The next day, February 6, after breakfast, Jin and his group went on a tour of the Shoro Kingdom, this time in a .

The ten members were Jin, Elsa, Reiko, Hope, Marikka, Hanako, Daikie, Cocona, Goh, and Rubina.

We first went to Barlak, a town close to the Hariri Desert.

The distance from Loizart is about 280 km. <.

"Wow, Lake Tosmo looks so small.

"It really looks like a box garden."

Goh and Rubina crawl on their stomachs against the floor window and stare out at the outside world.

"Oh, what about that mountain?"

"That's Mt. Baksa. ......."

Goh answered, looking at the map provided.

"That looks like the Hariri Desert in the distance.

"Yes, that's right.

The faintly visible Harihari Desert was rapidly approaching.

"How fast is it going now?"

"About 300 kilometers an hour, I think."

Goh's answer is a rough estimate based on the distance to Loisart and the time required, but it is about right.

Hanako, who has a crush on Reiko, takes this opportunity to ask her many questions, and Marikka is talking with Elsa about the .

And...

"Wow, you're fast," she says.

"I enjoyed it."

Jin was happy to see that Daikie and Cocona also enjoyed the flight.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

At 8:00 a.m., they arrived at the town of Barlak.

The plane parks at the airfield outside the town. He will stay there for about two hours.

The airfield here is an empty plain, so I asked Hope to stay at the airfield.

"Master, I'll take care of it.

"You're in good hands, Hope."

The group wanted to go ...... into town, but the distance from the airfield seemed to be about a kilometer, and that would take up half an hour for the round trip.

"I'm glad I packed my car for this kind of situation."

Usually, I carry a Taube Kai or Southern Cross, but this time, the old man had warned me the day before and I had loaded a large 10-seater car.

"You have prepared everything in advance, haven't you?

"That's what Jin-sama does, isn't it?"

"Yeah. ...... I should learn from him.

Goh and Rubina are talking like that. Jin felt that the two had grown a little closer.

"Okay, let's go."

Reiko drove the car.

Even though it is a large car, it is designed to be loaded on the <> and is an open car to save weight.

The roof is covered for rainy weather.

It is a nice day today, so it is not necessary.

It takes about three minutes to reach the town of Barlak by car.

We pass through the thick wall that surrounds the town.

Goh wants to see the Hariri Desert the most, so we drive through the town.

We will visit the town on the way back.

"What is that wall for?"

"To protect the town from sandworms.

"Oh, I see. Sandworms are a specialty here in the Harihari Desert.

That's right.

Sandworms are five-meter-long caterpillar-like creatures that live underground in the desert.

As a human, I think they are more like leeches than caterpillars.

The sandworm usually feeds on underground magic, but when its territory is disturbed, it comes out to the ground and attacks.

Because their leather is used as a magical material, hunting parties regularly visit the desert.

Jin and his men came to the wall on the side of the desert.

Are you tourists?

"Are you tourists?" "Yes.

"No problem for now, but watch out for sandworms. You're on your own.

I understand.

On the Hariri Desert side, the doors on the fence are closed to prevent sandworms from attacking, and are opened when necessary.

When hunting is in progress, the public is not allowed to pass through, but on this particular day, there was no problem.

Jin and his group passed through the fence without incident, and exited to the side of the Hariri Desert.

"Wow! ......!"

Goh exclaimed, unusually loudly.

"It's an amazing view!"

"It's all rock and sand. ...... Hey Jin-sama, the Hariri Desert is not all sand, is it?"

Rubina questioned.

Jin explains to her.

"Yes, it is. <

The , which stretches to the west of Mitskho, is a .

Originally, the word "desert" meant "land of little water", not "land of sand".

So the character for <> was originally used, but when the use of <> was discontinued due to restrictions on the use of kanji for the local language, <> was substituted.

Therefore, the nursery rhyme <> is often written as <> nowadays, but it was originally written as <>.

In fact, the Japanese Society for Desert Studies uses the character <>.

As a side note, in situations where the characters are used, they are written in the form of <>> and <>>.

Furthermore, as a side note, I would like to use <> for <> as a common noun in this work, and <> for proper nouns.

I'll leave it at that.

So this Harihari Desert is a gravel desert.

Of course, there is sand, too. .......

"You should put this on."

Jin handed everyone a hooded parka.

Without it, we might be covered in sand before we know it.

"Ah, yes."

"...... Jin-sama, you are so well prepared after all."

These clothes are a must, as they also serve to block out the ultraviolet rays.

"Reiko, be careful not to get attacked by sandworms.

Yes, Father.

The sandworms come so close to the ground that we humans are not likely to notice them.

There are cases in which they are swallowed up when they are thought to have appeared.

In this respect, we can rest assured that Reiko will be on the lookout for them.

Goh is excitedly looking around the southeastern edge of the Hariri Desert .......

At first Rubina was with him, but eventually she got tired and came over to Jin and the others.

"What's wrong?"

"I didn't expect ...... Goh to be so childish."

Rubina answered Jin's question with a slight pout.

"Well, I don't think he's childish at all, but more like he's trying to satisfy his thirst for knowledge with all his might."

"I don't think so."

Rubina is not interested in the desert?

"Well, yes, a little, but not that much. ......"

Rubina looked at Goh who was moving from place to place.

"Haha, understanding other people's tastes is important in interpersonal relationships.

"I understand that, but..."

"Rubina, is there anything else you are interested in besides making things?"

"Well, I can't think of any ......"

"I don't think I can think of anything.　I got a brooch ...... from a glasswork shop, what was it?"

"Because I liked the design. I think that's also a manufacturing thing."

"Will it become a thing?　I'm not good at designing, either.

Jin agreed with what Rubina said. He was not good at designing, so he sometimes referred to what he liked.