The Western Wilderness, also known as the Western Frontier, is an important granary of the Kingdom of Stormwind. The climate is dry and the terrain is flat, with an area several times the size of Elwynn Forest and equivalent to the Central Plains of the United States. The main crops are oats and pumpkins, and at the feet of Oster is a wheat field about to be harvested.
Looking at the plump ears of wheat in front of him, Oster wanted to see the similarities and differences between the crops in this world and those on the earth, so he reached out to pick them. But when his fingers touched the ears of wheat, the latter immediately broke into powder and flew away in the wind.
How is this going? Oster tried a few more wheat ears, but they all shattered at the first touch. Not only that, but in the gradually increasing gusts of wind, the wheat in the entire surrounding field was blown away. It was smashed so thoroughly that even the stems and leaves were broken into pieces, as if they were made of dust.
Dust mist rose into the sky, covering the surrounding area and the sky, like a dream. Oster stared blankly. Is this some kind of crop disease from the magical world? No wonder there are no farmers harvesting despite the abundant harvest.
In this dreamlike fog, a shocking scene caught Auster's eyes:
Countless victims gathered in groups, dragging their families with them, and trudged along the road. Each one of them was sallow, skinny, half-clothed, exhausted from hunger, thirst and trekking, and looked haggard.
The number of victims is so large that the field of vision is endless. However, it was silent, like a group of moving tree roots, silently immersed in walking, and the tattered straw sandals stepped on the wheat ears that were broken into powder.
Among them were many old, weak, women and children. Many victims who lacked water and food fell on the roadside and never stood up again.
In the past few months after time travel, Oster has learned through newspapers and books in his hometown that it is now the 23rd year of Varian III of the Wrynn Dynasty, the 29th year after the Dark Portal was opened, and it is the time of the Great Esing. The years of catastrophe. In another year, the famous fallen dragon Deathwing will land on Stormwind City and destroy half the city with one breath;
However, compared to the raid that came and went quickly, the disaster in front of us was obviously more serious and lasting.
The cause of the famine in the western wilderness is not detailed in the chronicles. Oster couldn't figure it out at first. In a world with abundant resources, advanced technology (magic), and the ability to transform energy and matter and interstellar navigation, how easy would it be to solve a natural disaster?
If it is a simple drought or insect disaster, there are countless ways to deal with it. If it is not possible, the mage can send a blizzard or the druid can cast an insect removal spell. How could such a large-scale and long-term disaster occur? What happened? question?
After asking around, Oster finally understood that this was a plant plague called "blight disease", which had no cure. Almost all the main food crops in the Western Frontier were not spared. Many villages in the west and north have lost their crops, and even farmers have been forced to flee.
Oster had no other place to go for a while, so he followed the group of victims and headed northeast. That was the direction of the West Spring Bridge. The victims probably wanted to go to the rich Irwin State to seek relief and a new life.
But the journey is long. It took Oostfeld five or six hours to get here, and the victims' legs were exhausted and weak, and the journey took several days at least. I wonder how long they have been gone, weeks, or months?
Oster did not expect that his first stop on the adventure would be to escape. Under the scorching sun and the hot wind blowing from the pavement, he moved forward step by step with the victims.
Robbery and fights were happening everywhere, but Oster had no external belongings on his body, even his clothes and shoes were in tatters, which did not attract others to rob him, so he lived in peace.
On the second day, and then the third day...it felt like the surrounding scenery had hardly changed. Oster, who was disheveled and covered in dirt, seemed so natural blending into the ranks of the victims. Walking under the scorching sun, his mouth was dry and his stomach was hungry.
I touched my pocket and found not even a copper or a grain of rice. I really went out on an adventure without bringing anything. Even if they have money, it's not like these refugees will have enough food to spare.
Exhaling the book interface, there are only a few spells that are turned over and over, and the times are all zero, and none of them can be released; what kind of golden finger is there, but it is useless.
He wanted to lower his face and contact Solarius for help, but then he thought that the Dread Lord was really not serious, and his virginity was more important. Besides, the communication device is still on that thing. God knows how to activate it - does it need to be done in public? It may not be effective.
