The moment the water column shot into the sky, the entire oasis fell silent.
People watched the geyser rise high into the air. Intertwined with the last glow of the setting sun and the rising moonlight, the crystalline water droplets fell from above like scattering gems.
They felt the droplets landing on their faces and bodies, bringing a refreshing, soul-soothing chill.
Soon, a deafening cheer erupted.
“Heavens, it's a miracle!”
“A geyser in the desert!”
“Our efforts must have moved the gods to grant us this rain!”
The servants spread their arms, tilting their heads back to welcome the sweet rain, while the guards wiped the water from their faces, smiles breaking across their usually stern expressions.
“This water is so cold.”
Isha reached out to catch the falling droplets, her eyes shining as she watched the continuous geyser. “With so much water shooting up, could there be a hot spring underground?”
“What are you thinking? There are no hot springs in the desert.”
Lena stood behind Isha, letting the water fall over her and soak through her maid uniform.
Alicia stood where she was, the falling spray dampening her fiery red hair and making her violet eyes look even brighter.
A smile played on her lips as she glanced at Elon beside her, noticing that her instructor had also let his guard down for once.
But one person was different.
Shane watched the cheering crowd, then shifted his gaze back to the geyser. Realizing it showed no signs of stopping, his brow furrowed as an instinctual sense of unease crept over him.
As more and more water fell, the dry ground became thoroughly soaked, turning a deep, dark color. Water was even starting to pool in the shallow depressions.
“Elon!”
Shane's expression shifted. Pointing at the pooling water, he shouted to Elon.
Elon turned around. The moment he saw the puddles Shane was pointing at, he understood. Instinctively, he yelled, “Your Highness!”
The princess turned her head. The moment her gaze landed on Elon, she read the urgency in his tense expression.
She swept her gaze over the surroundings, then looked down at her feet, immediately realizing what was happening.
“Everyone, hear my command! Move the supplies!”
Her sharp voice cut through the curtain of water, reaching everyone's ears. “Everyone! Rations, fabrics, Ashstones—move all the supplies out of here! Hurry!”
The guards and servants froze for a fraction of a second, but as a unit that had followed the princess for a long time, their reaction speed was far superior to ordinary people.
Within seconds of her command, the crowd sprang into action.
In an instant, the celebratory gathering transformed into an orderly transport crew. However, the water was pooling much faster than they had anticipated.
“Isha.”
Amid the chaos, Lena led Isha toward the supply depot. “The bottom of the cargo bags is getting wet!”
“I know!”
Isha didn't panic. She directed the workers through the curtain of water. “Pull out the under-mats first, then load everything onto the camels!”
The caravan workers scrambled to load the goods onto the camels before driving them out of the reach of the falling water.
Fortunately, most of the items were packed inside cargo bags that had decent waterproofing. Aside from a shallow dampness at the very bottom, everything was safe and sound.
Once the last of the supplies was moved out of the deluge, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief and turned their eyes toward the pool.
Looking at the completely waterlogged ground and their now-flooded camp, everyone was left somewhat speechless.
“So...”
Isha was the first to break the silence, shaking her short hair. “Did we succeed, or did we fail?”
“If we're only looking at it from the perspective of stopping the quicksand, we succeeded. But...”
Alicia trailed off. After all, no one had expected the quicksand crisis to have a second phase.
Looking at the geyser that still showed no signs of weakening, Elon walked over to Ksaz. “You mentioned earlier that once the quicksand stops, a new seed of water forms, which in turn creates a new oasis, right?”
Ksaz nodded. “That is the legend in our tribe.”
“Are you saying this happened because we stopped the quicksand?”
Shane looked at Elon, understanding his implication, but raised his own doubt. “The active water elements were neutralized by death magic. How could they possibly gather like this again? Unless...”
Shane stopped mid-sentence as a realization struck him. He lowered his head in thought for a moment, then looked up at Elon with uncertainty. “Are these the stable water elements?”
“Yes.”
Elon gave a bitter laugh, not having anticipated this outcome either. “Ordinarily, those stable water elements would have been heavily consumed as the quicksand moved. But since we stopped it, they needed an outlet to vent. Clearly, the pool is that outlet.”
The group fell into a brief silence, seemingly accepting this explanation.
But the most pressing issue wasn't figuring out the cause. If this continued, their small pool was going to turn into a lake.
“It's shrinking! Mr. Leynas, the water is shrinking!”
