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Teaser for 2-7.2
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The ship that moved on top of the sand.
The fact that it used the wind and the flow of the quicksand to move its giant body was really an amazing spectacle. It was something they needed to make theirs.
Book 2-7.1 A Mirage
Dinner time.
"I saw an amusing mirage."
Chun Myung Hoon put a piece of bread in his mouth before describing what he saw when he went to the quicksand river.
"A mirage?"
It was something that happened from time to time in the desert, but not something you could see often.
It was so rare that it was believed that you will be lucky on a day you saw a mirage.
It was also the reason the reconnaissance warriors making a map of the desert were necessary.
The mirages of the desert were so realistic that even when you know it is not real, you could still end up being tricked.
"Yes, it was of a ship sailing across the desert."
Yulian laughed at Chun Myung Hoon's answer.
"Master, you saw quite an interesting mirage. Isn't a ship the thing you said moves across the place called the ocean where there is as much water as sand in the desert?"
"That is why I said it was an amusing mirage."
"It was not a mirage."
Grace interjected into Chun Myung Hoon and Yulian's conversation.
"I heard that there are people that rule over the quicksand. I heard that they moved around in a plate shaped object that is amazing and does not fall into the quicksand."
Chun Myung Hoon, who had a lot of curiosity, asked after hearing Grace's answer.
"Child, explain it a bit more to me. You are telling me there is a ship in the desert?"
"I cannot answer that since I do not know what a ship is. But I have seen a picture of the object."
Grace dipped her finger in her cup and started to draw a picture on the table.
Grace was talented with her hands so she managed to quickly draw the picture and Chun Myung Hoon nodded his head as he started to speak.
"It is indeed a ship. You are telling me this roams on top of the quicksand?"
"That is what I heard. There are many people who do not know about it. Because the quicksand river is not somewhere people can easily approach, only a few patrol warriors in the northern tribes observed it and reported back."
"For what reason must they be roaming that area? They would need to go to shore to eat and live."
Grace answered Yulian's question.
"Honestly, they are similar to a group of bandits. They do capture monsters and collect Monster's Souls to sell, but they also rob foreign merchants who carelessly enter. Since the quicksand river is so long, where can they not reach?"
"If they are a group of bandits, I would think the nearby tribes would not sit idly and let them do as they please."
As Yulian spoke with confusion, Grace shook her head.
"I heard that the people of the desert avoid them at all cost. Plus, not that many people go toward the quicksand river anyways."
"But in order to hunt those monsters, there must be quite a bit of crew members."
"I do not know for sure."
As Grace answered that she did not know that, Yulian started to think.
"A large ship that can move across the quicksand river. How many people can it transport?"
A light turned on in Yulian's head. The quicksand river that cut across the desert was not somewhere that people could casually approach. The quicksand river was a place where a single misstep could lead you to instantly fall in.
'If I could move freely across that quicksand river?'
They will be the army with the most mobility in the entire desert, and the fact that they would be able to use a route that nobody else could use would bring a lot of advantages to their war strategies. Since they would not need to defend the side facing the quicksand river while the enemy would need to do so, it would also work to divide the enemy troops.
"I need to go verify the authenticity of this ship."
"You are going to the quicksand river?"
Grace answered in surprise at Yulian's words.
"I need to go. I need to verify whether this is real. If it is real, I must make it ours."
"How will you go to the quicksand river to verify it?"
At Grace's question, Yulian looked toward Chun Myung Hoon.
Chun Myung Hoon responded bluntly to Yulian's gaze.
"Why are you looking at me? Can't you ride Shopping to go there?"
"Right!"
Yulian clapped his hand and shouted as if he finally figured it out.
"Master is indeed a very amazing person in my life. You know exactly how to open this disciple's eyes extremely wide."
Chun Myung Hoon frowned a bit at his disciple's sudden praise, but it didn't feel bad.
"What do you plan on doing?"
"I need to verify it. If it is really a ship that can move across the quicksand, I need to meet with them and make them cooperate with us. I'm sure they need to go to shore to live, so it would be even better if they make their base in Pareia."
Chun Myung Hoon thought for a bit before speaking.
"It isn't a bad idea. When I saw the flow and volume of the quicksand, I thought that if it was used properly, it could even move faster than a pirma. That is, if there really is a ship on top of the sand."
