Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

[Translator – Peptobismol]

Chapter 15

An old man descended down the stairs.

He was of small stature, barely half the size of Dyoden.

The old man looked up at Dyoden with wistful eyes.

“So, you’re still alive. Dyoden!”

“Looks like you’ve lost more teeth, Pavilsa.”

“You’re abnormal. Still fussing over living past a hundred.”

The old man called Pavilsa grumbled.

He had lost almost all of his teeth and had only a few left. In contrast, Dyoden was still alive and well.

In many ways, they were incomparable.

Dyoden asked Pavilsa.

“What brings you here? This isn’t your territory.”

“Scavengers have been running rampant here.”

“Didn’t you sweep them away last time?”

“Just because you sweep them once doesn’t mean those pests vanish. New ones showed up this time, more vicious than ever. There’s no point in getting involved; it’ll only give us a headache.”

“Hmph! Seems like someone’s scared of scavengers, spinning tales of running away.”

“I’m not you. There’s no need to willingly get tangled in troublesome matters. We call that a wise choice.”

“Just living to talk…”

Dyoden chuckled.

Despite his ridicule, Pavilsa didn’t seem embarrassed by his laughter.

While not as strong as Dyoden, he too had survived the era of destruction for a long time, possessing resilience and experience.

Though most of the world had turned into desert, there were still lands habitable for humans. There were rocky mines akin to jade quarries and small oases.

Despite the harsh environment, humans adapted and continued their lives there.

Not as secure as Neo Seoul and not a gathering place for many, yet they persevered.

Scavengers targeted these survivors, which led Pavilsa to move here.

His gaze turned towards Zeon, standing beside Dyoden.

“Haven’t seen this one before. A subordinate?”

“Just a companion.”

“A companion? A person like you, with someone tagging along? Heaven and Earth will be flipped.”

“Enough nonsense, let’s go inside. There are items to trade.”

“I wouldn’t let just anyone in, but I’m doing it because it’s you.”

“Stop with the theatrics and guide us in.”

“Hmph!”

Pavilsa snorted and ascended the stairs.

Dyoden followed, and lastly, Zeon climbed up.

Before climbing, Zeon glanced at Archelon’s face. Coincidentally, Archelon was looking at him too.

The face was as big as a large house. The size of the pupils was larger than that of Zeon himself.

It was truly a frightening size.

Zeon’s image reflected in its colossal pupils. Yet, Archelon seemed uninterested, swiftly turning its head forward.

‘Taming a monster like this and casually riding it around? Crazy!’

He knew that there were tamers among the Awakened, but the tale of someone taming such a colossal monster was unheard of. Nonetheless, it was still too early to be surprised.

Inside Archelon’s shell an unimaginable sight unfolded.

The interior was hollow and vast, a whole village nestled within.

Although there weren’t many, there were still people roaming the streets.

“What in the world?”

“They’re a tribe.”

“A tribe? A bloodline, you mean?”

“Yeah! They are all descendants of Pavilsa.”

Zeon was more surprised by Dyoden’s words.

In a world where surviving was a challenge, and raising children safely was uncertain.

Leading such a large family was nearly impossible.

Dyoden spoke.

“This is possible because Archelon protects them from external threats.”

“I guess so.”

Zeon nodded.

The desert housed numerous monsters, some as huge as the Sandworms. However, none could compare to Archelon.

Furthermore, Archelon boasted the strongest defense.

The colossal shell on its back was so resilient that no monster’s fang could pierce it.

Hence, most monsters dared not provoke Archelon.

Inside Archelon’s shell, Pavilsa’s descendants flourished.

“They call themselves the Mot tribe, after Pavilsa’s last name.”

“Mot tribe?”

“Yeah! They are mindless idiots who think they are chosen, but in reality, they’re nothing without Archelon.”

To Dyoden, the Mot tribe living in the iron fortress appeared as nothing more than a sandcastle that could collapse at any time.

