The villainous young master just wants to live a Buddhist-like life.

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　Chapter 1088 Darkdemon and Alibaba (8k)

　Maiya had never imagined that she could stay in such a comfortable place in the desert—no, even in the Karaha Territory, she had never stayed in a bedroom that was like a princess's room.

　The limited space inside the cave was perfectly utilized, with each person having their own separate room. The soft, cozy bed, which seemed to melt one's heart, instantly captivated them.

　"Is this the power of a mage?"

　Maiya buried her face in the pillow, unable to suppress a envious gasp. If she had that ability, wouldn't she... instantly become the world's number one desert guide?

　"That's pretty much it."

　In another room, Dark summoned the last magical spirit used for night watch, and then put away the magic cards.

　They did not adjust their schedule and maintained their normal habit of being active during the day and sleeping at night. In order to prepare for tomorrow's desert journey, they naturally needed to get a good night's sleep.

　As for malt... of course, it needs to be in accordance with the employer's schedule.

　Once everything was arranged, Dak came out of the room, and the others followed suit, gathering around the fountain.

　Before going to bed, they need to further confirm tomorrow's itinerary and learn more.

　There were too many people and too many eyes at the Sandworm Tavern before, so it was not appropriate to say much.

　Now that we're stationed outside, there are many things that can't be said but need to be explained clearly, especially communication with Maiya.

　Of course, Dak couldn't possibly consider the guide he was meeting for the first time as one of his own. But since they had decided to travel together, he naturally had to give her a certain degree of trust, and the gap in information could potentially have some negative consequences later on.

　Therefore, the first thing he had to tell Maiya was the purpose of their trip—there was really no point in hiding it.

　"Sit down," Dak said, gesturing for Malt to sit on the stone stool.

　Malt behaved very obediently and showed no intention of getting to the bottom of things. Having lived in the desert for a long time, one learns that knowing too much about certain things can be detrimental.

　In the current situation, for example, although she had a vague idea of ​​what Dark and the others were up to, if she knew the truth, she would be more worried about being killed to silence them, or being discarded after finding the treasure.

　Pretending not to know, and then voluntarily staying outside when the destination is near is the way to survive.

　As for the treasure, that would naturally be something to be pursued only after safety was ensured. However, she had barely sat down when she heard Dark say, "Have you ever heard of the Golden Kingdom?"

　I really don't think I've ever heard of it...

　Malt's expression stiffened, and she lowered her head, saying, "I know a little; it's a legend related to gold prospectors."

　In fact, upon hearing the words "Golden Country," she instantly completed her judgment and clearly understood the purpose of Dark and the others' visit.

　Although her knowledge of the "Golden Kingdom" was actually very limited, she knew that it must be a "national treasure" level relic.

　But the more this is the case, the more dangerous it becomes.

　Her mind was already conjuring up images of herself being used and discarded. However, her trusted "premonition of crisis" didn't materialize. Before Maiya could ponder these thoughts, Dark continued, "The legends of the Golden Kingdom are indeed mostly related to gold prospectors. Have you read *The Golden King and the Secret Treasure*?"

　"What is that?" Malt asked hesitantly.

　Dark turned to Emma, ​​who then began to speak: "The Golden King and the Secret Treasure is a novel about gold prospectors, the protagonist of which is a boy from the slums..."

　Emma spoke calmly and slowly, vividly depicting the legend of an ordinary person during the gold rush era.

　Maiya completely ignored the parts that emphasized character development and evoked emotions. However, she was unusually focused on the parts that described "golden sand" and "golden city".

　"Golden sand gushing from the ground made countless people rich overnight. But while the gold prospectors were celebrating, the desert from which the golden sand gushed out suddenly collapsed, and all the gold prospectors fell into an ancient city."

　"That city is the Golden City, the last capital of the Golden Kingdom, and the king of the Golden Kingdom is forever asleep in the Golden City."

　"The surviving archaeologists identified the inscription at the site of the crash and told Joshua and the other gold prospectors that the Golden King had buried an endless treasure in his tomb—the secret treasure!"

　"In their quest to find the secret treasure of the Golden King and become the new Golden King, Joshua and the gold prospectors were consumed by immense greed. They ventured deep into the city unprepared and ultimately vanished forever."

　"What we're looking for is the Golden City mentioned in this book!" Emma finally said.

　Malt couldn't help but say, "So, the Golden City is in the Death Desert." Emma nodded slightly and said, "According to my analysis, that's the case."

　Malt frowned and began to ponder.

　The treasures of El Dorado are indeed very tempting.

　As a resident of the Death Desert, she is not actually afraid of death, provided there is a sufficiently large benefit.

　Humans are inherently like this, always weighing risks against rewards. Desire is the driving force behind humankind.

　"We have no interest in things like gold."

　Dark glanced at Malt, who was lost in thought, and said in a flat tone. Malt bit her nails, raised her head slightly, and tried to read something from the face of the person in front of her.

　But she soon realized that Dak and the others were people who had transcended vulgar tastes—they were genuinely not interested in gold!

　Given their status as archmages, Malt could roughly imagine that what they wanted was definitely an ancient relic with magical power.

