Kapitel 133: CHAPTER 133 - Kthaons
Early the next morning, Li Lin and Kassadin woke up and had a quick breakfast.
When they arrived at the meeting point, Sivir, Cassiopeia, and their followers were already ready for the journey.
The previous night's celebration didn't last long. Those who survived in the desert, experienced enough not to waste too much energy before a trip, avoiding feeling unwell the next day.
That could be fatal.
Li Lin greeted Sivir, then shifted his gaze to Cassiopeia, who had conversed with him extensively the night before.
However, she only smiled and greeted Li Lin without deliberately getting closer to him as she did before.
Last night, Li Lin pretended to be a member of the Black Rose, and being "Lady Pale" LeBlanc's subordinate. Cassiopeia didn't have many suspicions.
"The Black Rose will bloom once more" is the exclusive slogan of the secret society, known only to its members. Saying it allows members to confirm each other's identities... at a preliminary level.
To fully confirm that the other person is a member of the Black Rose, there needs to be a series of proofs. Some agents on secret missions might have special code phrases, some may have tattoos with the Black Rose symbol, and some high-ranking members can use specific magical items for confirmation.
However, Li Lin was familiar with Cassiopeia. Her knowledge of the Black Rose came from her mother. Despite her later achievements in the group targeting Shurima, her understanding of the Black Rose remained superficial. She hadn't even seen the true face of "Lady Pale."
Moreover, when Li Lin said the slogan last night, he used a few phrases in Noxian that he learned during his leisure time in Piltover. Coupled with his remarkable acting skills and social skills acquired from dealing with Piltover's elite, he was confident that he could earn Cassiopeia's trust at least 70-80%.
Of course, all this was conditional on the fact that this young girl communicates with her mother or other members and superiors of the Black Rose before confirming.
After Kassadin double-checked the supplies carried by the Skarash packbeasts, Li Lin and he helped the beasts climb up with their horns.
When everyone was ready, the group, under the curious gaze of the town residents, left through the southeast gate of Shurima, entering the vast desert - the Great Sai Desert.
In Shuriman, "Sai" means the plain of sand and gravel, generally referring to desert areas.
The Great Sai Desert is the largest desert north of the ruined Imperial City of the Sun - the Sun Disc. It spans east and west, divided by the dry riverbed of the once life-filled river, a natural boundary that stretches across the central part of the Shuriman continent.
On the left, it connects to the mountain range of Mount Targon, and on the right, it connects to the tropical rainforest north of Ixaocan. It occupies almost half of the Shuriman continent.
However, the danger level of the Great Sai is not as high as the Sai Faraj to the west of the Sun Disc. The Sai Faraj, also known locally as the "Endless Plains," is a life-prohibited zone covering hundreds of miles in diameter.
Although the Great Sai also lacks water sources and towns for rest and supplies, quite a few nomadic tribes roam here.
With good luck, a traveler with no experience in the desert might be saved by some kind-hearted nomads before dying of thirst.
With bad luck, apart from directly dying of thirst in the desert, the bones may become food for the Milos beetle swarms or other wild beasts. Travelers may also encounter ruthless bandit groups, be exploited and left to die in place, or even be taken as spare food by those bandits who lack food.
In extremely rare cases, if the bandits lack food, they may drag these unlucky people away as a backup source of food...
Zuretta is at least a month's journey from the ruins of the Imperial City of the Sun in the central Shurima.
In the first few days, during the rest time at noon or night, everyone either hid in the shade or chatted and laughed in the wind-sheltered position of a large sand dune.
As the exploration team entered the uninhabited area in the center of the Great Sai Desert, the daily maximum temperature approached 50 degrees, and the minimum temperature approached 0 degrees.
Basically, everyone lost their initial energy, and the atmosphere in the team became dull.
Even Li Lin, who was wearing powered armor, felt the heat and stuffiness, despite maximizing the cooling function of the armor.
