The sandstorm lasted for a whole night.
The next morning, as the strong wind weakened, it finally dissipated into nothingness.
The heavy iron door of the Council Hall was opened.
Kant was the first to step out. The fine sand that was blown by the wind had already accumulated several centimeters in thickness and turned into a soft layer of sand when he stepped on it. The entire “Drondheim” castle was now covered in yellow sand.
There was sand everywhere. And there were sand layers everywhere.
On the streets, on the roofs of the houses, on the city walls, and on the arrow towers, it was full of sand.
Earthy yellow sand.
Sensing the disappearance of the Sandstorm, the civilians in the residential area also removed the doors and windows that blocked the sandstorm. They all stuck their heads out and greeted each other in a low voice. At the same time, they looked at the unfamiliar and familiar yellow sand world around them, looking at the area that had almost been eroded by the yellow sand, they looked at each other in dismay.
Coming from the Kingdom of Swadia and the plains, they had never seen such a terrifying sandstorm. Even the color of the entire castle had changed, becoming much deeper and heavier.
Because of the yellow sand blown by the sandstorm, the entire castle was covered in a layer of yellow gauze.
The three-story high military camp was like an apartment.
The doors were pushed open.
The Mamluke who belonged to the Sarrandan people walked out of the room. They swept their eyes over the yellow sand around them and the traces of the Sandstorm. Their faces were filled with a strange nostalgic look.
They all thought of the Sarrandian Desert in the past.
But they still clapped their hands and signaled to their comrades who were also shocked by the scenery around them. “It’s time to work.”
“Everyone gather!”
At the bottom, Fatis’s voice had already sounded.
He had already walked out from the council hall and stood on the training ground outside the military camp. He ordered loudly, “Continue to remain vigilant and maintain the alert on the city walls. Everyone, adjust your mentality and enter a high alert status!”
“Yes!” In the three-story high military camp, all the heavy cavalry and archers responded in unison.
Then, the footsteps were hurried.
They quickly gathered under the command of their respective captain.
The Archers of Wei Jiya who remained in the Arrow Tower and the tower also reappeared on the top floor of their respective towers. After clearing the remaining yellow sand, they continued to be on guard and sentry duty.
Inside the city wall, the civilians also began to sweep the streets and house with their brooms.
A large amount of sand was pushed out by carts and fell outside the city wall.
The castle-level roads were paved with green bricks, especially the two main roads from the Council Hall to the East Gate and the South Gate. They were paved with stone bricks that were used to build stone castles and city walls, and they were straight and flat.
These roads could provide faster walking on normal days.
Moreover, during wartime, they could also provide effective troop movements, making up for the lack of troops when the enemy troops attacked fiercely at the two city gates.
It was easier to clean up inside the castle.
The sandstorm did not cause much damage to the main body and details of the castle.
Even the most vulnerable water diversion channel, the main trunk of the wooden channel on the top floor, was not blown down by the sandstorm after being reinforced.
But it was different outside the city walls.
Standing on the large bell tower, Kant looked at the agricultural area in the north with a heavy expression.
The sandstorm brought a large amount of yellow sand.
After a night of blowing, almost all the wheat seedlings that had just sprouted were covered under the sandstorm.
The tens of acres of farmland could not be seen to be green at all.
Even the lush date palm jungle was still straight and upright, but after the destruction of the sandstorm, many long leaves that looked like palm leaves were also covered in fine sand. They did not have the previous appearances of listlessness; it was as if they had seen a miracle of life.
More than half of the agricultural area had been destroyed.
At the very least, the wheat and flax fields could no longer be recovered. They needed a new round of sowing.
When sowing, they also needed to clear the sand layer on the surface of the ground.
Even the sand that was piled up in the canal had blocked up the lake. It was in urgent need of a clean up.
As the city gate opened, the civilians took their tools and walked towards the agricultural area. They were concerned with cleaning up their fields so that the flat and fertile land could come back to life.
The grouse that had been driven into the house also ran out of the city gate and returned to their chicken coop.
However, the grass on the chicken coop had been blown away, leaving only the main structure of the stone and wooden frame.
Not only the chicken coop, but even the camel farms and stables in the West had also been blown away by the strong wind. The top layer of grass needed to be covered with new hay to form a sunshade roof.
There was no hay for buildings like thatch or straw, so linen was a choice.
Kant could import this kind of material at the Stone Pass.
“My Lord!”
Just as Kant was standing on the top of the bell tower, observing his own estate, the Archers of Wei Jiya behind him pointed to the south and said in surprise, “Are those… our desert bandits?”
“What?” Kant turned his head to look in surprise.
In the south, a few black dots were approaching from the distance, charging quickly.
They were about to reach the city gate.
They could vaguely see the leather armor and the handsome desert horse.
