In the desert night, the air temperature plummeted, but after bathing in dragon blood, even Franco's constitution was now on par with an ancient colossal dragon. A little chill didn't bother him at all.
Barrett checked his spatial ring for a moment, while EeDechi and Franco inspected the water containers in their own spatial rings. After tallying up their resources, Barrett said, "We'll have to start conserving water from now on."
Even so, until they reached a plentiful water source, the adventurers weren't about to deny themselves a decent meal.
They chopped down a few dried cacti for fuel, and Barrett lit a bright campfire, setting a blackened iron soup pot over the flames.
Slick oil floated on the surface of the pot, where jerky beef and tender lamb bobbed up and down, unfurling into silky slices that released a mouthwatering meaty aroma.
Among desert folk, lamb was the staple meat. Besides stewing it, grilling was essential. They threaded strips of fresh lamb onto metal skewers, added some seasonings, and set them to roast.
The kebabs were soon grilled to perfection—crispy on the outside, tender inside. Biting into a piece sent waves of aroma and steam rolling over the tongue. To save water, the three adventurers and their cat also munched on some oatcakes and lemon cakes.
Four or five black scorpions, drawn by the heat, scuttled over with a rustling sound. EeDechi snatched one up, ready to toss it away, but Barrett stopped her right away. "These scorpions make a great late-night snack."
EeDechi set up a frying pan and heated the fragrant oil to a boil. Barrett cleaned the scorpions thoroughly, dropped them into the pan, and fried them until their shells puffed up golden and crisp. He scooped them out, plated them, and sprinkled on a bit of pepper and salt. They had a unique, satisfying flavor.
After finishing the fried scorpions, the three sipped on some date palm juice mixed with honey, finding it quite refreshing.
Originally, EeDechi and the other two had planned to sleep in the Ride the Wind and Break the Waves yacht, but considering the burrowing monsters around, they stowed it away instead. If some beast burst out of the ground and smashed a hole in the hull, EeDechi wouldn't know how to fix it.
The moonlight was clear as water, with stars dotting the night sky like scattered gold on deep velvet cloth—the view was absolutely stunning.
The warm campfire burned steadily in the lonely desert. EeDechi, Barrett, and Franco sat around it, shooting the breeze before drowsiness set in. Cheeko sprawled on EeDechi's lap, contentedly squinting its eyes, its sky-blue tail swaying lazily.
"Once I've earned enough gold coins, I'll open an adventurer's tavern on the edge of Mistwood. A big mug of malt beer for just one copper coin, and old friends drink for free." Barrett poked at the campfire with his finger, lost in reverie.
"Open a tavern? That's thinking too small. I'm going for a harem." Franco gazed up at the sky. "I'm gonna be the guy who becomes the harem king!"
EeDechi propped her chin in her hands and had a sudden idea. "If a bard turned our adventures into a story, it'd be a huge hit!"
Franco shook his head over and over. "Nah, nah, nah, nobody's gonna like this story."
"Why?" EeDechi asked, baffled. "Our adventures are super exciting."
"There's a flaw in the story's setup from the get-go!" Franco declared.
"Oh?" EeDechi said curiously. "Do tell."
Barrett glanced at the two of them. "Can we skip these pointless chats?"
Franco ignored Barrett and kept going with his pitch. "The team members' character designs are all wrong. First off, Barrett needs a gender swap into a mature, sexy, reliable, curvaceous big-sister type! With plump breasts and deep cleavage!"
Barrett: "..."
Franco continued, "Then the team needs a stacked, pure-hearted and kind female cleric. Plus a cute female pet. And finally, an innocent legal loli who's clueless about the world."
"Don't we already have a cute pet?" EeDechi stroked Cheeko on her lap, flipped it over, and scratched its round belly.
"How can a pig count as a cute pet?" Franco said solemnly. "A real cute pet should be all fluffy, with a super smooth and comfy feel when you pet it—not this sky-blue pig that does nothing but eat and sleep!"
Cheeko flipped upright, like a little tiger, and meowed angrily at Franco, "MEOW! MEOW!"
"So what about me in the team?" EeDechi asked.
"You?" Franco glanced at the captain. "In the story setup, I just cut you out completely."
"Looking for a death wish, huh?" EeDechi glared fiercely.
"Hear me out—a girl with your personality? Nobody's gonna like her." Franco said. "Making you the female lead would be a total disaster."
Barrett scoffed, "So who's the male lead?"
"See, uncle? You're already asking who the male lead is—you're hooked on this story!" Franco said smugly. "The male lead is obviously me."
"You as the male lead? With your pervy personality." EeDechi looked him up and down. "Setting up all those girls? You're basically writing smut. You're in for trouble. Once you get this story out, I guarantee it'll get banned in no time!"
"Humph, that's what you think." Franco wagged his index finger. "By then, my setup will change too—I'll be impotent."
"Impotent?" EeDechi paused for a second, then burst out laughing. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"I'll be an impotent saint who keeps his cool with temptation in his lap, strolling through a garden of beauties without a petal sticking to him. Even if the female characters hit me with the most blatant and raunchy sexual hints, even if they strip naked and throw themselves right into my arms, I absolutely won't fuck them." Franco said smugly. "Otherwise, it'd definitely spiral into pornographic plotlines, just like you said, and get banned."
...
Dawn broke, and the morning light filtered through the tent. EeDechi stretched lazily and crawled out. She bumped right into Barrett, who was holding a porcelain pot.
Barrett saw EeDechi's hair all messed up like a bird's nest and couldn't help reaching out to smooth it down. He said mysteriously, "We've got company."
"Company?" EeDechi was surprised inside. She turned around the tent and immediately spotted a familiar girl.
The girl sat cross-legged by the campfire ashes, with black-and-white hair and black-and-white pupils. Her gaze was indifferent, her lips always pursed tight—even as she held a porcelain cup and sipped date palm milk tea, her expression remained blank.
It was Antilene from the Slane Theocracy. Beside her sat three men draped in white cloaks, likely her attendants, and nearby, four camels were lowering their heads to munch on dry fodder.
"Hey, Antilene." EeDechi greeted her with bubbling enthusiasm.
Antilene gave EeDechi an indifferent glance, seeming to recall the time back in the Slane Theocracy when EeDechi had subdued her. Her slender black brows furrowed, and she turned her head away, ignoring EeDechi. She only said faintly, "The milk tea tastes good."
Barrett explained to EeDechi that Antilene and her three companions had passed through the area that morning. They noticed someone setting up camp and casually came over for a look. Their reason for entering the Eight Greed Kings desert was to head to an ancient ruin called "The Sevenfold Heavens."
"Hot stuff!" Franco zipped over to Antilene like a gust of wind.
At some point, he'd already washed up, used magic to instantly groom himself, combed his golden hair into a dashing style, spritzed on some perfume, and changed into a clean mage robe. His whole vibe was handsome and totally out of place in the desert.
Franco plopped down cross-legged beside Antilene, cleared his throat, and said, "Yours truly just bathed in the blood of the Dragon Progenitor, and the flames in my heart are roaring. Sure, your chest is on the flat side, but I don't mind..."