novelraw Chapter 238: The Murmuring Oasis
Chapter 238: The Murmuring Oasis
On the morning of the second day, two specially modified steam-powered vehicles, adapted for desert conditions, drove out of Cairo.
One vehicle was loaded with enough fresh water and food to last half a month, along with various pieces of precise alchemical and scientific research equipment.
The other vehicle carried Lin Jie, Julian, Ethan, and William, who was wrapped in thick woolen blankets and lying on a makeshift stretcher.
Leading the convoy at the front was the guide from the Horus Court, Hakim.
He rode a magnificent purebred Arabian camel, carrying no modern navigation instruments on his person, only a peculiar compass composed of an astrolabe and ancient beast bones.
And so, Hakim led this "healing and scientific expedition" team into that boundless sea of sand shrouded in gold.
They traversed the vast Qattara Depression, that immense salt marsh lying 133 meters below sea level, which reflected a blinding white light under the scorching sun.
The surface was solidified with a thick salt crust, stretching as far as the eye could see, like a long-dried white ocean.
Afterwards, they drove into the death trap known as the "Sea of Set's Sands."
Even the experienced Hakim had to constantly cross-reference ancient beast-hide maps and the positions of the stars in the sky to maintain the correct course in this disorienting golden sea.Just as everyone was beginning to feel mentally dazed by the monotonous, withered yellow scenery, a look of relief finally appeared on Hakim's face.
He stretched out his hand and pointed towards the distant horizon.
"Look." He uttered only a single word.
Everyone followed the direction of his finger. At the junction of the horizon and the sky, a faint yet distinct shade of dark green appeared.
That touch of green seemed somewhat abrupt in this golden world ruled by death and desolation, yet it also represented hope.
As the steam cars drew closer, that touch of dark green became increasingly distinct, increasingly vast.
They could see tall date palms and olive trees, their massive canopies gently swaying in the breeze.
They could smell an indescribably peculiar scent beginning to permeate the air.
It was a contradictory smell, blending the fragrance of freshly turned earth, the sweetness of blooming flowers, and the richness of ripe fruit, yet also mixed with the slight sourness of decaying fallen leaves and the silence of all things returning to dust.
It represented both vigorous "life" and contained absolute "death."
It was as if they were smelling the scent of time itself.
When their steam cars rolled over the last inch of soft sand and stopped at the distinct edge where the oasis met the desert.
Everyone was stunned by the sight before them.
This was not the small, common oasis found in deserts, consisting of a small pond and a few date palms.
This was a boundless sea of life, displaying an eerie prosperity.
Countless strange plants, some familiar to Lin Jie and the others, some not, grew here wildly and unrestrainedly in a frenzied manner.
Giant white flowers slowly bloomed before their eyes, only to rapidly wither and die within a mere dozen seconds, ultimately turning into a handful of flying ash that scattered upon the ground.
And right where that handful of ash fell, a brand-new emerald green sprout would break through the soil, rapidly shooting up, growing, and blooming again at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The entire life cycle of the oasis proceeded at an extremely rapid pace.
Germination, growth, flourishing, withering, death, rebirth.
This complete life cycle, which in the outside world required the passing of four seasons, was condensed here into a mere few minutes.
There was no eternal life here, nor eternal death.
There was only eternal cycle.
"This is simply a miracle."
Julian, the staunch Enlightenment scholar, couldn't help but exclaim in awe at this moment.
He pushed up the round glasses on the bridge of his nose, his eyes sparkling with the fervent light of someone discovering a new world.
Julian could sense that the rules here were completely different from the outside world.
And the moment Lin Jie stepped into this oasis, he felt a peculiar sense of comfort.
That comfort originated from his right hand.
The [White Vulture's Mark] on the back of his hand was emitting a warm, gentle glow.
The high-frequency spirituality of aggression and plunder belonging to the Upper Egyptian White Vulture, hidden deep within the mark, was further soothed within this strange field.
It was not restless, no longer attempting to erode Lin Jie's will.
It just quietly, greedily absorbed the opposite yet homologous aura of the earth in the air, like a dried sponge encountering water again.
This wondrous feeling greatly alleviated the fatigue Lin Jie felt from the journey.
"We've found the right place," Lin Jie said to his companions beside him, unable to suppress the joy in his voice.
After safely delivering them, guide Hakim, adhering to the ancient precepts of the Royal Court, remained silent and found a high point on the outskirts of the oasis to begin his vigil and wait.
Meanwhile, Lin Jie, Julian, and Ethan, supporting the faltering William, began to explore deeper into this oasis filled with miracles and unknowns.
The deeper they ventured, the more intense the aura of the "life-death cycle" in the air became.
They could even see some small animals living here, like gerbils and lizards, whose life cycles were similarly accelerated.
