Chapter 2274: The People Trapped in the Sand Sea

Chapter 2274: Chapter 2274: The People Trapped in the Sand Sea

"You don’t know that fairytale? No problem, I’ll be happy to share the story with you later."

After Shard nodded, the lady with light brown skin, increasingly resembling a dancer unique to the desert regions, also smiled and said:

"Hello, Mr. Hamilton, who has come from afar. Please just call me ’Ms. Mister.’ I’m also here searching for the Heart of the Oasis. My tribe needs this treasure, rumored to sustain any barren land with life eternally, to maintain an oasis on the brink of decline."

The cloth on her body is indeed pitifully scarce, and on the surface, she is an Eleventh Rank Witch.

Lastly, there is the ordinary Lady Knight. Although her appearance isn’t as beautiful as the three witches, she is rather pretty among ordinary people. Despite her grey hair, her face suggests she is around thirty years old.

"Hello, I’m Shelly Knight from the Duchy of Flad on the Eastern Continent. Our country was cursed by a demon. The Queen sought help from witches, and the witch instructed Her Majesty the Queen to find the ’Heart of the Oasis.’ A team of 45 reached here, but only I remain now."

She performed a standard knightly salute to Shard, and Shard, also bearing the title of ’knight,’ awkwardly returned the gesture:

"Miss Nate, you are truly courageous."

Thus, the basic situation of this set of companions has been fully understood. Old Lady Sianod then invited everyone to sit down to talk instead of standing there:

"Mr. Hamilton, do you need food and water? We have some here and can share with you. In this desert, you can endure hunger, but you absolutely cannot lack water. Even if you don’t feel thirsty, you must not lack water. Lack of water will lead to further memory confusion and Aether instability, until finally, the body either turns into a pile of sand or melts in the light."

Remarkably, the other three don’t object at all to the Old Elf distributing all their supplies to the outlander Shard. Indeed, this elderly Old Elf has mastered the leadership of the group.

When she mentioned the consequences of not drinking water, everyone except the lady with brown skin, Ms. Mister, and the mermaid Miss Sandra showed complex expressions, clearly having witnessed more than one person die like this before their eyes.

"It’s fine, don’t worry about me, I have quite a lot of supplies myself."

Said Shard, pulling out toys from his pocket and transforming them into real objects one by one. The bulk of the supplies Shard carried were food and water, though he usually didn’t need it himself, but individuals during his time explorations, such as Ancient Witches and ordinary people, often did.

Seeing Shard willing to share, the four ladies grew more fond of him. As everyone packed the supplies, Shard asked how they had arrived here.

Blue-haired mermaid Miss Sandra began explaining to him:

"The four of us didn’t come here together. After unexpectedly arriving at this desert, I appeared in a cavity, but due to racial reasons, I cannot be exposed to the sunlight here; if in contact for more than half a minute, I faint."

"I can’t even endure ten seconds."

Lady Knight added while moving water bottles to the corner and covering them with a piece of canvas. Originally, they possessed an old water tank and several water containers, filled with yellowish liquid... muddy water mixed with sand, showing that there is a water source in this dilapidated temple, but the water quality appears poor.

"I can walk for five minutes, but with my age, if I were to sunbathe for such a long time here, I would probably go to meet the Tree Father."

Old Elf said similarly, while Ms. Mister reckoned she could manage outside under the current sunlight for three or four minutes. Of course, all these are without any protective measures.

Looking at it this way, Shard’s ability to withstand ten minutes is indeed remarkable, which is partly due to his extremely strong physical quality, as well as his adaptability to the ’Sun’s’ power.

"I awoke and remained in that cavity where water oozed for a long, long time, until I even forgot about time."

Mermaid Girl shook her head abruptly, like shooing away an invisible fly:

"Until one day, I knew I couldn’t stay there any longer. Otherwise, even if my body were alive, my soul would wither.

In the transition from desert day to night, I rushed out of the cavity, later collapsing in the frigid night, awakening after being saved by Grandma."

Old Lady Sianod explained on the side:

"It’s not always day here, due to confusion in time, we cannot know the precise transition of day and night. But before night truly arrives and before dawn leaves, there is a special period when the temperature returns to normal. These two periods are the only opportunities to move normally in the desert; the heat of day and the chill of night obliterate our lives."

