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As soon as she finished greeting the members of her own mercenary band, Dehya walked over briskly.
"I'm here. I didn't miss anything important, did I?"
Hearing her voice, Paimon immediately turned her gaze toward Dehya and began explaining.
"Don't worry, Dehya, you got here just in time! You haven't missed any key information at all. But, well, I am curious about how everyone's doing right now."
Dehya lightly rubbed her right arm before replying with a serious expression. "After they saw that I came back safe and sound, the whole team's morale improved a lot. Still, after all that's happened, everyone's exhausted. They want to return to the desert for a proper rest—and to give our fallen comrades a decent burial."
Hearing that they planned to head for the desert, Nahida frowned slightly, deep in thought.
After a short pause, she nodded in agreement. "That's probably for the best. In that case, let's make for Aaru Village first. The Akademiya will surely launch a large-scale manhunt for us in the rainforest, so right now we need to find a safe place to regroup and plan our next move."
Shao Yun suddenly interjected, "So, are we leaving right away, or…"
Before Nahida could reply, Dehya cut in. "Can we wait a little longer here at Gandharva Ville? Some of my mercenary crew haven't arrived yet. If we leave now…"
The moment he heard they'd have to stay longer, Shao Yun couldn't help worrying—in the original plot, this was the perfect time for a group of Eremites hired by the Fatui and the Akademiya to show up.
But then again, it was Dehya… so he volunteered, saying, "Alright, I'll patrol outside. If any Fatui or Akademiya people show up, I can give a warning."
…
Since Shao Yun had already killed the Doctor's segment clone, the Akademiya was thrown into chaos—and no mercenary ambush came.
Nahida, meanwhile, had modified the meditation device that once imprisoned her, making it impossible for either the Akademiya or the Fatui to contain her again. Thus, she was still able to act freely through Katheryne's body and move alongside Shao Yun and the others.
After a day of rest and waiting, Dehya's remaining crew finally arrived, and the group set out for Caravan Ribat.
Because they were carrying both wounded and the dead, the journey took three full days.
Throughout those three days, Shao Yun stayed on alert, sleepless, guarding against possible attacks.
…
By afternoon, the forest outside Caravan Ribat was unusually quiet. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting a dappled glow on the ground.
The group hid within the woods, waiting for Dehya to return from scouting the situation.
At last, her figure came into view—but as she drew nearer, everyone could see the heavy look on her face.
Leaning against a tree, Shao Yun noticed it right away. "Bad news?" he asked instinctively.
Dehya gave a grave nod, confirming his suspicion.
She took a deep breath and began to explain the situation in detail to Shao Yun, Lumine, Paimon, and Nahida.
"It's bad news, all right—Caravan Ribat has been completely sealed off. I was hoping to contact a few friends there, but it turns out the Fatui have taken control of the whole place. They're claiming to be acting under the Akademiya's orders, forbidding anyone from entering or leaving the desert."
"That leaves us only two options if we want to reach Aaru Village: either force our way through the blockade, or take one of the 'hidden paths' that wind between the sandstorm barriers."
She sighed. "But honestly… calling them 'paths' is generous. Many of them barely deserve to be called roads at all."
Her gaze drifted toward the mercenaries resting among the trees—many were wounded, and some were wrapped in burial cloths. With the group in such condition, even trying to take those so-called "paths" seemed impossible.
Just as the group was running out of options, Nahida finished communicating through the Akasha and spoke up. "I just contacted Alhaitham via the network. He's in Caravan Ribat right now—maybe he has a plan to deal with this."
Hearing the name, Shao Yun smirked slightly, a teasing glint in his eyes. "Ha, so your hidden ace finally comes into play."
Nahida nodded quietly and continued in her calm tone. "Alhaitham is currently staying at an inn called The Golden Sand Journey, room number four. Hopefully, he'll have an idea on how to deal with the Fatui."
…
Originally, Shao Yun planned to go alone—it would minimize the risk of exposure.
But Lumine and Paimon refused to let him go by himself. No matter how he tried to persuade them, they wouldn't back down, acting as though they were afraid he'd kill Alhaitham the moment they weren't looking.
Helplessly, Shao Yun agreed.
…
The three made their way to Caravan Ribat.
Because the Fatui had locked down all routes to the desert, the entire settlement felt eerily empty, with barely anyone in sight.
Still, they quietly reached The Golden Sand Journey and, following Nahida's directions, found Alhaitham's room.
Standing before the door, Shao Yun first pushed lightly—unlocked.
Out of courtesy, he knocked twice. When no answer came, he pushed the door open and stepped inside.
After all, he had knocked.
The three quickly scanned the room—an ordinary inn chamber, unremarkable in every way.
What stood out, though, was the man sitting by the window, calmly reading a book.
His hair was a unique gradient of silver, white, and gray, and his pale green eyes gave off a composed, calculating aura.
If Shao Yun's instincts—and Nahida's intel—were right, this had to be Alhaitham.
Tilting his chin slightly, Shao Yun smirked. "You must be Alhaitham. Gotta say, you look awfully relaxed, given the state the world's in."
Hearing the voice, Alhaitham slowly raised his expressionless face, studying Shao Yun up and down.
After a moment, he replied evenly, "Yes. Just passing the time—I wasn't sure when you'd arrive."
He closed his book and, almost to himself, continued, "You've made quite a scene in Sumeru City. 'Blood and chaos' would be an understatement. If I hadn't already spoken with the Little Lord Kusanali, I might've thought the civilians who died there were your doing."
Hearing that, Paimon's eyes went wide with confusion. "Huh? What's that supposed to mean? That's not what we saw happen!"
She tilted her head, completely lost.
Alhaitham rose from his chair by the window and began explaining clearly.
"You may not know this, but the reports from the Akasha claim Sumeru City was attacked by a violent group of Eremites. They detonated explosives all over the city, throwing everything into chaos. According to so-called 'reliable' sources, it was a declaration of war from King Deshret against the Greater Lord Rukkhadevata. Fortunately, the Fatui arrived in time to 'assist' and restore order."
Paimon puffed up her cheeks in outrage, fists on her hips. "What?! That's ridiculous! It was the Doctor and his modified Fatui soldiers that blew themselves up—they caused all that chaos! How could they twist it around to blame us?"
But Alhaitham only gave her a cold glance, his tone analytical and detached. "If you want to be precise, their true target was the desert people. As for you… the Grand Sage likely never even considered you a threat. In his eyes, you're not worth the attention."
Shao Yun's lips curled as he muttered under his breath, "He'll pay for his arrogance."
Alhaitham clearly heard that. After a moment of silence, he said calmly, "Regardless, the situation isn't in our favor. We're on the losing side."
Shao Yun quickly retorted, "No—we've still got a carefully laid plan. We just need to rest for now and recover our strength."
Alhaitham nodded slightly, expression unchanged—as if to say, You're not wrong, but you didn't need to say it out loud.
Then he gestured toward the window. "You want to go to Aaru Village, right? Then take a look outside."
He stepped over and gently cracked open the window, just enough for them to glimpse what lay beyond.