Chapter 990:

Chapter 990:

Amidst a sky full of swirling sand, dunes had been continually changing shape, driven forward by the wind.

In this harsh world enveloped in golden sand, a caravan had been struggling to make its way. The caravan consisted of fifty camels, each carrying two large wooden barrels filled with black oil.

This was an oil caravan. They had purchased the oil from a newly constructed oil well and were transporting it to the northern kingdom of Norma. There, it would be sold to an alchemy factory, where experts in alchemy would break down the oil into various products such as diesel, gasoline, and asphalt. These would then be sold for fueling cars and powering various machinery.

The impoverished desert kingdom had recently begun to prosper. A few had made fortunes by trading in oil, transforming this impoverished nation that had been poor for over a thousand years.

Despite the harsh conditions, smiles graced the faces of the merchants within the caravan. The journey was tough, but the moment this oil reached beyond the desert, it would fetch a hefty sum. Everyone in the caravan stood to make a fortune.

As they looked at the barrels of oil on the camels backs, they could almost see the abundance of food and water that awaited them, as well as the smiling faces of their wives and children.

However, at that moment, a mysterious howling noise echoed through the desert. Upon hearing this, everyones faces in the caravan instantly changed color. Several guards unsheathed their curved swords with a clang.

Out of the yellow sands rushed a cavalry unit of camel-riding bandits. These knights wore ragged clothes with no uniform or discipline, yelling peculiar war cries as they approached. One even loudly exclaimed, Ah, a flock of fat sheep!

The merchants screamed, My God! Its the sand thieves! Guards, prepare for battle!

Circle the camels.

What the merchants feared the most had been encountering these sand thievesbandits who, instead of conducting legitimate business, robbed honest merchants. They were ruthless and bloodthirsty.

Everyone, regardless of their combat abilities, drew their curved swords. All formed a circle, their eyes filled with terror as they watched the approaching bandits.

They had all prepared themselves for a desperate fight, mentally readying for the possibility of dying right there and then.

Just at that moment, from the sands to their side, a lone traveler riding a camel through the desert appeared. He had hurried over upon hearing the horn calls of the sand thieves.

On the back of this camel sat a slender, athletic woman. However, her face was covered, and nobody could make out her features. She quickly closed the distance, meeting the oncoming band of sand thieves, and then, in a flash, she disappeared into thin air.

Everyone: Huh?

A moment later, she had abruptly appeared on the back of one of the bandits camels, seated right behind the hump, hidden from the bandit. The bandit was completely unaware that an extra person had suddenly appeared behind him. He felt a chill on his back as a cold dagger had been thrust into his heart. The woman then kicked the bandit off the camel.

The merchants finally understood: Ah! Shes on our side!

Shes here to help us deal with the sand thieves.

After toppling one bandit, the woman didnt stop. She vanished again in the blink of an eye, only to reappear the next moment on the back of another camel ridden by a bandit who was far more alert than the previous one. The moment the woman appeared behind him, he swung his sword back at her.

However, his movements were clearly slower than the womans. Her dagger had beaten his curved sword, stabbing into the critical point on his back, and then she kicked this bandit off the camel as well.

The merchants cheered, but the bandits were yelling in surprise: Who is this woman? Where did she come from?

Watch your back!

Dont let her backstab you!

The bandits were in total chaos. Many simply dismounted from their camels, standing back to back in a circle. This way, they reasoned, they couldnt be backstabbed, right? The woman, having already killed several bandits, noticed that the remaining ones had dismounted and formed a circle, back to back. It seemed that backstabbing was off the table.

She too gracefully dismounted her camel and faced the bandits.

Kneel and surrender now, woman. Maybe we wont kill you, just take you back as our bandit queen.

The jeers from the bandits had circled around Suofa.

But there had been no trace of fear in Suofas eyes. She had sighed and said, Relying on numbers? Youre just looking for a death wish. Had you fled at the sight of me, you might have had a chance to reform. Now, not even that chance remains. None of you will get away.

Talking nonsense, are you?

Hahaha, have you gone mad?

None of us will get away? Wed like to see how youll manage that.

Suofa had looked up, scanning the bandits atop their camels, and shaken her head, Do you truly believe that Im the only one protecting the desert?

Besides you, who else? a sneering bandit had questioned.

And me! This voice had startled all the bandits, making them look left and right, forward and backward, yet they had unexpectedly seen no one.

A bandit had looked up and shouted, Whos speaking? Trying to spook us?

It is I who is speaking.

The bandit leader had snapped, Witch, are you bewitching us with some sort of illusion?

Illusion? Suofa had shaken her head. Youre on the brink of death and still clueless. Hey, Lion-Dog, its your turn to perform.

A gust of desert wind had blown through, and the drifting sands had suddenly rushed towards one specific point. Even the wind itself had abruptly swirled towards that area. Then, all the sand had coalesced, forming a massive figure.

The guardian beast of the desert, a sphinx with the body of a lion and the face of a human, had appeared before the bandits.

The bandits had exclaimed, F***! Oh my God!

With a single swipe of its paw, the sphinx had turned them all to dust. A loud sound echoed, and the dust had flown into the air.

The merchants who had been watching had been utterly stunned. They had fallen to their knees and bowed down to the sphinx. The sphinx had turned to Suofa, bemused, I thought you were going to call your husband for help, but you actually summoned me, depriving me of my entertainment.

Suofa had smiled, My husband is too busy romancing, how would he have time to manage the desert? Managing this place is your job, so of course I called you.

The sphinx had shaken its head, Youre a peculiar couple. Never mind, I wont fuss over such trivial matters with you. But I do want to formally protest that I am not a Lion-Dog.'

Suofa had laughed, Is that really so important?

She had mounted her camel, gently tugged on the reins, and the camel had carried her into the distance. In the midst of the desert wind, her enchanting song had resonated

Ive fallen into this magical land, the camel bells accompanying me on the road to the sanctuary. Forgive me for once being lost and confused

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