At Ksaz's exclamation, everyone looked toward the geyser and saw that it had suddenly dropped in height, the surging flow visibly weakening.
The column of water receded rapidly, dropping from dozens of meters high to just over ten, then down to a few meters, before finally subsiding into a gentle, bubbling spring that slowly calmed.
“Phew...”
Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief. At the very least, they didn't have to pack up and relocate their camp.
Shane was the first to move, jogging over to the edge of the camp.
Under the moonlight, Shane could clearly see that the pool had grown. From its original size of about a basketball court, it had nearly doubled.
Some of the seabuckthorn-type plants originally planted along the water's edge were now partially submerged, their branches floating half-in, half-out of the water, though they didn't seem damaged.
The bean field to the east of the pool, which should have been a fair distance away, was now a mere three to five paces from the water's edge.
“It seems the outcome is actually quite good?”
Isha stood beside Shane, eyeing the expanded pool and estimating the distance before carefully watching Shane's expression.
“It's fine.”
Shane replied flatly, his tone giving away nothing. “It's not a bad thing, but the process certainly caught us off guard.”
Then, without waiting for the others to catch up, he walked a bit further right to the water's edge. Peering into the crystal-clear water, Shane narrowed his eyes.
How is it this clear?
The grayish-brown sand and tiny bone fragments at the bottom were perfectly visible. If not for the gentle ripples on the surface, it would have been hard to believe there was water there at all.
“This clear? It feels even clearer than before.”
Catching up, Elon knelt down and lightly ran his finger across the surface. He withdrew his hand, rubbing his fingers together. “I thought the violent surge would have left the pool muddy and turbid, but it's unexpectedly clear. I can barely feel any impurities.”
“Can we drink this water?”
The princess stood behind them, arms crossed as she stared at the water. This was her primary concern.
But the moment she spoke, silence fell over the group. No one dared to give a guarantee.
Gradually, everyone's gaze shifted to one person.
Shane looked around blankly, only to find even Ksaz staring at him with eager eyes. Even the camels that had just been driven off in the distance seemed to be watching him expectantly.
“Fine.”
Shane sighed. “I'll do it.”
He bent down, cupped his hands, and leaned forward slightly to scoop up a handful of water, bringing it to his lips for a cautious taste.
Instantly, a cool sensation glided across his tongue and down his throat. The water was incredibly soft and smooth, without a hint of earthiness or bitterness. As it washed over the back of his tongue, a refreshing sweetness filled his mouth.
“Delicious.”
Shane murmured, taking another sip. He couldn't help but praise, “It's really good.”
“Really?”
Elon raised an eyebrow and stepped closer. Seeing that Shane wasn't faking it, he bent down, scooped up some water in the same manner, and brought it to his lips.
The next second, Elon's expression froze.
He stared wide-eyed at the water in his hands. As if unable to believe it, he took another gulp before looking up at the crowd, his voice laced with disbelief. “This water...”
“What is it?”
Alicia showed a rare mix of curiosity and tension.
Elon looked somewhat dazed, as if lost in a memory. “I've only tasted water like this when I traveled through the elven realm. Only the clear springs deep within the forests, naturally filtered by the roots of ancient trees for hundreds of years, possess this level of sweetness and softness.”
Alicia looked at Elon, finding it hard to believe her instructor would give such high praise. She was about to bend down herself when Lena, standing beside Isha, spoke up to stop her.
“Your Highness.”
Lena produced a clay bowl from somewhere and quickly handed it to the princess.
Alicia took the bowl, scooped up half a bowl of water, and took a sip.
The moment the water entered her mouth, she froze. The cool water instantly dispelled the surrounding oppressive heat, making her feel as though she were no longer in the middle of a desert.
She couldn't help but sigh in admiration. “Delicious. It's truly wonderful.”
“Your Highness...”
Isha looked up at Alicia, her eyes full of curiosity. Alicia handed the bowl over to her.
Isha's eyes lit up instantly. She grabbed the clay bowl as if someone might snatch it away and quickly drank.
As the cool water glided over her tongue and down her throat, she too gasped in amazement. But immediately after, she added, “Your Highness, if we sell this water in the heart of the Empire, people will go absolutely crazy for it!”
Looking at the money-minded Isha, Alicia smiled but said nothing. She turned her gaze to Shane. Although he didn't show it on his face, the expanded pool would likely keep him pleased for a long time.
But before Alicia could ask anything, Ksaz suddenly cried out while staring toward the bean field, “Mr. Leynas, something is happening over by the bean field!”
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