Go'a

Desert Ship Voyage

Tổng quan

Goya was the first to break the rules in the cloudless desert, ambushing and raiding merchant caravans, attacking the Snake Cult's camp, and even sheltering those deemed a burden by the sands. This girl, who should have been absorbed by the desert, met an expedition team from another land when she was young and was welcomed as one of them. Here, she learned the art of sand sailing, which became her happiest moment. However, all of this was shattered in a single attack, with every member of the expedition team but Goya escaping. With her unique sand sailing skills and fearless courage, Goya rebuilt her life in the cloudless desert. Goya rampaged through the desert, destroying one cult camp after another, and the truth behind the attack on the expedition team became clearer. More and more people were drawn to her, spontaneously gathering around her. Undaunted, Goya now had even greater courage to charge forward. Captive Wind - Day three of their escape in the cloudless desert. The sand was as vast as the sea, and the scorching sun baked the endless dunes, resembling towering waves reaching for the sky. Some struggled to climb to the wave's peak. Three nights ago, a sudden raid by horsemen shattered their dreams. After plundering and slaughtering, only an old man and a young boy remained. The old man reached the summit, paused, then took a tentative step towards the black sand storm. Just as he did, dozens of dark shadows flashed in the swirling dust, like sharks sensing prey, quickly closing in. The old man hunched over, cradling the boy, and let out a desperate wail: "It's a raid!"Another gang...” The young man, however, widened his eyes in curiosity: the new "gang" was driving various vehicles, all of which were floating on the sand! He recalled the drawings in his teacher's notes of a "ship," cutting through waves with ease. Two groups faced each other across an elderly and a younger individual. In recent years, the ship gangs had emerged as a formidable force, disrupting the financial routes of many camel caravans. When they met at this time, both sides were envious. The head of the camel caravan asked cautiously about the other party's origins, while the leader on the sand ship, with a voice carrying the scent of a sandstorm, replied, "Just passing through, catching the wind." The bandits were surprised: "A woman?" The Cloud and Mist Gang was known for having female leaders, but she was unnaturally young, involved in such dangerous activities as catching the wind. Black grains of sand flowed from her gloved fingers, falling into another hand, while her eyes, a deep blue, flashed with malice and greed. She surveyed the bags filled with war loot on the camel's back and the string moon mark on them. The head noticed her unfriendly gaze and roared in anger, "First come, first served, got it?" "Rules?" She smiled, lifting her chin defiantly, "Whose life is in your hands? Their words are the rules." No one could see when she drew her crossbow, but an arrow flew through the air, silencing the head's angry words. At the same time, the sand ship team had circled around the refugees and surrounded the bandits. "Miss...” The assistant next to the head recognized the ferocity in her eyes and tactfully begged for mercy, "No, big sister, these two sheep are yours. They're just travelers; let us go free, and we'll have future dealings." "These skinny sheep won't fit between my teeth," she kept her gaze on their bags, "Are you connected to the Sand Serpent Gang?" The assistant thought he had found a comrade and quickly nodded in agreement. "That's right. But your boss didn't mention it." She pulled back the bowstring, reloading it, "Goya of Hanlei Sea loves black eating black." "—Fire!""After accounting for the weapons and loot taken from the horse thieves, the Wind Seeker fleet set sail. Standing by the side, a young boy finally gathered the courage to ask: "Big sister, can I learn how to operate the sand boat?" The elder clutched the boy tightly, his mouth opening and closing nervously, eventually able to convey his plea only through pleading eyes as he watched the female leader's back figure disappear. "Let's go home with your grandfather instead." The female leader didn't turn around, her words blending with the engine's hum, lost in the boundless desert wind. "Some paths, once trodden upon, cannot be retraced." "Tell me," Goya's bow and arrow pressed against a fat head by the campfire, "where did the owner go?" "I... I don't know. All I had when I arrived was this little lamb..." The clean, snow-white lamb had been shaven bald, tied to a long stick. "Alright, let me rephrase." Goya turned and pressed her knee against the fat man's chest, holding his neck with one hand while the arrow from her other hand hovered just millimeters away from his eyes. The fat man cried out in terror. "It... It was the Stone Fang gang! They said this family meddled too much, so they killed everyone... A good man begs for mercy; this has nothing to do with me! I'm just a passerby!" Goya tied him up on the long stick, gazing at the campfire before her. The vast desert was cold at night, and in the courtyard, a middle-aged man with a neatly trimmed beard was repairing Goya's damaged sand boat by the firelight. He occasionally pulled out a few roasted potatoes from under the flames and placed them beside the woman sitting nearby. She had long, golden hair that was slightly curled, resembling a ripening ear of wheat, and her robust, rough hands were skillfully mending her clothes. She turned to see Goya leaning against the doorframe and gestured for her to come closer. A small head poked out from her lap, like a wound-up toy rabbit bouncing around, tugging at Goya: "Goya sister, sit on Ana's little stool!""A woman handed a peeled potato to Goya, who broke off a piece and fed it to the little girl named Anani. However, her act was interrupted by a sudden ram's head poking out from nearby. 