Lu Yuan stood where he was, watching his retreating back.
'Next time we meet?'
The Empire's territory was vast; he was going to the Bronze City, and Morris was returning to the royal capital, thousands of miles apart. From here, they would each go their separate ways; perhaps they would never cross paths again for the rest of their lives.
Morris couldn't have failed to realize this.
So the meaning of those words was obvious—he didn't intend to take back the Sanity Ring.
It was another favor.
Lu Yuan retracted his gaze and kept this matter in mind.
Heller and Vincent were already in the carriage.
Vincent nodded to Lu Yuan as a farewell. Heller didn't even look at him, maintaining his usual cold demeanor.
Herman stood at the doorway, watching the carriage depart.
"Giddy-up!"
The driver cracked the whip, and the carriage slowly started, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Lu Yuan stood still, watching the carriage gradually recede until it finally vanished at the horizon.
"They're gone?"
Herman's voice came from behind him.
"They're gone," Lu Yuan said, retracting his gaze.
Herman walked to his side, biting his cigarette holder, and together they looked out at the empty desert in the distance.
"A pathfinder's badge, huh..." He glanced at Lu Yuan's chest. "Not bad. It's more useful than a Nightwatcher's."
"How so?"
"Nightwatchers are law enforcers; they make people nervous wherever they go." Herman exhaled a puff of smoke. "Pathfinders are different. They are trail blazers; people are willing to help them wherever they go."
Lu Yuan didn't respond.
"The caravan departs the day after tomorrow," Herman said. "Take these two days to finish what you need to do."
He gave Lu Yuan a look that was somewhat meaningful.
"That boy Karl has been pestering me every day about teaching you the flute; my ears are about to grow callouses."
In the evening, the afterglow of the setting sun dyed the desert a golden-red.
Lu Yuan sat cross-legged on a stone in the courtyard, holding the Sandworm Bone Flute in his hand.
The body of the flute emitted a faint milky-white luster, feeling warm to the touch and lighter than an ordinary bone flute. It had several holes of varying sizes, arranged very systematically.
Karl sat opposite him, also holding a flute, his eyes sparkling.
"Are you really going to learn?"
"Yes," Lu Yuan nodded.
Karl's face immediately burst into a large smile.
"That's great! I thought you were just saying it!"
He shifted his position excitedly and moved closer.
"Then let's start from the basics. First, learn how to hold the flute."
"Look, left hand on top, right hand on bottom, fingers placed like this..."
Karl gestured seriously, holding the flute to his lips and blowing a short syllable.
"Doot—"
The sound was somewhat immature, but the rhythm was steady.
"Then this..."
"Doot doot—doot—"
After Karl finished, he looked up at Lu Yuan, his eyes full of expectation.
"You try?"
Lu Yuan placed the flute to his lips, mimicking Karl's fingering.
Taking a deep breath, he blew gently.
"Doot... woo... chsh..."
The sound was intermittent and mixed with the noise of escaping air, failing completely to form a tune.
Karl frowned.
"No, no, your breath isn't steady." He stood up and walked to Lu Yuan's side. "Blow with your stomach, not your mouth."
"With my stomach?"
"It's..." Karl thought for a moment and scratched his head. "Grandpa said it's called... abdominal breathing?"
He patted his own stomach.
"The air should come from here, not squeezed out of your throat. Try again."
Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow.
He knew about abdominal breathing; when he used to search for ore in the mountains, he had to use it to hold his breath for long periods. But using it to play the flute was a first.
He adjusted his breathing method and tried again.
"Doot—"
It was better this time, the tone much more stable. Though it was still a bit crude, at least air was no longer leaking.
At the edge of his vision, greyish-white text flickered gently:
【Ancient Music Theory: +0.2...0.3/10】
"Yes, yes, yes! That's it!"
Karl clapped his hands excitedly, his smile reaching his ears.
"You learn so fast! It took me a long time to blow a single complete note, and you did it on your second try!"
Lu Yuan didn't speak.
The experience bar was rising, which meant the direction was correct.
"Then let's continue." Karl sat back down, his expression becoming serious. "Next are the basic scales, seven notes in total, each corresponding to different fingering..."
