Chapter 341: Sandstorm

Chapter 341: Sandstorm

The rest of the journey was relatively quiet. That, of course, didn't mean it was safe or lonely, far from it.

They met more than a dozen species of marine animals, from a giant whale-like creature that gulped down an entire school of thousands of fish in mere moments, to small flying Needle Fish that launched themselves out of the sea and bashed their head against the armored wood of the merchant's vessel, nearly piercing it in the process.

They had to be scraped off quickly, otherwise, they would attract other marine predators, something the men on board didn't want.

The encounter with the Sea Serpent was the most nerve-racking of them all, though they narrowly avoided many other creatures on their path. For most of them, they barely caught a glance from a distance, both horizontally, and down below.

Gerald even noticed a giant shadow pass beneath them, three times the size of their ship at a first glance, but he just gulped and stayed quiet since nobody else seemed to have noticed it.

Creatures living beneath the waves were already huge on Earth, but here, where they could be enhanced with magic, the sizes they grew to were truly colossus.

Luckily most marine animals seemed to ignore them for the most part, since wood and metal weren't exactly tasty. He later learned the ship was also coated with a substance that repelled most predators, giving them an extra layer of protection.

They ended their travels at night, but as Gerald was asleep then, he disembarked the ship in the early morning the next day.

The White Dunes port was something completely different from what Gerald was used to. It was hot, dry, and lacked the greenery he was used to.

Oh, there were plants, but they were tough-looking, with hard bark and small leaves to prevent moisture loss. The grass here was rare, at places almost nonexistent, and most of it was dead. The place clearly didn't get much rainfall despite being near the sea.

The architecture there was mainly soil, bricks made of mud and clay, with houses tightly packed together and painted white to reflect the sunlight.

"Sandstorms" he grumbled. "A certain death for a lone tourist of the desert."

He didn't plan to stay long in this place, so he quickly found a remote spot and turned invisible. Then he slowly levitated and gained altitude. He wanted to take a good look from a higher vantage point, but

"Sand, sea, dust, and more sand" He came to a disturbing realization. He had no clue where he was! Sure, he had a map of the continent, but whatever he copied was old, with the exception of Myrtana. But wthat about this place? He had no clue where he should start his search for a Phoenix, and even if he did, the places looked the same to him!

It was all dust, sand, and rocks! In every direction!

"Crap" He slowly landed back down, nearly losing sight of the White Dunes in the process. The sandstorm was just that blinding.

He had no choice. Waiting out this sandstorm was the only option. Besides, he also had to gather some information about this place, and who knows, maybe someone caught sight of the Phoenix in recent days.

He found what looked like an Inn, and entered. The place was mostly empty since it was still morning, and the atmosphere inside also didn't seem like much. It was a simple rustic room, with a few tables and chairs sparsely placed around the half-circular counter.

Gerald ordered a simple drink and something to eat. He couldn't exactly determine the nature of the food, but it was a warm meal, and that was enough.

"Ah, here it is!" came from the front door as a group of men entered, completely covered in dust and sand. "Cursed sandstorm! That's just what we needed!"

They loudly moved across the room and dragged a few extra chairs around a small table.

"Hey, boss!" One of them slammed on the table and hollered to the man behind the counter, "Get us something to drink, we are thirsty!"

They then took off their cloaks and dusted them off as they entered a heated discussion