The reason Archelon protected them was because of the powerful tamer named Pavilsa.

After Pavilsa’s death, it was uncertain whether Archelon would still protect the Mot tribe.

This is because a tamed monster pledged loyalty only to its master.

Pavilsa took the two of them to his house.

He said as he sat down on a chair.

“Where should we start?”

“Anywhere.”

Dyoden retorted coldly and brought out various items he had collected in the subspace storage over time.

The horn of a Giant Horned Hyena leader, the carcass of a Queen Wolf Ant, and corpses of monsters he had hunted even before meeting Zeon, were laid out one by one.

All the items Dyoden presented were rare items that came from bosses.

These were all items that could not be obtained easily.

Depending on how they were processed, their power varied significantly.

In the hands of a skilled craftsman, they turned into treasures, while in the hands of an unskilled individual, their value plummeted.

Pavilsa scrutinized the items Dyoden presented through his sharp gaze behind the spectacles.

Each item was of supreme quality, flawless and impeccable.

“As expected, they’re all impressive.”

“There is no need for official affairs, so tell me how much you will pay for them.”

“Will you take payment in Magic Stones?”

“You must be out of your mind since you’ve become old. Why would I need Magic Stones?”

“True, you can’t even enter Neo Seoul, so I suppose you have no need for Magic Stones.”

Magic Stones were the most crucial currency of this era. Consequently, all transactions in Neo Seoul were based on Magic Stones. However, for some reason, Dyoden couldn’t enter Neo Seoul, hence preferring tangible goods over Magic Stones.

Pavilsa inquired.

“So, what do you want?”

“A breastplate made from the carcass of the Queen Wolf Ant and a subspace artifact.”

“Do you need a breastplate? And don’t you already have a subspace artifact?”

“I won’t be the one using them.”

“Then, is it for this young lad?”

Pavilsa finally looked at Zeon with an intriguing expression.

He had known Dyoden for a long time, but this was the first time he was doing something for someone else.

If Dyoden was paying this much attention to someone, they couldn’t be ordinary.

“He seems to be quite a useful lad.”

“Don’t talk nonsense; just tell me if you can do it.”

“Hmm.”

After a moment of contemplation, Pavilsa called someone.

“Kailey.”

Shortly after, a woman who looked to be about twenty years old entered the house.

[Translator – Peptobismol]

She had sun-kissed brown skin, blue eyes, and emanated a resilient vitality akin to a cactus blooming alone in the desert.

“You called, Grandpa?”

“Remember the subspace bracelet I made before?”

“I don’t have the bracelet, but there’s another gauntlet. It’s a great artifact since the enchantment worked exceptionally well.”

“Give that gauntlet to this lad here.”

“That precious artifact?”

Kailey seemed surprised.

She was a rare and highly skilled Enchanter.

She could bestow properties or special abilities onto items. However, not all enchantments succeeded; the success rate barely exceeded 30%, and only a small fraction of those turned into proper artifacts.

Although there were Enchanters in Neo Seoul, most used methods combined with science.

Pure Enchanters were not so common, and among them, Kailey could be considered the very best.

The artifact Pavilsa mentioned was her masterpiece – a gauntlet with top-grade subspace properties that exceeded ten meters in length, width, and height. It was larger than an average warehouse and held substantial value.

It was surprising to hand over such a precious item to a boy he had just met.

Pavilsa words are not yet finished.

“And tell Noelle to make a breastplate for this lad using the shell of this Queen Wolf Ant.”

“Eh? You want her to make a breastplate too?”

“Yes.”

Noelle was Pavilsa’s youngest son and a remarkable blacksmith.

His crafted items, and enchanted by Kailey, were sold at high prices, and that was how the Mot tribe survived – by buying potentially itemized goods from the desert, processing and selling them for profit in Neo Seoul or to caravans.

This resulted in Archelon’s interior being full of valuable items and provisions.

Kailey glanced at Zeon with a meaningful gaze.

