Chapter 393 – The Headache of the Supreme Leader

Ovakain’s coma was hardly surprising. Even Master-Level powerhouses could fall unconscious due to weakness, be humbled by injuries, or meet their end from spell strikes… Even seemingly unstoppable dragons had always been profoundly fragile.

Prolonged dehydration had sapped Ovakain’s physical strength, while soul damage stripped the black dragon of his spellcasting abilities. Now he could only lie collapsed on the scorching dunes, drifting through haze and disorientation.

Yet Ovakain’s luck hadn’t completely run out. Just as the blazing sun was about to claim the black dragon’s last vestiges of vitality, a small merchant caravan appeared.

This caravan appeared utterly ordinary, much like countless others traversing the vast desert. They too relied on “Giant Hump Camels” to transport local specialties between desert cities for survival.

But as a team qualified to trade in the great desert, this caravan—though modest in scale—was fully equipped.

They possessed five Giant Hump Camels as transport vehicles, creatures nearly two stories tall with extraordinary endurance and resilience. In this Raging Wave Sand Sea region, five or six Giant Hump Camels constituted a caravan’s basic configuration.

Then there were the mercenaries accompanying the caravan. This desert was never peaceful—bandits, magical creatures, and natural disasters all required professionals to ensure the caravan’s safety. However, given the caravan’s small size, they had hired only one such professional.

Naturally, as seasoned traders, sharp eyesight was essential. A young deputy leader seated beside the caravan’s chief leader clearly possessed excellent vision.

From a considerable distance, this ever-watchful fellow spotted Ovakain collapsed on the sand dune.

“Hey Boss, look over at that dune—doesn’t it seem like someone’s lying there?”

Encountering corpses in the great desert was commonplace. Countless unfortunate merchants, Nobles, and even professionals had permanently fallen in these sandy seas for various reasons. Typically, desert caravans would bury roadside corpses in sheltered, shaded spots, then take the deceased’s belongings as “payment.”” In a sense, stumbling upon such “corpses” in the desert represented unexpected windfalls for caravans.

Seeing this long-awaited “windfall” materialize before him, the deputy leader’s eyes nearly gleamed with avarice. According to caravan rules, as the discoverer of “unexpected treasures,” the deputy leader could claim half the wealth alone. Troubled by recent business losses, the deputy leader scrambled down the camel’s ladder without hesitation—his shining eyes resembling a goblin spotting Gold Coins.

“Hey, you should still… ah, never mind.”

Witnessing the deputy leader’s impatience, the lifelong desert trader chief leader contemplated matters more carefully. But with the deputy leader already leaping off the camel and dashing toward the “treasure,” the chief leader could only sigh and follow.The chief leader felt quite helpless at the deputy leader’s impatient behavior. As an experienced merchant, he knew that corpses in the desert could mean unexpected fortune, but they could also signify traps set by desert bandits or territories of magical creatures. Generally, having the professional mercenaries in the team scout first was the safest approach.

However… watching the deputy leader’s hurried, jogging figure, the chief leader could only shake his head in resignation.

Strictly speaking, the deputy leader was the chief leader’s nephew. In the chief leader’s view, the deputy leader possessed excellent business talent, with commercial acumen even surpassing his own. Yet, he still struggled with flaws common among the young—greed and impatience—that he couldn’t seem to shake off.

The chief leader had always had a merchant’s intuition telling him that this young man would eventually take a major fall because of these “minor flaws.”

“Ah, young people are all like this. I wasn’t much better when I was his age.”

After silently lamenting to himself, the robust chief leader quickly jogged over to the “corpse” as well.

But by the time the chief leader reached the “corpse,” both the deputy leader and he himself gradually lost their joyful expressions.

Staring at the luxuriously dressed young man on the ground, the deputy leader’s delighted expression had completely frozen, while the chief leader…

“This fall came far too quickly!”

The middle-aged chief leader let out an almost profound sigh.

As ordinary people, neither the deputy leader nor the chief leader could sense the soul level of a professional. However, with their merchant’s insight and reasoning, they could still intuitively deduce many “facts” they believed to be true from Ovakain’s collapsed form.

For instance… the exquisite robe indicated the “corpse’s” identity—a Noble, a high-ranking Noble!

And… the youth’s rising and falling chest revealed his condition—alive, very much alive!

So, was it a good thing for a merchant caravan to encounter a living, high-status, stranded young Noble in the vast desert?

The chief leader’s answer—he wanted no part of such “good fortune.” Anyone who wanted it could take it directly.

Patting the deputy leader’s stiffened shoulder, the chief leader’s voice grew low and hoarse:

“This fellow is likely a Noble, and no ordinary one at that. His robe, boots, even his belt are all made of top-tier fine silk. The value of these clothes alone could buy five or six caravans… This is a young Noble lord. Though we don’t know why he collapsed here… our remaining water and supplies can’t sustain a pampered young master!”

“But… but…”

Looking at the youth lying on the sand dune, the deputy leader’s voice began to tremble:

“If the high Nobles hire priests to use divination magic to investigate this guy’s whereabouts and discover we passed by without helping… we’re finished! According to Kingdom law, commoners who dare to stand by and watch a Noble in distress without offering aid are to be hanged!”

At this, both the chief and deputy leaders fell into a heavy silence.The chief leader had undoubtedly considered this matter as well. In his view, a noble who could wear such an extravagant and valuable robe must belong to a powerful family with extensive influence. It was impossible for such a family to be unable to afford hiring a priest capable of performing prophetic divine magic. As the deputy leader had said, if commoners were caught refusing to aid a noble in distress, it would be a crime severe enough to warrant hanging. Compared to the risk of being hunted nationwide, the chief leader—who had a family and children—would rather scrimp and save to serve an arrogant “young master.”

“Sigh, we’re just unlucky to have run into him. Let’s take him back to the caravan. Hmm… let me think. Maybe we can hand him over to that professional mercenary for care. A professional should, to some extent, make this ‘young master’ behave a little better. And… if the noble later tries to accuse us of ‘inadequate care,’ we can shift some of the blame onto that mercenary.”

Heaving a deep sigh—he had lost count of how many times he had sighed today—the chief leader helplessly rubbed his temples.

He was middle-aged, his business had failed, his savings were gone, and now he had inexplicably encountered a “young master”… Lately, the chief leader truly felt his headaches were growing worse and worse.

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(End of Chapter)