"After the prayer ceremony, they'll release water, right?"
Lin Feng sat in the cargo area of the tricycle, eating dried wolf meat, repairing the durability of Chen Shanshan's titanium gun, and upgrading the Level 3 Fine Horn Bow, while asking.
He found that after the dried wolf meat helped him rise two levels, it started to lose its effectiveness.
Now it can only recover lost Life Value, unable to break through the upper limit and continue evolving.
So killing the Level 9 Rock-Horned Horse was to quickly enhance his strength.
At this moment, the familiar Chen Shanshan was pedaling at the tricycle front.
She got some engine oil from Old Huang, smeared it on the bike's chain and gears, pedaling exceptionally smoothly, much easier than dragging the heavy cart before.
Moreover, being a Level 8 Enhanced Person with a power of up to 800 kilograms, she could pedal the tricycle with ease, only needing to overcome the friction of moving forward once it got going.
Inside the vehicle, four people sat facing each other.
Ding Yi scooped a cup of light water for the Liu Family siblings, continuing to introduce Lin Feng to Holy Spring Day:
"That's right. The prayer ceremony is presided over by the bishop of Oasis Town, and after it's over, the Oasis drainage valve will open, releasing roughly over 200 tons of water, which the Divine Cultivators then distribute to the queuing Deserters."
Lin Feng was stunned:
"So much? 200 tons at once, that's 4,800 tons a year..."
Ding Yi nodded:
"So, close to Holy Spring Day, fresh water becomes very cheap and depreciates significantly."
"The 200 tons are just part of the blessing; the truly unused clean fresh water is specially reserved for quotas for the Five Major Villages. In short, the Oasis does not lack water."
"However, 200 tons is still just a drop in the bucket for the overall Deserters, averaging 3 to 4 liters per person, barely making it to the next Holy Spring Day, but for only 50-60 thousand people."
Saying this, Ding Yi's tone became somber:
"Some have counted that around the Oasis Town, there are roughly 100,000 Deserters, out of which 30% don't survive the first month."
"The high mortality rate of Deserters has also become the best fertilizer for this land."
"If it weren't for you, I probably would have died in this uprising at Qi Mountain."
Lin Feng sighed lightly.
The Liu Family siblings beside him were also affected; although they had the strength of Late-Stage and Mid-Stage Enhanced People, their equipment was rudimentary, and they could barely make a living in their previous team.
On the barren wilderness, where resources cannot accumulate, the gap between Enhanced People is actually not very large.
Lin Feng, with a Magazine Pistol, could easily kill a Level 7 Enhanced Person like Liu Mingfei.
Boss Huang, the innkeeper, had been struggling in the wasteland for many years, now having accumulated a bus hotel.
But Deserters like the Liu Family siblings, like Ding Yi before them, are also struggling to eat with no certainty of their next meal, fighting for survival.
The sister Liu Qian was still okay, looking somewhat presentable, though her face was dirty, while the elder brother Liu Mingfei was already emaciated, with strength estimated to be only sixty to seventy percent.
This is one reason why Chen Shanshan was willing to cooperate.
At least the other party valued family, showing humanity and righteousness.
From the leader's perspective, this matters more than strength.
The tricycle came to a somewhat spacious road, Liu Mingfei stood up to look around and spoke:
"When we spotted the Rock-Horned Horse, it was four kilometers behind Oasis Town. Now that three hours have passed, it must have run ahead of the main force!"
Ding Yi nodded:
"Then we're passing by the Oasis, and let Lin Feng see that magnificent scene."
Chen Shanshan responded with a sound, turned the handlebars, and headed westward towards the mobile Oasis.
As they approached, Lin Feng, who had evolved into a Level 4 Enhanced Person, could see the scenery 500 meters away distinctly.
This steel giant beast resembled a giant battleship, 200 meters long, 30 meters wide, and over 20 meters high.
Just in height alone, it was equivalent to a six to seven-story building.
It could be called a mobile Steel City.
Comparable to a small aircraft carrier.
Accommodating tens of thousands of people to live within is entirely feasible.
But the Upper Class in the Oasis numbered only a thousand.
The rest were servants.
At this moment, the tail of this steel giant beast was neatly arranged with a dense crowd of Deserters, forming a queue 200 meters long.
One by one, they all prostrated and kowtowed on the ground, waiting for the ceremony to begin.
At the very front of the queue, 200 clergy prepared to distribute the Holy Spring's nectar bestowed by the Lord.
Lin Feng roughly counted; just in the area the size of four soccer fields, there were as many as 50,000 Deserters gathered.
Moments later, the Lord Bishop residing in the Oasis appeared on the high platform at the tail of the steel giant, proclaiming the master served by the Holy Spring Sect and the master's spokesperson on earth, the Undying Saint who governs all water sources.
It is he who exercises the master's authority, purifying worldly filth, allowing humanity to possess clean and clear sweet fresh water.
Because of the distance, Lin Feng only heard the bishop and the clergy murmuring a lot of doctrines below.
At the end, the bishop slowly raised a solid gold manhole cover and loudly announced:
"Ahead lies the homeland; in one month, we shall return to the Holy Land and receive the master's blessing!"
