The caravan moved slowly through the desert.
Three carriages lined up in a row, their wheels grinding over the soft sand and leaving behind two deep ruts. Soon, the wind and sand would smooth these traces over, as if no one had ever passed through.
Lu Yuan sat beside the cargo on the first carriage, leaning against a bundle of sandworm skin with his eyes half-closed.
The sunlight was intense.
Even with his hood up, his face felt hot from the sun.
Herman sat at the front, holding the reins and biting his cigarette holder with a relaxed expression.
His skin was dark and coarse, covered in the marks of wind and sand erosion; he was clearly long accustomed to this environment.
"First time on a long trip?"
"Sort of," Lu Yuan said with his eyes squinted.
"You'll get used to it." Herman exhaled a puff of smoke. "Hot in the day, cold at night, and noon is the hardest to endure."
He raised a hand and pointed forward.
"See that over there? There's a row of black shadows on the horizon."
Lu Yuan looked in the direction he pointed.
On the distant horizon, he could indeed see some blurred outlines, looking like a row of jagged teeth.
"That's the Stone Forest," Herman said. "We'll camp in front of the Stone Forest tonight and pass through it tomorrow. Beyond the Stone Forest is a real forest, and after we cross that, we'll reach Bronze City by evening."
"A forest?" Lu Yuan was somewhat surprised. "A forest in the desert?"
"Not in the desert." Herman smiled. "Once you pass the Stone Forest, the terrain changes. It's close to Bronze City, where there's plenty of water, so a large forest has grown there."
He paused.
"However, that forest isn't peaceful either. Walking through it during the day isn't much of a problem, but don't even think about it at night."
Lu Yuan nodded and didn't ask further.
His gaze swept over the distant undulating dunes toward the sky.
The yellow sand was vast, with the sky and earth blending into one color.
Except for the occasional sound of the wind and the creaking of wheels over the sand, there was nothing.
Lu Yuan retracted his gaze and pulled the Ancient Music Theory Manual from his robe, flipping it open to read.
The manual was a handwritten copy, the paper yellowed and the corners curled.
The handwriting was a bit messy, but still legible.
It recorded over a dozen songs, each accompanied by detailed fingering diagrams and performance instructions.
At the same time, it divided Ancient Music Theory into grades.
There were five levels in total.
The first three levels had detailed explanations.
Level one was mastering various fingerings and techniques while being able to play complete songs.
Level two required transcendence, with much stricter requirements.
Level three was written somewhat vaguely, and there were no records at all after levels four and five.
Lu Yuan's gaze fell on one page.
The Song of the Sandworm.
The score was very long, taking up three full pages. The notes were dense and the fingering transitions complex; just looking at it was enough to give someone a headache.
There was a line of small text annotated on the side:
"This song must be played with a Sandworm Bone Flute; Ancient Music Theory must be at level one or above."
Lu Yuan frowned.
Level one or above?
He flipped forward and found that it wasn't just the Song of the Sandworm; most of the songs in the manual were marked with similar requirements.
Wind Summoning Ballad—requires level one or above.
Silt Slumber Melody—requires level one or above.
Elegy of the Broodmother—requires level three or above, use with caution.
Echo of the Abyss—requires level four or above, solo performance prohibited.
Lu Yuan glanced at the grey text at the edge of his vision.
【Ancient Music Theory: 1.2/10】
According to the manual, reaching ten experience points should correspond to level one.
He wasn't even at level one yet.
Lu Yuan closed the manual and looked at Herman.
"I have a question."
"Hmm?"
"The manual says the Song of the Sandworm requires level one or higher to play," Lu Yuan continued. "But how old is Karl? How can he play it?"
Herman heard this and let out a laugh.
"You mean that boy."
He took the cigarette holder out of his mouth and tapped away the ash.
"He's not playing the full version."
"What do you mean?"
"The Song of the Sandworm has several versions," Herman explained. "The full version is too long and too complex, and the requirements for the player are very high. So the older generation simplified it, taking only that small opening section."
"A simplified version?"
