Late at night, the full moon hung high in the sky. On a leeward sand dune about a dozen kilometers away from the oasis, Ksaz stood with two of his tribesmen.
He had opened two of his three eyelids, leaving only the final transparent membrane to allow him to see more clearly in the dark. At this moment, his gaze had been fixed on the sandy surface below the dune for a long time.
In his vision, the sand below the dune did not gently rise and fall with the night wind like ordinary desert ground. Instead, it slowly spiraled, drawing the surrounding grains of sand around an invisible center.
Although it moved slowly, having watched it for so long, he was certain that this vortex was gradually shifting in a single direction.
Before long, the edge of the vortex drew close to a healthy, willow-like plant about half a person tall. When Ksaz had first discovered it, it had already established shallow roots, which were enough to withstand ordinary wind and sand.
Yet, as the vortex slowly approached, even this plant began to be swallowed by the sand bit by bit. In just seven or eight breaths, it vanished completely from the surface.
Ksaz's eyes twitched. He knew all too well what kind of disaster it would bring to Shane if this thing reached the oasis. Therefore, he had notified Shane long ago and was now waiting for his arrival.
“How is the situation?”
Shane's voice suddenly rang out from behind. Ksaz turned immediately to find him riding up on a skeletal warhorse, with the druid Elon riding a camel beside him.
Neither of them carried any light source, as both necromancers and druids possessed excellent night vision.
“Mr. Leynas, Lord Elon.”
Ksaz immediately stood at attention and bowed, then pointed to the vortex below the sand dune. “The quicksand covers a large area, roughly the size of a pond. Based on our prolonged observations, its trajectory will bring it straight through the oasis.”
“And to be honest, we don't have much time left. I estimate it will arrive in about three days.”
Listening to Ksaz's report, Shane looked toward the quicksand below the dune. A faint, ghostly blue glow flickered in his eyes as he used his magic to examine the state of the quicksand.
A few minutes later, he withdrew his magic and turned to Elon beside him. “What do you think?”
“The water element aura is very strong, but there is no sign of liquefaction.”
Elon frowned, rubbing his chin as he voiced his thoughts, before looking at Ksaz. “Shane mentioned that you believe this is a phenomenon caused by the dissipation of a sand spirit?”
“Yes...”
For a moment, Ksaz's expression grew complex. His throat bobbed as if he were composing himself, and then he confessed, “Yes. After a sand spirit devours the life force of an oasis, it dissipates. However, the water elements within it do not vanish. Instead, they form quicksand within the soil and expand outward.”
“This continues until the excess water elements are fully released, at which point the quicksand stops and forms a new seed of water, eventually growing into a new oasis.”
“According to the lore passed down in our tribe, this is called the Breath of the Golden Sea.”
It sounded like a natural ecological cycle of the Golden Sea, but it was far from good news for Shane. He had no desire to see his hard work destroyed by this 'Breath of the Golden Sea.' Thus, he immediately asked, “How long does this thing take to stop?”
Ksaz gave a bitter smile and did not hide the truth. “Usually, it takes about three months.”
Three months!
Shane's lips twitched. Hoping it would dissipate on its own before reaching the oasis was out of the question now. In his field of vision, another green plant was dragged down into the soil by the quicksand.
Judging by the current situation, the seabuckthorn plants wouldn't stand a chance against the pull of the quicksand, and the same went for the Red Willow and Suosuo before they fully matured.
Shane took a deep breath and said slowly, “That won't do.”
With that, he began to recall his knowledge of desert reclamation from his previous life. However, in his memory, the formation of quicksand was generally related to the movement of groundwater and was mostly localized.
The quicksand before him, however, was formed by the movement of water elements and was highly mobile. Aside from both involving the word 'water,' the two phenomena seemed to have nothing in common.
“Could the root of the problem lie in the 'water' itself?”
He murmured softly, then looked at Elon. “You said earlier that the water element aura in the quicksand is very strong?”
Elon nodded, completely confident in his judgment. Shane then turned to Ksaz. “According to what you said, once the 'excess' water elements are completely consumed, it will stop naturally, right?”
Ksaz thought back for a moment, and once he was sure, he nodded in agreement. “Yes, sir.”
With confirmation from both of them, an idea formed in Shane's mind. He raised his hand to summon a skeletal hound and personally ignited its soul fire.
At the same time, one of his eyes flared with a pale blue flame identical to the soul fire. This was a unique skill of a necromancer, allowing him to completely share senses with his undead creation.
“Since it all relates to water, we won't figure out anything just by staring at it.”
Shane raised his hand and pointed to the vortex below the dune. The skeletal hound beside him sprang into action, heading toward the quicksand. “We have to experience it firsthand to see what's really going on.”
Soon, the skeletal hound ran onto the quicksand. Perhaps due to its light weight, the quicksand did not affect it at first.
However, as the quicksand slowly churned, the sand gradually covered the skeletal hound's toe bones, then its lower legs... and within moments, it was completely swallowed up.
At the same time, Shane closed his eyes to sense the situation carefully.
It had to be said that, just as Elon had pointed out, the sand was rich in water elements, but they were exceptionally active. This was likely why they did not liquefy.
The overly active water elements were constantly condensing and dispersing around a specific core, creating a spiral flow.
Ultimately, these water elements forced the surrounding sand into that bizarre, swirling trajectory. Thus, while it appeared that the sand was moving, it was actually the water elements driving it.
Shane also noticed that the water elements themselves were being consumed. With each rotation, a tiny fraction of the water elements became stable and gathered at the very bottom.
However, perhaps due to the influence of magical inertia, the quicksand would absorb the chaotic mana particles of the Golden Sea to replenish itself, causing the elements to become active once more.
Yet, as the stabilized water elements accumulated, the vortex as a whole would tend toward stability, even after absorbing the chaotic mana particles. It was simply a matter of time.
In other words, as long as they could prematurely consume or stabilize the water elements within the quicksand, this massive vortex of sand would grind to a halt.
Shane slowly opened his eyes, the flame in his eye fading. He looked at the vortex below the sand dune, a confident smile spreading across his face under the expectant gazes of Ksaz and Elon.
“I think I've found a way.”
Rate on N.U.
