Dragon Clan: Starting with the Azure Dragon Fruit

Communication was very difficult.

The low-level thugs in this old town have terrible English.

Before Lin Yuan could even get his hands on some cash to clear the way, a few half-drunk thugs noticed the red-haired Nuonuo and approached her with lewd grins, spouting vulgar Arabic phrases. The leader even dared to reach out and touch the girl's shoulder.

Lin Yuan didn't indulge him; before this mission, no one had told him to keep a low profile.

He grabbed the leader of the thugs by the collar and slammed him onto the bar.

"boom!"

The solid wood bar counter was smashed, leaving a large hole.

Blood gushed from the thug, and he went into shock on the spot.

The bloody scene shocked the others, and the previously half-drunk thugs were sobered up by the shock.

The onlookers were also frightened by the sudden violence and scattered in all directions, fearing that Lin Yuan would not even spare passersby when he went crazy. The originally crowded hall was instantly emptied.

Such a commotion naturally alerted the owner of the hookah shop.

A middle-aged man with a mustache and wearing a floral shirt came out from the inner room.

He first glanced at his unconscious subordinate, then at the smashed solid wood bar counter.

As if sensing that Lin Yuan was not someone to be trifled with, he did not immediately launch an attack. Instead, he first introduced himself and then asked about the purpose of Lin Yuan and his companion's visit.

“He is Amir,” Nono whispered to Lin Yuan, then explained their purpose.

"We were introduced by Gareth; we need your help with something."

Amir looked at the two suspiciously: "Why didn't Gareth call ahead?"

"He's not feeling well and it's inconvenient for him to make a phone call." Lin Yuan didn't want to waste his breath on these trivial details.

"In short, we need your help to get us to Saqqara."

Amir narrowed his eyes, his gaze lingering on the black weapon bag behind Lin Yuan for a few seconds, before glancing at the indifferent-looking girl beside him.

He felt this deal was a bit too risky and didn't really want to take it.

Just as he was figuring out how to refuse, Lin Yuan opened his backpack and pulled out a thick stack of Egyptian pounds.

"I don't want to hear nonsense, and don't make excuses." Lin Yuan looked directly at Amir.

"Either take the money and take us there, or I'll use some tricks to force you to comply."

Being threatened in front of his own subordinates, Amir's temper flared up instantly.

His face darkened, and he was about to reach for his weapon at his back when he saw Lin Yuan's icy gaze.

As tomb raiders who constantly walk on the edge of life and death, they have a beast-like sense of danger.

The moment those eyes locked onto him, alarm bells rang in his mind, and a cold sweat broke out on his back.

He had no doubt that if he dared to draw his gun, he would die here tonight.

Amir's facial muscles twitched twice, then he switched to a friendly, money-making smile, moved his hand from his lower back, and pointed to the banknotes in Lin Yuan's hand.

"No problem, no problem. This amount of money is more than enough to take you there. However, it's too late now. You should go to a nearby hotel to rest first. We'll set off promptly at six o'clock tomorrow morning."

This is, of course, a delaying tactic.

Amir knew exactly what Gareth's backing was, and he didn't want to get involved with those lunatics from the Secret Service. He just wanted to appease these two troublemakers and get rid of them, then pack his bags and run away overnight.

Anyway, I've earned enough money over the years, so there's no need to risk my life for a little extra income.

Lin Yuan saw through his thoughts at a glance: "Let's leave now."

Amir looked troubled, spreading his hands in a protest: "The depths of Sakala are all quicksand areas; it's easy to get stuck, vehicle and all, in the middle of the night. Why don't you listen to me..."

Lin Yuan interrupted his endless complaints: "I'm not discussing this with you. I'll come find you in half an hour. Don't try to run away, and don't let me hear any more words of refusal, or you'll bear the consequences."

Amir knew he had truly met his match this time, and escaping was a pipe dream.

He gritted his teeth and had no choice but to ask for more money to cover his risk: "Okay, but you have to pay more."

Lin Yuan tossed the wad of cash into his arms: "This is just a deposit. I'll pay you double when we get there."

After saying that, he withdrew his terrifying aura, turned around and walked outside, but hadn't taken two steps.

As if suddenly remembering something, he turned around, his gaze lingering for two seconds on Amir's slightly tacky floral shirt.

