Chapter 156: The Great Pyramid

"Please come in."

Sun Licheng warmly invited Solomon into the tent.

Looking at the interior furnishings, Solomon could not help but nod. Sun Licheng still maintained his habits from Earth; the tent was not only clean, but various items were arranged quite neatly, differing greatly from the usual filth and disorder of ordinary goblins.

"I wonder what brings Your Excellency to me?"

Sun Licheng poured Solomon a ceramic bowl of fragrant tea and then asked.

"An interesting beverage, yet quite delicious."

Solomon took a sip of the tea and praised it profusely.

Besides discovering cassava around the Crimson Flame Tribe, Sun Licheng had also found some tea leaves he had previously collected in the Blossoming Tribe. Accustomed to drinking tea, he had dried some and kept them by his side. By now, drinking this kind of tea had already become popular throughout the entire Crimson Flame Tribe and the caravan.

"It is like this. I heard that Your Excellency Sun Licheng has been inquiring about the three Goddesses of Time."

Solomon set down his tea bowl and said to Sun Licheng.

Sun Licheng chuckled lightly and replied, "Indeed I am. I wonder if Your Excellency has any insights to offer?"

With that, Sun Licheng fixed his gaze intently on the half-elf.

"Haha. Your Excellency Sun Licheng, do not be nervous. I mean no harm."

Seeing Sun Licheng's guarded posture, Solomon burst out laughing.

Yet, after he finished laughing, seeing that Sun Licheng had not relaxed at all, he offered a wry smile and said, "How much do you know about the Sandmen?"

"Sandmen?"

Sun Licheng looked puzzled.

Solomon took another sip of the tea and began to explain.

The so-called Sandmen were not a single race, but rather a collective term for the people living within the desert.

It is said that during the ancient divine wars, the ancestors of these Sandmen disobeyed the commands of the deities and refused to attack the enemy, leading the great Majesties to banish them into the desert to fend for themselves and perish. Ten thousand years have passed, yet these exiled people did not all die out; instead, they tenaciously survived within the harsh desert.

Because of the divine punishment, they had no way to migrate inland and could only live within the desert oases, thus creating a unique civilization—the Sandman civilization.

"What does my search for the three Goddesses of Time have to do with the Sandmen?"

After listening to the origin of the Sandmen, Sun Licheng was still at a loss.

"Do not be impatient. Did you know that one of the tribes among the Sandmen has always worshipped the Goddess of Time? I wonder if you might be interested in this news?"

Solomon waved his hand and said.

Naturally, Sun Licheng was interested.

The divine offices in this world were all-encompassing, with many even keeping pace with the times, making them incomprehensible to the average person. However, certain divine offices were fixed; since the deity worshipped by the Sandmen possessed time attributes, it stood to reason that they had a great deal to do with the three Sisters of Time.

Although Sun Licheng was overjoyed that matters were finally making progress, he first needed to figure out why this half-elf Solomon was helping him—after all, the memory of Xiphos was still too deeply engraved in his mind.

"Your Excellency Solomon, may I ask why you wish to tell me this news?"

Sun Licheng asked directly.

Solomon smiled and said, "For me to tell you this news, naturally requires you to pay a price. Do you know about the Great Pyramid?"

Hearing that Solomon wanted compensation, Sun Licheng instead felt somewhat more settled at heart. He shook his head and said, "Your Excellency Solomon, please do not mock me further. I know very little about matters here, so please just speak plainly."

Seeing that Sun Licheng truly did not know, Solomon began to speak of the Great Pyramid.

In the desert, there was a very special kind of ruin: the pyramid. This type of architecture closely resembled the pyramids of South America on Earth, featuring a four-sided conical shape with a temple on top, appearing extremely majestic.

Who on earth built these pyramids? What were they used for? There had never been a definitive conclusion. There was merely an enduring legend that enormous treasures were concealed within the pyramids, and once discovered, they could even alter this world.

"Hehe, how could such a legend be taken seriously?" Solomon chuckled as he reached this point. After finishing his laugh, he added, "However, it is true that there are treasures inside the pyramid."

"You want me to help you explore the pyramid?"

Sun Licheng began to understand.

"Yes and no. The pyramids are in the desert and are virtually sacred sites of the Sand tribes; ordinary people simply cannot enter them. However, since you are going to search for the Goddess of Time, you will inevitably have to enter the sacred sites of the Sand tribes. Therefore, I hope you will take me along on this expedition."

With that, Solomon stared at Sun Licheng.

"May I ask what you are looking for inside the pyramid? Of course, if it is inconvenient to say, just pretend I never asked."

Sun Licheng did not shy away, looking back at Solomon as he asked.

"I cannot tell you that. You need only know that my information is true."

Solomon replied.

Sun Licheng thought for a moment, realizing this was his only clue, and nodded in agreement.

Seeing Sun Licheng agree, Solomon was delighted and packed his bags that very day to move into the Crimson Flame Tribe caravan camp.

The Sandman tribe that worshipped the Goddess of Time was named the Sands of Time, quite a poetic name. Located in the middle of the desert, their strength was not formidable, so they lacked renown, which was why most people knew nothing about them.

Fortunately, with Chapman, an experienced merchant, and after making inquiries among the Sandman merchants, the location of that tribe was finally ascertained.

"Sun Licheng, must you go? The desert is extremely dangerous."

Chapman asked with a hint of worry.

This was the tenth day since arriving at Stone Bridge Fortress, and seeing that the goods were running low, Sun Licheng was preparing to set off for the Sands of Time tribe.

"This is the only chance to find the three Goddesses of Time. I must go."

Sun Licheng knew the rabbit-headed man meant well, but in order to find his way home, no matter how arduous or perilous it might be, he had to press on.

Knowing the weight of responsibility Sun Licheng carried, Chapman could only shake his head and walk away; he intended to head to the livestock market to purchase some desert monitor lizards to serve as mounts for Sun Licheng and his companions.

In the waterless desert, yaks could not survive, whereas desert monitor lizards made exceptionally good means of transportation. These giant lizards possessed massive bodies, and their skin could withstand the scorching glare of the sun. Crucially, not only were they resilient against hunger and thirst, but they also possessed extremely sensitive forked tongues capable of detecting distant water sources, making them one of the most vital assets of the Sandmen.

Three days later, having made all preparations, Sun Licheng and his companions bid farewell to the members of the caravan and, led by a Sandman guide, crossed the famous stone bridge and entered the sea of sand.

For this trip, Sun Licheng brought only his wife Caroline, Clark, and Solomon. Dahzhuang had originally wanted to come along as well, but thinking of his appetite, Sun Licheng had declined.

"This is the forbidden zone of life. Once anyone enters the sea of sand, their life is no longer their own; survival entirely depends on the mercy of the gods. Boss, we must listen to the guide, otherwise, it is very easy to run into danger."

Riding atop a desert monitor lizard over five meters long, Clark said to Sun Licheng.

"Understood."

Sun Licheng tightened the large turban wrapped around his head and nodded in agreement.

At that moment, the Sandman guide began to chant a Sandman ballad. Though Sun Licheng could not understand the lyrics, he could still feel the surging vitality within it, which, set against the backdrop of the boundless wilderness, appeared incomparably desolate...