Chapter 4: Caesar's Summoning Technique
The yellow sand billowed into the sky, blocking the sunlight for a moment before the fierce wind carried it away.
The scorching sun baked the desert from high above, making the sand itself almost scalding. If you cracked an egg on it, it would be half-cooked before long.
The caravan moved at a slow pace across the desert. Two 'dwarf' slaves had died this morning. They were originally soldiers from the Kingdom of Peru, whose full name was 'Perusos'. This was a confederate kingdom, initially formed by three large dwarf tribes. After years of change, power had been completely unified and expanded, leading to the current Perusos.
These Peruvian slaves were bought cheaply from the front lines. After forcibly destroying the 'Holy Soul' within them, they were brought into the territory of the Sand Flame Kingdom as slaves.
Through indirect questioning, Su Xiao obtained a very important piece of information: whether in the Sand Flame Kingdom or the Kingdom of Peru, all soldiers under their command could obtain a Holy Soul after passing the recruit assessment.
This type of Holy Soul was quite special. Although it was formed from the soul of a supernatural creature, this creature wasn't wild; it was mass-bred by the two kingdoms.
This kind of Holy Soul had another name: Grey Soul. There was a significant difference between Grey Souls and Holy Souls. For example, no matter how perfectly a Grey Soul was refined, it could only enhance physical constitution, not awaken supernatural abilities.
Holy Souls were different. When cultivated, they not only enhanced the physique but also, upon reaching a certain level, would awaken supernatural abilities based on the Holy Soul's characteristics, the individual's constitution, personality, and so on.
Grey Souls were a symbol for soldiers. They couldn't be cultivated, only gradually refined, and they would grow over time. Once a soldier passed the age of 50, the Grey Soul within them would rapidly decline and eventually dissipate.
The difference lay in the supernatural creatures used to form Holy Souls or Grey Souls. After being mass-bred, these creatures were like tigers in a zoo. They looked like tigers, but if they encountered a wild tiger in the wild, they would be killed in no time.
Crack～
The whip cracked sharply. Dozens of Peruvian slaves shuddered, then marched forward in formation like lost souls. They hadn't ended their own lives because there was a chance they could be ransomed back to Perusos. It all depended on their luck, whether they could encounter a Peruvian merchant in Es Shaba.
It was true that the two countries were at war, but it hadn't reached the point of complete closure. The war had dragged on for so long that, after numerous negotiations, merchants, civilians, and others were allowed to enter each other's border zones. This greatly alleviated the living pressure on the common people of both countries. The rulers had no choice in the matter; once public resentment was stirred up, the war couldn't continue.
In fact, after fighting for so long, both sides had gotten somewhat used to it. Large-scale conflicts hadn't occurred for a long time, entering a pseudo-ceasefire state. However, small-scale skirmishes were still common.
Su Xiao took this intelligence very seriously. The mutual hatred between the Sand Flame people and the Peruvians was deep. This meant that when merchants from one country entered the enemy country, they might mysteriously disappear. But with profits ten or even dozens of times higher, many people were willing to take the risk.
After traveling with the caravan for two hours, Su Xiao saw a vast expanse of cacti growing on the sand ahead, so dense they seemed to stretch endlessly. This was clearly man-made cultivation.
"Once we pass the Overlord Tree Field, we'll reach Es Shaba."
The caravan leader looked ahead, a smile appearing on his weather-beaten face.
"Great! Once I sell off these shorties, I'm going back to Nuz to buy a woman."
"Let's talk about getting back alive first."
The caravan's pace quickened. Everyone put muzzles on their camels to prevent them from eating the cacti. In the Sand Flame Kingdom, damaging cactus fields meant a prison sentence.
Following the path through the cactus field, low-lying buildings appeared ahead. This cluster of buildings stretched as far as the eye could see, all constructed from wood and thick fabric. They weren't built densely, to maintain good ventilation. The Sand Flame Kingdom had little rain, and transporting stone was difficult, leading to this unique architectural style.
A two-story stone building in Es Shaba was a symbol of wealth and power. It had good ventilation, even felt cool, and there was no worry about it being blown over by the wind.
As soon as the caravan entered Es Shaba, a group of children ran over. They were bare-chested, barefoot, wearing only shorts, and all crowded around the caravan leader.
"Don't rush, look what I brought you."
