After leaving the woods, Fern and Queai set out on their continued journey eastward. Under the cover of Quiai's enchantment magic, the two didn't encounter the demon again, and there was enough time for them to tell everything that had happened in the past along the way, but Fern still felt that there wasn't enough time.

There were fewer and fewer woods on both sides of the road, and the grass on the plains gradually turned into shrubs and then dry branches. The land was bare, and there were no streams, rivers, or lakes in sight, except for the occasional yellow-green shrub that indicated some water source underground.

The two had been walking for three days in the sand-covered eastern part of Roanoke, and the endless earthy yellow color made their eyes ache, and the wind mixed with the sand blew across their faces, and they had to cover their mouths and noses with scarves. The dry air made the two of them thirsty, and they didn't have much water with them, and the water that Fern had brought was barely enough for him alone, but now that he had more Quiai, he was stretched thin.

Quiai turned his head sideways, put the water bladder to his ear, shook it a few times, and sighed. "I'm sorry Fern, I've never been to a place so east of Rodanoke, I didn't expect it to be so dry, so I didn't bring enough water. ”

Fern licked his chapped lips. "It used to be that caravans often passed by on this road, so it was not difficult to ask them for some water, and I didn't expect that there would be no one on the road now. ”

"Could it be that it was also affected by the awakening of the dark lord?" Quiai tilted his head in confusion.

"It's possible. Fern looked into the distance, but at the end of the horizon was a yellow desert. "It's been a few days since I set off, and the news of Serendra should have reached here, I just hope ......"

"Hope for what?" said Quiai, worried.

Fern patted the water bladder at his side. "I remember that before we arrived in the Pilatus Mountains, there was a village where the people made a living by going to the mountains to hunt game, and the road was also used by the merchants who came and went there, and if the village was still there, we could replenish the water there. ”

Quiai pulled the scarf down and exhaled. "I hope the village is still there, although I haven't seen anyone coming from the other side yet......"

As they were talking, there was a sudden sound of horses' hooves behind the two, Fern grabbed the horse and turned to look back, only to see a piece of yellow sand flying behind him, and Kui Ai said nervously on the side, "How is it possible?

"Don't worry. Fern said slowly, his brows furrowed together. "They're not demons, they're humans. ”

"Really?" Quiai raised his eyes, the outline of the horse team became clearer and clearer, more than a dozen horses were coming towards the two of them unhurriedly, and there were two carriages behind the horse team, which made Quiai feel at ease. "Not really, the demons don't have carriages. ”

The team slowed down when they reached the two, and the tall man at the head took a look at the strange pairing. "You don't look like you're fleeing, are you going to the Eastern Continent too?"

"Eastern Continent?" Kui Ai shouted in surprise.

"Isn't it?" the man pouted. "Well, in that case, I won't bother anymore. "After that, it is necessary to lead the horse team to continue to move forward.

"Wait a minute!" Fern stopped him. "Did you mean the continent on the other side of the Pilatus Mountains, and are you going there?"

The man stopped the horses, turned to look at Fern, and was silent for a few seconds. "This is not the place to talk, half a day further away is Dune Village, if I can see you again. The man tugged at the reins, and as if he was about to set off thinking of something, he glanced at Fern again, then unhooked a water bladder from the side of his mount and threw it at Fern. "My name is Fairbank, and the owner of Dune Village Inns knows that name. Then he was gone.

Fern opened the water bladder and poured a large mouthful of water, saying with relief, "It seems that the village is still there." Then he handed the water bladder to Kuiai. "The water is fine, you can drink some too. ”

Quiai grinned and took the water bladder. "You can stay in a hotel tonight, and you don't have to sleep in the sand early in the morning with a mouth full of sand. ”

Fern smiled as well, and continued on his road with his mount between his legs.

The weather in the desert is almost always sunny, and when night comes, a crescent moon hangs brightly in the sky, and there is silence all around. In the distance on the horizon, a dark silhouette gradually came into the sight of the two, and Queai couldn't help but exclaim excitedly, "Look! Fern, it's an oasis!"

Fern was much calmer. "That's right, there, Dune Village. ”

It is a small village built around an oasis, with more than a dozen houses scattered around the oasis, and in the middle of the oasis is a small lake in the shape of a long strip. Disproportionately to the size of the village, there are several times more travelers than villagers, and there are no longer enough hotels, and most travelers have pitched their tents around the village. Most of these travelers traveled in groups and with a lot of luggage, and they seemed to have almost all their belongings with them.

Fern raised an eyebrow and glanced at the crowded village. "It seems that there are a lot of people who have the same purpose as that Fairbank, and there are people from all over the world. ”

Quiai considers that this is indeed another question. "I can't sleep in a hotel tonight. ”

Fern smiled helplessly. "At least I won't die of thirst in the desert. Then he jumped off his horse and led his horse to the village. "Let's go to him first, I'm curious about the purpose of his trip. ”

Quiai nodded and followed. "The Eastern Continent only exists in legends, and although it is rumored that some people have been there, they have never appeared in Wallis again. ”

"Then there is no guarantee that those people have arrived in the Eastern Continent, maybe they died halfway through. Fern walked slowly, and the only path in the village was crowded with resting travelers. "Like those distant islands in the Endless Sea, there are only rumors but no one has actually reached them. ”

"Since there are rumors, it must not be groundless. Queai said unconvinced.

"You're not wrong about that. Fern glanced back at Quiai and stopped in front of a slightly larger room. "If I'm not mistaken, this is the only inn in Dune Village. ”

The inn was full of people, not to mention the seats, there was almost no place to stay, and people took up all the space they could occupy, and then chatted while drinking. Quiai frowned and sniffed. "This place is almost making me faint. ”

"Follow me. Fern said, brushing aside the people in front of him with both hands, and squeezed through the crowd to the kitchen, only to see that the kitchen was also busy, and he didn't even see who was the boss at a glance. "Which one is the boss, Fairbank asked me to come here to find him. ”

As soon as the words ended, everyone in the kitchen raised their heads and looked at the door, and then a bald middle-aged man wiped his hands on his apron and walked towards the two, and the others lowered their heads and continued to work.

The shopkeeper looked at the two of them. "I'm sorry, you see there are so many people coming here in the past two days, and I doubt that they will tear down this inn in the future. ”

"Why are so many people here?" asked Quiai curiously.

"That's not the news!" the shopkeeper led the two through the kitchen and out the back door. "The news from Threndra, seeing that the two of you are not ordinary people, you don't know it. ”

Fern paid attention to his surroundings. "Yes, we know. ”

After passing through the stable, the shopkeeper stopped in front of a room. "Mr. Fairbank is inside, and if you need anything, you can tell me, and I'll send them to you later. ”

Fern took out a silver coin and placed it in his hand. "Thanks, not for now. ”

Satisfied, the shopkeeper retreated to the stable, and Fern turned to the house and knocked on the door, followed by a man's voice coming from behind the door. "Come in, you've been waiting for a long time. ”

Fern could hear the voice being the man he had met in the desert during the day, so he pushed the door open and walked in, followed by Queay.