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墨書 Inktalez
Garen could not remember how long he had been walking in the desert.
Aside from the azure sky, all he could see was the monotonous dark yellow sand and stones, scorched by the relentless sun.
There was no food, no clear water, no greenery, no buildings...
And no people.
It was as if in this Desert Sea, there was no second life apart from Garen.
Indeed, Garen had seen bones in the Desert Sea, encountered empty water canisters, and various lost items, but he had never seen any signs of life.
"Rustle! Rustle!"
Yellow grains of sand flowed out from the seams of his clothes, and Garen's black hair was coated with a dull yellow hue, appearing extremely disheveled due to the sweat. His pale lips were cracked, clearly indicating that he had not had a drink for a long time.
He truly could not recall how many days and nights he had spent here; he only knew it felt endless. Even his Second Rank physique had been worn down to a critical state.
Now, he needed to find a building, to find a town.
If he remembered correctly, this should be the sixth time Garen had lost his way... Not long ago, he had determined his direction by observing some desert vegetation, but soon after, a sandstorm had appeared nearby.
Under normal circumstances, Garen would not fear a sandstorm with his abilities, but in this land, all his strength felt bound.
If it weren't for the physique of a Second Rank, Garen would have struggled to survive even the first sandstorm. By now, his stamina was nearly depleted; after all, in the desert, natural disasters were not the most terrifying aspect.
The most troublesome issue was always the water supply.
This was also the primary reason for Garen's exhaustion—since arriving here, he had not taken a single sip of water.
Walking on foot, he had no idea how far he had traveled when Garen suddenly stopped.
In the distance, about a kilometer away, there appeared to be a large lake! Horses rested by the shore, lowering their heads to drink clear water!
A mirage.
After gazing at it for a moment, Garen continued on his way as if he hadn't seen anything.
If it had been a few days ago, Garen might have approached to take a closer look; after all, even an excellent commander could misjudge at times. But now, the little stamina he had left did not allow him that luxury.
Every additional kilometer walked was a step closer to death.
Soon, night fell.
The nights in the desert were always the coldest—not from a sudden drop in temperature but from a bone-chilling loneliness that came from within, for those who were here felt the most isolated.
By morning, the scorching sun shone down once more.
Garen continued onward.
In the desert, it is impossible to leave footprints because the wind is so strong that within minutes, the sand will cover any traces left behind. This makes it very easy to get lost here.
The wind grew even stronger...
Garen squinted his eyes. Based on his experiences during this period, such strong winds were rare in this desert, unless it was one particular situation—a sandstorm!
Was it coming again?
Fatigue filled Garen's eyes. At this moment, he had no strength left to push against the wind. He felt his eyelids growing heavier, his body gradually losing balance, and then he fell backward.
Just before he slipped into unconsciousness, two voices faintly reached his ears...
"Hey, haven't I seen him somewhere before?"
"Don't joke around, Kekafu! If it weren't for completing the mission, you would never set foot in West City Desert in your lifetime!"
"Maybe... but I feel like I must have seen him when I was a child."
"Let's take him back first. Handing him over to the Temple should bring us some good rewards! Hehe, Master Yi is particularly interested in mysterious individuals like him!"
...
...
"Are you awake? You've consumed twelve barrels of water over the past three days. If I hadn't done it myself, I wouldn't have believed you were human!"
Time seemed to stretch indefinitely before Garen heard a voice whispering in his ear, gradually bringing his senses back to clarity. He opened his eyes to find himself lying on a wooden bed by the window. Outside, the streets bustled with life, filled with the shouts of vendors and the rumble of cartwheels, all set against an ancient backdrop that mirrored the interior of the room.
As Garen attempted to rise, he heard a clanking sound from his limbs. To his surprise, two thick black chains bound him tightly.
“Please don’t move. You are my slave now,” Kekafu said with a gentle smile.
“Slave?” Garen's voice came out hoarse, as if he hadn’t spoken in ages.
“Yes, I know you have many questions, but before I answer them, you must first answer mine.” Kekafu offered him a cup of Clear Water and added, “By the way, my name is Kekafu.”
Garen drank the entire cup, feeling his throat ease somewhat. He nodded in acknowledgment. “That seems fair.”
Seeing that Garen did not react with the typical rage and struggle of previous slaves, Kekafu smiled with delight.
