The desert wind has its own way of torturing anyone who dares to challenge its reign. If at sea the wind brings freshness, in the endless expanse of Kaios, the wind is an invisible whip carrying sharp grains of sand that pierce through pores.
"Ahhh... if only those desert ships made by the Altena Magic Empire were mass-produced and opened a route all the way to Kaios," Venti complained at length. The God of Wind slumped limply against the double humps of a dull brown camel. His hands held the reins in a highly unconvincing manner, letting his body sway up and down following the rhythm of the animal's steps. "Riding a camel under this hellish sun really makes my spine feel like falling apart."
To his right, Hedin glared at his own camel mount with undisguised disgust. The Elf's proud white cloak was now stained with coarse dust, and the desert animal's distinct smell made his nose wrinkle.
"Stop complaining, Lord Venti. Dina and Vena have already focused their Anemo-Calyxes to provide us all with micro air conditioning so we don't roast alive. At least be a little grateful, considering it was your own decision to rent these slow camels," Hedin retorted coldly, even though he himself looked like he wanted to immediately wash off the coarse dust dirtying his cloak.
Beside him, Hogni seemed to hold onto his camel's saddle as if his life depended on the leather object. "I-I feel like this camel has been glaring at me with murderous intent all this time... I-Is it a sand demon?" muttered the silver-haired Elf, his body trembling every time his camel snorted roughly.
On the other hand, Dina and Vena looked much more relaxed. Thanks to the Anemo-Calyx in their hands and Venti's guidance, the twin Elf girls skillfully modified the wind flow into an invisible protective dome that constantly spun gently around their group, driving away the extreme desert temperatures from the five of them. They sat on their saddles as if they were strolling down a city street in autumn.
Their seemingly slow and agonizing journey finally found a bright spot when a massive silhouette emerged on the horizon vibrating from the heat waves. High walls of reddish sandstone stood proudly, challenging the ferocity of the surrounding nature.
It was the City of Lioad—a giant merchant city acting as an oasis and gathering point for merchants, mercenaries, and adventurers who had business within the Kaios Desert territory.
Entering the gates of Lioad City felt like stepping into a completely different world. The noisy sounds of haggling in various dialects, the clinking of valis, and the sharp aroma of exotic spices and roasted meat instantly assaulted their senses. Venti immediately led his small group toward the city center, renting a high-class inn that boasted abundant clean water facilities—an absolute luxury in the middle of a sea of sand.
Upon arriving in their cool, thick-carpeted private rented room, Venti threw himself onto the plush sofa with a satisfied sigh. He downed a glass of ice water served by Vena until it was empty.
"Well, lounging time is over~" Venti said in a cheerful tone, clapping his hands once to draw attention. He was still sitting leaning back comfortably, but the flash in his teal eyes indicated a seriousness hidden behind his bright smile. "Hedin, Hogni, Dina, Vena. Come closer for a moment, I have a special sightseeing route for the four of you."
The four Elves turned their heads, giving their full attention to their patron without needing to be intimidated by a strict aura.
"I have a request for you," Venti continued casually. "Go to the far border of Kaios that directly touches the Dedine Desert. Conduct a thorough investigation of any anomalies you find there. Do not fight unless necessary, just gather information."
Hedin furrowed his brow. His analytical mind immediately processed the order, finding a tactical oddity.
"My apologies, Lord Venti. If I may ask," Hedin adjusted his glasses. "The Dedine Desert, otherwise known as the Black Desert, is far to the north of our current location. That is where the actual epicenter of the anomaly is—the place where the Behemoth lived for a long time before finally being killed. It is said that its poisonous miasma still pollutes the land, and flowers that never wither grow from its corrosive remains. Shouldn't we head straight to the Black Desert to investigate the remnants of that land king? Why are we stopping and establishing a gathering point here, in Lioad?"
Venti smiled faintly, a smile that harbored a secret.
"Very logical. However, investigating the carcass of a giant monster is one thing, while sniffing out the rotten intentions of humans is another. If I come to the border with you, our movement will be very slow. The four of you, being Elves and possessing high-level adventurer strength, have far more efficient mobility and capability to penetrate the sandstorms up north."
Venti got up, walking toward the room's window facing directly onto the busy city streets.
"Besides..." Venti looked straight at the swirling sandstorm in the distance, his eyes narrowing slightly. "My wind whispers a discordant song. My intuition tells me that the true problem that will shake this place is not the Behemoth's remains. There is another anomaly, far deadlier, moving within Kaios. Something whose plans are very dark, and highly organized."
Hedin fell silent, understanding the implied meaning of his god's words. "Your divine instinct. I understand. We will immediately carry out the investigation to the Dedine border while you find out about the anomaly in Kaios."
"Good. Be careful, you guys. If the situation deteriorates, retreat immediately," Venti advised.
After the four Elves took their leave and disappeared into the shadows to carry out their mission, Venti decided not to just stay idly inside the inn. As a bard, his natural habitat was among the crowd, where rumors and secrets were traded as cheaply as cheap beer.