At this time, Oster had not eaten any rice for two days and three nights. He was so hungry that his heart was pressed against his back, and he was unbearably thirsty. Under the scorching sun, the dry hot wind was evaporating the last bit of moisture in his body. Oster asked for water from nearby victims, but was ignored even after asking several people. He was so thirsty that stars appeared in his eyes.
We clearly know that one of the largest water systems in Esing, the tributary of the Neferiti River, is to the east, on the border of the Western Wilds and the Dusk Forest. But given the size of this world, it is estimated that it is at least two or three days away.
As his consciousness became increasingly blurred, Auster suddenly realized a problem: In this high-definition real version of the medieval world, unlike the game characters who have no physical limitations, the foot man can hike over mountains and ridges, across countries and continents, without needing to eat or drink. water rest;
In the harsh wilderness, transportation is more important than equipment. For a traveler like him who has no skills and doesn't even have any luggage, any situation is enough to kill him.
After walking for another four or five hours, Oster, who was already severely dehydrated, could no longer hold on and sat down on the roadside;
I tried to struggle to get up, but my legs and feet were weak and I felt dizzy. Instead of standing up, he fell to the ground.
Spitting out the dry dirt in his mouth, Oster thought sadly that if this continues, a generation of time travelers, who seem to be guardians, will simply die of thirst. You haven't killed a single monster. What's this?
When he was about to pass out, a small bamboo hat blocked the scorching sun, and then a cowhide water bag was handed over to him. Oster, who was dying, saw the sweet rain and swallowed it greedily; because he drank too fast, he was choked and coughed repeatedly.
After drinking several large sips of water, Oster regained some strength and opened his eyes. A woman wearing a headscarf and a dirty face asked with concern, "Are you feeling better?"
Oster gasped and said, "Thank you for saving your life. I will definitely repay you."
The other party pursed his lips and smiled, "What should we repay? We are all on the run, so we should take care of each other."
Although the woman is dressed as a peasant woman, with sunken cheeks and rough skin, in Auster's eyes she is like a goddess descending to earth.
At this time, a thin boy with a headscarf on his head ran over with something in his hands and said excitedly to the woman, "Mom, I found this!"
Auster felt a little regretful when he heard that the woman was already a mother at such a young age. The boy was holding half a pumpkin that had not been infected with the blight disease. The woman said to Oster, "I don't know what your name is yet. If you don't mind, come and have dinner with us."
Auster answered her truthfully and said he was honored. After recovering for a while, he collected firewood nearby and set up a pot to cook pumpkin soup with the boy.
The woman's name is Windsor and the boy's name is Tommy. Asked where Tommy's father was, Windsor refused to say more. As night fell, looking at the mother and son sleeping snuggled up on the grass, although their stomachs were still growling, it was the most comfortable night Oster had slept since he went out.
The next day, after walking for another half day, we finally arrived at a small town. Seeing the arrival of the refugees, the residents of the town quickly closed their doors and had no one to help them.
What is even more desperate is that many refugees in the front have turned back and headed south instead. Word of mouth spread that the Western Springs Bridge, the only link between the Westfall and the Irvine State, had been blocked. The kingdom stationed a regiment and prohibited anyone from crossing the bridge without customs clearance documents.
To the east, you can already see the Xiquan River rushing out of the northern mountains. This trickle in the game has now become a large river hundreds of meters wide. The current is fast and white waves hit the shore. It separates Elwynn and Westfall. It goes all the way south to meet the Dusk River and finally merges into the Thorns. Valley of the Neferiti River.
Due to the large drop, fast current, and wide span, it is impossible for the victims without boats to cross the river. Most people choose to go south to Sentinel Ridge, and they don’t know how many days it will take to walk.
Oster still couldn't figure out why the victims should be prohibited from escaping, even if they didn't provide disaster relief. The reason is that this is a land of royal territory. There can't be many beggars, which is offensive, right?
Fortunately, there was a small church on the edge of the town. The pastor set out a big pot and was giving porridge, and the victims gathered there.
