With a single sword strike, the enormous undead bone worm was defeated, though it was accomplished with the assistance of three clerics. Yet, the astonishing prowess was undeniable. Emerging unscathed from the sea of black-green flames, as if nothing had happened, was beyond the capabilities of an ordinary person.

  Leoric had expected such a formidable knight to be a seasoned, muscular man, but when the helmet was removed, he was surprised to see a little girl instead.

  Her bright, light blonde hair fell to her ears, and her emerald green eyes shimmered like deep lakes, seemingly reflecting faint stars. Her lips were slightly pursed, and her sharply defined face was serene, neither smiling nor cold, but rather calm and composed. She looked no older than seventeen or eighteen, with a hint of childlike innocence in her brow.

  She was tall, only slightly shorter thanLeoric, and beautiful, but what was more striking was her heroic and radiant aura. Dressed in a suit of silver armor, with her helmet in her left hand and a nearly half-man-high silver greatsword in her right, standing against the backdrop of the gradually fading inferno, she looked like a Valkyrie descending from heaven, commanding respect.

  Leoric was momentarily stunned, taking a few moments to snap back to reality. The three clerics and the female knight extinguished the flames and rejoined the group of people wrapped in white turbans. They seemed to exchange a few words, and then the caravan prepared to depart.

  Leoric quickly approached to strike up a conversation, but as expected, the language barrier made communication impossible. He couldn't understand them, and they couldn't understand his Netherese. Just when he was feeling frustrated, an old man stepped out from the crowd.

  "Good afternoon, young man," the old man said, smiling. ToLeoric's surprise, he was speaking Netherese.

  However, although it was indeed Netherese, the old man's pronunciation... seemed somewhat odd, with some syllables pronounced inaccurately. But it was still possible to understand the general meaning.

  With the language barrier lifted, the subsequent problems were easily resolved. After understandingLeoric's request, the old man readily agreed to guideLeoric through the vast desert.

  Relieved,Leoric was also somewhat puzzled. He clearly remembered learning in school in Spiritshade City that Netherese, the common language of the ancient Netherese Empire, was not used in other parts of the continent at that time. The empire was destroyed in a sudden catastrophe, and its civilization was lost in the material world, along with the Netherese language. How could this old man speak it?

  With this question in mind,Leoric joined the strange caravan. He discovered that the three clerics and the female knight who had killed the bone worm seemed to be merely traveling companions like him. The most obvious sign was that everyone else was riding camels, while they were riding horses.

  Could horses be ridden in the desert?Leoric had never known this, assuming that camels were the only mode of transportation in the desert.

  Leoric was very interested in the female knight but couldn't find an opportunity to approach her. The four of them—the clerics and the female knight—rode their horses, neither too close nor too far behind the main group. Considering that they were strangers, he didn't want to appear too eager—especially since the female knight was accompanied by three male clerics. After much deliberation,Leoric abandoned the idea of striking up a conversation.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  After another hour or so of travel, it was evening, and the sun was gradually setting.Leoric thought they would camp behind a dune again, but suddenly there was a commotion ahead. Looking up, he saw a stretch of longed-for green in the distance.

  An oasis.

  Leoric naturally knew that there were oases in the desert and had always hoped to see one, but he was still taken aback when he did. Amidst the overwhelming yellow sand, a patch of green suddenly appeared, with aquatic plants and swaying tree shadows. In the middle, there was even a lake, a sight even more breathtaking than a park. For a moment, he doubted his eyes or wondered if it was a mirage.

  But it was clearly not a mirage. The people around him had already rushed forward to set up camp, pitch tents, unload luggage, and send people to fetch water from the lake. Everything was done in an orderly and well-trained manner. Even the three clerics and the female knight who had been following behind had chosen a secluded corner to pitch their tent. In the midst of all the bustling activity,Leoric stood idle and dazed.

  He quickly found an empty spot to pitch his tent and let his camel graze on the aquatic plants. Looking at the lake, he pondered whether to take a bath. The exhaustion of the journey was secondary; he was sticky and dirty, and jumping into the lake seemed tempting. However,Leoric ultimately didn't carry out this plan—not because he feared drowning; he could swim. But seeing so many people filling their water bags at the lakeside, he knew it was best not to make any sudden moves, or he might face a mob.

  As he prepared to return to his tent to rest, a tall man wrapped in a white turban and wearing a scimitar at his waist approached and bowed slightly to him.

  "Please follow me," he said, using very stiff and unstandard Netherese, obviously newly learned.

  Leoric followed him into a large tent and saw only one person inside.

  It was the old man who spoke Netherese.

  "Bedouin tribe?"

  When the old man introduced himself as the "chieftain" of the group,Leoric wasn't too surprised; he had already sensed that the old man had a high status. But when the old man said they were the "Bedouin tribe,"Leoric first felt that the term was familiar and then remembered.

  On the map Brennus had given him, next to the "Dark Road," there were two names in small print: "Thaloren Society" and "Bedouin tribe," accompanied by a sword and dagger symbol.

  Leoric had guessed at the time that this meant the Dark Road was controlled by the Thaloren Society and the Bedouin tribe, and travelers needed to pay a toll or something similar. But now, it seemed that was not the case.

  "Mr. Lannister, you're a wizard, aren't you?" the old man asked bluntly.

  "Call meLeoric,"Leoric said, without answering the old man's question. He was curious how the old man had determined this without him introducing himself as a wizard or displaying any magic.

  The old man seemed to know whatLeoric was wondering and smiled slightly. "You're wearing a wizard's robe," he explained.

  Leoric furrowed his brow; he was indeed wearing a wizard's robe—but from the outside, it didn't look much different from an ordinary robe, so the old man shouldn't have been able to tell.

  However, since the old man had already guessed his identity,Leoric didn't intend to hide it. "I'm a wizard," he said, slightly pleased. Indeed, after graduating from the wizard school, he was now an official wizard.

  "So,Leoric, you want to cross the desert, right?" the old man asked.

  "Yes."

  "You plan to take the Dark Road."

  "Of course, is there another way?"

  The old man looked atLeoric and shook his head slightly. "The Dark Road is no longer passable."

  "Why... why not?"

  "Because the Dark Road is sealed by the Thaloren Society," the old man said, gesturing forLeoric to sit down. "Please, have a seat,Leoric. It's a long story."