Although it covered nearly two-thirds of the continent, the seemingly endless desert had no peculiar name. It was simply called the desert by its inhabitants. Corwyn guessed the desert didn't need an extra name since there was no other desert beside it of which the people knew of. But no matter if it was called "The desert" or some other name, its identity would still be the same: Humanity's number one enemy in this current age.
Water and food were scarce, and the distance between cities wasn't something one could cross within a few days as well. Hence, trade was very difficult for common people, since they couldn't afford enough provisions and a reliable escort for the travel through the desert. They had no other choice but to buy from the wealthy merchants, which raised the prices of foreign goods to an absurd level.
But for an expedition party like the one Corwyn was currently traveling with, these were only minor issues. Nearly every person within the party was an experienced fighter, making the defense against common thieves and wild beasts quite easy. They pulled multiple wagons full of supplies with them, providing enough food and water until they reached the next city to refill. In addition, the party had several mages with a water creation ability with them, increasing the amount of water available on a daily basis.
The job of carrying these vast amounts of supplies was mainly left to multiple kinds of animals. Small things like maps, documents, weapons and some bags of money were carried by ordinary camels, in addition to their riders. The large wagons were pulled by large creatures called Dromos, often nicknamed as the "big brothers of camels". Corwyn had to admit they looked similar in some ways. Both of them had humps on their backs, although while a camel only had two, a dromos possessed three of them. Their heads were also similar in many ways, the only defining difference was that the dromos had more meat on their faces and a slightly larger head. In general, the size of a dromos in comparison to a camel was nearly half as much bigger, but the short, plump legs of the dromos disguised this fact to some extent. Calling it a camel with more fat on it and one hump more would definitely suffice as a description if you had to describe it to someone else.
However, those two species were seen quite regularly. The one Corwyn was thoroughly interested in was the third kind of animal traveling together with the party. It had a figure similar to a gazelle (not that he had ever seen one, but he remembered seeing some pictures of them in an old book about animal species Lyria showed him once), but unlike a gazelle, it had no horns, and its ears were huge, like miniature versions of elephant ears. Corwyn could not recall ever seeing a species like that.
Urged by his curiosity, he asked a fellow member of his squad next to him.
"Do you know what those animals are?"
The man turned his face first towards him, then to the gazelle-like creature, then back to him and replied:
"Those are called Arwyn. They are not very useful as mounts, but they are extremely good at finding hidden water spots, so we take them with us to increase our chance of finding water should the need arise.
"So that's the case!"
Corwyn was surprised that an animal with such a useful ability existed. The man grinned at the astonishment written on his face.
"You really haven't ever left the city at all, huh?"
Corwyn blushed. He could not deny it. His entire life until now was focused on smithing, training in combat and upholding his business. He never set a food into the outside world, only hearing of it from some customers who came from other cities. So it was natural for him not to know about things like these. But to have it revealed by others so easily was quite embarrassing. At his awkward reaction, the man grinned even brighter.
"There's nothing to be so embarrassed about. At your age, unless you were the son of some rich merchant, I would be surprised if you knew many things related to the outside world!"
"I guess that's true."
Corwyn showed a wry smile to him.
The man's name was Hanaan, he was an adventurer probably in his mid-twenties assigned to Corwyns squad. He wore light leather armor under his mantle, and his short hair was a crimson red, a hair color unique to the people of the east. On each side of his waist hung a sharp scimitar, identifying him as a dual wielder. His body showed decent muscles on all limbs, but not the size fitting a brute warrior like their squad leader Jarrok. He actually looked more like the agile type of fighter, defeating his opponents with his fast movements.
Hanaan let out a hearty laugh, before resuming the conversation.
"By the way, now that we are speaking of it, why would a young man who knows nothing of the outside world join this expedition? Is it for glory? Or for money? Or do you have your own personal reason for joining?"
"I'm actually searching for someone. I figured joining the expedition would eventually get me closer to finding that person."
Corwyn didn't tell him that it was his father he was searching for. As far as he knew, Hanaan wasn't a member of the first expedition, so he wouldn't know his father. In order to divert Hanaan's attention, he asked back:
"And you, Hanaan? What was your reason for joining?
At his question, Hanaan rubbed his chin in his hands for a short while, apparently lost in thought. He then smiled a little while replying
"No particular reason, really. If I had to give one, I would say I thought it was interesting. Back in my hometown in the east, I worked as a mercenary, escorting merchants through the desert. I just happened to be in Quorin at the time the expedition was announced by coincidence, and I hadn't taken any other assignment yet. So I figured, why not do something different for once? The rewards are good, and in such a large group like this, the risk in traveling through the desert is greatly reduced. Therefore, I decided I might as well go with the flow."
"But aren't you afraid that you might die once we reach the jungle in the south?"
Hanaan tilted his head at Corwyn's question for a moment, then simply shrugged.
