People Rebuilding Their Homes

A sudden wind swept across the wilderness, stirring up great clouds of sand, stones, and fallen leaves, and lifting one corner of the heavy tarpaulin covering a truck. An escort stepped forward, grabbed the loosened rope, and firmly tied the lifted tarp back onto the truck's side rail before looking up at the clear, vast sky.

The sky was pristine, with nothing visible but a few scattered clouds.

"Strange wind..." the escort muttered, puzzled by the inexplicable palpitation he had felt just moments before.

The transport captain's booming voice came from the distance. "Truck Three!"

The escort shook his head, throwing thoughts of winter spirits and strange tales of the plains out of his mind, and called back just as loudly, "Truck Three ready, boss!"

"Truck Four!" "Truck Four ready!" "Truck Five..."

The mechanics responsible for driving climbed into the high cabs, while the attendants and co-drivers boarded in turn. The humming sound of the charging Power Spines brought a reassuring feeling, while the convoy commander's voice carried in from outside. "Check your vehicles carefully. It's a long journey, and the Holy Spirit Plain is freezing cold!

"Shipping on the Gorgon River has stopped. We're the only supply line this winter—

"Move out! Our fellow countrymen on the plains are still waiting for this food and medicine!"

The Magic-Powered Engines gave off deep roars as gears and levers turned and scraped under mechanical power. One heavy Magic-infused Vehicle after another gradually accelerated. Across the vast winter wilderness, man-made Steel Behemoths roared, carrying supplies desperately needed by the reconstruction zones of the Holy Spirit Plain. They painted black tracks across the boundless earth, stretching far into the north...

On the plains, the Gorgon River had entered its dry season as expected. The falling water level in the river channel made passage