In Sumeru, pretend to be a scholar

Upon seeing the location of this facility, an idea already formed in his mind.

"Wait and watch over the thorns of sacrifice, until the twilight stars illuminate the way home, the lilies of the valley whisper, and the door opens gently."

This is Albiruni's commentary on the symbolic meaning of the flower "Order of Watch".

Wang Yan initially thought it was some kind of poetry, but now it seems to point to the way to open the door.

“Touching and waiting…illuminating the way home…” Wang Yan murmured, his gaze wandering over the relief.

Soon, he noticed a small protrusion at the center of the 'Red Sand Rose' flower, resembling a stamen.

Could the Thorn of Sacrifice refer to this?

After all, roses are thorny plants and can be considered a type of thorn.

On a few petals of the Starry Night Twilight Flower, there are extremely faint traces of white silk, like the delicate, drooping leaves of a flower.

Wang Yan pondered, feeling that this should be the way to activate it.

“Mentor, Elhesen, Kavi! Look here, and here!” Wang Yan pointed out his discovery to the three of them.

Eros's eyes lit up: "Try to trigger them in the order of the poem. Wang Yan, first touch the protrusion in the heart of the rose, gently, and feel if there is any mechanism connecting them."

Wang Yan took a deep breath, extended his index finger, and gently pressed it against the dark stamen. A cool sensation came from his fingertip. With a slight force, he heard an almost imperceptible "click" sound, and the protrusion sank down halfway, becoming level with the surrounding stone surface.

“There’s a response!” Wang Yan exclaimed. “Continue, light.”

Falushan had already taken out her lantern, adjusted the light to a soft white glow, and aimed it at the petals of the 'Starry Night Twilight Flower'.

As light shines down, the specially polished stone surface reflects the light, creating several hazy spots of light in the air in front of the petals, resembling starlight, which are projected onto the 'Lily of the Valley in the Sand' flower relief below.

Just as the light spots settled, a low, continuous 'clunking' sound came from inside the wall carved with lilies of the valley, as if ancient gears were starting to turn.

Then, under the tense gaze of the four, the ground that Kavi had previously judged to be problematic slowly sank inward, revealing a dark, square hole.

A slightly musty yet strangely fragrant breeze, mixed with a faint floral scent, quietly wafted out from the cave.

The hidden passage of the temple finally opened a door for them.

The four of them exchanged glances, each seeing an irrepressible curiosity in the other's eyes.

However, no one rushed in. Kavi pulled out a strip of cloth from somewhere, lit it, and then slowly put it into the cave entrance.

The fire did not go out, and it also illuminated the environment below.

This passage, which is more than a meter high and has a slope of about 45 degrees, extends all the way down, and the firelight from the cloth strips cannot reach the bottom.

"There's oxygen, but we don't know yet if there's any toxic gas. Senior Erossan, it would be best to ventilate the room," Kavi said.

Erosan nodded, reached out and beckoned, and He Yao's multifaceted form flew into the passage, followed by gusts of fierce wind.

Some obviously decaying flowers were blown out and fell to the ground.

After waiting a while, Estée Lauder waved her hand and said, "You can go in now."

Kavi subconsciously walked in front, while Elhesen brought up the rear, the two of them protecting Wang Yan and Falushan in the middle.

Chapter 97 The Last Flower Goddess Priest

The slope at the entrance of the secret passage slopes gently downwards. Initially, the stone walls were still sparsely carved with floral reliefs, but soon, only neatly cut rock surfaces remained on both sides, indicating that this was a passage later carved out by human hands.

The air initially carried the dry, dusty smell characteristic of desert ruins, but as Kavi had predicted, a faint sense of moisture gradually spread as they ventured deeper.

“The moisture is very strong.” Kavi stopped and gently wiped his hand on the stone wall, his fingertips covered with a layer of cool moisture. “I was right, the secret passage does indeed lead to the water source.”

Wang Yan followed behind, praising, "As expected of an expert in the Wonderful Theory School, Kavi, you're amazing."

Kavi chuckled, not at all humble, and simply continued to lead the way forward.

The passage gradually leveled out, and after walking for about 15 minutes, a wide open space appeared in the distance.

When Kavi stepped out of the passage, it was as if he had triggered some ancient sensory mechanism. Inside the cave, crystals embedded in the stone lit up one by one, emitting a soft and stable pale golden light, from the ceiling, side walls and even the edge of the ground.

A cave, roughly the size of an indoor basketball court, was fully revealed before the four of them.

The cave's dome has natural stalactite-like undulations, with luminous crystals cleverly interspersed among them. The light is refracted multiple times and falls evenly, neither dazzling nor too bright, enough to illuminate every corner.

The most striking feature is an underground river that runs through the center of the cave. The river is about two meters wide, with clear water that flows gently and quietly, making it almost impossible to hear.

The underground river shimmered beautifully under the light.

However, what truly took the four of them's breath away was the scenery on both sides of the underground river.

Countless beautiful flowers grew in clusters, filling almost every crevice in the cave where they could take root.

Deep red roses, pure white lilies of the valley, pale purple irises, golden jujube blossoms…

These species, which should not exist underground or even in the desert, are now blooming vibrantly.

