Kingdom Bloodline

Chapter 366 The Desert Prince
Early morning, somewhere in the desert.

As the first rays of dawn pierced the darkness on the horizon, a monster—a monster completely wrapped in clothes and thick cloth—stirred in a sheltered spot under a giant rock and clumsily got up.

But it doesn't awaken naturally.

In the dim light, the "monster" stretched out its thick limbs, yawned wearily, and pulled its head and face out of the thick cloth, taking a deep breath.

Its daybreak.

It—this boy wrapped in clothes—vaguely stretched his hand out beyond the giant rock.

A gust of cold wind immediately swept across his palm, making him shiver.

It's so cold.

Thales, who was wrapped up tightly, shivered and shook his whole body, rubbing his hands together as he reached out to his side—the fire that he had painstakingly started with flint and dry branches last night had gone out at some point.

He shook his head, still shaken.

Next time, I can't spend the night on such a high sand dune. The wind is too strong, and even if there are rocks to shelter me from the wind, it won't be enough.

As dawn broke, the prince, lost in thought, leaned against the rock behind him, half-asleep.

He gazed at the boundless desert in the distance, and it took him thirty seconds to fully wake up from his drowsiness.

During Thales' six-year study in Dragonhill, almost every maester who had the privilege of going to Valhalla to teach the two distinguished students described the Great Desert as "hot" and "scorching," or something similar.

Oh shit.

Thales shrank back, thinking with a hint of resentment: They must all be just repeating hearsay.

The truth is: it's only deadly hot here half the time.

For the other half of the time—its nights are cold enough to store ice or freeze a Thales to death.

Damn.

It's no wonder that people from the north can't get into the vast desert.

Thales sighed with emotion, raised his gaze, and took in the small canyon beneath the giant rock and the endless sand dunes in the distance.

Nature is the most wondrous painter: beneath the crimson horizon, the undulating sand dunes are tinged with golden hues, their curves elegant and smooth, resembling the languid back of a beautiful woman reclining, evoking an indescribable sense of tenderness.

However, only Thales himself knew what cruel truth lay hidden beneath this breathtaking scenery.

As the sun rose, the chill of the night gradually disappeared, and there were still a few hours before the midday heat, which was his precious time to travel.

Thales opened his baggage and checked his inventory.

A piece of dry cheese and two small bread rolls.

as well as……

The last bag of clean water.

He sighed.

Thales rubbed his dry lips, suppressing a slight feeling of hunger, and stuffed the cheese back into his bag.

He took out the few remaining pieces of bread and silently tore them apart in the quiet morning, filling his stomach with the energy he needed for the morning. He couldn't eat more until he found the next water source—that would make his body lose water even faster.

The thought of this suddenly increased the pressure on Thales.

Thales got up, dug a pit in the sand not far from the camp, peeled off a piece of his burlap, and pulled out a few stones. To his relief, he found that the lower half of the stones was cold and wet.

The prince treated them like lovers, happily opening his mouth to suck on their moisture—the taste was a bit strange, but he could get some moisture from them without consuming precious clean water, so why not?

But water scarcity is not the only threat.

Thales tested the surrounding temperature, silently took off his winter clothes, tied up his bag, reached into the embers of the fire, and smeared the upper half of his face, especially around his eyes, with charcoal.

You can imagine the panic that gripped Thales when he found himself seeing things after a day of walking in the boundless desert.

Until he remembered this method—it was said that the hunters of the North, in the frigid cold, would occasionally use this trick to avoid snow blindness that might result from wandering too long in the white snowfield, and Thales dared to swear on his three days of desert experience that this trick would work just as well in the desert.

After applying the charcoal black, Thales unfolded the burlap cloth used to collect moisture and tied it around his head, securing his hair and temples tightly. Although Thales didn't find the desert particularly hot—even though everyone had told him that the greatest threat in the desert was the heat—tying a headscarf around his head should offer some help, whether for sun protection or moisture and wind protection.

He carefully inspected his attire, from leggings to cuffs: he took out the black cloth Yara had given him, used it as a mask to cover his mouth and nose, leaving only his eyes exposed, slung his backpack and time crossbow over his shoulder, grabbed two tree branches to use as walking sticks, and confirmed that the sun was rising to his left.

Wishing you all the best today.

Let me find a water source...

Or provide assistance.

The prince, who was all set to become a surprise gift, took a deep breath and stepped out of the sheltered spot.

A sandstorm suddenly hit him in the face, bringing with it the chill of the night, causing him to squint.

A large sand dune loomed ahead. Thales carefully circled its center, searching for a gentler slope that was farther away but had a gentler incline, avoiding the wind direction as much as possible, and crossed the dune. On his first day in the desert, he had foolishly gone straight up and down, and after crossing two dunes, he was panting heavily and his legs were numb. Now, Thales had finally learned his lesson.

