he looks like.

The rest of the tech hunters were filled with a happy atmosphere, and even Cone's nervous and anxious mood felt a lot more relaxed.

At night, the moon is at its highest point in the sky.

The technological hunters were divided into two groups, one group was on sentry duty to keep watch, and the other group returned to the newly set up tents to rest. There were dozens of them in total.

The herders are not required to participate in the vigil.

If you get paid, you have to do good things.

This is also the rule for special bounty hunters.

Romi was sleeping in the tent.

Suddenly, a force pushed him awake.

He opened his eyes, then closed them again: "Let me sleep a little longer..."

The one who took over the shift with me was Liu Si.

Because they knew each other, he pushed it away.

However, the tech hunter failed to grab his companion's arm, and his palm was instantly pricked and hurt, with drops of blood oozing out.

At the start, every bristle stands upright.

(End of this chapter)