3 The eve of landing

"I'm not guessing on the grounds, it's because there is some basis for making such an inference." Kelan continued.

"To be honest, I also think that there must have been a connection between wind chimes and dragons a long time ago." Milo was not surprised or suspicious of Klan's reasoning, but instead agreed with the other party.

"Hey, isn't the map that guides the wind chimes into the desert from the 'dragon' according to herself?" "Maybe one day, we'll have to go after that dragon and find some clues from it." ”

Milo shrugged his shoulders after hearing this, feeling that Kelan's idea was very exaggerated, but judging from the things that he had experienced so far, the probability of this thing happening might not be low. "I'd like to talk about other evidence, too." Milo wants to know more about the secrets of Wind Chime's life, as it most likely involves the "Curse of the Stars", which is what he cares about.

Kelan was about to continue the topic: "Hey, do you remember that Wind Chimes specifically mentioned Pala Dax's magic reform? ”

"That 'magic exchange' at the Alex City Library?"

"Hey, it's a 'magic seminar'. From then on, Para Dax began to reform the simplification of magical spells, and even later, with the help of some great powers, she enacted laws to limit the old patterns of spells, so that all those who studied magic could only use new spells......"

"Isn't this reform conducive to the popularization of magic?"

"Hey, it's true that more people can use magic by simplifying the way it is used, but judging from the example of the wind chimes—" Klan paused, "This reform is actually a weakening of the overall level of magic. Wind Chime's letter also mentions that she did not learn new magic spells, so she was able to survive the Battle of Kuromon. ”

"Maybe it's ...... luck"

"You've seen her cast teleportation magic alone, or even teleport us out of the dust by herself. With this alone, it is almost impossible for current mages and battle mages to do it alone. ”

"That's called ...... 'fusion magic,' right?"

"Well, if it weren't for Wind Chimes' letter, I wouldn't have known that Pala Dax had removed all the conjunctions from the Saknusem Manuscript, so now 'fusion magic' can only be achieved by multiple magicians at the same time. I'm afraid only the God of Ten Thousand Sources knows how much content she has deleted, she hasn't deciphered new words for almost twenty years in a row, and now the development of magic has really stopped! Kelan's words were more like she was venting to herself, she was a little angry that the development of magic was restricted and weakened, but it was not easy to explode.

"Let's move on to the wind chimes." Seeing that Kelan was a little excited, Milo tried to change the topic back. He is very good at reading people, and he has already found that the closer he is to the desert, the more anxious Kelan becomes, and he changes his previous calm and elegant style, which makes Milo a little concerned: Could it be that there are things in the desert that make her and her concerned and worried?

"Oh...... Hey-" Kelan also sensed that her emotions were a little anxious, and sorted out her thoughts a little, "You see, Wind Chime's insistence on putting an end to the reform of magic spells has eventually made her a powerful magician, not only can use fusion magic, but-"

"It's going to turn into a dragon." Kelan and Milo said at the same time.

"Well, of course these are inferences, and all conclusions will not be drawn until the moment the truth is revealed."

Mello nodded, he admired and thanked Kran for her selflessness and assistance in the face of the crisis in Windwalk, she had given a lot, sacrificed a lot, and given up a lot for the many strangers who had never lived in her life and the new friends she had just met for a few months...... A word of thanks is definitely not enough to repay Kelan's kindness.

"If you need Windwalk's assistance in the future, we're here to help." Milo assured Kolan.

"Why do you say this all of a sudden?" Kelan's mood was more stable than just now, "You're welcome, in fact, I also want to know the secrets of the desert, so our purpose is the same." ”

"Well, thank you for your efforts." After Milo finished speaking, he looked around the cabin, "Then these books are all about studying how wind chimes become dragons?" ”

"Oh, no." Kelan picked up a copy casually, "These books are all related to the desperate desert, some are fairy tales or legends, some are stories and biographies, I want to see if there will be some clues in these records, even if they are legends, they will give me a direction to explore." ”

"With so many books, you can always find some useful clues, you have read them all in such a short time?"

"Well, I've read them all," Koran put the book in his magic pocket, "but there aren't many useful clues." However, there is a record of some royal family members and gentlemen from different countries who traveled thousands of miles to the desperate desert to learn the way of governing the country from a hermit...... I would have liked to look it up, but I don't have any more information yet. As she spoke, she packed up some more books.

The two chatted about the Desert (there was no more information about it) as they put the books in the room back into their magic pockets. By the time the cabin finally returned to its original state, it was close to dinnertime.

Klan finally tucked away the wooden diamond-shaped accessory in his personal pocket, and Melo noticed the action.

"It must be something precious, right?" Melo asked.

"Hey, my husband gave it to me and has always been with me."

"He must be a very good man, and I want to be his good husband." Milo said solemnly.

"Hey, it would be nice to tell Erin about it." Kelan made a rare joke.