"Correct." Herman nodded. "The simplified version isn't dangerous; even children can learn it. It's enough to use for calming sandworms."
Lu Yuan was silent for a moment.
"And the full version?"
"The full version?" Herman's expression became a bit subtle. "That thing... no one dares to play it."
"Why?"
Herman didn't answer immediately.
He looked up at the sky, then down at the reins in his hand, as if weighing his words.
"Are there some notes at the back of that manual of yours?"
Lu Yuan nodded.
"Have you read them?"
"I've seen some," Lu Yuan said. "It mentions someone summoned something and then died insane."
"That's what I was going to say."
Herman exhaled a puff of smoke, his voice dropping low.
"That person was called... what was his name again, I forgot. I only remember he was the most powerful hunter in town, and his Ancient Music Theory had reached level four."
"Level four?"
"Yes." Herman nodded. "In Sandworm Town, that was already a legendary figure. Ordinary hunters are lucky to reach level two; most people are stuck at level one for their entire lives."
Lu Yuan remembered the way Karl played the flute.
The boy had studied for three years and hadn't even passed the basics.
It seemed that improving Ancient Music Theory was not an easy task.
"What happened then?"
"What happened?" Herman took another puff of smoke. "Later, he felt he was powerful enough and wanted to try the full version of the Song of the Sandworm."
"The result?"
"No one knows what happened that night," Herman's voice became very light. "All they know is that the next morning, someone found him on a sand dune."
"Dead?"
"Dead." Herman nodded. "His eyes were wide open, his mouth agape, and the expression on his face... looked like he had seen something he shouldn't have."
He paused.
"There were no wounds on his body, but he was already breathless."
"The cause of death?"
"The person who examined the body said his brain... was empty."
Lu Yuan's brow furrowed slightly.
His brain was empty?
What did that mean?
Was his Sanity drained? Or something else?
"No one can say clearly what exactly happened." Herman shook his head. "Anyway, since then, no one in town has dared to play the full version of the Song of the Sandworm. The simplified version is enough; why take that risk?"
He glanced at Lu Yuan.
"I don't object to you learning Ancient Music Theory. But don't be in a hurry to touch those high-level songs. If you force it without a high enough level, something will happen."
Lu Yuan nodded.
"I know."
He tucked the manual back into his robe and didn't ask further.
Some things were not meant to be touched right now.
The carriage continued forward.
The sun gradually dipped toward the west, and the color of the desert changed from golden-yellow to orange-red, then from orange-red to dark purple.
The temperature also began to drop.
The daytime heat receded, replaced by a dry chill.
The temperature difference between day and night was extreme; this was a characteristic of the desert.
In the evening, the caravan stopped beneath a leeward sand dune.
Not far ahead was the Stone Forest.
Those massive rock pillars cast long shadows in the setting sun, looking like a group of silent giants.
"We'll camp here tonight." Herman jumped off the carriage and stretched. "Early tomorrow we'll cross the Stone Forest, then cross the forest, and we'll be in Bronze City by evening."
A few young men began to get busy.
Unloading cargo, setting up tents, digging fire pits, and starting fires to cook.
Their movements were skilled; they had clearly done this many times before.
Someone brought down several sandworm oil lamps from the carriage and hung them on wooden stakes around the camp.
A milky-white glow lit up, forming a sharp contrast with the warm yellow of the campfire.
Four lamps formed a circle, enveloping the camp within a domain of light.
Lu Yuan found a flat stone and sat down, pulling the Sandworm Bone Flute from his robe.
While the sky wasn't completely dark yet, he would practice for a while.
He placed the flute to his lips and gently blew a few notes.
"Doot—doot doot—doot—"
The sound of the flute echoed in the desert, distant and ethereal.
At the edge of his vision, the greyish-white text skipped gently:
【Ancient Music Theory: +0.1...1.3/10】
It had risen.
Lu Yuan continued practicing.
Basic scales, slurs, breath control.
The things Karl had taught him were basically mastered.
What he needed to practice next were some more complex techniques: vibrato, glissando, and staccato.
