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nThe fresh water from the oasis was marvelous. They weren’t used to withstand that much heat. It was not a simple task to survive the desert.

nWater would not be a problem for some time if they remained close to that oasis, but food? It would not be easy to feed all these people.

nAnother problem was shelter. How would they build houses without materials?

n“I’ll scan the area while you’ll rest here. Wisa, Jane, and Harmony, try to look for some food near this area, but don’t go too far as we can get lost easily around here. The rest of you, stay together and notify us if you see anything strange. Also, build a campfire if the teachers found some food.” Arthur gave them his orders and left the oasis.

n“Sully, help them find food and protect them while I’m out.”

n“Understood.”

nTwo fire wings grew behind his back, and he flew over the desert, trying to look for things they could use.

n“Huh?”.

nArthur saw a person from afar that was running, and they had been spied on.

nWisa had told him that people lived in tribes around here, so maybe if he followed that person, he would find a tribe.

nSo, he did just that. Arthur went even higher so that it would be impossible for that person to spot him.

nHe noticed the person wore fur clothing and had a bow behind its back, as well as 2 curved swords.

nCompared to Arthur, that man strolled through the desert sands. It was hard to travel by foot on that terrain, but Arthur did not have that problem as he flew using his wings.

nAfter chasing for about 30 minutes, the man arrived at what looked like a tribe. There were others that dressed just like him, with rudimentary clothes and weapons. The houses there were also simple cabins made of wood.

nJust like Arthur’s students, they also lived near an oasis where they could easily fetch water and plant some foods that could grow there.

nFrom above, Arthur focused on his hearing to hear what they were saying. He couldn’t understand the language, so he cast a basic spell all mages learned.

n“Language Learning!”

nArthur learned that spell from the general book he stole from the library, but all the other students also learned that as their first spell. The reason? It was useful, easy to learn, and it was not dangerous to practice. New mages couldn’t control their mana properly, so a spell that wasn’t dangerous was amazing.

nThe spell quickly injected lots of languages inside one’s brain. For normal people, that would be too much to handle, but mages could do that with ease.

nThere weren’t all the languages there, though. Most were only from the countries nearby, from that continent. Which added up to only 4 or 5 languages, as some countries spoke the same language.

n“Leader, leader. I saw some strange people near an oasis not that far from here. They had strange clothing, and did not look like they were from here.” The man that Arthur was following said.

n“What? Did they see you? How many are there? Are they strong?”

n0)ᴠʟ Arthur could now understand what they were saying, and it was not any news. The thing he wanted to know was if these people would attack them.

n“Not that many of them. I would say about 15 or 20. As for their strength, I don’t know either.”

n“Leader, are you thinking of giving shelter to them? To these strangers?” Another man said.

n“Najek, we need more people in our tribe. Look around. We are only declining after they kicked us out of that place a long time ago. And with the nearby tribes trying to take our oasis, we need more people to protect the tribe.”

n“You’re right, father. I apologize.”

nIt was out of all Arthur’s expectations. The leader of that tribe did not pretend to attack him but add them to their tribe, which, in Arthur’s opinion, it was not a bad idea.

nThey were complete strangers in that desert, and knowing how to survive was a must. These people lived there their whole lives and knew how to do that.

n“We should not stay in the tribe forever, but it is a good learning how to live in this place.”

nWith that thought in mind, Arthur descended from the skies in front of the tribe. All the people there were shocked upon seeing him, and drew their weapons.

nThe tribe’s leader took the front, and said, “who are you?”

n“I’m sorry to show up out of notice. I saw that man over there spying on my people, and was afraid he would try something, so I followed him.”

n“This is my fault. I did not want to offend you. I assume you were hearing the conversation we just had?”

n“Yes. Can we talk in private?”

nWith that, the leader of the tribe and Arthur went to the biggest house in the tribe to talk. The other tribe members weren’t comfortable in letting their leader alone with a stranger, but he said everything was all right, so they had to listen to him.

nArthur sat cross-legged, staring at the tribe’s leader, who was a middle-aged man with a long, dark beard and hair. He was sturdy and had lots of scars around his body. It was a common appearance of those who lived in the dangerous desert.

n“If I accept your offer, promise me all the tribe members here will treat my people as their own and help them adjust to this new environment.”

n“Are you really thinking of accepting? I’m not gonna lie to you. Our tribe is in decline from hundreds of years, and with the constant attack from the tribes nearby, we may perish one day. Are you sure?”

nThe honesty in the leader’s words was admirable, but the idea of learning the strange techniques from these tribes was something Arthur wanted. All forms of getting stronger were needed with these gods, and the Bone Lord chasing after him.

n“I do, yes. I’ll head over and discuss this with my people, and give you the answer.”

n“Okay, okay. Stay safe out there!”

nHe smiled brightly now that his tribe may have a chance of survival. The leader watched Arthur as he flew back to where he came from.

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