The Return of the Genius Ranker’s Myth Warehouse - Chapter 316
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 316
Chapter 316
An enormous volume of sand erupted from the Great Pyramid.
That sand swiftly filled the desert that had been submerged around the Great Pyramid.
Thanks to this, I could return by treading upon the restored desert without needing to construct sand bridges.
Upon our return to the Golden Sand Tribe Alliance.
“The warriors have returned!”
“Uooooo!”
“The Expedition Party has come back!”
“Thank you! Warriors!”
The desert dwellers’ fervent cheers echoed across the land.
Before our Expedition Party had departed.
Since the Alliance Leader had summoned both the Grand Warrior and the Grand Sorcerer, he had notified the desert dwellers of the reason.
However, the Great Pyramid was located far on the outer edges of the desert from the Alliance, so it would have been difficult for the desert dwellers to perceive it directly.
I wondered how so many desert dwellers had gathered to cheer us on.
“After you all departed, sinkholes began appearing throughout the desert.”
“Sinkholes, you say?”
“Separate from the subsidence centered on the Great Pyramid, collapses were occurring in various places across the desert.”
“I see.”
“The sinkholes expanded rapidly, and the submerged areas grew progressively larger. Large-scale collapses were being discovered near the Alliance itself, and they continued to expand.”
“Is that so.”
“But once you conquered the Pyramid, the sinkholes vanished as if they were illusions. The desert dwellers had no choice but to cheer.”
Soon enough, I learned the reason.
Until now, the great subsidence had unfolded only around the Great Pyramid.
But after we departed, subsidence phenomena occurred throughout the desert.
Yet once we completed the Pyramid conquest and the subsidence vanished entirely, the desert dwellers could only cheer.
“Everyone did well.”
Upon entering the Alliance, we immediately formed ranks at its center.
Desert dwellers filled the surrounding area, welcoming us with roaring cheers, and as soon as the Alliance Leader stepped onto the platform.
“Desert dwellers, we have achieved victory!”
He began his address to all the desert dwellers, including our Expedition Party.
“We have repelled the threat of the Evil God, erased the existence of the Assassins, and now we have struck down the very malice that sought to submerge the desert!”
The Alliance Leader’s speech was simple.
Yet it burned with passion.
As he continued his address, the desert dwellers remained silent.
But something blazing seemed to ignite within the hearts of every desert dweller present.
“Nothing can harm us! Not the Evil God! Not the Assassins! Not even the malice of the Abyss!”
“Uooooo!”
“And so it shall remain! We will triumph! We will advance! We will seize our destiny!”
“Uoooooo!”
The moment the Alliance Leader’s speech came to an end.
The desert people erupted in cheers.
Had it been anyone else, they would have simply praised the achievement of conquering the Pyramid and left it at that.
But the Alliance Leader intended to use this moment as a turning point.
He sought to instill confidence in the desert people, who had been trapped in the sands, and expand their reach toward the Empire.
And his final words were.
“With that in mind! I hereby declare today a commemorative day for the Desert, and I shall open a festival in honor of the Expedition Party that saved us from ruin!”
“Uooooooo!”
A declaration of a festival for the Expedition Party.
* * *
The festival was delightful.
Though the Sandclaw Tribe had held a modest festival of their own, this place—being the alliance grounds of all desert tribes—hosted a celebration of tremendous scale.
Delicious food and countless diversions.
Having finished such grueling battles, I was enjoying the festival at my leisure.
“The Alliance Leader wishes to see you.”
“I’ll go at once.”
“I shall guide you.”
The Alliance Leader’s summons had reached me.
Since I had been expecting this, I immediately followed the Tower Guide.
“You’ve arrived.”
“Yes.”
Upon entering the Alliance Leader’s chamber, he approached me, having waited for my arrival.
Then.
“Thank you.”
He bowed his head to me without preamble.
“I heard from the warriors. Without you, we could never have conquered the Pyramid.”
“I too could not have succeeded without the warriors.”
“Enough with the modesty. Our warriors seem already convinced that you are an Apostle of the Desert Deities.”
“That is….”
“In truth, I believe the same. The achievements you’ve displayed are all so extraordinary that it’s impossible to believe they were accomplished by a mere human.”
He was the Alliance Leader of the Golden Sand Tribe Alliance, formed by all the desert tribes coming together.
Moreover, with his formidable character added to the mix, he seemed like someone who would never bow to anyone.
Yet here he was, bowing his head to me.
“If there’s anything you desire, speak it. The desert people do not take kindness lightly. As Alliance Leader, I shall procure whatever is within my power.”
In truth, I had already received compensation from him.
Before departing on the mission, I had received not only a premium-grade magic stone but also a body part of Luke.
And wasn’t the location of the Black Bone revealed to me as well?
If I consider information as compensation, then from my perspective, I’ve already received sufficient reward.
However, the Alliance Leader had promised me proper compensation.
Perhaps.
[ You have completed the linked Quest ‘The Sinking of the Great Desert’. ]
[ Your level has increased. ]
[ Your level has increased. ]
….
A legendary linked Quest, The Sinking of the Great Desert.
The Quest reward for completing this Quest must be included.
So I didn’t refuse it either.
However, the problem was what kind of item would be demanded as compensation.
‘It seems I can’t obtain any more special-grade magic stones.’
What did I need?
Besides the special-grade magic stone and Luke’s black bone, was there an item I needed?
