Chapter 38: The Miracle of Nature

"Boooom—"

The long horn sounds rose and fell, echoing through the streets and alleys of Luokelake.

This was the signal that the monsoon was arriving.

The local residents, long accustomed to this, immediately retreated indoors, while experienced merchants hurriedly packed up their stalls.

Only the tourists and travelers visiting Luokelake for the first time still looked utterly confused; after hearing explanations from those around them, they were guided by the Citadel Guerrillas and Guide Elus to safety in a chaotic rush.

At this moment, the Sand Ship Fleet's main Dock was undoubtedly the busiest and most lively place in the entire city.

With sails half-raised, the Fengshan Maru, flagship of the fleet, slid out of the dock first, charging into the boundless Sand Sea like a giant whale returning to the ocean.

A total of twelve small Sand Ships followed, rushing out of the dock one after another; they flexibly adjusted their formation, like a pack of beasts guarding their leader, closely surrounding the Fengshan Maru.

"Haaah—!"

Sai'er, standing at the bow, could not suppress his excitement and raised his arms high in a cheer.

Watching this senior, usually steady and polite, with amusement, Aolang also put his fingers in his mouth and blew a loud whistle.

"Ahahaha! Full of spirit, you newbies!"

On another small Sand Ship only a few meters away, a burly man with a Great Sword on his back laughed heartily, "Be careful not to fall off!"

"Boooom—" The horn sound commanding the Sand Ship's movement sounded from the Fengshan Maru.

"Whose second son is that! The Captain's order is here, don't be so slow and get left behind!" The boatman paired with the Great Sword User shouted loudly, then pulled the sail to adjust the sail surface, accelerating past them.

"Damn it!" Asa cursed, yanking the rope; the gusting wind filled the sail in the blink of an eye, and the Sand Ship beneath them lunged forward violently, nearly throwing Sai'er, who was standing at the bow releasing his passion, off the boat.

Sai'er and Aolang turned their heads to glare at him in unison, but they did not forget to adjust their stances to stabilize the center of gravity, finally pressing the bow, which had risen due to the high speed, back down.

Under the command of the horn sound, the small Sand Ships surrounding the Fengshan Maru accelerated forward one by one, then fanned out in a semi-circle.

The Fengshan Maru had given the order to disperse and search; to successfully intercept the Fengshan Dragon, the first step was naturally to find its tracks.

In this environment where the monsoon blew and sand dust filled the sky, airships and hot air balloons could only ascend at great risk.

Moreover, visibility in the sky at this time was extremely low; to find the Fengshan Dragon hidden within the sandstorm, one still had to rely on these fast and agile small Sand Ships, as well as the Fish Boat Team following near the fleet.

Separated from the other ships in the fleet and traveling at high speed for some time, they could no longer see any other ship shadows, and only the howling of the wild wind remained in their ears.

Asa lowered the sail halfway to reduce the Sand Ship's speed somewhat, moving in a zigzag pattern while striving to keep the vessel steady.

Aolang and the other adjusted their windproof goggles and face scarves on their faces, watching alertly for any abnormalities that might appear through the wind and sand that made it impossible to open their eyes.

No one knew how much time had passed; perhaps a quarter of an hour? Or perhaps an hour had already passed.

Aolang even began to suspect whether the battle on the Dragon-Hunting Ship side had already begun, and that their ship was simply lost in the Sand Sea and had not managed to return yet.

"Thump!" A dull sound came, the hull shook with it, and the sudden change startled the three people on the boat.

"What's going on?" Sai'er asked subconsciously, "Did we hit a reef?"

"There are no reefs in the Sand Sea," Asa muttered, "If we really hit a rock, the boat would have capsized long ago."

A few seconds later, another "Thump!" collision sound rang out.

Suddenly remembering something, Asa looked up sharply and shouted urgently, "Quickly check the surroundings, is there a Sand Fish School?"

Aolang took two steps to the ship's railing and indeed saw a triangular fish fin, more than a meter high, slicing through the sand surface not far away.

