The sizes of the various principalities vary greatly.
The Grand Duchy ranks third in area among all human principalities, after Sealand and Balda.
However, due to its fertile land, the southern cities were economically prosperous, and their populations exceeded those of Balda by a considerable margin, giving them a stronger foundation of power.
Even for Extraordinary Scholar like Gubo, it would take nearly ten days to fly at full speed across the entire Grand Duchy from north to south, from the northernmost point of the Grand Duchy to the southern Gobi Desert.
If an ordinary person were to walk, it would take at least two months, which gives an idea of the vastness and immensity of the Balda Duchy, the Xilan Duchy, and the Great Empire of Light Aurora.
Between different principalities.
Beyond the influence of the temple's faith, or beyond the territory ruled by the Academy of Natural Sciences, lie vast, desolate, barren, and unclaimed lands.
Human city-states are like greenhouses carved out in the Starveil Land. Under the protection of numerous temples, they have cultivated settlements suitable for human survival and reproduction, scattered in a fragmented manner.
Beyond the city-state civilization, the vast regions possess far too many terrifying and harsh living environments.
For this reason, it is almost impossible for different principalities to carry out balloon-airship transport missions, except for a very few special airships.
Two days later.
The five-member Thunder Hammer Guardians mercenary group, protecting their two employers, walked along the edge of the Gobi Desert where the border of the Morsi Duchy met.
The group stared at the towering, dark sandstorm hundreds of meters high on the horizon, which was sweeping towards them with its overwhelming and terrifying force. A look of fear appeared in the eyes of the seven people.
"Run! It's Black Sandstorm! This is the border of the duchy; we're not protected by the Sandstorm God. If we get caught in it, we'll die!!!"
Yuri roared.
As a mercenary who frequently traveled between Gran and the Morsi Duchy, he was well aware of the horrors of the Black Sandstorm.
The group hurriedly ran towards a rocky hill in the distance.
Panting heavily, racing against time, seeing that Mitya's rosy face was exhausted, Yuri picked her up and carried her on his back.
"May the Sandstorm God protect us!"
As a scholar, Mitina prayed on Yuri's back, staring in terror at the approaching black gauze wall, almost bursting into tears.
Reilo shook his head; it wasn't hard to understand why her strength level was so low.
The group managed to escape to the rocky hill and found a hollow where they huddled together for shelter.
A moment later.
boom...
The raging sandstorm instantly engulfed everything outside; all that could be heard was a dense, crackling sound as tiny pebbles, the size of fingernails, rained down on the rocky mountain.
They huddled together on the leeward side of the mountain, and apart from Reilo, the group kept praying to the Sand God.
"Um?"
Beneath the X Mask, Reilo's eyes were fixed on the sandstorm, as if he had sensed something.
They were Storm Elves, about half a person's height, with the upper bodies of demonic children, holding translucent tridents of wind element, and the lower bodies of storms, frolicking in the sandstorm.
Tens of thousands of Storm Elves swept past, forming the most terrifying Black Sandstorm in the Morsi Duchy.
"It's not a natural sandstorm, but rather the migration of some kind of wind Elves?"
Could this be a tactic used by the Sandstorm God to win over believers?
Reilo watched the sandstorm outside, and the fleeting swarm of Storm Elves.
roar...
Faintly, amidst the raging sandstorm, Reilo seemed to hear a terrifying roar, clearly the sound of some more powerful storm creature passing over the heads of several trembling humans.
About an hourglass's time had passed.
The Black Sandstorm gradually subsided, but it looks like it will continue for a while.
1024 Night's Guardian Shield appeared on Reilo's body as he stepped out of the stone mountain's shelter under everyone's gaze.
"Don't go out!"
Yuri shouted.
Reilo remained unmoved, standing in the now-calmed Black Sandstorm, carefully sensing its intensity and searching for any possible storm Elves, but to no avail.
