Chapter 40: Valor

"Hey! Why are all those fishing boats heading straight for us?!" Sel stared at the swarm of fishing vessels—large and small—surging toward them, his face etched with panic.

To his eyes, the fishing fleet had been lured by the massive school of sandfish trailing behind them like a tidal wave. They seemed to have forgotten the danger of the Jhen Mohran lurking amidst the fish, their minds filled with nothing but the greed for a larger catch and greater profit.

"Relax, they know the risks." As a fisherman's son who had participated in the Great Desert Feast more than once, Asa spoke up: "But they have to intercept the sandfish school. If they don't, the Jhen Mohran won't even need to strike; the sheer mass of the sandfish alone could capsize our small sandships. Those sandfish even jump onto the decks to bite people. If too many get through, it becomes impossible to fight effectively."

"But they..."

"You're worried some of them will be flipped by the Jhen Mohran, right?" Asa cut him off again. "Don't bother. That’s an inevitability. Notice how the boats are spread out? It’s specifically to ensure that when some unlucky soul gets hit, the surrounding boats aren't dragged down with them."

"Are you saying they choose to risk their lives fishing even knowing full well they might be attacked?" Sel asked in disbelief.

Asa, gripping the helm tightly, bared his teeth at him. "Of course. There’s no such thing as fishing the sand sea without risk."

"That is why the theme of the Harvest Festival is never just 'harvest,' but also 'valor,'" Oran chimed in, continuing the explanation. "Locklac has only become prosperous in the last few decades. Resources in the Great Desert are scarce; risking one's life to secure food is a matter of course for the desert people."

A large fishing boat swept past them, barely twenty or thirty meters away. The bare-chested harpooners on board, clutching sharp iron spears, shouted and whistled in greeting. On their faces, Sel saw not a trace of fear or anxiety, only the joy one might see in a farmer facing a bountiful harvest.

He also saw them dumping basin after basin of miscellaneous scraps over the side. A pungent, fishy stench instantly filled the air, and the schools of sandfish swimming beneath the surface began to boil.

Before Sel could ask, Asa explained, "That’s bait for the sandfish. Animal blood, entrails, rotting produce, even kitchen waste—anything goes; sandfish aren't picky. This bait keeps the swarm following the Jhen Mohran in one place, making it easier for the fishermen to catch them, and it prevents too many from swarming toward the fleet’s defensive line."

*Boom—hummmmm—*

A low, rumbling sound—indistinguishable between a dull roar and the trembling of the earth—drowned out everything else.

The sand sea shuddered, and the titan, resembling a god of desolation, erupted from the depths of the endless yellow sand. Its two massive tusks, each over twenty meters long, rose from below and smashed a fishing boat to splinters.

Sel’s eyes widened, his gaze locked on the scene in a daze. If he wasn't mistaken, the boat that had just been crushed was the very same one that had passed them by a minute ago.

He could still recall the faces of the fishermen on its deck.

"Aren't we going to save them?!" Sel, finally snapping out of his shock, couldn't help but shout at Asa.

Oran also looked toward the latter. Although he was filled with anticipation for the rare metal ores on the back of the Jhen Mohran, he would absolutely support his companions if they decided to turn back to rescue the fishermen.

"The fishermen know how to protect themselves, and other boats will help with the rescue. We don't need to interfere!" Asa gripped the helm even tighter. "Our mission is to return to the Mohran-Buster as quickly as possible and join the sandship fleet in intercepting the Jhen Mohran!"

Sel took a deep breath. It wasn't the Jhen Mohran that had frightened him, but the way these sand sea fishermen treated life and death so nonchalantly. It shattered his perception of the word "civilian," causing him to momentarily lose his composure.

"You're right." Sel tightened the straps of the shield on his right arm, the biting pain helping his mind clear. "Intercepting the Jhen Mohran is the priority."

*CLANG—!!*

A metallic sound, sharp enough to feel like it had exploded right next to their ears despite being over a kilometer away, rang out. It was the sound of the giant bronze gong on the Mohran-Buster being struck.

It was said that the massive sound from that gong could force the Jhen Mohran out from beneath the sand. Oran had been skeptical before, but now he believed it. If it could make such a racket from two thousand meters away, wouldn't it deafen a person if struck up close?

The Jhen Mohran, which had crawled out of the sand and was slithering across the surface, its massive tusks poised to flip more fishing boats, had its attention diverted by the gong. It turned slowly, its eyes—absurdly small compared to its hundred-meter-plus frame—gazing toward the Dragonship.

On the Mohran-Buster, over a kilometer away, the fleet commander raised his binoculars and locked eyes with the Jhen Mohran. They were old rivals.

The commander lowered his binoculars. "Fire two blanks into the air. Say hello to that beast."

The gunner in charge of the cannons chuckled and pulled the firing line hard.

*Boom! Boom!*

The roar of the cannons, which reminded the beast of pain, traveled through the air and reached the Jhen Mohran’s ears. It opened its massive maw and let out a series of muffled roars in response.

"ROAR-HUM—!"

"The beast is coming!" The commander grinned, walked to the helm, pushed the helmsman aside, and took control himself.

"Full sails! Speed up! This guy likes to ambush from beneath; don't let it flip our ship!"

"Aye!"

Amidst the shouting, the Mohran-Buster banked and began to accelerate. In just a few dozen seconds, it reached a top speed that the surrounding smaller sandships had to strain to keep up with.

Meanwhile, the Jhen Mohran lowered its head, using its tusks and forelimbs to dig into the sand, diving back into the depths.

Oran and his companions, who were pushing hard to catch up with the fleet, suddenly felt their small sandship heave upward several meters, as if a moving dune had inexplicably risen beneath them.

The three of them were stunned for a second before realizing they were being carried on the back of the Jhen Mohran as it dived.

"Get off!" Oran heard his own voice crack for the first time.

Asa violently spun the helm and adjusted the sails, sliding to the side just before the "dune" rose any higher. Due to the sharp turn and loss of momentum, their sandship capsized.

Fortunately, no one was injured. The Jhen Mohran couldn't be bothered to pay them any mind, continuing to glide half-submerged through the sand in pursuit of its old rival.

"Quick, quick, quick! Push the ship up!"

The three hurriedly righted the capsized vessel. Asa jumped aboard to reset the sails, while Oran and Sel pushed from behind until the ship gained speed and stability, at which point they scrambled back on.

In the short time it took them to recover, the Jhen Mohran had already charged into the middle of the sandship fleet.

Its tusks, like long spears of heaven, pierced through the sand toward the sky. The fleet commander, having anticipated the moment the beast would breach, had already cranked the wheel, veering sharply to avoid it.

They dodged the Jhen Mohran’s underground ambush at the very last second.

The undulating sand waves threw the formation of the smaller ships into chaos, but the Mohran-Buster, with its broad hull and stabilizers on both sides, remained steady.

"Fire!"

Amidst the rumbling of the cannons, several bursts of flame erupted across the Jhen Mohran’s mountain-like, undulating back.