Star Forge Titan

"It's really troublesome. Why are there so many fearless lunatics in this place?"

Lowering the curtains that blocked out the hot outdoor air, Ivan sat on the ground, holding his forehead. The girl quickly trotted over, holding up a beautifully shaped kettle and pouring him a glass of water, while offering a broad smile.

"Thank you, little one." Alvin touched the little girl's head, and then heard Heidi laugh softly.

"Ha, why are there so many crazy people?"

The closed book made a crisp sound. Heidi calmly adjusted her sitting posture, from lying in a relaxed position to leaning on the couch in a charming manner.

"Because this is a silent desert, beyond the city walls lies a sea of ​​dust. Anyone who isn't crazy enough, cruel enough, or even bad enough will drown in this waterless sea."

The female mage looked out the window into the distance, and for a brief moment, a hint of sadness flashed in her eyes, but it was quickly covered up by her usual faint smile.

"Except for a few oases, the vast majority of the Dust Sea is covered in desert, making it difficult to grow many crops. Furthermore, the precipitation here is almost entirely controlled by the Witch Kings, and the probability of natural rainfall is pitifully small."

"In some places, just the glass of water in your hand is enough to make someone kill another person."

Alvin couldn't help but look down at the glass of water in his hand, which he could finish in just a few sips.

Then, he caught a noun that he was not familiar with in the other party's words.

"Witch King?"

Although Alvin knew from a popular science post in his previous life that the supreme ruler of the desert city-state was called the Witch King, he couldn't understand why "rain" was related to the Witch King.

Could it be magic?

"...It seems that you really know nothing about this place." Heidi looked at Ivan meaningfully.

This young man, who also came from the north, claimed to be a shipwrecked traveler, but his unfamiliarity with the silent desert made him seem like a stranger who had never been here before, as if he had fallen into this place out of thin air.

However, Heidi did not force herself to explore the secrets. This desert was so dangerous that everyone who traveled through it had various reasons, including herself.

Therefore, there is a long-standing proverb in the Silent Desert that only those who know how to respect secrets and stay away from secrets can live long.

"Although city-states exist even in harsh regions like deserts, they are like small islands floating on a sea of ​​dust and must be built near one or more sizable oases."

"Because only places like that can provide the food and water needs of a city with such a large population."

After saying that, Heidi changed the subject.

“But even a desert city-state with a large oasis can’t feed everyone.”

The female mage's fingers gently slid along the spine of the book, and the smile on the corner of her mouth was a little sarcastic.

"Criminals, bankrupt merchants, nobles who failed in political struggles, losers who were exiled or self-exiled—there were always some who could no longer live in the city-state. Various reasons forced them into the desert, seeking ways to survive in this land without good."

"But...without water and food, the Sea of ​​Dust will constantly test those who dare to enter it with all kinds of suffering."

"And those who ultimately survive are those who appeared before us..."

Heidi paused, the smile completely gone from her face.

"madman."

Ivan fell silent.

Unconsciously picking up a piece of dried meat on the low table next to him, the black-haired boy looked at the food in his hand in a daze.

Heidi's words deepened his understanding of the cruelty of the Silent Desert. Such a place, such a sad reality, was something he could hardly imagine having lived in a peaceful country in his previous life.

"By the way, I'll tell you one little thing you need to pay attention to."

Heidi stood up and walked to the pensive black-haired boy, slowly knelt on the soft carpet, then stretched out two slender white fingers and pinched the piece of meat.

"Don't touch any dried meat sold by desert merchants unless you're familiar with it. You don't know if it comes from a tribe of nomadic meat-eating bees."

Ivan's pupils couldn't help but tremble, and his whole body froze in place.

"..."

Seeing the boy's expression, Heidi's mouth corners couldn't help but rise up. This time it was not the kind of smile that concealed her true expression, but a bold smile that really showed her joy.

The female mage in traditional desert clothing twisted her waist and sat back on the soft couch, then she said slowly:

"I lied to you."

Damn, this woman is not a good person!

Just then, a thunder suddenly sounded outside.

