Martin's words seemed to ignite something in Professor Nama.
The West African scholar began to murmur to himself, half speaking to Martin, half lost in thought:
"If that legend were true, then this hidden city shouldn't be too far from present-day Djenne-Bucktu. But… the location would have to be extremely well concealed…"
"Then why was there never a single report afterward? Could they have suffered some catastrophe? Like an earthquake?"
"If so, then it must have been located along a seismic fault line."
"But an earthquake alone wouldn't silence everyone. If even one person escaped, there should have been some word. How could there be no trace whatsoever?"
"Maybe… maybe the path to it was already treacherous, and after the disaster, the entire geography shifted, cutting it off completely…"
"If that place really existed, could the missing texts have been moved there?"
"And if that city was destroyed by calamity, then perhaps what was inside could still be preserved… all that knowledge…"
Nama's eyes gleamed with growing intensity.
Martin let out a quiet sigh and released a pulse of magic.
The scholar's pupils dilated in a daze, then gradually cleared as he blinked himself back to awareness.
A moment later, he stood up and bowed deeply to Martin.
"Mister Meyers, I had no idea you were so passionate about West African history. If you're interested, I'd be honored to gift you a copy of my book on the subject."
"Thank you, Professor Nama. I'd be delighted. In return, I'll be donating a sum to your university—as a scholarship fund."
Nama's eyes lit up. "Thank you for your generosity! This will help many underprivileged children gain access to higher education."
Martin shook his head with a smile. "No need for thanks."
After seeing Nama off, Martin immediately summoned Satan.
"What the -, treasure hunt?"
Satan blinked, caught off guard for half a second, then grinned. "Got it. I'll gather a reliable team right away."
...
"What? are you planning to stay here for a few more days to inspect your properties? Should we go ahead first?"
Three days later.
After sending off the four girls, Martin prepared to depart.
They had a team of twenty, riding in five off-road vehicles—every member handpicked from Hellfire's best.
And then there was Diddy—the human compass.
This guy could read the terrain like a book. From the shape of grass and contours of land, he could tell where there were marshes, water sources, or hills.
It was a skill that proved highly valuable on the road.
Martin had no choice but to spend a little magic to "brainwash" him into full loyalty.
Four days in, the convoy reached the outer limits of civilization. The dense greenery had faded into sparse patches of semi-arid grasslands.
It was hard to believe the Dark Lion King had traveled this far. Was the beast a wandering adventurer?
Martin found the idea odd. Meanwhile, the lion cub Arthur was curled up atop his head, sound asleep, occasionally mumbling in its sleep with a soft "meow meow."
Yes, Arthur—that was the name Martin had given the cub. Perhaps he hoped the little one would grow up to inherit its father's royal bearing.
"We're about to enter the uninhabited zone."
Diddy looked ahead with a nervous expression.
"Uninhabited zone?"
Martin squinted toward the horizon. It was growing more desolate by the minute. Off in the east lay the ruins of Djenne-Bucktu.
"Yes, the uninhabited zone," Didier said, his voice trembling. "This is a forbidden region—no modern civilization dares to set foot here. It's known as the 'Lost Corner of West Africa.'"
"I grew up hearing from our tribal elders—never enter this place. Don't even go near it. Or it will swallow you whole."
"Not even a single tribal settlement?" Satan asked from the passenger seat, intrigued. "Even the Amazon rainforest has primitive tribes living in it. This place looks way more hospitable than that jungle."
"I've heard of the Amazon too," Diddy said. "But in our lore, this place must never be approached. Once, Western scholars flew here to investigate… but none of them ever came back. Not a single one."
His voice grew smaller and smaller until he looked sideways at Martin and calmed down, reassured by the man's presence.
To Diddy, Martin had already become something akin to a god.
He quietly comforted himself: With our divine boss leading us, what could go wrong?
Plane crashes?
Martin, however, was thinking of something entirely different.
He asked sharply, "Satan, what latitude are we at right now?"
"Thirty-two degrees north."
Martin's face darkened.
He remembered something he had read once—about the mysterious line circling the Earth at thirty degrees north latitude.
This latitude was home to many of the planet's most inexplicable sites:
The Pyramids and the Sphinx: For thousands of years, these Egyptian marvels have baffled modern minds. How were they built? Why can't we replicate their construction even today? How did the ancients embed the value of Pi into the pyramids' structure with such accuracy? Do hidden chambers or ancient curses lie within?
[GodOfReader: Uhm.. sorry to break it to you guys, but we can certainly fucking re-create the pyramid with our current technology.]
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon: A wonder of the ancient world, filled with lush greenery and cascading flowers. But was it real? Many scholars still debate its existence. Could such grand architecture have existed in an era with such limited technology?
Atlantis: The mythical eighth continent. Said to be an advanced, thriving civilization that disappeared overnight. Some scientists believe it sank due to unknown causes. Did it really exist? Were its technologies more advanced than ours? Why did it vanish without a trace?
The Bermuda Triangle: Perhaps the most mysterious place on Earth. Stories abound of ships and planes vanishing into thin air. Some claim it's a vortex. Others think it's a gateway to another dimension.
Sanxingdui: Near Chengdu in China's Sichuan Basin, three mysterious golden mounds were discovered. In 1929, a farmer accidentally unearthed a jade relic, launching a new era in archaeology. In 1986, two massive sacrificial pits were found, yielding thousands of artifacts unlike anything else in China—bronze masks, animal sculptures, and strange designs… with not a single Chinese character among them.
Death Valley: In 1949, an American gold survey team ventured into a desert wasteland and vanished. A few survivors later died mysteriously. Since then, the area has fascinated explorers. Known as a national park today, people still report feeling lost in time and overwhelmed by the eerie power of life and death.
The Mayan Civilization: Over 4,500 years ago, the Maya possessed advanced mathematical and astronomical knowledge. Their pyramid-temples rivaled Egypt's, and they created an incredibly precise calendar. Archaeologists once unearthed 13 crystal skulls at Maya ruins—each perfectly shaped like a human skull, with movable jaws and gemstone eyes. Legend says they contain the secrets of human origin and the cosmos.
Stonehenge: On the Salisbury Plain in southern England stands this ancient circle of towering stones. Each weighs up to 30 tons and is arranged in perfect concentric circles. Who built it? How did they transport the stones? Was it an observatory? A ritual site?
El Dorado — The City of Gold: Deep in the Amazon jungle, legends speak of a glittering golden city filled with treasure. Since the 16th century, countless explorers have searched for it. One of the most famous was British Colonel Percy Fawcett, who disappeared in 1925 while trying to find it.
And now—this legendary "uninhabited zone" of West Africa… was located at the same 30-degree north latitude.
Was this all just coincidence?
Or was it something far more unsettling…?