svetikya Page 1584
Page 1584
Dusk is just around the corner in the Death Desert.
Meanwhile, the "Moon God's Chariot," which always maintained its "Night Travel Barrier," gradually blended into the night.
As dusk falls and the sun disappears, the "Lunar Chariot" completely blends into the night, leaving only three high-speed flying (fossilized pterosaurs) in the sky.
While the "Fossil Pteranodon" also possesses a stealth attack called "Silent as an Ancient Tomb," the activated "Silent as an Ancient Tomb" has a limited duration and cannot be used indefinitely.
Even so, Dark showed no intention of taking back the "Fossil Pterosaur".
He even wondered if someone saw these three "fossil pterosaurs" now, would they think they were native species of the dead desert?
Thinking about it carefully, the possibility is actually quite high.
After all, the appearance and attributes of the "fossilized pterosaur" are very well-suited to the desert.
"There's a fire!"
As his thoughts drifted, Dark suddenly had a thought and subconsciously concealed his aura.
But he quickly realized that he was protected by the "Nightwalking Barrier" and did not need to conceal his aura.
Without him saying anything more, the speed of the "Moon Goddess Chariot" slowed down. Malt's expression also instantly became serious.
Emma stepped out of the carriage and said, "Could it be Alibaba?" Darke's lips curled into a slight smile: "Whoever it is, let's get off and take a look. After traveling all day, we've finally met someone we can talk to."
"Am I not human?" Malt glanced at him, her tone tinged with reproach.
Dark ignored it and ordered the "Fossil Pterosaur" to fly into the clouds and wait in the air.
Immediately afterwards, the "Moon Chariot" began to descend, stopping in mid-air several hundred meters from the place of fire.
At a distance of 500 meters, faces were clearly visible. Dark glanced around and asked, "Is it them?"
Malt squinted and said, "Yes, that thin man with black hair and brown skin is Alibaba. I heard he's only in his early twenties."
A thought struck Dak, and he quickly locked onto his target. The light came from the campfire.
The team centered around Alibaba was sitting around a campfire, surrounded by pots and pans. Several pots on the fire were steaming, and several long-haired women were tending to the food.
Apart from a few women who were relatively slender, almost all the male members were burly and strong.
The only two men who were small in stature were "Lone Ranger" Harry, whom they had met briefly at the Sandworm Tavern, and Alibaba, of course.
Alibaba sat cross-legged on a rock, looking relaxed, holding a short flute in his hand and gently playing it to his lips.
In the Death Desert, height is considered beautiful, and a thin man like him should be unpopular. But the female members cooking there kept glancing at him.
Some people's charm transcends even gender, let alone physical appearance.
Alibaba is indeed a very charismatic person. Dak's gaze shifted, then he looked behind Alibaba.
There lay a giant black panther, at least two meters tall when standing. The panther had its paws crossed, resting its head on them, appearing docile and quiet.
However, if one mistakenly believes it to be a gentle domestic pet, one might pay with their life.
Ackerman, the Sand Clan member I saw earlier at the Sandworm Tavern, was also nearby, but he was only accompanied by his crew.
The team was actually divided into three distinct parts.
Harry, alone, was accompanied by Ackerman, who had more than ten men, and the largest group of bandits from Golden City.
Although it is unknown how they reached the agreement, the partnership did not seem as solid as it appeared; they remained wary of each other and did not truly unite.
Dark's mind raced. He summoned his "Dream Demon," pointed to a woman near Alibaba, and asked, "Is that the compass in her hand the one that can lead them to the Golden Kingdom?"
The woman holding the compass had slightly brown skin, but bright features, and her slightly full lips were even more alluring to the desert people.
If the compass in her hand is indeed that kind of thing, then she must have had a very close relationship with Alibaba.
“Meow!” The Dream Demon nodded vigorously. Dark immediately understood.
Maggie said, "That's Lillian, the daughter of the previous leader of the human clan in Golden Country, and Alibaba's childhood sweetheart."
