The Breath of Nature

Cobra noticed the heaviness in Vidal's voice and turned around nervously, asking, "Is something wrong?"

"This is a big problem."

Vidal pointed to the ground beneath his feet and said, "Don't be fooled by how well this tree looks now; it's only because of the energy I've provided."

"If I leave, it will quickly wither and die within a few days, because there is no water source underground."

He knew that there was often abundant groundwater beneath the desert, but most of it was tens or even hundreds of meters below the surface, where tree roots could not come into contact with any moisture.

"I just tried to use my abilities to encourage the tree roots to continue exploring downwards, but I couldn't go any further than twenty meters."

Drilling underground is different from surface burrowing and upward growth. The deeper you go, the harder the strata become, making it far more difficult than the latter two.

"So one thing is certain: most of this desert area cannot be changed, at least not with my current capabilities," Vidal said, stating a blunt truth.

"This..." Cobra suddenly felt as if his newly risen hope had been shattered by a hammer blow, but he quickly calmed down.

"You just mentioned most of the area, which means some areas can also be changed, right?"

"That's right." Vidal praised the young prince in his heart.

"Didn't I just say that tree roots can only grow to less than twenty meters? Then we just need to find a place with water within twenty meters underground."

At this moment, Nacil suddenly spoke up, saying, "Groundwater is usually connected, so as long as you find the area closest to the surface, unless there is a natural disaster or man-made calamity, the water supply will basically not run out."

"Hey, how do you know all this?" Vidal asked with a smile.

"When we study herbal medicine, we also need to know about the environments in which these plants grow, so this knowledge is essential."

Vidal understood that excellent traditional Chinese medicine practitioners often possess the ability to find medicinal herbs in the wild on their own, and geographical knowledge is naturally indispensable.

"As for groundwater, it's definitely there in the capital, and also in the Rainbase and other big cities like Airu," Igaram said.

"That's natural. Without water, it's impossible for a population to gather and form a city," Vidal nodded and then said.

"So, judging from the current situation, at least the environment in these major cities can be improved, which is a good thing."

"Well, when will we be able to see these lovely trees everywhere in Alabasta?" Cobra sighed, sounding a little downcast.

"Take your time. Once my strength reaches a certain level, I'll definitely be able to change the world!" Vidal raised his chin in the warm breeze, then smiled and said, "Of course, you'll have to pay a sufficient fee."

"If it truly allows future children to play under this tree, I'd pay any price!" Prince Cobra declared resolutely.

"Treasures and such things should be used for the people's good life. What difference would it make if all the royal family's wealth were emptied?"

"I believe that as long as we treat our people sincerely, even if Nefertari is penniless, they will still feed and water us!"

"And as people's lives improve, they will naturally create more wealth! Alabasta will only get better and better!"

This impassioned speech instantly moved Igaram, Neisesi, and the rest of the guard to tears.

"Prince Cobra!"

"Prince Cobra!"

Lieutenant Rogers, standing to the side, looked at Cobra with eyes full of respect and admiration, thinking to himself that if the royal family he had protected back then were just as perfect, he wouldn't have left to join the Navy.

This left Vidal speechless, feeling like he had become a materialistic person obsessed with money. However, considering that this was the effect he wanted, he could only shake his head helplessly.

More than two hundred people remounted their camels and reluctantly set off again.

Just as they walked about fifty meters and reached the top of a sand dune, Cobra looked back one last time.

There stood the towering tree he called a 'desert gem,' a solitary figure rising above the sea of sand, the only patch of green amidst the blue sky and yellow sand.

That is hope!

According to Igaram, the journey from the Nanohana of Nanohana to the kingdom of Alubarna takes less than two days if there are no sandstorms along the way.

However, there are no villages or towns along this route, so you need to find a sheltered spot in the desert to camp for the night.

With Vidal present, would it be necessary to sleep outdoors?

Have you ever heard of the Three-Bedroom-One-Living-Room Technique?

That night, Cobra and the others moved into the newly built wooden house with their mouths agape. They even found that although it wasn't very hot inside, it was warm enough for the cold night.

