Chapter 2: The Giant Elephant

The sandworm let out another deafening roar as Li Mingxing drove the stinger into it, but in the same instant it raised its head to bellow, it suddenly realized that a dwarf clad in nothing but coarse cloth had appeared before it. The dwarf hefted a pitch-black battle axe and, in a swift movement, swung it upward from below as the sandworm lifted its head.

By the time the sandworm reacted, the axe had already been withdrawn, leaving a deep, gaping wound from which a stream of green liquid spurted forth. Alarmed, the sandworm tried to burrow underground again, but several more dwarves emerged from the surrounding sand. Unlike the first attacker, these dwarves carried long-barreled muskets and charged straight toward the sandworm.

At first, the sandworm thought nothing of these rifles. But the power of the dwarves' assault was astonishing—within the blink of an eye, more than a dozen bowl-sized holes appeared across its body.

Now thoroughly enraged, the sandworm slammed its head into the ground and began to thrash and roll in the sand. This was, truthfully, the wisest move it could make at that moment. Whether or not the dwarves on the ground could withstand such an assault was one thing, but for Li Mingxing, riding on the sandworm’s back, the attack was unbearable. After being crushed twice, he felt as if his very organs were about to be squeezed out.

He had no choice but to extract the stinger from the sandworm’s back and retreat to a safer distance. The Blackstone Warrior, however—the main force in this assault—was unfazed by the sandworm's thrashing, hacking away with his axe blow after blow.

Following the Blackstone Warrior’s lead, the two Greystone Soldiers Li Mingxing had brought also joined the fray. Unlike the gatekeepers at his city hall, these two wielded long spears.

Though he didn’t know why they had chosen such weapons, they wielded them with remarkable skill. In no time, their spears pierced deep into the sandworm, and with great force, they drove the weapons further inside.

Once the two spears were buried to the hilt, the sandworm dared not roll any further, for if it did, the spears would wreak havoc within its body, likely killing it outright.

Deprived of its primary means of attack, the sandworm was like a toothless tiger—its great strength rendered futile. After a couple of desperate clashes with the Blackstone Warrior, it lost all hope of victory and began to search desperately for a means of escape.

Having cornered the sandworm at last, Li Mingxing had no intention of letting it go. Seeing its intent to flee, he sprang once more onto its back and drove the stinger deep into its flesh.

This time, he injected a potent neurotoxin—a paralytic agent he had produced in abundance during the nine days he spent building his city. Though the sandworm was enormous, it could not withstand Li Mingxing’s relentless injections. In no time, the creature collapsed to the ground, utterly immobilized.

It was only then that the desert troops arrived on their flying carpets. When they saw a living sandworm sprawled on the ground, they were all dumbfounded.

After a moment’s pause, a sabre-wielding warrior landed before Li Mingxing, bowed respectfully, and said, “My lord, you are truly a hero—to capture a sandworm alive.”

Li Mingxing was momentarily taken aback. “It was nothing, really. The credit belongs to my men.”

“No, my lord, you do not understand. A living sandworm is worth five times as much as a dead one. I believe Lord Maula will surely reward you with a war elephant to make up the difference.”

At that, Li Mingxing’s gaze shifted to the giant elephants ambling toward them. “You mean one of those giants?”

“In a manner of speaking, yes—and no,” the sabre-wielder hesitated. “All the elephants in our corps are third tier. Lord Maula might give you a first-tier one, which is a bit smaller. If possible, please allow me the honor of being your elephant handler.”

Li Mingxing now realized the sabre-wielder’s intentions were not entirely altruistic. Still, after seeing the giant elephants, he rather fancied having one himself, so he entered into detailed discussion with the man.

From their conversation, Li Mingxing learned that these elephants might be a specialty of the inner world. A first-tier elephant stood about five meters tall, weighed seventeen tons, and could carry nearly twenty tons of cargo. Each of its four feet bore floating runes that allowed it to traverse sand and water without sinking.

At the second tier, elephants could be trained in three different ways: to increase their carrying capacity as commercial beasts of burden, to don heavy armor and take part in battle as attack elephants, or to undergo balance training and become mounts for heroes and nobles.

Of course, when advancing to the third, fourth, or even fifth tier, training could be adjusted, but most people stuck to their original chosen path for their elephants.

Hearing all this, Li Mingxing became even more interested. If the elephants were as described, they would make excellent logistical tools—able to transport almost everything he had acquired in the inner world in a single trip.

With that in mind, he smiled at the sabre-wielder. “In that case, how should I approach your Lord Maula?”

“No need to worry, my lord. Lord Maula is a generous man. Once you receive your elephant, just remember my name when choosing your handler: I’m Yada of the Seven Sabres. Since many here share the name Yada, be sure to specify.”

Li Mingxing nodded repeatedly. By then, several giant elephants had reached them, and Maula Razak, seated atop the fourth, saw the sandworm’s condition. Just as Yada of the Seven Sabres predicted, Razak immediately offered a first-tier elephant to compensate Li Mingxing.

Li Mingxing accepted, requesting Yada of the Seven Sabres as his handler.

Razak had no objection. However, the sabre-wielder atop the last war elephant seemed to grasp the situation, shooting Yada of the Seven Sabres a cold, sharp look.

Though Li Mingxing did not notice this, the Blackstone Warrior—keenly sensitive to murderous intent—stepped protectively in front of him.

Li Mingxing glanced at the man atop the war elephant, then at Yada of the Seven Sabres, and quickly understood the situation. He said nothing, merely suggesting they leave at once and follow Razak to the nearby city.

Razak was equally eager to depart. He nodded, lightly tapped his old oil lamp, and from it a whirlwind emerged, sucking up the paralyzed sandworm.

Witnessing this, Li Mingxing was struck for the first time by the overwhelming power of magic, but quickly suppressed such feelings—he couldn’t allow himself to appear weak.

Noticing how swiftly Li Mingxing’s expression shifted from surprise to calm, Razak was impressed, though he showed nothing. He simply ordered Li Mingxing’s party to board one of the elephants, and the convoy set out eastward.

Seated atop the transport elephant, Li Mingxing immediately understood why there were three distinct training paths for these beasts. Though the transport elephant could carry immense loads, it was hardly a comfortable ride—far worse than a ship at sea. The constant, jarring motion made Li Mingxing want to dismount immediately.

His newly appointed subordinate, however, felt none of this discomfort. Standing easily atop the elephant’s head, he seemed perfectly at ease, as if on solid ground.

Seeing Li Mingxing’s discomfort, Yada of the Seven Sabres approached. “My lord, you’re not sitting correctly. You must sway with the elephant’s steps, moving side to side. It will feel much less unpleasant that way.”

But Li Mingxing ignored his advice, instead asking, “Yada, I’d like to know about your connection with the elephants.”

Yada smiled. “I didn’t expect you to catch on so quickly, my lord. As you can see, the man atop the last war elephant is also named Yada—Double Sabre Yada. His strength comes from being a war elephant handler.”

“Why is that?” Li Mingxing had his suspicions but pressed for more.

“You must have noticed—becoming a handler ties your strength to that of the elephant. If the elephant is strong, so are you; if it is weak, so are you.” Yada of the Seven Sabres paused, then finally revealed the secret.