"La la la... la la... la la..."
On the ruined altar, the song flowed gently.
One person kneeled and chanted in a low voice, while the other looked up at the sky.
The two of them were inside a tall, roofless tower. But from their perspective, the building looked more like a deep well, with only a brief moment each day when a ray of sunlight would shine down from above.
This short time was when the people of Roran prayed to their guardian deity.
"Still couldn't sense the dragon vein."
The young woman lowered her head and sighed almost imperceptibly. She turned her gaze to her mother, the current Queen of Roran, waiting quietly for the ceremony to end, without a hint of impatience.
Living in the desert, constantly battered by sand, this small oasis was a lifeline. So Sara felt grateful to the protector of Roran.
But at the same time, she felt that Roran, like this building, was like a lonely well in the desert, and they were frogs trapped inside.
Since she was old enough to understand, she had longed for the outside world.
Perhaps it was this unspoken desire that made it impossible for her to connect with the guardian deity.
As many thoughts floated through her mind, the surroundings suddenly darkened. Sara looked up in surprise. "Time went by so fast today... Is it time to move the Heavenly Mirror?"
Man-made structures are built straight and fixed, but the sun in the sky is not. As the seasons change, the angle is always shifting.
To ensure that sunlight accurately shines on the altar, the people of Roran had placed a large, adjustable mirror on the roofless tower.
But the sun's shift was slight, only needing adjustment every half-month at most. As far as Sara knew, it had just been moved a few days ago, so the timing didn't match.
Just as Sara was lost in thought, the Queen of Roran, who had been kneeling at the altar, suddenly stopped praying and opened her eyes, her face very serious. "Sandstorm... coming."
She didn't rely on sight. She noticed the abnormality slightly later than her daughter, but on the other hand, she saw more.
"How is that possible? It just passed a little while ago..." Sara stared, her voice shocked.
The harsh changes in the desert weather were indeed scary, but they weren't without patterns. The people of Roran had lived in the depths of the desert for so long, relying on more than just the protection of the dragon vein.
"Experience can be trusted, but not completely. How can humans fully understand the desert?"
The Queen of Roran shook her head, her expression serious. "Quick, issue the highest level of shelter order. This sandstorm is likely unprecedented, even the guardian feels uneasy."
"Yes!" Sara immediately understood the seriousness of the situation and ran towards the door.
This building was both a place for worship and the center of Roran, able to deliver information to the entire village as quickly as possible.
"Sigh..."
The Queen of Roran watched her daughter disappear and took a deep breath. She knelt down again at the altar and began to pray, silently thinking, "I hope Roran can safely overcome this crisis."
"La la la... la la... la la..."
The gentle song echoed once again on the ruined altar.
At the same time, a faint light gradually shone on the Queen of Roran's body.
…
The wind howled, gravel swirled, and endless sand swept through the sky as the storm grew.
Like a stone pillar reaching directly to the clouds, connecting heaven and earth in a magnificent display, it was also like an unspeakable giant beast, slowly crawling across the land, crushing all obstacles in its path.
The sky had darkened at some point, rare gray clouds quickly gathering in the desert, piling up into mountains and sweeping across the sky.
The sand tornado, with the force of swallowing heaven and earth, moved westward. Before it, Roran was as fragile as a child's sandcastle, not worth mentioning.
However, no matter how violent the tornado was, there was still a calm, windless area at its center.
A strange snake-man, tens of meters long, slowly moved, leaving a winding trail on the desert ground.
Orochimaru looked up, fine beads of sweat appearing on his face, each one no smaller than an adult's fist.
Although he had used some tricks, borrowing a newborn sandstorm to escalate a natural disaster, creating such a large disturbance was a considerable burden even for his main body.
However, Orochimaru was curious about something else. He turned his head to look at the Genie Lamp beside him. "It's strange, it's going to rain at this time?"
Even in the desert regions close to the sea, it might not rain often in a year, let alone in the depths of the desert like Roran.
