Magic Chronicles : Fallen Race

Chapter 135: Chapter 135: Desert People

2 in 1 chapter.

--------

The number of reinforcements they learned from Shermen shattered the dream of the Ghost Tribe members.

Even Lisa's brother seemed to want to ask Shermen, "Are there two hundred of what?"

After all, there was still a significant difference between two hundred infantry and two hundred cavalry.

But before her brother could ask, Lisa stopped him.

"That's enough."

The female leader of the tribe shook her head.

They should have realized long ago that for the Syndicate, there was never any help from the outside world.

The outside world only brought chaos to the Syndicate.

"Notify everyone to pack up immediately. Leave everything here except for essential supplies and give it to them. Evacuate this oasis as quickly as possible and then... leave the Syndicate."

Lisa clenched her fists a little tighter at the end.

The other older members of the tribe did the same, especially at Lisa's last sentence about leaving the Syndicate.

Back in the day, although the Syndicate was geographically located at the central intersection of the Radiant Church, the Court of Judgment, and the Mage Nation, the three super kingdoms second only to the Empire in the world.

But because it was all desert, vast seas of sand, and year-round sandstorms, none of the major nations were interested in the Syndicate.

Because of this, at that time, the Syndicate only had the purest desert people, those true desert-loving ancestors of theirs.

In the eyes of outsiders, the barren and desolate desert had nurtured them for hundreds of years. It was their ancestral land, helping them isolate from the world and providing shelter from external turmoil.

Every desert dweller had a deep affection for this place.

Even if they were forced again and again by outsiders, they were reluctant to leave the sand sea, even if it meant living in a small oasis and surviving in the cracks.

Thinking of this, a tribe member's eyes turned red with anger, and he slammed his fist on the table.

"A bunch of bastards!"

"Why did we have to take in those dogs in the first place? We should have let them die in the desert, eaten by sandworms!"

The older member's words made Lisa lower her head.

She apologized, "I'm sorry."

"No, no, Lady Lisa, this has nothing to do with you. We didn't mean it that way."

Seeing Lisa's appearance, several desert people immediately reacted and hurriedly explained.

But Lisa shook her head. Even if others didn't think so, she knew that the Syndicate had become what it was today, and they, as desert people, were forced to leave their homes, all because of her and her ancestors.

Just as the previous tribal member said.

Around 500 years ago, the number of criminals and refugees from the three major countries suddenly increased several times, which led to those who always wanted to try their luck, or had nowhere to go, choosing to flee to the desert.

But obviously, they knew nothing about the sand sea. In the Syndicate, they struggled to move and fell on the sand sea on the verge of death in just a few weeks.

At that time, as the leader of the desert people, her many generations of great-grandfathers ultimately could not bear to see this. They pulled these outsiders out of the sand sea, gave them aid, food, and water.

These outsiders, brought back from the brink of death, then begged her ancestors to take them in, these homeless people. At that time, her kind ancestors did not think much and generously accepted them.

Not only did they accept them, but they also actively taught them how to become desert people, how to find oases, how to plant crops in oases, how to identify directions in the desert, how to resist sandstorms, and how to fight sand beasts.

The first generation of outsiders thus absorbed the inherited knowledge of their ancestors and began to expand rapidly in the Syndicate, attracting the next batch, the next next batch, more and more criminals and refugees from the outside world, who saw the Syndicate as their new world and flocked to it.

By the time her ancestors came to their senses, it was too late. Their greatest advantage, familiarity with and knowledge of the sand sea, had vanished. And the outsiders, these refugees and criminals, had armed forces from the three major countries, various advanced spells, scrolls, and artifacts. These vicious thugs finally stopped hiding their true colors and began endless strife in the Syndicate.

As the leader of the desert people, her ancestral grandfathers had tried to regain order.

But that was also the most devastating loss for their desert people. Countless tribesmen were slaughtered. In the face of the fierce refugees and the most heinous thugs, they were no match at all.

In the end, in order to survive, they had no choice but to hide their identities. They used the name "Ghost" to constantly warn their tribesmen not to participate in the struggles of those outsiders in the Syndicate. They gave up large swaths of oases, becoming an invisible ghost, curling up in the corner to survive.

However, with the sudden deterioration of the Syndicate's environment in recent years, the sand sea began to devour oases one after another for unknown reasons. The living space of the outsiders was also seriously threatened, so they could no longer even be this small ghost.