The manual had detailed instructions, but reading and doing were two different things.
Most importantly, mastery alone was not enough. When Lu Yuan played, he could feel his Sanity fluctuating downward as he blew.
It seemed many things had to be figured out on his own.
The sky gradually darkened.
The curtain of night slowly pressed down from the horizon, swallowing the last trace of light.
Desert nights came quickly and completely.
The moon hadn't risen yet, and the surroundings were pitch black.
Only the light from the campfire and the sandworm oil lamps carved out a small circle in the darkness.
Lu Yuan put away his bone flute and sat by the fire.
As he ate his dry rations, he surveyed his surroundings.
The young men were gathered in twos and threes; some were eating, some were chatting, and some were already wrapped in blankets preparing to sleep.
The atmosphere was very peaceful.
But Lu Yuan knew that peace wouldn't last long.
Desert nights were never safe.
His gaze swept across the darkness at the edge of the camp, maintaining his vigilance.
As expected.
At the edge of his vision, the greyish-white text suddenly emerged:
【Environmental Perception: Detection of a large number of low-level eerie approaching; please move away.】
They were here.
Lu Yuan put down the rations in his hand and looked toward the edge of the light circle.
In the darkness, red points of light were turning on.
One point, two points, three points...
More and more.
Those were eyes.
They stood at the boundary between light and shadow.
Burnt appearances, like corpses scorched by fierce fire, their skin shriveled and limbs twisted.
Their postures were bizarre, with spines arched and broken, and four limbs propping them on the ground at impossible angles.
They were exactly the same as what he had seen in Sandworm Town.
They stood there motionless, those crimson eyes staring fixedly at the people in the camp.
Staring at the light.
Staring at him.
Herman walked over carrying a bowl of meat soup and sat down beside Lu Yuan.
"See them?"
"Yes." Lu Yuan's tone was very calm. "The same as last time."
Herman nodded and took a sip of soup.
"As long as the sandworm oil lamps don't go out, they can't come in."
Lu Yuan didn't speak.
He looked at those things again.
The number was greater than that night in Sandworm Town.
Ten or so.
Twenty or so.
Thirty or so.
More and more charred figures appeared at the edge of the light circle, as if growing out of the sand.
"It's still considered okay here by the Stone Forest," Herman continued nonchalantly. "As we go further, the things in the darkness won't just be these. Their shapes, sizes, and habits are all different; some aren't even afraid of light."
"What about in the forest?"
"The forest is more troublesome." Herman exhaled a puff of smoke. "The things there are different; sandworm oil lamps aren't very useful against them. That's why we can only cross it during the day."
He paused.
"It'll be fine once we're near Bronze City. The material used for that city is special; eerie things don't dare approach it."
Lu Yuan watched them for a while, confirming those things wouldn't cross the light circle.
Just like that night in Sandworm Town, the light from the sandworm oil lamps could hold them back.
Since that was the case, there was no need to waste energy.
He retracted his gaze, found a sheltered spot to lie down, and closed his eyes.
Let those things watch if they wanted to.
After an unknown amount of time, Lu Yuan woke from his sleep.
The horizon was already turning grey, and the first ray of sunlight pierced through the darkness.
He looked toward the edge of the light circle.
Nothing was there.
Those charred figures had already vanished, as if they had never existed.
At the edge of his vision, the greyish-white text quietly emerged:
【Sanity: +12...80/120 (Total Value)】
After a night's rest, his Sanity had recovered significantly.
"Pack up the gear, get ready to move."
Herman's voice rang out.
The young men began to break camp.
Tents were packed away, sandworm oil lamps extinguished, and cargo reloaded onto the carriages.
Everything was orderly.
Lu Yuan climbed onto the carriage and found a spot beside the cargo to sit.
He looked back at the sand dunes behind them.
Under the sunlight, there was nothing.
It was as if those things from last night had never existed.
"Giddy-up!"
Herman cracked his whip, and the carriage slowly started.
The caravan set off toward the Stone Forest.
Rate on N.U.
