“Where are we?”
Gazing ahead at the endless expanse of yellow sand, countless sand dunes piled up, and towering cliffs.
Paimon almost stuck out her tongue to dissipate the heat.
“How… much longer until we cross this sea of sand?”
Even though she was flying the whole time, she felt more exhausted than Lumine and Luo Chen.
There was no way around it, under the blazing sun, even the air had a slight distortion.
The little one had never encountered such a harsh environment on their journey, and her eyes were starting to blur.
“Soon, after crossing the Great Red Sand Sea, we'll reach our destination.”
Luo Chen casually gave a perfunctory answer. Before him, all that could be seen was a golden world, with occasional gusts of wind whipping up sand.
After leaving Sumeru City, the three of them were now headed for the Eternal Oasis, located above the Great Red Sand Sea.
Or rather, the place where the Eternal Oasis once existed.
The entire Central Landmass was divided into three regions during the Age of the Gods.
The Life-Sustaining Rainforest where the Great Dendro King resided, the Great Red Sand Sea where the Scarlet King lurked, and finally the Flower Sea Nursery where Luo Chen and the Flower God resided.
“Wow! What's that over there, such a magnificent structure!”
Not long after entering the Great Red Sand Sea, the previously listless Paimon suddenly perked up, widening her eyes as she looked at the majestic building in the distance that seemed to connect the sky and the earth.
The massive structure resembled a pyramid, and above it was an inverted triangular platform that defied the laws of physics, standing opposite to it.
Just by looking at it, the magnificence and wildness of antiquity were palpable.
Luo Chen also looked in the same direction, a nostalgic look flashing in his eyes.
“That's the Scarlet King's Tomb, the legacy of the ancient God of Desolation who once ruled this desert.”
Seeing the tomb, he remembered the scene of Ahkmar falling into the abyss in front of him.
The solitary king, with the intention of opening up a new era for his children, had strayed from the path and fallen into the trap of fate.
Sensing the strange emotions in Luo Chen, Lumine did not press him but simply kept the Scarlet King Ahkmar in mind.
It was probably like the ancient Salt God and the Vortex God of Liyue.
“You know a lot about that God?”
Since they were on a journey, Lumine simply asked him about Sumeru's ancient history to pass the time.
Luo Chen's reputation for vast knowledge was well-known in Liyue, so he should know at least some of the secrets of Sumeru.
“Know? Hehe.”
It wasn't just about knowing. He had witnessed the entire era, from the establishment of Guili City by Ahkmar's people, the rise of the Thousand Nations City-States, to their eventual demise.
If even those who experienced it firsthand didn't know, no one would.
“Since you're curious, some knowledge might be useful later, so I'll tell you about it.”
“Let me see, where should I start.”
After collecting his thoughts, suppressing the unsettling feelings of being in this familiar place, Luo Chen began to slowly recount the story of that era.
“Legend has it that a thousand years ago, before the Foolish King was swallowed by the dunes, before the vast, shattered, gilded land, countless short-lived city-states scattered like scattered stars.”
“In an era where kingdoms rose and fell like castles in the sand, where heroes descended and vanished like meteors, the narratives of the sand sea were scattered everywhere...”
Luo Chen's voice became low, as if he had returned to that ancient, untamed Age of the Gods.
The tone, tinged with the vicissitudes of time, immediately captivated Lumine and Paimon's attention.
And so, as he narrated the myths, the three of them crossed the Great Red Sand Sea, gradually advancing towards the location of the Eternal Oasis, which had long been forgotten by the people of Sumeru.
It wasn't much different from listening to a story, Paimon would occasionally interject and ask about topics that interested her.
Like the various Gods' respective retainers.
“Retainers?”
Luo Chen paused and said, “The retainers of the lord of this sand sea are precisely those wandering constructs you saw in front of the Scarlet King's Tomb, which have been wandering for a thousand years without stopping.”
“What about the Grass God?”
“You saw them when you first arrived in Sumeru.”
Upon hearing this, Lumine and Paimon were both stunned.
They couldn't remember when they had seen the Grass God's retainers.
“You're not trying to pull our legs, are you?!” Paimon stared at him with a look of suspicion.
Luo Chen smiled faintly and said, “The creatures you saw on your first day that you called 'mushroom-like' are the Grass God's retainers, forest spirits born from the Aaru Tree, called Aranara.”
“Ah? That little thing is the Grass God's retainer?!”
Paimon was taken aback, feeling a strange sense of absurdity.
A god's retainer that looked like that, it didn't feel majestic at all, it was more like there was a kind of cute, ugly beauty.
“You're not much bigger than an Aranara.”
“Hey! Don't compare Paimon to those things!”
After vehemently protesting, the white, floating spirit mumbled something about how she wasn't that strange.
Ignoring her deranged companion's mutterings, Lumine, for once, took the initiative to ask:
“Are there only these two Gods in Sumeru?”
“Of course not, there's one last one, the Flower God.”
“The Flower God? The place we're going is related to her?”
It must be said that Lumine was very smart, even though Luo Chen didn't mention it, she had an inkling of something.
Turning his head to meet the golden-haired girl's gaze, he didn't answer, instead, he shifted the topic and played coy.
“You'll find out soon enough, and you'll even witness the final retainers belonging to the Flower God.”
Lumine: “...”
I hate it when you’re like this, a real riddle person! You’re so annoying!
Why can't you just say everything at once, why do you have to keep me hanging?
“We're here!”
Before her mood could recover from its gloom, Luo Chen's reminder made Lumine and Paimon unconsciously gaze ahead.
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