Chapter 40

"Hey! Why are all those fish boats heading straight for us?!" Sai'er's face twisted with alarm as he watched a swarm of fishing vessels approaching from ahead.

In his view, the Fish Boat Team had been lured by the massive Sand Fish School surging behind them, forgetting the danger of Fengshan Maru lurking in the midst of the school, their minds filled only with catching more fish, earning more money.

"Relax, they know the danger," Asa said, as the child of a Fisherman who had participated in the Great Desert Banquet more than once.

"But they must block the Sand Fish School—if they don't, the Sand Fish themselves, in their numbers, will capsize our small Sand Ships without Fengshan Maru even needing to lift a tooth."

"Those Sand Fish will even leap onto the decks and bite people—if too many get through, it's deadly, we won't be able to fight normally."

"But they..."

"You're worried some fishing boats will be flipped over by Fengshan Maru, right?" Asa cut in again. "Don't worry—because it's almost certain to happen."

"Notice how every fishing boat is spaced far apart? That's to avoid getting caught when the unlucky one right beside them gets hit."

"You mean they're still choosing to risk their lives knowing some boats will be attacked?!" Sai'er asked, incredulous.

Asa, gripping the helm, grinned at him. "Of course—fishing in the Sand Sea has never been without risk."

"So the Harvest Festival's theme isn't just 'harvest'—it's also 'valor,'" Aolang took over, continuing: "Luokelake's prosperity is only a recent phenomenon, within the last few decades."

"The Great Desert is resource-poor. For desert dwellers, risking their lives to obtain food is only natural."

A large fishing vessel passed just twenty to thirty meters away; its bare-chested harpooners, wielding sharp fish spears, shouted and whistled greetings toward them.

On those faces, Sai'er saw no fear or unease—only the same joy a farmer feels at harvest time.

He also saw many small objects—buckets full—being dumped overboard; the air instantly filled with a pungent, fishy stench, and the Sand Fish School beneath the sand surged into frenzy.

Before Sai'er could ask, Asa explained: "Those are bait for the Sand Fish School—animal blood, organs, rotting fruit and vegetables, even kitchen waste—anything. Sand Fish don't care."

"This bait lures the large group of Sand Fish trailing Fengshan Maru to stay put, making it easier for fishermen to catch them, and prevents too many from swarming toward the fleet's defensive line."

"Boom—buzzzzzzz—"

A low, indistinguishable rumble—whether a growl or an earthquake—drowned out all other sounds.

The Sand Sea trembled as a titan, like a god of desolation, burst from the endless yellow sands; its two tusks, over twenty meters long, speared upward and crushed a fishing vessel to splinters.

Sai'er's eyes widened, staring dumbfounded at the scene.

If he hadn't been mistaken, the shattered vessel had passed them barely a minute ago.

He could even recall the faces of several fishermen on its deck.

"Aren't we going to rescue them?!" Sai'er, snapping back to himself, shouted at Asa.

Aolang also turned to him; though he longed for the metal minerals on Fengshan Maru's back, if his companions chose to turn back and rescue the fishermen, he would stand with them.

"Fishermen know how to protect themselves—other boats will help rescue them. We don't need to interfere!"

Asa gripped the helm tighter. "Our mission is to return to Fengshan Maru as fast as possible and join the Sand Ship Fleet in repelling Fengshan Maru!"

Sai'er took a deep breath. Fengshan Maru hadn't frightened him—it was those Sand Sea Fishermen, who treated life and death as trivial, that shattered his understanding of the word "Commoner," leaving him momentarily unsteady.

"You're right," Sai'er tightened the straps of his Arm Shield with force; the slight pain of the straps digging into his flesh brought his mind back to clarity. "Repelling Fengshan Maru is the priority."

"Clang—!!"

A metallic clang, piercing as if exploding beside his ear, though still over a thousand meters away.

It was the great bronze gong on Fengshan Maru being struck.

It was said the gong's roar could shake Fengshan Maru from beneath the sand; Aolang had once doubted it—he believed it now.

Even from two kilometers away, it made this noise—what would happen if it rang right next to you? Would it deafen you?

Fengshan Maru, having crawled from the sand and crouched on its surface, swinging its mighty tusks to flip more fishing vessels, turned its attention to the gong's sound.

Slowly, it turned; its eyes—tiny in comparison to its hundred-meter body—fixed on the direction of the Dragon-Hunting Ship.

On Fengshan Maru, over a thousand meters away, the Ship Group Leader raised his telescope, locking eyes with the beast.

They were old rivals.

The Ship Group Leader lowered the telescope. "Fire two blank cannons—give that thing a greeting."

The Archer manning the cannon chuckled, yanking hard on the firing rope.

"Boom! Boom!"

The cannon's thunder, evoking pain, traveled through the air for seconds before reaching Fengshan Maru's ears; it opened its massive maw and answered with deep, rumbling roars.

"Roar—buzzzzzzz—!"

"That thing's coming!" The Ship Group Leader grinned, strode to the helm, shoved the helmsman aside, and took control himself.

"Full sail! Accelerate! It loves to ambush from below—don't let it flip us!"

"Aye!"

Amid shouts, Fengshan Maru banked and accelerated; within seconds, it reached a speed so extreme that even the smallest Sand Ships had to push to their limits just to stay in formation.

Meanwhile, Fengshan Maru lowered its head, dug into the sand with its tusks and forelimbs, and vanished beneath the dunes.

Just as Aolang and the others were straining to reach the fleet, their small Sand Ship suddenly lifted several meters into the air—as if a moving sand dune had erupted beneath their feet.

The three froze for a second, then realized—they'd been lifted on Fengshan Maru's back as it surfaced.

"Get off!" Aolang heard his own voice crack for the first time.

Asa wrenched the helm and sail, sliding sideways before the "dune" rose higher.

The abrupt turn and loss of speed caused their Sand Ship to capsize.

Fortunately, none of the three were injured—and Fengshan Maru didn't even bother with them, remaining half-submerged as it chased its old rival farther away.

"Quick! Push the boat upright!"

The three hurried to right their capsized Sand Ship; Asa leapt aboard and repositioned the sail, while Aolang and Sai'er pushed from behind until the boat regained speed and stability, then leapt back aboard.

In the brief time they spent righting the boat, Fengshan Maru had already plunged into the center of the Sand Ship Fleet.

Its Sky-Breaking Long Spear-like tusks tore through the sand and thrust skyward; the Ship Group Leader, anticipating the moment of emergence, yanked the helm hard to evade.

He narrowly avoided Fengshan Maru's subterranean ambush.

The rolling sand waves threw the surrounding small Sand Ships into chaos—but Fengshan Maru, broad-bodied and flanked by Stabilizer Rods, remained steady.

"Fire!"

Amidst the rumbling roar of cannons, bursts of flame exploded along Fengshan Long's mountainous back.