Two kilometers outside the oasis, Kashin led his men to surround the ox-horned insect that bolted from the thicket. His silver whip lashed out, shredding the rickety tent on the cart like dry grass.
"As expected—they tried to lure us away," Kashin sneered, his handsome face turning cold at the empty cart debris. He signaled his men to return to the oasis.
"Sir, you knew it was a trick but still chased?" a confused subordinate asked.
"I needed confirmation to avoid that brat's tricks. With Balzac here, they can't escape the oasis undetected. Trap them here, and they're ours." Kashin laughed heartily—the first genuine laugh in days.
Since chasing Rick, misfortune had plagued him. The sandstorm had crushed his resolve, making him fear dying in the desert. Now fate smiled: he'd found an oasis and his target.
Back at the oasis, Kashin headed for the thicket where the ox-horned insect emerged. In a tall tree nearby, Balzac scanned the entire oasis. Seeing this, Kashin's heart sank—he'd expected a battle. "Where are they?"
"Not found, but they're definitely here. They were just where you stand." Balzac's eyes never left the woods, pointing to a locust tree beside Kashin.
Kashin noticed a tiny torn rag on a branch—likely snagged when Rick released the insect. Clutching the rag, Kashin weighed possibilities, only to discard them. "This doesn't make sense! When we left was their best chance to escape. Why stay?"
"Hmph, confused? You're dumber than your brother!" Balzac shot a contemptuous glance.
"Damn you swine! What did you say!" A lackey stormed forward, glaring at Balzac.
"What, can't take the truth? Too cowardly to speak up, so you send a dog?"
"Shut up." Kashin shoved the man aside, eyeing Balzac. "Then what are they doing?"
"Waiting for our patience to snap." Balzac looked to the lake, a wicked smile on his lips. "Smart—they know diverting us won't shake our trail, so they created a ruse. Like us, they must have lost men in the storm—otherwise, Shust would've killed me when I was alone."
"You mean Shust isn't here? Only a few of them remain?"
"Right. Shust wouldn't miss that chance. They're hiding somewhere, waiting for us to leave before sneaking out."
Kashin grasped the logic. With a wave, his men scattered to search the thickets. "Playing hide-and-seek? Heh... I can wait..."
As Kashin acted, Balzac eyed the water, a cruel grin spreading.
Fifty meters underground, Rick burst from the water, holding Lav, who pinched her nose, face purple. Anna, a stronger swimmer, followed.
"You okay?" Rick dragged Lav ashore, pounding her back to cough up water.
"Cough! Easy! You're hurting me!" Lav swatted his hand, glaring—her complexion improving.
"Just worried." Rick scratched his head, then froze. Lav's water-logged, sheer clothes clung to her body, revealing faint red dots on her chest. The half-hidden beauty took his breath away, his eyes lingering.
Lav caught his gaze, hitting his head and covering her chest. "Pervert! Stop looking!～～"
"Rick, how did you find this? It's the legendary Tanzan City!" Anna's cry came from the stele, her eyes wide with astonishment.
"I found it by chance. Why?"
"Wait, did you say Tanzan City? The one that vanished 300 years ago?" Lav jumped up in shock, shoving Rick aside and rushing to the stele, heedless of her dripping clothes.
"You know the legend too?" Anna asked, amazed.
"Of course! Tanzan City was epoch-making in insect egg history. It's hailed as the ancestor of the Three Cities of the Forest Domain—all current insect egg modification technologies originated here, later refined in the Armance Wasteland to form our present system."
Anna realized Lav's focus was academic, not the folklore she knew. "Archaeology is for scholars like you. Us common folk care about another legend in Tanzan Desert."
"Oh? What legend?" Rick asked, curious.
"Treasure!" Anna's eyes sparkled, gesturing excitedly. "Lizard hunters say the continent's greatest city was sunk by the gods, taking untold wealth. It waits for treasure hunters somewhere in the desert. I can't believe it's true—it's really buried under the desert! Rick, you're amazing!"
Overcome, Anna hugged Rick in her bikini, planting a kiss on his lips.
"Hey, don't take advantage!" Lav yanked Anna away, pointing at Rick. "Wipe off that slobber! And what rubbish legend is that—gods?"
"Of course it's the gods! How else could such a huge city move underground intact?" Anna thrust out her chest.
"Th—" Lav was speechless, but refused to yield. "I'll figure out how it happened, but it wasn't gods—I'm sure!"
"Tch." Anna scoffed.
"Um... Should we go explore first?" Rick interrupted, seeing the argument intensify.
"Good idea. Let's go!" For once, Lav and Anna agreed, striding ahead. Rick followed, rubbing his nose with a bitter smile.
