Elena hurried up the stairs to find Meryl visibly angry, nearly striking Alvin. "Meryl!" she called out, still stunned by the sight.
Meryl was usually calm and kind—how had Alvin managed to push her to this point? Then again, Elena had seen many people's tempers change after dealing with Alvin...
"He insulted my master!" Meryl shouted in frustration.
Elena and Alvin exchanged a brief look before Elena walked over to Meryl and gently said, "Don't let his words get to you."
Meryl exhaled the breath she had been holding and tried to calm herself down.
"Anyway," Elena said, hoping to change the subject, "did you find out anything about the monsters?"
Meryl sighed several times before replying, "My master says they're desert creatures." She shot a glare at Alvin's gray eyes and added, "But Mr. Alvin says they're not."
"They're burrowing creatures," Alvin said sharply, without breaking eye contact. He stepped toward her until they stood face to face. Instantly, Elena placed herself between them to stop things from escalating. Alvin continued with disdain, "And if you don't like what I say, you can just…"
Elena placed her hand over his mouth to stop him from finishing his sentence. She shot him an angry glare without saying a word. Alvin returned the look for a moment, then backed off, putting a few steps of distance between them.
"Desert or burrowing, who cares?!" Elena shouted loud enough for both of them to know she was clearly irritated with the situation. "What matters is that we find them and get the reward!"
She turned to Meryl with a softer expression and added, "Don't argue with Alvin—he's just a child. He's only a 95 years old."
"Well, in that case, I'm even more of a child. I'm eighty-five!" Meryl replied, clearly annoyed by Alvin's nearby presence. Elena's jaw dropped in shock. Meryl had such delicate, feminine features, yet her behavior was so mature that Elena had assumed she was at least a hundred.
"That… was unexpected!" Elena said in disbelief. That meant she was now in charge of two children—one constantly angry and occasionally unhinged, and the other, despite her mature demeanor, apparently had moments of childlike behavior.
"So, what did your master say about the location of these creatures?" Elena asked, trying to change the subject and hopefully shift the tense atmosphere. Maybe that would stop Alvin and Meryl from glaring daggers at each other.
"He said we'll find them in the desert."
Desert… In the Empire of Royce, there are three cities that include desert regions within or around them, and Noxara is one of them. Elena glanced at the time limit for the mission—it was four days. The nearest desert city would take three days to reach by train, leaving her with only one day to search.
Elena knew the mission giver wasn't exactly compassionate. But she also knew he wouldn't make the task impossible—after all, the planets wanted thrilling, action-packed scenes, not hunters who didn't have time to deal with the monsters.
And if that meant anything, it was this: the desert in question had to be the one in Noxara!
The question now was—how were they supposed to get there? There were no trains anymore, and Noxara lacked cars or any other form of transportation. Suddenly, something struck Elena—Alvin had been in the city of Serenthia, and it normally took five days by train to travel from there to Noxara…
How had Alvin made it here so quickly?
"I looked for something that could help us reach Noxara's desert, but I didn't find anything useful!" Meryl said, sounding frustrated. Elena didn't break eye contact with Alvin, who was watching her, reading her thoughts through her black eyes.
Alvin decided to take action without Elena having to say a word. He opened the system store and went straight to the 'Travel' section, searching for something he clearly had in mind. Elena stared absentmindedly at the ground, debating whether she should ask Alvin how he got here so fast—or keep her curiosity to herself.
Within a few minutes, a violet carpet adorned with golden patterns and black velvet edges appeared in Alvin's hands. He tossed it into Elena's lap, then proceeded to buy another one for himself.
"What is this?" Elena asked Meryl in a puzzled tone.
Meryl stared at her for a brief moment before replying, "Just a second, I'll look it up in the store." She quickly tapped some buttons and searched the index to save time. "It's an Aladdin carpet. It's used for travel."
Elena spread the carpet on the ground as Meryl had instructed her, and she was about to sit on it when she suddenly realized… the carpet only fit one rider! She immediately looked at Alvin and saw that he had one too, which meant he hadn't bought one for Meryl.
As for Meryl, standing beside her, she knew the moment Alvin threw the carpet to Elena that he wasn't going to buy one for her. And although it was disappointing… and hurtful, she said nothing and kept her thoughts to herself.
Elena picked up the carpet and threw it into Meryl's hands, saying calmly, "This is for you."
"I…"
"Don't say a word!" Elena interrupted at once. "I'm not going anywhere unless you're coming with me. And whoever has a problem with that can just leave us behind."
Unlike Meryl, who was grateful for Elena's kindness, Alvin was smirking mockingly as he bought another carpet for himself after tossing his own to Elena. He was certain that if he left them behind, they'd die here—but he said nothing. He preferred silence over getting into an argument with them.
The three of them sat on their carpets. Elena tapped hers three times as Meryl had instructed, and it slowly lifted to a suitable height before taking off toward the northeast, where the desert region lay.
Normally, it takes about four to six hours by train to reach that area, depending on the train's speed. But according to Meryl, the carpet would get them there in much less time.
The desert region of Noxara is where the gypsies live, in tents made from goat hair. They feed on the animals native to the area and drink from the small oases scattered across the desert.
Despite the harsh conditions, with temperatures sometimes reaching 70°C, that region is considered one of the best places to live—mainly because the people there don't have to work in garbage recycling to survive.
"How were you able to control it?" Elena shouted so Meryl could hear her. She was amazed by how easily Meryl handled the carpet—steering it to the right, sometimes to the left, and even pulling back to fly alongside Elena's.
"My master told me that if you speak to it kindly, it will obey you!" Meryl replied with a wide smile. "I told it how beautiful it looked in all that purple, then asked it to move in the directions I wanted!"
Behind them, Alvin was lying back on his carpet, staring at the clear sky as the sun's heat nearly scorched his skin. He sighed every now and then, clearly bored.
— [Didn't I tell you not to be rude to Meryl?]
"I didn't do anything. She's just overly sensitive and can't handle differing opinions."
— [Shove your opinions where the sun doesn't shine and don't bother her again!]
Alvin could feel that mr. Pie was practically yelling the words before he even typed them. "Why are you so angry? You act like she belongs to you or something!"
— [I'd rather have no companion than make Meryl mine.]
— [Her master is furious over how harshly you treated her. He told me he wants to kill you!]
"He's said that before and did nothing. Clearly, he's just a loudmouth planet who likes to talk."
— [He did nothing because I gave up something dear to me in exchange for letting you live.]
— [Alvin, I won't repeat this again—do not hurt Meryl's feelings.]
Alvin was starting to get annoyed. He sat up and furiously began tapping at the keyboard: "Weren't you the one who said: 'Burn the world and I'll be right behind you—I won't let anyone lay a scratch on you'?"
— [I stand by what I said, but leave Meryl out of it. Her master is insane, and if he loses his temper, he won't hesitate to wipe out your entire planet!]
Alvin groaned in frustration. He glanced at the two girls ahead of him, chatting loudly and trying to enjoy the freedom of flying. His eyes settled on Elena, who had her arms stretched out like a bird's wings, smiling brightly as the wind tossed her hair behind her.
"Which one of you is stronger—you or her master?"
— [Who do you think is stronger—me or him?]
"How should I know? I've never seen what you're capable of. Meryl's master has a healing ability, right? That sounds pretty powerful, judging by how worried you are about his temper. But what about your ability? What's your special power, Mr. Pie?"