Business Comes Knocking

Rain had fallen for an entire night, and the Great Wasteland centered around the stone had sunk by a full three palm-heights.

Li Ziran stood at the cave entrance. One glance revealed countless rolling bronze-yellow grains of sand, driven onward aimlessly by the wind and waves.

This brass, formed from melted wasteland soil and sand, was a relatively rare metal. It could be used to make magic wands and was a favorite of dwarf alchemists, one of the Wasteland's few specialties.

The stone beside him bore some crystallization as well. Its outer layer had even melted completely, exposing a smooth surface.

This state would not last long. Soon, the hurricanes across the Wasteland would batter the stone's surface full of pits and scars, eventually turning this rock into part of the yellow sand.

He had to set out.

Though the ground beneath his feet was still scorching, he had to seize the time. This time, he needed to cross the heart of the Wasteland, with Hippo Ancient City in the far west as his destination. The journey was long; even if everything went smoothly, it would take around five days.

Hippo Ancient City was one of the Wasteland's three great Slave City-states, and the only ancient city-state preserved in the Wasteland to this day. Ancient civilization had left its traces there, and it was also one of the Wasteland's most prosperous city-states.

If Bailando City was a new-style city-state famed for slaves, then Hippo Ancient City was living proof of the long and famous history of slavery.

Since Li Ziran dealt in organs, he could not avoid ancient races. If possible, he could even gestate the ancestors of these ancient races and draw upon the wisdom inherited through their blood.

Of course, an even more important reason was demon business.