Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert-Chapter 523

Chapter 523

“There, I see the city.”

“That’s Neo Seoul.”

Levin and Lemura shouted as they spotted the small-looking city far in the distance.

Seen from high in the sky, it looked no bigger than the palm of a hand, but in reality, Neo Seoul was an enormous megacity.

Seeing Neo Seoul again after so long naturally filled them with a sense of joy.

Neo Seoul was the hometown where they had been born and raised.

Everything they had was here.

Their homes, their families, their friends.

Just thinking about meeting them again brought smiles to their lips.

Gaia descended at great speed.

She landed softly on the ground without a sound.

Tesserina, Levin, and Lemura dismounted from Gaia’s back in turn.

Zeon, who got down last, gently embraced Gaia.

“So we have to part for a while.”

—Pii!

“That’s right. I won’t worry. But if it gets dangerous, call me anytime. I’ll come no matter where you are.”

—Piiiii!

“Of course I trust you.”

Zeon smiled and stepped away from Gaia.

After looking at Gaia’s face for a moment, Zeon gave a small wave.

“Alright, you should go now. Enjoy seeing the world…”

“Gaia! Thanks for everything. Have a great adventure.”

“See you again next time, Gaia!”

“Take care.”

Levin, Lemura, and Tesserina also said their farewells to Gaia.

—Piiiii! Pii!

After gently swaying her tail at them as well, Gaia flew up into the sky.

Gaia’s massive body quickly shrank to a dot and vanished from sight.

Levin grumbled with lingering regret.

“She sure looks excited. Not even turning back.”

“Stop complaining and let’s head into Neo Seoul.”

“Yes, hyung.”

Levin immediately followed after Zeon.

They still had quite a distance left to Neo Seoul.

Gaia had dropped them off far away to avoid drawing attention.

Because of that, they had to walk for over an hour, but no one complained.

Thanks to Gaia, they had been able to shorten the journey and travel comfortably.

“Mwahahaha! Neo Seoul! I have returned. Bow before this Lord Levin, who has returned after completing a great adventure!”

As they got closer to Neo Seoul, Levin spread his arms wide and made a fuss.

“Ugh!”

Lemura turned her head away with a sigh, while Zeon and Tesserina chuckled.

It was then that something unusual caught Zeon’s eye as he looked toward the slums.

Outside the entrance to Sinchon, he saw countless sand houses.

Thousands of houses stood densely packed together, forming a massive village.

“Looks like all the houses are finished.”

“They built that much already? Wow!”

At this scale, it was considered quite large even within the slums.

Thanks to the sand hardener, such a huge village had sprung up in no time. Under the eaves of the sand houses, people could be seen sitting in the shade.

Smiles lingered on the lips of those fanning themselves in the shade.

They were people who, for the first time in their lives, had a home where they could lay down their bodies.

They no longer had to worry about being driven out, nor was there anyone to scold them.

Though it couldn’t completely shield them from the heat, the mere fact that they had a space of their own made them happy.

“Nice.”

“Yeah. It really is.”

Levin agreed with Zeon’s words.

Smiles had spread across both of their faces.

Zeon asked Tesserina,

“What do you think of houses like those?”

“Hehe. They’re nice, but not my taste.”

“Then what is your taste?”

“I’m a dragon, aren’t I? Of course, the bigger and more luxurious, the better.”

Tesserina answered as if the question were obvious.

Even though her body had changed, her essence as a dragon had not.

Tesserina was no exception.

Zeon said with a worried look,

“Even with money, it won’t be easy to find a place like that.”

“Hehe. Then I’ll just have to look hard. I’m going to start digging around today.”

“Suit yourself.”

“I’m excited. Hehe!”

At Tesserina’s childlike excitement, Zeon shook his head.

As soon as they entered the slums, Levin spoke to Zeon.

“I’ll stop by the office for a bit, then take Lemura to the underground city.”

“You will?”

“Yes. I’m worried about how the kids have been running things since I was gone so long.”

“Do that.”

“Then I’ll be off. Oh, don’t wait for me. I don’t know when I’ll be back.”

“Alright.”

Zeon nodded.

Unlike himself, Levin was outgoing and energetic.

He was the type who gained energy from meeting and interacting with people rather than resting at home.

He was visibly excited at the thought of meeting his friends and the people of the underground city after so long.

Lemura bowed her head to Zeon.

“Thank you so much for taking me to the High Elf village. Thanks to you, I made so many happy memories and gained precious experiences. Next time too—”

“You want me to take you again?”

“Yes!”

“Alright. As long as our schedules match.”

“Thank you, oppa! You must be tired, so please go home and rest.”

“Okay. You go rest too.”

“Yes!”

And so, the four parted ways.

Left alone, Zeon returned home.

Despite having been away for quite some time, the house was spotless, without a speck of dust.

After taking off his robe, Zeon dropped onto his favorite sofa.

“Whew.”

Sitting on the sofa, it finally felt real that he was home.

Though it wasn’t the big, luxurious place Tesserina wanted, Zeon liked it here.

Sitting on the sofa and looking out the window was the happiest moment in the world for him.

Beyond the red neon lights, the city hall building came into view.

City Hall was still tall, imposing, and standing firm.

Zeon sat on the sofa and gazed at City Hall for a long time.

＊＊＊

As always after returning from a long time outside, Zeon stayed holed up at home again.

Levin hadn’t come home for several days, and Tesserina hadn’t even contacted him, seemingly busy looking for a house. Even so, Zeon wasn’t worried about them.

