"With this, your wound is healed."
The white glow in Elise's hand gradually faded. She smiled as she watched the desert wolf rise from the ground.
Her healing arts were indeed effective. In less than ten minutes, she had pulled the wolf back from the brink of death, where it had already placed half a paw into the underworld.
After half an hour, the wolf looked completely recovered, no different from before—no trace of the mortal wound remained.
"Arwoo!"
The wolf howled twice, then looked at Est. It clearly knew Elise didn't understand the spirit language and relied on Est to translate.
"Mm, I understand."
Est met the wolf's gaze briefly, then turned back to Elise, who was waiting.
"Sister, it says that in the place where it once lived, there is a pyramid. Inside that pyramid, precious treasures are buried."
"It can lead us there!"
A pyramid?
That sounded a little familiar.
Elise had only just arrived in this world, so naturally she couldn't know exactly where the wolf meant. But since it was a pyramid, it had to be an ancient ruin, right?
And in this world of Elementalists, ancient ruins should hold plenty of treasures—perhaps even the techniques of spirit wielders from long ago! Such things would surely help her develop her own abilities.
"In that case, there's no time to waste. Let's depart!"
And so, one girl, one loli, and one wolf set off on their journey to the pyramid.
At first Elise thought to use teleportation, but then realized she had been relying too much on faith power lately. Since she had time, she decided to travel on foot. She could treat it as a journey—wandering this world more, and if she encountered enemies along the way, she could practice her coordination with Est.
Two days later, the group finally reached a city.
Situated where forest met desert, it stood as a major crossroads between the two. No wonder such a large city existed here!
Elise's goal in coming was to find a way to venture deeper into the desert. Because she needed the wolf to guide them, she abandoned aerial flight.
If she could join a merchant caravan heading into the desert, that would be ideal. Besides, it would also be a good chance to experience local customs and taste the local cuisine.
Elise extended her senses toward the merchants buying food nearby, probing the nature of this world's currency…
Yes!
It was a type she could create!
Sacred Speech!
"Create!"
With the word, a large bag appeared in Elise's hand. A crisp jingling sound came from within—who knew how many gold coins were inside?
But rest assured!
The Saintess was no swindler who passed off counterfeits. The coins she created were genuine!
In fact, they were purer than the local currency—100% real gold! Even if Elise left this world, they would not vanish.
"With this, I've secured starting funds. No need to worry about money troubles now."
"I'll just hire a caravan to head for the pyramid. But for now, the most urgent matter…"
"Is getting food and rest!"
Ever since stepping into the desert, the temperature had been rising at an unbelievable rate.
Elise had no choice but to change into desert attire to protect herself from the direct sun.
Originally she thought of letting Est return to her body to rest, but Est insisted on staying outside.
So now, the three of them looked very much like a young mother holding her daughter's hand, with a dog trotting alongside…
At least it was a normal enough sight, right?
Yet from the shadows, several ill-intentioned gazes were already watching Elise and Est.
As for the wolf? Who would care about that? Desert wolves were everywhere.
"Arwoo!" the wolf growled softly. Elise was about to ask her translator Est, but the answer came first.
"Sister, it says it's hungry…"
The white-haired loli and the yellow-furred wolf both stared at the nearby food shop, tears slipping uncontrollably from the corners of their mouths.
"I think… you're both hungry too, aren't you?"
Sigh!
Though Elise no longer needed to eat to sustain her life…
That didn't mean she would force herself to never eat!
Damn it! Even a saintess could be tempted!
A formidable enemy indeed!
I must eat my fill to prepare for battle!
"Then let's all go together!"
Eating was important, but gathering information here was equally necessary.
According to the shopkeeper, this desert was called the Red Death Desert, spanning the borderlands between the Alphas Theocracy and the Quina Empire.
A thousand years ago, the Demon King War had taken place here!
Because of that war, this land lost the blessing of the spirits and became a barren wasteland.
And the pyramid… lay deep within the desert!
Could it be, the place it wanted to take her to… was the Demon King Solomon's tomb?
Elise glanced at the wolf, only to see it shake its head.
"It says it doesn't know. It only lived there for a long time, but whether it's the Demon King's tomb or not, it can't say."
"Is that so?"
Elise nodded thoughtfully.
As mentioned before, she didn't know the exact details of the later events in the original story.
Still, if this truly was the Demon King Solomon's tomb, then the treasures inside would surely be plentiful. If there were ancient spirit techniques within, they would be of great help to her.
Perhaps in the future, this place would also serve as a trial ground for the protagonist. But…
What did that have to do with Elise?
Just because something was meant for the protagonist didn't mean no one else could take it.
In the end, it belonged to whoever claimed it first.
And if this truly was the Demon King's tomb, then Elise was determined to seize its contents!
"Est, are you full yet?"
Beside her, Est and the wolf had finally stopped devouring their meals. It was already afternoon. Best to rest here for the night and continue the journey tomorrow.
"Since we're done eating, let's go look for—"
"Sorry! My wallet is really gone, I didn't mean to dine and dash!"
An urgent male voice rang out from not far away. In the otherwise quiet shop, it stood out sharply, drawing Elise's attention.
Though dressed in Arab-like attire with half his face covered, that did nothing to hinder Elise's perception.
Inside his body was a special kind of energy—Divine Power!
In the world of Elementalists, there were few men who possessed Divine Power!
What's more, from Elise's perception, that face beneath the veil had enormous potential for crossdressing…
The answer was already clear!
Elise couldn't help but sigh. To think she would meet him here?
"Speak of the devil, and the devil appears!"