"Heh heh, probably jealousy," the female leader replied with an answer EeDechi hadn't expected.
"Jealousy? You immortals always have food and drink right here in the oasis. What could you possibly be jealous of?" EeDechi asked with a frown.
According to the female leader, before the Eight Greed Kings launched their great expedition, they transformed every resident in the capital who refused to leave with them into undead liches. They were ordered to wait here forever for the emperors' return.
The land that became the Eight Greed Kings' desert had once been a fertile plain, not a desert at all. The Eight Greed Kings used an ultimate spell to draw out all the soil, water, and plants, then anchored them deep within the desert to forge this everlasting oasis.
The female leader glared at EeDechi with gritted teeth, her voice thick with resentment and rage. "We are no longer human. We wear this false flesh, living forever yet forever trapped, unable to leave this oasis. This is the curse of immortality.
"That's why we envy you living people! Look at yourselves—so fortunate. You can be born, grow, and die. Every moment is fresh and new, every moment truly lived.
"Only by devouring your flesh and sucking the marrow from your bones can we feel a brief spark of life, sense true vibrant vitality!"
After hearing the female leader's bitter accusation, EeDechi fell silent.
Outside the hall, a group of neatly attired remnants crowded the doorway, peering in cautiously. They were all liches. On the cold marble floor, Elsa's infant form crawled on all fours, his face the picture of pure innocence. He was a lich as well.
"Kill me! I almost succeeded in killing your companion, didn't I? Kill me now!" the female leader roared in EeDechi's grip. The soul fire flickering in the eye sockets of her skull actually burned with... anticipation.
"I realize death isn't a punishment for you," EeDechi said slowly. "Where does your Dragon Progenitor blood come from?"
The female leader answered straightforwardly, "The Dragon Progenitor's body is still preserved in the center of the temple. The former emperors once slew the Dragon Progenitor, but its corpse never decayed. It has always harbored powerful vitality, so the emperors did not destroy the body. Instead, they kept it intact and drew blood from it at regular intervals for the army's warriors to bathe in dragon blood."
Barrett, true to his status as the one with the strongest constitution, was the first to wake up on the dining wagon. Then Antilene came to as well, leaving only Franco still unconscious. Seeing her companions all safe and sound, EeDechi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Take me to see the Dragon Progenitor's body," EeDechi said coldly. "Oh, and I'll borrow your crown for a bit."
In the ruins of the hall, EeDechi picked up the female leader's golden crown. The jewels and diamonds embedded in it were incomparably luxurious, showcasing the owner's status and power. But now they all belonged to EeDechi.
Guided by the female leader, EeDechi reached the center of the towering temple. There stood a massive and majestic ancient dragon on the ground, lifelike, as if it could awaken at any moment.
"Aetherial Secret Coffer, come forth!" EeDechi summoned.
The Aetherial Secret Coffer was a spatial magic item she had obtained recently while exploring the Eight Greed Kings desert. It functioned like a spatial ring, but its storage space was far larger and it could even hold living creatures.
Crash! The window shattered, sending glass flying everywhere. A box smashed through the window, flew into the temple, and floated to a gentle stop at EeDechi's feet.
EeDechi silently issued the command in her mind, "Store the Dragon Progenitor's body into the Aetherial Secret Coffer."
The lid of the Aetherial Secret Coffer trembled and opened. The Dragon Progenitor's massive body transformed into a streak of light and was drawn inside with difficulty.
"You…" the female leader opened her mouth unwillingly, as if wanting to beg for something, but in the end she closed it.
"I know that death is just a release for you. But you've made a mistake and must accept punishment. From now on, don't even think about drinking Dragon Progenitor blood anymore," EeDechi said. She picked up the Aetherial Secret Coffer and tossed it to Barrett.
"If we gather all the wealth of the City of Remnants, would it be enough to fill the moat of the dungeon?" Barrett asked, clearly preparing to loot this last city from the Eight Greed Kings era.
"No need for that," the female leader said with difficulty. "In the northern stream of the oasis lies a submerged wealth machine. It can forge yellow sand into gold dust—more than enough to meet your needs."
"Forge yellow sand into gold dust?" EeDechi asked in utter amazement. "Take us to see it."
...
Under Baliit's guidance, they set fire to the manufacturing facility that produced the Imperial Map , and afterward took the wealth machine with them.
One day later.
EeDechi stood before the underground palace, facing towering city walls and a tightly shut, lofty gate.
The female leader's crown was placed into the groove. Click. A crisp mechanical coupling sound rang out from behind the door. The lock opened, but the door itself did not.
In the wide moat, a machine shaped like a millstone was working.
This was the magic item capable of forging yellow sand into gold—the Gold Smelter.
Franco channeled light magic, bending sunlight to shine into the underground palace and power the Gold Smelter.
"Sunlight... falls from the west, fine sand flows over... the millstone, forged into brilliant gold dust, endless wealth, flowing like a golden stream..."
Barrett recited the prayer inscribed on the machine silently, watching as the machine in the moat swallowed yellow sand and spat out gold dust. The gold trickled and piled up in the moat, spreading like sand and gradually flooding it.
"From now on, we will have endless wealth." Barrett finished the last line.
Clack.
The towering gates on the city wall swung open with a boom. The Thirty Level 100 guardians of the Eight Greed Kings were waiting inside.
"Let's go."
EeDechi led the way, her firm steps treading on the gold dust ground. Then came Barrett, Franco, Cheeko, Antilene. The group stepped into the palace of the Thirty guardians.
Mysterious whispers arose from behind the gates, endless temptations beckoning the adventurers.
"Welcome, everyone. Do you wish to know the secrets of the world?"