Chapter 117 – Attachment
Among the four great continents, the continent with the greatest casualties of war was not the Freedom Federation or the Kaiser Empire, but South America. With the vast majority of the people on South American being confined to a rather small area along with their fanatic and barbaric nature as a result of exposure to dimensional energy, the soldiers of the South American continent were viewed as the most aggressive force among all. In addition to the frequent fights against mutated and dimensional beasts, skirmishes between people for resources happened everyday. Battles of all scales occurred regularly. This made the soldiers of the Amazon and Pampas tribes to have greater self confidence in their own strength. The constant engagement in war for the sake of survival led to different attitudes towards life and death among the people living in South America that were distinct from the rest of the world.
While the Freedom Federation referred to their territory as the ‘Freedom Continent’ and the Kaiser Empire proclaiming themselves as ‘Continent of Hope’, the people of the rainforests referred to their land as ‘the world of the brave’. As for the Africans, they called their continent ‘the world of golden pyramids’ for the golden pyramids had redeemed their souls during the darkest of times, hence allowing them to continue living with pride. The golden pyramids were mysterious, for the terrifying mutated bugs would avoid them at all cost. Regardless of whether or not these pyramids were formed by coincidence or out of necessity, they became the spiritual pillars of their world.
During these cataclysmic times, the ‘world of the golden pyramids’ still had the harshest environment among the four great continents. Even with the strengthened bodies of new humans, the deserts were still an region that was difficult to traverse. Mankind could only reach the fringes and all who entered its depths never returned. However, they were also places of great benefits, thereby luring those seeking power to the oases. Dimensional energy made death deadlier but energy was more abundant. This made the oases the focal point of fights and battles.
Unlike the ‘world of the brave’, Tutankhamen Empire had an extraordinarily strong and firm ruling system in place, for they all held unified beliefs. Other than small scales conflicts over the division of resources that surfaces occasionally, the Tutankhamen Empire were extremely united at its core. This level of unity arose as a reason of the threat posed by the mutated bug army that was seen as the most terrifying in the four great continents.
In terms of skills and techniques, the Tutankhamen Empire was, without a doubt, vastly outstripped by the other powers. A simple communication tool such as the Skylink was perceived as an item of luxury and a symbol of status and wealth. In their current state, the Tutankhamen Empire were heavily reliant on the federation for the import of food, though a large proportion of strong soldiers were birthed there.
Within the Tutankhamen Empire, you could apply to enter the Freedom Federation once your strength has attained a certain level. Should your application be accepted, you would become a part of the federation and leave this dangerous place forever.
This was a policy that was only offered to the Tutankhamen Empire. A world where the contrast between life and death was at its greatest is the place where there would be numerous soldiers that were endowed with talent and seen as geniuses. This was the law of this new era.
A sea of sand without borders,with small pockets of trees and vegetation interspersed here and there. These were rows upon rows of sand willows, which gave the originally silent and dead desert a spark of vitality.
Sand willows were considered to be the most valuable thing within the Tutankhamen Empire. They were not susceptible to radiation, and would even grow more robustly due to it. This allowed their thick roots to drill deeply into the sand, reaching tens to a hundred metres underground towards the underground water channels. This transformed the initially desolate and barren land into one with numerous oases, each turning into the focal points for the citizens of the Tutankhamen Empire to congregate and live in. This was the unique scenery of the Tutankhamen Empire.
Though the Tutankhamen Empire may possess a few cities that could be considered to be flourishing, the large majority of the empire was formed up by the combination of these solitary oases within the deserts.
However, the resources within the oasis were still insufficient. Coupled with the blisteringly hot environment and the frequent appearances of beast tides in the deserts, living in the oases were often miserable and unprotected due to the lack of defences. The ones who were able to live on under such an environment were all new humans. Even if they lacked any exceptionally strong martial prowess, all of them are incomparably intrepid and valiant. The reason for this is that since birth, each and every one of them had been exposed to numerous factors that would kill off a normal human being. In fact, even if they somehow managed to survive, the exposure to radiation would be enough to kill the normal humans at the age of two to three two. Feeding them and letting them live would be deemed as a total waste of food and resources, both of which were obviously much more valuable than the lives of the ordinary citizens.
Varzina Oasis was one of the many oases territories of the empire, with its fringes occupying a relatively small area. Within the golden pyramid world, the activity hubs of new humans would always be focused around oases. With numerous experts formulating order to claim sovereignty and dominance, the highest ranking person in each oasis was called the feudal lord. Every Tutankhamen feudal lord would have to abide by the laws of the Tutankhamen Empire, and by doing so are allowed to create their own rules within their own territory.
It was now midday, and the sleepy sentry standing on the watchtower was suddenly roused by an immediate sense of danger. Being chosen as a sentry means that he was incomparably more sensitive towards danger. Nervously, he stared out into the desert.
Everything appeared to be normal, and yet the sentry could feel a dreadful aura approaching. Even the sky that was filled with sunlight so bright that it was eye piercing became enveloped by dark clouds. He held his bugle horn tightly in one hand, preparing himself to sound it should the need arose as his palms became drenched in sweat.
All of a sudden, a lone figure appeared from the horizon from the direction where the sentry sensed danger. The figure appeared to be taking slow, easy strides, and yet, with a blind of an eye, had covered vast distances. Grabbing his binoculars, the sentry went to access the situation quickly.
It was merely a bald headed youth that was not even twenty years of age. His bald head was like a prismatic lens that could reflect light and he had a strange coffin on his back that was sparkling with a faint blue glow. His face was unusually tranquil. One could see that this youth was no ordinary person.
Having lived for a long time in this place, the sentry had seen too many eccentric people who were experts in their own right. Thus, the sentry was long accustomed to the person’s attire and aura. If the youth was truly a danger, he would not have an expression like that. Furthermore, he would not walk in such a calm and collected manner.
Heaving a sigh of relief, the imminent sense of danger that he felt earlier dissipated. With a chuckle, he concluded that the sense of danger he experienced could have been simply a nightmare while dozing earlier on. Although the job of being a sentry seemed like a easy and leisurely one, the immense pressure one would experience at a critical moment was not something to laugh at
At that thought, the little baldy had reached the entrance of the oasis. Displaying identification papers and the emblem of the Empire, the sentry took another sigh of relief. Within the desert, it was best not to casually provoke a strange person like him. Giving a big wave, he signaled for the guards below to open the big doors to allow entrance into the oasis.
Although the Varzina Oasis was small and only had a few long term residents, it was the only supply point in the surrounding areas. Many travelers often stop by the Varzina Oasis for a quick break to rest and restock, making this oasis comparatively more lively. The streets were littered with various street stalls displaying a huge array of items. The huge majority of them were unique and bizarre objects. Despite the Tutankhamen Empire releasing its general currency, inflation and deflation of the current was a commonly occurring thing due to the highly turbulent nature of the empire. Thus, something like paper money would hold little value in the eyes of the merchants. At this place, battering was much commonplace as compared to purchases.
The African Continent was the home of the black people. After the great catastrophe, the black pigment in the people’s skin underwent a miraculous transformation and thus became resistant to the harmful effects of ultraviolet rays and could absorb radioactivity. Variations among new humans, coupled with the increasingly horrid irradiated environment, made this unique trait became stable. This had naturally caused their skin colour to turn increasingly blacker to the point of being shiny and reflective.