Sunsets come quickly in the desert.
As soon as the sun touched the edge of the horizon, the entire sky was dyed orange-red, then dark purple, and finally deep blue.
The temperature dropped along with the sun.
The desert is so hot during the day it can bake you dry, but at night it's so cold it makes you shiver.
Before nightfall, the escort team found a sheltered sandy valley and decided to camp there for the night.
Hassan of the Hundred Faces's clones skillfully lit a fire and set up a makeshift tent.
The People of the Mountain's warriors rummaged through their packs and found rations and water bags.
Ritsuka Fujimaru held a small piece of dry, hard dough, took a bite, and almost broke her teeth.
"So hard..."
"This is what the People of the Mountain eat." Hassan of the Hundred Faces sat opposite the fire, his skull mask gleaming pale in the firelight. "It's already quite an achievement to survive in this environment."
Mayuri did not eat any dry rations.
She sat cross-legged on the sand, her hands on her knees, her eyes closed, her expression blank.
Fou popped out from the gap in Mash's armor, jumped onto Mayuri's lap, and curled up into a ball of fur.
"Fu..."
Are you cold too?
Mayuri opened one eye and looked at Fou on her lap, then placed a hand on its back.
A faint, warm light seeped from her palms, and Fou's ears drooped comfortably.
The fire flames flickered in the night wind.
The howls of desert nocturnal animals echoed from afar, sounding distant but exceptionally clear in the silent night.
Mash sat next to Ritsuka Fujimaru, holding her cross shield upright beside her, her purple eyes watching every movement in the darkness.
"Senior, let me take the first shift."
"Okay, then Mayuri and I will cover the second half."
"I won't stand guard," Mayuri said.
"Why?!"
" Leviathan automatically goes on alert when I sleep. It wakes up on its own if anything hostile gets close."
"At least pretend!"
"This is so troublesome."
Ritsuka Fujimaru gave up.
She stuffed the remaining half of the dry rations back into her bag, tightened the collar of her Chaldea uniform, and closed her eyes, leaning against the bag.
The desert night wind blew in from the valley entrance, carrying the lingering heat of the day and the chill of the night.
The fire crackled and popped.
Mayuri leaned against a rock, holding Fou in her arms, and her breathing quickly became steady.
She fell asleep.
Faster than anyone else.
The second day's march began at the crack of dawn.
The troops broke camp quickly; the People of the Mountain people were clearly accustomed to this mobile lifestyle.
Ritsuka Fujimaru rubbed her sleepy eyes, munching on rations that were even harder than yesterday's, and followed the group forward.
Mayuri seemed to be in good spirits, probably because she didn't have to worry about being on guard while she was sleeping.
Fou remained nestled in her arms.
The group arrived at the People of the Mountain camp at noon on the second day.
The campsite is hidden deep in a canyon, with towering rock walls on both sides and a narrow entrance that is easy to miss if you are not looking carefully.
The interior of the canyon is much larger than I imagined.
Dozens of simple tents and stone houses are arranged along the open space at the bottom of the valley, with a small stream running through the middle.
The air was filled with the smell of cooking fires and livestock.
The children peeked out of the tent, curiously watching the group that suddenly had several unfamiliar faces.
The adults' gazes were far more complex. They held curiosity, wariness, and indifference.
"We'll arrange accommodations for you first. I'll take you to see our leader later."
Hassan of the Hundred Faces is a man of his word.
She led the three of them to a relatively clean stone house at the bottom of the valley. Inside the house were two stone beds and a tattered blanket.
"We'll have to make do with what we have."
"It's alright, it's much better than sleeping in the desert," Ritsuka Fujimaru said sincerely.
Hassan of the Hundred Faces nodded, then turned and left.
After walking a few steps, she stopped again, turned around, and said something.
"I will move the people in the cages to a safer place. You don't need to worry."
Then she disappeared around the bend in the canyon.
Ritsuka Fujimaru sat down on the stone bed and let out a long sigh.
Finally, I can sit down.
After two consecutive days of marching through the desert, her legs were so sore they were almost numb.
Mayuri lay down directly on another stone bed, with Fou nestled against her chest. The two, human and beast, had already begun to doze off.