A lizard hatchling that had just emerged from its eggshell rapidly grew to adulthood, aged, and finally turned into a desiccated skeleton within a few short minutes, soon covered by newly sprouted moss.
This eerie yet magnificent sight instilled a newfound reverence for the word "life" in everyone's heart.
After passing through a lake composed of constantly blooming and withering water lilies, they finally found the heart of this oasis.
It was a symbiotic entity covering an area the size of several football fields, composed of several massive willow-like plants.
The branches of these "willows" exhibited a state between deadwood and new growth;
one half of their branches were covered in emerald green leaves, while the other half had already dried and decayed.
All their root systems were tightly interconnected deep underground, forming a vast, complex system like a neural network, enveloping the entire Siwa Oasis within its domain.
And their soft branches, drooping to the ground, were constantly repeating the cycle of withering and rebirth.
A branch, the moment it touched the ground, would rapidly lose all moisture and vitality, turning into a handful of black fertile soil.
And right within that handful of soil, a new willow sprout full of vitality would break through the earth, rapidly growing into a new branch.
This massive, intelligent plant symbiotic entity was the heart of the "life-death cycle" field of the entire Siwa Oasis.
"Arthur would go crazy for it," Julian murmured, gazing at this UMA that could be called a "miracle of creation."
Ethan didn't speak. He drew his sidearm and vigilantly observed their surroundings, providing security for his companions engaged in academic discussion.
Lin Jie retrieved a specially made tool kit from his pack. It was manufactured by the equipment lab of the Cairo Second Branch, specifically designed for collecting active UMA tissue.
Inside the kit were neatly arranged tweezers, a scalpel, and sealed test tubes. These tools had peculiar shapes and were made of mithril and quartz glass.
Lin Jie's purpose for this trip was clear.
First, to verify whether the German doctor's "environmental therapy" theory would be effective for William.
Second, to bring back new samples for Arthur in London, to see if they could serve as alternative materials.
Lin Jie said methodically, "Julian, I need you to record its complete cycle of each withering and rebirth, paying attention to observe if there are any troughs in energy that could be exploited."
He then turned to the noble hunter. "Ethan, expand the security perimeter to one hundred meters. I don't want any uninvited 'spectators' while we're performing 'surgery'."
After issuing his instructions, Lin Jie put on a pair of rubber insulating gloves, then took out a precise "Spiritual Biopsy Scalpel" from the tool kit;
its blade was only the size of a fingernail.
He did not recklessly stride forward to cut the main body of the UMA.
When facing a powerful UMA of unknown level, maintaining reverence was the most basic quality of a qualified hunter.
He quietly crouched at the edge of the "willow grove," carefully observing the soft branches at his feet that were constantly repeating the life-death cycle.
He was searching.
Lin Jie was searching for a suitable sampling moment.
The critical point he sought was the instant when a branch was about to wither, its life energy returning to the earth, but before the new sprout had emerged, when its structure was at its most fragile.
Time passed minute by minute.
The second hand of the pocket watch in Julian's hand emitted a ticking sound as he rapidly recorded something in his notebook with a charcoal pencil.
"...Cycle stable at approximately three minutes and twenty seconds... Withering process takes about fifteen seconds... Rebirth process is very fast, completed in an instant!"
Finally, at the very last moment before a branch drooping before Lin Jie lost its emerald green hue and turned into black fertile soil.
Lin Jie moved!
The biopsy scalpel in his hand traced a precise arc.
"Shh!"
A small section of withered branch, about the length of a little finger, was cut off. It retained a peculiar residual warmth inside.
Immediately after, with extreme speed, Lin Jie used mithril tweezers to pick up that section of withered branch and swiftly placed it into a pre-prepared vacuum-sealed test tube.
The entire process was smooth and seamless.
And the "offended" giant plant UMA showed no reaction whatsoever from beginning to end.
It was as if what Lin Jie had just cut off was not a part of its body, but merely a piece of dead skin it had long since discarded.
"Success!"
Looking at the withered branch emitting a faint glow inside the test tube, a relaxed smile appeared on Lin Jie's face.
Arthur would definitely be delighted with this gift.
However, just as Lin Jie was feeling pleased with his harvest and preparing for a second sampling.
A suppressed, pained groan suddenly sounded from behind him.
Lin Jie turned his head.
He saw William, who had been sitting cross-legged not far away, clutching his chest tightly with his hand. He had been sitting there with his eyes closed, sensing the aura of this oasis.
An expression of pain was etched on his face, large beads of sweat were forming on his forehead, and his entire body was trembling slightly.
"William! What's wrong?" Julian and Ethan immediately rushed over nervously.
"...I... I feel it..."
William forced the words out through gritted teeth.
Deep fear flickered in his grey eyes.
"That 'river'."
"The 'river' inside my body..."
"...It... It seems... it's also 'coming alive'!"