On the 13th day, the expedition encountered nomadic tribes coexisting with two massive Megafauna.
These slow-moving giants were dozens of meters tall, with huge and thick chitinous shells protecting themselves, allowing them to stroll in the harsh and arid environment for a long time.
Due to the unique advantages of Megafauna, some nomadic tribes have made homes on these giants, achieving a "cooperative" and mutually beneficial life.
The riders of Megafauna maneuvered through a complex network of knots using claws to drive away mosquitoes and clean the bodies of these giants.
In the vast desert, the colossal beasts, endowed with unique senses, sought hidden freshwater resources.
Venturing into the nomadic tribe with over a hundred people, the expedition replenished water and supplies, weathering a sandstorm alongside the colossal beasts.
On the 15th day, as the nomads urged the colossal beasts westward, the expedition, led by Sivir, continued its journey southward.
Time passed swiftly, another week slipping away.
The scorching sun hung high, casting blinding rays upon the earth, subjecting everyone to an oven-like ambiance.
Guided by the beast riders, the group found a secluded water source closest to the ruins of the Sun Disc.
Sivir stationed a few of her subordinates as lookouts and allowed the rest to replenish their drinking water.
Next came the time for the livestock to drink.
Li Lin handed his Skallashi to Kassadin and approached Sivir, who was washing her face.
Sensing approaching footsteps, Sivir wiped her face, lifting her eyes to see Li Lin.
Seeing the newcomer, she smiled slightly, "How have you been these days?"
"In such harsh conditions, there's not much to say about being 'good,'" Li Lin responded.
With that, Li Lin activated his powered armor, exposing his upper body. From his pouch, he retrieved a wooden ladle, scooping up clear water to pour on his dusty hair.
He let the cool water trickle down his cheek into the collar, relieving the parched sensation from the prolonged desert stay.
The sensation of the cool water on his skin was last experienced in Zuretta's inn.
Li Lin lifted his head slightly, inhaling deeply the moist and cool air in this oasis.
A feeling as if from another lifetime...
"You really surprised me, Li Lin," Sivir teased, "I thought a noble city boy like you would cry and beg to go back halfway."
Li Lin could tell it was a joke, shook his head with a hint of helplessness, and smiled, "If it weren't for this powered armor, I might just do that."
He scooped another ladle of water onto his head, turned to face Sivir, and asked, "Are we about a week away from the Sun Disc now?"
Sivir looked towards the cloudless sky, "If nothing unexpected happens..."
However, before she could finish, a vast expanse of dust rose on the eastern horizon, as if something was approaching.
Hastily removing her back Chalicar, Sivir frowned, squinting her eyes to look into the distance.
"Judging from the dust's momentum, it doesn't seem like a sandstorm or any wild carnivorous creature..."
So, the only remaining option was...
Suddenly, Sivir's face changed drastically. Immediately, she shouted to alert everyone, "Bandits! Be on guard, quickly protect Miss Du Couteau... Bring those camels and Skallashi from over there!"
Bandits?
Li Lin controlled the powered armor to fit snugly around his body once again, echoing, "Didn't the beast herders mention that this area is free from bandit threats?"
While Sivir commanded her subordinates to surround Cassiopeia and the Noxian guards protecting her in the center, she gestured for people in the distance, who were tending to camels, to drive them and the Skallashi here.
After a while, she found time to answer Li Lin's question, "In the desert, anywhere there's a water source, anything can happen... They probably discovered this place too."
As the earth trembled, the chaotic sounds of hoofbeats rapidly approached from the distance.
When the mercenaries and Noxian guards were fully prepared and standing in formation, Shyvana held her breath, concentrating to discern the sounds in the air.
"Over thirty horses in total... Typical bandit groups don't have this many people."
Sivir opened her emerald eyes abruptly, a hint of resentment flickering in their depths.
"These are the people of the Kthaons tribe!"
(End of this chapter)
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