The camel team has already been brought by someone from the culture bureau at the entrance. Que Qiu seemed very familiar with camels; he patted the neck of the lead camel, and the team of camels lay down on the ground.
The team members loaded all the supplies and other necessities onto the camels. Everyone was quite excited, as most of them had never ridden a camel before.
"If everyone is ready, let’s set off." Que Qiu led the lead camel, explained some important points to note, and then led everyone toward the road sign pointing to the desert development area.
After passing through the identity registration booth, a narrow path extended into the depths of the sand sea. From here on, vehicles could no longer enter. There were some danger warning signs along the way, and with the yellow sand stretching endlessly, everyone wore sand goggles, leading their camels toward the pre-planned survey points.
Thinking about how Que Qiu had mentioned it would take about two days to reach near the marked point, it was clear he was very familiar with this area. He answered any questions posed, though he seldom spoke voluntarily.
The sky gradually darkened. From initial excitement and singing, everyone grew more tired. When they got weary from walking, they rested on the backs of camels for a while. After a few hours of getting used to riding camels, a few people were quietly slumped on the camels without speaking.
The coldness of the desert began to set in with the disappearance of the sun, and the temperature difference between day and night was extreme. Everyone began putting on thicker jackets, yet the guide, Que Qiu, appeared not to feel the cold at all and did not add any more clothing.
In this remote desert area, there’s minimal pollution. The sky looked as if it had been scrubbed clean, with stars shining exceptionally bright. A crescent moon at the horizon, along with the twinkling stars, formed a magnificent starry scene.
By now, it was already nine in the evening, and many people had started yawning. Que Qiu, using a compass and another device resembling one but more complex, determined the direction, then turned and said, "Let’s walk for another hour, and then we’ll rest."
As the nine of them ventured deeper, the previously marked guideposts and paths disappeared. At this point, the value of having a good, experienced guide became evident, as one wrong step could mean never leaving this vast desert.
Riding the camel, Que Qiu scouted around in a circle, casually dragging back a deadwood. He then instructed everyone to rest at that spot, unloaded the necessary supplies from the camels, and everyone began setting up tents. Que Qiu split the wood and made a small bonfire. Cheng Luo helped place the self-heating fast food he had prepared, waiting for everyone to set up their tents before eating.
She rubbed her hands and looked at Que Qiu seated in front of the bonfire. She asked him, "Guide, aren’t you cold?"
Que Qiu replied indifferently, "No, I’m not cold." Then he didn’t say anything more.
At that moment, Senior Zhou Qiang came over and plopped down on the ground, took off his hat, and massaged his legs, saying, "Ah, so tired, so tired, my legs are swollen."
Cheng Luo handed him a self-heating meal and said, "Eat something first."
One after another, everyone sat around the bonfire to eat. Professor Wu was eating while reviewing some documents.
"The Irel Desert, two thousand years ago, was the capital of the Irel Dynasty, the largest realm on the map and one of the most mysterious countries in historical civilization. Later, due to a scarcity of water resources in the Imperial City, the entire capital migrated. As for where they migrated to, no one knows. The last monarch to reside in this capital was Che King." As Professor Wu spoke, he picked up a slender branch, drew a circle on the ground, and encircled a small area in the middle, saying, "What we are going to explore is this Che King’s Tomb. I believe we can gather a lot of academic materials. I’ve studied for over ten years to finally roughly determine its location. Of course, we’re not here to enter the tomb; we can conduct a scientific survey, and if this tomb needs to be scientifically excavated, we will report it. Perhaps we could even discover the migration location of the Imperial City."