Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

[Proofreader - Demon God]

Chapter 200

The conflict between the Red Storm and the Steel Fortress ended with an unexpected alliance between the two factions, surprising both the Red Storm and the people of the Steel Fortress.

This outcome was largely thanks to Deborah.

Deborah\'s contributions didn\'t stop there.

"Quickly, clean up the bodies and debris. Treat the wounded first and distribute the remaining food."

Zeon was taken aback by the sight of her directing the Awakeneds so effectively.

The most important task was to win over the hearts of the existing residents of the Steel Fortress.

Surprisingly, this issue was resolved easily.

Though the civilians had suffered greatly, they understood that casualties were inevitable during battles.

Their anger was directed at Gawen.

Gawen had insisted on strict isolation policies and favored only the Awakeneds.

Although the residents had never voiced it, they harbored resentment towards Gawen.

As a result, they didn\'t strongly oppose the Red Storm\'s integration.

Moreover, Deborah made a strong impression on them as she attempted to restore the damaged fortress with her three children.

Zeon was also quite impressed by Deborah.

"She\'s a formidable woman."

"She\'s more than I deserve. Meeting her was the greatest fortune of my life."

"Aren\'t you going to work?"

Zeon looked at Urtian, sitting beside him, in disbelief.

Urtian had left everything to Deborah and was lounging next to Zeon.

"I fight, she cares. That\'s our roles."

"That sounds like a lazy man\'s excuse."

"Think what you will, but we\'ve led the Red Storm this way for a long time."

Despite Zeon\'s criticism, Urtian remained unfazed.

"So, you\'ll continue plundering?"

"Do we have a choice? We have more people to feed now, but we lack food and water. We can supplement food by hunting sand monsters, but water is the issue."

"What if the water problem is solved?"

"Water? I checked it, and it’s barely enough to keep people from dying of thirst."

As they organized the wreckage of the fortress, the first thing they checked was the water supply.

The fortress had a spring that flowed from underground.

Though it provided clear water continuously, it wasn\'t nearly enough for everyone.

"So, if the water supply is resolved, there\'s no need to plunder?"

"Basically, yes. If we have enough water, we can manage everything else. We could open up the place like a caravan or raider base and trade for food. But if that were possible, the Steel Fortress wouldn\'t be in this state."

"Remember your words."

"Why? Are you going to find water?"

"Yes!"

"Is that really possible?"

Urtian stood up in shock.

Zeon began walking and replied.

"If there were no water at all, it would be impossible, but if there’s a water source, it’s doable."

"You’re crazy! How is that even possible?"

"You seem to have forgotten that I\'m a Sand Mage. If there’s a water source within the range of my control over sand, I can detect it."

"That\'s an incredible power."

Shaking his head in disbelief, Urtian followed Zeon.

Seeing the two walking together, the children ran up.

"Dad!"

"Where are you going?"

"Can we come too?"

The eldest, Rayor, the second, Diane, and the youngest, Samuel, chattered as they followed.

Urtian, ruthless when plundering, was disarmed before his beloved children.

"Yes! Come along. This man is going to show us something amazing."

"Something amazing?"

"Yes! You\'ll see."

"Yay!"

The children cheered excitedly.

Zeon found their voices quite pleasant.

Children’s presence always brings liveliness.

"Where are you going? Hyung!"

"Let us come too."

"Oh, be quiet."

Levin, Brielle, and Eloy joined them.

"That sister is pretty."

"Wow!"

Urtian’s children clung to Brielle and Eloy.

Whether in Neo Seoul or the Steel Fortress, beautiful women are always popular.

Eloy smirked.

"Huh! They know beauty when they see it."

"Can I hold your hand?"

"Sure!"

Eloy extended her hand, and Rayor grabbed it eagerly.

"This little brat is already a player."

"Hehe!"

Despite Eloy\'s playful scolding, Rayor kept smiling and held on tightly.

Eloy gripped Rayor\'s hand firmly.

‘Half-elves like me. I hope you live in better conditions than I did…’

Though she wasn’t fond of Urtian, she felt a bond with his children, who were also half-elves like her.

Brielle asked Zeon.

"So, what are you planning to do?"

"I thought I would try to perform a miracle."

"A miracle?"

"Yes, a miracle."

Zeon replied, stopping in front of the spring.

He closed his eyes and extended his control.

Shuuu!

Zeon\'s senses extended deep underground through the sandstone.

Sandstone was, after all, just compacted sand.

Zeon\'s control extended to it.