‘Does he possess any special abilities?’

Her grandfather, Pavilsa, had a very prickly personality. If one didn’t have abilities, he didn’t entertain them at all.

At that moment, Dyoden spoke up.

“Did that brat become an Enchanter?”

“Oh, hello. Long time no see.”

Only then did Kailey realize Dyoden was there and hastily greeted him.

“So, you’ve Awakened as an Enchanter; quite a useful skill you’ve acquired.”

“Thank you. You’re still as critical as ever.”

There was a faint fear in Kailey’s eyes as she looked at Dyoden.

She knew well just how powerful the old man before her was.

The memory of Dyoden tearing apart a massive monster in front of her when she was much younger still haunted her as a trauma.

Kailey felt uncomfortable being in the same space as Dyoden any longer.

She hurriedly spoke to Zeon.

“Come with me. I’ll give you the gauntlet.”

“Yes!”

Zeon followed Kailey, his joyful expression not concealed.

He had no idea how envious he was whenever Dyoden used the subspace.

Secretly, he wished he had something like that himself. The fact that he could get it for free made him happier than he realized.

Kailey asked Zeon.

“What’s your relationship with that old monster?”

“Pardon?”

“Dyoden.”

“Oh! We just happened to meet and are traveling together.”

“Just happened to meet him?”

Kailey frowned slightly.

She didn’t quite believe Zeon’s words, but probing further seemed pointless.

Kailey took Zeon to her workshop.

Various items she had crafted hung on the walls of her workspace.

Zeon couldn’t help but marvel; the presence emitted by the items overwhelmed him.

“Wow!”

He inadvertently let out a gasp.

Kailey looked pleased at his reaction.

“I’ve worked on all of these. How is it?”

“Incredible. Are these all artifacts?”

“That’s right! It can be said to be the best, except for the ones excavated from dungeons.”

Sometimes, items excavated from dungeons triggered phenomena due to their excessively potent power.

Artifacts excavated from dungeons were known to possess extraordinarily special abilities.

Kailey’s goal was to create artifacts as significant as those excavated from dungeons.

She picked up the gauntlet hanging on the wall.

The gauntlet covered the back of the hand and the forearm.

“I made this using the exoskeleton of an Ironclad Starfish mixed with adamantium. It’s a dual composite structure, excelling in resilience, protection, and attack power. Besides the subspace function I mentioned earlier, it also has a self-recovery function.”

“Self-recovery? So, it automatically heals?”

“Yes! As long as it’s not completely destroyed, it will regenerate.”

“Oh, wow!”

“Isn’t it impressive? That’s not all. Possibly due to the Ironclad Starfish, the gauntlet has a fire attribute. Currently, it only emits a faint flame, but its power will vary based on what you attach to it.”

She pointed to a rounded part on the back of the gauntlet, designed for attachment.

“An artifact with a fire attribute?”

“Yes! It’s best to attach something powerful. Once attached, it can’t be replaced. Frankly, this gauntlet is almost a product of chance; I can’t guarantee that I’ll be able to recreate it.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. But is it okay to just give me something like this?”

“Grandfather told me to give it to you.”

“Thank you.”

Kailey handed the gauntlet to Zeon.

He immediately put the gauntlet on his right hand.

Initially it was a little loose, but once it was fully put on, it automatically shrunk to a perfect fit.

Zeon moved his hand around, feeling as if he wore nothing; his wrist and finger movements were free.

A faint heat emanated from the gauntlet.

Kailey asked.

“How is it?”

“It’s great.”

“Heh!”

Kailey crossed her arms, wearing a proud expression.

Just then.

Boom!

Suddenly, the alarm-like wail of Archelon echoed.

From her extensive experience, Kailey knew it was a warning.

She rushed out of the house and looked outside. In the distance, an enormous cloud of dust was rising.

Her complexion turned pale.

“It’s… the Scavengers.”

[Translator – Peptobismol]

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