Magic Space: Struggling to Survive in the Apocalypse

Chapter 295: Extreme Cold, Tass Desert 5

Evelyn Ford made a split-second decision and jumped onto the wooden plank. She trusted Ronan Kendrick. At a time like this, it was even more crucial for her to remain calm and work with him to lead the entire group out of the quicksand zone.

"Be careful."

Ronan Kendrick nodded, then headed forward alone.

The once hard-packed layer of yellow sand was now covered by quicksand. It contained no frost, and stepping on it revealed a surprising softness.

Ronan Kendrick held a wooden stick, using it to probe for quicksand for the group behind him, much like sweeping for landmines. Fortunately, they crossed the entire area without running into another pit.

When Ronan Kendrick returned to the carriage, Evelyn Ford threw her arms around him in a tight hug.

"Don’t worry, I’m safe."

As Evelyn held him, the knot of worry in her chest finally loosened.

The group still had to press on. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief after clearing the quicksand zone, but they had lost too much time. When the sun set at six p.m., they had no choice but to make camp. The compass was still acting up, and no one dared to travel in the dark, afraid of blindly stumbling into another quicksand pit.

The campsite they set up for the night was surrounded by patches of snow and shrubs. Dozens of argali sheep had already charged over and stripped the bushes clean. Evelyn Ford opened her jar to check on the venomous scorpions, only to discover they were cannibalizing each other.

Scorpions are carnivores that typically prey on insects, mice, and ants. They will also often cannibalize weaker members of their own kind. Although Evelyn Ford had provided them with minced meat, it couldn’t change their innate cannibalistic tendencies.

Evelyn Ford picked out the dead scorpions and tossed in a piece of fresh meat.

After feeding them, Evelyn Ford opened the carriage door and went outside. She found Ronan Kendrick tending to the Mammoths. The two of them left the camp and climbed a nearby sand dune.

Evelyn Ford took out her binoculars to scan the distance. About two kilometers away, an unidentifiable animal was digging a hole. A Snow Eagle circled above, watching it intently. Suddenly, the eagle dove, its sharp talons seizing the unknown creature. As it soared back into the sky, it let out a triumphant cry.

Evelyn Ford took out two lollipops. After unwrapping them, she held the strawberry-flavored one to Ronan Kendrick’s lips.

Neither of them spoke, enjoying the rare moment of tranquility.

The scent of cooking drifted over from the camp. Evelyn Ford took out her compass and saw that the needle had stabilized somewhat, but it went haywire again the moment she moved.

’It seems there really are mineral deposits nearby.’

Evelyn Ford raised the binoculars again to continue observing her surroundings. Across the vast, endless desert, apart from a few lonely clumps of shrubs, she could occasionally spot a few Snow Eagles circling high above.

"Let me see."

Ronan Kendrick took the binoculars. With one hand tucked in his coat pocket and the lollipop in his mouth, he held the binoculars and studied the distance with intense concentration.

"There’s a patch of shrubs about five kilometers away. We can head over there tomorrow morning to cut some down. There’s a row of earthen walls next to it, too."

"How come I didn’t see that?"

Ronan Kendrick’s lips curved into a smile. He then swept Evelyn Ford up and set her on his shoulders, handing the binoculars back to her.

"Try looking again now. You should be able to see it."

Skeptical, Evelyn Ford took the binoculars. This time, she really could see the patch of shrubs five kilometers away. The light was dim and the distance was great, so the view wasn’t particularly clear.

’Is this what they mean by ’the higher you stand, the farther you see’?’

"Evelyn Ford! Ronan Kendrick! Dinner’s ready!"

"Okay, we’re coming!"

Wyatt Vaughn was shouting for them from the camp. Ronan Kendrick set Evelyn Ford down and looked at her with an amused expression.

"See it clearly?"

"Being tall is great. You get to see scenery the rest of us can’t."

Ronan Kendrick chuckled. "If you ever want to see the scenery, you’re always welcome to sit on my shoulders."

For some reason, the image made Evelyn Ford burst out laughing. Seeing her in good spirits, the expression in Ronan Kendrick’s eyes softened.

Back at the camp, the pair told everyone about the patch of shrubs, and Evelyn Ford announced that she had determined their direction of travel for tomorrow.

"That quicksand today was terrifying. It was like it was sucking everything down. Two massive Mammoths sank right in. If a person fell in... the consequences would be unthinkable."

"Yeah, it’s a good thing the sand wasn’t flowing too quickly."

Everyone was still shaken by the quicksand. It would take several more days to cross the desert, and there was no telling if they would face similar dangers again.

"We need to cover an extra twenty kilometers tomorrow, or we’ll never get out of this desert on schedule," Taylor Vance said. He took out a pencil stub and a notebook from inside his coat and began to jot down notes about their route and the weather.

"We’re only about a hundred-some kilometers from Crystell County now. I remember its main industry was Jade Spring Wine, a type of fruit wine. This whole area used to be a wasteland, but about ten years before the apocalypse, the desert near Crystell City was gradually turned into fertile soil, so they planted fruit. The large temperature difference between day and night made the fruit incredibly sweet, so to generate more income, the locals opened a winery."

Hearing Zion Lowell’s explanation, everyone’s interest was piqued.

"Then there should still be plenty of fruit trees, right? Maybe there are even people still living in Crystell City, since this area wasn’t hit by earthquakes."

Evelyn Ford shook her head. "I remember Drake from Norvane Base mentioning that Khoros was hit with a month of acid rain. The city must have suffered heavy losses."

"True, a lot of people in the city must have died. But as long as the buildings are still standing, there are probably refugees who settled there."

Donovan Irving sat silently by the fire. He hadn’t been in good spirits for the past couple of days, perhaps feeling the anxiety that comes with returning home after a long time.

"Actually, Crystell County was also known for its copper mines," he said. "My father worked at a mine for a year when I was very young. They only started planting fruit after the copper was all mined out."

Donovan Irving was quite familiar with Crystell City, but after so many years away, he had no idea what it looked like now.

"Crystell City mostly grew apples, bayberries, and hawthorns. The city itself is small, with a resident population of only seventy or eighty thousand, but it had many wineries. Every household here made a living from fruit."

Wyatt Vaughn’s eyes lit up when he heard about all the fruit.

"It would be amazing if we could dig up a few fruit trees to take with us. I wonder if any survived. Apples, bayberries, and hawthorns are all pretty cold-hardy."

"Bringing a few fruit trees along? Wouldn’t that just be an extra burden?" Miles Vaughn thought Wyatt was being ridiculous.

"How would that be a burden? All our livestock needs fodder. If we take a few trees, we might be able to plant an orchard down the line. The leaves could feed the argali sheep and moose, and we could trade the fruit for grain. We’d be solving multiple problems at once."

Quincy applauded. "I’m on board! Wyatt, that’s a brilliant idea."

Taylor Vance smiled. "Alright then. When we get to Crystell City, we’ll rest up properly. If there are fruit trees, we’ll dig a few up. We’re about to leave Khoros, and we’re actually very close to Frelia now."