Simbady had thought it was just a bluff, but he did not expect them to be serious.
When the Osha warriors began to carry out the order, a conflict broke out. More than 50 people who had left earlier were unwilling to accept such an unreasonable punishment and fought with the captors.
However, without weapons, they were soon defeated by Osha's sticks and shields. Their clothes were stripped off and they were pressed to the sand.
Thuram himself carried out the flogging.
Seeing their clansmen suffering, some clans were tempted to take action, but they stopped in their tracks when faced with the Graycastle warriors' iron pipe weapons.
Everyone had heard of the case of the oasis watchdogs being defeated in one night.
Even the swift cavalrymen were unable to break through the Graycastle's defensive line.
What they relied on was the exquisite gray iron weapons in their hands.
For a time, screams rose and fell from the shore.
Fortunately, Osha did not intend to let the torturers die. Their backs, which were badly bruised and fleshy, were smeared with herbs and bandaged tightly with gauze. The cold Months of Demons was not the peak period for the plague. As long as they were strong enough, they should have no problem surviving.
Carlone and most of his clansmen looked a little unsightly. Only Molly's face was full of joy.
After watching the execution with lingering fear, they were guided by the whistle and divided into two groups, heading into the depths of the sand.
During this period, Thuram did not say a word, but everyone consciously maintained the order of the group.
When they arrived near the iron tower, Simbady saw a disappearing oasis, or rather, a pond. It was probably the drinking water place for the vanguard troops mentioned by Thuram. There were no trees around the pond, only a few withered shrubs. The bottom of the pond was very shallow, only about the height of a person. Perhaps decades ago, it was still a vibrant oasis. However, as the water vein of Silver Stream gradually dried up, it would eventually turn into a handful of yellow sand.
This pond was barely enough for the hundreds of people who worked here, let alone for the tribe to live and multiply. They could still see the water now, but it was only because there was only a little stream left in the underground sewer. When summer came, the water that seeped out would not be enough for the sun to shine … Even if they did not drink it, it would quickly evaporate into a dry valley.
Simbady had seen many similar oasis ruins.
In other words, if the people of Graycastle could not find a new water source in the next two to three months, they would have to retreat, let alone build a new town.
Thuram did not try to hide it. He walked beside the team and shouted, "See this pond? For the next few days, all the water we'll be drinking will come from here. If you want to pee, get the hell away from me. Do you understand? "
"Then … what about food?" someone asked.
"Someone will bring it over. If you think it's not enough, you can go fishing," Thuram replied.
Now that they no longer had to worry about food and drink, the clans felt much more at ease. They spread out in twos and threes and set up tents according to the requirements of the Osha manager.
Quickly dismantling and assembling a tent was a survival skill that every Sand Nation had to master. A small sheepskin tent that could withstand the cold could accommodate three to six people, and the necessary parts were usually carried by one person. There were only four women from the Fishbone clan who applied to work here, so they set up the simplest triangular tents. That was, three tents were arranged in a triangular formation and fastened with hemp ropes. The doors were open to the outside, which could serve as a warning to each other.
In the afternoon, the whistle sounded again. Thuram gathered everyone and led them to a place near the coast.
Simbady was surprised to find that the northerners had searched everywhere.
Short wooden poles were everywhere on the flat sandy ground. White ropes were tied to the middle of the poles, which formed a huge rectangular area. Each square was at least 100 paces wide, or even longer, as if marking a territory.
The most incredible thing was that these squares seemed to be almost the same size, and each edge was neat and tidy. No one knew how they managed to stay the same within a distance of 100 paces.
He roughly counted and found that there were as many as 50 or 60 squares drawn out by the white ropes. The people of Graycastle, who were gesticulating with strange tools, were still inserting new wooden poles as if they intended to extend them to the end of their sight.
"You're finally here." A tall man walked up to Thuram. "I'm Kencurt, a member of the former Mason Guild in King's City … Ah, you probably haven't heard of me. After all, there aren't many people in Graycastle who know about the Mason Guild. Fortunately, His Majesty is kind enough to take us in. Otherwise, we wouldn't even know where to live... Uh, no, we can talk about this later. "He coughed twice and patted the man on the shoulder." Anyway, I'm in charge of the construction project in Endless Cape. You must be the manager appointed by Miss Echo, right? "
"Echo? Isn't that the nickname of Lady Drow Silvermoon? " Simbady exclaimed inwardly. "This Graycastle man, who calls himself Kencurt, has the same status as the chief of the clan?"
Thuram's smile was a little stiff. Perhaps he was not used to Kencurt's nagging and etiquette. He took a step back, bowed his head, and said, "You can call me Thuram. As for these brats, just tell me what you need to do. If anyone dares to slack off, I'll punish him severely. "
Apparently, he had received instructions from the chief of Osha in advance and was very respectful to Kencurt. However, Simbady knew that it was the warriors of Graycastle who stared at them that made Thuram behave this way.
"Very well." Kencurt opened his arms and said, "Lads, there are no taverns or women here. Ahem, I mean women. So, put all your energy into the construction of Newport Bay! The first task for you is very simple, which is to dig holes! Do you see those white boxes? Just dig out the sand and put it aside. As for how deep each hole should be, make sure it's knee-deep! "
No one responded to his call, and the crowd fell silent for a moment.
"Are you all deaf?" Thuram raised his eyebrows and shouted, "Get to work!" Although he sounded irritable, there was a hint of complacency in his eyes.
"Wait..." Kencurt raised his hand to stop them. "Don't worry. I haven't explained to them why we need to dig these holes."
"Sir, you don't have to explain to them."
"No, no, no. I agree with His Majesty's words, which is subjective... yes, subjective initiative!" Kencurt suddenly clapped his hands. "The general idea is that once people know what they're working for, their work efficiency will be greatly improved. So listen... these holes are related to whether we can settle down here in the future! These holes... "He paused for a moment." are the key to turning seawater into fresh water! "
Hearing this, the crowd suddenly became restless.
"It's very simple. It's no different from boiling water, but only His Majesty could think of this. Lead seawater into the holes, use the heat of the sun to heat it up and turn it into water vapor, and then collect it to get clean drinking water!" Kencurt gestured excitedly. "It doesn't matter if you don't understand. Just think of the sea as water mixed with salt, so it's bitter and astringent. As long as the salt is separated, the entire Swirling Sea can be used by us!"
"Is, is this possible?" Simbady was stunned. Not to mention whether the second half of Kencurt's conclusion was correct, how could they collect something as illusory as water vapor?
"Of course, its production is very limited. A square area can only meet the needs of about 10 people, so we need to build a large number of transformation sheds to supply the hundreds of workers stationed here!" Kencurt clenched his fist and said, "You should feel lucky! His Majesty pays special attention to the construction plan of Endless Cape, and this is the second town named by him after Neverwinter! To celebrate the unification of the Southernmost Region, His Majesty gave it the name 'Festive Harbor', and you are not only the builders of the Festive Harbor, but also its first residents! "
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