Sandworm Town
As the sun began to set, the carriage set off.
Lu Yuan leaned against the corner of the carriage, with a layer of dry grass beneath him, which could be considered barely comfortable.
With his left hand on his knee, Herman sat in front driving the carriage, while Karl squatted beside him, occasionally glancing back at Lu Yuan.
The wheels rolled over the sand, making a soft, rustling sound.
The carriage curtains weren't fully drawn, and the scenery outside could be seen through the gaps.
A desolate wasteland.
Endless sand dunes lined both sides of the road, gleaming a dark reddish light in the setting sun.
Occasionally, you can see a few withered shrubs with twisted branches.
Every now and then, a gust of wind would whip up fine sand, which would rustle against the carriage curtains.
Lu Yuan closed his eyes, trying to rest.
Where are you from?
Karl's voice came from ahead, interrupting his thoughts.
Herman glared at his grandson. "I told you not to ask."
"I was just curious..." Karl muttered, but then shut his mouth.
The silence lasted for a while.
Herman took a drag of his cigarette and said, "This business deal didn't go too well."
Lu Yuan raised his head.
"The goods aren't all sold." Herman flicked his cigarette ash, his tone casual. "Salt, cloth, ironware—they should have been sold by now normally. I don't know what went wrong."
He paused, then frowned.
"And the road was strange too. Halfway there, I inexplicably wanted to turn east, but after walking for a while, I found myself facing a cliff with the sea below."
Herman shook his head.
"I don't know what I was thinking at the time. That road clearly didn't lead anywhere."
Inside the carriage, Lu Yuan's fingers tightened slightly.
"Never mind," Herman waved his hand. "I'm probably just tired and my mind's fogged up."
He refocused his attention on the road ahead and didn't mention the matter again.
Karl didn't take it seriously and continued to look around curiously.
Only Lu Yuan leaned against the corner of the carriage, staring at the tarpaulin overhead, remaining silent.
The carriage continued on its way, its wheels making a monotonous sound as they rolled over the sand.
As darkness fell, the setting sun sank below the horizon, leaving only a dark red glow on the sky.
Herman lit the two oil lamps hanging at the front and back of the carriage.
The lights were ridiculously bright, illuminating the sandy ground in front of them with a pure white glow.
Lu Yuan glanced at it a few more times.
"Sandworm Oil," Herman explained, noticing his gaze, his cigarette holder dangling from his lips. "A specialty of our town. It's shinier than kerosene and can even ward off those things in the dark."
He flicked his cigarette ash.
"The town has no electricity; we rely on this at night."
Lu Yuan nodded without asking any further questions.
The carriage continued its journey.
The light from the Sandworm Oil Lamp flickered in the night, illuminating a small patch of sand ahead, while everything else sank into darkness.
After an unknown amount of time, Lu Yuan raised his head.
The stars are out.
The desert sky was exceptionally clear, filled with countless stars, as if someone had scattered a handful of diamonds onto a black curtain.
Lu Yuan peered at the stars through the gap in the carriage curtain.
That's when I discovered that there were actually other kinds of scenery in this world.
"Almost there."
Herman's voice came through.
Lu Yuan withdrew his gaze and looked forward through the gap in the carriage curtain.
Amidst the swirling yellow sand, the silhouettes of some low-rise buildings came into view.
Sandworm Town.
The carriage stopped at the entrance to the town.
Lu Yuan braced himself against the edge of the carriage to stand up, lifted the curtain, and stepped out.
The scene that came into view was not quite what he had imagined.
The town was larger than he had expected, with a population of several hundred households.
Most of the buildings are adobe houses, their color blending almost seamlessly with the surrounding sand dunes, making them difficult to spot without close inspection.
Many houses are only half visible, with the other half buried under the sand dunes.
"It's for escaping the heat," Herman explained, noticing Lu Yuan's gaze. "It's so hot in the desert during the day you could fry an egg; burying yourself under the sand keeps you cool."
The town's streets are made of compacted sand, lined with drought-resistant plants, their outlines barely visible in the night.
Scattered lights shone through the windows, adding a touch of life to this small desert town.
"Grandfather!"
A middle-aged woman ran out of the nearest house, followed by a little girl of about seven or eight years old.
"Mom!" Karl jumped off the carriage and ran towards her.
The woman hugged Karl tightly, looked him up and down, and then looked up at Herman.
"Dad, why is it so late? I was so worried!"
"Something came up on the way," Herman jumped out of the car, gestured towards Lu Yuan, and said, "I picked someone up."
The woman then noticed Lu Yuan, her gaze falling on the badge on his chest, and her expression changed slightly.
"The Night Watcher?"
"Don't make a fuss," Herman waved his hand. "If you're injured, stay here and rest for a few days."
He didn't explain further, and turned to begin unloading the goods from the carriage.
The woman glanced at Lu Yuan, hesitated, but ultimately said nothing and turned to help.
The little girl hid behind the woman, curiously observing Lu Yuan with bright, sparkling eyes.
Lu Yuan ignored her gaze and swept his eyes across the town.
Just then, a deep rumble came from afar.
Lu Yuan's body tensed instinctively.
"Don't be nervous," Herman's voice came from behind, "Those are Sandworm."
Sandworm?
Lu Yuan turned his head and looked in the direction of the sound.
On an open space a few hundred meters to the west of the town, the light of torches flickered in the night.
You can vaguely see a group of people gathered there, seemingly doing something.
"Just in time." Herman put down the goods he was carrying and walked over. "Come on, let me show you."
Lu Yuan followed.
Karl wanted to go too, but his mother grabbed him.
"Let's go home first!"
"But..."
"No buts!"
Karl was dragged away, dejected.
Lu Yuan and Herman walked through several streets and arrived at an open space on the west side of the town.
The torchlight illuminated the surrounding scene.
About twenty people formed a large circle, with a flat sandy area in the center.
In the middle of the sandy ground, there stood a wooden stake.
Strange metal wires were wrapped around the wooden stake, connecting it to a hand-cranked device.
A robust middle-aged man stood beside the device, holding the crank handle with both hands and turning it evenly.
With each rotation, the wooden stake emits a low, humming sound.
The sound was strange.
It didn't emanate from the wooden stake itself, but rather from underground, like the beating of a giant heart.
"Sandworm Lure Stake," Herman explained in a low voice. "Sandworm are very sensitive to this vibration and will come following the sound."
Lu Yuan nodded, his gaze falling on the wooden stake.
The buzzing sound lasted for about a minute.
Then, the ground began to tremble.
At first, there was only a slight tremor, as if a carriage had passed by in the distance.
But soon, the tremors became more intense.
The sand beneath our feet began to churn; something enormous was moving underground.
"They're here," Herman said in a low voice.
The man operating the Sandworm Lure Stake stopped what he was doing and quickly retreated.
People around also stepped back and stood at the edge of the sand.
The tremors grew increasingly violent.
The sand began to collapse towards the center, forming a vortex-shaped depression.
Lu Yuan subconsciously reached for the Revolver in his pocket.
At the edge of my field of vision, gray and white text danced silently:
[Large creature detected approaching: Sandworm]
[Characteristics: A special type of organism that grows underground, possessing strong vibration sensing and the ability to traverse underground.]
[Weakness: Any light (unlit Sandworm Oil)]