'Donna!' Anani led her precious lamb to the side and groomed its fur, humming her favorite song: 'A jolting carriage, the lamb wore a sad expression. For no known reason, the sheep were being slaughtered... Oh Donna, oh Donna...' As Anani finished singing, everyone stopped their tasks and applauded. Donna, feeling comfortable, sneezed towards the moon, turning around to see her little owner's head resting on Goya's lap as she listened to a story. Discontentedly, Donna scratched herself and walked over to lie by their side. Goya rarely told stories; while her daily experiences were diverse, none were suitable for children. She looked up at the stars, recalling fragments of stories from her childhood in hazy memories. She pieced together a tale of a shepherd and forty thieves... As she spoke, a small snore echoed from her lap, and a man gently picked up Anani and carried her to bed. The woman led Goya inside, gesturing with her hands, urgently asking her to try on a dress—she had just altered one of her plain cotton skirts to fit Goya's figure, and it surprisingly suited her. It was very suitable, whether for the clothing or this place; she couldn't express how well it fit. 'Let me sing you a song,' she offered. '...good... good...' The man, bound to a stick, trembled under the god-like gaze of Anani's eyes. 'A jolting carriage, the lamb wore a sad expression.' — She had an old grudge with the ram's clan; she fell into their trap, was rescued by a passing Saharite, and spent several days recovering at his home."" —— Afraid of bringing misfortune to this family, Goya healed her wounds, left all her silver, and quietly left the household. " But why should the lamb be butchered by anyone? " — They have nothing to do with them, yet they don't even spare unarmed Bedouins. " To slaughter others like a lamb is better than tasting being roasted yourself." Goya placed the long stick over the campfire. The next morning, Goya led a sleek little lamb to the Iron Wall. Old Li yawned and took it, patting its buttocks contentedly, saying, " Good pick! Let's raise it for two more months; it'll be delicious when roasted!" " You can try, see if it's done before or you are," Goya said nonchalantly before walking away without looking back. " Stinky little girl." Old Li muttered under his breath and led the lamb into the pen, feeding it some hay. The next day, Wang Er came over with a mysterious air, whispering the latest headlines: "A big event! Last night, the base of the Panya Gang was destroyed in flames! That... how did Mr. Chen teach them? So lifelike? They burned all night without a single survivor!" "Not you or me, go check your gate." Old Li kicked Wang Er away and suddenly stopped, noticing that the usually tone-deaf little girl seemed to be singing: " If born an eagle, spread my wings and soar across the river. Oh don... nah, don..." As the sun set, Niccolò watched the girl, who looked like a bundle of fire, as she carved a path through the battlefield and disappeared into the scorching sunset. He remembered that same sunset when he was guiding a team of examiners; a quiet child suddenly revealed his claws but was quickly beaten up, his dust-covered face with two bright blue eyes... His son had those same eyes. Niccolò's heart softened, and the boy was left behind in the team. She knew she couldn't win, so she stopped her aggressive behavior.Just by retracting its claws, the panther remains a panther; it scrapes its bowl and chopsticks on the ground while eating, deliberately smearing oil all over its hands. As night fell, with summer insects chirping, everyone else was asleep, but Nico's account buzzed loudly. A girl had somehow obtained a pile of tools and attempted to dismantle his sand ship. As a seasoned professor and father, Nico knew well how to handle rebellious children. He calmly approached the girl, who showed disdain, and asked if she wanted to give it a try. "Huh?" She paused for a second before swiftly jumping onto the sand ship, mimicking Nico's grip on the handles. A desert child is born knowing how to navigate the desert; within half an hour, she was racing at top speed. The full moon above cast its glow over the dunes, and the girl, like a flickering flame, bobbed up and down in the sea of sand before finally returning to camp. Nico placed the scattered tools in her arms and, with a thoughtful look, asked: "Since you say you have no name, how about we call you Goya? It means 'Desert Daughter'." The girl ignored him and ran off with her belongings. The next day, Nico called Goya for dinner; she sat silently at the table and, remarkably, began playing with her fork and knife. Nico started teaching her to read, but he faced numerous setbacks. Even when Goya could pilot the sand ship through sandstorms without a scratch, she still hadn't learned how to write her own name. However, an adult's sand ship is too heavy, and even the exceptionally gifted little Goya had her moments of capsizing. While Nico held onto her pendulum-like left leg, he scolded her angrily for her lack of caution and self-preservation. But surprisingly, she didn't argue back. Nico looked up and saw that little Goya wasn't crying; instead, she was staring at him with wide eyes. "No one has ever spoken to me like that before.""Nicollo realized that the little panther had retracted its fangs, no more than a cute kitten. He softened his tone and rubbed the kitten's head, 'If this were the Sea, your reckless behavior could get you fined.' 'Fines?' The Desert has no fines, so Nicollo spoke from the Guard House to the Hospital, from laws to tales of the Sea. In the Sea, children like her would be in dedicated shelters, receiving basic education... The sunset dyed the girl's hair, her expression a bit somber: 'A daughter of the Desert has nothing.' 