Gray-haired Miss Knight also said:

"Night’s chill is easier to bear than day’s heat. After all my companions sacrificed, I set off alone one night, walking for twenty minutes before collapsing. Ms. Mister rescued me and brought me to meet Old Lady Sianod and Miss Sandra."

After pausing, she added:

"Time is indistinguishable, but at least from physical sensation, night is far shorter than day. Day is almost eternal, while night is merely an instant. Dusk and dawn allow even an ordinary person like me to move in the desert for extended periods."

"So, have you been staying here for a long time?"

Shard asked again, distributing jam-filled bread to the four, with Miss Sandra biting into a slice, seemingly on the verge of tears.

"I see there seems to be a water source here, and it can also provide shade."

Old Lady Sianod was the last to take the bread handed by Shard:

"We have stayed in this dilapidated temple for a very long time, longer than all the other times we’ve entered this desert combined."

"Why not leave and continue to search for the Heart of the Oasis?"

Shard asked curiously, and Miss Mister smiled as she responded, always maintaining that relaxed expression:

"Because we cannot be certain where the next place to stop, whether a building or a crypt, might be.

We accidentally gathered in this bygone temple, but if we were to leave at the next dusk, night, or dawn, we wouldn’t know when the day would turn again, thus couldn’t be sure of returning here."

"We can only explore briefly at dusk, then hurry back before night ends. We cannot go out at dawn, because day follows the brief dawn. So far, we have ventured out..."

Old Lady Sianod’s eyes showed some confusion, so she turned to the blue-haired mermaid, Miss Sandra, who took out a notebook:

"13 times, but we’ve never found another building to temporarily settle. Although we discovered some places with shade, they either didn’t have water or had other flaws. The walls of this temple intermittently seep water, and it has ample space, making it relatively comfortable so we can survive."

Simply put, the four of them are completely trapped here. Although they can live here for quite some time, sooner or later they would get lost in this sand sea.

"So, do you know how to leave this desert?"

Shard asked again, and all four shook their heads:

"Perhaps finding the Heart of the Oasis will reveal the way, but there is no recorded method of leaving here. Each of us came here accepting our fate."

Shard nodded in surprise. Thus, the mermaid’s spoken purpose for coming here seemed somewhat...

"Thankfully, the Sun God has sheltered us."

Lady Knight’s words interrupted Shard’s thoughts, making Shard pause:

"Sun God? Wait, you mean the building we’re in now is the temple of that ancient Sun God—[Supreme Binder of the Sun]?"

He stood up suddenly from the long bench, looking around in surprise, while Old Lady Sianod nodded as she ate bread:

"The murals on the walls still retain some parts, telling the story of that ancient Sun God. Although the Holy Emblem is no longer here, the patterns on the wall under the emblem indeed belong only to that most ancient Sun God."

The altar described by the Old Elf was placed crookedly against the wall, with one-third in the sunlight and two-thirds in shadow. While the ladies were eating, Shard walked over alone to inspect it.

The black stone platform was not large, looking as if it had been carved from a single massive rock. Shard didn’t really understand the patterns of that ancient Sun God; he merely looked curiously before placing his hand on the shadowed surface of the stone platform.

A warm sensation came from his palm, but nothing else happened, not even a hint of elements.

After a moment’s hesitation, Shard extended his hand into the scorching sunlight, pressing it on the sunny surface of the stone platform.

Instantly, he almost felt as if his hand were being roasted. A needle-like pain accompanied the soft words in his ear:

[Outlander, you have felt a miracle.]

The lines outside the altar emitted an almost imperceptible glimmer as some spirit flowed into Shard’s body, replenishing the small depletion, and then "she" continued:

[Outlander, your Arcane Technique "Praise the Sun" has been enhanced.]

The Arcane Technique "Praise the Sun" originates from the [Pride] Spirit Rune, its effect is the daily praise of the sun under sunshine, slightly enhancing the recovery rate of stamina and spirit, while powers related to the sun also receive amplification.

Feeling the enhanced effects of the Arcane Technique, Shard suddenly thought:

"If I climb onto this altar, would it be considered desecration?"

[I suppose not.]

She gently responded, and so, as the ladies were eating bread, they collectively saw Shard transform into a swarm of butterflies, then revert to human form on the altar.