“Very good.” Dark nodded slightly, then sat down again under Malt’s surprised gaze.
"But I'll just go say hello," Maggie asked tentatively.
Darke smiled and shook his head, saying, "I've changed my mind. You see, they are a very professional team."
“Of course I know, but we’re also very professional,” Malt replied. Dark said, “That’s not contradictory, Malt.”
“Okay. You’re right.” Malt then sat down next to Dark. Emma, however, summoned a pair of glasses-like gadgets, put them on her nose, and carefully observed the other side.
A moment later, she took off her glasses and drew the compass in her notebook.
"A mechanical compass with eight pointers... I feel like I've seen it somewhere before," Emma couldn't help but wonder.
Dark turned to look at her and said, "It must have a special use."
Emma said, "But we can't just make assumptions."
Dark said, "So we just need to watch them use it. We'll just follow along."
Emma said, "That's a good method, and it's easy too."
Dark took out a wine glass and played with it for a while before saying, "Not only that, we also have a new bait to attract Setmon."
Emma said, "You want them to be in danger?"
Dark said, "Of course not, after all, that would prevent them from advancing. But even if they encounter danger, we can still gain something else, right?"
“Okay.” Emma closed her notebook and sighed. “I hope everything goes well.”
"It will all work out," Dark said.
As Malt listened to their conversation, she silently continued munching on her apple.
White steam rose from the edge of the pot lid, and a rich aroma of meat immediately filled the air.
The desert bandits, drawn by the aroma of meat, all revealed greedy eyes.
Several female thieves filled large bowls with the boiled meat and broth, and distributed them to their companions.
The pieces of meat floating in the bowl had a faint black tinge, which was the unique color of sand scorpion meat.
Professional desert guides can find food anytime, anywhere. This type of sand scorpion meat, once the toxins are removed, is a rare delicacy in the desert.
Of course, they all brought dry food and water when they set off, but the duration of this expedition was uncertain, so they kept as much dry food as possible to ensure sufficient reserves.
Alibaba took the large bowl that Lillian handed him, first sipped the hot soup, and then smiled as he ate the meat.
"They're really something else," he sighed, unable to help but praise.
Lillian agreed, "They are all people who have lived in the desert, but only the Sand Clan can find food and water at any time."
Alibaba said, "And they never get lost." Lillian smiled and said, "We can do that too." Alibaba asked, "Well, have you found your way?" Lillian's expression became slightly serious: "For now, we've confirmed it. But the compass needle is constantly changing, just like the City of Gold is moving."
"Hiss—" Alibaba was burned by the hot meat and instinctively gasped.
After a long pause, he continued, "A moving castle, that sounds pretty good."
Lillian glared at him and said, "But the Golden City should still be buried underground!"
Alibaba said, "That would be a castle that can move underground, which sounds even cooler!"
“#@%%%?!” Lillian couldn’t help but curse.
Alibaba dismissed it: "Grandma Mo said this mechanical compass could guide us to the ruins of the Land of Gold. But she never told us that this compass was pointing to the Land of Gold."
Lillian was taken aback and subconsciously asked, "Then what does it refer to?"
Alibaba shrugged and said, "You're asking me? Who should I ask?"
Lillian calmed herself down and pondered, "Could it be that the Golden Kingdom, or something like the key to the door, isn't actually in the desert, and what we can find is actually the key to the door?"
Alibaba said, "It's a great idea, and we suggest you keep working on it."
Lillian paused for a moment, then instinctively grabbed the mechanical compass, intending to smash it over Alibaba's head.
But just before Alibaba was bleeding from his head, one of the thieves who had been scouting around with binoculars suddenly shouted, "There's a dragon!"
Dragons? What? How could there be dragons in the desert...? Actually, there have been some!
Many thoughts flashed through the thieves' minds, but as if springs had been installed beneath them, they instantly sprang up.
"Roar--"
A dragon's roar suddenly rang out.