"The risk of death is always there when you are a mercenary. Everyone dies one day, so why not die for something worth giving your life for?"
Corwyn was briefly stunned. He never expected someone to talk about death so casually. But after pondering over it a bit, he kind of understood what Hanaan was trying to say.
You can't just stay in the tiny box that is your comfort zone forever. One day, you have to change your path and move forward, or you will regret it for the rest of your life. It was probably the same realization that had led him to leave the city and join the expedition, in order to search for his father. He didn't know if he could find him, or if he was still alive at all. But had he stayed back in Quorin, just to hold onto his father's legacy, he probably would have regretted it for the rest of his life.
With that thought in mind, he returned his head to face Hanaan, and replied:
"I guess you're right."
"Of course I am!"
Hanaan grinned. A few seconds later, he suddenly knuckled Corwyn's shoulder with his left fist and asked:
"Hey Corwyn, I heard you are a blacksmith?"
Surprised at the sudden topic switch, he briefly nodded. Hanaan grinned even brighter.
"I wonder if you could help a friend of mine out, then? He is a spear-wielder, and a very proficient one at that. But unfortunately, his weapon broke during our last fight, and he hasn't found a sufficient replacement in Quorin, so he is currently only using the standard spear the expedition weaponry provides. However, that ain't a true spear fitting his requirements, so we decided to look for one in the next city. But now that we know we have a talented smith here, why not try letting you craft it?"
It took him a moment to realize that he was the one being offered a request. He shot Hanaan a stunned look.
"How would you know if I'm talented?"
And once again, Hanaan just grinned while answering:
"I can tell by just looking, you know? You have a good stature for a blacksmith, and the sword you carry with you there seems to be quite well made. You crafted that yourself, didn't you?"
Looking down on the sword on his waist, Corwyn couldn't help but laugh awkwardly.
It was true that he made the weapon. However, this was the sword created through Arcor he used in his duel against Teo a week ago. Corwyn had absolute confidence that he could forge a similar, if not better sword the normal way as well, but it was kind of awkward Hanaan used a sword that wasn't even forged as a reference for his crafting skills.
Corwyn scratched his head while replying in an embarrassed tone.
"Well, I guess that's true. Concerning the spear, of course I could make one for your friend, but without a proper forge, it's kind of impossible."
"Haha, no rush. As far as I understand it, this should be the safest part of the trip, so it is quite unlikely we will engage in a serious battle any time soon. And even if we do, it's not like he is completely weaponless."
"By the way, who is that friend you were talking about? Is he a member of our squad as well?"
"Yeah, it's that guy over there!"
Hanaan pointed his finger at a person walking only a few feet behind them to their right, with black hair cut into short stubbles, and a short mustache accompanied by a long, tightly twisted beard, held together by three large pearl rings. He had deep brown skin, likely from staying in the sun all day. His eyes were dark as well, staring in one direction like a dead fish. Under his grey mantle, similar to the one Corwyn and the others were wearing, except for some tight leather straps around his chest and arms, he wore absolutely nothing on his upper body. Corwyn faintly remembered his name: Dalios. He pretty much hadn't interacted with this man at all, be it because of his intimidating aura, or the fact that he didn't utter a single word the whole day.
Corwyn blinked a few times in disbelief, before carefully asking:
"HE is your friend?"
Hanaan nodded with a wry smile showing on his face.
"Yup, that's him. Dalios doesn't talk much, but he is a reliable battle partner. His character is good, even if you wouldn't suspect it at first glance, and he cares for his comrades. Also, he is a good singer. If we ever get to drink at a bar, I will show you!"
One after another, the things he told him were getting more and more unbelievable. Corwyn couldn't help but stare at the man walking slightly behind them with wide eyes. One's appearance wouldn't necessarily define one's character, but a good singer? This difference was getting ridiculous!
Seeing his dumbfounded expression, Hanaan nearly flipped over from laughter. It was then that Dalios finally noticed them looking in his direction, and without a single change in his expression, he said in a baritone voice:
"Hanaan, what's wrong?"
Hanaan continued to laugh for another 30 seconds until he finally calmed down. He then patted Corwyn on the back multiple times while saying:
"Dalios, I have found a capable blacksmith who could craft you a new spear. What do you say? Shall we entrust the job to him?"
Dalios raised his eyebrows, but only slightly. Shortly after, he hit his right fist against his chest and bowed in place of a vocal answer. Corwyn truly didn't know how to handle this person.
Hanaan enthusiastically patted his back again.
"Now that this matter is settled, let's all be friends, okay? Dalios, in the next town, you need to show Corwyn your prowess in singing, all right?"
Dalios just nodded, without saying anything.
"In that case, I have to introduce you to my brother as well, I guess."
Corwyn said so while scanning the crowd for Teo.
"Mhm, my pleasure!"
And just like this, Corwyn had made his first friends in life after Teo.