'You have this,' Nicollo pointed to a compact, agile sand boat tailored to her size. 'And me,' he carried the leg-challenged Goa up, 'and the entire expedition team. You have the Desert, and we don't even know our way around it.' 'But you'll leave the Desert, return to the Sea, back to your homes.' 'Ah... But look, these uncles followed me from my home, we trust and protect each other, this ship is now our home, they are my family. Goa, you're also part of our family.' Nicollo's deep voice slowly seeped into Goa's heart, 'You can come with me to the Sea. If you still don't want to leave the Desert, I believe one day, you'll find your own family here.' The sunset slowly sank below the sands as a powerful demon growled, pulling Nicollo back to reality. Just moments ago, he had given half a scroll of Dead Sea scrolls to that little panther trying to defy logic and warned her to get out alive, protecting it. Goa's promises will always be kept, Nicollo was fully confident."Current dilemma is, the expedition team is about to collapse, and whether the secret of the documents will be buried forever with the sands. A faint light peeks through the eye of the storm in the land of obliteration, catching Niccolò's attention. He cast one last glance at the setting sun before turning his back and walking towards the land of obliteration without looking back. Dawn "Old man awake?" Goya pushed open the door and walked straight to Old Li who was by his bed. "Indeed, I've been taking care of him day and night for two days and two nights, he should be comfortable enough to hum a tune like a pig, but this old guy doesn't even twitch. I told you before, don't try to act tough like the young ones if you can't even finish half a sheep, now look what happened... He's probably pleading for mercy in front of the Gatekeeper." Old Li noticed Goya's bowed head and quickly added, "Hey stinky girl, that wasn't what I meant. In fact, if he saved you, it would be a happy ending for him." "I just think he didn't deserve it." "He does." Old Li grinned and invited Goya to sit down, "He never talks about it, but deep down there's something he can't get over." Ango's eyelids twitched ever so slightly. "We few followed him from Golden Court to Iron Wall: me, Tigg, and Wei Ye." "Wei Ye? Who's that?" "He's... gone now. Back then, he was just an unknown little soldier when he first arrived, but soon became Ango's Guardian, and in the blink of an eye, he became the second-in-command of Iron Wall. He could speak, fight, and carry his weight, brimming with youthful fervor and unending energy, always by old man's side, making a name for himself. I? Along with Tigg, we settled refugees and worked in production at Iron Wall. This isn't slacking off, this is reasonable division of labor!"Ango often said that this young one could take his place, but Tig and I disagreed. We had no choice; he called me Uncle Li all the time, offering us fox pelts from time to time as a show of goodwill. We had to give him more lamb's milk to help him grow. If it weren't for that year's famine... Ah, perhaps Iron Wall would have been in his hands by now, and we could've explored beyond the desert. This old thing wouldn't have fallen so low... Old Li covered his face and secretly glanced at Goya. Goya's gaze was dazed. She recalled her roughly ten-year-old self, almost killed over a hotcake. Seeing her silent, Old Li picked up a half-full jar of rice wine by the bed and took a large gulp, belching as he continued: "Wei'ye said we can't stay in this desert forever; we need to find a way out. Ango was hesitant but still gave him 80 men. It's strange, though—Adin had been studying plants for years, and that year, a thorny sunflower bloomed. We all thought it was a good sign, but...” "What happened?" "They say we encountered a skeleton explosion on Sky Gate Mountain... Ango always blamed himself, feeling he hadn't protected the boy properly. You'd think he'd be more lenient with us younger ones after that, but he's been even more protective. Recently, he's been talking a lot, saying things like 'Iron Wall doesn't need these old guys, but it needs those young ones...'" The only sound in the room was the crackling of the candle flames. Goya took a sip from Old Li's wine, stood up, and prepared to leave: "I've sent an extra guard team, and we've rearranged the patrol points. I've also taken care of the injured from the fire ritual as instructed by Tig-dada. This time, he helped us, so I owe him a favor. After all, the Lost Land holds truths I want to uncover, which will affect the future of the desert sea." "How could you...?" "Don't worry, I'm tough. Since I've taken over Iron Wall, I guess I'll have to act as leader for a few years.""It's you who should make the patient drink less." "This wine is actually for... disinfection. We need to disinfect and change the bandages on the wound every day, right?" Old Li said while hiding the wine can behind his back. "Dona has grown so tall this year, I got her a knee pad, someone will deliver it to Old Head later. The iron wall heroes are always complaining about their old legs, they get laughed at." Goya waved her hand and left the room. As dawn broke, although the noise was faint, it still reached the outside. "You've gotten into the habit of faking illness, haven't you?!" "Forcing a young girl to clean up your mess! And now you want to go to that place?!" "She knows what she wants." Ango's laughter was accompanied by several coughs. "No one can force her to do something she doesn't want to. Once she decides, no one can stop her." Goya outside the door muttered under her breath, "old fox," put on her eye protection, and headed towards the rising sun.