The petals are full, the leaves are bright green, and you can even see the water droplets rolling between the pistils, emitting a sweet fragrance that blends the scents of many flowers.

The fragrance of flowers that wafted out when the passage was first opened must have come from here.

The decaying flowers in the passageway must have come from here.

Besides the flowers and water, there is a path paved with flat stone slabs that starts from the entrance where Wang Yan and the others are standing, extends straight forward, crosses a low and exquisite stone arch bridge, crosses the underground river, and reaches the center of the other end of the cave.

At the end of the path, surrounded by flowers, lies a huge stone coffin.

The coffin is rectangular and carved entirely from a warm, white stone. Its surface is polished to an extremely smooth finish, reflecting a soft light. The edges are carved with continuous floral and vine patterns, consistent with the style of the temple and passageways.

“This is… a mausoleum?” Kavi whispered. “Is that the coffin of the goddess of flowers?”

“Impossible. If this were the coffin of the Flower Goddess, something should have happened to us when we got close,” Elhesen denied outright.

Wang Yan nodded in agreement.

Regardless of what kind of coffin could withstand the dissipation of a demon god's power after death, as far as Wang Yan knew, the Flower Goddess shouldn't have had any corpse left behind.

Even if the goddess of flowers has a body, it should be kept in the eternal oasis, not in an unknown temple.

"So it must be an empty coffin."

"Should we go over and open it to take a look?"

"Opening it...isn't that a bad idea?"

The group exchanged glances, and finally, Valusanne spoke up, "Let's go take a look first."

The four of them walked along the path toward the coffin in the center.

As they got closer, the main body of the coffin became clearer, and everyone finally discovered that there was a stone tablet embedded in the ground in front of the coffin. Because it was flush with the ground, they hadn't noticed it before.

"What is this?" Kavi hesitated for a moment, looking at Wang Yan and Elhesen.

Although he was a well-rounded individual and familiar with the Red King's script in the desert, able to decipher some of it, he did not recognize the engravings on the stone tablet.

Al-Hysen frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and said, "It seems to be some kind of very ancient script."

Falushan also stared at the stone tablet, pondering silently.

Only Wang Yan's pupils contracted slightly, as his [Language Proficiency] was activated, allowing him to read all the contents on the stone tablet.

At the same time, it was as if a distant scene appeared in his mind.

It was a young woman wearing a desert robe, slowly carving ancient characters on a stone tablet.

-----------------

The lady of the house said she had something very important to do... and told me to wait here patiently...

Her smile was still beautiful, always so beautiful, but I knew that this might be the last time I saw it.

Since the Tree King left, the secret talks between the Red King and the Mistress have become increasingly dangerous, and my heart has become more and more uneasy.

Now, this unease seems to have become a reality.

I know what the mistress is going to do... She is going to pave the way for the Red King's arrogant dream...

I wanted to stop it, but I couldn't.

Oh, the great and beautiful mistress of flowers…

If your command is for me to remain here, then I will await your return...

……

Forty days and nights have passed.

The mistress never returned. A messenger from Vali Vegeta brought back news that the Crimson King was also gradually disappearing from sight…

The mistress has fallen...

No! With the mistress's wisdom, how could He fall so easily? He will surely rise again!

I will build a temple for her, preserve her faith, and happily await her return. She will surely come back.

……

Another forty days and nights have passed.

With the help of the Spirit-Suppressing Sisters, I found a water vein on the edge of the desert and built a new temple on it.

I will plant the lady of the house's favorite flowers here, and wait for her return!

……

Forty more days and nights have passed.

The Red King has found us… He promised the sisters that if we serve him, he will perform a great miracle and resurrect the mistress.

I don't trust Him!

I know that the mistress died because of Him!

But the spirit-guarding sisters agreed, and I don't blame them, because we miss our mistress so much.

Amun was not angry at my refusal. He gave me this desert and moved the tribe that still believed in the mistress there.

For demons, human faith is a crucial anchor...

I am not grateful.

-----------------

Slightly dazed, Wang Yan noticed a change in the young woman before him. She had aged, her hair was white, and her back was bent. The only thing that remained unchanged was her bright eyes.

-----------------

……

I don't know how many days and nights have passed.

I am old...

I am ultimately just a human being, and even with the blessing of the mistress, I do not have the long lifespan of the spirit-guarding sisters.

I heard that Felicis became the governor of the oasis in the desert, and the people under her rule have bred countless subjects…

How wonderful, the mistress is such a loving person... He will surely be happy.

I heard about Lilupal's madness again... My heart is filled with sorrow, but I can hardly shed a tear.

My lady, please forgive your mad child, and may her hatred be quelled…

……

The desert was becoming increasingly chaotic.

Amun seemed completely indifferent to the wails of his people, and the Sumerians were weeping.

I dispersed the surrounding tribes who worshipped the mistress, sending them fleeing towards the Tree King's territory in the hope that they would survive.

My lady, please forgive my incompetence. I am too old and no longer have the strength to protect them. Please bless them and keep them from the harm of the wind and sand.

...

The children begged me to leave with them… they wanted to hear the story of the woman who lived there…

I refused; I will wait here for the mistress to return, no matter what.

After they leave, I will sink everything here underground; the mistress's temple must not be defiled or desecrated.

……

I have lost the concept of time.