"Whoosh...swish...swish..."

The wind and sand blew against his back, the fine sand rustling against the burlap behind his ears.

With the help of his cane, Thales moved forward step by step, detouring around high slopes and carefully traversing gentle ones.

As the sun rose higher, the cold desert gradually warmed up. He occasionally turned his head to look around, but all he could see was a vast expanse of yellow sand, and all he could hear was the howling wind. There was no trace of birds or beasts.

Even the plants were only low shrubs and deep-rooted willows, lying lifelessly on the sand.

As far as the eye can see, there are vast sand dunes and a desolate desert, where Thales remains all alone.

Not to mention human habitation.

There weren't even any animal carcasses—at least that would remind him of the danger here, replacing the dullness with fear.

Thales shook his head, tried humming a little tune, and thought about some pleasant things—the prince, who had been trapped behind high walls for six years, had read many travelers' notes, and he knew that in such an extremely harsh environment, the most deadly thing was not the external threat, but the mental pressure brought about by loneliness and panic.

Nothing can destroy a person more than isolation and loneliness.

This is Thales' fourth day in the desert.

He didn't know when he entered the vast desert.

It seems that there is no particularly clear boundary between the city of Exter and the famous Great Desert—for example, a boundary marker that reads "Exter Border" or "No Entry for Travelers".

In fact, after a pleasant "parting ways" with the other two, Thales rode for a day and first entered a rocky desert that was almost indistinguishable from the barren wasteland, filled with exposed rocks.

There, massive bedrock stretches as far as the eye can see, the terrain is undulating, and the view is incredibly expansive.

The low shrubs were neither too many nor too few, which deceived Thales' eyes, making him think that the great desert was not yet in sight.

"We have to keep going," he said to himself, tearing open the meat jerky in his mouth. "We should be able to find someone to meet us at the border."

Thanks to the blessing of that silver-clad figure, Thales, walking on the earth, could sense his direction: he was heading south, the slightly higher rock layers in the north were gradually reaching their end, the vegetation was beginning to decrease, the temperature brought by the sun was slowly increasing, and his lips were getting drier day by day.

As the journey progressed, his view shifted from bare bedrock to pebbles ranging in size from pot lids to fists. Fortunately, the horseshoes of the northern warhorses were of high quality, sparing Thales the arduous journey.

However, after passing through an abandoned settlement and shaking his head in disappointment at an abandoned well, Thales's strong warhorse from the North showed a considerable resistance to continuing onward.

As the reins became increasingly difficult to control, the second prince, who had been reciting geographical facts all the way, suddenly realized:
Unbeknownst to him, he had entered a no-man's-land.

Half a day later, rather than exhausting himself pulling a horse that kept trying to back up, Thales reluctantly took down the necessary supplies, released the horse, broke off two thick, hard branches, whittled them into walking sticks, used one to carry his pack and the other to help him walk, and struggled forward.

The ground beneath our feet was still hard rock, and before us lay the endless Gobi Desert, but the wind was getting stronger and the temperature was getting hotter.

As Thales quickened his pace, he frowned and noticed that the pebbles under his feet were getting smaller and smaller, and his steps were no longer crisp and clean.

Ten hours later, at dusk, after sparingly replenishing his water supply, he looked up and was surprised to find that everything around him was covered in yellow sand, whether he looked ahead or back at the path he had come from.

Before we knew it, we had arrived at the vast desert.

Thales stared blankly at everything before him, thinking to himself.

The issue is……

Where are the secret agents' contacts?

Did he miss the person, or did he take the wrong path?

Looking back on the journey, Thales hesitated for a long time, feeling lost and confused. Finally, he decided to continue forward, following the direction in his memory, heading southeast to find the oasis and the Star Army's supply line.

Prior to this, Griveo and Kerz in Dragonstreet seemed to have foreseen that he would not stop even after escaping the city, and had prepared suitable travel gear for the prince well in advance. Monty's two mounts were obviously related to the Secret, and the bags on the saddles were full of things necessary for crossing the desert: water, bread, salt, flint, including thick clothing and ropes.

There were also the two walking sticks he broke on the way.

Thales felt good after checking his luggage.

However, the hellish journey that followed the next day told him that he was wrong.

Thales underestimated the vast desert.

It is far more terrifying than imagined.

The soft sand on the ground seemed harmless, but it was actually a difficult obstacle to walk on. Every step was a pit, and when climbing uphill, one would often slip on their heels. It was even more difficult to deal with than the snow in the northern winter. Thales even felt that he had walked no more than ten miles on the first day.

The winds in the desert are strong and swift. If Thales is not careful, he will be blown about. Once, he was blown off a slope while climbing and rolled and screamed all the way down the sand dune, ruining his ten-minute climb.

