Chapter 188: Vast Stellar Gate
The gold, silver, jewels, and treasures were quickly distributed. Barrett also picked out plenty of valuable items for the adventurer party, planning to sell them all once they left the desert, trading them for solid gold coins and hard currency gold bars.
Leaving the Blacktar Wastes meant truly entering the Eight Greed Kings desert. The Golden Aquarius caravan hoisted their goods, led the camels, and the group of several dozen people set off in a grand procession toward the desert.
EeDechi and her companions followed behind them, but EeDechi figured that after traveling together a bit farther, the Last Defender of the Way adventurer party would part ways with the Golden Aquarius merchant group.
Hot winds gusted relentlessly, the harsh desert vista already unfolding before everyone's eyes.
The sky was an endless azure blue, dotted with the occasional thin, indifferent white cloud. The ground was likewise an endless desert, sand dunes rolling in waves, the yellow sands stretching far to the horizon without end.
A blazing sun hung high in the center of the sky, its light and heat spraying down like flames without restraint onto the desert. The vast sands baked like an oven, heat waves closing in.
EeDechi squatted down and cupped a handful of yellow sand in her hands. The dry, coarse grains slipped through her fingers, still warm from the desert's heat. This was the path they'd be traveling next.
"We should grab a few camels." Franco said, shading his eyes with his hand. His voice was full of worry, clearly dreading this terrifying scorching desert.
Steve Damon sidled over and offered a sincere invitation: "Please travel with us. Our merchant group is happy to cover all your food and lodging."
"Do you ride camels to cross the desert?" Barrett didn't answer directly. He'd noticed that the caravan didn't have all that many camels.
"No, we don't ride camels—we take ships." Steve smiled confidently.
He walked to the front of the caravan and pulled a crystal-clear, wide-mouthed glass bottle from his spatial ring. He held the bottle sideways, lifting it high toward the sun, the bright light illuminating what was inside.
A ship in a bottle.
The glass bottle held a shallow layer of golden sand, and atop the sand, a miniature model of a three-masted warship gleamed brightly.
Steve set the bottle sideways on the sand dune, then twisted off the brass cap. From the wide mouth of the bottle, the three-masted warship model slid out along with the golden sand. Once it cleared the opening, its size swelled in the wind, growing bigger and bigger!
Steve leaped back three steps to avoid getting smacked by the expanding three-masted warship.
In the blink of an eye, the model that had been no bigger than a palm transformed into a real massive ship! The keel was solid, the lines graceful, and atop the towering thick masts, the pale white linen sails were primed and ready.
Steve straightened his collar and boomed out grandly: "First mate, prepare to board! Hoist the sails, set sail!"
First mate Bill Hades started directing his crew to haul the crates of goods aboard, and the camels were led up onto the deck too.
"Can this ship really sail through the desert?" EeDechi looked up at the enormous hull, unable to hide her amazement. Now the three adventurers finally got why Steve was called "Captain" by everyone.
"Of course it can," Steve said, puffing out his chest.
"This three-masted warship, named the Emerald Sandboat, is a magical warship built just for sailing across deserts. After all, us folks from the City Alliance can't live without our ships."
EeDechi had heard of the City Alliance—it was an independent city-state up north on the continent, right by the sea, with several top-notch ports and rivers weaving all through the city. Trade boomed there, the economy was thriving, and it was a merchant's paradise.
"May I invite you aboard?" Captain Steve Damon asked with a smile.
"Sure, let's catch a free ride."
The three of EeDechi didn't refuse and boarded the Emerald Sandboat warship.
The pale white sails billowed, and the wide propeller at the stern dug deep into the yellow sand, propelling the warship toward the south of the Eight Greed Kings desert.
...
The Emerald Sandboat warship sailed very steadily, as if cruising on a calm sea without wind or waves, only jostling a bit when it occasionally climbed high sand dunes.
On board, the people of the Golden Aquarius caravan bustled about, methodically handling their tasks to keep the big ship running smoothly.
"As a warship, the whole vessel is equipped with 32 16-pound fire magic cannons. Twelve on the top deck, eighteen inside the cabins. One at the bow, one at the stern." Steve proudly boasted about his magic ship.
"Are there really tough enemies? Do you need that much heavy firepower?" Barrett asked.
Though he hadn't seen much of fire magic cannons, looking at those black, massive muzzles, the power of these guns was nothing to sneeze at.
Steve sighed, "Of course we do. The Eight Greed Kings desert is the last remnant of the Eight Greed Kings era—the climate here shifts like crazy, sandstorms hit all the time, and the surges of magical chaos are totally wild.
"Whether it's the magic or the Eight Greed Kings themselves, the monsters here thrive in this bone-dry desert like they're right at home, and they're super creepy and terrifying, with danger levels way higher than in other deserts—several times over, at least."
He was a well-traveled merchant and hit it off chatting with a seasoned adventurer like Barrett.