　Ancient artifacts are certainly more valuable than things like gold and jewelry.

　Of course, she would want something of greater value, but she also understood the dangers of possessing a treasure. To her, gold and jewelry were already the greatest gifts.

　Moreover, Dak's statement also means that the possibility of her being "discarded after serving her purpose" has been greatly reduced.

　Perhaps she really could load a whole truckload of gold and return home fully loaded. Maiya felt a little excited again. She realized that her mood was very unstable tonight, and her emotions were like a roller coaster, fluctuating wildly.

　All of her psychological changes were observed by "Fantasy Beast: Goddess of the Mind".

　Dark smiled inwardly and said, "In short, you can take any gold or jewelry you can carry, as long as you can lift it. This can also be part of the payment afterward. Of course, the premise is that you can help us find the Golden Country. I hope you understand."

　“Of course.” Malt gritted her teeth slightly, then suddenly looked up and said, “Although I don’t know much about the Golden Kingdom, there have indeed been some unusual events in the Death Desert recently. Most of them are rumors and not credible. But according to our repeated investigations, there are indeed a few real unusual events. All sides have reacted as a result.”

　“Oh,” Dark blinked and said, “Let’s go into details.” This was certainly not an “unexpected surprise.” One of the main purposes of hiring Malt was to extract information in this area.

　Otherwise, the Death Desert is so vast that even if he had a wine cup and clearly wanted to find the Setmon, he would be like a headless fly, completely lost.

　As a member of the Sand Clan, Malt can provide them with a general direction.

　The meeting quickly got down to business. Maiya was very clear that she had no need to hide any information at this point, at least not this particular piece of information. She told him everything she knew about the anomaly.

　Then Dark, Emma, ​​and the others discussed and drafted a detailed itinerary.

　As their meeting drew to a close, Dark sensed the call of the "Dream Demon," so he released it from its summons and then summoned it again.

　The evolution of "Dream Fairy" into "Dream Demon" lasts only fifteen minutes, so it has already regressed before that.

　Once it degenerates, the "Nightmare Space" can no longer be maintained. However, after the purple smoke dissipated, none of the Jedi and the Three-Headed Hyenas were able to stand.

　"Dream Demon" looked at the hyenas lying haphazardly on the ground, quietly let out a burp, and then hid itself.

　Having absorbed a massive amount of fear energy and transformed it into magic, it could sustain itself for an extremely long time. Furthermore, since Dark did not order it to return, it naturally chose to continue playing without any qualms.

　They've been playing this game ever since.

　Leaving aside the extent of the chaos caused by the "Dream Demon" in the Karah territory, after returning to Dark's side, it immediately began to tell Dark, "squinting," about what it had seen and heard.

　As their bond deepened, Dark gradually became able to understand their language.

　As he listened, his brows gradually furrowed, and a strange feeling welled up in his heart.

　Although I had a feeling when I got the wine glass, now that I have learned this information from the "dream demon", that "uncomfortable feeling of being controlled by fate" has become even stronger.

　But this is the era we live in now.

　History has come full circle to this point once again, and all phenomena and life in the world seem to be serving the revival of the gods.

　The Golden Kingdom also felt like it was about to emerge.

　And they happened to be there at just the right time!

　What the "Dream Demon" saw was Alibaba going to the Sandworm Tavern to discuss cooperation with the Sand Clan.

　"Ancient remnants, the great thief of the Golden Land..."

　Dark couldn't help but mutter, "The Death Desert... is there really an organization of this caliber?"

　Emma said, "I've heard some rumors about the Golden Land. In fact, it was this name that made me notice the Death Desert, and then I located this place from relevant documents. But other than that, I can't find any information related to it."

　Malt looked at the "Dream Demon" several times. Although she couldn't understand what the "Dream Demon" was saying, she still said, "Golden Village is a deeply hidden thief organization in the Death Desert. They are good at hiding and do not act in the name of the organization. So apart from forces like ours that have lived in the Death Desert for hundreds of years, the outside world rarely hears their name. But they are very terrifying and are the source of most of the terrifying rumors in the Death Desert."

　Dak frowned, looked up and asked, "Do you know Alibaba?" Maiya nodded and said, "Alibaba is the last of the three giants in the Golden Land, and he has always had connections with our Sand Clan. I've met him; he's a young man who doesn't look like a desert person at all."

　"Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves?" Dak immediately recalled the story from One Thousand and One Nights. But the Ali Baba here is clearly not the same person as the Ali Baba in the story.

　Malt continued, "Besides Alibaba, the other two giants of Golden Country are Gold Digger and Him. Gold Digger is a dwarf hybrid who calls himself a desert dwarf. Him is a grey elf hybrid who is treacherous and cunning."

　Dak asked, "Then, who is Granny Mo?"

　"Grandma Moa," Malt frowned. "That's the title of honor bestowed upon the most powerful and highest-ranking witch doctor in the Golden Land. All I know is that Grandma Moa possesses mysterious powers similar to those of a magician, and is involved in healing, curses, divination, and so on."