"Good taste." He rarely gave such a warm comment.

“In a place like Egypt, you should wear a floral shirt.”

Only after Lin Yuan and Nuonuo had walked away did Amir collapse into a chair, utterly exhausted.

He looked down and pinched his floral shirt, his expression shifting several times.

His intuition told him that if the clothes he was going to wear today hadn't just matched the "fierce god's" taste, the other party probably wouldn't have been so "gentle" in negotiating the price earlier.

The two walked side by side toward the supermarket when Nuonuo suddenly stopped and turned to look at Lin Yuan: "You shouldn't have been so impulsive just now."

Lin Yuan was a little puzzled: "Dealing with a local thug, it's not like I'm being impulsive. I could take them all down with one hand..."

“I mean, you shouldn’t have been so impulsive as to look at the medium of ‘Duart’s Dream’,” Nono interrupted him, her voice tinged with reproach.

She felt that Lin Yuan had risked his life to see the picture because of her.

Lin Yuan was stunned for a moment before realizing that Nuonuo was worried about that matter.

He looked into Nuonuo's deep red eyes and comforted her, "What's the big deal? Didn't I say before that you would be alright? Since that's the case, of course I will too."

Nono stared at Lin Yuan for a while, but in the end she didn't say anything, turned around and continued walking forward.

The two found a nearby supermarket that was open 24 hours a day.

They swept up several large biscuits, chocolates, jerky, and several large bottles of purified water. Finally, they picked out a backpack with enough capacity from the corner and stuffed all the supplies into it.

Half an hour later, the two returned to the hookah lounge on time.

A somewhat old-looking Toyota pickup truck was parked there. Amir saw the two of them from afar, got out of the driver's seat, and eagerly helped open the car door.

Lin Yuan and Nuonuo sat in the back seat and found that the car's air conditioning was broken, blowing out hot air.

The pickup truck roared away from the community.

As we continued driving, the scenery outside the window changed rapidly, quickly transitioning from a bustling city to a chaotic suburb, and finally into the wilderness.

Amir gripped the steering wheel, glancing occasionally through the rearview mirror at the two people in the back seat, determined to find out more about his employer.

"Speaking of which, is there something urgent that you two are in such a hurry to go to Saqqara? The most famous place there is the Step Pyramid of Djoser."

Thinking of his identity, Lin Yuan asked in return, "You are indeed planning to go to the Pyramid of Djoser. Tell me, how much do you know about that golden tower?"

Upon hearing this, Amir's expression immediately became enigmatic, and he shook his head repeatedly: "Other places are fine, but the Step Pyramid is one that we in this line of work never dare to touch."

"What? You're a thief with a code of honor?" Lin Yuan joked.

"What righteous thief? I only care about money." Amir chuckled dryly.

"It's simply because that place hasn't been fully explored yet, and nobody knows what kind of monsters are hiding inside. Those of us in this line of work know that the first person to try something new often gets the biggest piece of the pie, but they're also the most likely to lose their life. I'm not going to take that kind of risk of losing my head."

Lin Yuan hummed in agreement, but his mind was elsewhere.

These words perfectly confirmed Mai Shude's information.

An ancient site yet to be explored, coupled with its special status as the "first pyramid" in human history, if there is any place in Egypt that most resembles the entrance to the Nibelungen, it is undoubtedly this place.

For the rest of the journey, no one spoke.

We drove all the way to the end of the road, and beyond that, the ground was all yellow sand, and the pickup truck could not go any further.

Fortunately, there are still villages on the edge of the desert.

Amir jumped out of the car and went to the village to negotiate.

Although it was already late at night, he still paid a high price to buy three camels from the sleeping villagers.

"The road ahead is impassable by car; you'll have to ride camels." He handed over the reins and asked:

"Are you two planning to split up, or ride one at a time?"

“We’ll ride two horses and one head,” Lin Yuan decided for Nuonuo.

The three quickly assigned their mounts.

All the supplies were packed and tied to the back of the third camel, with Amir riding the lead camel to guide the way.

Lin Yuan and Nuonuo rode together in one horse. He sat in the back and held the reins with his hands over Nuonuo's waist.

Accompanied by the grunts of camels as they got up, the group set off into the heart of the desert.

The temperature difference between day and night in the desert is extreme.

