Splash!An off-road vehicle tore across the desert at top speed, leaving a long, winding trail etched into the endless sand.Leander lounged in the front passenger seat as a professional driver, dispatched by Yelem's powerful families, took the wheel.The back seat was filled with food, water, and spare tires-everything necessary to survive the desert.Leander closed his eyes behind thick sunglasses, looking more like a tourist than anything else.Only Leander and the driver were in the car; Celia wasn't with them. After she indicated the path, Leander had sent her to protect Nathan and the others. He pressed on alone into the desert, searching for the legendary Westerian Divinity Vault.A divinity vault beyond the King Phase was irresistible.Leander was eager to glimpse the wealth and power of a Westerian divinity.Across the endless desert, the vehicle pressed forward, its tires churning golden dust into the air. For miles around, there was only this solitary car."Eh?"Leander sat motionless, sunglasses shielding him from the scorching sun. After half an hour, the driver suddenly called out."Sir, there's a figure ahead! It seems to be a woman."Leander kept his eyes closed and spoke calmly, "Let her be. We'll go our own way."In the boundless desert, foot travelers weren't unusual. In places like Umbrya and Qasara, locals wrapped their faces and wandered the sun-scorched sands, searching for remnants of past gold mining.He was here for the divinity vault, and the strangers he encountered meant nothing to him.The driver spoke again, sounding puzzled. "Sir, she's waving and heading straight for our car.""Oh?" Leander lowered his sunglasses and opened his eyes.Ahead, a slender woman draped in a red scarf made her way through the sand, her steps faltering. She waved her arms frantically, clearly signaling for help.Leander found it strange. She had no cultivation and seemed completely ordinary, yet she was crossing the desert on foot with barely any water or proper gear. He couldn't understand it.The vehicle stopped in front of her.Even with her face covered, Leander could tell she was stunning. Her sunburned skin could not hide her beauty, which was easily on par with Celia's. Seeing a delicate, beautiful woman walking alone through the desert was unusual."Please, help me. I'll pay any price."Her voice carried Astric, with a hint of a regional accent revealing her origin.Leander recognized it immediately. She's from Bladewick. Her elegant attire and graceful manner mark her as a member of a wealthy family. Half a world from home -why does she come here alone, to suffer like this?As she spoke, she reached for the car door handle, her eyes pleading."Sir, what do we do?" The driver didn't unlock the door right away, instead seeking Leander's judgment. Along the way, Leander had been calling every shot."Let her in Leander gave a calm nod. Life and death were fragile in such a place. Bladewick lay in Astric territory, and since they shared the same homeland helping he was the right choice. With a soft click, the driver unlocked the door.The woman slid into the back seat and instantly spotted the water and food. Without hesitation, she grabbed them, drinking and eating as if she hadn't had a proper meal in ages.Eyes straight ahead, Leander ignored her as the engine roared back to life.After twenty minutes, she finally caught her breath. Her lips pressed together as she spoke, her voice hoarse and tired."Thank you! I've been in the desert for five hours without anything to drink or eat. I was about to pass out." Her words carried a weight of honesty.In her eyes, they were her only lifeline in this merciless desert. One more hour in the scorching sun, and she would have been done for.Leander leaned back in his seat, hands behind his head, and spoke without turning. "Why were you out here? Even tourists know not to enter the desert without proper provisions."She froze for a heartbeat, realizing he was speaking Astric.Slowly, she began to recount her story. She was the beloved granddaughter of the Snowbrook family from Bladewick-famous as both a jewelry designer and a fashion model.She had arrived with a group of more than twenty, only to be torn from them by a sudden sand tornado five hours ago.The storm had cast her toward a lone mound, leaving the others swallowed by the desert. For five hours, she walked without seeing a single sign of life.Everything-food, water, and any means of communication—was with her companions. She wascompletely cut off. She could do netnothing but press on, fighting the relentless heat and her parched throat, until at last she came across them. "You brought over twenty people from Bladewick just to see how strong a sandtornado is?" His calm tone carried a faint trace of scrutiny.noveldramaShe must have had a deeper purpose for coming here. No one drags over twenty people into the desert without a reason.She sensed him probing. After a brief hesitation, she spoke again."Those twenty-plus people with me are elite bodyguards. We came because of a rumor. There's said to be an oasis hidden in this desert. Its air is fresh, its scenery beautiful."Someone once drank from its spring. Afterward, all his illnesses disappeared, and he lived ten more years."I came here for my grandfather. He's nearing the end of his life. I'm searching for that spring of life.""The spring of life?" Leander's pupils constricted, and his heart skipped a beat. "Could it be Verdant Dew?"