Every breath carried the gritty sensation of sand, and a wave of thirst washed over him, making him unable to resist untying the water pouch Ace had given him and carefully taking two small sips.
The cool water slid down his throat, temporarily alleviating the discomfort.
"Little brother, is this your first time in a place like our Alabasta?" Matar asked, observing Tomioka's expression facing the sandstorm and then looking at Tomioka's clothes.
"Yes," Tomioka replied.
"Ah hahaha, I can tell just by looking."
Matar chuckled, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes deepening. "After all, your clothes are quite noticeable, little brother; they're not our style here. How is this place, by the way... pretty bad, right?"
He seemed to be talking to himself, his voice filled with deep weariness and helplessness: "It's all sand, stretching endlessly... not a speck of life..."
He looked up at the scorching sun, sighing: "And, in such a hot place... it doesn't even rain... truly, the heavens are not looking favorably upon us."
"Little brother, you should also drink your water sparingly. In this desert, water is life."
The sky, as always, showed not a single dark cloud.
Just then, Batu sidled up, tugged at his grandfather's clothes, and whispered, "Grandpa... I, I want some water too..."
A hint of embarrassment and heartache appeared on Matar's face. He stroked Batu's head, his voice a little dry: "Hold on a little longer, Batu, be good. It'll be fine once we reach Alubarna... Grandpa will definitely buy you water there."
The child looked at his grandfather, sensibly not making a fuss, just quietly lowering his head, licking his somewhat cracked lips, and softly humming in agreement.
Tomioka watched this scene without speaking.
He simply untied his own water pouch and offered it to Batu.
Seeing this, Matar quickly tried to stop him, his face filled with alarm, "No, no, no! Benefactor, there's no need, truly no need!"
"We'll reach it soon. Water is very precious in the desert, we can't take your water... You've already helped us so much, we're already very embarrassed..."
Tomioka was a little stunned. In his opinion, sharing water was the most direct and simple help at that moment. He didn't quite understand why the old man would refuse this resource.
He didn't speak, just continued to offer the water pouch to Batu.
Batu looked up, gazing at the water pouch longingly, then at his grandfather. He didn't dare to take it.
Matar looked at his grandson's longing eyes, finally sighed, and a helpless yet grateful smile appeared on his face as he nodded to Batu:
"Drink, Batu, and remember to say thank you."
"Yes, yes!!! Thank you, big brother!!!"
Batu's face immediately broke into a smile. He carefully took the water pouch as if it were a treasure, and gulped down a mouthful.
As the cool water flowed down his throat, he comfortably narrowed his eyes.
Then, he thought for a moment and offered the water pouch to his grandfather: "Grandpa, you drink too!" Matar immediately waved his hand, truly embarrassed, "Grandpa isn't thirsty, you drink it all."
But Batu held onto his grandfather's pant leg, stubbornly saying, "Grandpa, you drink a sip too! Just one sip!"
Matar looked at his grandson, then at Tomioka, who also nodded slightly.
The old man probably felt his throat was indeed so dry it was about to smoke, and finally stopped refusing, taking the water pouch.
He didn't drink directly from it, but tilted his head slightly, carefully letting the water pouch tip, pouring just a small sip to moisten his lips and throat, then immediately capped the water pouch and carefully handed it back to Tomioka.
"Thank you! Thank you so much, you truly are a great benefactor!" Matar's voice was tinged with a choke.
Tomioka took the water pouch. "It's nothing." He tied the water pouch and, remembering Matar's earlier words, asked: "What's going on with the lack of rain?"
At the mention of this, a bitter smile appeared on Matar's face. He let out a heavy sigh and began to pour out the unpleasantness that belonged to all the people of Alabasta to the outsider Tomioka.
"Alabasta... sigh, it's truly a sin... In recent years, most places... haven't had a single drop of rain."
"Except for Alubarna, where we're headed. It rains there from time to time."
Hearing this, Batu immediately looked up and loudly said, "That's because the King used the Dancing..."
"Silence! Batu!" The old man suddenly shouted, interrupting his grandson's words. His expression was unprecedentedly stern, not allowing Batu to continue.
He looked in the direction they were heading, recalling a figure, and merely said: "King Cobra... He, he definitely isn't that kind of person, he wouldn't do such a thing... There must be a misunderstanding! It must be a misunderstanding!"
Batu shrank his neck from his grandfather's roar, but still grumbled under his breath, unconvinced: "It clearly is him... Everyone says so... Why does it only rain in Alubarna..."
Tomioka looked at the emotional Matar and the wronged Batu. He was silent for a moment, then asked: "What kind of person is the King?"
Hearing this question, Matar's emotions seemed to calm a little, as if he was lost in thought, and the wrinkles on his face smoothed out somewhat.
"King Cobra..." He spoke slowly, his voice filled with reverence.
"He's a good King... Many years ago, I once saw him with my own eyes in the market of Alubarna, selling my goods."
"He didn't sit in a high carriage like other nobles, but wore simple clothes and walked among the people. He would stop and ask how the vegetable sellers' business was, he would pat children's heads, he would listen carefully to us common folk... He even asked me if the harvest was good that year, and if my family had any difficulties..."
Matar's description was simple, even a little trivial.
"A King like that... how could he... how could he do something to harm the country? I don't believe it..." His voice gradually faded.
The King, in the eyes of the two generations, had completely different images. And those strange Royal Army soldiers just now... this country... is indeed very strange.
Tomioka listened quietly. He finally just hummed in response, "Mm," and didn't say anything more.
Just then, Tomioka's gaze caught a point on the distant horizon, gradually enlarging. In the boundless sea of sand, that speck of green stood out remarkably.
"It should be that way," Tomioka raised his hand and pointed in that direction, "Alubarna?"
Matar followed the direction Tomioka pointed, his voice rising with a hint of excitement: "That's it! It's Alubarna! We're almost there!!!"
"Yay!!!"
Batu also jumped up, forgetting his earlier displeasure, then ran to pat the camel, loudly encouraging it: "Come on! We're almost there! You'll get water too when we arrive!"