In Sumeru, pretend to be a scholar!

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

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

Farusan'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 animal before climbing up himself.

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

After setting off, Dixia, as usual, went to ride on Wang Yan and Farusan's mounts.

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

"Do you want to know their origins, or what happened next?" Dixia handed Wang Yan and Farusan 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 Fruit was the dragon fruit, but in reality, it should be closer to the cactus fruit.

"Everyone wants to know, what are the backgrounds of these people, and what will happen to them afterward?" Wang Yan asked while eating.

Farusian 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, "After interrogating them yesterday, we found that these people are subordinate groups of the God-King's Legacy."

"The legacy of the God-King?"

"Yes, a group that worshipped the Red King but committed numerous atrocities. It was wiped out a long time ago. However, at that time, only their stronghold was destroyed, and due to the destruction of the data, it was impossible to follow the clues and eliminate the remaining members."

"Of course, many people within the Legacy of the God-King were 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, a subordinate of the God-King's Legacy, and that he was the one who destroyed the God-King's Legacy's records.

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

"However, these people are probably the last batch of organized members of the God-King's Legacy. Over the years, Rahman has been cleaning up these guys in the desert."

Dixia's tone softened and became more cheerful: "To be honest, these guys did make some contributions."

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

Is robbery used to accelerate economic circulation?

Unlike Wang Yan, Dixia didn't have such wild imaginations. She still smiled and said, "Last night, a criminal gang with 186 members, 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..."

"Almost every one of these people has a bounty on them. The one with the most is the leader, who has a bounty of 200,000 Mora. The one with the least is still 1,000 Mora."

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

"I did a rough calculation, and with over a hundred people, it'll probably cost around seven or eight hundred thousand Mora." She counted on her fingers, her voice brimming with undisguised joy. "This money can at least help a hundred children complete their most basic education."

Farusan looked up from the side and said, "I want to remind you, Miss Desia, that the Church Academy provides free basic education 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 Farusan, I am well aware of the kindness of the Grass God." Dixia did not refute, but simply said, "But you should also know that free education alone is not enough for a child's growth."

Fiona 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.

Farusan 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," Farussan remarked.

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

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

Desia 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 killed?" 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 Order of the Church. I don't know anything about the Order of the Church."

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

Farusan: "There won't be a reward, but it will be recorded in your file, and you'll 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 a break in their conversation, Wang Yan suddenly sensed something was amiss.

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 edge of my field of vision, which shimmered with dazzling golden light under the sun.

The road underfoot had 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 Kawan Post's protection zone."

The changes in the environment are clear and rapid.

First, there's the color.

Behind me, I could still glimpse the scattered greenery at 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 journey.

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 felt as if an invisible furnace was burning all around, with heat rising from the sand beneath my feet and enveloping my body from all directions.

Wang Yan estimated that the perceived temperature was at least two or three degrees higher than when it was cool in the lobby of the Kawan Inn, and it was still rising as the caravan went deeper into the area.

He couldn't help but raise his hand to wipe his forehead, where a faint sweat was already seeping out.

"You can feel it?" Dixia noticed his movements 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 is at its zenith, that's when the real test begins."

"Oh, right, you guys should have brought goggles, right?" She looked at Wang Yan and Farusan.

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 reminded her that she had obviously encountered similar situations many times before.