"I'm afraid only Extraordinary Scholar could survive such a storm. As for the power that could unleash such a sandstorm, it's beyond my comprehension. It seems that even in the human kingdoms, in the blank spaces shrouded by radiation from the major temples and natural academies, there are still some powerful life forms wreaking havoc."
After the sandstorm subsided, the group continued their journey.
Under the scorching sun, Yuri couldn't help but sigh.
"This is just a small patch of desert extending from the Furnace Desert. Compared to the vast and boundless Furnace Desert, its area is probably less than one ten-thousandth. It's hard to imagine how those expeditionary crossroads managed to cross the Furnace Desert."
Mitina replied, "My mentor said that his mentor had the privilege of participating in a Crusaders, and to cross the Furnace Desert, Charge Fighter was the minimum requirement."
" Charge Fighter?"
As Apprentice Fighter, Yuri couldn't help but reveal a hint of longing and fear.
"Careful!"
Anna, who was walking at the front, raised her hand and exclaimed in surprise, "They're Death Sand Scorpion, and there are two of them!"
Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look in that direction.
At the edge of the sand dunes, two enormous, black, carapace-like creatures, each as tall as a person, were visible. Their shapes were indistinct in the swirling, distorted air; only two large black dots could be vaguely discerned.
" Death Sand Scorpion! Run!"
Yuri and Mia shouted almost simultaneously, their faces filled with terror.
Logically speaking, such terrifying desert creatures shouldn't appear here; it's very likely due to the recent Black Sandstorm.
Death Sand Scorpion?
Beneath the X Mask, Reilo was pleasantly surprised!
These advanced venomous insects are rarely seen in the human principality, usually requiring special cultivation in a laboratory. Now, two have appeared at once. For Reilo, this is not just a matter of specimens, but also relates to the final breakthrough of the First Order of <Self-Control>!
Merlin's Corrosion Antidote, having reached 99% concentration, was just a fraction away from completing the First Order.
However, Reilo was powerless to make up for this last shred of hope.
According to Reilo's estimation, it is very likely that the natural corrosive venom of some kind of highly venomous insect will be needed as a catalyst.
Moreover, at the mask trade fair, the venom gallbladders of high-grade poisonous insects can fetch a good price.
rustling sounds...
At this point, it seemed too late to escape.
As the group discovered the two Death Sand Scorpion, the two Death Sand Scorpion also spotted the food that had been delivered to their doorstep and excitedly chased after them.
Its body was covered in black fur, its two giant claws gleamed, and the poisonous hooks on its back exuded a chilling aura of death. It was as tall as a person, incredibly fast, and its row of compound eyes flickered with a dark red glow.
"Oh no!"
The female warrior Mia looked on with despair.
As a native of the Morsi, she knew all too well how terrifying these giant poisonous insects were.
"Very good!"
At the same time, Reilo let out an excited murmur.
Above Reilo's head, silently, a dark red eye slowly opened.
An aura of rage Destruction emanated from it. Its dark red eyes blinked slightly, glancing at the two black dots on the ground. Then, with a twist, a dark red beam of Destruction Light Pillar descended from the sky.
Buzz.
The Death Sand Scorpion, as tall as a person, let out a screech, took two steps due to inertia, and then curled up into a ball. Its body was blazing red, and there was a faint smell of burning. It had been cooked in a very short time.
"What... what is that!?"
Mitina cried out and pointed at the dark red eye in the sky.
The feeling was as if an alien giant was peering down at the land through the opening of a bottle, filling the air with a chilling, terrifying fear.
The others also noticed the eye in the sky and nervously watched this strange, supernatural power, a power that Fighter could not comprehend.
"Mr. X?"
Hiss!
The other Death Sand Scorpion seemed to sense the danger and turned to flee even faster than it had come.
Reilo, who was waiting for the specimen to be delivered, paused slightly, a mocking sneer appearing on his lips beneath the X Mask.
