An Understated Dominance by Marina Vittori

“Ms. Linsor, this is what we found around the camp. It has a strange smell, and it must have attracted the desert rats.” Osley held
a pile of black stuff in his hands and walked over to Grace and others.
The pile of black stuff was the size of green peas. It appeared to be some sort of bait and had an awful stench.
“What’s this?” Grace was a little curious. She moved forward and gave the foul-smelling substance a sniff.
“It looks like a mixture of food and chemical substances. I experimented with it just now. The stench of this mixture can quickly
attract desert rats, “Osley explained.
“Hence, the desert rat invasion of our food supplies wasn’t an accident. Is someone plotting against us?” Grace’s suspicions
were quickly confirmed. It was obvious that this bait for the desert rats was not produced naturally.
“That’s very possible.” Osley nodded and replied, “This black substance was sprinkled around the camp of our food supplies. It
was an obvious attempt to lure the desert rats here.
“Besides, all of our night guards dozed off almost around the same time. It’s very likely that they were drugged. Judging from all
available evidence, I think there’s a rat among us!”
“They followed us all this way and decided to destroy our supplies when we took a break.
“In doing so, they know very well that we’ll be left without a backup plan. The mastermind is really cruel!” Grace’s gaze was chilly
as she narrowed her eyes.
She was sure that she made no enemies, but it was also true that someone was out there to thwart her plans. First, it was the
poisoning at the hotel. Now, it was the desert rat invasion. They were really out for blood!
It didn’t matter if she was a generous person. No one would tolerate this constant pestering.
“Damn it! If I find out the person behind this, I’d skin them alive!” Garett shouted angrily.
“The martial world is a dangerous place, and people are cruel. The trail that we followed is quite hidden, and how would an
outsider find out?” Dustin’s question struck a chord.

They left around midnight, and there was a sandstorm on their way here. It’d be very hard to track them down, given that the
sandstorm blew away any telltale signs of their existence. The possibility of having an inside rat was high, given the situation..

“Are you saying we have a mole?” Grace frowned and quickly understood what he meant.
“I’m not sure, but it’s highly likely. There isn’t any other plausible explanation.” Dustin nodded.
“Dustin, are you suspecting us?”
Jackson quickly explained himself to prove his innocence.
“The members of the Embersteel Order are all honorable people, and we’ll never do such a despicable deed. If you don’t believe
us, you can search our tent!”
“Jackson, calm down. Of course, I believe you!” Dustin smiled lightly.
“Hmph! If it were up to me, I’d never do anything as lame as this.
“If I wanted revenge, I would have just crushed my enemies with a fight. I have no need for cowardly acts like this.” Aidan
crossed his arms in front of him and huffed.
With his status as a grandmaster, who could stop him if he really wanted to commit a crime?
“Mr. Ridge is a respectable figure, and you’ll naturally not commit such a crime.” Dustin seized the opportunity to flatter him.
“Dustin Rhys, this is just your suspicion. If you don’t have concrete evidence, I suggest that you keep your suspicions to yourself.
Don’t even try to pick a fight,” Garett said unhappily.
“That’s right! We should be more united than ever now that this happened. We shouldn’t be suspicious of one another.
“We’d have fallen into the enemy’s trap if we got into a dispute.” The short -haired girl agreed.

“I was just guessing. We can’t harbor ill thoughts toward others, but at the same time, we must remain vigilant,” Dustin said
casually.
Using the desert rats to destroy their food supplies was a very clever move as it would leave no evidence behind. This was a
safe and skillful plan. The mastermind must be very smart.
“Everyone! Now is not the time to play the blame game. Can we please think of ways to overcome this situation?” Osley decided
to divert the topic.

“Mr. Will, how much supply do we have left?” Grace suddenly asked.
“I just asked someone to take inventory. We can only survive for around three days with what we have left.” Osley sighed lightly.
They initially had enough supplies to survive in the desert for a month. They didn’t have much left after the desert rat invasion.
“Three days?” Grace frowned slightly.” That’s too little for us even to continue our journey. Not to mention going back.
They were only reaching the oasis tomorrow, and she had no idea how long they would stay there. The supplies they had were
obviously insufficient.
“Ms. Linsor, what should we do now?” Osley asked inquisitively.
“Get two teams with you and return the way we came to replenish our supplies. When you have purchased enough, meet us at
the oasis. I will leave marks along the way.” Grace quickly decided.
Time was now of the essence. Everyone was searching for the oasis. If they went back as a whole team to restock their supplies,
they wouldn’t make it in time. They could go only separate ways now.

As long as Osley worked quickly enough to replenish their supplies and could meet them at the oasis in time, they would not
have to worry about the possible scenarios that might happen due to the scarcity, thereby avoiding some uncontrollable
variables.
“Ms. Linsor, if I’m taking away two teams, who would take care of your safety?” Osley hesitated.
“It’s alright. With Mr. Rhys here, no one could hurt me. Please do as I said as soon as possible.” Grace said calmly.
“Right away!” Osley glanced at Dustin and eventually nodded.
Others might not know Dustin’s identity, but he knew very well who Dustin was. With such a skillful grandmaster beside Grace,
he needn’t worry about her safety.
In the end, under Grace’s command, Osley started his journey back along with two smaller teams and a few dozen camels.
“Everyone, it’s not safe to stay here. Please pack up, and we’ll be on our way. “Grace didn’t ruminate over the loss of food
supplies. Instead, she chose to press forward.
The sky had become a little brighter, and the weather was just perfect for them to continue their journey. If they delayed any
longer, the sun would be out, and it’d be too hot for them to move.
The team walked and stopped in between. They spent almost the whole day walking in the desert.
They finally arrived at the oasis near evening. All of them were stunned beyond words when they finally saw the oasis with their
own eyes.
There was only one word in their mind. Spectacular!