He didn't think it was a coincidence, but was convinced that it was affected by his actions, but he wasn't very clear about the principle.
No matter how powerful the spinning sandstorm was, it was just an Earth Release ninjutsu enhanced with Sage Arts. How could it gather clouds and cause rain?
"Well... the logic is simple."
The Genie Lamp rubbed his chin, thought for a moment, and explained, "The formation of clouds or rain is due to the water vapor evaporating and gathering around dust particles in the air, which act as condensation nuclei. When illuminated by sunlight, they form the appearance of clouds."
"And when water droplets gather too much and the atmosphere can't support them, they fall from the sky, forming rain."
"Although invisible to the naked eye, there is even much water vapor in the desert. Ordinary people are unable to keep them, but the sandstorm you created has enough weight."
"I see..." Orochimaru nodded slightly, but looking through the sand at the fine rain that accompanied the tornado, he was still somewhat confused. "Can there be so much water vapor in the desert?"
"Uh..." The Genie Lamp paused for a moment, wanting to say that it might have been intercepted from high altitudes, but when he leaned forward and discovered that Orochimaru hadn't created a sandstorm on such a massive scale, he pondered for a moment. "Well... it may be related to Roran. This place is an oasis, so the amount of water may be larger than other places."
"That makes sense." Orochimaru wanted to ask something else, but the Genie Lamp waved his hand. "The mysteries of the world are vast, and I don't know much either. If you're so curious, you can explore it yourself in the future, or find some helpers in this world to help you study."
Logically speaking, if he had just graduated from high school and become a Genie Lamp, he could have discussed it further with Orochimaru, but after graduating from college and working in society for several years, the little science he knew was long gone.
There was no way around it; he had learned dry knowledge back then. Who would have thought that he would later have the opportunity to use these principles to leverage the power of heaven and earth?
But the Genie Lamp wasn't discouraged. In the previous three worlds, whether it was the Soul Society or the Demon Slayer world, Master Kakuzu only studied extraordinary powers, and the initial world, although civilization had once developed to an extremely prosperous state, was half-destroyed by war, leaving only a sea of decay and giant insects living in it.
The protagonist he possessed wasn't even human, just a fungus plant trying to restore the ecosystem, so there was even less chance to come into contact with top-tier technological knowledge.
This deficiency needed to be made up for in later worlds; for now, he should focus more on extraordinary powers.
Seeing that he couldn't get any extra knowledge from the Genie Lamp, Orochimaru simply gave up and nodded slightly. "I'll keep this in mind."
Relying solely on himself to explore the entire knowledge system was too troublesome. Even if Orochimaru had eternal life, he wouldn't do it. Compared to that, he now preferred to pay a reward and use the power of others to do things for him.
"Speaking of which, the desert is still too restrictive." The Genie Lamp tilted his head and said again, "If you want to trigger torrential rain, I still have a few other methods..."
Orochimaru controlled the sand tornado to move slowly, while listening distractedly to the Genie Lamp's narration.
In fact, this natural disaster, enough to destroy Roran or even any large ninja village, was troublesome for Orochimaru, but not important; just a necessary means to achieve an end.
He and the Genie Lamp did not care; compared to that, this knowledge was more important.
…
But someone cared.
In the town of Roran, with the earlier warning alarm and the approach of that terrifying heavenly power, some chaotic commotion inevitably occurred.
This noise might seem insignificant under the storm and thunder, like the buzz of mosquitoes drowned out by a spinning fan, but to those experiencing it firsthand, it was like a thunderous bell.
Anxiety, fear, restlessness... dropped onto the surface of a lake, causing ripples to spread. Those circles of undulating waves collided with others and spread back with even greater amplitude.
Everyone was generating negative emotions, everyone was infecting those around them with negative emotions, and everyone was being infected by the negative emotions of those around them.
If it were allowed to continue, perhaps these people would collapse before the disaster struck.