"Of course," Steve laughed. "If it weren't for all that, the treasures buried in the Eight Greed Kings desert would've been scooped up ages ago. It wouldn't be our turn now."
"What are you heading into the Eight Greed Kings desert for? Are there folks in there you can actually trade with?" Barrett asked, puzzled.
"We're not going to trade; we're heading to the Vast Stellar Gate."
Steve fanned himself with his hand, feeling a bit hot, and shouted toward the control room in the cabin: "Cray, turn on the ship's chilling aura. We're about to strike it rich—don't be stingy with that bit of magic!"
Faint magic flowed through the ship's frame, spreading across the vessel. The heat waves gradually faded. In the desert under the blazing sun, the three-masted warship sailing on the sea of sand cooled down, the hot air vanishing.
The temperature kept dropping, even white frost spreading across the floor. Steve yelled again toward the control room: "Cray, level one on the chilling aura is enough—don't crank it to level three! We're a trade ship, not hauling frozen seafood!"
"Oh, got it, Captain." The person in the control room replied, and the temperature gradually rose back to normal.
"What's the 'Vast Stellar Gate'?" Barrett asked, having heard an interesting place name.
Steve said: "Right, you're not from the City Alliance, so you wouldn't know. The Vast Stellar Gate is a portal built during the Eight Greed Kings era, able to take you straight from the south of the continent to the north.
"In other words, you can cross through the Vast Stellar Gate in the Eight Greed Kings desert and arrive directly at the City Alliance. It was infrastructure built by the Eight Greed Kings to solidify their empire's rule, connecting the whole world into one.
"Only on the fifth-to-last day of every month does the Vast Stellar Gate rise from the yellow sands, like a brilliant blue sun appearing on the horizon. Then, we pass through the Vast Stellar Gate and reach the northern coast of the continent.
"Our Golden Aquarius traveling merchant group is specifically here for the Vast Stellar Gate.
"The caravan sets out from the City Alliance, heading south all the way, doing business with various countries and cities along the route, buying local goods and merchandise, raking in piles of gold coins, then crossing through the Vast Stellar Gate back to the City Alliance, our home."
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Chapter 189: Cheeko's Superpower
Barrett and Steve were chatting, each holding a cup of coffee, sipping as they talked. Barrett's spatial ring held a large stash of distilled water, and the water tanks on the three-masted warship Emerald Sandboat also stored several tons of pure water.
In the desert, the most precious thing was the source of life—water—and right now, they weren't short on it.
This was the fifth day of their journey through the Eight Greed Kings desert. So far, everything had been perfectly calm, and the three-masted warship was steadily sailing deeper into the sands.
Cheeko hopped over to EeDechi's side, rubbing back and forth against her pant leg. It looked up at her with pleading eyes, wearing an expression like it wanted to meow but held back.
"What's wrong? You want some crystals?" EeDechi asked, scooping up the kitty.
Cheeko shook its head and let out a couple of soft, sweet meows. EeDechi figured it wanted to write something, so she pulled out her parchment, inkwell, and quill, spreading them out in front of Cheeko.
Cheeko grabbed the quill in its mouth and wrote: {I think I have the runs.}
The runs? EeDechi was a bit surprised. Cheeko wasn't a cat in the usual sense—it could devour any substance, didn't need to eat or poop—so how could it have diarrhea?
Cheeko kept writing: {This has never happened before. Ever since we left Moonstone Hollow, I've noticed that sometimes, when I eat too much, I feel like I need to let out water, and my butt's always damp.}
EeDechi set Cheeko down in front of Barrett and the captain, and the three of them discussed what might be going on.
Barrett turned Cheeko's butt toward himself and took a look. Sure enough, the slightly puckered hole above Cheeko's two little balls was damp, with droplets of water clinging to the balls.
Forced to stick its butt up, Cheeko's tail swished back and forth uneasily, looking all embarrassed.
"This..." Barrett was stumped too. He'd killed plenty of magical beasts and monsters, and he was damn good at plunging a knife into a beast's neck, but treating one for sickness? That was way outside his wheelhouse.
Barrett aimed right at Cheeko's cat butt, steeled himself, and took a deep sniff. To his surprise, the water coming out of Cheeko's butt was completely clean, with no smell at all.
Barrett shared his discovery with EeDechi and the captain, but the captain didn't have any ideas either.
First Mate Bill Hades sauntered over and plopped down with a thud. This first mate was a rough-and-tumble sort, sporting a bushy beard and always carrying a curved blade at his waist.
"You guys teasing the cat?" Bill reached out his broad, calloused palm and gave Cheeko's head a hearty rub.
Barrett filled Bill in on Cheeko's situation.
Bill propped his chin in thought, then flipped Cheeko around, dipped his index finger onto Cheeko's hole, and... stuck the finger in his mouth, savoring it carefully.
"Taste good?" Barrett asked hesitantly.
