The sun rises and the air gradually becomes hotter. It was the height of summer in June, the sun was blazing, and the hot wind blew sand and dust onto people's faces. If they were not careful, they would be filled with sand in their mouths, which was indescribably uncomfortable. Minna was galloping on horseback in the desert, holding the reins tightly with both hands and burying her face low in her arms, leaving only her two eyes exposed to look at the road.
She felt a little regretful. When she came out last night, because she was worried about the cold night in the desert, she stole a fur robe from the drunkard, but forgot to bring a cloak to protect him from the sun and wind. Now the sun was so hot that her head was almost smoking, and the sand kept pouring into her mouth. But because she was afraid of being caught up, she didn't dare to stop and rest, so she had to cover her head with a short robe to hold back the hot sweat. .
The dry food and water she brought were limited, and she didn't know if she would encounter any accidents along the way. Minna didn't dare to squander the hard-earned water, so she was very frugal. Even the horse was only given a little water, except for the horse that was originally tied to it. Feed the horses the fodder on their hooves and nothing else.
Minna didn't know much about horses and didn't have much experience with them, so she was negligent. After walking for less than two days, the horse suddenly lost its temper and spun around in circles. No matter how Minna whipped it, pulled its neck or kicked it in the stomach, it refused to go any further.
Ming Na was extremely anxious. She didn't know what was going on in the camp now, whether the fire had been put out, whether the drunkard had been burned to death, or whether the people there had discovered her escape. If they caught up with them now, they would definitely not be able to escape!
Minna took out her dagger and planned to stab the horse twice if it disobeyed again. She had seen people in the camp use this method to train horses. At this time a gust of hot wind blew. The horse suddenly neighed and rushed towards the west with her hump. She was startled and quickly grabbed the reins to try to stop it. As a result, it seemed to be crazy and even knocked her to the ground.
She got up immediately, not caring about the dust all over her body. Shouting in a hoarse voice: "Come back! Come back quickly!"
The horse didn't listen to her and jumped over the sand dune. Disappeared. Mingna hurriedly ran over and climbed up the sand dune. She was stunned.
Not far ahead, a large valley from deep red to black appeared at some point. The peaks were towering and endless, but there was not even a single blade of grass, not a single tree, not a single flower in the entire valley. There are no earthly creatures, but there is a large deep blue lake in the valley, which seems to be very clear and sweet.
Ming Na couldn't help but lick her dry lips, and she suddenly felt the urge to run over and drink as much as she could, but she soon became alert again.
How could such a large valley appear here? She had never heard of such a place in the desert, and she just came from the northwest and didn't see it at all!
The frantic horse was rushing towards the lake, but suddenly it let out a miserable scream. Minna watched in surprise as it sank into the sand and struggled. But the more you struggle, the deeper you sink. In the blink of an eye, the sand around it was sinking, and soon it was buried over the horse's body and neck. The horse only had time to neigh a few more times before it was submerged in the sand.
It's quicksand!
Ming Na once heard her grandfather mention this kind of terrible desert killer, and she couldn't help but secretly feel lucky that she was left behind, otherwise she would have been in trouble. But she couldn't help feeling regretful. Missing transportation tools. And after consuming the water, you can no longer eat horse meat or drink horse blood. Are we going to dig up snakes and scorpions again
A gust of wind blew, and the valley gradually became lighter. Ming Na's eyes widened again. After looking at the strange dark red scenery, the same sand dunes as the surrounding ones were faintly revealed.
It's actually an illusion? !
Ming Na thought of the mirage that her grandfather once mentioned and breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, she was not tempted by the lake and ran over rashly, otherwise she and the horse would have fallen into the same fate.
In the desert, you need to pay attention not only to poisonous snakes, birds, and wild beasts, but there are also many dangers in nature.
It’s just that the valley I saw just now, what kind of scenery could it be
Ming Na turned around and picked up the short robe and dagger that had been thrown to the ground. She touched the water bag and dry food on her body and patted her heart. She still remembered the lessons she learned from traveling in the desert with her grandfather, so she was so lucky that she didn't put anything important on the horse!
Just now, she was hunched over and ran in a wrong direction. She found her original path again based on the sun's position, shadow and wind direction.
Without the horse, she could only walk on her own. She stepped on simple straw sandals, enduring the heat and discomfort under the soles, walking step by step. Although it was hard during the day, it was not unbearable, but at night there was no place for them to cuddle up to keep warm. She felt a little uncomfortable with the cold, so she could only wrap her body tightly in a short robe, squat down and rest for a while, and then use the starlight to continue her journey.
At noon on the third day, when she was about to run out of food and water, she finally met someone. After the ecstasy, she had not forgotten to be on guard, so she did not rush to ask for help rashly, but followed those people from a distance until she came to an oasis.
