Chapter 719 - 61: Reorientation
Chapter 719 - 61: Reorientation
Listening to Fred’s words and watching his serious expression.Adam admitted that he was indeed flustered for a moment.
But soon, he seemed to realize something.
Pfft!
Adam couldn’t hold back his laughter and burst into a hearty laugh.
Dennis, who hadn’t fallen asleep yet, couldn’t help but slap the sand wildly, holding back very hard.
Chen Wen was awake when Dennis called Fred to get up.
At this moment, he also sat up, clutching his stomach and chuckling.
Hua Yun was awakened by the laughter of the crowd.
Somewhat confused, he looked at everyone.
At first, Fred was a bit puzzled.
But soon, he realized something.
This Russian giant, taller than an off-road vehicle, instantly turned red.
Redder than if he had drunk several liters of vodka.
"Sorry, I forgot we’re in the Southern Hemisphere now."
Fred said awkwardly.
Having lived his whole life in the Northern Hemisphere, Fred hadn’t realized the difference in the night sky between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
"The Big Dipper, which is used to determine direction in the Northern Hemisphere, is not usable in the Southern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, it can barely be seen only north of 30 degrees south latitude, and even then, only in areas with little light pollution and good atmospheric conditions."
Chen Wen said as he reached out and patted Fred’s broad shoulder in comfort.
Upon hearing this, Fred asked, "So how do people in the Southern Hemisphere use the stars to navigate?"
Dennis was about to speak.
But Chen Wen beat him to it and said, "The Southern Cross."
"The Southern Cross can only be seen between 25 degrees north latitude and 90 degrees south latitude. Most of the time, people in the Southern Hemisphere use the Southern Cross to navigate."
It seemed that just speaking wasn’t satisfying enough for him.
With the atmospheric conditions improved a lot, most of the stars in the sky were now visible.
Under the gaze of the crowd, Chen Wen pointed his finger to the sky: "Look over there, that’s the Southern Cross. First, see those four very bright stars? These are the main bright stars within the Southern Cross, Cross η, Cross α, Cross β, and Cross δ. The cross shape they form is the key to navigation."
"Now, imagine in your mind to extend the long axis of the cross 4.5 times in the direction of the horizon. The endpoint of the extension roughly points to the celestial south pole, which is the projection of the true south direction on the horizon."
"Around this point, there are usually the brighter stars Alpha and Beta Centauri for auxiliary positioning. These two stars were historically called Nanmen II and Ma Fu I in Hua Country, and it’s simple to navigate using this constellation."
Waving his hand, Chen Wen quickly determined north, south, east, and west.
Listening to Chen Wen’s explanation, although not very familiar with the names of the constellations,
Fred roughly understood how to determine the direction in the Southern Hemisphere.
He gratefully looked at Chen Wen.
Chen Wen’s Southern Cross Orientation Skill taught him not only how to find his way at night in the Southern Hemisphere but also helped him out of embarrassment.
Because of Chen Wen’s explanation, Dennis and Adam also overlooked Fred’s earlier gaffe.
Adam exclaimed, "How much knowledge is there in your head? Are all Asians this good at learning?"
"Knowledge is power."
Chen Wen laughed and said, "And you’re too stereotypical. Not just Asians, there are people good at learning on every continent in the world."
Adam nodded in admiration.
He had heard of the Southern Cross Orientation Skill, but he had never deeply studied it.
After all, Adam felt that relying on the sun and a stick was enough for ninety-nine percent of situations, but he never considered that he’d encounter that one percent.
But today, he did.
And Adam learned a lot from Chen Wen as well.
Dennis also admired Chen Wen.
He had encountered many survivalists from the Northern Hemisphere, but most were unfamiliar with the Southern Cross Orientation Skill.
Only Chen Wen could easily orient himself and even teach others how to do it.
Hua Yun was also gazing at the sky, recalling Chen Wen’s words, memorizing the Southern Cross Orientation Skill.
It’s undeniable that a man who can read the stars has a mysterious and romantic aura.
Now she’s seeing Chen Wen in a different light.
Meanwhile.
Near the body of the dromedary camel that Chen Wen tamed.
The awakened call of the whistling kite looked at the sky, taking a long time to understand Chen Wen’s meaning.
It excitedly called out.
And at this moment, the Taipan Snake cautiously came to the side of the whistling kite, asking how to look at the stars.
The whistling kite shared all its knowledge, and the Taipan Snake gradually understood.
The two animals, who had never paid attention to stars before, gathered together, looking at the magnificent stars in the sky, whispering to each other.
Despite not being able to clearly see the stars, the relationship between the two animals grew much closer overnight.
...
The next morning.
When Chen Wen got up, the atmosphere had cleared up a lot.
After all, the desert is not a city. Although the impact here of a sandstorm is considerable, the sandstorm dissipates relatively quickly.
If it were in urban areas, the scale of the sandstorm would be smaller, but it would last longer.
"The direction is confirmed, let’s get ready to head out again."
Seeing Chen Wen get up, Dennis, who was wearing a mask, said.
Chen Wen sat up and nodded.
He took a few sips of water through the mask’s seams, stuffed two pieces of camel jerky, and chewed to replenish his strength.
With the direction confirmed again, Dennis was much more cautious.
He used the sun to correct the course once more, while using his unique skill to determine their current location and adjust the route.
Under Dennis’s guidance, the group pushed forward quickly and finally reached the oasis by noon.
Reaching the oasis meant they had completely left the mysterious death zone of ten kilometers.
"Ah! We finally made it out!"
Dennis exclaimed while looking at the scenery in the oasis, full of emotion.
The others were also filled with emotion.
Chen Wen glanced at his animals, seeing they were unharmed and mentally healthy.
The Brahminy Kite and the whistling kite stood one after the other on the dromedary camel. On top was a pad made by Chen Wen from camel skin, allowing the two birds of prey to secure their footing.
The Taipan Snake still occupied the camel’s stomach sac; its feeding schedule is quite irregular.
After a hunt, it often takes two to three weeks to digest before hunting again.
At this moment, the Taipan Snake mainly rested.
After replenishing supplies in the oasis.
The group pressed on.
Once past the death zone of ten kilometers, the road ahead was much smoother.
Next, with Dennis leading the way, Hua Yun and Fred gathered firewood and camel dung along the way, Adam made some items to facilitate travel, and Chen Wen used the Brahminy Kite and the whistling kite to occupy the skies and observe the surroundings.
The Taipan Snake stayed with the team.
As they traveled, aside from the high temperatures and scorching sun that were hard to bear,
they didn’t encounter any danger along the way.
Not even a scare; it was extremely safe.
After seven consecutive days of walking.
On the morning of the eighth day, Dennis excitedly announced good news to the group: "Folks, we’re about to reach the second oasis. The total journey should take about three days, and before reaching the second oasis, we’ll pass by an aboriginal village."
As he spoke, Dennis earnestly advised everyone: "This indigenous village is deep within the desert. They still follow ancient rules and are relatively wary of outsiders. Apart from exchanging camel skins for some supplies, try not to interact with them."
Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement.
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