Behind the Desert

Isabelle single-handedly wiped out the Sand Worms that had occupied the Oasis, restoring the only waystation in the desert. Unfortunately, the foundation of the Oasis that the Bedou Tribe had managed for generations was still reduced to ruin.

The former Oasis now only had a few collapsed sand pits, everything else turned into broken rubble.

White light shone from Isabelle's body.

From the ground ahead, wisps of Black Mist rose and coalesced into a blurry shadow. A Dialogue Box appeared above the shadow's head, but it was filled with garbled code.

Garbled code also appeared above Isabelle's head as she engaged in encrypted communication with the other party.

Soon, the shadow dissipated.

Facing the computer screen, Isabelle knelt on one knee and said, "My Lord, I used the Lingering Prayer to question the dead here. They told me the Sand Worms attacked this place to seize the Copper Ore beneath the Oasis."

"Sand Worms love ores. They devour them, incorporating the Metal Element into their bodies to strengthen themselves."

"Most mining areas in the desert are occupied by different groups of Sand Worms. Only this place was protected by a God's power, keeping them away."

"Not long ago, they discovered that the God's power no longer shrouded this place, so the Sand Worms swiftly attacked the Oasis. To fight over the Copper Ore, they even had a small-scale war among themselves. The twelve Sand Worms I dealt with were the original victors here."

Lu Yao was delighted to hear this.

There was copper.

He had been worried that the Garlic Tribe hadn't unlocked the Metal Smelting skill tree yet, and now the opportunity lay right in the desert.

But Isabelle's next words immediately doused him with cold water.

"There isn't much Copper Ore here. It's already been eaten by the Sand Worms. Sand Worms are Monsters that can go long periods without eating, but when they encounter Copper Ore or Iron, they go into a feeding frenzy until all the ore is digested."

The Copper Ore was already eaten...

Lu Yao looked at the worm carcasses on the ground, and a sudden idea popped into his head.

Since the ore had been eaten by the Sand Worms to strengthen their bodies, couldn't it be understood that the Copper Ore was still part of the Sand Worm corpses?

Lu Yao gave the order.

--Check the corpses to see if there's any copper.

Not long after, Isabelle came back with the results.

"Just as you said, My Lord, there are sheets of copper beneath the Sand Worms' outer skin. These copper sheets are very sturdy."

Lu Yao thought to himself, just as expected.

Without an Apostle, it would be impossible to discover the Sand Worms' secret.

No.

Without an Apostle, it would be impossible to even enter the desert and fight the Sand Worms.

Relying solely on the Garlic Tribe's own strength to enter the desert and fight Sand Worms would be nothing short of suicide.

It was only because of Isabelle's existence that they could enter these dangerous, high-level zones.

Next, the Garlic Tribe's Hunters followed Isabelle into the desert and arrived at the Oasis. When they saw the ground covered in giant serpent-like Sand Worm carcasses, the Pixelated Villagers were extremely excited.

"What strong Monsters! They must have been terrifying when they were alive."

"Their skin is thicker than a Sea Monster's, and their bodies are bigger than a Sea Monster's too."

"Monster Meat! Leather! And sturdy bones!"

"A huge harvest!"

Suddenly, a Pixelated Villager had an exclamation mark pop up above his head.

"There's something in the Sand Worm's skin! It's copper! Copper!"

A line of text appeared on the screen.

[The Garlic Tribe has discovered copper.]

A new resource was also added to the resource bar at the top of the game interface: Metal.

In the [Metal] category, only copper was listed, and it was shown in red, indicating a scarcity.

Then the Villagers busied themselves, cutting up the Sand Worm carcasses and transporting them all the way back to the Garlic Tribe by Camel. Because the journey was long and there were many Sand Worm corpses, the tribe mobilized all its Camels, and the Shaman personally directed the transport here.

On this desert expedition, Isabelle cleared out the Sand Worms along the way, reopening the passage between the plains where the Garlic Tribe was and the Oasis.

Leaving the desert was only a matter of time.

Just then, Lu Yao suddenly saw a notification.

[To thank you for reclaiming the former site of the Bedou Tribe, the Astrologer Shahan has taught the Garlic Tribe the Mining Technique.]

[The Garlic Tribe has learned the Mining Technique.]

[Because they have mastered a new technology, the Garlic Tribe has gained prestige among other tribes.]

[The Garlic Tribe has discovered Iron.]

[The Garlic Tribe has discovered Gems.]

[The Garlic Tribe has discovered Gold.]

[The Garlic Tribe has discovered Silver.]

[Garlic Tribe has discovered Crystal.]

A string of notifications drew Lu Yao's gaze to the tent beside the temple.

The former chief of the Bedou Tribe, now the Garlic Tribe's weather forecaster, was kneeling outside the temple, pressing his forehead devoutly to the ground, expressing his gratitude to Lu Yao.

So he'd held something back after all.

Lu Yao couldn't help but think.

If Shahan had kept secrets, was it possible others had done the same?

Perhaps only by fulfilling these people's most important goals—completing their obsessions and expectations—would they be willing to share all their techniques and experience.

After learning the Mining Technique, the tribe gradually split off some members who began digging and chiseling around the stones. The use of stone became more widespread, and the most direct change was the addition of low stone walls outside the houses.

Furthermore, the Garlic Tribe gradually learned the most primitive smelting methods. The little people dug a large pit in the ground, piled in firewood and lit a fire, smelting copper, iron, silver, and gold from the ore.

Soon, another line appeared on the screen: [Blessing complete. Fishing Net integrated into the world.]

Time to send over a new tool.

Lu Yao stretched, stood up, and flexed his fingers, waist, and back.

Every step forward for the tribe's civilization came at the cost of the god's aching muscles and sore bones.

That winter, Isabelle cut down every Sand Worm in her path, walked out of the vast Southern Desert, and arrived at a brand-new world.

It was a city called Sanilo, whose civilization far surpassed that of the Garlic Tribe.

Sanilo was built by the sea, controlling the river mouth. The city not only had neatly arranged houses and straight, crisscrossing stone roads, but also a full array of shops.

The city boasted a population of over ten thousand, and a few fishing boats and sailboats were moored at the seaside harbor.

The only problem was that the residents of Sanilo were not human.

It was a city inhabited by ghosts.

At first, the ghosts of Sanilo had a small misunderstanding with Isabelle. After she killed nearly half of the city's Ghost Soldiers, the ghosts changed their attitude and welcomed her warmly.

The people of Sanilo treated Isabelle as an honored guest and introduced her to the city's long history. The locals expressed their willingness to believe in God Yao, offering their faith in exchange for God Yao's protection and forgiveness.

The situation stabilized.

"Sanilo City has always been hospitable, especially in respecting and believing in powerful gods. It is our honor to have a noble Apostle like you visit," said Chapman, the mayor of Sanilo.

"I dare not hide this from you, Lady Isabelle, but Sanilo is actually a cursed city."

"In the past, this place was immensely prosperous. The city excelled in maritime trade and agriculture, and its population far exceeded what it is now. But after the Forest God we believed in fell, this place was cursed by another god."

"All of us were executed and turned into ghosts."

"That god descended a Totem, trapping the ghosts of Sanilo here forever, never able to leave a single step, as punishment for our heretical actions. Apart from the Bedou Tribe in ancient times, no one has visited here for many years."