540 Discovering the temple Part 1 (2/2)
The light magic released by Lex penetrated the crystal star atlas, conducting several rounds of checks, then it corresponded to the coordinates of the stars in the sky. The mages immediately recorded the data, and began calculating. The whole process took less than an hour before the desired outcome was achieved.
”Viscountess, the temple is located northeast, twenty degrees, six-hundred and one miles from here!” The mages reported the data jubilantly. Saleen was full of admiration that the distance was accurate down to the nearest mile. With so much manpower around, the entrance of the temple could definitely be found as long as everyone spread out.
”Over six-hundred miles!” Lex was a little annoyed, but joyous at the same time. She was upset because a distance of over six-hundred miles would require more than three days of travel even if the team rushed the journey. On the other hand, she was glad she had brought along the crystal star atlas. There was actually a six-hundred mile discrepancy when the naked eye was used to observe the celestial signs otherwise!
With a six-hundred mile error, it was possible that they might not even locate the temple after two or three years if they went searching around the desert.
Lex still did not know that there were two goddess' envoys in the temple, but they had already left. If the goddess' envoys were still around, Lex might spend an eternity and she still would not be able to locate the temple.
It could be said that Lex was pretty lucky. After Lex had maneuvered in the desert for half a month, the inquisition had just deployed almost a hundred black deacons. They were deploying many people to seal the exits of the southern end. The Purgatory Desert might be wide and spacious, but there were not many suitable places for entry and exit.
The manpower deployed by the inquisition was also fairly insufficient, at the moment the manpower at God Grace Duchy had been assembled, while the blood knights were getting ready to cross the Chishui River anytime. As a result, the available manpower was not even sufficient to seal the whole Purgatory Desert. The inquisition was taking a gamble by setting up defenses along the southern side.
The inquisition had three head inquisitors, of which two of them were groomed after the death of the Qin emperor. The inner ranks were tumultuous, and it was also very exhausting to contend with the pope. This was actually favorable to Lex.
Had the three head inquisitors entered the desert and ran into Lex, Lex could only hope that she would have the ability to escape back to Qin. By then, there would not be a need to discuss about the temple anymore.
After traveling for four days, Lex's team then stopped to await nightfall.
At this point in time, even the faces of the mages were peppered with frost. The Purgatory Desert was a really hostile environment. The mages would hide in the magic war chariots, and they had to bless their own bodies with magic whenever they wished to relieve themselves. They could be killed abruptly by the sand scorpions which crawled out of the sand otherwise.
Nevertheless, these mages had also made invaluable gains. Usually, these mages would undergo coordination training with the army, but it was way inferior to the grind in the desert. During this period, the mages Lex brought into the desert had experienced a large increase in their offensive powers. The stealthy magic beasts were great training targets.
The moment night arrived, Lex set up the crystal star atlas once more, measuring the exact position of the temple for the last time. She discovered some discrepancies, but this time around, it was only a difference of three miles.
The central temple left behind secretly by the Goddess of Myers was three miles away.
”We will rest for one night, then set off tomorrow!” At this point in time, Lex was not anxious anymore. There might be danger in the temple. Currently, everyone was severely fatigued. If they met with powerful adversaries, all these commanders and mages Lex had spent so much effort training would be wiped out at this location.
This time around, the camp compound was not constructed very sturdily, half of it was submerged in the sand. Lex also did not connect the barracks, she simply used magic to produce a colossal stone house. Even if a sandstorm appeared, she would not get flustered.
Everyone was in the stone house. The light from the magic lamp glowed gently. As Lex and Saleen sat in the middle, they glanced at each other. Saleen nodded his head, then Lex opened her mouth to speak.
”Everyone is clear about our objective here. Yes, it is the temple of the Goddess of Myers. This temple is the nucleus of all the temples on the mainland and no one has ever entered it. Legend has it that the Goddess of Myers once lived there.”
Lex's voice was not very loud, but she could be clearly heard throughout the stone house. The mages were filled with anticipation. The Goddess of Myers was the god of this plane, she had created beautiful magic in the past for mages to emulate. Even though humans were very powerful in the past, they were simply relying on their instincts then. It was only after the fall of the goddess that humans slowly gained the mighty ability of creation.
The magic left behind by the goddess was the most practical of all. If the temple contained traces of the goddess, then it would be the most precious fortune a mage could have.
”I am not sure of the dangers hidden in the temple. All of you know that I have the God's Ring though. If I am willing, we can escape anytime. Once we enter the temple, the magic war chariots can no longer be used, so none of you can be more than five-hundred yards away from me. If I give the order to leave, all of you have to come beside me within three seconds. Understand?”
The mages and warriors nodded their heads solemnly. At this moment, all the past statuses were unimportant. A temple once inhabited by the goddess could be said to be the holy land of the people on the Myers mainland. The Lord of Glory would not be able to erase the presence of the goddess no matter what.