Foreign Land Reclamation By a Vegetable-growing Skeleton

Hope Oasis, with the Oasis Sand People and sand robbers each occupying one side, stood in confrontation across the Central Lake.

The inhabitants of the Oasis, numbering in the tens of thousands, could muster a force of ten thousand at any time. This might sound like a substantial number, but they couldn’t even arm every man with a medal weapon. Some were still using wooden forks and rakes, and armor was out of the question.

Moreover, they only had about five thousand camels in the entire Oasis. Their cavalry was also outnumbered by the sand robbers.

Against the battle-hardened, experienced, and well-equipped sand robbers, their ongoing resistance was merely the result of the enemy being divided, lacking unified command, and fearing casualties. They all waited for others to die first so they could benefit later.

As for the Oasis Sand People, their unity and persistence were born out of a need to protect their homes and land.

But most importantly, after breaking through the defensive line of the sand dwellers, the Great Magician from the sand robbers’ side just walked away. If the Great Magician had stayed, the Oasis Sand People would have been dispersed by now.

Neither the Oasis Sand People nor the sand robbers could comprehend why the wizard left at the very last moment. If their souls could touch that of Xiehed’s, he might tell them the reason: “The Giant Dragon has fled, what use are you worthless sand robbers to me? Help you rob those junk? Dirty hands.”

Without a strong leader, and with everyone out for themselves, the sand robbers’ advance stalled after taking half of the Oasis.

They fought a few sporadic battles over the past two days, but they achieved little, other than stealing some things on the first day they invaded the green resort.

When night fell, the experienced old sand robber named Mogul sensed something amiss. He quietly approached a familiar group of sand robbers and saw them secretly gathering their belongings.

Mogul found the leader of this group, a one-eyed assassin named One Eye.

Upon meeting, Mogul came straight to the point: “You’ve noticed something is off too?”

One Eye nodded solemnly: “The winged men haven’t been flying about all day. No one has come to tell us the mission is complete, nor has anyone come to pay us. Even a fool would know something is off.”

“Do you have any insider information?” asked Mogul.

One Eye shook his head: “No, but there are only a few possibilities. Either the winged men have killed the Giant Dragon and are busy transporting its corpse away, or the Giant Dragon has annihilated the winged men. But the latter is unlikely. The Giant Dragon has not returned. So is it not protecting these sand people anymore?”

“So you’re packing your belongings because you’re afraid the Giant Dragon will return?” asked Mogul.

“Of course, we have to be prepared for the worst-case scenario, which is the winged men killing the Giant Dragon and then wiping us out too.” A cold light flashed in One Eye’s single eye.

“That… surely not, wouldn’t they care about their reputation?” Mogul hesitated. In his mind, the worst possible outcome would be the winged knights withholding payment, but killing all the sand robbers? Who would dare to answer their summons in the future?

It must be said that although Mogul was an experienced sand robber, he couldn’t match One Eye’s cunning and scheming.

“Why not? That would maximize their profits. As for reputation? ‘Devised a clever plan to completely annihilate thousands of sand robbers, safeguarding the security of the desert trade routes’. Is that reputation? ‘Sand robbers slaughtered sand people, winged knights struck like thunder, protecting people and maintaining peace’. Is that reputation?”

“They’ll use our heads in exchange for military achievements, sell us as captives for money, save a hundred thousand Demon Crystals in mercenary fees, and get a dragon corpse for free. Claim that the dragon was the protector of the bloody-handed sand robbers, and the winged knights were forced to slay it. Standing on the moral high ground, they undeservingly earn the title of Dragon Slayer.”

Mogul’s jaw dropped as he listened, the more he heard, the more shocked he became. Finally, he cursed: “You leaders really do have dark hearts.”

One Eye chuckled: “I haven’t even told you the darkest part yet. I could sell you out, and you would still help me count the money.”

“Do we flee tonight then? Can we escape?” Mogul asked, having already decided in his heart that he would do as One Eye did and prepare to flee as soon as he returned.

“Preparations must be made, but there’s no need to rush to escape. Just as you said, the winged knights cannot afford to lose their reputation. Even the most beautiful lie cannot deceive the scrutiny of Stellaris. Those excuses can only fool the common people and not the truly wise. Let’s hope they honor their commitment, and that they’ve only been delayed by something.”

“So you guys are…?” Mogul gestured to the sand robbers in the camp who were quietly packing.

“Of course we’re moving out the spoils of war first. We’ll leave some irrelevant people here to wait for the news while we find a place to hide. I know of a hiding spot nearby. I can take you along as a show of appreciation for your past help, but just you.” One Eye specifically emphasized the word ‘one’.

Mogul nodded his understanding: “Then I won’t leave. From now on, I’ll follow you, boss.” After finishing, Mogul respectfully thumped his chest.

“Hahahahaha.” Seeing his old friend now became his subordinate, One Eye couldn’t help feeling a little excited. He turned and went into his tent, and when he came out, he was dragging two Oasis Sand girls of about fourteen or fifteen years old.

“Following me won’t let you suffer a loss. I’ll need your rich experience in the future. These two little birds are for you to serve your daily needs.” One Eye shoved the two girls in front of Mogul.