Alvin looked at Heidi in surprise. She had just said that the probability of rain in the desert was negligible. So what was the situation outside?

"I'm so lucky that I happened to catch the Living Water Festival." Heidi was a little surprised by this, but she soon understood what happened.

Looking at the clouds gathering in the sky without any warning, the female mage stretched out her hand toward the window.

"It looks like we're almost at our destination."

Accompanied by increasingly loud thunder and pattering rain.

On the distant ground line, the silhouette of a huge city gradually emerged.

Desert Rose - Ismailia, a trading city filled with money and spices.

Chapter 9 Sandworm Hunter

The caravan members cheered and took out various containers and placed them outside. While collecting the precious fresh water from the sky, they knelt on the ground and made very pious prayers.

At this moment, the object of their gratitude included not only the nine gods of traditional desert beliefs but also the name of a witch king.

At the same time, this name also refers to the ruler of the huge city-state not far away.

Lord of the Desert Rose, Witch King Menes.

Ismailia, this city is the largest trading center in the Silent Desert.

All kinds of goods coming to and from the city-states in all directions and even distant countries converge and flow here.

However, the most famous product of the desert is a series of high-quality spices that are produced in abundance based on its own geographical environment.

Although high temperatures and dry climates are not conducive to the development of most life forms, they are surprisingly conducive to the evolution of aromatic plants with their own fragrant smells.

The aroma emitted by the leaves of many aromatic plants may help them withstand heat, drought, and herbivores. Plants in dry climates often have more concentrated amounts of these fragrant, volatile, and fleeting aromatic compounds than plants elsewhere.

So much so that over thousands of years, several oases and a small amount of rocky areas in the silent desert have gradually become the most suitable spice producing areas for the growth of aromatic plants in Palladia.

The rich aroma, rich taste, and various medicinal and even mystical functions of these aromatic plants fully compensate for their limited production.

As the largest distribution center for the spice trade, Ismailia is in no way inferior to the Great Wilderness, which is also good at producing spices, in terms of total trade volume.

In addition, in addition to the common spices, there is also a most special spice here - the fragrance of time.

It is said that this spice can delay aging and maintain youth. Long-term consumption can turn gray hair back to its original color and make fine wrinkles smooth again. The effect is so obvious that it even makes people feel like time is going backwards.

Therefore, even though its price is a hundred times higher than that of gold and is like a gem, the Fragrance of Time is still out of stock in markets around the world and can almost only be bought in the silent desert where it is produced.

Therefore, in Ismailia, ruled by the Sorcerer-King Menes, smuggling spices was a serious crime equivalent to smuggling iron.

If caught, they will be sentenced to death with no possibility of mercy.

Outside the window, it was raining, a rare sight in the desert. The scorching sun was not completely blocked, creating a special weather pattern of sunshower.

All of the above comes from Heidi's story.

This female mage seems to be like many other mages. I don’t know whether to say that she likes to teach others or simply likes to share knowledge.

"Then how is this spice obtained?"

Ivan showed a curious expression.

"About this~"

Heidi picked up a slender silver rod and fiddled with the metal incense burner where fragrant incense powder was burning. The rising smoke made her face appear and disappear, as if covered with a layer of slightly swaying veil, full of hazy charm.

Still some distance away from Ismailia, Alvin simply sat down with the little maid beside him and began to listen to Heidi continue to tell the story about the Fragrance of Time.

"You know what? Although we did encounter quite a few bandits along the way, we were lucky enough to avoid the most dangerous encounters in the wilds of the Silent Desert."

The sorceress smiled mysteriously, and the smoke from the burning incense was shaped by her into a phantom that looked like a snake, its long body constantly twisting.

“…” Alvin thought about it and didn’t find it strange.

To be fair, whether it is the flesh-eating bees shouting the name of the Death-Thirsty God or other thieves, although they can be said to be annoying, in most cases they do not pose a fatal threat to large caravans like the Golden Sands.

If you were to say it was the most dangerous encounter, it certainly wouldn't be considered the most dangerous one.

"Obtaining the Fragrance of Time is related to that special encounter."

Putting down the silver-plated chisel in her hand, Heidi stretched out her hand to disperse the smoke in front of her, and suddenly sighed again.

