382 Preparing For Derby Deser (1/2)
Knowing where to find Axel wasn't the difficult part of preparing for their journey. Truth be told, Zero didn't think that they needed to do many preparations for Derby Desert but Truen begged to differ.
”The harshness of the desert cannot be underestimated,” Truen warned.
He talked about the dangers of unknown monsters lying in wait beneath the sand, the harsh sun and heat as well as the lack of water. Zero listened to his best friend talk about stories of people getting starved and shrivelled up in the unforgiving environment.
”The worst is when compasses don't work and when the desert starts creating illusions. Desperate adventurers will follow them when they are out of food and water, only to realise that it was a trick by the sands. The wind changes all the time so sand dunes shift, it is literally a death trap. Even experienced guides of the deserts can die at any moment, the place is full of dangers and you'll never know what happens next.”
Zero smiled. His best friend was clearly forgetting who he was travelling with. Shifting sand dunes? High-levelled illusions? Zero could deal with them easily. In fact, if he really wanted to, the desert would be lacking sand. Zero's void inventory can hold a third of Amarania's water, it could easily hold all the sand in Derby Desert if the situation required him to do so. Besides, after getting so many offerings of food from Magnus Hilda, how would they ever run out of food and water? It would be alright even if they feasted every night. Zoe would be more than happy to cook them a special order if Zero told her they were bored of giant cuisine. Besides, why would Truen be worried about the heat? Heat regulating enchantments can easily be put on the cloaks. The Great Gods have placed all sorts of enchantments on Zero's clothes and after learning magic, Zero knew how to add them to other people's clothes too.
They had everything they needed for a comfortable journey and not one fraught with dangers. Mii and Wii can take turns navigating from the comforts of the mindscape and Zero had absolute faith in Truen's abilities to take care of any sand monsters. Bob was on his way to join them on their journey after they'd taken care of Magnus Hilda's request to finish the Freya statue. They had plenty of time.
Listening to Zero explain his point of view, Truen felt foolish. That was right, he was no longer on the old Earth. Even if this world was more dangerous, his partner was a very powerful ancient being that could create gods. For Zero, this would be nothing. Truen didn't even know why he needed a bodyguard at this point. If anything, Truen felt like excess baggage that Zero had to carry along.
”The only thing we do need is to find a suitable mount to cross the desert as Dorgon suggested,” Zero said and gave Truen a look. ”I don't know much about mounts so when we find the Axel person, I'll be counting on you.”
Hearing that there was something Zero still didn't know made Truen snap out of brooding and his smile instantly became twice as bright as before.
They had to pass by the town square and look for a building beside a blacksmith somewhere in the outskirts of the main city. Axel was a famous person and the locals knew who the exotic trader was. Sometimes, he was described as the man who sold antiques. Other times, he was known as a collector with a strange fashion sense. All Truen and Zero knew was that Axel wasn't a dwarf. He used to be a traveller and was a spriggan, probably the last of his kind too.
”What's a spriggan?” Zero asked and Truen shrugged.
”According to the locals, he looks like a dwarf but gives off a more elvish charm. Nobody knows for sure because some people say that he can shapeshift.”
Zero nodded as they arrived at Axel's shop. Truen went up to knock on the door and Zero was taken aback by the strong smell of grass and earth coming from within. Was this what the locals meant by elvish charm?
”Greetings! It's afternoon and a few hours too early for my regular customers but I suppose both of you didn't come here for tea or chit-chat. Tell me, how may I be of assistance?”