While I was pondering for a moment, I remembered an item I had forgotten about.
“I need a special reinforcement token.”
“A special reinforcement token?”
A special reinforcement token.
Even the Emperor found it difficult to obtain anymore, but the Emperor’s reach hadn’t properly extended into the Desert.
If the Alliance Leader who oversees the entire Desert could obtain the Desert’s special reinforcement tokens, wouldn’t he?
However, since the Alliance Leader didn’t seem to know what a special reinforcement token was, I rephrased it using the NPC terminology I had heard from the Emperor.
“It’s an item called the Blessing of Destiny.”
“Ah, I know of it. A true blessing that’s rarely found. It was even used as a reward in the Grand Warrior selection tournament in the past, so I certainly remember it.”
“Can you obtain it?”
“I’ll do my best to obtain it. I heard rumors that the Desert Hawk Tribe possesses one… I’ll conduct a search while also investigating this corruption.”
“Thank you.”
“Is there anything else? I’ll make an effort, but I’m not confident I can definitely obtain it, and even if I do, this alone might not be sufficient as compensation.”
With this, as long as the special reinforcement token existed somewhere in the Desert, the Alliance Leader could obtain it without much difficulty.
Since I had recently reinforced my intellect, what remained were two attributes.
Health and wisdom.
I was already looking forward to which one I should reinforce first.
However, he said even this wasn’t enough as compensation.
‘Hmm….’
I became troubled over what else I should receive.
“Since you also seemed to favor using swords, I could offer you a sacred sword of the Desert if you wish.”
“Or how about this? A necklace imbued with the power of the sun. Among the Desert’s three deities, the sun’s… Ahem, come to think of it, you might not need it since you’re an Apostle.”
“The special-grade magic stone seems impossible to obtain anymore, but how about this? The Desert’s finest….”
In the meantime, the Alliance Leader enumerated the Desert’s treasures that the Alliance possessed.
“Such items don’t seem necessary.”
“Hmm, I see.”
Unfortunately, they weren’t items I desired.
In the first place, without items like the special reinforcement token, the special-grade magic stone, or Luke’s black bone, there were hardly any items in the Second that I would covet.
Most items would inevitably be overshadowed by what I had collected during the First.
“Then, how about this? Become a desert dweller and establish your own tribe. If you wish to become a Tribe Chief, you’ll have plenty of warriors willing to follow you….”
“I must respectfully decline.”
“Hmm, what a pity.”
The Alliance Leader’s next proposal came with personal interest attached.
Establish a tribe, he said.
In Imperial terms, it was no different from granting me a noble title and territory.
And to an outsider, no less—not even a desert dweller.
It would be an excellent offer for most, but I was already the Guild Master of the Heukryeom Guild and the Lord of Caldera Territory, was I not?
Even if I gained more territory here, I couldn’t possibly manage it.
Besides, I wasn’t even certain whether I, an Imperial noble, could legitimately become a desert Tribe Chief.
After a moment’s consideration, I reached my decision.
“Could I receive information as compensation instead?”
“Information? What sort of information do you speak of?”
“The locations of Dungeons. That is to say, information about hidden places scattered throughout the Great Desert.”
“Dungeons, you say….”
“Dungeons need not be the only thing. Forgotten myths and legends of the Great Desert would suffice. Particularly information about formidable monsters and hidden treasures. I wish to obtain valuable knowledge of the desert.”
I decided to purchase information instead.
Before arriving at the Alliance, I had traveled through the desert with Rashid, hunting named monsters and Dungeons.
Thanks to that, my level rose rapidly, and I obtained substantial rewards.
However, no matter how knowledgeable Rashid was, he remained merely a trainee warrior of the Sandclaw Tribe.
But the Alliance Leader?
From each tribe.
Surely he possessed comprehensive information about the entire desert?
If that were possible, couldn’t I monopolize all the hidden named monsters and Dungeons of the desert for myself?
Since the desert was treacherous to explore and adventure there remained incomplete even among players, it might just be feasible.
When I said as much.
“Of course! Even if I say so myself, I am the Alliance Leader. All information of the desert reaches my ears as a matter of course.”
The Alliance Leader smiled with satisfaction.
“As Alliance Leader, I shall transfer all relevant information that reaches me to you. In truth, this is awkward to offer as compensation. Most of the information concerns matters that pose threats to the desert itself.”
“Are you truly certain about this?”
“Did I not say so? Rather, it seems you’ll be eliminating the desert’s dangers on our behalf, so I ought to prepare additional compensation.”
I received his consent readily.
Indeed, even as compensation, this benefited not only me.
From the Alliance Leader’s perspective, I would be clearing away powerful monsters and dangerous Dungeons that threatened the desert people in his stead.
“Starting tomorrow, I shall compile all the desert information you require. So for tonight….”
Thus our discussion of compensation concluded.
The Alliance Leader then relaxed visibly and produced something.
“How about we share a drink while gazing at the desert night sky?”
It was a spirit liquor called the Dew of the Desert.
Once I began receiving information from the Alliance Leader, I would be occupied with urgent matters for some time.
“Very well.”
I accepted the goblet from the Alliance Leader, deciding to rest fully for the remainder of the day.
As the night deepened, the sand fires burning at the heart of the Alliance settlement blazed ever more intensely, illuminating the surroundings with their radiant glow.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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