At that instant, everyone instinctively looked up and were horrified to see a gray pterosaur circling high in the sky!
The pterosaur had a ferocious appearance and a wingspan of over ten meters. Just by looking up at it, one could feel an astonishing dragon might.
Some of the more vulnerable thieves were so frightened they gave way! "Pack your things... no! Get on the sand cart!"
Ackerman of the Sand Clan suddenly shouted, threw down the soup bowl in his hand, and jumped onto the sand cart full of supplies.
His team brought four sand trucks, three people per truck. Harry, on the other hand, drove a sand truck alone.
Alibaba's bandits in the Golden Land traveled in groups of seven or eight, with some groups having six or seven sand carts.
The dozen or so sand trucks set off simultaneously, making a great show of force. After lining up briefly, they fled in the designated direction.
Alibaba and Lillian were in the middle of the second row of the sand car, with the giant black panther following closely behind.
Ackerman, a member of the Sand Clan, personally drove the sand chariot at the forefront, leading the entire team forward.
He meandered across the desert, constantly using the terrain to evade the gaze of the terrifying pterosaur in the sky.
In this moment of crisis, Ackerman demonstrated exceptional ability to respond, and everyone, including the Golden Country bandits, followed closely behind, with no one holding him back.
About fifteen minutes later, Ackerman actually managed to lead his team to shake off the pterosaur's pursuit!
Once everyone was certain that the pterosaur was no longer visible overhead, they all breathed a sigh of relief and slowed their pace slightly.
Maintaining maximum speed is a very strenuous task for drivers of sand trucks.
Ackerman's team of three could manage on rotation, but only a few members of the Golden Country bandits' group knew how to drive sand carts; the majority of the rest were just "thugs."
Therefore, if they fail to shake off the pterosaurs' pursuit in such a short time, some of them will inevitably fall behind.
Fortunately, there was no "if".
Moreover, this battle subtly boosted the team's cohesion. Since the team had already set off, they didn't stop to rest again, but went straight...
He slowed down.
They continued driving the sand truck forward, but at a slightly slower speed to conserve their energy.
"Jie Jie Jie."
The "Little Devimon" perched on Dark's shoulder let out a strange, grating laugh.
Malt sat silently next to Dak.
Fifteen minutes earlier, she suddenly heard her employer beside her say, "Why haven't we set off yet?" The "fossilized pterosaur" hiding behind the clouds suddenly swooped down. And then, sure enough, the Alibaba team set off!
Sand trucks can travel at very high speeds in the desert, especially when driving at their limits.
Maiya believed her driving skills were among the best in the entire desert. However, Ackerman and Harry were no less skilled than her, and there were rumors that Alibaba himself was also a desert driver.
But a sand cart is still a sand cart, and its speed has a limit, unless it is not used as a sand cart.
Having raced against the "Lunar Chariot," Malt knew what a difference in speed meant. Now, the "Lunar Chariot" followed easily behind Alibaba's team.
Moreover, the "Lunar Chariot" flew very smoothly in the air. She even wanted to return to her carriage and get a good night's sleep.
"That's a good idea, isn't it? Let's take a nap now so we'll be more energetic when night really falls. Don't worry, my magical spirit will wake us up if anything happens."
Dark crushed the apple core in his hand into magic, then stood up from the platform and slowly walked into the carriage.
Malt paused for a moment, then saw that Emma on the other side had also gotten up and returned, and hurriedly caught up with her.
The Alibaba team has just started their journey, so the probability of something going wrong is low. This is indeed a good time to rest.
For the next few days, they will likely have to follow behind Alibaba's team, and it would be best to adjust their schedules as much as possible.
After a while.
Dark awoke from his meditation, looked at Malt who was still awake, and asked, "Do you need any help?"
Malt blushed and nodded slightly.
So "Little Devimon" gave her a "Devil Hypnosis"! She immediately fell asleep.
Emma was already asleep in the sleeping bag next to her.
Dak closed his eyes again and, in a meditative sitting posture, drifted off to sleep.