After that, Thales resolved never to climb high slopes again, never to go straight up dunes, and to follow the ripples of the sand—if you go against the wind, the wind will go against you.

The terrain in the desert was far from flat; there were undulating sand dunes, and from time to time, one could encounter huge sandstone formations and steep canyons. After painstakingly "exploring" the bottom of a canyon, Thales decided it was best to stay away from them.

And so he continued onward, the first day, the first night, the second day, the second night...

All the way to now.

The fourth day in the desert.

It was still deserted, the fourth lonely day.

Step by step, Thales squinted and tried his best to move forward, counting his steps. Every so often, he would take off his water bag, sip a little water, and moisten his mouth.

I don't know how long I walked, but the sun was getting higher and higher, and it was getting hotter and hotter around me.

He could even feel that his skin under the thick cloth was covered in sweat, and that his whole body was wrapped in clothes, feeling sticky, wet, and stuffy.

But he couldn't untie it. He couldn't.

Thales, suppressing his discomfort, walked down the windward slope with his cane. Looking back from the leeward side, he couldn't help but frown—he felt he had gone astray.

Damn.

He cursed inwardly, stuck his cane into the sand, looked at the shadow it cast on the ground, then found a stone and placed it on top of the shadow.

After enduring hardship on his first day in the desert, Thales encountered an even worse problem: the amazing sense of direction he had gained after his journey through the Black Path had once made him overjoyed, believing that he would never get lost again. However, this amazing ability failed him after entering the vast desert, and he could no longer sense the terrain beneath his feet or the direction ahead.

It seems that even the most powerful and all-powerful beings can have problems adapting to different environments—Tails thought wearily: If the God of Desert really exists, then he probably wouldn't welcome that Silver Shadow Man.

While the sun was still low and the sand was still cool, he sat down to rest for a while and figure out the direction.

Thales took a sip of water and sighed softly.

It's been three days.

Three days.

How long will it take?

Three more days?
How much longer will he have to walk before he encounters rescue?
Will he die here?
Really bad.

Fuck!
Thales shook his head and patted his cheeks to calm his agitated mood.

Don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think about it.

Thales reminded himself: Get to the next destination first, then think about the next step.

Otherwise, he fears he won't be able to find the place, and the pressure will be too much, causing him to have a mental breakdown.

In fact, because of the long period of being uninhabited, lack of communication, and monotonous scenery, the prince now realizes that he is becoming somewhat abnormal.

His reactions began to slow down, and his field of vision began to fixate.

And their emotions become unstable.

Thales chuckled softly and shook his head.

No.

He can't give up.

He needs to adjust himself until he finds a way out.

Ironically, on the first day, Thales didn't think the desert was that dangerous.

Following the then still sparse vegetation, he found a small, shallow pool under a giant rock at dusk, where life thrived.

A few jackals even gathered in a small corner by the pool, taking a sip, turning their heads back, cautiously and inefficiently drawing water.

At that time, Thales was overjoyed, feeling that he had at least made the most of his "newbie luck" and happily slid down the dune to collect his water bag.

Until he slid to the edge of the pool, his legs gave way and sank into the quicksand!

The more panicked Thales struggled, the tighter and deeper he sank, at one point sinking up to his waist.

Thales' heart sank.

Only then did he understand why the pack of jackals preferred to gather in such a small corner, sparingly drinking water, rather than approaching the seemingly wide pool.

God knows how desperate the boy was back then.

If Thales hadn't used the Sin of the River of Hell to calm himself down, give up struggling, lay flat, and avoid sinking...

The first heir of the Star Kingdom is probably already dead in the desert.

That day, he trembled as he pulled out the crossbow from his back, tied a rope to it, and shot (he shot twice, the first time his hand was too shaky) at a strange tree in the distance, then cautiously pulled himself up.

Amidst the jackals' disgruntled howls, a still-frightened Thales scared them away with his crossbow bolts, took up a safe corner, and, trembling, finally managed to fill his water bag.

This was the first time Thales had discovered the treacherous nature of the desert.

Having rested enough under the dunes, Thales sighed and brought his thoughts back to the present: he picked up the second stone, placed it on the tip of the shadow of his cane, which had moved quite a distance, and connected it with the first stone.

Thales looked back at the path he had come from, frowning as he compared it to the line connecting the two stones.

It is indeed a bit out of the way.

It needs to be corrected.

He corrected his direction to southeast, grabbed his navigation cane, and set off again.

"Huh...huh..."

The sandstorms are getting worse.

This is another threat in the desert.

Thales gritted his teeth, trudging over a sand dune amidst the stench and humid heat, raising his right hand to his eyes as he searched for a place with lush vegetation that could provide shade and perhaps a water source.

Noon arrived quickly.

