Genshin Impact: The Road to Reversal

After leaving the pass guarded by the Bai uncle and nephew, Kailin drove everyone and finally entered the desert after several hours of travel.

The endless sea of ​​sand shimmered golden in the sunlight, each grain of sand seeming to breathe life, emitting a fiery breath. The dunes undulated like waves in the ocean, possessing an endless rhythm. The howling wind swept the sand, whirling it up into pillars that danced freely across the desert like mysterious spirits at a grand revelry.

The SUV's wheels left deep marks in the sand, but they were quickly buried by the wind and sand. Everyone inside the car looked out the window at the scenery, feeling a mixture of emotions.

"Oh, it's a desert after all. There's nothing but bare sand dunes. How boring!" Karen complained while holding the steering wheel.

"What else? It's hard for green plants to grow in the desert due to the lack of water, right?" Mo Yan said with his arms folded.

But Kailin replied impatiently, "Stop being sarcastic at this time, okay? Instead of this, why don't you find some fun for me, even if it's just humming an off-key song."

"I wouldn't dare to do that." Mo Yan said with a shrug.

At this moment, Zi Xuan in the back seat gave a helpless smile, then looked at Tian Lang and asked, "Speaking of which, isn't Sandy Ridge just like the name implies, with sand all around?"

Tianlang smiled softly and said, "Of course not. While the Shaling Mountains may be a barren desert today, they were once a thriving rainforest."

"Ah, is that true?" Upon hearing this, Karen instantly became interested.

"Of course, I think I haven't told you about Shaling yet. Many years ago, this place was indeed a rainforest, but as people overexploited resources, the greenery here gradually decreased."

"You mean that people dug up the entire rainforest on their own?" Zhao Heng asked in surprise.

"Oh, that's not the case, but that's probably one of the reasons." Tianlang continued, "In the past, although the rainforest was prosperous, it was also full of dangers. Even ordinary creatures could grow to the same size as ordinary monsters here."

"Ah, isn't that a mutation?" Karen asked in surprise.

"Drive carefully and don't interrupt!" Mo Yan said.

Tianlang smiled softly. "Not entirely. The main reason is that the rainforest contains a wealth of elemental energy, and this elemental energy has accumulated in animals over a long period of time, gradually allowing them to grow to the same size as monsters. Initially, the people here were afraid, so they wanted to solve the problem from the root, but they never thought..."

"You never thought that this action would indirectly destroy this place, right?" Zhao Heng asked.

"You can say that." Tianlang nodded.

"But it shouldn't become so desolate, right? Don't they know how to exercise restraint?" Zi Xuan asked.

"This isn't a question of moderation. Although excessive deforestation is a secondary factor, the main reason is that the elements here have been over-exploited by outsiders."

"Are you talking about the Sangyang Rebellion?" Zhao Heng asked.

"That's right. I didn't expect that you all could answer the questions now." Tianlang said with his hands folded.

"Hey, can you please stop talking about such nonsense at this time?" Karen said helplessly.

"Oh, sorry." Tianlang coughed a few times and continued, "When you left the pass, you all saw the volcanoes around you, right?"

Mo Yan nodded. "You mentioned this before. You don't mean to say that this is all the result of the spread of volcanic magma?"

"Ah? That's impossible no matter how you think about it," Kailin said. "Although there are many volcanoes in this area, they can't spread so far, or even cover the entire Sand Ridge, right?"

"Of course it's impossible, but the foul air spread by the volcanic magma eroded this place along the broken underground veins. I have said this a long time ago. Those guys over-exploited resources. To this day, there are still many unhealed scars everywhere in Teyvat, and the Sand Ridge is the most serious place." Tianlang said.

"Are you saying that new life cannot grow here because the earth veins have been eroded?" Zhao Heng asked.

"Yes, although there are some, they are very few." Tianlang nodded and said, "Precisely because the number of trees in the rainforest has decreased rapidly, the elemental energy contained here is gradually insufficient to resist the erosion of foul air. As a result, the ecosystem here has a chain reaction. The land gradually loses fertility, water sources dry up or become polluted, and the creatures that rely on the rainforest for survival migrate or become extinct."

"As time went on, desertification accelerated, and the once lush greenery was replaced by a blanket of yellow sand. The wind became the master of this land, carrying sand everywhere, constantly shaping new sand dunes and burying traces of the past rainforest."

Zhao Heng sighed, "Oh, I'm afraid people never dreamed that the precautions they should have taken to seek safety would end up putting the cart before the horse, becoming accomplices in their own predicament and loss."

"What about the poisonous spirit? Doesn't she care about it?" Karen asked again.

"She has to manage it if she wants to," Tianlang said with a shrug. "She originally prohibited the felling of the rainforest, but people have been cutting it down without permission and are suffering the consequences. She can only try to remedy the situation in other ways, but the effect is minimal."

"From then on, due to the lack of resources, money became unnecessary, because even if you had it, you couldn't buy any food to fill your stomach. In contrast, soil and green plants became valuable items worth a fortune."

At this point, Tianlang remembered something and said, "By the way, when you left the barracks, you should have brought enough water and food, right? It's at least ten days' journey from here to Shaling. Of course, that's the speed of an ordinary convoy. At your speed, you should be there in less than two days. But we also have to consider the possibility of accidents."

"Unexpected factors?" Karen asked.

"Yes, such as quicksand traps, sandstorms and so on, and the desert is so big, you might get lost." After saying that, Tianlang laughed evilly.

"Um... I shouldn't be so unlucky, right?" Karin said.

"Ah? Judging from your tone, you haven't prepared anything?" Tianlang asked with his arms folded.

"Of course I'm prepared, but I didn't expect there would be so many unexpected situations. If they really happen, I don't know if I can hold on..." Karen said awkwardly while holding the steering wheel.

"It doesn't matter. Luck is not part of the plan. If we really encounter it, we can only consider it bad luck." Mo Yan said with his hands spread out.

"Hey, please don't make it sound so absolute. It sounds like we're really going to meet each other." Karen complained with a look of disdain.

On the other hand, Mo Yan smiled faintly: "It doesn't matter. Even if you encounter it, I believe you can handle it easily. After all, you are the number one weapon master in our entire server."