Istanbul, the jewel under the throat of the dragon of Araffa, the last legacy of the infinitely glorious ancient Loren, the gate of the Black Sea, the city in the world that the Holy See most wants to destroy.

Historically, it was once known as Constantinople, the birthplace of the Holy See, and now, it is the capital of the Alpha Empire.

Not many people knew about the countess's arrival, but in private, she was treated with the highest courtesy.

The owner of the White Tower hosted a small welcome dinner for the Countess in her room at the top of the tower.

The arrangement itself was a gesture of goodwill, as the owner was the highest lady in the city, and she was also a scholar, which was just right for the countess's purpose when they came here for archaeological excavations.

Magellan was also able to enter the "infamous" White Tower, which, in fact, is not as terrifying as the papal records and even looks poetic at sunset.

The dinner itself was a pleasant surprise, as the host allowed the chef to enter the kitchen to make the dishes he wanted, while Magellan wandered around the tower with his old friend Shamil, and only the countess reluctantly stayed with the host and engaged in a conversation between the noble ladies.

"That's Hagia Sophia. ”

The setting sun passes over the top of the church's spire, tinting the dome with a soft glow.

Around the cathedral, you can see all kinds of tall buildings, the most conspicuous of which is the Black Tower in the distance.

"What a city full of history. ”

"Actually, you can stay here and not go that far. ”

"How?"

Magellan suddenly had a bad premonition, and Shamir would not suddenly say so for no reason.

"Where you are going, that desert now belongs to the Hawk and Bull tribes, who are on good terms with the merchants of Venice. ”

"Are they afraid of explorers?"

"In fact, it is. It's this that has seriously stimulated their traditional self-esteem, and I think you've now become the most hated Hawk and Bull people in a hundred years. ”

"It doesn't matter. Magellan smiled, "Actually, the fact that they didn't hate the king of the world means that they haven't lost their minds." ”

"What are you talking about?"

Shamir already had a basic understanding of Magellan, but he still didn't understand what Magellan meant by this sentence.

"Reasonable people can be persuaded, and intelligent people are mostly not stubborn. ”

Shamir smiled helplessly: "It's good to have confidence." But I can hear such rumors......"

"That means someone really doesn't want us to go there. But you see, they're smart people. ”

"No tribe in the Alpha would do such a thing out of sheer fear, and if you really believe what the Venetians tell you that they don't want to provoke the explorers, you have been deceived. ”

"And what can they do to an archaeological team?"

"Nobody knows......" Shamir sighed, "the king of the world was already unstoppable, and now she has an explorer." Arafa has made a lot of changes to tide over the storm, and it has not come without a price. ”

"So it's not so easy for you to know what's going on with the other tribes now in the capital, right?"

Shamir didn't say anything more, left Magellan with a wry smile, and left.

......

"It's a miracle place...... "Chef Pi prepares a supper for the countess with cheese, praising the place as if he had seen a new world, "My teacher is right that knowledge that cannot be obtained from books can only be obtained from travels......"

"Wise saying, your teacher is really wise......"

Magellan did not hesitate to express his appreciation while eating the creations of the great chefs.

He reminded the countess of Shamil's warning, but they had no clues, and in order not to cause unnecessary concern, the two did not share the bad news with the others.

"There are countless spices from the East, and I have come to believe that this place is blessed by God......

Chef Pi sighed deeply.

He was torn in the city, where all the goods and delicacies of the whole of Arafah could be found were gathered together, but the Countess's destination was not here, but the place where they were going was a barren desert, where the merchants could only give a pitiful thing or two when they welcomed their guests.

But in the end, loyalty to the countess prevailed over longing, and Chef Pico decided to follow them to the desert.

It was still the White Tower, a team of mage apprentices who were going to the desert in the east to investigate, and they "just happened" to stop by with the countess, so they took them "by the way".

......

Deserts are unsuitable places for human beings, even oases.

Magellan walked in the wilderness, surrounded by an earthy yellow, the boundary between the sky and the earth blurred, and the whole world seemed to be shrouded in sand.

It's an oasis in the middle of the desert.

Just to the west, there's a tiny hint of green, but that's not Magellan's destination.

He was about to go to a village on the edge of the oasis, where the countess was waiting.

It's a nice place, as anyone who really knows about the desert would say, but it's not friendly to anyone.

Magellan walked in silence along a path that did not exist, and finally stopped in front of a hole in the ground.

Then he walked in.

"Just now I suddenly felt that it was too shabby to look at this place from the outside. ”

"I give you permission to transform it into whatever you want. ”

Dinner had just begun, and the countess was holding up a glass of red wine to teach Dontès about aristocratic knowledge, while Chef Pitt continued to set a new meal on the table.

"Forget it," Magellan said, sitting down at the table, picking up a piece of broccoli for garnish and putting it in his mouth, "after all, the inside is more important than the outside." ”

"What's the catch?"

The countess's question was a matter of routine, and she did not expect any good news from Magellan at all.

"Nope. ”

And the countess was not wrong.

It didn't take long for them to be in this oasis, and Magellan moved quickly, but not yet to bear fruit.

The first stop of the archaeological team's discovery journey was here, which, according to the data collected by the countess, was one of the first cities to believe in Isitar thousands of years ago.

The long period of time has allowed the scope of the search to expand indefinitely, and not only that, but they have also encountered unexpected troubles.

Outsiders are not welcome in the inhabitants of the oasis.

So the countess chose to set up camp on the edge of the oasis, which, of course, as before, fits perfectly into the criteria of a true aristocratic mansion.