"Praise the Holy Spring!"
Tens of thousands of deserters at their feet shouted in unison:
"Praise the Holy Spring! Praise the Holy Spring! Praise the Holy Spring!"
The momentum was so great that it spread for several kilometers.
Lin Feng frowned slightly, somewhat puzzled.
He could understand hundreds or thousands becoming devout believers, but for so many people to be so fanatical, was there something wrong with the previously recited doctrine?
Chen Shanshan, who had stopped ahead, explained this confusion to everyone:
"The Holy Land is the birthplace of the Holy Spring Sect, formerly Yu Province of the old country. When we reach the ruins of the Zhuma Divine Hall, on Holy Spring Day, the freshwater distributed is twice as much as usual. At that time, all deserters can drink enough Holy Spring."
"These are passed down among the believers, and it gives the deserters a hope to persevere."
Lin Feng nodded. More than five hundred tons of water, no wonder they were all so excited.
The praises gradually died down.
When the thirsty deserters shouted until their voices were hoarse.
Overlooking the masses, the bishop nodded satisfied, embedding the golden manhole cover in his hand into the water valve at the stern of the Oasis Giant Ship, twisting the switch gear.
Clear freshwater poured from ten one-meter-thick pipes into the finer pipes below, finally being evenly distributed into water tanks behind two hundred church members.
In less than twenty seconds, the one-cubic-meter white water tanks behind each of the cultivators were filled with freshwater, and the bishop then slowly closed the water valve.
And the blessing ceremony had just begun.
Lin Feng squinted his eyes, looking at the water valve. The bishop in white easily tightened it with just his hands, and this alone had a force exceeding dozens of tons.
How strong must this evolver be...
And among the few senior priests standing to the sides of the bishop, Lin Feng saw a familiar man.
It was Father Su, who purchased the mutated wolf fang today.
It was only after Lin Feng explained to Chen Shanshan that he learned about the black-robed man's background.
Fortunately, Father Su, as the village chief of Holy Spring Village, was the most amiable and approachable among all the senior priests.
Otherwise, even if Lin Feng had ten times the courage, he wouldn't dare to bargain with such a big shot.
"Let's go, next is the water distribution segment, which will last about three to four hours. After that, Oasis Town will restart and continue to move forward."
Said Chen Shanshan, stepping on the pedal to set off.
Following the guidance of the Liu family siblings, they took a detour on the small path on the most southern left side.
The Rock-Horned Horse was in this direction.
Chen Shanshan's riding speed was fast, plus the tricycle only needed pedaling, so they soon covered two kilometers.
Afterwards, Ding Yi took the initiative to get up and rotate for cycling.
Having consumed a large amount of wolf meat, she had evolved into a Level 3 Enhanced Human, and with being well-fed and rested, she had a strength of three to four hundred kilograms.
Riding a tricycle was not a problem at all.
Chen Shanshan sat on the vehicle, eating meat and drinking water to recover, while watching all around like Lin Feng and the others, searching for the lone Rock-Horned Horse.
And shortly after, the sharp-eyed Chen Shanshan found traces of dried blood in a pile of yellow rubble.
The traces were clear, not yet decomposed by bacteria or covered by dust, indicating that they appeared in the past one or two hours.
"Follow the bloodstains on the ground!"
Chen Shanshan patted Ding Yi's shoulder, directing the way.
Everyone got excited, and Lin Feng handed the upgraded Level 4 Horn Bow to the captain:
"Giant Power Horn Bow Lv4, White Quality"
"Basic Attributes: Damage 20, Durability 10/10, Effective Range 300 meters, Remaining Wolf Fang Arrows: 5, Ordinary Arrows: 10; Upgraded to Host Level Limit"
"Extra Attributes: Tongue Piercing Fang (Wolf Fang Arrowhead has strong penetration, causing extra 5 damage to the target)"
"Evaluation: Requires more than half a ton of giant strength to use proficiently, not recommended for beginners."
This time Chen Shanshan supplemented ten ordinary arrows at the market, and after upgrading and pairing with the Wolf Fang Arrows, it could unleash a high damage of twenty-five points.
One arrow could take down a Mid-stage Enhanced Human.
It's perfect for long-range ambushes on the Rock-Horned Horse.
While tracking all the way, Chen Shanshan narrowed her eyes and suddenly ordered to stop the vehicle in a low voice.
Following the direction she pointed, everyone saw a four-meter long, bovine-shaped beast appear in the distance four hundred meters away!
It had a pair of one-meter long sharp curved horns, with a shoulder height of around two meters, similar to a small car.
Lin Feng couldn't help but swallow his saliva, and even Ding Yi in front of the vehicle showed a hint of fear.
He previously thought the Rock-Horned Horse was just a herbivore, at most a bit larger, but he didn't expect it to be this big.
Those sharp horns, if accidentally hit, could pierce through the group instantly.
"Ding Yi, Liu Qian, you two stay, the other two, follow me!"
Chen Shanshan slung the horn bow and quiver on her back, gripped the Titanium Gun in her hand, and after jumping off the vehicle, spoke in a deep voice:
"Follow my command, let's go!"