System's POV - Chapter 1340

Chapter 1340: After What We Went Through, This Is Nothing
A day later, Soren, Julia, and the rest of the Wanderers finally saw their missing comrades, but they looked different from before. All their eyes looked like those of a dead fish.

Rocky had unloaded them outside the city. They didn’t have even a scratch when they were found, all thanks to the Troll Shamans who made sure to heal them properly.

But the injury in their hearts, minds, and even souls would haunt them for the rest of their lives.

“What happened to them?” Soren asked Zion.

“You don’t want to know,” replied Pica, who just landed on Zion’s shoulder.

“Some words are better left unspoken,” Pico said sagely. “For they might taint your soul.”

The two Poco Pocos had seen how their Master’s monster army taught the annoying Wanderers a lesson so that none of them would dare to question their Master’s orders again.

Thirteen walked up to the dazed-looking young men and women in front of him before clapping his hands twice.

“Attention!” Thirteen shouted.

As if they had heard an absolute command, all the dazed Wanderers stood up straight and gave the teenage boy a salute.

Even Jason and Bob were paying their respect to the person who had made them experience hell while they were still very much alive.

“From now on, I want everyone to do their best to accomplish our mission without fail,” Thirteen stated. “Do I make myself clear?”

“”Sir, yes, Sir!””

“Any acts of insubordination and mutiny will not be tolerated. If one of you does anything, all of you will be punished. Do I make myself clear?”

“”Sir, yes, Sir!””

Thirteen nodded. “Wash yourselves properly, then eat up. We will be leaving this place in three hours. Now, go!”

The Wanderers obeyed and ran to the nearest river to wash away the intoxicating smell of Giga’s you-know-what, which had been reapplied to their bodies many times until their minds nearly broke apart.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the initiation they experienced would make anyone, including Thrones and Monarchs, obey Zion without question.

This sudden change made the remaining Wanderers look at Zion in awe and respect. After all, they couldn’t do anything back when Jason and his gang made things difficult for them.

A few hours later, a grand migration of Wanderers finally took place.

Leading the pack was Rocky, with Zion sitting on the top of its head.

The night before, he went to the Domain of the Apocalypse. In his discussion with Metatron, he asked for directions to Mount Olympus.

The God of the Apocalypse chuckled before tossing a compass to the teenage boy.

“That compass will always point to Mount Olympus,” Metatron had said back then.

Now that he knew where to go, Thirteen didn’t hesitate to bring all the Wanderers with him to check the place where the Celestial Army was headed.

His scouts had already gone ahead, ready to report any danger that they would face along the way.

They were currently at a place called Outerlands, located in the southwestern region of the main continent of Solterra.

According to Metatron, they had a long journey ahead of them. They would still need to traverse a desert that spanned thousands of miles, and their journey to Mount Olympus was double that distance.

The desert had once been vast, fertile lands, destroyed after the Celestials and the Fiends chose it as their battlefield for their first major battle.

The Wanderers who had joined Zion’s group also received the notification of the mission that the teenage boy had.

Perhaps “The One” pitied them, so he brought Zion to help them return to society.

Along the way, they had many opportunities to fight against Monsters, which were guided by Roland and Derek.

The Wanderers were more than happy to fight alongside the Hero Party, gaining items and enriching their battle experience in the process.

Thirteen didn’t participate in these battles and merely observed everyone’s abilities. He also assigned new team compositions, as well as shift rotations.

Every single Wanderer was put into either Hunting, Night Watch, Gathering, Scouting, Logistics, or Fighting Teams, continuously pushing them outside their comfort zones.

This setup lasted for an entire month before Thirteen finally understood everyone’s abilities.

Since he prioritized efficiency above all else, he made up new teams, matching those with complementary skill sets.

The three Champions had their own teams.

Jason for fighting.

Soren for scouting.

And Julia in logistics.

Roland and Derek were also assigned their own teams, and they would always be on the frontlines whenever a battle started.

Nothing inspired others more than a Hero fighting as a vanguard. Just a look at them raised everyone’s morale.

Both old and new Wanderers also gradually grew familiar with each other and had started to act like a true military battalion.

Another week passed, and they finally arrived in the desert, one of the most dangerous parts of their journey.

They had created many carts, which carried their food and water.

But crossing the desert with these in tow was not advisable.

Fortunately, Rocky could just stuff their supplies inside its mobile fortress, allowing everyone to move with the bare minimum items for survival.

The temperature shifted the moment the Wanderers stepped onto the sands.

The wind, once warm, suddenly blew dry and harsh, like a rasp scraping against their skin.

Even breathing felt different here, heavy with heat and ancient dust.

“This is the border…” Roland muttered as he looked at the endless dunes. “From here on, things get rough.”

“This is nothing,” Jason commented, his voice strangely calm. “After what we went through, this is nothing.”

A few Wanderers shuddered at his words as those with memories of Giga’s “initiation ritual” fully understood what Jason meant with his words.

Compared to that torment, the desert felt like a vacation paradise.

“Stay alert.” Thirteen reminded everyone. “This desert isn’t empty. Something always lives in a place where life shouldn’t thrive. Let Rocky load our wagons first. This will be a long journey, but I promise everyone that we will eventually reach our destination.”

Pica and Pico flew in circles above Rocky’s head like little vigilant drones always on the lookout for trouble.

Julia then asked about something that mattered to her. “How long will it take us to cross this desert?”

“Two months at the fastest,” Zion answered. “Three or more if we get into trouble.”

Kamrusepa and Camazotz had warned Thirteen that the Samara Desert overlapped four territories belonging to three Majin Princes and a Majin Princess.