They were indeed desert bandits.
“Bring them to me, “Kant ordered directly.
The Archers of Wei Jiya immediately received the order and quickly brought the five desert bandits to the council hall. Kant was already waiting for them in his seat.
However, when he saw the five desert bandits, Kant’s brows were tightly furrowed.
Their bodies were covered in dirt and sand.
There was a tired look on their faces, but there was still determination between their brows. They bowed respectfully to Kant. “My lord, we have just arrived and haven’t had the time to wash up. I hope you won’t take offense.”
“I won’t.”
Kant waved his hand and asked directly, “Which defense zone are you from?”
“Aaron Village.” The captain of the Desert Bandits opened his mouth and swallowed a mouthful of saliva. His dry lips made him look like a refugee. His entire body was covered in sand and he looked dirty. In fact, he had nothing to do with refugees, it was obvious that they had encountered the sandstorm during their long journey.
It was indeed the case. He did not care about his embarrassment. Instead, he reported to Kant, “We found something abnormal in the ruins under the village. The water level of the subterranean river has dropped. An ancient passage has appeared!”
“What?” Kant instantly stood up. “An ancient passage?”
“Yes!”
Desert bandits nodded, he continued to report, “This passage extends along the subterranean river to the west. We don’t know where it leads to. Just when we were about to seal it, we were attacked by demonized creatures. There are a lot of demonized creatures in this ancient passage, and they are mainly demonized wolves that we met before!”
“So that’s the case.” Kant frowned and asked in return, “Has Bandake arrived at Aaron Village?”
“Not yet.”
Desert bandits answered, “When we came here, we met Mr. Bandake and the escort troops by chance. Based on the time, we estimate that it will take another two days to reach Aaron Village.”
“Yes.” Kant’s expression was solemn. He nodded and said, “I understand.”
After saying that, he waved his hand and signaled the servants to bring them down to rest for the time being.
Troubled times.
This terrifying sandstorm and the anomaly in the depths of the desert had just appeared.
The “Aaron” village in the Senwaya Range had unexpectedly appeared again, and there was even an ancient passageway. There were a large number of demonized creatures in it, and it really caught him off guard.
This series of events had happened too quickly.
“But the system also asked me to take a look over there.” Kant pondered. “Could this be related?”
In the introduction of the system quest, it was clearly stated that Kant had to go to the underground ruins to explore the mystery before completing the quest. If this ancient passage that happened to appear had nothing to do with the Sandstorm and the legendary lost city, it would be unbelievable!
When he arrived at Aaron’s village, the truth would be revealed.
Time was limited.
Kant intended to set off immediately.
He turned his head to look at the warm morning sunlight outside the window. The temperature had yet to reach the highest point of noon.
He immediately ordered in a deep voice, “Inform Fatis that when I leave the castle, he will take full responsibility. If there are any unusual circumstances, we will act according to the measures I told him before!”
“Yes.” The knight who was the messenger immediately turned around and left.
However, Kant also called for another knight and arranged for him, “Gather all 188 Swadian man-at-arms and immediately follow me to Aaron!”
“Understood!” The Knight also immediately went to deliver the order.
Kant was cautious in this operation.
The 188 heavy cavalry had sufficient numbers, enough force, and enough combat strength.
As the strongest heavy cavalry amongst the level 4 cavalry, they were proud enough.
Their equipment, armor, weapons, and warhorse were all top-notch. After forming a scale, their charge was like a landslide. Even in the dismount battle, their formation into a long spear formation was comparable to Rhodoks’s veteran spearmen.
As the direct inheritor of the Kingdom of Swadia, the troop class training and combat aspects weren’t bad.
At the same time, Kant also had his own ideas.
If they were to encounter the demonized wolves, these heavy cavalry soldiers would definitely be able to fight and accumulate experience.
The fake and inferior demonized wolves were no match for the regular troops.
When the massacre appeared, a large amount of experience would spur these heavy cavalry soldiers to level up to level up to level 5 knights. At that time, not only would their combat strength soar, but they would also be able to accumulate another batch of powerful knights for Drondheim Castle!
The current administrative center and Military Center were, after all, the Oasis Lookout.
Aaron’s village mainly focused on developing agriculture and handicraft industries. In the normal military aspect, it was only enough to protect itself.
The troops packed up their luggage and supplies.
Fatis had personally supervised them, and confirmed that the food and water, as well as the tents for the camp, were complete.
After everything was ready, Kant did not waste any more words and immediately led the troops to set off. The 188 Swadian man-at-arms rode their horses and stepped on the soft sand, leaving a long trail of footprints.
The ancient passage under Aaron’s village was still waiting for him.
Moreover, the system quest had already pointed out that this might be the key location to make up for the bad consequences.
