Chapter 122

Chapter 122

Next, she returned to the highway and continued forward. There was a section of the road that crossed through a mountain range.

It was this very mountain range that allowed the Mang Fish River to flow from north to south towards Mangge City.

And to the north of this mountain range, there was another river called the Mang Cha River that flowed northwards.

The Mang Cha River flowed down from the mountains and eventually converged into the Mang Cha Salt Lake, where there were salt fields near the lake.

Wen Qian had seen many salt fields on satellite maps before, or rather, they could be seen in many places in Xia Province.

Wherever there were salt lakes in Xia Province, people would develop salt fields, these salt-panning fields of varying sizes and depths.

On the map, they looked like pieces of jade, very beautiful.

And there were many such salt fields in Xia Province, so if you zoomed in a bit on the map, you could find all sorts of colorful salt lakes.

Wen Qian had never had the chance to visit these places before, but now that she was passing through, she naturally wanted to take a good look.

The human settlements that appeared relying on the salt lakes and salt fields were very small, but they used to be quite famous tourist attractions in the past.

Allowing many tourists to take photos and visit, because most travelers could not easily see such sights.

Due to the high salt content, it was difficult for various plants to grow in this area, so presumably there were not many people who could live here initially.

In such places, the ground didn't grow grass, there were no fish in the water, and no birds flew above.

Initially, there were no people here either, but later, in order to develop the resources here, a population of over 10,000 emerged.

That was the number before the catastrophe; later, if there was a lack of supplies, this place would essentially be uninhabitable for humans.

Because there was simply too much salt here, to the point where a section of the road was even built with salt.

Wen Qian would have to continue walking on that road, otherwise it would be very inconvenient to take a detour.

At the same time, she was also thinking about whether she could take some salt with her.

She had more than enough salt for her own consumption, but she didn't mind having a little more.

Although she knew that the salt here could not be consumed directly, there were methods to refine it into coarse salt or refined salt.

Humans had been making salt since ancient times, and Wen Qian was very curious to try it herself.

Compared to the history of this place turning from ocean to land, that period of time was just a blink of an eye.

Who knows when its next period of prosperity and liveliness would be, but Wen Qian would not have a chance to witness it.

After leaving that place, Wen Qian set off for her next destination.

Next, she continued heading north, where the highway and railway would gradually separate, and Wen Qian chose to continue along the highway, heading north first, then east.

This route was relatively desolate, with no rivers or lakes, only a barren expanse of desert.

Even with the arrival of spring, this place had little greenery, mostly just yellow.

However, there were large mountains in the distance, which seemed to have more vegetation.

The railway and highway branched out from that area, with the railway passing through the mountains, while the highway went around them to a flatter area.

However, after going around the mountains, they would eventually converge again at some point.

Wen Qian chose the highway, even though the route was a bit longer, but the road was easier to travel on.

However, it would still take Wen Qian a few days to reach the area near those mountains. When she got tired, she would take out her portable housing unit and find a spot near the highway to set it up and rest.

She would light the heater, eat the dry rations she had prepared earlier, and after heating up some water, soak her feet in it to relieve her fatigue.

After a few days of living like this, she finally arrived near the mountains.

The name of this mountain range was quite long, and Wen Qian could not remember it, but she knew that after going around these mountains, there would be a very large lake near the highway.

The vegetation there was more lush, and aside from fetching water, Wen Qian would also look around to see if there was anything else she could collect.

Before the catastrophe, that lake was also a scenic area, an oasis amidst the vast desert.

The southwest edge of the lake happened to be where two expressways intersected. Those who had been driving for a long time on the expressway could take a break here to ease the visual fatigue brought on by the monotonous scenery of the Gobi desert.

The reason for the lake's existence was that there were snow-capped mountains to the northwest and southeast, while on either side of the lake stretched the vast Gobi desert.

This contrast made this place appear even more vibrant with life.

When Wen Qian arrived here, he found that the area was indeed lush with greenery, and while the lake water appeared green from afar, it was remarkably clear up close.

Spring had already arrived prominently here.