Transmigration: of Mysteries and Songs

Chapter 77: Remembrance of the Desert

Surprisingly, Situ acted naturally around her the next few days, and Feng Luodi even questioned if he was the shadow she saw outside the tent that night. Even if he did hear us that night, I guess it's best for the both of us if we remain as friends.

One day, they were informed by Zhang Xin that two of the older soldiers in the camp had information regarding the legendary treasure, Remembrance of the Desert. Naturally, Feng Luodi tagged along with Situ as they visited the two soldiers. The soldiers were greatly valued in the camp because of their age and experience with the garrison fortifications, and had stayed on as a soldier despite their ripe age of 60.

"You're asking about the Remembrance of the Desert? What I know is passed down from my great-great-grandfather through our families."

Feng Luodi swallowed. This is a really ancient story, huh?

The old soldier continued. "My great-great-grandfather was told by his elders that the Remembrance of the Desert was very much like the songs of the sirens. Legend has it that those who lose their way in the desert will hear the call of the treasures, and they will be led to the place where quicksand is abundant. They say that it's a heavenly place, filled with beautiful maidens, refreshing springs and most importantly, troves of endless treasures. But whoever enters the place will be swept away by the quicksand, never to see the light of day again."

"That sounds an awful lot like a mirage." Feng Luodi mumbled.

The old soldier laughed. "That's what I think about it as well. After all, it is the desert, and there is never a shortage of quicksand."

The other soldier rolled up a blueprint of the camp's defences and tried to set it on a high shelve, speaking up as he worked. "My version of the story is different from yours."

Zhang Xin quickly hurried over to help the old soldier, quietly reminding himself to assign the old soldiers proteges to ensure the passing on of their knowledge. At the very least, the younger ones will be able to help them with their work. The old soldier continued.

"This story was told to my grandfather by the caravans that traversed the desert. That particular caravan was an extremely experienced group, often travelling between the neighbouring countries through the desert. Once, when they were crossing the desert, the winds suddenly billowed around haphazardly, and the ensuing sandstorm obscured all vision and indication of direction. Helpless, all they could do was to follow the camels as they slowly trudged through the storm. However, they soon realised that the sandstorm was getting bigger the further they walked, and that went against the natural laws of the desert. Curious, the caravan decided to investigate."

The old soldier stopped at that moment, and under the eager gazes of the rest, slowly took a sip of tea. Then, he continued. "The leader of the caravan led his group in the towards the eye of the sandstorm, and what they saw was unbelievable: a moving palace in the middle of the storm. The leader believed it to be the palace of the gods, and they quickly left for fear of offending the gods. Only when he left did he hear about the legend of the Remembrance of the Desert, but no matter how much he tried, he could never find the moving palace again."

The rest of them were not, strictly speaking, people of the desert. Unable to fully comprehend what the possibility of a treasure meant for the people, they only treated it like a story.

The first soldier suddenly turned around and looked straight at Situ. "General, are you investigating this because of the recent disappearances of civilians that have gone in search of the treasure?"

Situ nodded.

"May I give you a piece of advice, then? If the Remembrance of the Desert is indeed the moving palace, then please find it and destroy it, before more people lose their lives because of it. However, if it is nothing but a rumour, then you may have to be careful of those around you."