Venti strolled down the dusty streets of Lioad. His steps were light, his face adorned with a friendly smile that made sure no one would suspect him. He stopped from one stall to another, listening to the chatter of mercenaries complaining about the appearance of unnatural monsters, as well as secret whispers about a large "auction market" heavily guarded by a mysterious faction outside the city.
Everything sounded like pebbles leading to a giant cliff. However, Venti only found the peak point when he stepped into a large tavern in the center of the commercial district.
The tavern was crowded, filled with merchants celebrating the success of their transactions. The appetizing aroma of cardamom spices, cumin, and roasted meat dominated the air. Venti initially only wanted to find a seat to enjoy the typical desert music playing in the corner of the room.
However, his steps halted. The wind inside the room felt heavy at one point.
In the dimmest corner of the tavern, sat a man whose presence radiated pure anomaly. The man had a giant body, with dark brown hair and a pair of gray eyes as cold as incineration ash. A transverse scar across his face served as a silent witness to deadly battles in the past. Even though he was inside a tavern, he looked intimidating clad in pitch-black armor covering his entire body, paired with a dark red cape trailing down his back. A giant sword—so massive and wide it resembled an iron slab of destruction more than a blade—was leaned against the wall right next to his chair. The weight of the sword was so extraordinary that the stone floor beneath it looked slightly cracked.
However, what made the tavern feel terrifying for those sensitive to auras was not his sword, but the sight on the man's table.
Stacks of empty plates towered like a spire. The tavern owner seemed to break out in a cold sweat as he and his waiters continuously delivered trays containing super-sized cuts of perfectly roasted farmed camel thighs and ribs.
The giant man ate the meats in silence. There was no savage greed in the way he ate, but rather a methodical, mechanical rhythm, as if he were feeding fuel into a bottomless smelting furnace. Every bite he swallowed seemed to suck the essence from the food to keep something inside his body from breaking down.
An incredibly immense physical pressure, Venti thought, his eyes unable to tear away from the figure. That absolute appetite, the pitch-black armor, and the giant sword...
Venti's memory immediately matched those characteristics. There was only one character in the entire lore of this world designed with such an absolute profile. The monster who ate everything, the main pillar of the strongest Familia holding the title 'Gluttony'. The Zeus Familia executive told in tales to have eaten the Behemoth's flesh.
Zald.
Venti's heart beat with a steady yet vigilant rhythm. This discovery was a hundred times more shocking than investigating the guild's problem. Why was Zald here? Based on the lore knowledge Venti remembered, after the Zeus and Hera Familias were utterly destroyed by the One-Eyed Black Dragon, Zald was supposed to be wandering aimlessly in the outside world, hiding in exile. Why was Zald instead in the City of Lioad, exactly in the same region as the center of trade and the mysterious slave market outside the city?
The puzzle pieces began to assemble a massive anomaly inside Venti's head. The rumors about a heavily guarded secret slave market, the mercenaries' complaints about the appearance of unnatural desert monsters, and now, the presence of the gluttony who was supposed to only wander aimlessly in the outside world. Something very dark and organized was being built in this expanse of Kaios sand.
So this is the true anomaly, Venti's smile turned very thin. It's not the Behemoth's remnants that are the problem... but the eater himself.
Without wasting time, the God of Wind straightened his green cloak. His steps were light and cheerful, parting the tavern's crowd and walking straight toward the corner table avoided by all the other customers. To Venti, the intimidating pressure of Zald's aura was nothing more than a strong gust of wind that caught his attention.
Venti stopped right in front of the giant stack of plates. He placed his hands behind his back, tilting his head with a friendly smile that did not waver in the slightest under the aura pressure before him.
Zald stopped his chewing motion on a piece of camel rib. The giant man's eyes looked straight at the petite young man in front of him. There was no emotion in his eyes, only the depth of an abyss ready to swallow anything.
"Excuse me, big guy," greeted Venti, his voice clear and casual, flowing to cut the tension between them like a cool breeze. "Seeing the way you enjoy that dish, it makes me wonder if the camel meat in this tavern really tastes as good as it looks. May I sit here?"
Zald did not answer. He stopped chewing and stared intently at Venti with his pair of eyes as cold as incineration ash. The presence of this petite young man clad in a green cloak contrasted sharply with the tavern's tense aura, but Zald showed no emotion whatsoever. Only an absolute silence ready to swallow anyone who dared to disturb him.
Without waiting for approval, Venti pulled up the wooden chair across from Zald and sat comfortably. He propped his chin on one hand, staring at the former Zeus Familia member with his clear teal eyes that secretly radiated divine depth.
"Since we're going to be sharing a table, it's a good idea for us to get to know each other, right?" Venti smiled wider. "My name is Venti. A wandering bard... or perhaps, from the way you're looking at me, you know me better as Barbatos."
The wind inside the tavern seemed to stop blowing. A new chapter of the game of destiny in the Kaios sandy expanse had officially begun.
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