Chapter 351 - 321: Backing
Chapter 351: Chapter 321: Backing
Pilo explained as he drove, "We’re just entering the outer region of the West Wusu Desert right now. It’s not dangerous at all. Even if we run into some Extraordinary Creatures, they’ll mostly be Ordinary or Elite Level Pet Beasts. They’re no threat to us."
"Besides, our destination for tonight is also in this outer region of the West Wusu Desert. If we don’t head in, we’ll have to camp out for the night," Pilo continued.
Li Qian was rather surprised and asked, "You mean we’re not camping tonight?"
Li Yuhu looked at Li Qian and said meaningfully, "You’ll see what’s what in a bit."
Hearing this, Li Qian stopped asking questions. A sense of anticipation grew within him, and he didn’t have to wait long for it to be satisfied.
"What is this place?" A look of sudden realization dawned on Li Qian’s face as a small town gradually came into view.
’So that’s how it is...’ It was also Wang En Ci’s first time participating in this kind of activity. He was from Shu State, and seeing this small town nestled in a desert oasis, he was equally curious.
Pilo went on to explain the situation. "This is Zhenxi Town. It’s a Small Oasis and the only way through when traveling from Shazhou City into the depths of the West Wusu Desert."
"Because it’s located in the outer region of the West Wusu Desert, it naturally became the sole rest stop for those entering and leaving the desert. That’s how Zhenxi Town developed."
"Being deep in the desert at night is extremely dangerous."
Pilo explained Dakoli’s plan. "Dakoli already arranged it. We’ll rest here in Zhenxi Town tonight and set out first thing tomorrow morning."
Li Qian wasn’t clear on the details of the itinerary, but he figured Ding Ganmao must have known.
And it was precisely because Ding Ganmao knew that Li Qian had chosen to trust him and follow along without questioning the details.
"Pilo, you guys have been to the West Wusu Desert before, right?" Wang En Ci asked.
Pilo replied, "Of course we have, but we’ve never gone deep. Me, Dakoli, all of us are freshmen this year. Although we’ve all been to the West Wusu Desert before, our activities were basically confined to the outer region."
"We’ve never even been into the Central Circle Zone, let alone the inner region."
Li Qian nodded slightly at his words. ’That makes sense.’ Before, they were just a few high school students. Even if they were locals and had explored a bit beforehand, it was impossible for them to have gone too deep.
But for them, right here and now, what they needed was the home-field advantage of Pilo and the other two. They couldn’t really count on anything else. Anyone who could get into the Eight Great was a proud and arrogant genius at heart; none of them would submit to another.
The car moved at a steady pace, pulling into the parking lot of a motel around dinnertime.
"’Convenience Motel.’ What a retro name," Wang En Ci remarked casually, looking at the sign with its dated style.
Pilo’s car was the second one. By the time they parked, everyone had already gotten out of the front car, which was Dakoli’s.
The eight of them quickly gathered in the parking lot. Once they were assembled, Dakoli announced the plan. "We’ll be staying and eating here tonight. We’re parking the cars here, too. The journey starts from this point on foot; the road ahead isn’t suitable for driving."
"To save enough energy for tomorrow’s training, I suggest everyone eat a big meal and get some rest early tonight."
"Finally, a friendly reminder: our upcoming trip is into the desert. Although we’ll only be in there for two days and sticking to the Central Circle Zone, essential food and water are indispensable—especially water. I’m sure you all received the notice about this beforehand and have prepared accordingly. If you’ve forgotten to prepare, here’s another friendly reminder: you can buy supplies here in Zhenxi Town, but the prices will be much higher than in Shazhou City."
Dakoli didn’t say how much more expensive it would be, and Li Qian wasn’t particularly interested. In fact, Wang En Ci had already given him a heads-up about it.
In reality, even if he hadn’t mentioned it, Li Qian wouldn’t have been worried. His Space Necklace was perennially stocked with food and water. It held enough to last not just two days, but a whole week without any issue.
"Don’t worry, we’re all prepared." The others exchanged glances upon hearing this, and Ding Ganmao spoke up on behalf of his group to confirm.
With everything settled, Dakoli wasted no more time and led the group into the motel.
"It’s free time now. You can arrange your own dinner. Just remember to gather in the parking lot at six in the morning tomorrow," Dakoli continued. "And keep in mind, we’ll wait ten minutes at most. We leave without you if you’re late."
With that said, he, Pilo, and An Duowan formed their own small group and headed straight into the motel.
Seeing this, Ding Ganmao didn’t hesitate for a second, immediately moving to Li Qian’s side. Wang En Ci naturally followed suit.
He hadn’t forgotten Ding Ganmao’s assessment of Li Qian: ’He’s a real heavy hitter to latch onto; stick with him and you can’t go wrong.’
Since Ding Ganmao had already made his choice clear with his actions, he naturally followed his lead without a second thought.
The striking and confident Li Yuhu thought for a moment before following Dakoli’s trio without much delay.
The last one, the refined-looking Wang Guanjun, hesitated for a moment, then also stopped in his tracks.
Clearly, he had made his choice. Without a doubt, being left on his own, unaligned with any group, was not a good idea at this point.
"Let’s go in, too." Seeing the other three subtly forming a group around him, Li Qian smiled. He didn’t stand on ceremony and strode right inside.
"Li Qian, that Dakoli guy... he’s always got that sour look on his face, acting all cool and high and mighty, like he’s hot stuff..." Ding Ganmao couldn’t help but complain as he watched the backs of Dakoli’s group of four.
Li Qian shook his head, not particularly bothered by it. He said in a calm, unhurried voice, "The worst thing for a team is to lack a unified voice."
"Him taking charge of the arrangements is a good thing for us. Of course, if his decisions are clearly flawed, I’ll step in and stop him," Li Qian analyzed objectively.
He spoke with an air of pride and immense self-confidence.
After his Spiritual Power advanced to the Commander Level, even though he hadn’t yet contracted a third Pet Beast, his strength had already grown by leaps and bounds with Qizai’s and Xiaoliu’s promotions. Putting other things aside, as long as he didn’t encounter any unusual circumstances, self-preservation would definitely not be an issue.