The Gobi Desert was desolate and hot. As the altitude gradually increased, the oxygen content in the air decreased, and the temperature also became colder. The whistling cold wind could instantly dry a person's body.
The road had not been maintained for a long time, and had long been eroded by the wind and sand. It was very bumpy.
The three-horned lizard was a cold-blooded animal, and was extremely sensitive to changes in temperature. It was more lively when it was hot, but once it was cold, it would be indolent and slow down.
When the sky was getting dark, a small hill appeared in front of them. The middle of the hill was verdant and lush. It turned out to be an oasis. The surrounding hills blocked the invasion of the wind and sand. Coupled with the small lake, it could form an oasis in this barren plateau Gobi Desert.
There was a small village in the oasis. The village was not big, and there were rows of simple houses built with gravel around a small lake. Smoke rose from inside, and it was obvious that there were many people living there.
Luo Kai patted the three-horned lizard's big head, turned to the back of a sand dune, and jumped down with Thirteen and Brown Bear. He told the giant lizard, "You will sleep here tonight. Don't run around."
The three-horned lizard stared blankly at him with its big eyes, obviously unable to understand.
Luo Kai was a little helpless. He could only stretch out his hand and press on the ground. The hard frozen soil of the plateau quickly collapsed, forming a deep pit. He said again, "Sleep here tonight. Don't run around." As he said that, he strengthened the telepathic suggestion.
Although the three-horned lizard did not understand the meaning of the words, it felt sleepy. After a while, its eyelids drooped, and it lay down in the big pit and fell asleep.
Luo Kai waved his hand and guided the soil to gather, burying more than half of the three-horned lizard's body. He then led Brown Bear and Thirteen into the oasis.
The surrounding hills of the oasis separated them from the raging cold wind, and it was very warm. The conditions were actually better than expected.
There was a large patch of unknown green plants planted around the small lake. They looked a little like wheat, and it was probably a kind of highland barley. Many people were working. Most of these people were naked, but they had a smile on their faces. They seemed to be living a good life. It seemed that the environment of the Gobi Desert separated the ferocious beasts and unknown dangers.
He asked an old man sitting on a ridge smoking, "Sir, what's the name of this place? Do you have a place to stay?"
The old man looked at him, smacked his pipe and said, "This is called Ze County, a county under the Rosy Clouds Nation. If you walk inside, you will find a place to receive guests."
Luo Kai smiled. This small oasis might not even be a village, but it was actually called a county. He continued to walk inside. In the center of the oasis, there was a row of buildings made of gravel. In the middle was a small two-story building. An iron plate hung at the door of the small building. A few large words were painted on it: Ze County Hotel. Below it was a line of small crooked words: Fighting is prohibited here.
The "grand hotel" was very simple. The tables and chairs in the hall were all missing arms and legs, and they were all cushioned with stones. A barefoot old man was lying on the bench behind the bar, dozing off.
Luo Kai knocked on the table and asked, "Boss, do you have an empty room?"
The old man sleepily opened his eyes and pointed at the wooden plate on the table. There was a line of large words written on it. "We don't accept money, only barter. One kilogram of ferocious beast meat can be exchanged for food and water. Accommodation is extra."
"Oh, okay." Luo Kai took out a few pieces of jerky from his backpack and handed it over.
The old man straightened up and took the jerky. He first sniffed at the tip of his nose, then took out a key from his pocket and threw it over with satisfaction. "Room 204. Food will be charged according to the amount." After saying that, he lay down again.
Luo Kai still wanted to ask a few more questions, but when he saw this, he stopped. He led Thirteen and Brown Bear to a table and sat down. He came here mainly to inquire about the situation of the Rosy Clouds Kingdom and the Realm of Shattered Spirit. This old man looked ordinary, but he was actually not. He was a high-level physique master, and hypnosis could not work on him.
Soon, a burly village woman came over with a plate. The plate was filled with grayish-brown pieces of food, which looked like cornbread made from highland barley. Luo Kai picked up a piece and tasted it. It was sweet and astringent, and had a high sugar content. The taste was not bad. Brown Bear ate it even more happily. He directly crouched down and licked it, letting out excited growls from his throat.
Behind the bar, the old man slightly squinted his eyes and looked at Brown Bear with a strange expression. He was knowledgeable, so he naturally knew that Brown Bear was a ferocious beast. Moreover, he was an extremely rare ferocious beast. Ferocious beasts of the ferocious beast species were famous for their intelligence. They could learn the body arts created by humans in depth. With the help of body arts, their fighting strength would increase exponentially. However, because of their high intelligence and strong will, it was very difficult for humans to influence them with genetic means.
The roar of a motor came from outside. A military off-road vehicle with yellow paint drove into the oasis. After exploring the oasis, it drove toward the hotel. Three men and a woman got out of the vehicle.
The four people walked into the small building. They first looked at Luo Kai, then the man in the lead asked the old man, "Boss, have you seen a woman in her thirties?"
The old man opened his turbid eyes and said lightly, "I have to serve dozens of customers every day. I can't remember."
The man in the lead stopped the Beret Man who was about to speak angrily. He also knew that the old man was an advanced physique master. It was not good to start a conflict. He looked at the wooden sign on the table and took out a few pieces of jerky from his backpack. "Two rooms. Come and eat and drink."
They found a table and sat down. Their eyes wandered between Luo Kai's group and the old man. The beautiful woman's eyes were faintly emitting a blue light. She was using a powerful observation method.
Luo Kai was impatient. An invisible force field came out of his body and isolated him from all outside detection. He then poured himself a glass of highland barley wine and slowly tasted it. He had been absorbing elemental energy recently and didn't want to kill them. However, if they annoyed him, he didn't mind making them unable to return to the sea forever.
He had already known that the four people were from the Sea Race. Two of them were advanced physique masters, and the other two were at the peak of intermediate physique master. They were very strong. Why did the Sea Race come from so far away to the wasteland next door? Moreover, there were four powerful physique masters.
The sky was completely dark. A black off-road vehicle came from the oasis and went straight to the entrance of the hotel.
Two soldiers carrying silver cylindrical weapons walked out of the car. They were wearing khaki military uniforms and a pair of black sunglasses. Together with the silver cylindrical guns in their hands, they looked very impressive.
After the two soldiers got out of the car, they immediately stood on both sides with guns in their hands. Then, a young man with dark skin and a strong head walked out of the car and politely opened the back door.
A beautiful girl walked out of the car lightly. The girl looked to be about sixteen or seventeen years old. She had a white and delicate oval face and a slender body. She looked a little weak and delicate.
After the girl got out of the car, she first looked at the sky. Then, she walked toward the hotel and entered the hall. Her big eyes looked around and locked onto the old man. Her voice was like an oriole's. "Uncle Hu, how have you been?"
The old man stood up and laughed. "I thought another annoying person came. So it's Xiao Lei. I haven't seen you in a few years. You've grown so big. How's Old Lin's injury?"
The girl smiled and replied, "Thank you for your concern, Uncle Hu. Father's body is very good now."
"Good, good, good. Follow me."
The two of them walked into the back hall. The remaining three people immediately stood guard at the door. They looked at the people in the hall with cold eyes.