This oasis was different from the ones she had seen before. The small lake in the middle was surrounded by gorgeous large tents. The people living there included both rich people in rich clothes and civilians in simple clothes, including men, women, and others. Old people and children. Countless young women wearing revealing gauze dresses shuttled between the tents, delivering wine, food and toys. There were also some big men dressed in black who patrolled back and forth. From time to time, loud laughter and music were heard from some large tents. Several people with painted faces and weird costumes walked by, which attracted the children to get closer and take a look.
Minna hid in the distance and observed for a while, and concluded that this was probably the legendary entertainment oasis. Several people in the camp had visited such a place and showed off it in front of their companions after returning. Minna had also heard about some of it. Thinking that there might be people from the camp here, she hesitated for a long time before going around the entrance of the oasis and arriving at a few simple small tents at the back. After confirming that the people living there were all people working in the oasis, she sorted it out. I pretended to be a timid little girl and walked over.
She claimed that she was traveling with her grandfather, but her grandfather went to another world along the way (Mingna: I didn’t lie), and now she is alone and helpless. Tired, hungry and thirsty, she asked the kind ladies to give her a bowl of water.
Several plainly but neatly dressed women felt sad when they heard this. One of them hugged her and cried: "Poor child." They took the initiative to bring water and food, and told Mingna to eat slowly. "Stop choking."
Minna greedily drank a large bowl of water and ate as much as possible. There is actually meat, besides snake and scorpion meat. It's been a long time since she's had any meat.
A woman said: "Look at this child who is thin and dark. He must have suffered a lot, right? He might as well stay with us and work. Although the wages are not much, he will have enough to eat and he will also have nice clothes to wear." .”
The other woman glared at her: "Thank you for speaking out! Can such a young child do that kind of thing? Ask her to follow us to do some cleaning work. My husband is a cook, and he said that there is still a shortage of one in the kitchen. There’s a dishwashing area!”
"The work in the kitchen is hard and tiring. How can such a young child endure it? You should listen to me. This child looks pretty good, but his voice is not good. He needs to be raised. He should be fine for the previous work."
Ming Na heard something was wrong. Although she didn't know what kind of job she was talking about, she intuitively felt that it was not a good thing, so she hurriedly said: "Thank you, madam, you are so kind. However, I...I...I still I have to go find my parents, they are in Mongli."
"Mengli?" The woman who had brought her food and water interrupted, "It just so happens that Mr. Spencer and his family are going back to Mengli tomorrow, so I might as well ask their housekeeper for a favor and give you a lift."
Ming Na said happily: "Thank you, madam!"
The other two women listened a little sarcastically, but after Ming Na's kind words and flattery, they turned back to smile.
Mr. Spencer is a wealthy businessman who lives in Mongli. His family came to play, including servants, slaves and luggage, and there were more than a dozen cars. His housekeeper was flattered by the woman a few times, and Mingna flattered him obediently. He readily agreed.
Minna had a good night's rest. The next morning, I wore clean clothes given by the kind lady. With dry food and water, we got on the carriage carrying the luggage of the Spin family and arrived in Mengli in less than half a day.
She suppressed the excitement in her heart and said goodbye to the housekeeper. Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar street scene in front of her, she couldn't help but cry.
I was traveling with my grandfather that year, and everything I experienced in this border town felt like it happened just yesterday, but it also felt like it happened in a previous life.
The houses and streets here are still the same as in the past. Mingna was surprised when she found her grandfather's house based on her memory.
The owner of that house had long since changed. The current owner was a middle-aged rich businessman with a big belly. He looked down upon poor people when he saw them. Ming Na was regarded as a thief by him and asked his servants to drive her away. She asked people in the neighborhood and learned that the house had been sold to its current owner a year and a half ago.
Ming Na was a little confused. She remembered that when she was studying in the Magic City, her grandfather once returned to Mongli and lived in this house at that time. How could he sell it? Who sold it? A year and a half ago, wasn't it shortly after grandpa left
Biting her lip, she ran to find the Xiao's Trading Company. It turned out that a carpet shop was now opened on the former site of the trading company. It was said that the Xiao's Trading Company had not come back since it withdrew that year.
Ming Na held her head and thought hard, who should she go to? Suddenly, she remembered someone—Frido.
Although he had lied to himself and hurt himself, he seemed to regret it very much when he left. Maybe he was willing to...
Minna found "Friedolf". However, although the business here was still booming, the boss was not Friedol. He also said to her: "That guy has never come back since he disappeared a few years ago. I I was just trying to find him. He owes me a lot of money." After that, he asked curiously: "My child, who are you? What do you want to see him for?"
Minna turned away disappointedly and didn't answer anything. She didn't realize that as soon as she left, the boss asked his subordinates to keep an eye on the store. She walked to the back of the store, crossed the alley, entered a house diagonally opposite, and said to the person in the darkness: "There was a guy with a strange face just now. The little girl came to you and was sent away by me. It seems that those people began to suspect that you had come back, so they called a child to test. You have been more careful recently. Don't let anyone discover it before the plan succeeds. .”