"If we can manage to acquire such mobility, our Pareia will dominate the center of the desert. The problem is the number of warriors. That is a thought for a later time."
"You are thinking about war."
"In order to not be eaten up by the forces of the continent, I must unify the desert. Although many people will die, it is something I must complete."
Chun Myung Hoon smiled internally at Yulian's words.
Even when he first met Yulian, he liked Yuilan's steady sense of purpose, and if he is going to be his disciple, he needed to aim to be the best.
Although he could not find the reason he came to this place while traveling across the continent, it was enough for him to figure out the unknown power that controls this world. It made him think that he came to this world to give strength to this disciple who was born with the Mandate of Heaven.
Enough strength to go against the unknown power of this world.
"Alright. A man needs to have at least that big of a dream. I will watch over you."
"Since it has come up, I plan on leaving right away. I know it will take a while and Pareia does not have much time. Before the Shuarei recover their strength, I want to take over the Wikaly in the north."
Vitality was flowing throughout Yulian's body.
The Sand Dragon Shopping was extremely happy to return to the quicksand river, his hometown.
He could not go into the sand because he was afraid of being beaten up by his owner, but he just kept his head out of the river and put the rest of his body inside the sand, and flailed around enjoying the feeling of the sand.
Since they planned on doing reconnaissance for over a month, Chun Myung Hoon and Yulian didn't care much about Shopping's movement and let him move as he pleased.
"It is quite mysterious. I wonder how this quicksand looks like on the inside."
"When I went in and took a look, the sand was acting like the water in a river. It was flowing. Although I don't know what makes it flow."
"Mysterious."
"Anyways, I don't know how long we need to wander around for to see the ship. If I knew it wasn't a mirage, I would have gone on board last time."
"Since master saw it last time, it must mean it travels in this direction. We should be able to see it if we wait."
Chun Myung Hoon looked around in a relaxed manner.
The endless desert sand. The small pebbles of sand endlessly flowing in the quicksand. Nature really was marvelous.
"ᅟI will teach you the body protection method later. Now that I think about it, it'll be complicated if you fall off of Shopping."
"Ah! Now that you mention it, master, how was it that you moved around the quicksand river to catch this punk?"
At Yulian's question, Chun Myung Hoon suddenly jumped off of Shopping's head.
"Ah! Master."
"It is a technique called the Water Glider. [1] It doesn't last too long on the water, but since this quicksand is made of sand, making my body light from the technique lets me move freely."
"Does it take long to learn that technique?"
As Yulian watched his master with amazement, Chun Myung Hoon lifted up one finger as he answered.
"Seeing your progression, you'll need to develop your inner force for about ten years to even mimic it."
"Ten years?"
"There is always more to learn even if you study until you die. If you've managed to train properly for the last ten years, what is the problem with another ten? By that time, you should be able to reach the seventh level of my teachings."
Yulian realized his master was speaking with Venersis on his mind and started to frowᅟn as he nodded his head.
"I will need to work hard even if it is just so that I don't get beat up by you. But master, were there a lot of people like you where you came from?"
Chun Myung Hoon started to smile as he answered.
"There is nobody like me. There were a few people who were similar to me though."
"Then what about people at my level?"
"Why? Are you getting curious now that you have developed your martial arts to a certain level? Since you are young, it is not bad to have such a mindset, but the place where there are thousands of people at your level is called Gangho."
Honestly speaking, someone at Yulian's level could be in the upper echelon of those under thirty, but just in case Yulian might become arrogant, Chun Myung Hoon exaggerated a bit.
"This Gangho is a place where extremely amazing people live."
As Yulian answered in admiration, Chun Myung Hoon smiled again before continuing.
"Your master's martial arts is not weak and I had no rival under the heaven. I hope you become the same way here."
"Listening to you speak that way, I am curious about your name."
"Me? You might be the Desert Conqueror, but I have the title of 'Most Powerful Under Heaven' meaning that I have no equal. Shouldn't you go past the desert and put Continent in front of your name instead?"
"As expected of my master, your level of thinking is on a higher level. Hahaha."
"You are still just a baby chick. When I traveled across the continent, there were some people with somewhat decent skills. The majority were similar to you, but there were some who were shockingly talented."
Yulian's two eyes sparkled as he asked.
"Since we have a lot of time, please tell me some stories about the continent. Although one day, I will step over there with my own two feet."
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[1] Not what the author had, but this is the easiest and most fitting way to describe it.