Lisa had long considered such an ending, and she was also prepared for it.

The mistakes made by her ancestors back then, she would now repay everyone for them.

"Evacuation alone is not enough. The Bloody Hand Gang is ruthless to other tribes. Even if they get our oasis, they will most likely still catch up, so at that time, I will stay behind to cover the rear and buy time for everyone."

"No! Lisa! You are still young! This kind of thing should be said to be our responsibility..."

As soon as Lisa said this, a middle-aged desert person became anxious and spoke up to refute. Many other members in the room also echoed.

It could be seen that although the leader was young, she still had a lot of trust and status in everyone's hearts.

The desert people actually never hated Lisa's ancestors. They only hated those ungrateful outsiders.

Shaking her head, Lisa had actually considered it. She explained, "The Bloody Hand Gang seems to be certain that there are large magic oil mines available for mining under the desert. I will provide them with information about the magic oil mines at that time. They will inevitably be distracted and give up the pursuit and killing."

As soon as the sister said this, the younger brother's eyes immediately lit up. He hurriedly asked,

"So sister, could it be, could it be that the rumors of magic oil mines are true!?"

"Bob, what are you thinking? Those outsiders are foolish and can't distinguish rumors. As desert people, don't we know that there is nothing under this sand sea, and there are no magic oil mines at all!"

Lisa was a little angry.

This was the first time she had such a big temper with her younger brother.

Not only was the younger brother so concerned about the rumors, but more importantly...

"Bob! In the future, you are to replace my position and continue to guide everyone. With you like this, how can you let me rest assured to hand over the tribe to you!"

"Miss Lisa, it's okay. Bob is still young."

"Yes, we will also support Bob. With us around, Bob will become an excellent leader."

The dissuasion from the other desert people, coupled with her younger brother lowering his head deeply after being scolded by her, quickly softened Lisa's anger, especially since they would part ways after tonight and might never see each other again in their lifetime.

"Bob, here, take this."

Finally, Lisa handed a piece of stone tablet to her younger brother.

The fragment was plain and ordinary, and it looked weathered with some blurry traces on it, like a map, but it had long been severely weathered and worn out, making it impossible to see anything clearly.

It was said to trace back to the origin of the desert people a thousand years ago. In the boundless sand sea, the first generation of desert people knew nothing and needed to cross the river by feeling the stones. Just when they were running out of food and could barely hold on, a mysterious stone tablet that fell from the sky gave them guidance.

The desert people discovered the first oasis according to the marked location on the stone tablet, which gave rise to the subsequent civilization and heritage.

But of course, such a distant past from a thousand years ago was basically regarded as a legend and anecdote now.

Moreover, the stone tablet had already crumbled on its own, as if it was severely aged, during the time of Lisa's unknown number of great-great-grandfathers, so even fewer people believed that it was a divine object like in the stories. In the hearts of the desert people, it was more of a symbolic meaning and a sense of ritual.

So now, many desert people in the room became extremely solemn at this scene.

When Lisa handed the stone tablet fragment symbolizing their origin to Bob, it also meant that she was passing the position of the tribal leader to her younger brother. From this moment on, Bob would replace his sister and become their new leader, guiding them to continue moving forward.

Feeling the trusting gazes from everyone and the expectant and hopeful eyes of his sister, Bob nodded seriously and carefully put the stone tablet fragment into his bosom, as if to show everyone that he would take on this heavy responsibility well.

It is worth mentioning that in the end, Lisa also apologized to Shermen on behalf of her brother, telling Shermen that she might have found the wrong person. She didn't know Konstantin at all, and the Ghost Tribe had never said they sought help from Ilinor. If there were really reinforcements, let them return quickly.

The lives of two hundred people were also lives, and there was no need to send them to their deaths.

After that, the people in the room left one after another to prepare for the evacuation and escape.

As for Bob...

He did not go to help other desert people like his sister but found an excuse to leave temporarily. With a turn, he merged into the shadows of the night.

A few minutes later, when Bob reappeared, he had already arrived at a secret camp of the Bloody Hand Gang not far from their Ghost Tribe.

The Bloody Hand Gang members here seemed to have known Bob for a long time. Seeing him coming, they showed little reaction and let him pass. Bob went all the way to the room of the vice leader in purple sleeves, who had previously thrown people to raid the Ghost Town and killed many desert people.