The Distinguished Mr. Rose Chapter 94: Chapter 93: City of Desert Sands

Read chapter 94 of The Distinguished Mr. Rose by QuiteTheSlacker on NovelPedia.

Chapter 93: City of Desert Sands Much to Lucius’s disappointment, he did not have any opportunities to speak with the other Peers: not alone, at least. Roland and Angelica kept strictly silent all throughout their voyage in the skies. And when the odd moment came that the group landed for a night of rest, they quickly hurried off to their rooms and shut themselves in, unwilling to take any visitors. It wasn’t that the two of them intended to be mean spirited or distant from the players. Rather, their true discomfort lay with each other. Lucius saw a pained and somewhat embarrassed look in Sir Roland whenever he met the lady’s eyes. Angelica was a bit similar, albeit her feelings were more harsh. Astolfo on the other hand was more than willing to mingle with the others. The young man’s bright personality brought them together, and oftentimes they even found themselves playing the occasional card game. Lucius’s favorite was a unique Frankish take on poker. It made for great fun, although it became quite complicated once the 150 different joker types were introduced. >[Number 1 Rated Salesman 1997 discreetly looks at the other players’ hands and then whispers the answers to Lucius]< >[Virtual Goddess of the Wired gasps and says that’s cheating]< >[Wild West Gunslinger smirks and tells the Star no hard feelings, but a game’s a game. Cheating’s also a skill if you’re crafty enough]< Thus did the next two weeks pass by without a care. Everyone tried to remain cheerful, but it was clear that the strained relationship between the two began to affect everyone’s mood. Fortunately, their minds would soon be preoccupied, for little by little the fields of Francia disappeared to make way for a grand stretch of sand, sparkling like glittering gemstones under the light of the midday suns. It was a mesmerizing sight; and though it didn’t quite have the same gentle air as its religious neighbors, the dunes scattered about had their own unique charm. It was as if they had just entered a great and mighty sea. One could look out into the horizon and still fail to see an end, and yet there was something peaceful about how vast this land was. Back in Francia, Lucius was always accompanied by the sounds of swaying wheat and flowing water. Here, there was a thoughtful quiet only broken by the occasional gust of wind; and the flat sand looked like artwork with its long wavy lines and grooves. Lucius was tempted to jump in and swim freely with how smooth it all appeared. The sight reminded him of the time he visited the deserts of Egypt and found himself escaping a rather surprising entourage of mummies and undead creatures after having disturbed the ancient tomb of Tutankhamun. It turned out that the pharaoh's curse was real after all—who would’ve thought? After a few more hours of flight, a faint silhouette crept into view from the distance. The group’s destination, Arabia, was finally within sight. “Is there anything we must know about local culture before we descend?” Lucius said to the Peers. The chariot’s speed had lessened since the city was within sight, so the wind’s howl was much less intrusive. The answer to the gentleman’s question, however, few seemed to know. Roland coughed into his fist. “There is no need for such knowledge. The ones we’ll soon meet are likely familiar with the ways of the Franks.” “It is still polite to respect their practices, my friend.” “Yes, I… suppose it is. Regretfully I am not familiar with the Saracen ways myself.” “That is surprising. I heard from Sir Astolfo that you were the leader of the Arabian conquest efforts.” “The only skills required of me back then were strategy and leadership. His late Holiness, Pepin the One Who Ambushes From the Barren Sands, thought their people lowly and forbade us from replicating their ways. I was to close off my eyes and ears, for to listen to even a word of their language would taint the sanctity of the Frankish tongue.” The other players looked at him in horror. Roland descr