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.
Wen Qian felt that she could obtain the materials first, and then make plans to try it out when she had time in the future.
Since she had come all this way, she should take something with her, Wen Qian thought.
Speaking of this salt lake industrial area, aside from producing salt, it also produced more fertilizers.
However, Wen Qian felt that she could not master that technology, otherwise with fertilizer, her crops should yield better harvests.
Thinking this, Wen Qian was getting closer and closer to the salt lake.
Here, the ground was covered in a white expanse, while in the distance, the water looked like a mirror, with a jade green or light green surface that seemed very beautiful.
But this place was particularly desolate, she could not see any people or wild animals.
Wen Qian got off the highway and found a spot, entering one of the square salt fields.
Since there was no one to maintain them, and no one would regularly let brine into the salt fields, the water in these places had long since dried up, leaving only white salt behind.
If she had time, she could actually use brine to directly salt-pan or boil brine to take away, but since she was in a hurry, she could only take what was readily available there.
As for how to further refine it, that would have to wait until she found a safe place to settle down.
So Wen Qian spent another day and night there. Apart from using a shovel to scoop up a good amount of salt into her spatial storage, she also walked along the original tourist route for a while, observing the beautiful scenery at different times of day.
Once she had enough salt, Wen Qian left directly.
Wen Qian rode her bicycle along the once famous salt road, riding at a very fast speed.
Wen Qian rode for a long time before she could no longer see the salt fields around her.
After passing through that section, Wen Qian immediately started cleaning and drying the tires of her bicycle, worried that the salt would corrode them and reduce their lifespan.
Although she also knew that this journey would likely ruin them eventually, she wanted to use them for as long as possible.
Including the boots she wore and the shovel she used while walking in the salt fields, she cleaned and dried them, putting them into her spatial storage.
Passing through this area, aside from salt, there was nothing else, and Wen Qian had no interest in exploring the various industrial areas, big and small.
She had only observed them through her telescope, but there were no signs of human activity.
This once populous area due to industry and tourism had now fallen completely silent.
However, thinking about how this place went from quiet to bustling and back to quiet again, it didn't even take 100 years.
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.
