Chapter 8 1. Carnivorous rock zone

You should know that France and Italy are at war right now, but have you ever heard of a French colony in North Africa called Tunisia?Tunisia is not far from the ancient city of Carthage.Starting from the city, walking 250 miles south on the hot sand, you can reach an oasis called "Land with Coconuts". The center of the oasis is a Islamic tower made of stone and mud, surrounded by a circle of matchbox-sized huts.Outside the hut, there is a group of nomads who live in palm skin tents and are extremely tough. This oasis is the last place where you can see people, and then go forward, there is only rolling yellow sand.And here is the northern end of the Sahara Desert.

Five miles further south from the "Land of Coconuts", you can see a desert salt lake called "Schott el Djerid".The crystals on the salt lake reflected the scorching sun, and at first glance it looked like a snow field below 140 degrees Fahrenheit.Going forward is the majestic mountains.When you come here, the guide will probably persuade you to go back home. "My lord, Allah bless you. Have you heard of 'Ras al hamra'?" "The red-headed man?" "Yes, the Spaniards also call them 'Forsaken'." The traveler's face immediately turned pale.He tightened the reins and looked towards the distant mountains.In front of it is the daunting "Dark Darkness".As the sun sets, the shadow of the mountain is chilly, and the traveler hurriedly swung his horsewhip and fled in the direction of the "land with coconuts".

Where exactly is this "Darkness"... and what are the origins of those "Forgotten Ones"?Please listen to me carefully.It is said that there is a mysterious area in the hinterland of this continent, only two hundred and fifty miles away from the sea.Inside the mysterious area, there are rocky mountains with a height of 1,000 meters that are easy to climb.Although it is in the desert, there are abundant water sources on the rocky mountain. Looking down from the plane, you can see that there are many streams on the rocky mountain, and there is a waterfall hanging in the middle of the mountain.

Since there is such a rich source of water hidden in the desert, it should form a bustling market town, why no one dares to step into this place?Are there strange peaks and rocks blocking the way, or are there raging sandstorms that make people afraid to approach?More on that later.The ancient Greek geography called this place "Terra Sarcophag", and since it has this name, it must have its origin. Leaving aside whether the theory of "meat-eating rock" is true or not, this kind of rock cannibalism actually happened in modern times. In 1789, Ivan Ogoumed, the prince of Tunisia, organized an expedition to the "Dark Darkness".After the expedition team entered the "big darkness", one night, thirty-two of the expedition team with a total of thirty-eight people suddenly disappeared. It was an unheard of mysterious disappearance.

According to the survivors, there were no traces of struggle, blood, or any trace of someone being taken away on the grass where the expedition team was stationed.The thirty-two living people seemed to have been eaten by the surrounding "rocks", leaving no clues. Afterwards, the legend about Carnivorous Rock intensified, so that no one dared to cross the salt lake to the "Dark Darkness".I don't know who it came from, a strange rumor began to spread among the people-there were red-headed people in the mountains, and the expedition team was taken away by this mysterious tribe!But there are no caves on the mountain to live in, and there are no trees or grass, and there will be no living things.Later, people gradually forgot about it, until an adventure anecdote occurred in Showa 6, which reminded people of the horror legend in the "Dark Darkness".

There is a saying that the ancient continent "Atlantis" is near the salt lake.After hearing about it, Professor Alubert Berman of the University of Berlin led a team to the "Dark Darkness" for investigation. But during the expedition, they encountered an incident. On the sandy land under the "Darkness" mountain, they actually found a live hairtail rolling on the hot sand.At that time, Professor Behrman only felt that his whole body was icy cold, and it seemed that there was a gust of magic wind in his heart.How is this possible?A live fish appeared in the middle of a desert two hundred and fifty miles from the Mediterranean Sea!This sort of thing probably only happens in ghost stories.

The author, I simply take this carnivorous rock area as the main dish, and also use the fresh sea fish that appeared in the desert area as the condiment. I invite the legendary red-headed man to be a guest, and write a story about the "big dark" for readers Taste it!