However, that smile quickly faded. Kekafu asked seriously, “I want to know if we’ve met before or if you recognize me.”
“I don’t recognize you.”
Kekafu was taken aback by Garen’s swift response and frowned. “Are you sure you don’t want to think about it again?”
Garen simply gazed at him in silence.
Kekafu suddenly seemed to understand something. He picked up a bowl of meat soup from the table and said, “Please think carefully again; this is your food.”
Still, Garen remained silent, staring at Kekafu without reaching for the bowl.
Kekafu was a bit angry and said, "Do you have any other requests? Hmph, I won't unlock it for you!"
Garen finally withdrew his gaze, shook his head, and replied, "I truly haven't seen you before. I can't answer your question, so I can't accept the food."
Kekafu was taken aback, recalling Garen's earlier statement, "That's fair."
"Alright, I was too narrow-minded. Please accept the food!" Kekafu said somewhat shamefully as he offered the soup to Garen.
Garen still did not take it.
Kekafu added, "You can consider this a necessity; after all, I can't let my slave starve."
Only then did Garen accept the soup and took a small sip.
Although he hadn't eaten in a long time, more important than alleviating his hunger was the fact that eating too quickly in this situation could lead to serious consequences.
"And then?" Kekafu quietly waited for a moment, watching Garen finish the soup.
"It tastes pretty good," Garen said, feeling warmth spreading through his body, nourishing his nearly parched form.
Kekafu shook his head and said, "I meant your question. Do you have anything you want to ask me?"
"Oh, I hope you can explain what a slave means," Garen said as he looked directly into Kekafu's eyes.
Even though there were often tales of finding slaves in the Valoran Continent, Garen sensed something was off coming from Kekafu.
At the moment when Garen's gaze fell upon him, Kekafu suddenly felt a shiver run down his spine, nearly toppling from his chair. This inexplicable sensation filled him with anger; after all, this guy was merely his slave!
"Many years ago, Master Yi began searching for certain special individuals. Capturing such slaves and bringing them to the Temple would yield a handsome reward," Kekafu explained, gesturing toward Garen's clothing. "To make it easier to identify slaves, Master Yi altered the residents' style of dress."
Garen took a glance around and noticed that Kekafu was wearing a linen garment adorned with floral carvings, and even the pedestrians outside were similarly dressed. In contrast, his own Black Suit did seem rather odd.
"However, Master Yi also issued orders prohibiting harm to slaves. All slaves sent to the Temple must be in good health," Kekafu concluded.
From Kekafu's brief remarks, Garen had already pieced together much information.
For instance, residents like Kekafu in their linen attire were likely natives of Immortal City, and the slaves that Master Yi sought to capture were probably those drawn into the city by the blood clan.
Yet, there were only two explanations for Master Yi's targeted actions.
Either Master Yi was an elder of Immortal City who viewed Harbinger as an enemy and intended to use Harbinger for some purpose, thus requiring "healthy bodies."
Or, Master Yi was actually a member of Harbinger!
Among Harbinger, there was only one person capable of rapidly attaining such a high status...
Tastandin!
"Then may I ask, where is the Temple located?" Garen continued to inquire.
Kekafu pointed in the direction outside the window.
Suddenly, there stood a magnificent and exquisite large palace!
Garen nodded, not rushing to take any action. After all, the idea that " Master Yi is Tastandin" was merely a current hypothesis. Until it was verified, Garen had no intention of acting recklessly.
Compared to Tastandin, his more important goal was to find Han Yun.
Of course, the first thing he needed to do was to restore his body. During his days in the desert, Garen's physical condition had deteriorated to an extreme degree. Even with his extraordinary recovery ability, it was difficult for him to heal quickly.
Time passed in the blink of an eye, and three days went by.
Aside from conversing with Kekafu, Garen spent the rest of his time observing Immortal City. This ancient city gave off a mysterious illusion. During this period, Garen also kept an eye on the movements at the Temple.
It wasn't until that morning that a group of guards emerged from the tightly closed doors of the Temple.
They treated something as if it were a precious treasure, carrying it outside and inserting it into a small circular hole in the ground at the Palace Entrance.
Only after this group of guards returned to the Temple did Garen finally see what was inside the circular hole.
It was a spear.
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