The boundless desert was scorching hot under the blazing sun. The air shimmered with rising heat waves, and even the wind carried scalding sand, stinging their faces.
Riyao and Mirajane walked side-by-side on the soft sand. The ground beneath their feet was burning hot, but it didn't make either of them frown. A faint golden magical aura floated around their arms; Enchantment Magic: Heat Insulation and Sun Protection completely blocked out the high temperatures.
Enchantment Magic is truly the GOAT.
Riyao kicked a pebble at his feet, gazing at the solitary hill in the distance, and couldn't help but sigh, "Ugh, was it four or five days we've been walking? I feel like my legs aren't even my own anymore."
Mirajane, barefoot, gently wiggled her fair toes in the cool sand, looked up at the sky, and mumbled while counting on her fingers, "Five days! I've almost forgotten what meat tastes like… Why isn't there even a single rabbit in this desolate desert? Just piles and piles of tumbleweeds."
As soon as she finished speaking, a round tumbleweed rolled past their feet with a "gulu gulu" sound, as if echoing her words.
At this moment, both of them had long lost their fresh appearance from when they set out. Their hair was messy and stuck to the back of their necks, the ends split like withered grass, their clothes were covered in sand, and even their faces were masked with a layer of dust.
If it weren't for the Water Magic, they would have died of thirst long ago, having found no fresh water along the way. As for bathing, that was out of the question; they'd only get dirty again the next day, and they needed to conserve magic for the troubles at night.
Speaking of trouble, they had suffered a lot from the small magical beasts these past few days. These creatures hid under the sand during the day to avoid the heat, and at night they came out in groups to forage, making it impossible to sleep soundly.
If they tried to catch up on sleep during the day, the scorching sun made it impossible to open their eyes, so they could only push through the journey. Both of them now had faint dark circles under their eyes, revealing an undisguised weariness.
Riyao smacked his lips, his tongue dry from the rations. "How about we try roasted insects? I heard that sand worms in the desert are rich in protein and taste delicious when roasted."
"No!" Mirajane immediately wrinkled her nose, dramatically recoiling and waving her hands like a small fan. "I wouldn't eat that stuff even if you killed me! Just thinking about it is disgusting!"
"Sigh, if only I knew Space Magic, I'd create a personal space and fill it with steaks and cakes before setting off," Riyao sighed with a blank face.
Mirajane shot him a sidelong glance and retorted without hesitation, "Exactly, why didn't you learn Space Magic? Reflect on that!"
"That's a great point, don't say it again next time." Riyao rolled his eyes and reached out to mess up her hair.
"Hey! My hair is messy enough already!" Mirajane swatted his hand away. After a brief playful spat, they continued to trudge towards the small hill.
As they walked, Riyao suddenly stopped, his fingertips rubbing the Virgo celestial spirit key at his waist. The cool metallic touch invigorated him. He cleared his throat and held the key high: "Virgo, come forth!"
A golden celestial spirit array suddenly unfolded at their feet. After the light dispersed, a pink-haired girl in a classic maid outfit appeared out of thin air. She gracefully bowed, her skirt sweeping across the hot sand, and her voice clear: "Master, do you have any commands?"
Mirajane immediately perked up, her steps becoming lighter as she approached, her eyes shining like two small lamps, staring intently at Virgo—clearly pinning all her hopes of eating meat on the celestial spirit.
Riyao rubbed his hands, asking with a hint of anticipation, "Virgo, can food from the Spirit World be brought here? Like… roast chicken, steak, or something?"
Virgo spread her hands, her face apologetic: "I'm sorry, Master, items from the Spirit World cannot be brought into the human world."
"Ah~" Mirajane's shoulders instantly slumped, and the light in her eyes extinguished, like a deflated balloon.
Riyao also hung his head, looking disappointed: "Sigh, I knew we couldn't exploit a bug…"
"Does Master have any other commands?" Virgo tilted her head, looking at them with her usual expressionless face.
Riyao waved his hand: "No, you can go back now." The celestial spirit array lit up again, and Virgo's figure quickly disappeared into the glow.
After a few seconds of dejection, Riyao pulled an unassuming seed from his pocket. A faint green life energy emanated from his fingertips, gently infusing it.
He tossed the seed into the sand, and a tender sprout "swish" broke through the soil, growing rapidly at a visible pace. The trunk thickened round after round, new shoots quickly emerged from the branches, small white flowers bloomed, and before long, it was laden with bright red apples, their weight bending the branches.
"More fruit, I'm tired of it," Mirajane said listlessly, leaning against the fruit tree.
Riyao picked two of the largest apples, tossed one to Mirajane, and sat down against the tree trunk. He took a crisp bite, and the sweet juice instantly moistened his dry throat: "Sit, Mira, we'll rest a bit before we go."
This was a disposable fruit tree seed; it withered after bearing fruit, saving a lot of magic.
Mirajane nodded, patted the sand off her clothes, and sat beside him, also taking large bites of her apple.
The sweet flesh melted in her mouth, and she narrowed her eyes in satisfaction. Suddenly, she poked Riyao's shoulder: "Hey, Riyao, next time, can you research some disposable chickens, ducks, or pigs? I really haven't eaten meat in ages…"
Riyao spread his hands, a rare serious expression on his face: "No, researching that easily touches upon taboos."
Mirajane paused her apple-eating, tilting her head to look at him: "What taboo?"
Riyao leaned against the tree trunk, his gaze fixed on the distant dunes, his voice slightly softer: "The taboo of Ankhselam, God of Life and Death."
"God?!" Mirajane shot upright, her mouth agape in an O shape, forgetting to discard her apple core. "Are you saying there really are gods?"
"Yes, there are scattered records on the continent. You came later, Gildarts mentioned it in the guild before." Riyao nodded, picking up a small pebble and drawing circles on the ground. "It's fine for me to use life energy to accelerate plant growth, but if I were to accelerate animal growth, it would be equivalent to interfering with the birth of life. Most likely, very possibly, it should touch upon Ankhselam's rules."
After hearing this, Mirajane's surprise gradually turned into worry. She gripped Riyao's wrist, her fingertips exerting a bit of force, her eyes filled with tension: "Then… will there be any danger if you accelerate the growth of fruit trees? And when you used life energy in battle before, were you okay?"
Riyao smiled, patting her hand to reassure her: "Don't worry, plants are different from animals. As long as it doesn't involve reversing life and death, it's fine. For plant seeds, life has already begun; I'm just accelerating the growth process. Using life energy in battle is just consuming it."
As they spoke, the apple tree behind them had already begun to yellow, its trunk withering at a visible rate, quickly turning into a pile of dry branches, blending in with the color of the desert.
Riyao stood up, patting the sand off his backside: "Rested enough? We should reach our destination in another day or two. Once we defeat the Stone Titan, we'll go to a nearby town and have a good meal!"
"Okay! Ten servings of steak!" Mirajane immediately cast aside her previous worries, clenched her fists, and shouted, her eyes once again burning with fighting spirit.
The two exchanged a smile and continued walking towards the distant hill under the blazing sun, their footsteps sounding exceptionally clear in the vast desert.