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墨書 Inktalez
Belche indeed brought Li Girl's Parents to the already desolate Loulan Ancient City because there is a small base of Capricornian located beneath the Loulan Ancient Tomb. Additionally, Martians have exiled a large number of captives here, and he wanted these two elders to help him gather them.
In fact, these captives who were genetically modified by the Martians are of little use, essentially simple-minded individuals. They struggle to survive on Earth and live in dire poverty. The Martians did not intend for them to have a good life when they exiled them here; they simply wanted them to fend for themselves. Belche became disappointed in them and soon stopped visiting the small Capricornian base in Loulan.
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Giant Dragon Osei circled over the Taklamakan Desert several times but could not find Loulan Ancient City. It began to show signs of irritation, occasionally roaring. Considering that Osei had been flying for a long time and was tired, Kairuot called for it to land near a water source to rest.
Giant Dragon Osei quickly spotted a small river at the edge of the desert. Everyone rested by the river, had something to eat, and then strolled leisurely along the riverbank. At that moment, Kairuot noticed a Herder leading a Camel to the river for water across from them. He cupped his hands into a trumpet shape and shouted, "Hey! Do you know which way Loulan Ancient City is?" He called out several times, but although the Herder noticed his presence, he could not understand Kairuot's words. When he saw the giant dragon, unicorn, giant, and other strange creatures around Kairuot, he abandoned getting water and hurriedly rode away on his camel.
Following the direction in which the Herder fled, Kairuot vaguely spotted what seemed to be the outline of a city far away, with towers and clusters of buildings in between. He immediately arranged for the giant dragon, unicorn, and giant to rest on the spot while he and Li Girl went to investigate.
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Kairuot and Li Girl walked along the small river and soon discovered a series of small lakes surrounded by reeds and red willows. There were many sand dunes and dead trees around. After walking a few more miles, they found some traces of abandoned city walls exposed beyond the sand dunes.
Excitedly, Kairuot said, "It seems that Loulan Ancient City is not far from us!"
However, they were soon disappointed as they walked for another two hours without even catching a glimpse of the city walls.
Just as they were feeling despairing, they spotted a caravan of camels passing not far away. Li Girl wanted to call out to them loudly but was stopped by Kairuot. They quietly followed behind the caravan until they finally arrived at a small town.
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Despite the small town's walls being eroded by wind and sand, it had neat streets, impressive Buddhist Temples, and towers. The town was bustling with merchants and lively markets.
Upon entering the small town, Kairuot repeatedly asked passersby for directions to Loulan Ancient City, but he was met with avoidance or cold stares. No one understood his words, and due to his strange attire, the locals could not figure out where he came from. Li Girl also tried asking locals for directions to Loulan Ancient City, but she faced similar rejection.
Feeling frustrated, Kairuot said to Lily, "Our appearance is unacceptable to these Earthlings." Just then, he noticed a clothing store and walked inside.
Inside the store, he found a set of local clothing. Not daring to speak, he gestured with his hands indicating that he wanted to buy that outfit. The shopkeeper was someone who had seen many things; upon seeing Kairuot, he began speaking in Martian Language. He asked, "From your attire, I can tell you are from Mars?"
Finally encountering someone who understood him, Kairuot quickly replied, "Yes, we want to go to Loulan Ancient City, but people here always avoid us."
The shop owner told him, "They are still friendly. If you encounter the Officials, it would be strange if they don't arrest you. Martians are always restless when they come to Earth."
"No wonder. My name is Kairuot," Kairuot introduced himself and then asked, "What do I call you?"
"My surname is Li," the shop owner said, "and my given name is Fugui. My name on Mars is Belt."
"Belt?" Li Girl interjected, "We are from the same family."
"It's great to meet someone from the Bell Family here," the shop owner said.
"My name is Belri, born in Dragonfall Lodge," Li Girl said.
"Dragonfall Lodge!..." the shop owner exclaimed in surprise, "We are fellow townsfolk!"
Li Girl scrutinized him and asked in confusion, "Why don't I recognize you?"
The shop owner told her, "I was sent to the Experimental Base at sea when I was very young; my memories of Dragonfall Lodge are quite vague."
"I see," Li Girl replied.
At this point, the shop owner Belt hurriedly invited Kairuot and Li Girl inside to sit down and called the Clerk to brew tea for the two esteemed guests. Then, Belt took out two sets of Tang suits and handed them to Kairuot and Li Girl. He bent slightly and said to them, "With your status, you should wear this kind of attire."
"How much does it cost?" Kairuot asked.
"You are esteemed guests from Mars; I won't charge you."
After Kairuot insisted repeatedly, Belt accepted a gilded dagger from him.
Once Kairuot and Li Girl put on the Tang suits, as long as they didn't speak, it was hard to tell whether they were Martians or Earthlings. The locals even thought they were nobles from Chang'an.
Through Belt's introduction, they learned that they had arrived at a place called Washi Gorge; this small town was called Bashar, also known as Nuzhicheng. It was an economic hub of the ancient Loulan Kingdom.
Speaking of Loulan Ancient City, Belt shook his head and said, "You want to go to that ancient city? It has been buried by sandstorms for many years now; it doesn't exist anymore. It has turned into desert and Gobi... Without a guide, it would be quite difficult for you to find it."
Kairuot said to Belt: "This girl's parents are still in that place, and we have traveled all the way from the cold Arctic to find them."
"Are you sure her parents are really in Loulan Ancient City?" Belt asked. "That ancient city is a place where no one goes."
Li Girl replied: "My hometown friends told me that my parents are in Loulan City; otherwise, we wouldn't have traveled so far to find you in Nuzhicheng."
Belt pondered and said: "There are legends that there is an underground city in Loulan Ancient City. I don't know if it's true, but if your parents are still in Loulan City, they should be in the underground city."
Li Girl asked directly: "Can you help us find Loulan Ancient City?"
"Well..." Belt hesitated, "the road to Loulan Ancient City is too difficult. We must pass through dangerous areas, and without a Bactrian Camel, we can't get there. I have been there once and almost lost my life."
Kairuot asked curiously: "Why do we need a Bactrian Camel to reach Loulan Ancient City?"
Belt explained: "Because this type of camel can endure extremely harsh weather conditions and is very sensitive to deadly Desert Storms. They will immediately howl and gather together when they sense a storm approaching."
"Oh," Kairuot nodded, "it seems that we definitely need this kind of camel to reach Loulan Ancient City."
Li Girl confidently said: "Don't worry, even if we don't have the camel you mentioned, as long as Kairuot brother is here, you'll be safe."
They finally persuaded Belt to be their guide. After observing the celestial phenomena, they agreed to meet three days later in front of his clothing store.
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