Through Thick and Thin

Shane stood there, but no one was looking at him.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on the princess, waiting for her to make the final decision.

It was a strange feeling.

He was clearly the one who had expanded the oasis from a few shrubs to its current scale, pouring his heart and soul into watering every single plant, yet now, the decision-making power had nothing to do with him.

Shane cast his eyes down, his lips twitching into a self-deprecating smile.

It wasn't exactly disappointment. It had been the same way during his past life when he worked on desert reclamation. The tree planters always stayed behind the scenes, while those speaking on stage and taking the credit were always someone else. He had long since grown used to it.

“Leynas.”

The princess's voice rang out. Shane looked up and found her standing right in front of him. Her fiery red hair was somewhat disheveled by the wind, but her violet eyes shone with incredible intensity.

“I'm not leaving.”

She smiled at Shane, then turned around to face everyone, her voice rising. “I know what you are all thinking: ‘Let's retreat, saving our lives is what matters, we can rebuild the oasis once it's gone.’

“But I want to ask you a question.

“If we flee today and find another place to plant trees, what will we do when the sand spirit appears again?

“Flee again?”

Alicia swept her solemn gaze across everyone, speaking aloud the resentment lingering in all of their hearts. “We've finally managed to establish a foothold here. The pool has expanded, and the beans are ready for harvest. Are we really going to just hand all of this over to a sandstorm in the end?”

The crowd fell silent, exchanging glances, feeling ashamed that the princess had laid bare their innermost thoughts.

In the distance, Olen's brow twitched slightly.

This princess truly lived up to her reputation. She was even more bold and resolute than he had imagined.

He had already been prepared to leave, but her words made him halt, willing to observe a little longer.

“And...”

The princess continued, her voice rising even higher and sounding much more powerful. “Do you really think we can escape the sand spirit just by changing locations?

“The Golden Sea is vast, but as long as there is an oasis, the sand spirit will find its way to our doorstep sooner or later.

“So, running away solves nothing.”

She turned around and looked at Shane, her voice crystal clear. “Leynas, I will stay and help you. No matter what it takes, I will help you preserve this oasis.”

Shane stood there, speechless. Truth be told, he hadn't expected the princess to go this far.

The same was true for Elon. He walked up to the princess, a gratified smile on his face. “Her Highness is right.”

The princess turned to look at her instructor, a hint of joy in her eyes, preparing to ask him for advice on how to deal with the sand spirit. After all, a druid's knowledge in this area far exceeded that of ordinary people.

But in the next second, Elon appeared by her side. He raised his hand, which was glowing with an emerald-green light, and covered her eyes. “Sleep.”

Instantly, the princess's body went limp, and Elon caught her securely.

“Instructor... you...”

Her voice was already muffled and slurred. She struggled to open her eyes, but she was no match for the overwhelming drowsiness.

“My apologies, Your Highness.”

Elon murmured softly, then looked up at the captain of the guard in the distance. “Take Her Highness and leave. Pack up the essentials and retreat to Greystone Post.”

The captain of the guard was visibly taken aback. “But Her Highness just said...”

“Her Highness is not wrong.”

Elon interrupted him, his voice calm. “But as her instructor, I cannot allow her to gamble her life here. For her, evacuating is the safest option.”

The guard looked at Elon with hesitation, then glanced at the soundly sleeping princess, and finally gritted his teeth. “Understood.”

With that, he turned around and began directing the guards and attendants to take action.

Soon, the sounds of packing filled the camp. Tents were taken down, and supplies were strapped onto the backs of camels. The work was swift and orderly.

Shane stood to the side, watching as that fiery red figure was carefully lifted onto a camel by an attendant, and then escorted out of the camp by the guards.

He remained silent. Elon walked over to his side, his expression complex, and finally said in a low voice, “I'm sorry.”

Shane looked at him, smiled, and shook his head. “I understand.”

“You are her instructor. Protecting her is the right thing to do. I would have done the same.”

Elon did not reply, but Shane noticed that he had no intention of leaving. He raised an eyebrow and asked, “You're not going?”

“Do you remember what I said before?”

Elon looked up at the Red Willows and Suosuo on the distant dunes and smiled. Shane, however, didn't know what he meant, so he instinctively asked, “What?”

“I said that I want to see the day the Golden Sea turns into a forest.”

Shane was stunned for a moment, and then he smiled—a faint but genuine smile from the bottom of his heart.

“Alright.”

He withdrew his gaze and looked in Ksaz's direction.

The robust sand scaler had not left with the crowd. Instead, he stood there with his clansmen, waiting for Shane's orders.

Seeing Shane look at him, Ksaz immediately stepped forward. “Sir.”

Ksaz's voice was extremely firm. His three-layered eyelids were wide open as he stared intently at Shane. “I am staying, and Karu and the others will stay as well.”

Shane looked at him. “Your tribe was destroyed by a sand spirit.”

“Yes.”

Ksaz did not deny it, but his tone did not waver in the slightest. “Which is exactly why we cannot let it destroy this place too.

“You saved us, Sir, and gave us a place to live. Now, it is our turn.”

Shane didn't waste time being overly sentimental and nodded. “Good. I need you.”

He pulled Ksaz closer to ask in detail about the scene when his tribe was attacked by the sand spirit, ultimately extracting two key phrases: wind, and the turbulence of mana particles.

Thinking back to the process of dealing with the quicksand, Shane added a third word behind those two: water.

Ksaz then asked cautiously, “Sir, is what I said of any use?”

“It is.”

Shane nodded, an outline already forming in his mind. He then looked toward Elon. “I plan to give it a try.”

“Try what?”

“Killing the sand spirit.”

Elon was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter. His laughter drew another figure over.

Olen, riding on his metal lizard, stopped in front of the two of them and asked, “Since Her Highness is preparing to evacuate, what do you two plan to do?”

His eyes were fixed on Shane, mainly wanting to see his reaction, but Elon answered ahead of him. “We will suppress the sand spirit.”

Olen did not say much in response. He stared at the two of them for a few seconds, then nodded slightly. “Then I wish you luck.”

With that, he urged his metal lizard forward, leaving the camp without looking back.

Shane wasn't surprised at all by Olen's departure. After all, the man's mission was to inspect the bands, not to reclaim the desert.

Therefore, collecting his thoughts, he looked at Ksaz and Elon beside him and said in a deep voice:

“Now, we are racing against time.”