Be a lord in the world of Indian mythology

Chapter 42 Death Valley

Whether it was a deliberate intimidation or not, Vijay could only keep all his thoughts to himself and put on a genuine, calm smile.

He looked up at the valiant warrior before him, his tone carrying just the right amount of admiration and reassurance, and said loudly, "Thank Indra! With a warrior like Lord Vilandra protecting us, we no longer need to fear the threats posed by those mountain bandits on this merchant journey."

Vilandra stared directly at Vijay with lingering killing intent in his eyes. His crimson eyes scrutinized Vijay, as if trying to determine how much sincerity and how much pretense the young patriarch was conveying in his words.

A moment later, he suddenly grinned, revealing a slightly rough and exaggerated smile, and said no more.

After a brief pause, the caravan regrouped, the oxcarts slowly turned their wheels, and the horses' hooves pounded on the slightly hard ground as the caravan continued its journey forward.

As we walked out of the blood-soaked valley, the atmosphere of the world seemed to be suddenly reversed by an invisible hand.

Ahead lay a vast, unbroken valley. The sky, which had been clear just moments before, inexplicably became overcast with thick, heavy clouds that pressed down on us, dimming the light and enveloping the entire world in a suffocating, oppressive atmosphere.

Strangely, despite the dense cloud cover, there was not a trace of moisture in the air. It was so dry that it felt like it had been baked by a raging fire, and breathing it into the lungs brought a burning, astringent sensation.

Vijay, sitting on the lead oxcart, had only traveled for half a day when he keenly sensed the eeriness of the valley.

Most of the vegetation along the roadside was withered, with leaves curled up and yellowed. Many plants had simply died on the spot, and debris would fall with a gust of wind.

The ground beneath my feet was covered with dense cracks, some wide enough to fit half a hand, and some bottomless, like wounds that had been torn open by the earth.

The entire valley was eerily quiet. There were no birdsong, no insect chirps, no human voices, and even the sound of the wind rustling through the grass and trees seemed faint. Only the rolling wheels of the caravan and the panting of the livestock could be heard, which sounded particularly jarring in the deathly silence.

"Something's not right here!" Vijay muttered to himself.

Before long, the old servant Bim came running to Vijay's oxcart, his face showing obvious worry, and said in a hurried tone, "Master, please come with me and see, the situation up ahead is not good."

Vijay nodded, got up, and followed Bim to the front of the group.

On one side of the road, there should have been a winding stream. According to Bim, this stream has been flowing here since Vijay's grandfather arrived. Caravans of all generations have stopped here to fetch water and rest, and it has never run dry.

But now, the stream has long since disappeared, leaving only a dry, wide riverbed. The riverbed is covered with cracked mud and rocks, the mud as hard as rocks, clearly indicating that it has been dry for a very long time and is not caused by a short-term drought.

Bim crouched down, touched the hard, rock-like clods of earth in the riverbed, and frowned deeply: "Master, although this river is small, even in the hottest season of previous years, the water level will only drop, it will never completely dry up..."

Vijay stared silently at the dried-up riverbed before him, a heavy feeling settling in his heart. He couldn't help but think of the river near Mittal village, which was in the same state.

He sighed softly, and could only speculate based on common sense for the time being: "This year's drought is probably more severe than we imagined. It's not impossible that this valley, being low-lying and isolated, is even more severely affected by the drought!"

Even so, Vijay had a nagging feeling that things weren't that simple.

Back in the group, Vijay immediately ordered everyone to check their drinking water and dry rations.

After taking stock, the results were reassuring. The caravan had made ample preparations before setting off, with water and food stored separately in sealed containers, so there was no need to worry about resupply in the short term.

The only headache was the calves and horses that accompanied them. These animals had a huge water consumption, and traveling continuously in this dry and hot environment would cause them to consume water several times faster than usual. Before long, the animals would run out of water.

Vijay immediately informed Mu and Vilandra of the situation, "We can't linger here. We must speed up and get through here as quickly as possible!"

Neither Mu nor Vilandra had any objection to this. In this eerily desolate place, every moment spent there was an increase in danger.

Once the order was given, the entire caravan immediately increased its speed. The drivers gently urged the animals on, making the oxcart wheels roll faster. The guards gripped their weapons, their eyes scanning the surroundings warily. The caravan moved swiftly across the dry, cracked earth like a long snake.

"Brahma above, Master, there's a small village ahead. We used to rest here!" Bim's cheerful voice injected some vitality into the somewhat subdued group. "Their sweet water is quite good; feel free to drink as much as you like!"

With just that one sentence, Vijay clearly heard the sounds of several people around him swallowing.

Even Vilandra was no exception; clad in heavy armor, he was almost completely soaked in sweat, just waiting to get there and have a good drink.

After traveling for a long time, as night was about to fall, they finally arrived at the village that Bim had mentioned. However, when they reached a village that should have been bustling with activity, everyone was stunned by the scene before them.

The village is not small in terms of its buildings. The mud-brick houses are densely packed together, and it looks like it can accommodate nearly a thousand households. It would be considered a large village anywhere.

According to Bim's memory, every time he passed by, the place was filled with the smoke of cooking fires and bustling with people. Villagers would bring out grains, fruits and vegetables to trade with caravans, creating a lively and lively atmosphere.

But now, the entire village is deathly silent.

A gust of wind and sand swept by, stirring up the dry, yellow dust on the ground, which hit the earthen wall with a slight sound, bringing only a bone-chilling cold.

As the sun was about to sink behind the distant hills, a time when every household should be lighting fires to cook and turn on their lights, not a wisp of smoke rose from the entire village, not a single light was lit, no dogs barked, no children cried, and no women talked. It was like a dead city completely forgotten by the world.

The atmosphere instantly became heavy.

Vilandra's face darkened, and he immediately decided, "I'll send a few soldiers in to investigate and see what's going on inside."

As soon as he finished speaking, Mu suddenly spoke softly, his hoarse voice adding to the eeriness: "By Brahma above, I smell an extremely ominous aura! In this village, there is no life force of the living, only the aura of death."

Several elite soldiers, armed with weapons, cautiously made their way into the village. Before long, they returned in a panic.

The leading soldier, his face pale and his voice trembling, bowed to Vijay, Mu, and Vilandra and reported, "My lords, there are no living people in the village. We only found many corpses in the houses. The corpses were all dried up and shriveled, and looked like they died of hunger and thirst..."

After hearing the soldier's report, the entire area fell into a terrifying silence.

Vijay slowly raised his eyes and stared at the village shrouded in twilight. Although it wasn't too far away, he could almost see a faint, gray-black death aura hanging over the village, cold and oppressive, making him shudder.

He couldn't help but shudder. Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately ordered, "We absolutely must not enter this village. We'd rather camp out in the wild than set foot here. Continue onward and leave this place."

No one objected, and the caravan did not stop for a moment. It bypassed the village and continued to move quickly forward. As night deepened, no one dared to relax for a moment.

As night deepened, the caravan found a random spot along the way and rested for a while, but no one was able to fall asleep.

The next morning, as the first rays of sunlight pierced through the thick clouds and shone upon the earth, the caravan continued its journey and soon arrived at the next village.