After a while, Zeon\'s senses finally reached their destination.

Drip!

He sensed the sound of water droplets.

It was a feeling he had experienced when he first arrived here yesterday.

"Huu!"

Zeon took a deep breath and began moving the sand with his control.

Crack!

The sandstone beneath him started to shift.

The sandstone moved aside, creating a passageway downward.

The children\'s eyes widened in amazement.

"Wow!"

"The sand is opening up by itself."

"Amazing!"

The children\'s excitement drew the attention of onlookers who began to gather.

Even as they watched, the passageway continued to form.

Crack!

The passageway was continually expelling sandstone.

Urtian stepped forward to help.

"Here we go!"

He cleared away the large sandstone, making space.

[Proofreader - Demon God]

Seeing Urtian\'s efforts, Kormac, the Red Storm’s second-in-command, approached and asked.

"What are you doing? Leader!"

"Just move these rocks outside."

"Understood."

Without further questions, Kormac began moving the sandstone. Other Awakeneds joined in to clear the stones from the passageway.

As the Awakeneds moved, the onlookers also came closer, curious about the commotion.

Most of the Steel Fortress inhabitants gathered around the spring.

Meanwhile, the underground passage continued to expand.

Sweat beaded on Zeon\'s forehead.

Moving sandstone was much more exhausting than moving sand. Still, Zeon didn’t stop his control.

A passageway extending dozens of meters underground was created.

Zeon walked down the passage he had made.

Urtian followed.

Zeon reached out to touch the wall.

It was a large rock.

Unlike the compressed sandstone, it was solid stone.

Zeon asked Urtian.

"Can you break this rock?"

"Rock? Let’s find out."

Urtian drew his shamshir.

Shuuu!

The shamshir was coated with an aura blade.

When Urtian swung the aura blade, the large rock was smoothly cut.

Scrape! Scrape!

The center of the rock was cut into a rectangular shape, like a door.

Urtian kicked the cut rock, pushing it aside.

Thud!

Beyond the rock, a cavern was revealed. However, it was too dark to see inside.

"What is it?"

Urtian stepped into the cavern, his eyes widening.

The air felt particularly cool and damp.

"Could it be?"

His eyes adapted to the darkness, revealing the cavern’s sight.

"Oh my god!"

His eyes widened in shock.

"What is it?"

"What’s going on?"

The children, eager to see what had surprised their usually unflappable father, squeezed past him into the cavern.

The children exclaimed.

"Ah, a lake!"

"There’s so much water!"

"Unbelievable!"

What they saw was a vast underground lake.

Over the ages, groundwater had accumulated, creating this underground lake filled with an enormous amount of water.

"A lake?"

"Water?"

The people behind them pushed forward upon hearing the children.

When Urtian stepped aside, they too saw the underground lake.

"Oh my god!"

"Sniff!"

"It’s really a lake."

Seeing the enormous underground lake, people fell to their knees, some even weeping.

Their reaction was understandable.

In a world where everything was scarce, water was even more precious.

At the Steel Fortress, water was so scarce that they always drank sparingly.

Gawen had manipulated them into believing the water might run out anytime, making them conserve it excessively.

Thus, even the residents of the Steel Fortress had never drunk their fill of water.

Deborah, arriving late due to handling other matters, widened her eyes at the sight.

"To think there was such a lake beneath the fortress. With this much water, thousands could live here."

Deborah dipped her hands into the water.

The cold sensation confirmed that this was no illusion or hallucination.

An immense quantity of water existed beneath the fortress.

Water was the most crucial resource for human survival.

With abundant water, food could be managed.

The biggest problem was solved instantly.

Deborah knelt and wept.

She wasn’t the only one.

Women from both the Steel Fortress and the Red Storm approached the lake and knelt, weeping.

"Sniff!"

"Water! It’s water!"

They wept before the vast underground lake.

They had always lived sparingly, conserving water.

It pained them to give their children only a little water when they cried from thirst.

Some women in the Red Storm had lost children due to a lack of water.

Those women wept the hardest.

Now, with abundant water, they could finally have and raise children without fear.

As the women wept, the mood among the Awakeneds and men turned solemn.

‘This is our home now.’

‘We must protect this place.’

They no longer needed to wander the desert in search of water.

They vowed to root themselves here deeply and live.

Brielle spoke to Zeon.

"You really did it."

"Hmm?"

"A miracle. You truly performed a miracle."

It was a miracle brought about by the sole Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert.

[Proofreader - Demon God]