The next morning they set off again. They should have waited until the afternoon when the sun was less intense, but Vidal went out early in the morning and came back with thirteen huge Moving Crabs!

These Moving Crabs are over ten meters wide, and if you squeeze on top of them, twenty or thirty people can sit. They are also extremely fast at crawling across the desert.

That's why the people of Alabasta call them 'relocation' creatures, but these strange creatures are highly intelligent and difficult to tame.

Legend has it that only beautiful women can persuade them to stay and help for a short time.

And so, they rode on the backs of the Moving Crabs, camels and all, and easily made their way to Alubarna high speed.

"Colonel Vidal, where did you find so many Moving Crabs?" Cobra, standing next to Vidal, exclaimed again.

He now truly believes that this "Horn of Justice" is incredibly powerful; being with this person makes everything much easier.

Vidal smiled, then pointed to the Moving Crab at his feet and said, "I went out this morning and sensed a huge creature's presence under the sand not far away. That's it."

"I saw that it was quite big and seemed pretty smart, so I asked it to give us a ride, but one seems like too few."

"Let Nacil concoct a potion to arouse it."

The people on the Moving Crab's back Satori when Moving Crab goes into heat, it will naturally emit a mating scent. As long as they can find a way to spread this scent faster, it will naturally attract other Moving Crabs from the vicinity.

"Ugh, why did you wake me up so early in the morning?" Nacil complained, yawning.

Since discovering that Vidal is not difficult to get along with, her fear has greatly diminished, and she can now speak normally.

However, the female TCM doctor was becoming increasingly satisfied with Vidal. Not only was he highly skilled and of extraordinary status, but his abilities could also satisfy all her needs.

He could conjure up the herbs he needed anytime, anywhere, and even process them instantly, such as turning them into powder.

Moreover, even simple utensils can be made of wood, but they are not very durable and will be completely ruined after one use.

This was also a preparation that Vidal had made in advance. On his way to Alabasta, he visited the Medical Department run by Nacil and examined and touched all the herbs.

In this way, he can retrieve anything that's on the warship immediately, which can be life-saving in some extreme situations!

"But how did you convince them to help?" Neisesi, the black man, asked, puzzled.

Vidal, puzzled, turned around and said, "No need to persuade them. I asked them if they could help, and they agreed. They're quite easy to talk to."

"Impossible. They've always had bad tempers, and you're a man." Neisesi didn't believe it; he wondered what kind of physical persuasion the navy man had used.

Vidal didn't actually use any physical means to persuade them, although he was prepared to do so if the Moving Crabs didn't agree.

"But Nacil is a beauty, isn't she?" Vidal smiled at Nacil, which pleased her greatly. She smiled sweetly and said, "You're quite the smooth talker, sir."

"However, I think it's also related to you. Haven't you noticed? You have a faint, but very distinct, herbal scent about you, which is quite noticeable in traditional Chinese medicine."

"This almost natural aura makes these animals feel very comfortable with you, especially these desert creatures that spend all day searching for oases; the attraction should be even stronger for them."

Vidal paused, "Is that so?"

He had never owned a pet, let alone experimented with this kind of thing, so he really hadn't thought about these things.

Well, I've been having trouble sleeping lately. If some readers who enjoy cultivation novels pay attention to the comments, they'll notice that I'm replying to some people as early as four or five in the morning.

This is because I turned off the computer and went to bed around 1 a. m., but I just couldn't fall asleep. I usually didn't fall asleep until 4 or 5 a. m., and even yesterday it was almost 6 a. m.

As a result, I wake up in the afternoon, so I have very little time to write. I also dare not stay up all night to write, because that would completely reverse my biological clock.

I've tried writing a few times when I can't sleep, and it's very uncomfortable. I feel extremely tired all day, and it's especially painful to try to get back to a normal biological clock. It's that feeling of having to stay awake until nine or ten at night.

I simply didn't have the energy to write anything during that time.

So now I don't dare get up even if I can't sleep. Insomnia is really painful!