Night slowly began to fall, and the sand sea gradually lost its original earthy yellow color.
A cold Moonlight hung in the sky, outlining the undulating dunes with alternating light and shadow. In this vast desert, the figures of three people and one duck seemed particularly small.
"We're finally here!!!"
Batu was the first to jump off Dash's back, his feet landing on the solid ground outside Katorea, waving his arms excitedly.
He turned to pat his captain, who had worked hard all the way, but saw Dash stretching his neck.
It was panting heavily, its chest rising and falling violently, and even its usually spirited feathers seemed to droop.
"Ah! Dash, what's wrong with you!?" Batu exclaimed, rushing over to stroke it.
This was undoubtedly the most tiring desert crossing in Dash's duck life, carrying a 1.76-meter-tall warrior, a not-so-light old man, and a child who would shout and yell on its back.
This exaggerated load had far exceeded Vivi's usual weight, and it let out a resentful cry:
"Gah... gah..."
Tomioka also dismounted, looking at the exhausted Dash, a hint of apology flashing in his eyes. He knew that without Dash, he would never have been able to travel from Alubarna to Katorea today.
"You were very fast."
However, Dash, being used to staying by Vivi's side, somehow understood this sentence, which made it suddenly feel inexplicably annoyed.
"GAH!!!"
Then it started spinning in circles on the spot, leaving Batu dumbfounded. Indeed, the captain was truly amazing... But Matar, who was still on its back, suffered. This made him a little dizzy until it finally stopped.
He staggered down, and when his feet touched the ground, his hand subconsciously pressed his pocket again, confirming that the item was still there before he breathed a sigh of relief.
Night had fully fallen, and Katorea unfolded before their eyes.
Unlike the bustling Alubarna, Katorea was more like a weary frontier town. Lights were sparse, there were few pedestrians on the streets, and the air was filled with a mixture of dryness and unease.
The three people and one duck walked silently down the street leading to Matar's house, just as they were about to arrive.
A house on the street caught Tomioka's attention.
A figure, dressed in a grey robe that completely covered his body, and wearing a black hat with goggles, was knocking on doors house by house, giving up after a few knocks each time.
And after no sound, he quickly moved to the next house. In the dim night, this appearance indeed easily led to misunderstanding.
"Grandpa, look!"
Batu also noticed. He lowered his voice and pointed out the figure to his grandfather, "It looks like there's a thief over there!"
After the quick duck-spinning earlier, Matar was already somewhat physically and mentally exhausted, and he didn't want to get involved in such matters. It was normal for there to be thieves in this town.
He just wanted to get home as soon as possible, so he didn't even look that way. He just pulled Batu's wrist, his tone a little urgent: "Come on, come on, let's not look, just go home, don't meddle in other people's business."
However, Tomioka didn't move.
He just stood silently, his gaze fixed on the figure. If the other party was indeed a thief, he would step forward to stop him.
And that figure seemed to keenly sense the gaze from not far away.
His knocking stopped, and he slowly turned around. His hat brim was pulled very low, and in the faint light of the Moonlight and streetlights, only the lower half of his face and a hint of a helpless smile could be seen.
Then the other party hesitated for a moment and actually walked towards Tomioka and the others on his own accord.
"Ah, good evening."
His voice sounded young, with a relaxed and friendly tone, "Are you residents of Katorea?"
Batu immediately became a little nervous, facing this "thief." He immediately broke free from his grandfather's hand, jumped in front of Tomioka, and struck a pose of brandishing his fists and feet, though his voice was a little stuttering due to nervousness:
"You... you... you... what do you want! We're not afraid of you, thief! Right... Big Brother Tomioka..."
Tomioka didn't speak, he was just still observing the person in front of him. The other party's steps were steady and powerful as he walked over, and even though his body was covered by the robe, one could still feel his breathing and his body exuding powerful vitality.
The other party, hearing the term "thief," was clearly stunned for a moment, then actually started to laugh, his shoulders shrugging slightly:
"Huh? Thief? No, no, little friend, you've completely misunderstood."
He waved his hand, a wry smile on his face, "I'm not a thief, I'm a traveler."
"It's just that when I arrived in this city today, it was already very late, and I couldn't find a hotel here, so I wanted to find a kind family and ask if I could stay for a night."
Then the traveler seemed to remember something and wanted to prove that he really wasn't a thief.
He added, "I really am just traveling. I just landed at Nanohana today, and when I was leaving, I heard others say that someone fainted while eating."
Tomioka heard what he said and remembered that when he first arrived in Alabasta, he had indeed heard of such a situation. "That did happen."
"See! See, I wasn't wrong, was I?" The other party's tone began to sound happy, thinking that the misunderstanding could finally be cleared up.
However, Batu's suspicion hadn't completely dissipated. He carefully stepped forward and poked the other party's thick robe, "Really? Then what's your name?"
He seemed to find the child in front of him very interesting, maintaining his smile, and began to lead with a counter-question: "Before asking my name, according to etiquette, shouldn't you tell me your name first?"
"My name is Batu!"
The child blurted out, then felt he couldn't lose his momentum and put his hands on his hips, saying, "Alright, if you're lying! I'll have Big Brother Tomioka take care of you!"
Batu had only experienced half a day, but he already seemed to feel that Big Brother Tomioka was the ultimate solution to all problems.
Tomioka, listening nearby, showed no expression on his face, but his heart was extremely shocked. What did this child take him for?
"Batu, that's a very nice name."
The man nodded, then said, "My name is Sal. It's a pleasure to meet you, Batu, and these two." His gaze swept over the silent Tomioka and the somewhat wary Matar.
Seeing the other party's calm and composed demeanor and responses, little Batu finally let go of his suspicion slightly.
Matar sighed at this point. He didn't want to get further entangled on the street, especially since he only wanted to go home quickly now. He spoke: "Hmm... alright, then you can come along too. Our house is just up ahead."
"However, our house is very ordinary, and we don't have any extra beds for travelers, so we can only give you a chair to lean on. Can you accept that?"
The traveler, who called himself Sal, immediately nodded, his tone full of gratitude: "No problem, no problem! Just having something to lean on is fine, thank you so much!"
Thus, the group became four people and one duck, walking towards Matar's house not far away.