Both Tesserina and Levin were high-ranking Awakeners in Neo Seoul, with few who could match them.

After the battle with the Specter King, Levin had clearly leveled up.

Not only had he become a solid A-rank, he had also glimpsed the potential beyond that.

He wasn’t S-rank yet, but given the right trigger, he could reach it at any time.

Levin was an Awakener specialized for combat.

In terms of pure combat power, he boasted destructive strength that ranked among the top even in Neo Seoul.

There were hardly any beings capable of harming someone like Levin.

Even if he found himself in danger, with his ghostification ability, he could always escape with his own body.

As for Tesserina, a dragon, there was no need to even mention her.

Worrying about their safety in Neo Seoul was the most pointless thing one could do.

Putting aside concerns about them, Zeon ate and played until he was thoroughly exhausted.

After about ten days like that, he finally felt like going out.

The first place Zeon headed after leaving the house was his building in the slums.

“Oh? Lord Zeon!”

“You’ve returned?”

The Awakeners guarding the entrance recognized Zeon and greeted him.

“It’s been a while. Have you all been well?”

“We’ve been doing well thanks to you, Lord Zeon.”

“What did I do?”

“Didn’t you provide us with a base connected to the world? Thanks to that, supplies have been flowing into the underground city much more smoothly.”

They no longer had to sneak out through filthy passages while watching people’s eyes.

The Awakeners of the underground city now prepared for dungeon raids here before heading out.

At first, lacking experience, they had been burdened just by the thought of going on dungeon raids. But now, with plenty of experience built up, they had become quite proficient.

Without anyone telling them to, the underground city Awakeners took turns guarding the entrance to Zeon’s building.

Thanks to that, there was no need to hire separate guards.

After exchanging a few words with them, Zeon went inside the building.

Inside, Awakeners were busily taking out supplies stored in the subspace warehouse.

After briefly speaking with them as well, Zeon headed up to Levin’s fixer office.

“Boss!”

“You’re here?”

Aaron and Dominic greeted Zeon warmly the moment they saw him.

“You guys been well?”

“Yes! Thanks to you.”

“Any jobs coming in?”

“At first, it was just odd jobs, but now that our name’s gotten around, we’re getting decent requests.”

“That’s good to hear. Where’s Levin?”

“A new request came in, so he went to meet the client.”

“Is that so? Busy is good.”

“Hehe!”

Pride showed on Aaron and Dominic’s faces.

Building something through their own strength made them feel fulfilled.

“Then keep up the good work.”

“You’re leaving already? At least have a drink before you go.”

“I just stopped by to show my face. I’ve got other places to visit.”

“Yes, hyung.”

“See you next time.”

Zeon waved and stepped outside.

The next place he headed for was the Goblin Market.

The Goblin Market, visited after a long time, was still brimming with energy.

“We’ve got hides from fire wolves caught yesterday!”

“Ghost dragonfly wings just came in!”

“Anyone need armored ant shells, come on in!”

The shouts of merchants hawking their wares filled the streets.

It was loud enough to make one’s eardrums ache, but Zeon strolled through without even frowning.

“It seems to have grown even larger.”

If it kept expanding like this, it would only be a matter of time before it became the greatest market in Neo Seoul, not just the slums.

Indeed, Awakeners active within Neo Seoul could be seen here and there.

Among them were people Zeon recognized.

Thud! Thud!

A large mechanized Awakener walked along, his footsteps unusually heavy.

Sensing Zeon’s gaze, the mechanized Awakener turned to look.

With a delighted expression, he approached Zeon.

“Lord Zeon!”

“It’s been a while.”

“I never expected to meet you here, Lord Zeon.”

The mechanized Awakener greeting him enthusiastically was Oh Jin-ho of the West District.

Having hunted an S-rank golem together with Zeon, he shared a deep bond with him.

Recognized for the achievement of hunting the S-rank golem, he had replaced all his old parts with new ones, giving him a noticeably slimmer appearance.

“What brings you here?”

“Ah! I heard that parts are being circulated here as well, so I came.”

“You couldn’t get them in the West District?”

“Lately, the momentum of the Goblin Market has been frightening. Parts that can barely be obtained in the West District are being circulated here under the table.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“Yes. I even heard that some are modified here to be better than the originals, so I came to check for myself.”

“Really?”

“I didn’t believe it either, but when I saw what my subordinate brought back, it was clear that it had been modified here.”

“I didn’t know there were mechanics of that level in the Goblin Market.”

“Neither did I.”

Oh Jin-ho shook his head.

The parts used by mechanized Awakeners were products born from the long research and effort of mechanics in the West District.

It was hard to believe that mechanics from the slums—rather than Neo Seoul proper—could produce parts of an even higher level. That was why he wanted to see it with his own eyes.

Zeon said,

“Then let’s go together. I roughly know where the parts are being made.”

“Really? Thank you, Lord Zeon! I was at a loss as to where to start looking.”

Oh Jin-ho brightened.

He had already asked several people, but not a single one had given him a straight answer.

By nature, the people of the slums were wary of Awakeners from Neo Seoul.

A mechanic capable of modifying mechanical parts was core personnel even within the Goblin Market.

They couldn’t easily reveal the whereabouts of such key individuals.

Zeon asked him,

“But did you come just to check their technical skills? Or is there another reason?”

At Zeon’s words, Oh Jin-ho hesitated briefly, then answered with difficulty.

“Ac-actually, I think there’s a problem with my parts.”