Dragon Clan: Starting with the Azure Dragon Fruit

It looks a lot like a kitten, but it's small, only half the size of a normal house cat.

It has two very distinctive large ears, thick and fluffy fur, and a light yellow color that blends almost completely with the surrounding desert.

It was staring at the jerky in Nono's hand with a wary yet curious look in its round eyes.

Nono's previously tired and dull eyes lit up.

The little witch, who was usually so fierce, now had a gentle look in her eyes.

She pinched off a piece of dried meat, placed it in her palm, and gently called out to it a few times.

The little guy smelled the aroma of meat, hesitated for a moment, but finally couldn't resist the temptation of the food, came closer, and tried to lick it.

Once it confirmed that it was food, it did not stop eating and its tail was raised.

The sand cat seemed not to be very shy because it was the first time it had seen humans. After finishing the jerky, it even rubbed its furry head against Nono's fingers.

She rolled over on the sand, revealing her soft belly, inviting Nono to pet her.

“This is a sand cat.” Nono scratched the little guy’s chin, her mood soothed by the fluffy creature, and the topic naturally turned to the sand cat in her hand.

"We're lucky to have encountered it in the desert."

The sand cat was very comfortable being petted by Nono, purring contentedly, its eyes narrowed into slits.

Nono stroked her chin all the way down to her belly and continued, "The ancient Egyptians were arguably the world's earliest cat lovers. Look at those unearthed murals; cats often appear as guardians of homes and granaries. They were also considered symbols of the goddess Bastet, and legend has it that in the afterlife, cats would act as witnesses and participate in the judgment of the souls of the dead."

Lin Yuan found it amusing to watch the kitten enjoying being petted by Nuonuo.

He tentatively reached out, wanting to touch those exaggeratedly large ears.

The moment the hand was halfway out, the usually docile little sand cat seemed to sense danger. It suddenly rolled over, its fur standing on end, and let out a sharp hiss.

But this action seemed to have exhausted its courage. It didn't last three seconds before the little guy scrambled back behind Nono, curled up into a trembling ball of fur, and refused to show its head again.

Lin Yuan awkwardly withdrew his hand and touched his nose; he had a rough idea of ​​why.

Nono thought that Lin Yuan was too rude and had scared the sand cat.

She glared at him, then turned to protect the sand cat, broke the remaining pieces of jerky into smaller pieces, placed them on the stone slab, and poured some water into the bottle cap.

After finishing all this, the two packed their backpacks and continued walking toward the Step Pyramid of Djoser.

As the distance closed, this magnificent structure from over four thousand years ago gradually became clearer.

A giant stone platform, with six progressively smaller tiers, rises from the ground, reaching a height of over sixty meters.

Constructed entirely of limestone, it exudes a primitive and rugged grandeur in the morning light, like a silent mountain.

"It's truly magnificent," Nono murmured, looking up at the massive, layered stone steps.

Lin Yuan looked at the pyramid and began to introduce it in a serious manner: "The Pyramid of Djoser was built in the 27th century BC."

"The designer was the first genius architect to be named in human history, and also Imhotep, the high priest of ancient Egypt. The six-tiered staircase structure is very meaningful. In the ancient Egyptian cosmology, it represents the first 'hill of creation' that rose from the primordial waters by the creator god 'Atum,' and also symbolizes the path that the pharaoh took after his death, ascending the steps to heaven and becoming one with the sun god 'Ra.'"

Nono was taken aback for a moment, then opened her eyes wide, looking Lin Yuan up and down as if she had just met him, and asked in confusion, "When did you become so knowledgeable about Egyptian history? I didn't know you were so studious?"

Under Nono's scrutinizing gaze, Lin Yuan could no longer keep up the act.

He coughed twice, took his phone out of his pocket and waved it; the screen was filled with a dense array of chat bubbles.

"The useless senior brother sent me this information on the way here." Lin Yuan scrolled down the screen.

"These are what he copied for me from Wikipedia."

But jokes aside, Fingel really put in a lot of effort this time.

He not only sent detailed archaeological data, but also attached a long analysis at the end.