The caravan leader pulled a handful of small red fruits from his camel's pack. The children cheered and crowded forward. Seeing this, the deeply wrinkled caravan leader smiled and distributed the small fruits to the children. Yet just last night, when a Peruvian slave was dying of thirst, this same caravan leader had slit the slave's artery with a short knife, expressionlessly eating a cactus while waiting for the slave to die completely, just like butchering livestock.
"Kukulin, thank you for the escort. This is your payment."
The caravan leader took a bag of gold coins from his pack and began counting them into another empty money bag. After putting in 28 gold coins, he smiled and tossed the bag to Su Xiao.
"The payment was 26 coins."
"The extra two are what you deserve. If there's a chance, I hope to cross the Ataro Desert with you again. May the gods bless you."
"..."
Su Xiao watched the caravan move away. The Es Shaba he was in now was actually a city, but it had no walls or anything like that. A gust of yellow sand swept over, and the nearby children ran into the shelters.
The next task was simple: meet up with Caesar. As for how to find Caesar, Su Xiao sat on a bench by the street, hooked a gold coin with his thumb, and flicked it.
Ding～
The gold coin rang crisply, flipped in the air, and landed on the sandy street. A few minutes later, a foot stepped on it.
"My dear friend, long time no see. Caesar has missed you."
Dressed in desert attire, the little old man-like Caesar spoke with a smile. His smile, no matter how you looked at it, was a sly smile, a treacherous smile.
When Caesar secretly lifted his foot, the gold coin under it had vanished. Caesar's eyes widened, and his whole body felt like it had been struck by lightning.
Ding～
Su Xiao flicked the gold coin again. Caesar's eyes followed the coin's movement.
"You're in such a bad state, being hunted by violators?"
Su Xiao gripped the coin. Caesar rubbed his hands together, his greed undisguised. In Caesar's understanding, there was no need to hide greed between old friends.
"I was just one step away, just one step away from reaching the position of Secretary of State, the financial officer of the Sand Flame Kingdom. I failed. A woman squeezed me out of Sand Capital."
Caesar sat down beside Su Xiao, grinding his teeth in hatred when he mentioned a certain person.
"The Queen of Sand Flame?"
"Of course not. The Queen and the Sand Emperor are a perfect match. Besides her beauty, she's not dangerous. The truly despicable one is her sister, a woman named Carros."
Caesar gritted his teeth, clearly having been dealt with harshly.
"With this thing, what can we do?"
Su Xiao took out the Warrior Clan Emblem. It was a round emblem carved from red rock, with a pattern of a sword and shield crossed on the front.
"The family emblem of the Brave Skull Clan? Useless. The Brave Skull Clan lost badly in the power struggle. The Sand Emperor was too young and couldn't protect the Brave Skull Clan who were loyal to him. No! Let me think..."
Caesar rubbed his chin, rolling a few small mud pellets between his fingers, then slapped his thigh. Wincing in pain, he said:
"If I'm not mistaken, your identity this time is related to the Brave Skull Clan. If Reincarnation Paradise has disguised you as a direct descendant of the Brave Skull Clan, that would be fantastic. The Brave Skull Clan did lose, but their family's official positions are still retained. Those were appointed by the Sand Emperor several generations ago. That woman Carros and the High Priest can't touch them."
"High Priest?"
Su Xiao wasn't familiar with the official positions of the Sand Flame Kingdom.
"Yeah, a dead old man, always smiling, in cahoots with Carros. The position of High Priest can be understood as a combination of Left and Right Advisors, second only to the Sand Emperor. If it weren't for that old man, the Grand High Priest, I would have definitely dealt with Carros properly."
Caesar let out a long sigh. The main reason he was driven out of the power center was his lack of education. The guy had misremembered a certain law of the Sand Flame Kingdom.
"Then let's just kill them both."
"Hey, hey, calm down, Bai Ye. If we kill them both, at least two demigods and a 500,000-strong army will come after us. The armies in this world are terrifying. Even a top-tier seventh-rank contractor can't withstand a cavalry charge. There are neutral gods in Sand Capital. If we try to assassinate the Grand High Priest and Carros, we'll definitely be exposed."
Caesar was a bit panicked. He remembered what happened when Su Xiao dealt with the Moen family in the Wizard World. Anyone who got in the way was killed, until the Moen family was completely subdued.