Days had passed and each was met with no progress. By then the frustrated sighs from both Naell and Owly had become a nightly occurrence.
It was only upon reaching the fifth and final dead end in that vast desert when they finally decided to head towards the Republic of Summer.
The Republic—the only nation in Mundo to be ruled by its masses via elected ministries that governed its states. Although its nobility still remained, they were now mere subjects of honor, with little to no legislative weight.
"Ironically the one who made it that way was also their last ruling king who infamously uttered the words, 'By the citizens, and for the citizens', HOOT." Said Owly.
Naell then smiled wryly, hoping the nation was as pure as the last king intended for it to be.
'I'll be disappointed if it's 'buy the citizens'...' He thought to himself, recalling how things were like back on some parts of Earth.
Still, the thought didn't last as more important thoughts replaced his reminiscence. He then said, "Well, let's go."
Besides their unsuccessful hunt for trails, the reason Naell and Owly chose to go to the Republic was also to replenish their supplies before heading further east.
Although their spatial ring contained a large assortment of food, what they heavily lacked were the equipment and the means to tread the harsh deserts more efficiently.
Even with Naell's ability to not actually feel heat, the young master of Beryldot was still exhausted from the sand and the sun. Likewise, Owly who had no protection from the heat would be more affected each time he flew.
Adding to that was how both wanted real water that wasn't conjured from magic, as well as the fact that they had promised to the merchants and the escorts that they would eventually go there once they were finished with their work.
"We better stock up on water then, HOOT!"
Hence after packing their things, Naell and Owly went on their way. The travel itself was mundane yet it still took them a day to finally reach the Republic.
It was due to the weather in that continent, and partly because of the creatures that lied waiting in the dunes of the sand.
There were monsters like Ratalus Ahas, a B-rank monster bordering on A-rank that was considered as the fastest monster in the Continent of Summer. It uses its limbless body to quickly navigate sand, effectively find a victim to bite, and upon a mere second, force their prey to succumb to its venom.
Another was Giganta Scorpo, a towering A-rank monster that uses its claws to ensnare its victim deeper into the sand. It wields a poisonous tail that could fatally kill within minutes upon getting hit by it.
Both the Ratalus Ahas, and Giganta Scorpo are capable of awakening to S-rank monsters. Even now, the desert was filled with them, that was why traveling outside a common course or diverting from known roads was considered dangerous.
There were even monsters such as the B-rank Sand Worm and C-rank Desert Fish who were often seen terrorizing anyone that would cross their paths. Which was why Naell and Owly carefully took their time to smoothly progress.
Of course, it would have been easy to deal with those said monsters as Naell's detection magic was strong, yet under those conditions, the duo decided to not make haste but to carefully plan their movement.
Not fighting monsters, and reserving their stamina for emergencies was a thing that both of them decided on after parting with their envoy.
After all, in the desert, they were unsure of whether an encounter with the Pieces could happen at any given point. Even more worrisome was the possibility that one of their theories were real.
Nevertheless, as they now queued in the gates brimming with merchants, adventurers and ordinary people, excitement began to overtake them. It was also the first time they were actually being treated like the rest.
Of course, Naell could have used his nobility to try and enter quicker, yet he refrained from doing so as to not attract unwanted attention.
A part of him even considered that his nobility may not have any merit in the Republic as Beryldot's name was not known far and wide. In addition, he feared that there was certainly hostility between the allied nations and the alleged neutral countries.
Therefore he decided to remain lowkey, yet Naell, as always, forgot that he himself as an adventurer was already quite famous.
By the time it was their turn for the inspection, all at first was normal. However when he presented his identification card, what greeted him and Owly were polite star-struck knights.
"You could have called, sire mage, we would have made an easier entryway for you!" Said one of the guards.
Naell could only smile awkwardly while trying to diffuse the situation, as even the onlookers were curious as to who he was. Softly he muttered to the knights, "Ah, it's fine, adventurers are not that special…"
It was a phrase often used by Odino Thorton so Naell knew he did good. Yet he forgot once again, that he was not merely an adventurer, but a noble at that.
"You are known as one of the rising stars, sire mage, yet even before that you're a noble of the Autumn Kingdom, heir of Baron Beryldot aren't you?"