"I have one more question," Sun Hang looked at Nuer, who was clumsily peeling the aluminum foil packaging of the compressed biscuit, "How do hunters like you find direction over the Desert Sea?"
Considering the Desert Sea natives’ level of technology, they probably don’t have those precise positioning instruments. Even if they found some remnants of the old civilization, those things might not be usable—more than half of the high-tech equipment brought by the advance team became ineffective in the Surrendered Area, let alone those antiques from a hundred years ago.
"With this." Nuer raised his arm.
Sun Hang saw a scar on the inside of Nuer’s right arm, looking like a burn mark.
"What is this?"
"Hunter’s Mark. Before each hunter sets off, the priest will brand us with a Hunter’s Mark. Before the Hunter’s Mark disappears, as long as we are close to the master mark held by the priest, we will feel a burning pain. The more intense the pain, the closer we are to home... Besides, it can sense the emissaries of the underworld. When they approach, the pain turns into an itchy sensation, but once it intensifies to the point where the entire arm becomes numb, it indicates we are within dangerous distance and must immediately move away..." Nuer explained to Sun Hang babblingly.
Sun Hang examined the scar carefully, judging by its shape, it seemed to be branded with some sort of heated iron, but Nuer’s scar was almost healed now, with raised granulation tissue on the surface, making it impossible for Sun Hang to discern the original pattern of the mark.
According to Nuer, once the scar completely heals, the special effects of the mark will vanish—Sun Hang didn’t sense any memetic aura from this mark, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a strange object: many intangible strange objects, such as phenomenon-type and rule-type ones, are also devoid of any perceptible memetic aura, this so-called "Hunter’s Mark" probably belongs to that category.
As Nuer was speaking, his expression suddenly changed, pressing his scar with the other hand, murmuring, "This is bad... I’ve been out too long, my Hunter’s Mark is about to disappear."
"If you hurry back now, will you make it in time?" Sun Hang asked.
"I don’t know... my sand boat is already..."
"I can take you back." Sun Hang took out his skateboard, "But you have to take me with you."
"No, no, no! Absolutely not!" Nuer shook his head repeatedly, "If I take you back, the priest will definitely kill you! Not only will you die, but I’d also be punished! Neither of us will survive!"
"Do you think your priest can kill me?" Sun Hang couldn’t help but feel amused.
"The priest’s power is beyond what mortals can imagine... There was once a rebellion in the settlement, and the priest resolved it alone, taking away their blessed status and turning them into punished monsters..." Speaking of which, Nuer couldn’t help but shiver, "I’d rather die than become one of the punished..."
"Then I’ll remain hidden and stay out of sight." Sun Hang continued to coax him, "You can say your sand boat had an accident, but fortunately, the place of the accident was not far from the settlement, so you barely made it back..."
"No, no, no!" Nuer’s head shook like a rattle, "Lies cannot deceive the priest! He will definitely find you!"
"In that case, let’s make a deal." Sun Hang flashed a smile full of "sincerity."
"What?"
"Do you still want to eat that kind of meat cut from the punished?" Sun Hang first threw out a question hitting Nuer’s heart.
Nuer looked at the compressed biscuits in his hand, hesitatingly shook his head.
"If you cooperate with me, I can take you away from here to the outside world," Sun Hang said, "where there are no emissaries of the underworld, nor the boundless Desert Sea, food and water are everywhere... The stuff you’re eating now is emergency rations that are only eaten when there’s nothing else..."
As Sun Hang spoke, he suddenly realized a problem: Nuer had no concept of those delicacies. No matter how many dish names he recited, the other party probably wouldn’t understand what they referred to.
After pondering for a moment, Sun Hang simply placed his hand on Nuer’s head.
The next second, Sun Hang shared his experience of enjoying the delicacies through "memory sharing" with Nuer.
This was not just simple images or sounds, but a comprehensive sensory memory. For Nuer, at this moment, it was as if he had turned into Sun Hang within the memory, indulging in those previously unseen, unheard-of foods.
Scent, taste, the touch of the tongue and the inside of the mouth, the splashing juice when biting down... Nuer was stunned, eyes vacant, mouth slightly ajar, translucent saliva slowly flowing down his mouth’s corner.
"Wake up." Sun Hang gently slapped him, forcibly pulling him out of this "dream," "If you take me to your settlement, I can not only ensure your survival but also guarantee you can eat these things every day."
"Rea... Really?"
"I guarantee it." Sun Hang looked into Nuer’s eyes, "Whether you believe it or not is up to you."
In Nuer’s view, Sun Hang’s eyes were full of sincerity. For a moment, he seemed to see his beautiful future life...
"Okay!" Nuer said.
Sun Hang smiled with satisfaction. Just now, he repeatedly used mental suggestions to erase any doubts and fears within Nuer’s heart.
Nuer dismantled the sand boat and made something resembling a sled with its materials, tying it to his feet—only this way could he prevent his feet from sinking into the sand while walking on the Desert Sea.
Sun Hang stepped onto the skateboard, simultaneously holding onto Nuer with one hand—Sun Hang was responsible for providing momentum, while Nuer was responsible for setting the direction.
As for the impatient advance team, they received Sun Hang’s order to "stay put."
...
...
Twenty minutes later, Nuer brought Sun Hang to a halt before a dune.
By now, Nuer’s expression had become somewhat twisted, his forehead covered with sweat beads—not because of heat, but because the burning pain from the "Hunter’s Mark" in his arm had reached an unbearable level.
"Do all hunters endure this suffering when they go out hunting the emissaries of the underworld?" Sun Hang couldn’t help but ask.
"Yes... once... once the mark disappears it will be over." Nuer nodded, "Temporary pain is better than... getting lost in the Desert Sea... and dying in the end..."