A cold wind carrying fine sand swept by, and Nono's rather thin sportswear was clearly no match for the cold.

Noticing the girl's tense shoulders, Lin Yuan released his grip on the reins, unzipped his windbreaker, took off his own windproof jacket, and draped it over Nuonuo's shoulders.

This time, the little witch did not refuse.

She reached out and adjusted the collar of his coat, which still retained some of her body heat, leaning back slightly and quietly pressing against Lin Yuan's chest.

All around was quiet except for the soft rustling of camel hooves on the sand.

The group gradually blended into the boundless yellow sands of Sakala.

Chapter 99 Sandstorm

The camels trekked through the sand dunes all night.

The desert night is monotonous, the surroundings are quiet, and the only sound is the clatter of camels on the gravel.

There was no light from all sides, and the only source of light was the windproof lamp in Amir's hand at the front, which provided a faint ring of light.

Because he was worried that Nuonuo would fall asleep during the journey, Lin Yuan chatted with her on and off all night.

From gossip in the academy to the bizarre designs of the equipment department, Lin Yuan did most of the talking. Only when a topic came up that Nuonuo was interested in would she respond with a few words, and she didn't seem very enthusiastic.

Fortunately, a sliver of dawn finally appeared on the horizon, and a red sun slowly climbed above the horizon, outlining the contours of the undulating sand dunes.

After walking a while longer, Amir reined in the camel and pointed to the enormous shadow at the horizon.

“That’s the Saqqara ancient tomb complex. The most prominent one you can see right now is the Step Pyramid of Djoser. I’ll walk a little further and take you to the edge of the village where the ruins meet, and then I won’t go any further.”

Lin Yuan looked in the direction he was pointing and could vaguely make out the magnificent, terraced building. He didn't make things difficult for him and simply said that dropping him off here would be fine.

He reached into his backpack and pulled out two thick wads of Egyptian pounds, tossing them into Amir's arms as agreed upon the night before as "double the reward."

Amir hurriedly caught the banknotes, counted them roughly, and seeing how readily Lin Yuan accepted them, he put the money away. After a moment's hesitation, he gave a piece of advice: "Although I don't know what you two are going there to do, there's a saying around here: after sunset, don't go near that Step Pyramid."

"Why?"

Amir hadn't mentioned this before they set off, so Lin Yuan was a little curious when he suddenly brought it up now.

Amir's expression was enigmatic. He glanced around and lowered his voice, saying, "The catacombs of Saqqara are known in ancient times as the City of the Underworld. Beneath the yellow sand lie numerous ancient tombs. Locals believe that once the last rays of the sun fade, the gates of Duat open to the living. Anyone who wanders nearby after nightfall will be dragged directly into the realm of the dead, never to return. I advise you to leave that area before dark."

Lin Yuan's heart skipped a beat; this completely confirmed that the Nibelungen of "Duart's Dream" was located in this region.

They came to find Duarte anyway, so they've come to the right place.

Lin Yuan remained outwardly calm and simply nodded.

Seeing that his employer was so obedient, Amir didn't say anything more. He pocketed the money, and without even bothering to pack up the remaining supplies on the third camel, he hurriedly left.

Lin Yuan and Nuonuo led their camels to a partially buried section of mud-brick wall at the edge of the ruins, intending to repair it slightly.

After all, nearly twenty hours have passed since the North American family dinner last night. Lin Yuan at least had a buffet before setting off, but as for Nuonuo, she doesn't even know when she last ate.

Lin Yuan put down his backpack, took out chocolate, compressed biscuits, beef jerky, and bottled water, and handed them to Nuonuo.

He noticed that Nono seemed to be in low spirits ever since she left last night.

At first, Lin Yuan thought that Nuonuo was just distracted because she was under the spell of "Duat's Dream," but now, looking at her in the morning light, Nuonuo's face was unnaturally pale, and her eyes were bloodshot.

Lin Yuan asked Nuonuo with some concern, "Are you alright?"

Nono nodded, indicating that she was fine.

She took the supplies, tore open a bag of dried meat, and chewed it slowly with mineral water.

The two were eating quietly when a noise suddenly came from behind the pile of rubble in the corner.

Looking back, a furry little head peeked out. It seemed to be stuck for a while, and after twisting and turning, it finally emerged from the pile of rubble.