The other guard and servant panicked when that happened… if something else happens, they will be in dire straits. At the same time, their masters will have to hear of that if they manage to return home alive. They were thinking along those lines…

  “Don’t panic, idiots,” Gaius said. “This is unknown territory for all of us, so it is only natural that some things would catch us off guard. Let’s take a break to drink water and water a bit our clothes.”

  That was a weird thing to say since the women’s clothes would be seen, though, thanks to the water. Still, Gaius soon left the carriage and closed it to help move the unconscious guard. He won’t be able to see anything while he is like that.

  “We don’t have much water and we don’t know when we will find any more,” the other guard said.

  “I will deal with that. Just keep a guard of the surroundings,” Gaius said and then jumped to the top of the carriage and looked around.

  That area was more rocky than sandy, and Gaius knew that finding water often requires searching for natural depressions or rock formations that may retain water. Geophysical methods such as ground-penetrating radar or resistivity surveys can help detect water sources hidden beneath the surface.

  Gaius wondered if he could use magic to find water, but he had never done that before… he should have planned for it. Still, he had planned for other types of situations and then contacted Relia and Herac.

  “Young Master, there is a small pond northeast of your position ten minutes away,” Relia said. “You are lucky that some of us have good eyes here.”

  Gaius sighed in relief and then told the guard to head in that direction. They found a pond half buried under a rock. It was a bit scary to approach that, but the rock wouldn’t fall at such a weird time. Probably. Moreover, there was enough water for them to last for five days. Without wasting time, Gaius and the other guard began to feel their reservoirs of water.

  “Moving between nine in the morning and four in the afternoon is just insanity,” Gaius said to the other guard. “We will use that time to rest after finding some proper resting spots. There are plenty of massive rocks here that offer us shade.”

  The other guard nodded… he wasn’t used to traveling such vast distances, so he was thankful that Gaius was that smart. Ekirenton and Kennil messed up, giving them only strong guards. They needed a brain to cross that desert, not brawl.

  The horses were also getting worn out. There wasn’t much that they could eat around aside from the things that they had bought and they couldn’t stop in either territory to buy food. In the end, they escaped a lot of problems because Gaius bought a lot of things for himself for the trip.

  The guard and the other servant woke up when it was night and they looked a lot better since they began to move already. They were young, so they could recover from that kind of thing pretty fast. The night in the rocky desert was a bit chilly, but it was a lot more bearable than the sun during the day.

  “Someone once said you can escape the cold with a fire or some extra layers, but you can’t escape the heat,” Gaius thought as they made a lot more progress once they changed their traveling time.

  The whole incident made Gaius think that he truly needed to learn magic… such problems would have been easily solved with magic. At the same time, it made him realize that he also needed to be more proactive instead of just using his powers. He also should use his head and perhaps craft some tools to help him deal with that kind of problem.

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  Fortunately, some things happen for a reason. Gaius had forgotten about upgrading his summoning list since he was thinking about his training, but soon he recalled that when he heard the sound of the horses grunting in fear… when he jumped out of the carriage expecting an attack, he saw some half a meter long scorpions emerging from some rocks and moving toward them.

  The guards moved to attack them, but Gaius killed them with some mana arrows on their heads… he didn’t hold back, but his attack only destroyed half of their heads.

  The Desert Scorpion was added to your summoning list.

  Desert Scorpion Lv 0 (0.00%)

  Cost: 1500 mana

  Charge: 00

  Summoning Bonuses: Adaptability

  Loyalty: 100/100

  Health: 120/120

  Mana: 120/120

  Stamina: 120/120

  Strength: 12

  Endurance: 12

  Adaptability: 24

  Magic: 12

  Resistance: 12

  Wisdom: 12

  Dexterity: 12

  Perception: 12

  Luck: 12

  Free points: 00

  Gaius nodded to himself in satisfaction. Not many creatures would live in a place like that… he had found some snakes, but they didn’t add to his summoning list, so he couldn’t help but smile for a second. His smile vanished when the guards looked at him.

  “I will help you guys,” Gaius declared. “It will be annoying if the horses are hurt by scorpions.”

  Finding them at night will be pretty difficult too, so the more people on guard, the better. Gaius could substitute a horse with his, but it was better not to rely on that too much, or even use his power for that matter since he would have to give some answers… or kill everyone around and force them to keep their mouths shut.

  Gaius had anticipated encountering a large range of creatures in the desert environment. Given the harsh conditions and vast areas, he expected to see various adapted species that thrived in such an arid landscape. However, his search showed only sparse and somewhat disappointing findings.

  The most notable discovery was the scattered bones of large beasts, remnants of creatures that once roamed the desert. These remains showed at the presence of formidable wildlife that had adapted to the desert’s extreme conditions. Despite these clues, Gaius found that such large beasts were now rare, or perhaps extinct in the area.

  Instead, what he encountered in abundance were scorpions. Their numbers were substantial, and their presence quickly became a nuisance. These scorpions, while not as imposing as the large beasts he had hoped to find, were well-adapted to the desert’s harsh environment. They were not only numerous but also highly elusive, making them particularly difficult to deal with. Their ability to blend into the sand and their sneaky behavior made them the dominant predators of the region.

  In any case, they had to remain on guard for several weeks, Gaius was even expecting bandits, but nothing of the sort showed up in their path… eventually, the rocky desert began to stay behind and the environment improved a bit… there were even some live trees to see!

  “Are we supposed to be escorted when we reach their territory?” Gaius asked one of the guards.

  “No, we weren’t informed of that,” the guard replied.

  “What are you guys going to do?” Gaius asked while furrowing his eyebrows.

  “We will wait in the city to serve our Miss if the necessity arrives,” the guard replied.

  Gaius wasn’t particularly surprised by the news. It was common knowledge that most noble children were rarely taught to be self-sufficient. The focus for them was typically on refinement, diplomacy, and managing estates rather than practical skills for survival or self-reliance. This lack of emphasis on practical abilities was often evident in their behavior and preparation for the real world.

  Despite this, Gaius remained hopeful about the girl in question. She had been chosen for a specific reason, suggesting that there was something in her background or potential that decided her selection. This choice implied that she had the potential to overcome her current lack of practical skills, and with the right guidance and training, particularly in magic, she should be able to develop her abilities in due time.

  A few days after reflecting on these matters, Gaius and his group arrived in the magic state of Horlandia.