"What should we do?"
Lu Xuan reached out and gathered a piece of coarse cloth, forming a simple bag shape. Then he crushed some charcoal and spread it on top. Next, he took another piece of cloth, covered the charcoal with it, and then added a layer of fine sand on top. After thinking for a moment, he added another layer, laying down two layers of sand.
Then he had Jorah carry the sack, and a woman carried a bucket of water, slowly pouring it into the sack. Another bucket was attached to the bottom of the sack.
After being filtered through three channels, a stream of clear water slowly flowed into the bucket below. Lu Xuan collected a little and smelled it. It was alright; the fishy, bitter smell was gone.
"The water's cleared up..." the woman beside her shouted in Dothraki. Immediately, the men and women gathered around also joined in with excited shouts.
"Okay, you can have them make a few racks and install more of these filters to remove impurities from the water. But you still can't drink it directly like that. After boiling it and letting it cool, it should be fine."
This method doesn't actually provide a truly safe water source. However, in this survival environment, it's sufficient. Many people in the real world understand this simple survival technique. But in the world of Ice and Fire, it's considered a symbol of wisdom.
Seeing Jorah looking at him with the eyes of someone looking at a wise man, Lu Xuan felt incredibly embarrassed. He couldn't bear the thought of being called a wise man simply for filtering a little water.
"You're a bachelor?" Jorah asked, quite puzzled. Lu Xuan's black hair and eyes were already extremely rare. And he was a bachelor?
"No, I'm not a scholar. I just know a few survival skills. Okay, if the water boils, could you give me a bag?"
"Of course, I'll have someone deliver the water to you after it boils."
Lu Xuan turned around and saw Daenerys behind him. At that moment, an undisguised excitement flashed across her face.
Still too inexperienced. Lu Xuan thought to himself, but didn't show it on his face.
"Kalishi".
“Your wisdom has impressed me greatly, Lu. I hope you can attend my Karasa meeting tonight. We will discuss the upcoming schedule.”
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Chapter 233 A Glimmer of Hope
"Is there no end to the Purgatory Wasteland? We've been walking for two months and still haven't seen a single sign of human habitation."
Dani was complaining. The long journey had brought the young girl to the brink of collapse.
“Everywhere has an end. To the south is Lazarin, the territory of the fowlmen. They hate the centaurs the most. With the strength of our khalasar, anyone who dares to approach will be wiped out by the enraged fowlmen. To the west is the Dothraki plains. Any centaur khalasar could easily destroy us.” Jorah explained simply, but this only made Daenerys more desperate.
No one in the group had ever ventured so deep into the Purgatory Wasteland. This red land seemed to stretch endlessly. They had been walking for two months and, apart from Lu Xuan, had not seen a single living person.
"We've solved the water problem now. But we still don't have enough food. Our current food supply will only last about five days. If we can't solve the food problem, we can stop discussing this now. Because soon we'll all be nothing but bones on the wasteland."
Lu Xuan sat silently in the corner of the tent, carefully observing Daenerys's current decision-making body. Calling it a decision-making body would be an understatement.
The total number of participants included Daenerys, her two handmaidens, four Blood Guards including Ser Jorah, an old man who appeared to be Khal Drogo's former groom, and an experienced old shepherd. These individuals together constituted the current decision-making body of this centaur tribe.
Clearly, apart from Sir Jorah, who had some experience, the rest were just a bunch of reckless fools. Expecting them to offer advice was essentially pointless.
At this moment, Dani noticed Lu Xuan in the corner. This strange, black-haired, black-eyed sage had helped them solve their water problem. This allowed her to wash her face before tonight's meeting, which made Dani a little happy. After all, the Queen always had to pay attention to her image.
“Sir Lu,” Dani addressed Lu Xuan as a knight, even though Lu Xuan wasn’t actually a knight. But by any measure, he couldn’t possibly be one of those commoners in this world.
“What are your thoughts? You helped us solve the water problem during the day. But now, we still face the food problem. Everyone is exhausted, and we need more precise guidance.”
“I’m sorry, Khaleesi. I know nothing about this place and can’t offer any better advice. However, I’ve noticed that there are some live animals in the group. Why not kill them to supplement our food supply?”
“Those livestock belong to those herders, I can’t…”
"Those herdsmen are your subjects. In a sense, their property is also your property." This was the confidence of nobles in feudal times. Not only property, but in reality, even the people were the property of the lord.
Seeing Dani hesitate, Lu Xuan thought for a moment and said...
"This is the best option right now. I've noticed a problem. The grass on the Red Wasteland, while enough to feed the livestock, is causing almost all of them to lose weight rapidly. This indicates that the grass is actually insufficient to support their growth, let alone provide clean water."
These living animals consume large amounts of fodder and water every day. This is a burden on our supplies. Karasa is currently facing a difficult time. I think, Khaleesi, your focus should be more on the people, not these animals.”
"It's just too hot in the Red Wasteland. Meat is hard to preserve for long."
"That's not a problem. As long as the moisture in the meat is dried out by roasting, it can be preserved for a long time. This will also free up more manpower for hunting or filtering water."
“Kalish, I think Sir Luke’s opinion makes a lot of sense.” Jorah was the first to voice his support. Regardless of his personal character, he was truly loyal to Dani and always considered her needs.
"Okay, I'll do as you say."
The next day, amidst the wails of a group of old and weak horsemen, all the living livestock except the horses were slaughtered. Large quantities of meat were sliced, dried, and sun-dried to produce a huge pile of jerky.
Lu Xuan also directed several women to mash some of the meat into dried minced meat, which was then distributed to Dani's elite Blood Alliance guards.
These people needed to break away from the main group and explore on horseback. They needed to find water, prey, and possible tribal cities, so they required a simple yet filling food.
This minced meat was a type of military ration used by elite scouts in ancient China. Normally, they would simply boil a pot of water, add a handful, and in less than a minute, they could make a meat porridge. It was very filling and popular among the scouts. In critical situations, they didn't even need to boil water. They would just grab a handful, eat it, and then drink a large gulp of water, allowing the minced meat to slowly expand in their stomachs. They wouldn't feel hungry for most of the day.
As a knight, Jorah could clearly sense the significance of these simple military rations. It was clearly a very sophisticated military tactic. Even if Lu Xuan claimed he wasn't a knight, Jorah wouldn't believe him. In this era, ordinary people already struggled enough to survive; they simply had no access to this level of knowledge.
The meat supply seems plentiful, but when divided among the entire Karasa, it wouldn't last more than a few days. The centaurs don't kill horses easily, but if things get really unbearable, they will.
The heat of the Red Wasteland was unbearable. For these centaurs accustomed to wearing animal skins, it was a disaster. Even with a sliver of water, the old, weak, and sick continued to fall one by one. Heat, disease, malnutrition—any minor problem was magnified on this path to survival, ultimately claiming a centaur's life.
The size of Karasa was rapidly shrinking. Twenty days after Lu Xuan joined, the original team of two hundred had dwindled to only one hundred and fifty. A terrifying mortality rate. However, this rate was decreasing because the weakest members had almost all died. Those remaining, while not the young and strong, were still considered laborers.
Food is running out. Almost all the jerky has been used up. Of the original fifty-odd horses in the caravan, ten have already been killed.
In theory, every centaur male should have his own horse. But Dani's khalasar was far too weak. Most of the old, weak, and sick horses were stolen when they separated from the herd.
Twenty days later, the group was down to about 120 people. No one left, because leaving would mean an even faster death. But those who remained saw no hope. A silence fell over the group. Just then, Lu Xuan looked up and around.