Ball of Nothing

Truen returned to the inn and greeted Dwayne.

"Did my brother eat dinner yet?" he asked.

The S rank ex-adventurer shook his head. "He was in the stable with Brutus the entire time. I think they're still there."

Truen thanked the innkeeper and walked back out again to find his troublesome friend. Didn't he ask Zero to ask around for information? What was he doing in the stable for so many hours? It was already dark, Zero should know better than to ignore curfew. He had to be in bed by nine and up by five in the morning. That had been Hua Tuo's instructions and other than a few occasions, Zero had never failed to adhere to this good habit. It was already eight and the doctor hadn't even eaten or showered. Truen must have been too lenient with him.

As he got closer to the stable, he heard chatters. That sounded very much like Zero but Truen couldn't recognise the other voice. The man sounded gruff and the archer readied a spell to knock out the person Zero was talking to if he proved to be a nuisance.

"Oh! Truen you're back! This is Brutus, he is a stablehand but he also knows a lot about the desert. We were just talking about the huge blind worms that attack travellers by luring it into its mouth, acting like a cave."

"So this is where you've been," Truen cancelled the spell. Zero was gathering information after all and the man called Brutus didn't look like a threat. He thought that Dwayne would help him keep an eye on the troublemaking doctor but there wasn't a real need if Zero hadn't even wandered from the territory.

"What's so interesting that made you forget about dinner?" he asked and gave Ela a pat. The sand walkers looked fed but he couldn't make out what they were eating. Brutus was a good stablehand and he could tell that the man didn't lie. Sure, he might look rough around the edges but so does everyone else in this lawless area.

Zero blinked and looked at the sky. "Oh my goodness! Sorry, Brutus! I didn't mean to keep you here for so long, I just got so carried away. You must be hungry, please go and have dinner now."

Brutus shook his head and blushed when Zero showed concern. Nobody has ever shown him such kindness and Brutus felt as if he wanted to repay that debt. "Join me for dinner?" he asked and gestured to Truen as well.

Zero blinked and looked at his best friend. He only accepted the invitation after Truen nodded. As of now, they were broke and Brutus didn't look like he was going to poison them so there wasn't any harm accepting his proposal.

As it turned out, Brutus didn't live near the inn. However, he was still in Dwayne's unofficial territory so Truen wasn't as worried. There was still some distance to walk so Truen decided to fall back behind Zero as his friend chattered away and asked for more stories about Dwayne's time as a mercenary.

"We travelled through the desert a few times but not very deep in. Still, the minimum rank that adventurers are advised to be would be a B rank and in a party of no less than six men. A healer is a must, a scout or rogue is highly recommended and there will always be a request for water mages. Not many adventurers like accepting quests that involved Derby because of the harsh climate on top of the lurking dangers at every corner."

This was something Truen already knew. However, there really wasn't a way for him to get promoted to an A rank so quickly. Also, Zero was technically a C rank adventurer which would ordinarily be a suicide mission with just the two of them and their mounts. However, because of connections from Zero's side, they wouldn't be stopped. In fact, Truen was curious if there were any quest givers in a lawless zone like Deadman Town. He would have to ask Desert Lily about it after the match. Knowing the assassin guild leader, she would never turn down a good money-making opportunity, especially one as high-risked as this.

"Do you know any place we can buy maps about the desert or anyone who has experience travelling in it for a long time? Any desert guides? My brother and I have to travel to the desert."

Brutus opened the flimsy wood door with a groan. "Nobody who goes deep into the desert returns alive. However, there are stories from those who found the notes of dead adventurers. Notes that say there are people living in villages and cities in the desert."

At this, Truen became curious. Zero didn't pay much attention and was more intrigued by the unique interior decor in Brutus' home. The place was shabby and even the door wasn't properly secured. There were holes in the walls to what he assumed were windows but the windows had no panels to close them. Brutus simply draped some long and heavy ragged cloth that covered those holes to act as curtains. It did the job of keeping the dust out but not the chill. The weather didn't seem to affect Brutus either way so the archer didn't fuss over it. Zero had his special clothing given to him by the gods and was also wearing something that regulated the temperature so he wasn't too worried. The doctor wouldn't fall ill so easily.

Brutus decided to cook cactus soup and Zero offered to help out. They were going to eat grilled lizards with cactus soup and millet so Bob felt a little sick. Technically, a gecko and a dragon were still part of the lizard family. He couldn't stomach the idea of eating kin so he informed Zero through the party call that he was going hunting. Zero didn't stop him and Truen watched as Bob sneaked out from Zero's pants and crawled away outside through the window.

Dinner was ready shortly and Brutus muttered a short prayer to offer thanks for the food before they ate. Zero frowned at the strange taste of cactus soup but Truen ate without expression.

"Is it too bitter?" Brutus asked.

Zero nodded. "I didn't know we could eat cacti," he admitted. "It's bitter but I think if I added some salt and spice it would be better."

Horrified at the idea, Brutus stopped Zero. "Salt and spice will make cactus soup more poisonous! Grilled lizard is the cure to cactus soup. When you go to the desert and there is nothing to eat, you must drink cactus juice and eat lizard together even if they are not cooked. It will save your life."

Zero blinked. The cactus soup he was drinking was poison? He felt fine though.

Answering Zero's unasked question, Brutus explained that drinking too much cactus soup on an empty stomach will cause diarrhoea and fever. In some cases, hallucination as well. On the other hand, the pungent lizard will counter that. It also provides adventurers with a high source of protein and energy so that they can push forward in the harsh desert.

"Lizards can be found anywhere in the desert under sand or rocks. Look carefully for sand that looks loose, lizards hide under them. Weird sand patterns can mean a lizard is nearby."

As they ate, Zero learned more about desert survival tips that were rather useful for ordinary people but not them. Still, Truen decided not to ruin Zero's fun. The doctor's thirst for knowledge was insatiable after all.

While Zero learned more about the things that existed in the desert and the tricks to counter it or things to look out for, Truen was lost in thoughts. The match-fixing would be ready by tomorrow and Truen didn't have difficulty in winning the arranged match but he didn't know how fast Desert Lily and her men could work to get what he needed. He didn't want to stay here longer than a week because knowing Zero, he wouldn't be staying within Dwayne's territory for long. The last thing Truen wanted was for Zero to get into trouble with the Grey Legion. He also did not meet anyone from the Green Hawks so he wanted to be extra careful.

Zero let up a burp after finishing the entire bowl of cactus soup and flossed his teeth on lizard sinews, much to Truen's disgust."But Brutus said it was a culture to floss on lizard sinews after eating in the desert!"

Truen glared at Brutus who quickly apologised.

"Whatever," the archer rolled his eyes. "Don't stay up too late. I'm going back to get cleaned up first. There is somewhere I have to be tomorrow morning. Brutus, please take care of my brother. Good night and thank you for the meal."

Zero pulled an eyelid down and stuck his tongue out after Truen left and giggled. "He's a little bit uptight but let's not mind. Tell me more about the flower field in the desert!"