"Where are you going? My specimen, hmph!"
To everyone's astonishment, Reilo used his Bubble Technique to chase after the Furnace Sand Scorpion. The Profound Meaning Scholar's fervent passion for collecting specimens was truly beyond the comprehension of ordinary people.
Not long after.
After a battle on the distant sand dunes, Reilo looked contentedly at the poison gall and poison hook specimens he had just collected, and returned to his group with satisfaction.
"Master X, you are truly amazing! When will I be able to become as powerful as you?"
Mitina thought Reilo was a highly learned scholar.
Reilo smiled slightly behind his mask.
These two Death Sand Scorpion were merely level 0 creatures; they were feared by ordinary people only because of their special venom and bloodlust.
In terms of actual strength, these two Death Sand Scorpion are far inferior to the mature Ogre Spider of Black Rock Mountain.
As for his physical strength, it has increased significantly over the past few months thanks to the Type D Body Tempering Agent, the nourishment of the Double Fish Pendant, the improvement of the First Order of <Self-Control>, and the passive enhancement of the Cursed True Form. His strength is no weaker than that of an ordinary Official Fighter. With the Flame Dragon Roar melee wand and the <1024 Nights> Guardian Shield, he can launch Harmless Suggestion attack. If he were to take on a Furnace Sand Scorpion one-on-one, he would indeed have no pressure.
night.
The group set up their tents in the desert.
Under the Crystal Lamp, Reilo studied the venom of the Furnace Sand Scorpion, and tried injecting a 1mg dose into his body using other dissolving agents.
"Um..."
The voice was hesitant.
That familiar feeling, that burning sensation, has returned once again!
The power of <Self-Control> is not an improvement of one's inherent nature, but rather an enhancement of one's potential to achieve twice the result with half the effort. It is equivalent to any means of strengthening one's physique, and the power that Reilo can unleash will be increased several times over!
From Reilo's current perspective, this ancient person who developed "self-control" clearly had reached a very high level of understanding of the body.
"Mr. X!"
Mitya ran over again and sat down next to Reilo, her round, smiling face showing curiosity as she watched Reilo's experimental research.
Reilo was somewhat uncomfortable having a stranger observing his experimental research, but the little girl was quite oblivious to the situation.
Reilo sighed inwardly. He couldn't very well fire his employer, could he?
"You're from Cell City? Tell me about the Guyue Family."
"Master, are you also familiar with the Guyue Family?"
Mitya's face lit up with excitement.
" The Guyue Family is one of the five great families of Ximoer. His Majesty the current King's mother is a member of the Guyue Family. The three northwestern provinces are all within the Guyue Family's sphere of influence. Even the Cell City was built with funds from the Guyue Family six hundred years ago. It is said that they possess a mysterious power, and even the academicians of the Grand Royal Academy of Sciences have visited this ancient family many times."
"Mysterious power?"
Reilo asked tentatively.
"Yes."
Mitya was just a fifteen or sixteen-year-old child, somewhat naive, and she smiled mysteriously, deliberately lowering her voice.
"Every year on May 15th, when the lunar tides are at their strongest, the Guyue Family can open entrances to all sorts of Eye of the World, which contain countless evil creatures and ancient treasures. By selling exploration slots, the Guyue Family has made connections with countless forces and gained astonishing benefits."
Reilo was already aware of all this.
What is the Eye of the World?
Um...
Mitina hesitated for a moment.
"I don't know either. Anyway, there are special restrictions on entering the Eye of the World every time it's opened. In some years, only women can enter, in others only men, and in still others, one eye must be sealed to enter."
Mitina pouted, her voice somewhat low.
"Sister Mia said that this year's Eye of the World Exploration requires participants to be either Apprentice Fighter or level 0 Energy Magnetic Field initiation students. My brother is the strongest Apprentice Fighter in the family, and I came back this time to see him off. If he fails like the previous two family explorers, this may be the last time I see him."