Entering the towering city gate, they saw a street wide enough for eight insect carts. Angular ancient buildings, partially painted lamp posts, and lifelike sculptures lined the way. At the street's end stood an ancient building with a torn roof, still defying time.
Though now littered with rubble, Rick could imagine the street's prosperity 300 years ago. Standing in the center, he asked, "Where to first?"
"The library. I saw it on the map—we should check there," Lav suggested.
"The library! What for? We should find treasure first—those wolves are right above us! I won't let others take it." Anna protested.
"They probably can't find us..." Rick thought of Balzac, voice uncertain. "Even if they do, this place is huge—plenty of hiding spots."
"All the more reason to find treasure and hide it." Anna was set on the legend.
"Wait. The library might have clues. You need to know where to look, right?" Rick patted her shoulder.
Anna conceded, and the trio wandered the ancient streets. Though weathered, buildings retained their shapes. To their surprise, life here 300 years ago seemed utterly different—shops sold daily goods of various materials and obsolete metalware, no insect stores. They found no insect products except a few keychains with tiny, harmless-looking bug specimens.
"Looks like insects weren't widespread in Tanzan City—maybe egg implantation was still experimental," Lav concluded academically.
"No insect eggs—so no distinction between scum and citizens. Life then was better. But..." Rick whispered, frowning. "Why haven't we seen anyone?"
"You idiot, it's been buried 300 years—how could anyone survive?"
"No, I mean people—alive or dead. It's like everyone evaporated. There should be at least ten million skeletons, but we haven't found a single bone."
"Huh..." Anna and Lav pondered. Human flesh rots, but bones endure. Yet they'd seen none.
"Could everyone have evacuated before the city sank?" Anna ventured.
"Unlikely." Rick eyed the shop's varied goods. "A planned evacuation would have emptied these places, but everything's still here."
"Who cares? Better no one—corpses would be creepy." Lav grew impatient after a moment's curiosity. "Come on, let's hit the library."
Rick agreed, trailing behind. But after a few steps, he glanced back at a cracked low wall. Treasure and history meant nothing—he only cared about survival. Anna and Lav might dismiss the missing people, but he couldn't shake his unease.
No corpses—aside from evacuation, another possibility existed. "If they were eaten, time could erase all traces. I hope... I hope my suspicion is wrong." Muttering, Rick shook off the thought and caught up with Lav and Anna.
Tanzan Library, a colossal structure spanning tens of thousands of square meters, stood at the city's heart. Opposite lay a vast square ringed by tall buildings—once the bustling center. Now, everything was coated in gray dust, the air heavy with oppression.
The library's gates were seven-meter-high bronze arches ornately cast with patterns. But time had worn them down: the luxurious doors lay toppled, wooden panels rotted and pockmarked. Brushing aside thick dust, they saw the exquisite bronze ornaments covered in green patina, long stripped of their splendor.
The trio entered cautiously, first seeing an empty hall and two half-open iron boxes large enough for a dozen people. "What's this?" Rick stepped closer, noting huge chains attached above.
"Stairs over here!" Anna called from the other side.
Rick muttered, "Must be like construction hoists. People 300 years ago were lazy—would rather be lifted than climb." Everything here clashed with their era, leaving Rick confused about the furnishings.
But none of that mattered. They'd found the reading room, a labyrinth of ten-meter-tall bookshelves packed with ancient books. The shelves formed concentric circles like tree rings, spaced with movable stairs for accessing books. Long tables stood in the aisles for reading.
Rick finally grasped what Lav meant by "spending life reading." Even a lifetime wouldn't suffice to read all these books—maybe not ten lifetimes. Anna, a book-illiterate, was stunned. The only written materials she cared about were account books and price lists. Facing so many books, she felt dizzy. Where to start?
"Categories are marked." Lav, experienced in libraries, found the classification signs first, saving them time.
After wandering the maze for hours, Lav located the insect section in a corner. It held few books—mostly illustrated manuals and journals. Clearly, insect biotechnology hadn't been valued in Tanzan City.
With Rick's help, Lav climbed the stairs to search, while he and Anna boredly lit a fire with rotten books to toast flatbreads below. Thankfully Lav was engrossed, or their book-burning would have earned a scolding.
Time passed quickly in the timeless underground. Lav grew leg-sore from standing, closing the leather-bound journal in her hand and descending. Below, Rick and Anna had fallen asleep leaning on each other, the fire reduced to smoking embers.
"Damned illiterates—burning books!" Lav fumed, ready to wake Rick. But her stomach rumbled, and she saw the flatbread he'd toasted for her. "I'll let you off for remembering me." Biting the cold bread, she smiled warmly, sitting beside Rick and resting her head on his empty shoulder.