Chapter 69

This world of yellow sand, or perhaps a desert world, is the name given by the dark magic apprentices from the city of Menzoberranzan upon arriving at this alternate plane.

Even Zorro, a near-mage known for his vast knowledge, could not estimate the exact size of this world.

He only stated that it definitely would not be as vast as the world of wizards.

The vastness and breadth of the world of wizards, as introduced by his mentor Moseido, ranks among the top in the countless planes of the astral realm.

Sain did not know the exact size of the world of wizards, and thus could not compare it to the yellow sand world before him.

However, it was a world, and through communication and speculation, these dark magic apprentices estimated that the area they had been active in over the past few months might not even be a hundredth or a thousandth of the yellow sand world.

The limited perspective of apprentices meant they could see very little.

Not to mention the hostile creatures from other planes that were recorded to be hostile to the wizard civilization.

Even just the plane environment of this yellow sand world, which was vastly different from the world of wizards, was enough to make these apprentices, who had not even reached the first level of life, complain bitterly.

It was through conversations with his senior sisters and brothers that Sain learned that these dark magic apprentices could survive for several months in this harsh alternate plane, thanks to the water magic apprentices who could condense water spheres to provide water.

As for food, it was mainly supplied by a few apprentices who specialized in plant magic.

As long as they could use earth magic to create soil and had sufficient water, these plant magic apprentices could cultivate edible plants.

This was probably the charm of magic.

If ordinary civilians from the world of wizards, who were powerless, were to come here, they might not even last a day.

On the afternoon of the day he arrived at the camp, Sain met Lina.

For Sain, it had only been a month since he last saw Lina.

But he knew that Lina had not seen him for over four months.

The two were emotionally stirred upon reuniting.

However, they both concealed their feelings well, especially Lina, from whom no one could detect any emotional expression on her cold face.

On the contrary, Sain's senior sister, Phyllis, openly expressed her feelings and even said she would introduce a sister to him.

...

The camp built by the dark magic apprentices in the yellow sand world was not large.

There were only a dozen or so portable tents of various sizes within the entire camp.

These tents were said to have been brought by a near-mage, and the central tent contained some special magical equipment.

According to the eldest senior brother, Zorro, this equipment was the main components of a coordinate generator.

Following his senior sister, Phyllis, Sain arrived at his temporary residence.

After living in a pit in the sand for a month, being able to stay in a tent again made Sain feel genuinely comfortable.

Especially having a place to block the wind and shade from the sun, he would at least sleep more soundly during rest.

The only awkward thing was that the tent was not very large.

And someone was already staying there.

"Are you kidding, Phyllis? This tent is already cramped with the two of us, and you're bringing another person back?"

The voice came from inside the tent. Due to the curtain in the middle, Sain did not see the person at first.

From the voice, he could tell it was a young woman who was on good terms with his senior sister.

"If you don't like the crowding, go live somewhere else. I want to stay with my junior brother," Phyllis said casually.

As Phyllis spoke, a female magic apprentice in a black robe walked out from behind the curtain.

This female apprentice looked young but was much more heavily made up than Phyllis.

Her almond-shaped eyes made Sain feel uncomfortable.

Especially the scent she seemed to have sprayed, which made Sain feel a bit repelled.

Unlike Sain's reaction, the female apprentice who walked out from behind the curtain brightened her eyes when she noticed Sain's appearance.

Walking up to Sain, she boldly examined him and said with a flirtatious laugh, "So this is your junior brother? Not bad, not bad. No wonder you can't stop thinking about him."

"I'm Marlena. I've actually heard your name before. Melly is my junior sister," the heavily made-up female apprentice introduced herself to Sain.

The first impression did not affect Sain's attitude.

Although he did not like this heavily made-up female apprentice who emitted a strange scent, Sain still smiled and responded, "Hello, I'm Sain."

Since Marlena was Melly's senior sister, she must also be a disciple of the formal dark mage Dylas.

It seemed that the lineage of Master Dylas and that of Mentor Moseido had a good connection.

Not only were the two formal dark mages friendly allies, but their disciples were also friends.

Sain had heard that Melly had two senior sisters, but he did not know who the other one was or if she was in this camp.

After a brief interaction with Marlena, Sain, who had been traveling for days and was exhausted, found a corner in the tent and lay down.

Lina had gone to hand over a task to another near-mage in the camp and would return a bit later.

The comfortable environment indeed made it easier to relax.

With Sain's self-control and caution, he quickly fell asleep after lying down.

This might also be related to the black color of the tent, which easily induced sleep and reminded one of the underground world of the dark regions.

In the darkness and sleep, Sain vaguely felt someone crawl into his arms.

The person had a familiar and comforting presence, so Sain did not wake up but instead held her.

"Tsk tsk, you guys are really going all out, three people together?"

"I haven't tried it in years. Do you mind if I join in?" Marlena's voice came from the darkness.

"Get lost, I don't want you to dirty my junior brother."

"Go to your Jack or Thomas if you're itchy. Don't disturb us," Phyllis replied fiercely.

"Hmph, I'd like to, but Thomas is only a mid-level apprentice and might not even make it to the camp alive."

"And Jack was swept away in a sandstorm two months ago. His body has never been found. Where can I seek comfort?"

"How about this, I don't want all of him. Just give me one of his hands, and I'll take care of myself," Marlena said shockingly.

This time, Phyllis only replied with one word: "Get lost."