In the distance, in the area where visibility had become blurred due to the sand dust obscuring the view, more fins could be vaguely seen circling and lingering.

"Sand Fish School! They are all around, there are so many!"

"We hit the jackpot! Quickly fire the Signal Flares, remember to fire several, so the others can see clearly despite the heavy wind and sand!"

There was tension in Asa's tone, but more excitement, "I'm turning around, stand firm!"

Saying this, he pulled the sail ropes and the rudder hard; the small Sand Ship turned sharply and headed back in the direction they had come from.

Coordinating with the Sand Ship's turn, Aolang and Sai'er also fired Signal Flares in succession; one each felt insufficient for safety, so after the Signal Flares in the sky slowly fell, they each fired another one.

Very quickly, a Signal Flare of another color rose in the distance.

That was a signal from the Fengshan Maru, marking its own position while also summoning the dispersed small Sand Ships to return and assemble.

After finishing these tasks, Sai'er finally had the chance to ask the question in his heart, "Although I heard early on that Sand Fish Schools follow the monsoon along with the Fengshan Dragon.

But is the relationship between the two really that close? Does finding a Sand Fish School mean finding the Fengshan Dragon? We haven't even seen a shadow of the Fengshan Dragon yet..."

He was very worried that if he and the others gave incorrect intelligence, it would have a serious impact on the Sand Ship Fleet's upcoming interception action.

Asa was busy maneuvering the boat through the wind and sand and had no time to explain in detail to him; in fact, even if he had that time, he might not have been able to explain it clearly.

On the contrary, Aolang, who had specifically asked Mr. Ramak about this question, understood it better, so he voluntarily took over the conversation.

"The idea that Sand Fish come with the monsoon is a misconception; actually, only the Fengshan Dragon follows the monsoon, and the reason it does so is currently unknown.

As for the Sand Fish School, the monsoon means nothing to them; they simply come trailing behind the Fengshan Dragon.

The Fengshan Dragon roams the Sand Sea; while devouring minerals, its massive body also churns up organic matter buried deep beneath the Sand Sea floor.

The Sand Fish School comes chasing these nutrients; this is also why the Sand Fish School becomes exceptionally plump when arriving near Luokelake, simply because they have eaten their fill chasing the Fengshan Dragon along the way."

"I see, but why is there a large amount of organic matter precipitated at the bottom of the Sand Sea?" Sai'er's doubts in his heart decreased somewhat, but at the same time, new questions arose.

Aolang pondered, "Hmm... perhaps because in ancient times, the Great Desert was once an ocean? So you see, monsters like Sand Fish, Sand Dragons, and Mouth-Diving Dragons all bear some trace of aquatic animals on their bodies.

However, regarding this point, the academic community seems to have no conclusion; we can only call it the miracle of Nature."

Before his words had even finished, the sand dunes around them began to rise and surge like real waves.

The next second, a pair of fangs so huge they were completely unlike those of a living creature protruded from the bottom of the Sand Sea; immediately after, a shadow as massive as a mountain burst out of the Sand Sea, flipping and leaping into the air nearly a hundred meters high.

Its body blocked out the sun and moon; in those brief few seconds, one could not help but wonder if night had already arrived.

"Boom-boom-boom-boom—!"

The instant the giant shadow fell back into the Sand Sea, the earth shook violently, the Sand Sea boiled, and the wildly dancing wind and sand seemed startled at that very moment, falling silent; surging sand waves formed a terrifying tsunami, sweeping toward all sides.

Aolang, witnessing such a grand spectacle for the first time in his life, could not help but open his mouth wide, unconsciously murmuring in his mouth:

"Salute to this miracle of Nature..."

"You damn well salute next time!" Facing the approaching sand waves, no, the sand tsunami, Asa could not help but curse loudly, "If you don't want to die, hurry up and help! We're going to charge the sand and accelerate!"

PS. I strongly recommend watching this CG; search for BV1NW411P7P7 on Bilibili, specifically the part titled "Striking the Gong." I will try to attach a link in the comments section.

It gave me, back when I was still a high school student, a tremendous shock...