Love and passion, cutting up the wasteland

Once you cross the city gate, the scenery is completely different.

A main street runs through the entire canyon, and you can see the exit at the other end at a glance. But if you really want to walk there, it will take at least a day and a night to reach the top of the mountain.

A street the size of Qingyang Street is barely comparable to a small side road.

The buildings on both sides alternate between old and new. There are soldiers' barracks and shops along the street. They are all in normal operation and rarely look dilapidated.

The towering city walls block out all the wind and sand. Most of the pedestrians on the road were Shaks, but there were also humans and bees mixed in, coming and going. Although they were alienated from each other, they were not wary.

At least on the surface, this is a world of complete order.

The guards composed of Shaq soldiers patrolled the streets and passed by Lu Meng and the others. They just glanced at them and continued on their way.

If it were in the wilderness.

When two teams like them met, they couldn't escape and started fighting already.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and their tense heartstrings relaxed.

"Where are we going now?" After the excitement, Sharik couldn't help but ask.

Everyone looked at Lu Meng.

I always feel like he looks very familiar.

"Does that need to be said?" Lu Meng patted the dust on his hands, "Of course I should go to the hotel to have a meal first, and then have a good rest."

"Okay!" Yu Ke applauded and agreed, "I'll treat you to this meal!"

Along the way, there were not many opportunities for him to spend money, and the few times he got taken advantage of, he got taken advantage of.

After finally arriving at a serious place, as the organizer of the adventure team, it was time to show off my financial resources.

"Okay," seeing what he was thinking, Lu Meng ignored the heavy coins on his body and followed the trend: "Then the accommodation fee for these few days..."

"Yes, yes, yes..."

Anyway, it’s just for these few days.

The hotel has beds and rooms specially provided for these passers-by.

…

At the dinner table, everyone was eating nonsense.

What they ordered were some ordinary local dishes, but everyone ate them with gusto.

You don't have to do it yourself, and the clerk will serve you wine. You just pay for the service and enjoy the service.

Lu Meng picked up a piece of dark green vegetable sticks.

Very familiar ingredients.

cactus.

But the thorns were removed, peeled and cut into pieces, fried in oil, and sprinkled with spices and salt.

It tastes tender and crispy, fragrant and refreshing, and is completely different from chewing sticks.

This is the correct way to open it.

The same goes for other dishes. Whether it's the freshness of the ingredients or the choice of seasonings, the conditions in Scone Town are much better than before.

He stuffed a large piece of barbecue into his mouth and took another sip of Glogger, which had a hint of wheat aroma and a beer-like flavor.

In order to experience the feeling of being drunk, Lu Meng specially removed the module.

'But the meat is a bit old, and it's not as good as my own skills. ’

After all, practice makes perfect, and the store doesn’t specialize in this dish.

"Brother Lu."

"What's wrong?" Lu Meng looked at Xiao Huo sitting aside.

Compared with everyone who was eating, talking and laughing, the silent Huo Buyang seemed a bit unique.

It's not because he's uptight, it's because he's worried.

"What I said to General Kang at the city gate," Huo Buyang whispered, "Brother Lu, do you really know how to forge... Crossbows are regulated here, right?"

The Shaq people have a tough folk custom, and the soldiers like to carry weapons with them as a symbol of status and to show off their strength.

It is also common for people to start duels when they disagree.

But this is a military town.

No matter how strong their martial virtue is, the Kingdom of Shake will not allow a civilian to hold a crossbow that can kill regular troops.

Crossbow craftsmen can only choose to cooperate with the military.

What Lu Meng learned from Lei Bai was the crossbow manufacturing process.

"If we want to cooperate with Shaq's military, why don't we directly show our strength?" Huo Buyang wondered, "I think the level of those guards is not as good as yours, Brother Lu."

It can be heard from the words of General Kang that people with force, regardless of race, will be respected in the Kingdom of Shake.

"As long as we enter the city, he doesn't care what we do?" Lu Meng slowly picked up the food and changed the topic, "Do you know why they call us 'Pingpi people'?"

"have no idea……"

"Flat-skinned people, as the name suggests, are a race with flat and smooth skin." Lu Meng pointed to the back of his hand, "In other words, people without horns."

"Look over there."

Huo Buyang followed Lu Meng's words and looked at a corner of the hall. Several Shakers were sitting huddled on the grass carpet, and they were also paying diners.

The storekeeper didn't say anything when he came to deliver the food. He just put the food on the ground from a distance and pushed it over. He didn't apologize if he accidentally overturned it and left without saying a word.

It's like he's afraid of contacting them.

The faces of these Shaqs were numb and not angry, as if they were used to being treated like this.

They all grabbed the food on the ground with their hands.

Regardless of the dirt, he just stuffed it into his mouth.

Huo Buyang was shocked.

They are different from those Shaq warriors who carry swords. All the horns on these Shaqs have been dug out or flattened.

"This is a person without horns, and he is also the person with the lowest status among the Shark tribe. The more horns are cut off, the more humiliating it becomes. Until all the horns are cut off, he is equivalent to a slave." Lu Meng said.

"It is said that in the past, not only the horns, but also the bones, scales and armor on the slaves' bodies had to be pulled out and shaved clean. Only then could they be called real 'flat-skinned people' - but the mortality rate was too high, so it was gradually simplified to It looks like this now.”

"It's very simple to be dehorned: begging for a living duel, not responding to conscription, not dying after being defeated......for every additional crime, a section of the horns on the head and body will be cut off, which will become the sand A life-long shame."

"Be defeated but not die..." Huo Buyang was speechless.

The first two are nothing more than that. They only show that the Shakers highly value bravery. But looking at this alone, how can there be so many victorious and undefeated soldiers in the world?

Scavengers from their background know this.

If the enemy is outnumbered and there is a huge disparity in strength... saving fire for later is the best choice.

According to Shaq's tradition, there is no room for detours at all.

Be it an individual or an army.

Knowing that he was outmatched, he had no choice but to go up and die.

Otherwise, you will be reduced to a slave of horn-cutting and suffer a lifetime of disgrace.

"So in history, although the Kingdom of Shark has fierce fighting power, once it faced a truly powerful country like the Holy Empire, almost every attack was suicidal. It would either result in a tragic victory or the entire army would be annihilated, and in the end it would almost be the end of the country."

"Even their own tribesmen are required to do this, let alone the foreigners who join the army - there is nothing to cut off, and any violation of a taboo will probably be a death penalty."

"Those with power will certainly be respected in the Shark Kingdom, but more importantly, they must bear corresponding obligations." Lu Meng recalled, "I think what General Nakang meant is obviously a defense line in the military. We are in a tight situation, otherwise with the arrogance of the Shaq people, how could they think of recruiting foreigners to join the army."

"If you join now, aren't you just going to be cannon fodder?"

After speaking, Lu Meng filled Xiao Huo's wine glass: "Try it."

Huo Buyang listened carefully, but did not notice that it was a strong drink and drank it down in one gulp.

I choked and coughed.

Lu Meng laughed out loud and patted his back to help calm him down.

Being interrupted like this, Huo Buyang's nervousness eased a lot.

He asked, "What are we going to do in five, no, four days?"

Yuke and the others will leave after a few days of repairs, but they still have to find a way to settle here.

"Go forge," Lu Meng wiped his mouth and had enough wine and food, "I'm serious."

"Isn't it possible to learn?"