Chapter 286: Swimming in the Waves |
On the fifth night of our journey through the desert, the adults including myself, gathered together for a meeting. The sole purpose of this meeting was to discuss our destination, the oasis.
Our strategy had been to take a break and then fly in the sky, pinpoint the oasis’s location, and proceed in its direction until it was time to rest again. This routine was supposed to guarantee our eventual arrival there.
“Marcellus, just to confirm, there are no errors in your measurements, right?”
“Yes. I’ve calculated it with astronomical observations as well, so there’s hardly any room for mistakes. Even if I am like this right now, my mind is as sharp as ever.”
“Don’t joke around… An oasis that moves? Seriously?”
Tigar looked up at the sky while folding his arms and let out a deep sigh. Despite it only being five days, we had become convinced of something inexplicable. We didn’t know what caused it, but the oasis was moving.
It was on the morning of the second day that this suspicion first occurred to us. We had checked the direction before going to sleep on the first night, and just to be sure, we decided to verify the oasis’s direction again the next morning. That’s when we noticed a slight deviation in direction.
At the time, we assumed it was within the margin of error. We understood that the place from which we had measured was not exactly the same place or elevation as before. We thought it would be enough to simply correct our position and move on. However, on the morning of the third day, we found that our position had shifted from the direction we had verified the second day.
Moreover, this deviation was bigger than the one we had observed between the night of the first day and the morning of the second day. Although we were only amateurs, we knew how to read a compass. So we couldn’t help but wonder if such a significant shift was normal.
Even though I thought it couldn’t be, I couldn’t dismiss Chirik’s idea out of hand, especially when his eyes sparkled with the possibility of an incredible discovery. To satisfy Chirik’s curiosity, we decided not to move on the third day. Instead, we stayed in one place and took measurements from the same elevation at three different times: morning, noon, and night.
When I said that we needed more accurate measurements, Marcellus, Decius, and Asumi volunteered. Since they all served in the military before, they were skilled at calculating distances and such tasks.
Until now, they thought their role was minimal and assumed that a rough understanding of our direction would be sufficient. However, the changed circumstances made them realize that it was their time to shine. The knowledge and skills honed by the trio’s rigorous military training were now fully employed.
When they mentioned flying up to survey from above, Lorenz said he wanted to go too. It seemed that he had always wanted to experience the thrill of overlooking the desert from the sky. Although he had wanted to join us from the first day, he had been reluctant to say anything, perhaps out of consideration for the rest of us.
I was a little surprised to learn that Lorenz was still gauging his relationship with us, but I decided to take him and the others on board and fly to the sky. When Lappy and the others heard this, they also said they wanted to come, so it was an inevitable decision to take everyone to the sky.
By the third day of measurements, it was clear that the oasis was indeed moving. To confirm our findings, we continued our observations for two more days which eventually brought us to today, the fifth day. The results conclusively showed that the oasis was moving at a constant speed.
“I really want to understand the principle behind its movement.”
“The ‘why’ can wait. This is an urgent matter. We might manage water, but our food supply is limited, and the oasis is gradually drifting away.”
The phenomenon of the moving oasis was a great topic for a travelogue. If Lorenz could unravel the principle behind it, it would be a remarkable achievement.
In spite of Lorenz’s excitement, it was Sharl who was the first to point out the severity of the situation, and her concerns were justified. The place where the oasis was located was not only moving, it seemed to be drifting away.
This realization greatly increased the difficulty of reaching our destination. We had packed as much food as possible and received supplies from Button and others as a gesture of goodwill, but there were limits to that. Would our food last until we reached our destination? And if we arrived with our supplies nearly depleted, would we be able to find more food before succumbing to hunger? These were Sharl’s concerns.
“The good thing about this misfortune is that thanks to Marcellus, Decius and Asumi we learned a lot about the oasis. The size, the distance, and the fact that the speed at which it moves is almost constant, and this speed is slower than the speed at which we are moving. So if we traveled at a reasonable speed, we would be able to catch up in about a month.”
We all nodded in agreement with Chris’s summary. The three of them had accurately surveyed the area and gathered various information about the oasis. They had figured out the distance from here to the oasis, its rough size, and even the speed at which it was moving. According to their calculations, it seemed almost certain that we could catch up with it at our current pace.