"Hey, boy, your strength is surprising. If that happens, if we work together, maybe we can turn a bad thing into a good thing."

"So, what's going on?" Sensing the Riddler's actions on the way, Alvin's Riddler radar was almost activated, and he couldn't help but actively interrupt the other party's spell casting.

Glancing at him coquettishly, Heidi's next words were full of emotion and a hidden desire.

"The Desert Lord - the Eratos Sandworm, a strange creature that looks like an earthworm but continues to grow in size throughout its life."

"The largest recorded value is 450 meters, but ancient ballads passed down orally by desert peoples suggest that there are ancient sandworms thousands of meters long living beneath the desert."

"They continue to dig, creating vast tunnels that form an incredibly complex network of tunnels. Through these tunnels flows a constant, almost limitless flow of magical power from the heart of the earth. It is this power that sustains the ancient sandworms' relentless digging efforts."

These words made Ivan and the little maid beside him exclaim "Oh my God", but Heidi immediately added another sentence.

"Of course, no one has ever seen it with their own eyes."

Alas~ The two of them sighed in disappointment at the same time, which made Heidi's mouth curl up slightly.

"But even information about the smallest sandworm can bring a considerable amount of money to the discoverer. It even gave rise to a profession called 'sandworm hunters.'"

"However, there's a reason why sandworms are known as the most dangerous encounter in the Silent Desert. These beasts can sense the slightest vibrations in the sand above them, and then launch an unpreventable attack from below. These voracious creatures won't let go of any prey in their path."

Despite saying this, Heidi looked a little excited.

Glancing at the female mage whose eyes were almost shining, Alvin suddenly realized that for the female mage, perhaps the most valuable thing about the sandworms was not the economic benefits they contained, but the 'Fragrance of Time', a top-grade spice with special effects.

Women, there is no end to their pursuit of youth and beauty, even Heidi, a wizard, is the same.

As they chatted and laughed, the caravan finally approached the desert city-state called Ismailia.

This is a large city surrounded by a rare oasis in the desert.

The erosion of wind and sand has made the city's outer walls look very mottled, but in the suburbs outside the walls, you can see many naturally grown plants and artificially cultivated crops.

At the tall city gate, the caravans coming and going were like migrating salmon, lined up closely on the road one after another.

Even so, when the huge caravan of Golden Sands arrived, it still received countless envious glances.

Of course, like other caravans, the Golden Sands also paid a hefty tax to the guards at the city gate.

From the conversation among the caravan employees, Alvin's keen hearing caught a somewhat special name...blood tax.

"Where are you going next?" Heidi suddenly asked.

According to the previous agreement, in return for being rescued, Alvin will provide protection before the Chamber of Commerce reaches its destination.

At this moment, the two parties arrived at their destination, Ismailia, and naturally ended this somewhat special employment relationship.

"Me?" Ivan paused.

The original plot had long been messed up by him, and at least the major events in the two versions had undergone earth-shaking changes.

As for the major events that may occur in the future, they are either still in the planning stage, or there is no news about the key items and people.

Therefore, whether you want to intervene in advance or prevent problems before they happen, you need to wait for a better time.

So, for a long time to come, Alvin will probably be relatively... idle?

In addition, both Lind and Elrond are very far away from the Silent Desert, so if you want to go back, you must at least raise enough money for the trip.

It's a bit embarrassing to say, although there are priceless or even immeasurable treasures in the spiritual space, the sudden space transfer has left Evan with very little cash, to be precise, no money left.

Thinking of this, the black-haired boy suddenly smiled very freely.

"Sandworm Hunter, seems quite interesting."

Chapter 10: Reporting Methods

At noon, the Golden Sand Chamber of Commerce’s Ismailia branch.

"In that case, I'll give it to you as a farewell gift from the Mountain King." Before leaving, Heidi suddenly said something that didn't sound like a businessman.

She even prepared a small bag of gold sand (a currency recognized by all city-states in the Silent Desert) that was exactly the right price for the market as a reward for Alvin's recent help in defending the caravan against various thieves.