We need to prepare for the next step of rest.

He still remembers that on his first noon in the desert, he chose to camp at the bottom of a large sand dune to avoid the scorching sun and the relentless sandstorm.

However, when Thales woke up from his afternoon nap, he turned around and tasted a mouthful of sand.

Filled with fear and panic, he got up with a "pui pui pui" sound, and was horrified to find that in the two hours he had been resting with his eyes half-closed, the sandstorm had already buried his legs and would soon cover his hands.

If he sleeps for another half hour...

Thales learned from that time that unless you're looking for a free grave in the desert, never choose a place too low to rest.

The prince silently reflected on the many lessons he had learned in the past few days of hardship and torment, and found a place to rest: a small tree beside a steep slope.

Thales took another small sip of water and continued on his way.

He struggled forward, feeling uneasy as his body rapidly lost water—as the sun rose higher and the surroundings grew hotter, the energy and nutrients he needed to expend would increase exponentially.

Rest—Thales thought gravely, forcing himself to focus solely on this one goal—he needed rest to escape the hottest hours.

The sandstorm continues.

Watching the yellow sand beneath his feet slowly being peeled away, Thales counted over eight hundred steps before finally reaching his destination.

He hid in the shade of a tree to avoid the scorching sun.

Feeling the rapidly dropping temperature, he sighed and took off his headscarf and mask.

Thales was getting ready for his afternoon nap, but instead of rushing to find an open space, he carefully tapped the ground with his cane, clearing away the surrounding stones, preferably keeping them far away from him.

Thales did not forget that the first "friend" he met in the desert was a rattlesnake.

On his second day in the desert, while resting under the shade of a tree, he was so exhausted that he collapsed onto the ground. He reached back with his left hand and pressed against something slippery and cool.

The "thing" sprang up quickly from behind the stone.

She bit his forearm!

Thales was terrified—the rattlesnake was clearly unhappy that someone had disturbed its afternoon nap. If Thales hadn't just experienced the bone-chilling cold of its first night and hadn't been so frantically coiling itself up so tightly, this bite would probably have killed it (although Thales didn't know whether it was venomous or not).

Thales recalled the terrifying experience of that day and subconsciously touched his left arm—the tear in the three-layered sleeve was still there—carefully brushing aside the surrounding stones.

Sure enough, after a large slab of rock was lifted, a "new friend" ran out unhappily.

Thales frowned, looking at the black sand scorpion, which was about half the size of his palm, its pair of terrifyingly large pincers and inconspicuous stinger. He stretched out his cane, ignored its protests, and chased the sand scorpion away.

He sat down, panting, and took out his water bag and the last of his food.

Everything before him seemed unchanged, just as the old crow had said: there were only three things in the desert: himself, sand, and sand.

Thales suddenly understood why the other person had said "sand" twice.

Everything he had seen and heard in the past few days told him that this was a world completely different from his everyday understanding.

A world beyond the comprehension of a boy who grew up in the city's slums, accustomed to the streets and castles.

Recalling the countless dangers he had encountered in just three days, Thales couldn't help but shrink back:

Here, heat is just as deadly as cold, and both day and night are terrifying.

Here, life and crisis coexist; the pools that are the source of life are often the places where the most animal bones are buried.

Here, he rarely saw any living creatures, and even if he did, their habits had changed drastically: desert snakes never walked in a straight line, but instead folded themselves into a wave shape, "launching" sideways like a spring; strange lizards deliberately burrowed into the sand, seemingly determined not to go out until night; desert rats seemed to have no need to have four legs, because they rarely "walked normally," preferring to be in contact with the air and leap forward; the vultures that occasionally flashed across the sky seemed to never stop, taking long journeys every day; and the color of desert spiders was simply indistinguishable from the sand.

Here, he had to be humble—Tales recalled Heath's words—and everything had to be learned anew, such as the jackals by the pond. From then on, Thales learned to follow the animals' tracks, at least he wouldn't make any big mistakes.

Thales sighed, ate the last piece of cheese, and began to think about his most pressing practical problems.

He ran out of food.

The prince did experience hunger, but life in the abandoned house never gave him many opportunities to have a full stomach.

But he was in the desert.

This is dying.

and……

The contact persons are still nowhere to be seen.

Thales had tried to find the fruit of the plants; in fact, he had found several strange plants bearing fruit on the leeward slope, and he was getting hungry—until he saw a dried skeleton nearby.

Oh my God……

Thales touched his forehead in anguish, wondering what else was edible in this desert.

Just then, he glanced to the side and saw that the unfortunate sand scorpion whose nest had been occupied had not gone far. It was still poking and tapping here and there, looking for its next habitat.

Looking at the scorpion, Thales touched his hungry stomach and frowned deeply.

isn't it?
(End of this chapter)