The ship rang the bell for dinner, but the sky was still blue, without a hint of the orange glow of the setting sun.

"In the thermostatic sea, it's getting dark late this season." Captain Allen explained to the travelers that it was clear that he was not good at introducing this nautical knowledge, as he drove cargo ships instead of passenger ships all year round. Food was then distributed to the sailors and passengers - there was no galley on the steamship (Irene couldn't cook...... ), but there are several food and freshwater storage rooms, where large quantities of dried meat, dried fish, biscuits, broad beans, peas and cheese are stored, which are convenient to eat and easy to preserve, and are essential for long voyages; As for fresh water, it is packed in large and small wooden barrels, enough to drink for more than a month.

After Milo took her share of the food, she gave Erin her share, no fish or meat, but a vegetarian diet. "The little girl can't be an ascetic, right?" Captain Allen asked. The Wanyuan Sect is neutral about eating meat, but advocates vegetarianism, and Erin is very much in line with this initiative, almost no meat. And the "ascetics" among the 10,000 Sect disciples do not eat meat at all, which makes Captain Allen misunderstand.

Klan hadn't eaten or drunk since she boarded the ship, and as she said, people like her, who had been magically slowed down by aging, could go long without eating, drinking, or sleeping.

After dinner, the crew arranged the division of labor and went to rest, and the night sparrow took over from Milo to accompany Erin, who had been bedridden, and Kelan uncharacteristically did not consult any books, but went to the deck to look at the dark golden "thin line" on the western horizon - the desperate desert.

"It's finally come to this." Koran muttered, holding the diamond-shaped accessory in her hand and stroking it gently.

Captain Allen was still at the helm himself, and the bright moonlight above his head spread the golden light all over the sea, and the sparkling waves jumped, stirring up bursts of silver-white waves. Probably inspired by this, Captain Allen sang an old ship song:

The night at sea is quiet,

The waves of the sea shake the ship,

Sailors at sea resting on the waves,

The birds of the sea sing homesick songs.

The wind of the sea blows gently,

The clouds of the sea drift slowly,

The fish of the sea jumped hard,

The people of the sea want to return to the arms of their mothers.

The stars of the sea are shining,

The crescent moon of the sea smiles at me,

The glow of the sea is colorful and fluttering,

Ships at sea are about to return home and anchor.

……

The sailors on deck also sang along, and their soothing, melodious, and melodious songs drifted across the sea. When the song was finished, Koran had come to the captain's side.

"How do you sing this song?" Kelan asked with a faint smile.

"Because I know what you're thinking, Kolan," said Captain Allen, looking out at the clear night sky, "homesick. ”

"Hey, I haven't been back for a long time, and I haven't been back since the Djinn crisis......"

"I miss your husband too."

"He's always been here." Kolan pressed the position of the heart on his chest.

"What about the kids?"

"One of my two adopted sons helped me take care of the manor, and the other had already traveled far and wide...... I'm completely at ease with them, too. ”

Eren nodded, he and Koran had met during the Djinn Crisis and had never learned about her family's situation. Seeing Kelan standing on the deck looking into the distance just now, he understood that Kelan was a little homesick.

"When your matter is settled, I will take you back to Komet (Duchy) for free." Captain Alan said cheerfully.

"Hey, yes, Captain." Kelan said calmly, she was very appreciative of Allen's understanding.

The next day, April 11, close to noon, the steamer anchored. Alan gathered all the sailors and passengers, including the dozen or so members of the Windrun Town Guard who were with the ship, and gathered on deck (except Erin), and Captain Alan wanted to confirm one thing with everyone.

"Friends," said Captain Allen, in a loud voice, pointing to the golden land to the west, "there is the Desert of Despair, the source of countless terrifying legends, and the destination of our trip, of course, as soon as we got on board. We used to think that once we got there, both boats and people would get lost, but now, we have a completely credible map in our hands pointing out that the sea area ahead of us will not let the ship get lost, and we are confident that the ship will not get lost if it goes in! I believe that all of you here are courageous people who will not back down easily. But ......," Captain Allen glanced at everyone on deck, "but if anyone wants to back down now, we understand that." There were a couple of dinghys and rafts on board, and we could leave the retreating people here, and also food and water for a few days, and wait for us to come back, or ...... Die. He hesitated as he said this, "At dusk, we will be able to land in the Desperate Desert, so between now and the afternoon, anyone who wants to back down can come to me and sign up." And we will move forward bravely, never back down, and find the treasure buried in this desert, and return with a full load! May the dragon bless us! May the God of All Sources bless us! ”

The sailors boiled and cheered, and the soldiers of the Guards applauded. In fact, everyone here had already realized when they boarded the ship, and even if Captain Allen didn't say this, there would be no one who escaped.

After lunch, Captain Allen ordered: "Set sail for the desperate desert!" ”

Black smoke rises from the chimneys of the steamship, sailing towards the source of the unknown and fear.