Night fell.
Oil lamps were lit in the courtyard, their dim yellow light swaying gently in the night wind.
Lu Yuan and Karl remained in place, one teaching, one learning.
"This note should be lighter, don't blow too hard..."
"Yes, that's it, do it again..."
"No, no, the fingers are wrong. It's this hole, not that one..."
Karl taught very seriously, correcting every detail several times.
Lu Yuan also learned very seriously, practicing every note repeatedly until he had mastered it completely.
Without realizing it, the moon had already risen to the middle of the sky.
"Let's stop here for today." Karl yawned and rubbed his eyes. "We'll continue tomorrow."
Lu Yuan nodded.
At the edge of his vision, the greyish-white text quietly appeared:
【Ancient Music Theory: 0.7/10】
From 0.3 to 0.7, it had risen by 0.4 in one night.
The speed wasn't exactly fast, but it wasn't slow either.
Karl stood up and stretched, suddenly remembering something.
"Right, do you know the story behind the Song of the Sandworm?"
"No," Lu Yuan said. "What story?"
Karl's eyes lit up, his tone carrying a hint of pride.
"The Song of the Sandworm is the oldest tune in Sandworm Town, passed down for hundreds of years. When sandworms hear this tune, they quiet down. They won't attack the person playing the flute; they might even swim toward the sound of the flute."
"Why?"
"I don't know." Karl shook his head. "Grandpa says it's an agreement between sandworms and humans that has existed since long, long ago."
He paused and lowered his voice, as if telling a secret.
"It's said that the original Song of the Sandworm wasn't created by humans, but sung by the sandworms themselves. Humans just learned it."
Lu Yuan looked at him and said nothing.
The sandworms sang it themselves?
Those massive creatures with no eyes and only fangs could sing?
Lu Yuan recalled the scene he saw at the stone field that day. The hunters blew their flutes, and the sandworms rose from the depths of the sand sea as if being summoned.
That wasn't simple domestication, but some kind of more ancient connection.
"Song of the Sandworm..." Lu Yuan repeated the name in a low voice.
【Ancient Music Theory: +0.1...0.8/10】
The next day.
Lu Yuan got up very early.
He sat in the courtyard, holding the Sandworm Bone Flute, practicing the content he had learned yesterday over and over again.
Basic scales, breath control, fingering transitions.
Every detail had to be proficient; there could be no mistakes.
When Karl woke up, Lu Yuan had already been practicing for over an hour.
"You started so early?" Karl walked out rubbing his eyes, looking surprised.
"Couldn't sleep," Lu Yuan said.
Karl looked at him, then at the flute in his hand, and suddenly laughed.
"You're much more serious than I was."
He ran back into the house, took out his own flute, and sat opposite Lu Yuan.
"Then let's continue. Today I'll teach you slurs."
In the evening, Herman returned from town carrying a cloth bundle.
He walked into the courtyard and saw Lu Yuan and Karl still sitting there practicing the flute, his brow furrowing slightly.
"Still blowing?"
"Grandpa!" Karl looked up. "Lu Yuan learns so fast, he can already play complete tunes!"
"Oh?" Herman walked over and sat on a nearby stone stool. "Play one for me."
Lu Yuan did not decline.
He placed the flute to his lips, took a deep breath, and began to play.
It was a simple ditty that Karl had just taught him that morning. The melody wasn't complex, but it required steady breathing and fluid fingering.
The sound of the flute echoed in the courtyard, low and distant, carrying an indescribable sense of desolation.
As Herman listened, his gaze gradually changed.
After the tune finished, Lu Yuan put down the flute.
"How was it?" Karl looked at Herman expectantly.
Herman didn't answer immediately; he just looked at Lu Yuan with a complex gaze.
"Two days," he said. "You only learned for two days."
Lu Yuan nodded.
Herman was silent for a while before suddenly pulling a thin booklet from his robe and handing it over.
"Take it."
Lu Yuan took it and flipped through it.
The booklet was very old, the paper yellowed and the corners curled. It was densely filled with hand-drawn patterns and text, recording various flute fingerings and scores.
