Something Is Amiss Here

On the ridge of the sand dunes, two figures moved slowly, one after the other.

Leading the way was a skeletal Bactrian camel carrying a young man who looked like a local guide. A map scroll and a waterskin hung at his side. Behind him followed a humanoid figure wrapped in a grayish-green hooded cloak, her entire face shrouded in shadow.

Lanche sighed and instinctively patted the gold coin tucked against his chest, thinking to himself, "This client is certainly generous, but there's something deeply abnormal about her."

Three days ago, Lanche had been sunbathing in front of the post station in the eastern sand city when this client had silently approached him. She tossed a gold coin over and asked in a raspy, gender-neutral voice, “You claim you can guide me to the newly emerged oasis around the Little Emerald Pool?”

At first, Lanche thought he had misheard. Around the Little Emerald Pool?

He had only recently heard of that place himself, and it wasn't even marked on the maps yet. How could anyone else know about it?

So, gathering his courage, he asked, “Are you referring to that recently formed oasis with a fairly large pool?”

The other party fell silent for two seconds before nodding in confirmation.

And so, he took the job.

Sitting atop his camel, Lanche occasionally glanced back at the figure behind him, always feeling that something was amiss.

First of all, this person had been on foot the entire time. She had no mount when they met, nor did she use any means of transportation when setting out across the sea of sand. She had refused even when he suggested renting a camel.

Secondly, the weight she carried was clearly not light. When the wind blew up the hem of her wide cloak, the tip of a scabbard could be seen. She left deep, distinct footprints on the uneven sand. Moreover, the outline of the scabbard was exceptionally long and wide, with the hilt extending past her shoulder—indicating that the greatsword, when stood upright, would be taller than she was.

At just over 1.7 meters tall, she walked across the sand with a faint metallic clanking sound accompanying every step, indicating she was wearing a full suit of armor.

She had been walking for days wrapped in a cloak, wearing armor, and carrying a massive sword, barely drinking a drop of water.

Furthermore, she had been incredibly taciturn throughout the journey. Their total conversation didn't even amount to five sentences. It was mostly Lanche reporting the route and directions or deciding on a place to rest. If she weren't still breathing, Lanche would have wondered if he was guiding an undead creature.

Lanche took out his waterskin, tilted his head back for a drink, and made a silent judgment about this person: she was a real tough one.

Fortunately, they were finally nearing their destination today. Lanche braced himself, sat up straight, and peered ahead. Seeing what looked like a faint outline in the distance, he smiled and called out behind him, “Guest, just a bit further and you'll see it. Silver Sand Lake, your destination.”

The figure behind him stiffened slightly. The hood lifted a fraction, and a puzzled voice drifted out. “Silver Sand Lake?”

Lanche looked at the figure. Although he couldn't see her face, he could hear the confusion in her voice, so he explained, “Ah, look at my memory. I forgot to mention, that's a name that was only recently given to it.

“Originally, the largest oasis in the area was supposed to be the Little Emerald Pool. But now, Silver Sand Lake is much larger. Not many people know about it yet; I only heard of it by chance from a merchant caravan.”

The person did not respond, but the top of her hood twitched slightly, revealing a sharp, pointed contour for a fleeting second.

Lanche had grown accustomed to his companion's reactions during the trip, so he paid it no mind. Snapping back to the task at hand, he continued urging his camel forward. Before long, they reached the crest of a sand dune, and the sight before him left him stunned.

In his field of vision, a low-lying stretch of green was spreading from the distance toward the base of the dune. Although it still looked somewhat sparse, it was incredibly lush for the Golden Sea.

It was hard to believe such a sight could exist in the Golden Sea, prompting Lanche to shout in excitement, “Hey! Guest, we're here! We've arrived! This is it, just like the caravan said!”

He turned back to shout at the cloaked figure, unable to contain his excitement. “Look at those trees! They were all planted by the Lord of Silver Sand Lake. They've already planted them all the way out here. Those people weren't lying!”

He grew more and more excited, almost standing up on the camel's back. After all, planting trees in the Golden Sea was something even drunken bards wouldn't dare dream of.

However, the gaze of the figure behind him was not nearly as enthusiastic.

A distinct snort came from beneath her hood, accompanied by a flash of gold light that carried clear displeasure. This reaction instantly dampened Lanche's excitement. He shuddered instinctively and fell silent once more, urging his camel forward.

The further they went, the denser the surrounding vegetation became. Rows of plants Lanche couldn't name were distributed evenly across the sand, and even the soil around them had undergone a noticeable transformation. Observing this, Lanche muttered to himself, “Amazing... to actually grow all this in the Golden Sea. Who on earth is behind this?”

The cloaked figure followed behind Lanche, her hooded head turning to scan the surroundings. But the more she saw, the darker the golden light flashing beneath her hood became.

Suddenly, Lanche's camel halted, and his terrified voice trembled from its back. “G-Guest... th-that's...”

The figure followed Lanche's gaze and immediately spotted two pale shapes slowly walking toward them from the bottom of the sandy slope.

They moved with measured, uniform steps, their bodies constructed entirely of interlocking bones without a single shred of flesh. They were the classic image of undead skeletons.

“U-Undead?”

Lanche's face turned stark white. He had never expected to encounter such things here. Although he had often heard stories about dangerous criminals being exiled to the Golden Sea, he had never actually seen one in his entire life. He had always assumed they were just tales told by bards, but today he had run straight into them.

He instinctively tried to pull his camel around to flee, but his weakened, trembling limbs made it difficult to control the beast. “Guest, let's run first, I—”

Before he could finish his sentence, he felt a gust of wind sweep past his eyes.

The figure who had been trailing behind him for days dashed forward, brushing past him before Lanche could even react.

Lanche stared in terror as the figure's left hand flicked the end of her scabbard backward. With a crisp metallic click, her longsword—which had its hilt extending past her shoulder—instantly shifted positions, the hilt sliding down from her shoulder to her waist.

Immediately after, her right hand firmly gripped the hilt. Her fingers were slender, yet they possessed immense strength.

In the next second, her hood was flung back as the ring of a drawing blade echoed. A heavy greatsword, longer than her own height, left its sheath.

Short, silver-gray hair fluttered slightly in the hot wind. Atop her head, a pair of large cat ears stood erect, about eight or nine centimeters long. The tips of her ears twitched slightly, and then her body began to spin.

Her slender frame swung the greatsword in a wide sweep. By the time she faced the two skeletons, the blade had already spun to their necks.

The sound of the blade slicing through the air was sharp and brief. The heads of the two skeletons spun into the air and fell to the ground a moment later.

The figure came to a halt. Looking at the water bucket that had tipped over between the two headless skeletons, she frowned. However, she did not dwell on it and instead looked to the side.

Several more skeletons carrying water buckets appeared over there.

Sure enough, just like that big dummy said, there was indeed something wrong with this place.

Thinking this, she raised her greatsword once more and charged at the remaining skeletons, one of her eyes flashing with a golden light, while the other was a cool, sky blue.