Boiling Beast Bloodline
Chapter 1042 - 264: Impressions of Cambridge_3

Chapter 1042: Chapter 264: Impressions of Cambridge_3

"Why are these walls so low? Why aren’t they made of stone?" Golinny asked, pointing at the low walls at the edge of the oasis.

"Sir Knight, our entire Cambridge Oasis covers roughly ten hectares, so building a stone wall is simply impossible! There are no stones in the desert, so we build walls using a mixture of loess and water, compacted with sandworms to form breastworks. After baking in the scorching sun, the loess becomes very hard!" the master of the house questioned, and the captain of the mid-squad, Piero, certainly did not dare to neglect his response, "However, these loess walls have a height limit, they can only be reinforced to about four meters. Any higher and there’s a risk of collapse."

Qian Qian didn’t quite understand what the title "Sir Knight" meant and quietly asked Liu Zhenhan for clarification. Liu Zhenhan told her that in the Beamon language, a princess is called "Royal Heron". For the four major clans of Beamon, the little princess of the Bode Clan should be called "Sir Knight". Addressing her this way now was not deemed overstepping, and it also maintained the dignity of the Bode princess.

Qian Qian suddenly realized, she hadn’t expected that such a simple title could have so many variations.

"This is called playing with the term ’Sir Knight’." Liu Zhenhan chuckled.

"What kind of trees are those?" A dozen young female priests, influenced by Golinny, chirped inquisitively at the captain of the mid-squad, Piero, pointing at the tall trees by the roadside, "Isn’t it said that there are no trees in the desert? How come there are several kinds of trees in the Cambridge Oasis?"

"Those are poplars, and the taller ones are date palms. The dates are not ripe yet, but we have dried ones back home which I’ll let you fine people try later. We have always maintained good greening here in Cambridge; we also plant a lot of grapes and sour jujubes." There was a hint of pride in Piero’s voice as he spoke.

Liu Zhenhan too observed the surroundings and nodded in agreement after hearing this. Truly, as the ostrich knight said, the greening environment throughout Cambridge was exceptional. It was no simple feat to achieve this at the edge of the desert.

Helen was about to open a Sacrifice Academy here, and Liu Zhenhan was concerned about the environment not being up to par. But looking around now, it really wasn’t any worse than the beautiful lushness of Feilengcui; from entering through the city gate, a forty-yard compacted loess road was lined with scattered palm and date trees. Although the surrounding buildings were mostly crude loess huts, they were charmingly nestled among lush greenery. Large flower beds dotted among the trees, with blooming cacti and banana plants – it was their flowering season. The fragrant aroma could be smelt from a distance, and amidst the flower petals, busy bees were seen buzzing around.

Considering it half a Mining Village of the Swan Tribe, the environmental design clearly reflected the Swan Tribe’s penchant for aesthetic elegance, mixing it in. As they passed a wide five-acre lake, Liu Zhenhan even saw a wooden bridge built over the lake. The clear water mirrored the blue sky, bridge pilings, and floral reflections, with a few mallards peacefully dabbling in the ripples, complementing the serene beauty like a delicate and tranquil lady.

"My lords, please follow me," Piero, the mid-squad captain, locked his mount, a blue-necked ostrich, in a beast pen by the road and directed other cavalry to park the priests’ carriages at the roadside post house.

"Are we going to cross the bridge?" Liu Zhenhan thought they were stopping for a rest at the post house, but Piero had already set foot on the bridge.

"We reach the Moni Temple after crossing the bridge. The priests are arranged to camp there, and the Legion’s Staff Headquarters is also located there," Piero nodded, pointing past the bridge towards a large dome building obscured by date trees, "The Moni Temple is the only stone building in the Cambridge Oasis. To preserve this relic, our sovereign insisted on not demolishing it!"

"This lake is so clear! It’s like an emerald. I haven’t bathed in days. Piero, don’t forget to prepare some hot water for us later," Golinny gazed longingly at the clear water, seemingly ready to jump in if no one else was around.

"I will abide by your instructions, Sir Knight," Piero smiled, "Arriving at the Cambridge Oasis is like coming home. It’s an honor for all Ostrit to serve the three supreme lords."

"Knight, may I ask what the wood soaking in the water is used for?" leaning over the railing, Liu Zhenhan pointed to the rows of debarked logs soaking in the lake, neatly cut and entwined with snails, duckweed, and algae. Fish occasionally darted past, rippling the water. Despite the distance, a refreshing and pleasant woody fragrance wafted through the air.

"Are they for construction, to be used as house beams? It seems a bit wasteful though. This kind of wood has the most fragrant scent among all the woods I’ve ever smelled," Liu Zhenhan inquired, not waiting for Piero to reply, he looked up and continued.

"Your Majesty, this wood is a specialty of the Cambridge Oasis – the Water Linden of Lake Cambridge. The fragrance you smell is from sandalwood. This water linden grows at the bottom of Lake Cambridge. Although it is difficult to extract, it is the hardest wood we have. The spears and shields of us Ostrich Warriors are all made from this wood, and even the steel knives of desert bandits cannot hack through it without creating sparks," Piero gestured exaggeratedly with palpable pride.