Chương 124

The heavy stone doors of the 15th Vampire City finally closed behind them. Rudra stepped onto the soft, shifting sand of the western desert. The bright morning sun hit his face, and he let out a massive, relieved exhale. After an entire month of fighting in the pitch-black underground, the natural light felt amazing.

"My eyes are burning," Kratos squeaked. The half-gold, half-black divine beast rubbed his face with a paw.

"You'll get used to it," Rudra laughed. He led the way up the massive sand dune overlooking Reidan. The last time Rudra was here, the city was surrounded by a dead, barren wasteland. As they reached the top of the ridge, Rudra stopped. His jaw dropped. The desert was gone. Stretching out around the crumbling stone walls of the city were acres and acres of lush, golden wheat and vibrant green crops. The old irrigation canals were flowing with clean river water.

"Wait, he actually did it?" Rudra muttered, completely stunned.

"Did he grow any meat?" Kratos asked, tilting his head.

"No, buddy, just carbs," Rudra chuckled, shaking his head.

"At this rate, he's going to become a Legendary Farmer instead of a Sword Saint." Mumud walked up beside them. The silver-haired mage stood completely still. For centuries, Mumud had been trapped as a skeletal Lich in a dark, damp cave. Now, in his fragile, artificially crafted human body, he physically felt the hot desert wind brush against his pale cheeks. He took a slow, deep breath, smelling the rich, earthy scent of the growing crops and the wet soil. Mumud closed his eyes.

A quiet, profound joy settled over his face. He didn't say a word. He just stood there, simply experiencing what it meant to be alive. Rudra didn't interrupt. He leaned on his bone staff and gave the mage a few minutes of total peace. Eventually, Rudra's stomach let out a violent rumble.

"Okay, emotional moment over," Rudra announced, rubbing his belly.

"I am starving."

"Me too!" Kratos barked.

"I want real food! No more vampire bats!" Rudra happily jogged down the dune and right into the golden fields. He pulled out a small sickle and harvested a bundle of fresh Reidan wheat. [You have harvested High-Quality Reidan Wheat!] Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"Perfect," Rudra grinned. He didn't bother walking all the way into the city. He gathered some dry desert wood and sparked a quick campfire right next to the irrigation canal. He milled the wheat and mixed the fresh flour with water, slapping the dough onto a hot, flat stone near the flames. While the flatbread baked, he pulled out some of his premium monster meat. He seared the thick cuts over the fire, letting the rich, spicy fat drip into the flames.

[You have successfully created 'Desert Harvest Flatbread and Seared Meat'!] [Rating: Epic] [An epic-rated dish was produced, so all stats have permanently risen by +4 and reputation throughout the continent has risen by +80.] Rudra tossed a massive, meat-filled wrap to Kratos, who swallowed it in two bites. He handed a plate to Mumud, who ate slowly, savoring every single flavor. Rudra took a huge bite of his own flatbread. The fresh, warm carbs mixed with the spicy meat were absolute heaven.

He sat in the dirt, chewing happily. Rustle. The tall wheat nearby suddenly parted. A man stepped out of the crops. He wore a simple straw hat and cheap, dirt-stained clothes. He held an iron hand plow casually over his shoulder. It was Piaro.

"Duke Rudra," Piaro said calmly, offering a small nod.

"You have returned."

"Hey, Piaro," Rudra smiled, taking another bite of his flatbread.

"The farm looks amazing. You really turned this place around."

"Hey farmer guy, got any bacon seeds?" Kratos barked loudly, licking his chops. Piaro froze. The Great Swordsman blinked, his sharp eyes darting down to the half-gold, half-black divine beast.

"Did... did the cub just speak?"

"Yeah, he ate a ghost," Rudra said casually.

"Long story." Piaro shook his head in sheer disbelief. But as his gaze drifted away from the talking animal, his eyes locked onto Mumud. The silver-haired man looked incredibly frail, quietly holding a piece of flatbread. Yet Piaro's razor-sharp combat instincts instantly flared. A cold, terrifying sense of danger pricked the back of Piaro's neck. The pale man radiated an unnatural, heavily condensed magic that screamed lethal threat, even if his body looked like it could break from a strong breeze.

"And who is this?" Piaro asked, his grip tightening on his iron hand plow.

"That's Mumud," Rudra waved his hand.

"He's cool. He helped us clear the vampire cities." Piaro finally shifted his full attention back to Rudra. He opened his mouth to reply, but he suddenly stopped. The Great Swordsman's eyes widened. He stared at Rudra. Rudra wasn't doing anything special. He was just sitting in the dirt, chewing on bread. But to Piaro's incredibly sharp senses, the young Duke looked like a completely different person. The heavy, messy aura of a brawler was gone. In its place was a bottomless, terrifying foundation.

It was the undeniable, absolute weight of a Legend. Piaro's grip on the plow tightened even further. The peaceful farmer vanished in an instant, entirely replaced by the battle-maniac who lived for the sword. Thud. Piaro dropped his freshly harvested crops into the dirt. A heavy, overwhelming sword aura flared around his body, blowing the wheat backward.

"You have crossed the wall," Piaro breathed out, his scarred face twisting into a wild, excited grin.

"You actually reached the peak." Rudra swallowed his food and dusted his hands off on his pants.

"I did a lot of hitting things in the dark."

"Show me," Piaro demanded, stepping forward and leveling the iron hand plow at Rudra.

"Spar with me. Right now." Rudra let out a light-hearted sigh. He picked up the Staff of the Fire Lord from the dirt.

"You never let me finish my lunch," Rudra laughed.