"I will." The man in the darkness turned around, revealing a pale, thin but handsome face, "Those people are getting more and more excessive. Do they really think that I will never resist?" Yes. Convert the dividing line of the scene
Ming Na walked on the street, feeling confused. What should she do
Grandpa's house was sold to someone else, and the Xiao family business moved away. Not even Frido was there. She didn't know anyone here, so how could she get back to East
Across the street, two men were talking quietly and looking at her. Ming Na's heart trembled. He quickly lowered his head and walked into the crowd.
It was getting late, and she had to find a safe place to spend the night. Otherwise, she would fall into the hands of slave traders again.
She used the night color to hide her figure, carefully found a dead end alley, nestled in a corner, ate some solid food, and planned to deal with it casually for the night.
"A girl between the ages of eight and sixteen?" A male voice came from the alley. Ming Na's breath tightened, and she quickly held her breath, hiding herself in the darkness as much as possible.
"Isn't it very close to Encore over there? There is land and people. Why are you looking here?" The male voice just now continued.
"There are people from Shaonan in Encore, and the group of monks from the Temple of Light, who stop us at every turn. We have no choice but to come to Mengli. But it's not easy to find here, and all the good stuff has been sold out. The people from the Entertainment Oasis have snatched it away. I have to start the train the day after tomorrow, and there are still four people left. Boss, please help me."
When Ming Na heard this, her heart moved. If she was going to Anke City, there should be a Xiao family business there, right? It really doesn't work. Just find a way to get to the Magic City!
But how can she get there alone
She looked at the two men talking at the entrance of the alley and looked them over. Slave trader? snort.
There was a noise in the alley, which was particularly prominent in the silent night. The men were shocked: "Who?!" Then they saw a little girl about ten years old walking out of the darkness, looking at them timidly, and asked in a low voice: "Master, are you looking for someone to work for?"
Two days later, Minna was sitting on the slave trader's carriage. Walking on the road to South Wishay. There were five or six girls in each carriage. Some people cried and cried, while others scolded the slave traders for fraud. Some people just sit there blankly. All hands were tied behind their backs, but their feet were free.
Mingna moved her wrist from time to time, and then looked at the road outside through the gap in the carriage. She didn't care about the rope, it wouldn't be difficult to cut it, but she was happy to endure the little pain of being able to travel that far in a carriage comfortably (relatively speaking) and being provided with dry food and water. of inconvenience.
Just like the road her grandfather took her to, the carriage and the group headed south along the foot of the mountain, but after passing the mountain wall, they did not turn to the southeast. Ming Na looked at the mountains on the other side of Fan'a to visually estimate the distance. When she arrived at the destination oasis, she estimated that it was only ten to twenty kilometers away from Encore City.
A large group of girls were kicked off the carriage and locked in several stone houses. Some of them were crying and crying, and the people from the oasis were beating and scolding them. The scene was a bit chaotic. Ming Na stayed aside quietly, observing with cold eyes the place where food and water were placed, as well as the terrain of the oasis, the location of the guards, etc., preparing for escape.
At this time, another team of carriages came and drove down a dozen girls of about the same age. It seemed that they were also sold. Ming Na only glanced at them a few times and then turned her head away.
"You bad guys! How dare you catch me?! Do you know who I am?! I'm a princess! When my guard knights arrive, you will all be dead!" Suddenly one of the new girls appeared. After hearing the shrill voice, Ming Na turned her head and saw that she was a little girl with blond hair and blue eyes. She was about eleven or twelve years old. She was as beautiful as a rose with dewdrops, but her red eye circles and nose were a little damaged. Her beauty.
"Are you a princess? Then I will be the king. My good daughter, please call me daddy." No one believed that a little girl wearing civilian clothes could be a princess, and they all laughed at her. After hearing this, the girl became even more angry. She pointed at several slave traders and cursed her. She was slapped several times by those people before she became quiet.
The two groups of girls were separated and imprisoned in several stone houses. Mingna happened to be locked up with the "princess". Seeing that the other person was just crying in the corner, not even looking at the food and water brought by the guards, she took an extra portion, walked to the other person, sat down, and handed it over.
The "princess" glanced at the food with disdain and turned her head: "It's dry and hard, I don't want it!"
Ming Na was not angry. She tore off the outer shell of the dry biscuit and ate it, then handed it over: "The inside is not hard, just eat it. If you are hungry, you will be the one who feels uncomfortable."
The girl's eyes turned red: "Thank you." She took the food and started eating. Ming Na handed over the water again, lowered her voice and asked: "I just heard you say that you are a princess. Which country are you a princess from?"