At the edge of his vision, the greyish-white text quietly appeared:
【Target Detected: Ancient Music Theory Manual (Handwritten)】
【Contains several ancient tunes passed down in Sandworm Town, including the complete version of the Song of the Sandworm】
【Note: Some content is ancient and requires careful identification】
"This is..."
"Something passed down in the town," Herman said. "I originally intended to leave it for Karl, but that boy..."
He glanced at Karl and shook his head.
"He's studied for three years and hasn't even passed the basics."
"Grandpa!" Karl shouted in dissatisfaction.
"Be quiet." Herman glared at him, then turned back to Lu Yuan. "You are different. You can play a complete melody in just two days. Giving this to you is more useful than keeping it in my hands."
Lu Yuan looked at the booklet in his hand and remained silent for a moment.
"There's no need for such a courtesy."
"It's not a courtesy," Herman shook his head. "You helped us solve a huge trouble; what is a single booklet compared to that?"
He paused, his tone becoming somewhat serious.
"Besides, I have a premonition."
"What premonition?"
"You'll be back in the future."
Lu Yuan looked at him.
"If Sandworm Town is to develop, it needs to deal with the outside world," Herman continued. "You are a Nightwatcher and a pathfinder; you surely know more people than I do."
"If you need any help in the future, just ask. Consider this booklet an advance deposit."
Lu Yuan put the booklet away and nodded.
"I will."
On the morning of the third day, the caravan prepared to depart.
Three carriages parked at the edge of the town, loaded with sandworm skin, sandworm oil, and various desert specialties.
A few young men from the town were doing final checks, ensuring the cargo was tied down securely.
Herman stood by the first carriage, giving instructions to a young man. This might be his last time running a caravan; in the future, as the Mayor of Sandworm Town, he wouldn't be able to leave so freely.
Lu Yuan walked over with his bag over his shoulder, containing his belongings.
The Nightwatchers' badge, the pathfinder consultant badge, the Sandworm Bone Flute, the Ancient Music Theory Manual, the Knowledge Pathway Guide given by Ink, and that unopenable copper badge.
His chest felt slightly warm; that was the Timekeeper merged into his body.
At the edge of his vision, the greyish-white text quietly appeared:
【Sanity: 68/120】
【Ancient Music Theory: 1.2/10】
After three days of rest, his Sanity had recovered significantly.
Though it was just over half, at least he wouldn't see those chaotic hallucinations anymore.
"Ready?" Herman glanced at him.
"Yes."
"Then get on the carriage. It's a three-day journey."
Lu Yuan was about to climb onto the carriage when hurried footsteps suddenly came from behind him.
"Wait!"
It was Karl.
He ran over panting, clutching something in his hand.
"You... why didn't you call me before leaving!"
Lu Yuan stopped his movement and looked at him.
"It was too early; I didn't want to wake you."
"You should have said something though!" Karl looked a bit aggrieved. "I thought... I thought you left without saying goodbye..."
Looking at his flushed face, Lu Yuan suddenly found it a bit amusing.
"It's not like I'm never coming back."
Karl froze for a moment.
"Really?"
"Yes," Lu Yuan smiled and said. "I haven't finished learning the Song of the Sandworm. When I come back next time, you'll have to teach me the rest."
Karl's eyes instantly lit up.
"Okay! I'll definitely practice hard! When you come back, I'll definitely play better than you!"
He stuffed the thing he was clutching into Lu Yuan's hand.
It was a small bag of dried sandworm meat.
"Eat it on the road," Karl said with a red face. "I dried it myself; it's very delicious."
Lu Yuan looked at the cloth bag in his hand and was silent for a moment.
"...Thanks."
He put the bag away, climbed onto the carriage, and found a spot to sit beside the cargo.
Herman raised his whip.
"Giddy-up!"
The carriage slowly started, the wheels crunching over the sandy ground.
Lu Yuan looked back at the receding Sandworm Town.
The low adobe houses, the fluttering laundry lines, and Karl standing at the intersection, waving his hand non-stop.
He watched for a while, then retracted his gaze and looked ahead.
The yellow sand was vast and endless.
Bronze City.
He was coming.
Rate on N.U.
