It is related to the secret science. The luggage on the saddle is full of necessary things for crossing the desert: water, bread, salt, flint, including thick clothes and ropes.

There were also two walking sticks he broke off on the road.

After checking his luggage, Thales felt good for a while.

However, the next day of hellish journey told him: he was wrong.

Thales underestimated the desert.

It's far scarier than imagined.

The soft sand on the ground looks harmless, but in fact it is a difficult obstacle. Every step leads to a pit. When climbing, the whole person often slips towards his heels. It is more difficult to deal with than the snow in the north in winter. Thales even feels that he is the first to climb.

Tian walked no more than ten miles.

The wind speed in the desert is strong and fast. If Thales is not careful, he will be blown around. Once, he was blown down directly while climbing. He rolled and screamed all the way down the sand dune. It took ten minutes to climb.

All previous efforts are wasted.

After that, Thales determined never to walk up a high slope again or go straight up a sand dune. It was best to follow the ripples of the sand. If you follow the wind, the wind will not follow you.

The terrain in the desert is not flat, just undulating sand dunes. From time to time, you can encounter huge sandstones and steep canyons. After Tails went through all the trouble to "explore" the bottom of a canyon, he felt that he was still far away.

It's better for them to be farther away.

In this way, he moved forward all the way, the first day, the first night, the second day, the second night...

All the way till now.

The fourth day in the desert.

It’s still the fourth day without any human habitation and loneliness.

Step after step, Thales squinted his eyes and moved forward as hard as he could, counting the steps. He took off the water bag after every distance and took a sip of water to moisten his mouth.

I don’t know how long I’ve been walking, but the sun is getting higher and higher, and the surroundings are getting hotter and hotter.

He could even feel that the skin under the turban was covered in sweat, and it was wrapped in clothes, making it sticky, wet, and uncomfortable.

But he couldn't untie it.

cannot.

Thales resisted the temptation and walked down a windward slope with his walking stick. He looked back at the leeward spot and frowned as he felt that he was going astray.

Damn it.

He cursed in his mind, stuck his stick into the sand on the spot, looked at the shadow cast by the stick on the ground, turned back to find a stone, and placed it on the top of the shadow.

After entering the desert and suffering a lot on the first day, Thales encountered another problem that made matters worse: the wonderful sense of direction he gained after walking on the black trail made Thales happily believe that he would "never get lost" from now on.

"However, this wonderful ability failed after entering the desert. He could no longer feel the topography under his feet and the direction of the road ahead.

It seems that no matter how omnipotent the power and existence is, there will still be some problems of acclimatization. Thales thought tiredly, while the sun is not strong enough and the sand is not hot yet, sit down and rest for a while.

How long do you have to go before you meet rescue?

Will he die here?

Really bad.

Hold!

Thales shook his head and patted his cheek to calm down his irritable mood.

Don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think about it.

Thales warned himself: reach the next destination first, and then think about the next step.

Otherwise, he is afraid that he will not be able to find the place, will be too stressed, and will have a nervous breakdown first.

In fact, due to the long absence of human beings, lack of communication, and monotonous scenery, the prince now felt that something was wrong with him.

His reactions began to slow down and his vision began to freeze.

And the mood becomes unstable.

Thales chuckled and shook his head.

no.

He can't give up.

He has to adjust himself until he finds a way out.

The funny thing is that on the first day, Thales still felt that the desert was not that dangerous.

Following the vegetation that was not sparse at that time, he found a small shallow pool under a huge rock at dusk. The edge of the pool was full of life, and there were even a few jackals gathering in a small corner of the pool.

Inside, take a sip, turn around, and absorb water vigilantly but inefficiently.

At that time, Thales was overjoyed, thinking that at least he had used his "beginner's luck" and happily slid down the sand dune to fill his water bag.

Until he slid to the edge of the pool, his feet softened and his legs sank into the quicksand!

The more panicked Thales struggled, the tighter and deeper he sank, once sinking into his waist.

Thales's heart felt cold.

Only then did he understand why the pack of jackals gathered in a small corner, drinking water stingily and unwilling to approach the seemingly wide edge of the pool.

God knows how desperate the young man felt at that time.

If Thales hadn't used the Sin of the Prison River in time to calm down, give up struggling, flatten his body, and avoid sinking...

I'm afraid that the first heir to the Kingdom of Stars has long been out cold in the desert.

That day, he tremblingly took out the crossbow arrow from his back, tied it with a rope, and shot (shot it twice, his hands were too shaky the first time) at a strange tree in the distance, and pulled himself up tremblingly.

Amidst the dissatisfied cries of the group of jackals, a frightened Thales occupied their safe corner, trembling, and finally filled his water bag.

This was the first time Thales discovered the dangers of the desert.

Thales, who had rested enough under the sand dune, sighed and brought his thoughts back to the present: he grabbed the second stone, placed it on top of the shadow of the cane that had moved a lot, and connected it with the first stone.

.

Thales looked at the way he came, frowning and comparing the lines between the two stones.

It's indeed a bit biased.

It needs to be corrected.

He corrected his direction toward the southeast, grabbed his orienteering stick, and started again.

"Huh...huh..."

The wind and sand are getting bigger and bigger.

This is another threat in the desert.

Thales gritted his teeth and climbed over a sand dune under the double cover of the fishy smell and moist heat. He raised his right palm to cover his eyes, looking for a place with lush vegetation that could be used as a shelter from the sun or a source of water.

Noon arrived soon.

You have to prepare for the next step of rest.

He still remembered that at noon the first time he entered the desert, he chose to camp and rest at the bottom of a large sand dune to avoid the scorching sun and ruthless wind and sand.

However, when Thales woke up from his nap, he tasted a mouthful of sand as soon as he turned around.

Full of fear and panic, he stood up with a "bah bah bah" sound, and discovered with horror that during the two hours he had been resting with his eyes squinted, the wind and sand had submerged his legs and would soon cover his hands.

If he snoozes for another half hour...

Thales learned from that time: Unless you want to find a free grave in the desert, never choose a place that is too low to rest.

The prince silently reflected on the many experiences he had learned in the past few days in suffering and torture, and found a rest destination: a small tree next to a steep slope.

Thales took another small sip of water and continued moving forward.

He traversed forward with difficulty, and uncomfortably felt that the water in his body was rapidly losing. As the sun got higher and higher, the surroundings became hotter and hotter, and the physical energy and nutrients required for his activities would increase exponentially.

Rest Thales thought solemnly, and forced himself to think only of the goal in front of him. He needed to rest and escape the hottest hours.

The sandstorm still continues.

Staring at the yellow sand slowly peeling off the soles of his feet, Thales counted more than 800 steps and finally reached his destination.

He hid in the shade of a tree to avoid the harsh sunlight.

Feeling the sharp drop in temperature, he sighed and took off his turban and mask.

Thales was preparing to take a lunch break, but he did not rush to find an open space. Instead, he carefully grabbed his cane and tapped the ground to push the surrounding stones away, preferably as far away from him as possible.

Thales has not forgotten: the first "friend" he met in the desert was a rattlesnake.

On the second day after he entered the desert, while resting under the shade of a tree, he sat down on the ground exhausted, stretched his left hand back, and pressed something slippery and cool.

The "thing" quickly jumped up from behind the stone.

A bite on his forearm!

Thales was so frightened that the rattlesnake was obviously dissatisfied with someone interrupting his nap. If Thales hadn't just experienced the biting coldness of the first night, and went crazy and wrapped himself thickly and tightly, he would probably have eaten this bite.
To be continued...