According to Finger's deduction, the 60-meter-high pyramid on the surface is just the tip of the iceberg; Imhotep's true masterpiece is the underground labyrinth hidden beneath the pyramid.

This was also the place he suggested Lin Yuan should search carefully this time. He even combined historical data to help Lin Yuan deduce the coordinates of several entrances leading underground.

The two walked to the outer edge of the pyramid, where they were stopped by a barbed wire fence.

A wooden sign at the entrance reads in English and Arabic: "Under renovation, visitors are not allowed to enter."

Lin Yuan looked around and saw that apart from the iron net, there were no signs of construction anywhere else.

"What kind of repair is this?" Lin Yuan found it rather strange.

"It just so happens that we've run into this year's financial crisis," Nono explained, glancing at the wooden sign.

"It's estimated that the Egyptian government is also out of money, so the project has simply been suspended indefinitely."

"That's perfect." Lin Yuan stepped forward and ripped open the chains on the barbed wire fence.

"So we don't have to figure out how to avoid the guards."

The two crossed the barbed wire fence, preparing to search for the entrance to the underground labyrinth.

Lin Yuan turned his head and looked toward the horizon.

Deep within his mind, his Observation Haki was sending out a warning signal.

"What's wrong?" Nono noticed Lin Yuan's unusual behavior.

"The wind is picking up," Lin Yuan said in a deep voice.

Nono followed his gaze and saw that the once clear sky over the desert several kilometers away was rapidly turning pitch black.

A massive sandstorm is rapidly sweeping towards this area.

"It seems the owner here isn't very welcoming to us."

Lin Yuan stared at the sandstorm, its terrifying power reminding him of the Sand-Sand Fruit from the One Piece world.

It would be unwise to confront a natural disaster head-on on the opponent's home turf.

Lin Yuan decisively abandoned his original plan and quickly scanned the surrounding area. Soon, he discovered a hole that was mostly buried by tomb raiders.

Without even considering where the opening led, the two of them crawled into the dimly lit underground passage one after the other.

Chapter 100 Mosquito Legs Have No Meat

After entering the cave, the raging wind gradually subsided.

It was very quiet all around, with only the beams of two flashlights flickering in the darkness.

The passageway was cramped, less than two meters high and only wide enough for one person to barely pass through. Lin Yuan led the way, with Nuonuo following behind.

"Do you think these dragons are out of their minds?" Lin Yuan bent down to avoid a protruding rock at the top.

"When he was alive, he always talked about ruling the world, but when he built his lair, he insisted on burying himself deep underground, like a mouse digging a hole."

"Because pure-blooded dragons are at their weakest when they are in a cocoon and asleep." Nono's voice echoed slightly in the narrow passage.

"To avoid potential risks, they would build their nests as intricately as possible."

The two continued walking deeper into the area.

The beam of the flashlight shone across the stone walls on both sides, and Nono suddenly spoke up to warn them.

"Look at the wall."

Lin Yuan stopped and shone his flashlight beam on the stone wall.

The passageway is lined with ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs and colorful reliefs from the Third Dynasty.

The first mural depicts a scene from the "Sed Festival".

The pharaoh, wearing a double crown, stood majestically on a high platform, displaying his rule and power to his subjects below.

The scene then shifts to the harvest season, with the Nile flooding the fields and commoners reaping the golden wheat after the floodwaters recede. They kneel on the ground, leading their cattle and sheep, offering the grain and livestock to the Pharaoh and the gods.

Later on, the focus of the records shifted from the secular to the divine.

Horus, with the head of an eagle and the body of a man, holds a scepter, while Thoth, with the head of an ibis, spreads knowledge through papyrus.

Anubis, the god of death, occupies a significant portion of the text.

The statue is exquisitely sculpted; it is entirely black, with its eyes depicted as a majestic gold.

In the image, He is wrapping bandages around a withered body, performing an ancient embalming ritual.

Surrounded by numerous deities, the mural came to an end.

A pharaoh whose face was obscured knelt on one knee, reverently raising his hands to receive the crown that descended from the sky.