　After listening patiently, Dak realized, "I see, I think I understand now."

　Malt asked curiously, "What's going on?"

　Dak said, “Grandma Moa of the Golden Land received a revelation in a dream, declaring that the clans of the Golden Land are ancient people, whose ancestors were immigrants who survived the destruction of the Golden Kingdom. After thousands of years, they have finally waited for the time to return to the Golden Kingdom. For them, the Golden Kingdom is the real Golden Land.”

　Malt exclaimed in surprise, "The Golden Land has such a history? But after all these years, do they still have the bloodline of the Golden Kingdom?"

　Dark couldn't help but laugh: "That has nothing to do with us, does it? Perhaps the so-called legacy of the Golden Kingdom is entrusted to some relics of the Golden Kingdom, which just happened to be taken away by the ancestors of the Golden Country and left to this day. But no matter what the truth is, as long as they truly believe that they are the descendants of the Golden Kingdom, then they are the true descendants of the Golden Kingdom. After all, no one will stand up and say to them, 'We are the descendants.'"

　“Whether they are descendants of the Golden Kingdom is none of our business,” Emma said. “But their appearance is a great thing for us.”

　“That’s right, now we can finally confirm that the ruins of the Golden Kingdom are in this desert!” Dark said with a hint of excitement.

　Emma's lips curled slightly as she said, "Now, all that's left is to find the Golden Kingdom before they do!"

　Dark raised his hand and said, "No rush. The Golden Country has a compass that can determine the direction of the Golden Kingdom. If we can get our hands on one of these compasses, our journey will be much smoother."

　After speaking, Dark paused, then added, "Of course, we're not robbers; we don't do things like forcibly taking things. But we can let them go first."

　After saying this, he laughed: "Alibaba borrowed Harry and Ackerman's team from the Sand Tribe. It seems that the guide that Malt recommended to us is indeed very capable."

　Malt curled her lip and muttered, "That goes without saying."

　Lone Ranger Harry, though withdrawn and poor at communication, possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of the Death Desert and is extremely powerful, even capable of replacing bodyguards.

　Ackerman's team, on the other hand, maximizes teamwork; with just three people working together, they can achieve a synergy greater than the sum of its parts, approaching perfection in every aspect.

　They were very famous among the guides of the Sand Tribe.

　Now, Alibaba has borrowed Harry and Ackerman, and according to "Dream Demon," they have left the Sandworm Tavern and are heading towards the interior of the Death Desert.

　"They've already set off, should we follow them?" Emma asked somewhat anxiously.

　Dark shook his head and said, "I told you there's no rush. The Golden Kingdom is there, it won't disappear. Being a step earlier or later won't bring about any qualitative change. Let's continue to rest tonight, make sure we get enough sleep, and set off again tomorrow during the day."

　Therefore, after slightly adjusting their itinerary, Dark and the others returned to their rooms. Then, Emma and Ash came to Dark's room through a hidden door. "Magical Beast: Goddess of the Mind's Eye" began to explain Maize's thoughts. The three listened carefully and confirmed that Maize was a rare conscience in the Death Desert, and couldn't help but sigh at their good fortune.

　“It seems there really is something guiding us in the dark,” Emma said, frowning.

　Dark nodded slightly and said, "Someone wants to awaken."

　Emma suddenly asked, "Could it be material for the 'God Card'?" Dark agreed with Emma's sudden leap of thought, "We've smelled the scent of a secret treasure."

　Emma shook her head slightly: "Not yet."

　"We're leaving tomorrow. Be careful," Dark said. "Okay," Emma nodded, then said goodnight and left.

　Dark looked at Ashe and said, "We can begin."

　Aisha nodded and activated "Spiritual Connection" to transmit the information back.

　They then slept peacefully, and nothing happened that night.

　At six o'clock in the morning, Dak and the others got up one after another to wash up.

　In the desert, there is hot water for washing, and you can eat piping hot food and fresh fruit, making it hard to tell whether you are on vacation or on an adventure.

　While eating bread and beef and drinking morning coffee, Malt felt increasingly envious of the mage's power.

　After breakfast, Dark recalled the magical spirits on night watch one by one, then led everyone onto the "Moon God's Chariot" and left the cave to continue their journey.

　Since they did not know the direction Alibaba would take after entering the desert, they theoretically could not immediately track him.

　But Malt knew his people very well. The Sand Clan would never let such a vast treasure slip by!

　To survive for a hundred years in the Death Desert, kindness alone is absolutely not enough. Alibaba thought he understood the Sand People, but he hadn't even grasped the most fundamental things.

　[Lunar Chariot] Maintain low-altitude flight.

　Malt sat on the cart floor, her eyes scanning the ground like lightning. Suddenly, a thought struck her, and she said to the "Fairy Tale Animal - Little Rabbit" beside her, "Stop!"

　—Although Malt was initially shocked to learn that the pink furry rabbit was the carriage driver, she has now gotten used to it.

　"Meow." The fairytale animal, the little rabbit, responded and immediately drove the carriage down to its final destination.

　Dak poked half his body out from behind the car door and asked, "Found it?" Malt nodded solemnly.