"Hey, sheeple, set up the tents already.
"Hey, sheeple, bring me some water.
"Hey, sheeple…"
The two servants, Li Chengguo and Liu Ting, felt like their nightmare had started once the young man from the Central Plains was appointed as the sorcerer's steward.
Moreover, he wasn't even truly considered the sorcerer's steward yet!
The young man could already order them around even though he was still handcuffed. What would happen if he were freed?!
A heavy sandstorm was blowing. Melgor and Ren Xiaosu took shelter behind a large boulder while Li Chengguo and Liu Ting were put in charge of putting up the tents despite the conditions.
Originally, they had brought along three tents, one each for Melgor, Liu Ting, and Li Chengguo. But now it seemed like the two servants would have to squeeze together in one tent.
Melgor maintained a spell with the white stone in his hand, which made the sandstorm go around him. Finding this rather novel, Ren Xiaosu asked, "What spell is this?"
"It's the Wind Bind spell." Melgor calmly explained, "It's supposed to be used against enemies to slow them down, but I've cast it on myself. I'm making use of the air revolving around me to shield me from the sandstorm."
Ren Xiaosu felt that the sorcerers must have a lot of spells they could use. He had considered trying to obtain a Perfect Skill Duplication Scroll to copy Melgor's sorcery if the palace assigned him another quest.
That was probably the fastest way for him to learn about sorcery.
But it seemed the sorcerer knew quite a few different spells. If Ren Xiaosu used the Skill Duplication Scroll on him, he might end up learning only one type of spell.
Ren Xiaosu stood up to get closer to Melgor. "Erm… cast your Wind Bind spell on me as well. You're terrible. How can you be so selfish when you have such a good idea?"
Melgor was dumbfounded. He realized the young man from the Central Plains did not see himself as a stranger at all.
Honestly, he did not want Ren Xiaosu to get so close to him. After all, Ren Xiaosu had such immense strength. What if he were to attack him?
But before he could reject him, Ren Xiaosu had already sat down next to him. "Hurry up!"
Melgor had no choice but to recast Wind Bind with mixed feelings.
He kept his guard up for over half an hour, but Ren Xiaosu did not seem like he had any intention of attacking him. Only then did Melgor rest easy.
Melgor believed that if Ren Xiaosu were no longer constantly thinking of attacking him, it signaled a good start to their relationship!
While waiting for the two servants to set up the tents, Ren Xiaosu got a little puzzled. "Y'know, y'all really have nothing better to do. There's the vast Gobi separating the Central Plains and your nation of sorcerers, yet y'all still spared no effort in coming here to attack us. What's up with that? Wouldn't it be better for everyone to live peacefully?"
Melgor said, "We're only traveling through the Gobi to prevent Fortress 178's troops from pursuing us. Actually, there's a much easier route to take that's not so tough."
"But you're a highly revered sorcerer. Why'd you come all the way here by yourself?" Ren Xiaosu still could not quite understand. "Didn't you say that a sorcerer's steward has the same status as a prince? There should be at least tens of millions of people in your kingdom, so shouldn't the recon be carried out by foot soldiers instead?"
Melgor's expression darkened. He said nothing further.
Ren Xiaosu glanced over him. Melgor looked quite young and was probably around 27 years old. He had sunken cheeks, brown hair, deep-set eyes, and a high nose bridge, making him look very different from the Central Plains people.
Ren Xiaosu had been thinking about this question for the past two days. Since being a sorcerer was supposed to be so prestigious, why did he only bring along two servants to do reconnaissance? That didn't make any sense!
Just look at how many subordinates Luo Lan brought along whenever he went on a trip. Even when Luo Lan went to the Central Plains, he had everything provided for him. This was the embodiment of authority.
Meanwhile, Melgor was leading such a tough life here, so it clearly showed he actually did not have any authority.
When Ren Xiaosu saw Melgor not speaking up for a long time, he chuckled, "Are you not liked within the nation of sorcerers? Were you ostracized and forced to come here? Don't worry, you can tell me. I won't look down on you."
Melgor's face completely darkened. At this moment, the tents were finished being set up, so he went into his tent to sleep.
Ren Xiaosu got bored and shouted at Liu Ting, "Hey, sheep, was Melgor sent here because he was ostracized?"
Liu Ting and Li Chengguo's expressions also darkened. As the sorcerer's servants, how could they gossip about their master behind his back? They simply ignored Ren Xiaosu and went into their tent together to sleep.
"I guess that's really the case," Ren Xiaosu muttered. He wondered what Melgor had done to get ostracized. If Melgor had been shut out of the Magi's inner circle, would it mean Ren Xiaosu would not be able to infiltrate the core of the magus order and learn about their secrets?
Ugh, it was not easy for him to find an opportunity to infiltrate into their organization. In the end, Mel was a little disappointing.
Ren Xiaosu went into his tent with his mind running wild. Then he used the nanomachines to unlock the shackles before putting them aside.
He only pretended to put on the shackles during the day, but it would be too uncomfortable to continue wearing them while sleeping. Anyway, no one outside of the tent could see him.
Ren Xiaosu laid down and rested on his arm acting as a pillow. He wondered what Yang Xiaojin was doing.
The strong winds stopped blowing in the middle of the night. Ren Xiaosu suddenly heard a sound come from another tent not far away, so he got up and put on his shackles again before walking out. Then he saw Melgor looking at the night sky with a solemn expression.
It was like Ren Xiaosu's questions had struck a sore point in him. As such, even though it was late at night, Melgor was still unable to fall asleep as he kept tossing and turning in bed.
When Melgor heard the crunch of footsteps, he turned around and looked at Ren Xiaosu. "Why are you still awake? Are you looking for an opportunity to run off while we're asleep? I suggest you dismiss that thought. No matter how strong you might be, you can't break free from my shackles. If you head into the wilderness with your arms bound, you'll have absolutely no chance of surviving. Death is all that awaits you."
"Run? Why? I'm already prepared to go enjoy life in the nation of sorcerers. I'm not planning to escape." Ren Xiaosu chuckled. "Rather, I'm a little worried for you. I'm afraid that your situation won't be as favorable as you claim after you return to the nation of sorcerers."
Melgor felt stifled. He thought the young man from the Central Plains was really good at rubbing it in. He said coldly, "No matter how unfavorable it might be, it's better than your captivity."
"What's so bad about being a captive? Don't I have two sheeple serving me?" Ren Xiaosu said nonchalantly.
Melgor shot him a look but did not say anything. When he thought about his situation, he suddenly asked Ren Xiaosu, "By the way, did you hear anything about a violet eye when you were in the Central Plains?"
Ren Xiaosu grew anxious. "What violet eye? Everyone in the Central Plains has black eyes."
"I'm not talking about human eyes.." Melgor said, "I'm asking you whether you know anything about a violet eye on a black stone."