Cheeko's hole caught off guard by the assault, it arched its back in tension, nearly hissing with fury.
"No flavor." Bill shrugged. "Just like water—real clean water."
"It only started after Moonstone Hollow," EeDechi said.
"Moonstone Hollow, now that's a fine spot. Our merchant caravan's been there too—their sand onion roasted lamb is out of this world." Bill smacked his lips, unclear if he was reminiscing about the lamb's flavor or the taste of the water from Cheeko's butt.
To calm Cheeko down, EeDechi pulled a glistening blue crystal from her spatial ring and fed it to the Cheeko. Cheeko gobbled it down in a couple of bites, blissfully narrowing its eyes.
"So it looks like after Cheeko eats something, it poops out pure, spotless water," Barrett summed up.
Steve chimed in eagerly: "Hey, this reminds me of Moonstone Hollow's secret. At the bottom of the moonstone pond, there's an ancient crystal packed with otherworldly power—a relic from the Eight Greed Kings era that can transmute sand into water.
"Back then, our caravan tried to buy the crystal, but the villagers turned us down flat. They said it was a priceless heirloom from their ancestors—no one could take it away, and no one would dare try."
EeDechi and Barrett exchanged a glance, and Cheeko gave a sudden shudder. They all knew it crystal clear: back in Moonstone Hollow, when Cheeko spotted the crystal at the bottom of the pond, it got too greedy and dove right in, chomping off a big bite.
EeDechi cradled the kitty Cheeko in her arms and headed back to her cabin room with Barrett.
"No doubt about it, Cheeko's been infused with the moonstone pond crystal's otherworldly power, and now it's got the ability to turn sand and stone into pure water," Barrett said seriously.
Cheeko shrank back, letting out a pitiful "meow meow" whine, helplessly accepting its fate.
"Being too greedy isn't good, you know." EeDechi gently pulled Cheeko into her embrace.
...
Night had fallen deep, and the three-masted warship Emerald Sandboat was still sailing through the sea of sand.
With nothing better to do, Barrett wandered around. The captain's quarters door was ajar, so he casually stepped inside, curious to check out the magic ship's controls.
First Mate Bill Hades was sprawled over the console, snoring away. The others were either on watch outside or already tucked in for the night.
The nautical chart was tacked up on the wall of the captain's quarters. Of course, it couldn't really be called a nautical chart anymore—sand chart would be more fitting.
According to Captain Steve, this map was drawn by explorers from the City Alliance, with clear and precise routes leading straight to the Eight Greed Kings desert's exit, the Vast Stellar Gate. The Golden Aquarius merchant caravan was navigating the desert based on this very map.
Barrett pulled out his own map of the Eight Greed Kings desert, wanting to see how the travel routes differed.
Barrett's desert map came from the Slane Theocracy. The Slane Theocracy bordered the Eight Greed Kings desert, and their Six Scriptures troops had once ventured into its deepest reaches, searching for the Eight Greed Kings' treasures and unraveling magical secrets.
When EeDechi and her party left the Slane Theocracy, Divine Commandant Alphonse of the Clearwater Scripture gifted them the map they had surveyed to EeDechi.
Comparing the two maps, a deep confusion surged in Barrett's heart. He discovered that the Golden Aquarius merchant caravan's map surprisingly had travel routes that were nearly identical to the one in his hand leading deep into the Eight Greed Kings desert.
...
Meanwhile, at the edge of the desert, Moonstone Hollow.
The once peaceful and serene little village had not a moment of quiet left. The banners of the Sorcerer Kingdom fluttered high in the night breeze, and the villagers huddled in their homes, trembling with fear.
Squad after squad of death knights, skeleton legions, and demon armies stood assembled and ready in Moonstone Hollow, their swords and spears rising like a forest, a deathly silent killing aura spreading endlessly through the hollow.
The only place where laughter and cheerful voices still rang out was Moonstone Hollow's vital water source—the moonstone pond.
Ainz Ooal Gown, Albedo, Shalltear, Sebas, Mare, Aura, Demiurge—the demonic gods of the Sorcerer Kingdom had almost all mobilized, and were now soaking in the moonstone pond.
Several parchment maps unfurled and drifted in the air above the pond under the "levitation" spell.
With his lower body submerged in the pond, Ainz wore a solemn expression as he declared loudly to everyone:
"According to the intelligence we've collected, EeDechi is using the map gifted by the Slane Theocracy to travel through the Eight Greed Kings desert. And now, we've got a copy of the Slane Theocracy's surveyed map.
"We can say we've got a handle on EeDechi's travel route. Though this map has plenty of side paths leading to different ruin sites, we've got the edge in numbers.
"The level 100 guardians will each take different routes. Stay in touch with each other, and the moment you spot EeDechi, summon the others right away!"
"I don't care what EeDechi's scheming—in the Eight Greed Kings desert, we've got to take her down!"