Magic Space: Struggling to Survive in the Apocalypse

Chapter 296: Crystell City 1

They were now more than halfway through their journey. Several months had passed since they’d left the small courtyard, and the temperature had risen from minus sixty-six degrees to minus forty-three.

’Humans are incredibly adaptable. For someone from the south, living at over forty degrees below zero somehow didn’t seem so difficult anymore.’

’When the apocalypse began, the temperature had plummeted to five or six degrees below zero, and so many people had frozen to death. The ones who survived to this day, after countless rounds of natural selection, had developed a certain resistance.’

At 6:30 the next morning, the group began moving toward a thicket of shrubs. Reaching it, five kilometers away, required crossing several steep sand dunes. The sand layer here was loose, and everyone worried they might run into quicksand again.

Ronan Kendrick once again went ahead to scout, while Evelyn Ford blew her whistle and led the team to follow.

The sun was bright today. Though it offered little warmth, a rare, pale blue hue graced the sky. Standing on the platform, Evelyn Ford felt her spirits lift.

Once they reached the thicket, everyone quickly dismounted to chop branches. They also had to shovel up the surrounding snow to take with them. The area was littered with animal droppings and footprints; with the temperature rising, most creatures had begun to emerge to forage and move about.

Evelyn Ford gathered quite a few more venomous scorpions. She’d made a new discovery: the scorpions were more active at night. During the day, their movements grew sluggish. Though the "bee-tailed" venomous scorpions had four pairs of eyes, their sight was extremely poor and they were sensitive to light. At night, however, their sense of smell became more acute, making it easier for them to capture prey.

After bundling the branches and loading them onto the backs of the moose and argali sheep, they returned to their wagons. Ronan Kendrick blew his whistle, and the convoy continued on its way.

As they passed an earthen wall, two roe deer suddenly sank into a quicksand pit. After they were rescued, the group realized the entire area was quicksand that was flowing rapidly. They had no choice but to take a detour.

They had planned to cover an additional twenty kilometers, but after several delays, they had only managed forty for the day.

By now, they could see several rows of abandoned wind turbines in the distance, with discarded blades littering the ground.

Upon entering the territory of Crystell City, more and more farmland came into view, along with rows of bare fruit trees draped in chains of ice. The vast expanse held no trace of green—only an endless sea of white snow.

Two days later, the convoy entered Crystell City. The buildings here were in relatively good condition, and smoke was rising from some of the houses.

When someone saw them entering the city, a clamor of gongs and drums erupted. Men and women, young and old, wielding broadswords and long spears, poured out from the alleys and surrounded Evelyn Ford’s group.

These people stared in astonishment at the towering Mammoth, the bay horses, and the countless argali sheep and Red Deer.

"Who are you people? Why are you here?"

A young man in his twenties stood at the forefront, holding a knife. He demanded harshly. Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick emerged from their wagon, and the others began to dismount as well.

"We’ve come from Rivenia. We’re heading to Frelia and are passing through Crystell City. We were hoping to rest here for two days. We didn’t expect to find anyone in the city."

’Judging by their clothes, their lives must be very hard. Their clothes were covered in patches, and many of them were stooped over. It was obvious they weren’t getting enough to eat and lacked salt, leaving them with no strength.’

"To Frelia? How many of you are there? Crystell doesn’t take in outsiders. You need to leave immediately." The man’s tone was hostile. His voice was young, but he had a thick beard.

"If you want to pass through Crystell, you have to pay a toll. If you don’t want to die, hand over your livestock and wagons."

One of the men stepped forward. More and more people swarmed in from behind, brazenly eyeing the flocks of sheep and horses. A few children tried to touch the Mammoth but were frightened by its roar and fell over.

Evelyn Ford’s expression grew cold. There were many people in Crystell City. One to two hundred residents now surrounded them, all armed and looking murderous.

"A toll? Are you the mayor of Crystell City?" Evelyn Ford asked coldly.

The man stepped forward and stared at Evelyn Ford, his gaze suddenly turning lewd. "Well now, look what we have here. A little lady. The women can stay. We’ll provide food and shelter."

Several others stepped forward to leer at Evelyn Ford. At that exact moment, a gun appeared in Ronan Kendrick’s hand. He fired at the man who had spoken, a single shot to the head. The sudden violence terrified everyone. They screamed and scrambled back, then raised their weapons again, staring at Ronan Kendrick in horror.

"You dare kill someone on my turf?" The man with the thick beard walked up to the Mammoth, brandishing his knife. Ronan Kendrick raised his gun and aimed it at the man’s head.

"You’re dead," Ronan Kendrick said coldly, spitting out the two words. He then pulled the trigger. The man with the beard dodged quickly, but another man behind him was not so fortunate and took the bullet straight through the throat.

With two people dead in an instant, the crowd grew agitated. Some roared in anger, while others turned and fled in terror.

Evelyn Ford went back to the wagon, grabbed several long rifles, and jumped down from the platform. She distributed the guns to the people in her group. Seeing that they had so many weapons, the bearded man’s expression changed, his dark gaze fixed on Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick.

"A misunderstanding! Friends, you’re magnanimous people, don’t stoop to our level. Tiger, make way. Let our friends go to the Riverview Pavilion and get some rest."

Riverview Pavilion was the best inn in Crystell City, and it was also the bearded man’s territory.

"No more toll?" Evelyn Ford glanced at the crowd, her tone neutral.

The bearded man chuckled. "Of course not. How could we charge a toll? We’re all countrymen here. It was a misunderstanding, a total misunderstanding. We were blind to your importance. My apologies. Please, follow me."

"No need. We’ve changed our minds. We’re leaving the city now."

Evelyn Ford took out her whistle, and the Mammoth began to walk forward. She and Ronan Kendrick dismounted to walk alongside it, while Quincy and the others stood ready on the wagons with their guns. Evelyn Ford gave them a meaningful look.

"It’s getting late. Why don’t you all stay and rest for the night? It would give me a chance to properly apologize for what happened. I don’t have much here, but I do have some wine left. If you don’t mind, you can try Crystell’s fruit wine."

The two bodies had already been dragged away. The onlookers were angry and afraid. A small child started wailing in terror, but an adult immediately clamped a hand over their mouth and dragged them away.

Evelyn Ford looked at the bearded man, then nodded. "In that case, it would be rude to refuse."

Seeing Evelyn Ford agree, a vicious glint flashed in the bearded man’s eyes.

"You’re too polite, young lady. The buildings in our Crystell City are in good shape. You’re all welcome to stay long-term. This place of ours is a small base, you could say. We live by hunting, and with your weapons, that’ll be no problem at all. I can give you the best houses."

Evelyn Ford smiled but didn’t say anything.

Arriving at the Riverview Pavilion the bearded man had mentioned, a few people came over, wanting to help settle the Mammoth and the herd of horses.

"We’ll settle them ourselves. These animals have bad tempers. When they kick, they don’t hold back."