Time flies.
The sun sets between the dunes in the west, spreading a curtain of dusk.
It's getting dark.
The bright galaxy faintly appeared in the sky, and a crescent moon also shone brightly.
This is the Nalun Desert, the sentry oasis.
Dherim.
The farmers from the Kingdom of Swadia are still busy.
They are holding tools and carefully cultivating the sandy land on the north side of the oasis, removing useless weeds, leveling the contours of the cultivated land, and digging canals at the same time to allow the spring water to form effective irrigation channels.
These reclaimed lands are the agricultural areas of Dherim.
Although it is still bare and no crops are growing, it is always good to cultivate it in advance.
Most importantly, the extension of the irrigation channel is aimed at those date palms.
The 20 adult date palm trees are currently the only grain-producing crops in "Deherim". Although they are trees, they also produce bunches of dates, but after all, they can satisfy hunger and alleviate the embarrassment of food shortage.
At the same time, these date palm trees are also a solid line of defense against desert erosion.
As long as the root system of the tree is developed and the range of growth is large, the sand in the ground will be fixed.
In this way, the oasis will remain stable and will not become smaller and smaller due to the erosion of the desert. Instead, the soil layer will be re-formed due to the accumulation of many fallen leaves. With abundant water resources, the oasis will gradually grow larger.
Of course, this virtuous cycle of growing oasis is just a natural evolution over the past hundred years.
"Prepare dinner, we will have extra meals today."
Kant looked at the tired farmers, and said with a smile on the corner of his mouth: "Put more air-dried meat, after physical labor, you need sufficient supplements."
The three farmers who were chefs nodded and quickly packed the kitchen utensils in their hands.
They were pre-arranged by Kant, so instead of digging ditches and meticulously cleaning the oasis, they prepared dinner at noon. After all, Kant, the lord, ordered that they should eat better at night.
Although their cooking skills are actually not high, as long as there is meat, it is an excellent dinner.
What's more, there are 40 baskets of dates picked in the morning.
Even if everyone only eats bread and dates, and drinks the spring water in the oasis, they can last for 15 days. What's more, there are 20 extra bags of flour in the storage room, which can meet everyone's food consumption for a minimum of 30 days.
Although they still lack effective food sources, they don't have to worry about food for the time being.
The fire in the kitchen of the Regent's Hall was lit.
Soon, a smell of food began to spread in the oasis, blowing far away with the wind.
The farmers who only ate some bread and dates at noon were already hungry at this time. Smelling this mouth-watering aroma, they all swallowed and spit, and looked at the kitchen helplessly.
The wait before the meal made them very uncomfortable when they were hungry.
But what is more uncomfortable is that they are holding spears and guarding the Swadian recruits among the oases.
They also haven't eaten.
But for the safety of the entire village, they must sacrifice.
The 20 people were divided into two teams, stationed on the sand dunes on the east and west sides respectively. The sky became dark, but with the bright stars and bright moonlight, they could barely see the scenery a hundred meters away.
They have always been on guard against Jackals.
In Dherim, the 10 Swadian militiamen were also on guard so carefully.
Fortunately, it is still safe so far.
But this kind of luck can't let down their vigilance. No one knows when those ferocious wolf men will appear.
"Dinner is ready."
In the kitchen, three farmers moved out the cauldron.
There are toasted brown bread, air-dried meat, cabbage, and thick vegetable soup made with flour.
Of course, fresh dates are also indispensable.
"Thank you Lord Lord for giving us food." During the meal, a soft thank you appeared in the mouths of these farmers.
And Kant also nodded, raised his hand and said, "It's hard work."
This is a simple ceremony. After all, Kant is their lord and the owner of the system. He is also the supreme king of these Swadians. The object of respect should be revered from the heart.
Kant's dinner was also prepared.
Added black pepper and sugar, as well as the fine white salt precipitated by desert robbers after filtering and cooking.
"The taste is very good."
Kant nodded in satisfaction.
The air-dried meat is pre-roasted and sprinkled with crushed black pepper, giving it a rich and tantalizing aroma.
Dip the fine white salt in the wooden dish and chew it in his mouth, giving Kant the feeling as if he has returned to the banquet of the Lion Duke Cameron, enjoying the full-flavored aristocratic barbecue.
Swallowing it in one gulp, Kant narrowed his eyes slightly, and replied with a smile: "That's awesome."
Dinner was very satisfying.
Not only Kant, but also the farmers who had a busy day.
The soldiers, including the soldiers who took turns eating during the changing of the guard, also expressed their sincere satisfaction with the meal tonight.
In this barren desert, not every meal can eat such delicious food, and after the meal, you can enjoy the sweet dates and drink the sweet spring water, that feeling is really great.
Even these farmers are thinking that it would be better to be lying in bed instead of in the sandpit at this time.
pity.
The current "Dherim" only has two buildings, the governing hall and the desert bandit stronghold.
If you want to have more residences, you need to complete a new temporary task, which is to find the origin of the salt, and the system will reward you with 5 standard brick and wood houses in the Kingdom of Swadia.
Now, most of them can only sleep in tents and bunkers.
"Be vigilant at night."
Before going to bed, Kant also asked.
The soldiers replied in the affirmative: "My lord, please rest assured."
Everyone has had a tiring day, so it's always good to go to bed early.
The soldiers will take turns to rest, and they will stick to the vigilant work at night to ensure the safety of everyone.
Soon, everyone rested.
When the Swadian farmers returned to their bunkers to lie down, the sound of snoring appeared in the oasis one after another, the sound was very loud, like a harsh whistle.
The night is getting darker, and the night is coming.
At the sentry oasis, only the grunting of the farmers continued.
And 5 Swadian militiamen who are responsible for standing guard during this time period and guarding everyone.
"Oh, that snoring sound is unbearable."
One of the militiamen shook his head helplessly and sighed, "I don't feel sleepy at all now."
"Persevere, it's not a big deal." The militiaman next to him held the heavy spear in his arms, and said in a not too strange tone: "Sleeping with you, you don't know, your snoring is also very loud at night."
"No way?" The militiaman rolled his eyes helplessly: "Why don't I know."
"You're all asleep." His companion laughed and scolded, "You're like a dead pig."
The militiaman was about to refute, but out of the corner of his eye, he noticed some black shadows on the sand dunes not far away, which suddenly made his heart skip a beat.
"Hey, what's over there?"
He didn't carelessly, but touched his companion beside him with his arm.
"Ah?" The militiaman also frowned and looked in the indicated direction.
It was the eastern sand dunes of the sentinel oasis, where the moonlight and starlight shone. Under the deep and dark starry sky, there were patches of khaki-colored sand, with traces of being blown by the wind, which looked very weird.
But the face of the militiaman also became serious: "Something is wrong."
"Yes, I saw a black shadow just now." The other militiaman swallowed.
But he suddenly had a bad premonition in his heart, and couldn't help but muttered: "Could it be, those damned jackals want to sneak attack us at night?"
"Go wake the others."
His companion did not respond to him, but said in a serious tone: "Hurry up!"
"Okay." The militiaman was also solemn, and immediately ran towards the roof.
Because at the end of the line of sight of the two of them, at the top of the sand dune, black shadows are slowly appearing on it, and by the moonlight, they look like upright beasts that don't look like humans. How could they not You know, the defeated Gnoll really came to sneak attack in the dark of night!
(end of this chapter)