However, the time required was quite long, about a month. Although we should have enough food, it was impossible to be overly optimistic when considering the accumulating fatigue of the group. After all, we had small children with us, including Chirik.
“We can’t turn back now. Let’s make sure to look for food whenever we take a break. There might be something edible besides those sweet potatoes.”
In the end, moving forward was our only option. From now on, moving forward with more precise measurements was the only way. We didn’t forget to remind ourselves to move forward without rushing while taking great care of our lives and food supplies.
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For ten days after we became certain of the unbelievable fact that the oasis was moving, we tirelessly made our way through the gravel desert. The journey was far from easy. The days were scorchingly hot, enough to feel like we were being baked, and the nights were bitterly cold, enough to freeze. Without the makeshift roofs of sand to shield everyone from the direct sunlight, some of us might have withered away.
But the drastic temperature changes between day and night caused discomfort to many, whether they were demons or not. But we couldn’t afford to stop; our only means of relief was to eat nutritious food and sleep in the carriages.
The weather alone was not the cause of our suffering. No, even more troublesome were the creatures that lurked in the desert. Most of the desert creatures were wary of us as foreign objects and did not approach us, but a few exceptions saw us as prey and attacked regardless of the time of day.
That being said, we as demons, didn’t encounter a single beast that posed a real challenge to us in battle. In terms of sheer strength, the Sovereign Dragon Snake I faced on the first day was perhaps the strongest. However, there were several other creatures that gave us a tough time far more than the likes of the Sovereign Dragon Snake.
The majority of them were small insects. Surprisingly, the desert was home to various kinds of insects. In a way, one could say they were distant relatives of mine and all of them carried poison without exception. And their poison was as potent as the poisonous stinger I possess.
Even a demon could die if he accidentally stepped on one and the poison entered his veins. As a result, those of us who were resistant to heat had to keep a watchful eye on the ground. I never encountered any of my own kind, the Hades Scorpions, which was a bit of a disappointment.
Apart from the insects, nocturnal carnivores also gave us a hard time. These carnivorous creatures, which seemed to be related to wolves or dogs, were feeble enough that a slightly trained child like Magna could fend off a single one. The real trouble arose because they attacked in packs of dozens.
Each of the packs seemed to be led by an intelligent leader who was targeting our weak spots with great precision. Knowing they had no chance against us from the start, these creatures targeted the horses and oxen we had left resting away from the carriages.
While most of the pack distracted us by howling and running around, a separate group would attack the cattle and try to take them away. They were frustratingly sharp enemies.
But we had Shuu and Apao on our side. After transforming into their demon forms, they easily dispatched the separate attack team, and eventually the attackers gave up and retreated. Despite their relentless pursuit, we never actually suffered any casualties from these attacks, but their persistent chase caused many of us to lose sleep at night.
It was merely an irritating thing for me and my comrades, but that wasn’t the case with the oxen and horses. They became scared and were unable to rest.
Without proper rest, the health of the cattle and the efficiency of the next day’s journey would be compromised. As a result, Asumi and the others were forced to slay the beasts night after night before they could get too close.
After overcoming these challenges, we finally reached the border between the gravel desert and the sand desert. The further south we traveled, the more sparse the vegetation became and the more the ground shifted from dirt to sand. But the transition was so gradual that we feared we would not notice until all plant life had disappeared.
“…So this is why the oasis moves.”
“It seems like desert is the wrong word. This is a sea of sand.”
But the reality was different. There was a clear boundary between the gravel desert and the sand desert. This was because the sand desert that was spreading out in front of us was rippling like the waves of the sea.
The sands of the sand desert were in constant motion, creating what can only be described as “sand currents”, similar to sea currents. Within these currents, large rocks floated and they were slowly carried along by the flow of sand.
“I really can’t fathom the logic behind this phenomenon… but at least the reason why the oasis move makes sense now.”
“That means the oasis is being carried along by the flow! The outside world is amazing!”
“No, I think it’s just this place that’s special.”
While Woodorrel was in awe of the flowing sea of sand, Chirik interjected with a dose of realism. Since Lorenz who was probably the most knowledgeable among us was eagerly jotting down notes, this meant that this anomaly was indeed exceptional enough to be the highlight of the travelogue.
The question now was how to reach the oasis from here. While I was thinking about this and watching fish leap from the sandy waves, I realized I needed to discuss this with the group… Wait, there is fish here?! We need to catch them!