The Gray Sand Desert.
The Gray Sand Lord looked at Jamie with delight, making no attempt to hide his satisfaction. "You've done very well."
The two stood atop a city wall made entirely of silvery-blue metal. As they gazed into the distance, houseboats sailing through the floodwaters filled their view.
They moved unhindered through the gray floodwaters and mist. Magical lamps hung from their masts, their lights gleaming together like stars in a pitch-black sea.
And the enormous, platter-shaped vessel on which the two stood was those ships' destination.
Jamie watched them from afar.
A smile appeared on his face, which the Gray Sand Desert's coarse grit and relentlessly harsh winds had weathered dark.
He answered the Gray Sand Lord's praise with composure. "After five years, we've finally completed the first stage of our plan.
Lord Gray Sand, are you willing to accept the second stage?"
Gray Sand, who still looked like a young boy, regarded Jamie. Rather than answer directly, he said, "Nilanet likes you quite a lot. She even asked me for permission to leave the Gray Sand Desert."
"..." Remembering that girl as lively as a leopard, Jamie felt something stir within him, like warmth welling up in his heart.
That indescribable flutter brought a faint blush even to his darkened face.
Without her help coordinating the Gray Sand Desert's various cities over the past five years, things would have been much harder.
"I'll be staying here for a long time yet, Lord Gray Sand. But I can promise you that I'll never let her down."
Jamie continued, "She must want to see her homeland recover, too-to see it green and flourishing, transformed from a desert back into an oasis, right?"
"I'll do my best to ask my lord to lower the price of this contract a