Seven days had passed since they set foot on the Begaritt Continent.
By resting during the day and traveling at night, the two had successfully avoided the daytime heat that could roast a person dry.
The endless nights were enough to wear down even the hardiest traveler.
Late on the seventh night, a scene utterly unlike the desert appeared ahead.
A lake shimmered in the moonlight, and around it, a ring of warm orange lights traced the outline of a town like a pearl necklace.
"Finally... signs of civilization."
Even Elinalise's voice carried a hint of relieved ease.
Cui Ciyou reined in his Horned Dragon Horse and gazed at the distant town.
It was a ring-shaped town.
Its layout was interesting, a combination of the two cities he had seen.
It had the classic concentric framework of Roa City in the Fitoia Territory.
But rather than a lord's castle, a vast natural lake occupied its center.
In that respect, it bore some resemblance to Milishion, the capital of the Millis Holy Country.
A supply stop built around a lake was nothing short of an oasis of life in this deadly sea of sand.
Flocks of Giant Bats were already wheeling through the night sky.
On the Begaritt Continent, birds were rare and bats abundant. That seemed to be the ecological norm here.
Just as the two were about to ride toward those warm lights, Elinalise's pointed elven ears twitched.
"Wait..."
She raised a hand, her sharp gaze turning toward a jumble of rocks off to one side of the town ahead.
"No, there's fighting over there."
Cui Ciyou followed her gaze. Even with his eyesight, he could only make out vague dark shapes in the dim night, along with the faint clash of metal, scattered by the wind.
"Who's fighting?"