1517 Medusa Mountain (1/2)
Translated by XephiZ
Edited by Aelryinth
The black mushroom cloud ahead of them continued to grow. Anyone that raised their eyes could see that half of the sky was now shrouded by it. If they followed the cloud further into the distance, they would find their entire view covered in darkness, making them afraid to advance any further.
”This route should be a lot safer. The Lamias are not a fan of the wet sand outside Cairo. The sand is good at holding rainwater, making it muddy. The Camel Beasts might slow down, but it's better than being feasted on by the demon creatures,” Halla told them.
A few ladies gasped in fear when Halla mentioned being feasted on. The old man burst out laughing after seeing their reaction.
”Don't worry, those Lamias are nothing but weak insects to my students. Just brace yourself when the time comes; you will be fine as long as you don't run too far in fear,” Vani spoke up calmly, displaying his leadership.
”Haha, I won't dare to go any further even if I'm paid ten times the money!” Halla declared.
The merchant nodded too. He glanced at the students of the European University Institute with a smile.
”Humph, they are just a bunch of students. I bet they will be the first to run away if anything happens,” the leader of the hired mercenaries said.
Mercenaries were responsible for the safety of the convoy, yet the others suddenly disregarded their importance. It might even affect their pay for the job. The merchants might argue that they did not even do anything at all, so they did not deserve to be paid. It would result in a great loss to them!
”Hehe, I believe you've met the students of some inferior schools. You can't possibly compare their students to our students from the European University Institute,” Mentor Vani proclaimed.
The leader of the mercenaries fell silent, obviously still in a bad mood.
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The convoy had reached the wet sand. It was indeed very inconvenient for the Camel Beasts to walk on. Ferrero suggested that everyone travel on foot, but Halla quickly advised against it. ”You definitely can't travel on foot! The Lamias are similar to spiders, their senses are in their legs! The hairs on their legs can feel vibrations on the sand and the ground. Different living creatures will produce different vibrations when they are walking. The Lamias can clearly distinguish between humans and other living creatures. They aren't that interested in the Camel Beasts, and won't bother attacking even if they detect the Camel Beasts' presence, but humans are a different story! They will immediately gather towards the spot and chase after us by following our footsteps, regardless of where we run to!”
The students of the European University Institute were startled by Halla's explanation. Even Ferrero blushed, as even a high-achiever like him was more clueless than a traveler in the desert!
He had come across the Lamias just a few days ago. He had noticed that the Lamias had outstanding tracking ability. They could find him even when he was hiding behind a rock!
He had learned something new today!
”That means we can only ride the Camel Beasts... that's going to be quite a hassle,” Vani observed.
”Try not to dismount from the Camel Beasts if you can. Trust me, no matter how strong you are, once you set foot on the ground, thousands of demon creatures will be heading your way. When that happens, you will regret underestimating the ancient creatures of Egypt. They are a lot scarier than you can imagine!” Halla said.
The leader of the mercenaries harrumphed coldly. He spat out the stalk of grass he was chewing on to the ground and said, ”So you better listen to us when the time comes! Don't try to be a smartass and cause us trouble!”