567: Chapter 562 Let their god invite me in

Shen Yan did not respond.

He took a chip out of his pocket and placed it on the bar counter.

It was no ordinary casino chip.

Inlaid with diamonds on it was a complex family crest.

Union Bank of Switzerland, the highest-level anonymous savings certificate.

Kade, who usually only had eyes for money, saw his expression change when he looked at the chip.

A flicker of wariness flashed in his single eye.

"Who are you?"

"A tourist who wants to go into the desert to dig up some local specialties."

Shen Yan's tone was very calm.

"This is the fee for asking for directions."

He pushed the chip over.

Kade stared at the chip, remaining silent for a full minute.

The noise in the bar seemed to vanish at this moment.

Finally, he slowly reached out and took the chip.

"I can take you."

"I can also let you see the elders of the Sand Vipers."

"But whether they are willing to see you is not something I can guarantee."

"Fine."

Kade's single eye fell back on Shen Yan.

"The thing you want is under the sand."

"But sometimes, what is buried under the sand is not gold, but man-eating monsters."

"Tomorrow morning, Blackstone Gas Station outside the city."

"I won't wait for latecomers."

After speaking, he ignored Shen Yan and continued wiping glasses on his own.

Shen Yan stood up, turned, and left the bar.

The sunlight outside made him squint his eyes slightly.

He knew that this trip to Desert City had only just begun.

The real challenge was not at the negotiation table, but in that boundless Black Gold Desert.

The next day, the horizon had just begun to turn white.

Dawn in the Black Gold Desert held no tenderness whatsoever.

The sun was like a red-hot iron, searing directly onto the horizon.

Not a trace of coolness could be found in the air anymore.

Blackstone Gas Station.

Rather than a gas station, it was more like a fortress built from discarded containers and sheet metal.

The rusty sign creaked in the hot wind.

Shen Yan's off-road vehicle stopped on time in front of a fuel pump that could still dispense oil.

He did not get out of the car.

The car window was lowered halfway, revealing a pair of calm eyes.

Five minutes later.

Another even more dilapidated pickup truck, kicking up yellow sand, drove from the depths of the desert.

The vehicle came to a steady stop.

One-eyed Kade jumped down from the driver's seat.

He threw a military canteen to Shen Yan.

"Take a drink."

"Once you enter the desert, water is more expensive than gold."

Shen Yan unscrewed the cap and took a sip.

The water had a faint earthy smell.

His expression remained unchanged as he handed the canteen back.

"Let's go."

Kade grinned, revealing a mouth of teeth yellowed by tobacco.

"Gutsy."

The two vehicles, one after the other, drove away from the last boundary of human civilization.

The wheels rolled over the sandy ground, kicking up dust like two giant yellow dragons.

The deeper they went, the more desolate it became.

There were no roads.

Kade's driving skills were like a fish surfing in the sea of sand.

Shen Yan's car followed closely behind, not lagging by an inch.

Kade's raspy voice came through the walkie-talkie.

"Easterner, you drive well."

"Spent time in the desert before?"

Shen Yan picked up the walkie-talkie.

"No."

"I just don't like being left behind."

Silence came from the other end of the walkie-talkie.

Two hours later, the terrain began to change.

The massive Scorpion Tail Rock, like a dormant ancient beast, appeared at the end of their vision.

The tribe was situated right under the shadow of Scorpion Tail Rock.

It was not the cluster of tents one might imagine.

Instead, it consisted of fortress-like buildings constructed from a mixture of rock and sand, blending into the mountain itself.

At the entrance stood two men holding old-fashioned rifles.

Their skin was dark and their gazes alert, like hawks in the desert.

Seeing Kade's vehicle, they did not let them pass immediately.

One of them stepped forward and spoke with Kade in the local dialect.

Kade pointed to Shen Yan's car behind him.

The man's gaze scraped over like a knife.

A moment later, he waved his hand.

The roadblock was moved aside.

Shen Yan followed Kade, driving into the tribe's central square.

Many curious and exclusionary gazes peered out from the surrounding houses.

Kade led Shen Yan to the largest stone house.

"The elder is inside."

"I'll go report."

He lifted the heavy animal-hide door curtain and walked in.

Shen Yan stood where he was; the wind in the square whipped up sand grains that hit his face with a slight sting.

He could feel at least a dozen malicious gazes locked onto him.

Not long after, Kade came out.

His expression was somewhat grim.

"The elder says the Sand Vipers do not welcome outsiders."

"He does not want to see you."

Shen Yan's expression did not change at all.

"As expected."

Kade narrowed his single eye.

"Then what do you plan to do? Force your way in? They will carve the meat off your body piece by piece to feed the scorpions."

"No."

Shen Yan looked around.

He saw the well in the center of the square that was almost completely dried up.

He saw the irritability on the tribespeople's faces, born from the torment of thirst.

He also saw the mixture of awe and confusion in their eyes as they looked toward Scorpion Tail Rock.

"Since the elder is unwilling to see me."

"Then I will let their god invite me in."

Kade was stunned.

"Are you crazy?"

Shen Yan ignored Kade's shock.

He simply settled down in this square.

He did not bother anyone, simply leaning against his off-road vehicle and observing.

On the first day, he saw the tribe's priest leading a group of people in prayer by the dried-up Sacred Well.

They sang ancient chants, praying for the sand god to send down sweet rain.

Their voices were devout, yet they carried a hint of despair.

On the second day, Shen Yan saw two children fighting over half a canteen of water.

When they were pulled apart by adults, one child's lips were already cracked and bleeding.

On the morning of the third day.

Shen Yan found Kade, who was distributing water.

"Kade, take me to see the priest."

"What do you want to do?"

"Tell him that I have heard the voice of the sand god."

Kade felt that this Easterner had gone completely mad.

But he still took Shen Yan there.

The priest was a wrinkled old man with cloudy eyes that seemed as if they might go out at any moment.

He looked at Shen Yan as if looking at an intruder who did not know the meaning of death.

"Outsider, the sand god will not speak to those with impure blood."

Shen Yan did not argue.

He extended a finger and pointed toward the sky.

"At noon today, the sand god will be angry."

"The sky will be dyed yellow, and the wind will carry the scorpion's venomous stings."

A disdainful, cold smile appeared on the priest's face.

The surrounding tribespeople also let out mocking whispers.

However, when noon arrived.

The sky truly changed color.

A small sandstorm swept in without any warning.

The wind and sand were not massive, but they precisely enveloped the entire tribe.

The sand grains hit their faces like needle pricks.

Everyone was stunned.

In the priest's cloudy eyes, alarm and suspicion appeared for the first time.

Shen Yan's voice was not loud, yet it clearly reached everyone's ears.

"The sand god told me it is thirsty."