"You're way too fast!"
"Sleep when you're tired, isn't that common sense?"
"We still have to meet their leader next!"
"Just wake me up."
Ritsuka Fujimaru sighed.
She glanced at the doorway.
Ritsuka Fujimaru decided to ignore Mayuri and instead work with Mash to organize the information they currently had.
About an hour later.
The curtain of the stone house was lifted.
Hassan of the Hundred Faces stood at the door.
"Come with us. The boss wants to see you."
Cursed Arm Hassan's dwelling was larger than the other stone houses.
In the center of the room stood a simple wooden table with a hand-drawn map spread out on it.
The map marked several different locations, circled with different colored charcoal pencils.
Cursed Arm Hassan, sat behind the wooden table.
A long black robe and a hood covered most of his face, revealing only his chin and the corners of his mouth.
His right arm was wrapped in bandages from the elbow down, and a dark purple light shone faintly through the bandages.
"Please sit down."
He pointed to several wooden stools across the table.
Ritsuka Fujimaru, Mash, and Mayuri sat down.
" Hundred Faces has already told me about your situation."
Hassan, the Cursed Arm Hassan, spoke in a hoarse, low voice, "From Human Order Continuation Guarantee Organization Chaldea, I came to this era through Spiritron Transfer, with the purpose of repairing the Singularity."
He paused for a moment.
"Your ability to summon that kind of magical beast shows that your power should not be underestimated."
Mayuri did not respond.
Her expression remained the same as before, as if she were listening to someone else's conversation with complete indifference.
"But I'm more concerned about your position."
Cursed Arm Hassan tapped the map twice with his finger. "There are currently three factions in this Singularity: the Holy City Camelot, the Pharaoh's territory, and us, the People of the Mountain."
"Your goal is to repair the Singularity, which means you must find the culprit that caused Singularity."
"Whether your relationship with us is one of cooperation or hostility depends on who you believe is the mastermind."
Ritsuka Fujimaru.
"We are still unsure who the culprit is, so we will not be biased against any party for the time being."
Cursed Arm Hassan, remained silent for a few seconds.
"A reasonable answer."
He leaned back in his chair.
"Then I'll be frank. Our goal as People of the Mountain is survival. The knights of the Holy City are hunting us down, and the Pharaoh refuses to cooperate with us. We're caught in the middle, and could be crushed by both sides at any moment."
"If your power is truly as strong as Hundred Faces described, then I hope we can establish a temporary cooperative relationship."
"You help us understand the situation in the Holy City and the Pharaoh, and we'll help you navigate this era."
"How?"
Ritsuka Fujimaru glanced at Mash.
Mash nodded slightly.
"Okay." Ritsuka Fujimaru turned to Cursed Arm Hassan, "We accept the temporary cooperation."
"Good."
Cursed Arm Hassan nodded, without any further pleasantries.
"Perfect timing, I was just about to send someone to the Pharaoh's territory."
He pointed to a circled spot on the map. "We kidnapped one of the Pharaoh's men, hoping to force him to sit down and negotiate. But so far, he hasn't responded."
"Therefore, I plan to send another envoy to formally negotiate with him once more."
"The person sent this time is an avatar of Hundred Faces."
Hassan of the Hundred Faces, standing in the corner, Ritsuka Fujimaru.
"I have nearly eighty clones; losing one is bearable. If the negotiations go smoothly, I might not even have to lose one."
Ritsuka Fujimaru and Mash exchanged a glance.
"We want to go together," Ritsuka Fujimaru said.
Cursed Arm Hassan, raised his eyes.
"Reason?"
"We want to understand the Pharaoh's power for ourselves. We can't just rely on your side's account; that would lead to a biased judgment."
"Furthermore, if the Pharaoh possesses information about the Holy Grail and the mastermind, we need to verify it in person."
Cursed Arm Hassan tapped his fingers twice on the table.
"Can."
He made a decision.
"But you must travel as messengers of the People of the Mountain and not reveal your Chaldea identity unless absolutely necessary."
"Clear."
"Then let's leave tomorrow. Get some rest today."
Cursed Arm Hassan, waved his hand, signaling the end of the conversation.