Lin Taichu rode the fast horse he had brought from the capital for a full ten days before finally seeing the border of Sand Country.
From afar, a golden desert stretched between heaven and earth. When the wind blew, it swept grains of sand into spirals in the air, exactly as it had been when he came last time.
He reined in his horse, swung down, and patted its neck. "You've worked hard. I'll travel the rest of the way on foot. You can head back now."
The horse seemed to understand him. It rubbed against his palm before turning and slowly walking back the way they had come. Only after Lin Taichu watched its figure vanish from sight did he shoulder the pack containing water and dry rations and step into the desert.
When he first entered the desert, Lin Taichu had hoped to encounter a few magical beasts. Just like last time, he could travel while fighting them and improve his strength.
Yet after walking for an entire day, aside from occasionally seeing a few Sand Rats dart across the sand, he did not see even a single lowest-tier magical beast.
He stopped, crouched down, and touched the grains of sand on the ground.
The last time he came, Sand Wolves often roamed this area, and the sand bore plenty of wolf paw prints. Now, there was not even the slightest trace.
He walked farther, passing the dune where he had once fought Sand Wolves. Not a single sign of that battle remained there—only ripples left behind by the wind blowing over the dune.
"What's going on? Why are there so many fewer magical beasts?" Lin Taichu wondered. He remembered that when he had last come to Sand Country, the depths had been dangerous, but the outskirts still