After about a few hours, the temperature dropped from over 40 degrees Celsius during the day to below zero.
The water that had been sprinkled on the sand had frozen into pieces of solid ice before it had even dried up.
fortunately!
The caravan had enough camels to form a circle to protect against the biting cold wind.
And leaning on the camel's thick fur can also keep you warm to a certain extent and reduce the loss of body heat.
Covering themselves with a few layers of cheap thick linen or patched felt, the slaves, exhausted after a day's work, quickly fell asleep.
The mercenaries responsible for protecting the caravan were very experienced and divided themselves into several groups to take turns patrolling and keeping watch, to ensure that they could respond immediately to any attack.
Of course, none of this has anything to do with Zuo Si.
At this moment, he was lying on the wooden bed set up in the tent, enjoying the warmth from the charcoal stove that he had used to make fire and cook, while concentrating on reading the spell book in his hand.
Although it was already very late, I still didn't feel sleepy at all.
On the contrary, Alena, the half-orc Rhett, and the little werewolves, after eating and drinking their fill, quickly crawled into their sleeping bags and began to snore softly.
"Master, aren't you going to take a rest?" the soldier asked curiously.
But he remembered that Zuo Si rarely stayed up late unless he had something to do.
As an arcane spellcaster, you must get at least eight hours of sleep every day so that your spell slots can be restored normally the next day.
Zuo Si smiled and replied, "I'm waiting for the guests who have been following the caravan since entering the desert. If nothing unexpected happens, they should launch an attack soon."
"Guest?! Are you saying there are sand bandits nearby?" The soldier's expression immediately turned serious.
"That's right! Although I'm not sure what method they used, maybe it was some kind of prophecy magic, or maybe they were spies planted in, but these people did accurately locate and track us from several kilometers away. I'm now very curious about who is instructing and controlling this group of desert cavalry that comes and goes like the wind."
After saying that, Zuo Si directly summoned the shadow assassin—Yelinya.
As soon as the latter came out of the shadows, he immediately knelt on one knee and reported: "Master, after my investigation, I can basically confirm that their number is about seventy, all wearing simple but sturdy leather armor and black robes on the outside.
The main weapons are scimitars, spears and crossbows.
They looked like strictly trained warriors, more like elite soldiers in the army than ordinary disorganized bandits.
In addition, I also found a guy who looked like a mage or a warlock.
He held a small gadget that emitted a green glow.
When you get closer to the caravan, the light it emits will become brighter, and if you are farther away, it will become dimmer. "
"Tracking magic? Is it [Item Locating] or [Ally Tracking]..."
Zuo Si stroked his chin and muttered to himself two second-level "prophecy" spells that he had already mastered.
Just as the name suggests.
The former is used to allow the caster to sense the approximate direction of an object.
As long as the other party knows the approximate list of items carried by the caravan, or the names of some more expensive secondary magic items, they can immediately track the caravan 24 hours a day.
As for the latter, it is even more powerful.
Once a spy is successfully planted, he can not only sense the approximate location, but also know the exact destination of the caravan and the distance between them.
Thinking of this, Zuo Si subconsciously glanced at the half-orc Rhett who was sleeping on the floor of the tent.
There is no doubt that if it is [Ally Tracking], this slave warrior who was sent as a gift by the Langding Chamber of Commerce must be the most suspicious.
After all, [Detect Thoughts] only "listens" to surface thoughts and cannot read the secrets hidden deep in the heart.
If Rhett had received special training or had been hit by a mind control spell like "Suggestion", then it is entirely possible that he had evaded the previous thought detection.
Zuo Si shook his head meaningfully: "No hurry. What we really have to deal with is not just this group of desert bandits, but also the master hidden behind them. This may be a long-term game, not a small trouble that can be solved by one or two battles."
"Should we notify the mercenaries who are patrolling and guarding outside?" the soldier continued to ask.
"That's not necessary. If these sand bandits dare to attack tonight, I guarantee that they will all die before they get close to the caravan and become part of the Shadow Army. Don't you agree, Yelnia?"
Zuo Si raised his head and looked into the shadow assassin's eyes filled with hatred.
"Of course! Master! I will kill them all, leaving no one alive."
Yelnia gave an affirmative answer in an extremely cold tone.
"Very good! It looks like I should be able to sleep well tonight. Remember, don't forget to wake me up before you do anything."
After saying this, Zuo Si closed the spell book, closed his eyes and began to rest.
…
At the same time, behind a huge sand dune a few kilometers away from the caravan’s camp, a gang of more than seventy sand bandits were discussing fiercely whether to take action immediately.
"They only have a dozen mercenaries, and the rest are slaves and civilians who don't even have weapons. I guarantee that all the resisters can be killed with just one charge. By then, no matter if it's goods, camels, or slaves, they will all become ours." A man with a full beard shouted loudly.
"Idiot! According to the information sent from Port Kalin, there is a powerful wizard in the caravan. Have you ever thought about how many casualties would be caused if a fireball exploded among us?" another person questioned bluntly.
"Damn it! What do you say we should do? Are we just going to wait like this?" the bearded man asked angrily.
Seeing that the two were about to quarrel, the leader immediately waved his hand impatiently: "Shut up! Spellcasters should be dealt with by spellcasters. Kemora, are you sure you can deal with the wizard accompanying the caravan?"
"Of course! That's exactly why I'm here.
And I think it’s best to wait until around 2 or 3 a.m. to take action.
That would not only minimize the vigilance of the night watch mercenaries, but also interrupt the enemy mages' rest."
A man with large burn marks on his face gave advice in a slightly gloomy voice.
"Okay! That's what we decided to do.
Now everyone rest here, we will launch the attack in five hours.
As long as we accomplish this, we can live happily for a while.
Maybe I can use this income to continue recruiting soldiers and horses, seize a piece of territory in the Kingdom of Tethyr in the north, and transform myself into a noble lord."
The leader's tone was full of imagination and expectation for a better future.
He had no idea that while he was saying this, there was a man beside him, completely covered in a cloak and hood, with a gleam of naked, undisguised mockery in his eyes.
Obviously, in the eyes of those "big guys" in Port Kalin, the so-called desert bandits are actually just a knife used to eliminate the enemy.
If this "knife" has its own ideas or intends to break away from the control of its owner, then death is not far away.
In the thousands of years of Calimport's history, no group of desert bandits has ever survived a natural death.
Generally speaking, within a few years at most, these guys will undergo a major replacement from top to bottom.
This is done to prevent them from knowing too many secrets and eventually getting out of control and becoming a huge threat and hidden danger.
What's more, these guys in front of us are just the "materials" necessary to "open the door".
As the person in charge sent by the "Lord of the Talisman" to supervise the entire plan, this man whose appearance could not be seen clearly raised the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a cold and cruel smile.
(End of this chapter)