Above his head hung a dazzling sun relief, with several golden rays casting their light down and enveloping the pharaoh's crown and body.

"The soul returns to the sun and unites with 'Ra'."

Nono looked at the image of the pharaoh and the sun as one and softly recited its symbolic meaning in Egyptian mythology.

As soon as she finished speaking, as if triggering some mechanism, a rustling sound suddenly came from the depths of the passage.

The sound was initially very soft, but soon it became as dense as thousands of grains of sand falling.

Shining the flashlight forward, one could see hundreds or even thousands of black beetles, each the size of a palm, continuously emerging from the cracks in the stone slabs.

These beetles had a jet-black sheen, were incredibly large, and had compound eyes that gleamed with a scarlet light.

Lin Yuan stared speechlessly at the swarming insects.

Where did this come from? Why are scarabs from the Mummy set showing up? And what if there's a bald high priest coming along later?

Unaware of Lin Yuan's inner thoughts, Nono reacted swiftly, drawing her Beretta pistol and pulling the trigger repeatedly.

The firelight flashed, and the first few beetles were hit and their juices splattered, but in front of the massive swarm, the casualties of one or two were nothing. The beetles behind continued to advance, stepping over the corpses of their own kind.

"Be careful!" Nono warned, noticing the limited effectiveness of the bullets against the beetles.

"These beetles appear to have been contaminated by dragon blood and have mutated!"

"Contaminated by dragon's blood?"

Lin Yuan's eyes lit up.

He looked at the dense swarm of insects ahead, his face beaming with joy.

These beetles, which appear terrifying and ferocious to ordinary people, are actually nutrients that nourish the Azure Dragon Fruit.

Therefore, upon hearing that these insects were contaminated by dragon blood, Lin Yuan immediately thought of a way to deal with them.

The passageway here is too narrow to unleash sword energy, but it's perfect for using his newly acquired Word of Power. He just needs to get Nono to stay far away first.

"Back up, the further the better," Lin Yuan reminded Nuonuo as he turned around.

Lin Yuan took a step forward, blocking the entire passage, and then began chanting majestic dragon-script syllables.

Words of Power. Royal Authority.

The gravitational field is precisely confined within a passageway a dozen meters ahead.

Lin Yuan deliberately controlled the coverage and intensity of his Word of Power. After all, this was deep underground, and if he used too much force, the entire tunnel might collapse, burying him and Nuonuo alive.

The black beetles that rushed into the area lay flat on the ground in unison. Under the pressure, their hard shells burst with a series of dense "poof" sounds, and large amounts of foul-smelling liquid sprayed onto the stone walls on both sides.

Nono, who was hiding in the back, was stunned.

She remembered that Lin Yuan's Word of Power was clearly "Thunder Pool", but what he was releasing now was clearly "Royal Power"!

Lin Yuan maintained his domain while carefully sensing the changes within his body, but unfortunately, there were no changes.

I originally thought that even a mosquito's leg would have some meat on it.

But perhaps because the dragon blood in the insects was too thin, or for some other reason, the Azure Dragon Fruit did not react at all after they were killed.

Since they weren't worth devouring, Lin Yuan decided not to waste time on these insects. He slightly expanded the area of ​​his domain, intending to wipe out the annoying insects in one go so he could continue on his way.

However, even though the crushed beetle corpses had piled up into a wall of corpses in the tunnel, the swarm continued to rush forward to their deaths, clearly indicating that someone was controlling these beetles.

"No, stop right now!" Nono covered her mouth and nose and urged her urgently.

"Keep killing them, the insect corpses will completely block the passage ahead!"

Lin Yuan looked at the ever-growing wall of corpses ahead and realized the problem.

With a thought, he dispelled the royal domain that had been looming over him.

As soon as gravity disappeared, the beetles behind them immediately knocked over the remains of their companions in front and pounced on the two of them.

Lin Yuan prepared to use the power of the Azure Dragon Fruit to forcefully break through the passage with lightning, fire, and gale.

The high temperature can instantly incinerate these disgusting insect corpses, while the hurricane is enough to blow away all the ashes, clearing a clean passage.