Chapter 290: Temple beneath the sand.

Etania rose, but she seemed unwilling. And her eyes, when she looked at Zyra, were those of a fanatic. They were so intense that Bianca shuddered.

Bianca had met Julia and Trinity a few times, over the years. She likened the way Etania was looking at Zyra to the way Julia looked at Trinity. There were even absurd rumors that those two were lovers.

Hopefully, Etania’s newfound devotion for Zyra did not cross any boundaries.

The dragon snakes, who had been hovering high above and far from the fight, flew closer to Zyra cheerfully.

Zyra glared at the snakes. "You guys knew what was under the sand. You could have warned me!"

The lead dragon snake flicked its tongue innocently. Well, we wanted to see what would happen when someone pulled the root. We were curious. It has been fifty years since a human did it.

Zyra rolled her eyes. In a way Neal had been right about the dragon snakes. They did not intend to harm her, but their intentions were not noble as well. She turned her attention to her hand, that had a beacon that was flashing wildly; the hidden dungeon entry was right here.

She turned back to the Warden. "What were you guarding beneath this sand? Is it a dungeon?"

The Warden nodded, yellow leaves fluttering to the ground. Allow us to show you, boss.

The giant tree shook its roots, pulling the earth apart. The roots began to unravel like a giant wooden door, slowly exposing a large, buried temple sleeping in the depths of the desert sand.

The dungeon beacon on Zyra’s hand died. "This is it." Zyra whispered.

Neil rubbed his eyes just to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating. "Holy shit! There is a dungeon here! A real dungeon! No one in their right mind would have guessed this was down here!" he shouted, grinning like a kid on harvest day. "This is nothing short of awesome."

"Keep your voice down, idiot," Bullet muttered, throwing a cautious glance toward the dark entrance.

Zyra didn’t even hear them, she was far too focused on the breathtaking beauty of the temple. Despite being buried under tonnes of desert sand for countless years, the structure looked impeccably well-maintained. Magnificent, white jade pillars stretched toward the sky, untouched by rot or dust. Framing the big grand entrance were two gargantuan golden snake statues, their carved quartz eyes glistening with an eerie, lifelike brilliance.

Zyra turned her head slightly to the Warden. "What exactly were you protecting down here? I’m not walking into a trap blind."

The Warden’s wooden face smoothed over as it spoke, its voice like the rustling of dry leaves. We were tasked with guarding the ancient treasures left behind by the old natives. It was the final wish of the last temple keeper_ before hunger took him.

Zyra frowned, a wave of confusion washing over her. "Hunger?" she asked, stepping through the shadow of the golden serpent statues.

The Warden shrank its big form down to a manageable size, floating right beside her shoulder as it narrated the tragic past. The Sangaris tribe loved isolation. They lived far away from other humans, deep in the sacred forests, worshiping serpents and nature. But when the other race arrived, the temple keeper predicted absolute doom. He gathered everyone, stocked up food inside this sanctuary, and sealed the doors. The tree let out a heavy sigh of sap. They thought they could wait out the apocalypse and the war. But the years passed, the food ran out, and one by one_ they died of hunger and thirst.

Zyra pushed open the heavy inner bronze doors, and the words died in her throat. The main hall was littered with white human bones. Skeletons rested against the pillars, gathered in small circles as if they had died holding hands. Zyra let out a long, heavy sigh, feeling the weight of their final, hopeless days.

"Jackpot!" Neil yelled softly, already running up to an armor rack. He grabbed a gleaming silver spear and tossed a gem-encrusted dagger into his bag.

"Put it back," Zyra said, her voice dropping an octave into dangerous territory. "Respect the dead. We aren’t robbing a grave."

Milly’s eyes practically rolled into the back of her head. Is this woman crazy? she thought, clutching her own bag tight. This is an ancient jackpot, and she wants to leave it for the skeletons?! does she know the value of what is here?

Before Milly could voice her protest, a faint, rhythmically wet hissing caught Zyra’s attention. Leaving the crew behind, she followed the sound toward the rear of the temple.

There, hidden behind a tall archway, was a stunning indoor oasis. A natural waterfall cascaded down a rugged rock wall, feeding a crystal-clear stream. Lined up along the water were rare, shimmering trees bearing glowing, purple fruits.

[Dew Fruits detected, Host!] Beauty’s cheerful voice rang in her mind.

Zyra smiled, stepping forward to harvest them, but abruptly stopped at the edge of a wide stone rim. It looked like an old, dried-up well. She leaned over the edge and peeked inside.

Swarming at the bottom were dozens of slumbering serpents.

[Warning: Mid-level Python detected in the snake pit.]

Zyra’s eyes lit up with absolute delight. She had found everything she needed for her beast’s evolution in one single place! But excitement quickly gave way to a practical dilemma: how on earth was she supposed to snatch a mid-level python and pick those fruits without waking up a whole pit of deadly reptiles? Would she have to release her aura and command them?

She glanced back over her shoulder. Neil, Bianca, and the others were still distracted, arguing over decorative vases and staring at the architecture. Only Elfy stood close to her.

Zyra turned to the Warden floating at her shoulder. "Hey_ care to lend a hand?"

The Warden grunted softly. With effortless precision, it extended two thin but strong wooden roots down into the dark pit. A second later, it plucked a medium sized, thrashing python right out of the pile by its neck, bringing it up to eye level.

Before the snake could even let out a full hiss, Beauty’s transferred the python safely into the Beast Dominion and left it in the cage.

"Nice work," Zyra grinned.

The Warden then flexed its larger branches, weaving them together and laying them flat over the gaping mouth of the snake pit, forming a sturdy, wooden bridge leading straight to the Dew Fruit trees.

"Mother master, I will get the fruit." Elfy said before Zyra got any ideas.

Elfy stepped onto the root bridge, ready to claim her prize and prove she could more helpful than a tree. Her confidence was feeling rattled by her failure to display her strength today.