Genshin Impact: Rise of the Desert

Ivan suddenly opened his eyes; he was lying on the cold stone slab.

The cruise ship was almost broken into three pieces, washed away by a waterfall in the distance, leaving behind a trail of blood and broken bones.

The ground is made of flat and symmetrical marble slabs that stretch into the distance, and as far as the eye can see, there is a palace about two hundred meters away.

The surrounding area was cluttered with debris and people who had fainted, which tainted the pristine purity of the marble slabs.

The surrounding area, about 300 meters away, was shrouded in mist, making it feel like being in the paradise described by the Orthodox Church...

Looking at the scene before him, Ivan stared wide-eyed in disbelief, unable to believe what he was seeing.

After slapping himself twice and pinching his oregano, Ivan finally believed he was in this dreamlike, fairy-tale place.

Before Ivan could regain consciousness, Navia also woke up.

She was clearly incredulous that this place was real, and slapped herself twice.

He jumped up excitedly: "Myles! Silver! Look... hehe..."

Navia jumped up and saw Ivan staring straight at her. She blushed and gave an awkward laugh.

It was only at this point that the others came to their senses.

"Ouch... my back... what's pressing against me?"

"That's my scimitar, and you're not old."

"Where's the leader? Damn it, he's a gift from the Flower Goddess, a reincarnation of a deity under the Red King, possessing the wisdom of the Great Tree King! Don't you dare lose the leader, or we'll have to apologize to the entire tribe!"

“I saw your chieftain, he’s over there…”

Both the desert people and the Fontainebleau people suffered injuries of varying degrees, with fractures of different sizes all over their bodies.

Myles and Silver were roughly pulled out of the vortex by Navia, suffering comminuted fractures in their lower bodies. If it had taken any longer, the healing process would have been much more difficult.

Ivan counted the number of people and breathed a huge sigh of relief. Thankfully, not a single one was missing, including Silhind.

However, only Hezhong and Nanka were able to keep these two "Gilded" beings, who had undergone the "Beard of Ahmar" physical modification, moving. The bones of the others seemed to have their own ideas.

Hilhind and the three Fontaines were protected by Abel and were not injured at all.

At that moment, Silhind shouted excitedly, "Erinus Gold! It's Erinus Gold! I'm in! Ee-yes! I'm in!"

Silhind shouted with joy, but his foot slipped on a tattered piece of cloth, and he fell headfirst to the ground, his head hitting the marble slab with a loud thud.

"Is he crazy? Like those scholars we had when we were kids," He Zhong whispered.

“I think he’s quite happy.” Nanka Cairang watched with great interest as Silhind went crazy.

The only people still able to move are Ivan's three henchmen, Navia, Abel, and the three Fontaines she rescued.

After discussing it, the group decided to head to the distant palace, where there was a high chance of finding a way out, just like in the other secret realms.

The secret realms of Fontaine have all been cleared by the military and robots, and the government monopolizes all the relics and weapon upgrade materials within them. As for the secret realm of Sumeru, it is controlled by the thirty-person group, lackeys of the Order of the Church and desert traitors who have converted to the Great Tree King.

Ivan had never seen the Secret Realm before. Of the three Fontaines present, one was a nobleman named Willie de Rourdon, who had been to the Secret Realm because of his powerful family.

“Listen up, guys,” Willie said sternly. “Now I need you to pull yourselves together. We need to show the gentlemanly spirit of Fontaine and fight against adversity.”

"Although the government has most likely never been to this secret realm before, and it might be very dangerous, it can't get any worse!"

"Especially you two! Although we are not as good as those desert people in close combat, those who can board our ship are all from the old Fontainebleau Plain Water Flag! We can't lose face!"

The other two Fontaines, though nobles, were from collateral branches, and their surnames would be lost in the next generation.

I heard that someone traded for a fine fur from the desert, presented it to a high-ranking nobleman, and was rewarded, becoming a count.

So the two of them decided to try their luck.

One good news, one bad news, and one small surprise.

The good news is that they got extremely fine furs in exchange, and they'll likely get a fiefdom after becoming earls. The bad news is that the furs were washed away in the water, and the minor mishap is that they now have to fight tooth and nail.

The Fontaine people, except for Navia, were extremely nervous, while the desert people on Ivan's side were a completely different story.

The strong Khorasan clutched his arm, cold sweat beading on his forehead: "I heard my father say that pioneers usually find benefits and treasures in secret realms, become Batel, and become the pride of the tribe. But unfortunately, my brain tells me that I have to give up this opportunity to become proud."

He patted Khorasan's neck solemnly (he wanted to pat her shoulder, but was afraid of hurting her arm): "Don't worry, your older brother will carry on your share."

"Hehe, I heard from scholars that this Eros gold has trees covered with sheep's heads. If you see one, remember to dig it up by the roots and take it back to plant."

"And the milk in the breasts is barley wine... no, I'll take those with me too!"

"And rice, each grain is as big as a potato, don't forget to look for it carefully."

The desert people, besides regretting that they couldn't go, asked Ivan and his men to collect good things.

Five hundred years of brutal life have etched the genes of banditry into the very bones of the desert people...

Navia's playful demeanor vanished. After giving her two bodyguards a few instructions, she set off with the group.

After discussion, Abel and the two Fontaines took care of the wounded, while the rest went to explore the secret realm.

Ivan led the charge, with River on the left wing, South Carolina on the right, Navia at the rear, and Silhind and Willie in the center.

...............

Arriving at the main gate of the palace, there were no carvings on the gate or the walls; the white color, even purer than marble, was dazzling.

Even just inside the walls, the architecture reveals the style of Fontainebleau and the desert.

Ivan gritted his teeth and kicked the door hard.

The door opened in response.

What comes into view is a row of low houses surrounding a tall tower, with the land in the gaps between the houses covered with plants that are incomprehensible to ordinary people.

For example, what comes into view is an exceptionally tall sunset fruit tree.

However, on the branches that should have been bearing sunset fruits, sheep's heads grew instead.

Ivan recognized it—it was a Dama Mountain argali sheep, an absolute authentic one! Its backward-curving horns were shinier than any argali sheep Ivan had ever seen in Dama Mountain!

When the argali sheep saw humans enter, they actually showed a surprised expression on their faces and bleated.

"Holy crap, Lady Funina!" Willie was so shocked by the plant that he rolled his eyes and fainted.