The Hero Turned Into A Potato And The World Fell To Ruin

In the vast desert, a brand-new desert city stood tall. Shops, streets, courtyards, even the cemetery—everything looked the same as before, only newer.

Seeing this sight, Liu Ji could hardly believe that just a day and a half ago, this place was in utter ruins.

"Is this magic? Damn," he muttered. "With such overpowered productivity, how is this world not modernized yet…"

"While I don't know what you mean by modernized," Myza said as he walked up to Liu Ji, "this isn't something that can be accomplished with just a mage. Their cooperation was impeccable, and each one of them, in my time, would have been a core talent of any faction. Clearly, most people wouldn't have such a team available for constructing buildings."

As they spoke, Yaine walked up to Myza and gave him a respectful bow.

"Mr. Myza, thank you for your hospitality," she said earnestly. "However, our companions are still missing. If there's nothing else we can help with, we'll be leaving first."

"I understand." Myza smiled slightly, taking out a rolled-up map from his robe and handing it to Yaine. "This is a map to Swirling Mire City. Follow the routes marked, and you should reach it in less than a month if all goes well."

"Thank you." Yaine took the map, then glanced at Liu Ji. She opened her mouth as if about to say something, but ultimately just smiled and turned to join her companions.

Liu Ji, unable to understand their conversation, was waiting for Myza to translate, only to be slapped on the back and pushed toward Yaine and the others.

"Alright, stop daydreaming and catch up," Myza said with a chuckle. "And don't forget the little tricks I taught you. Also, if you have time, bring me back something interesting."

"Ah, I will." Liu Ji waved at Myza, turned, and caught up with Yaine.

Yaine looked at him in surprise but said nothing, only lowering her head, though there was a slight smile on her face, and she let out a barely perceptible sigh of relief.

Watching them leave, Myza took a deep breath, smacked his lips, and turned toward the newly rebuilt cemetery.

It was time for him to have a chat with his old friends.

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"Let's head back to the beacon first. If we're lucky, someone might be waiting for us there," Yaine said as they walked through the desert. "Of course, let's not exclude the possibility it might be a pack of hunting dogs. But that doesn't matter. With our group, even two or three ordinary squads wouldn't stand a chance."

"What if there's a commander?" Mervant asked.

"Then we run." Yaine rolled her eyes. "Can't you say something more positive?"

"Ahem, sorry." Mervant scratched his cheek.

"I don't think we'll run into a commander," Osar said. "Besides, Mr. Myza mentioned that the Tyrant doesn't know about the other side of the desert yet. Although he'll find out eventually…"

"We'll deal with that when it happens," Girunini murmured. "We've long gotten used to wandering for so many years already."

"Yeah, there's always a way." Calidora ruffled Girunini's hair. "By the way, don't you think we're moving a bit fast?"

Everyone paused and looked around, realizing the sand dunes were moving past them unusually quickly.

Osar instinctively stopped in his tracks, only to find he was still moving forward and the distance between him and the others hadn't changed.

"Whoa, it's like the sand is carrying us forward!" Osar exclaimed. "Could it be Mr. Myza's doing… Arghh!"

Osar let out an ear-piercing scream mid sentence.

He realized that Liu Ji, who was at the back of the group, was now just a head sticking out of the sand.

But on a second look, it was just his head exposed with his body buried in the sand. In fact, this was a "little trick" Myza had taught Liu Ji before they set off.

The sand under the group could actually be considered an extension of Liu Ji's body. In a way, he was like a giant desert whale, carrying everyone on his back, swiftly swimming through the desert. To those being carried, walking felt more like being on a treadmill due to the shifting sands.

Because of Osar's scream catching everyone's attention, everyone now noticed Liu Ji's head sticking out of the sand.

After looking at him and then at the surroundings, they quickly understood what was happening and were delighted.

Traversing the desert was no easy task; having such a convenient "ride" was a blessing.

However, Yaine was an exception. She stared blankly at Liu Ji, the relief in her heart turning to worry.

Liu Ji's sending us across the desert?

He certainly didn't have this ability before, so why now?

No, that's not important. Is he just following us to help us cross the desert?

Will he leave afterward?

Will it be like this? Will it really be this way?

Yaine wasn't sure. She just felt uneasy.

By now, she knew that deep down, she didn't want Liu Ji to leave.

Perhaps it was because she wanted a student, or because Liu Ji had saved her life, maybe some other reason even…

But…

She looked at Liu Ji, worry filling her eyes.

Liu Ji looked at her, though with a confused expression.

No matter how hard he thought, there didn't seem to be anything wrong with his actions, so why did Yaine look like she was about to cry?

No, it didn't look like she was going to cry, but there was something like that, a sense of grievance, which in turn made him feel aggrieved.

Does she think I'm tired and feels sorry for me? Liu Ji thought to himself, then smiled and said in incantation, "It's okay. Not tired."

For some reason, Yaine's expression became even more complex.

Eh? Did I say something wrong? Liu Ji was stumped. What can it be, then? She can't think that I've really lost half my body, can she?

Mulling for a bit, Liu Ji slowed down slightly and allowed half of his body to emerge from the sand. He waved at Yaine to show he was fine.

However, seeing him waving made it feel like this was a goodbye, making Yaine even sadder.

Liu Ji was completely baffled. Could it be that she thinks I'm not fast enough?

With that thought, he sank back into the sand and sped up, racing through the desert.

With the increased speed, Yaine thought Liu Ji was trying to send them away as quickly as possible after saying goodbye, and she appeared even more distressed.

At that moment, Liu Ji, with a head full of questions, learned for the first time in his life what it meant experiencing the infamous "straight man's dilemma."