But this situation didn't last. A gentle, melodious song suddenly rang out, clearly entering everyone's ears, even though it was just like a soft whisper.
The song didn't have particularly exquisite lyrics, just simple tonal fluctuations, but the people of Roran, listening to these, actually calmed down.
The retreat to the underground shelter began to become orderly and swift.
And when the people of Roran found their places in the shelter, they began to close their eyes and kneel on the floor to pray.
A little white light gradually lit up.
Thousands upon thousands gathered together, actually forming a layer of barrier in the air, firmly covering the refuge and blocking out the wind and sand.
Inside the sacrificial hall, the Queen of Roran, supported by her people, let out a slight breath.
In the past, building this protective layer would almost mean a smooth passing of the sand disaster, but this time was different.
Her will was now connected to the dragon vein, and she could clearly sense what kind of terrifying monster was approaching.
"We must draw out more power from the dragon vein."
As she thought this, the Queen of Roran made a decision. She looked at her daughter, "Sara, come with me."
"Me?" Sara was taken aback. "Can I do it?"
"You can," the Queen of Roran naturally wouldn't undermine her daughter's confidence at this time, and spoke words of encouragement.
"..." Sara knew there was no room for hesitation at this moment. Seeing her mother reaching out to her, she immediately stepped forward and took her hand.
In an instant, a vast and boundless will connected and descended upon her, almost completely engulfing her mind.
But in the next moment, a familiar aura came into contact and helped her to temporarily stabilize her mind.
"Remember that melody."
A gentle voice rang in her ear, containing a solemn reminder.
Sara didn't dare delay; almost forced by the gradually climbing shadow of death, she cast aside the distracting thoughts in her mind. All sorts of chaotic emotions dissolved, leaving behind only pure will.
Almost at the same time, a melodious melody echoed in her mind, a song she had heard thousands of times since she was a child.
Sara's physical body in the outside world also couldn't help but begin to hum.
In an instant, that vast will was no longer lofty and distant, but had a bit of naivety, as pure as a newborn infant.
But with the protection of this will, Sara was no longer in danger of her mind collapsing.
"Phew..."
Seeing this, the Queen of Roran breathed out a sigh of relief.
Although the dragon vein was a condensed mass of enormous energy, it didn't have a clear consciousness like a Tailed Beast. It was more like a product of countless sacrifices by the ancestors.
One had to master the appropriate method, as well as a little bit of luck, to establish a connection with it.
Otherwise, without the dragon vein's active acceptance, the consciousness of ordinary humans would directly dissolve within it.
Allowing Sara to try this time was indeed a rash move, but the Queen of Roran was actually somewhat confident.
After all, this child had been participating in sacrifices with her since she was young, and was also her own daughter, with very similar auras. If a risk-free connection could be established under normal circumstances, that would be best, but this was also a moment where there was an opportunity to take a gamble.
"With Sara here, there might be a greater chance of overcoming this crisis."
As this thought flashed through her mind, the Queen of Roran guided her daughter to begin mobilizing more dragon vein energy.
…
The storm raged, and the sand tornado, carrying endless sand and gravel, finally reached Roran.
This village of desert people was almost instantly hit by a fierce attack.
Countless carts, doors, windows, decorative buildings, were torn up by a huge force, tossed into the sky, and whirled around with the sand and rocks.
The storm's path was almost unstoppable, easily carving out a wide road.
But even with such immense power, the underground shelters built by the people of Roran remained stable as ever.
This was not only due to the appropriate structure and materials but also to the ethereal white light on the outside, which dissipated approximately eighty percent of the impact, leaving the remainder unable to pose too great a threat.
"..."
Orochimaru slowly moved on the sand, his gaze passing through the sand, confirming each of the underground dwellings one by one. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
"This is truly interesting. This trip to Roran was the right one."
Although the nature was slightly different, that white light, in his perception, was clearly natural energy.
Even ordinary people could use natural energy. If a sage like him were to absorb it, it would naturally be even more suitable.
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