Back at the hotel.
Hall and Bryce returned to their rooms to rest, while Jiang Hao and Lara went back to their own room. They set down their backpacks, took out the box, opened it, and removed the map inside.
"What is this?" Lara asked Jiang Hao curiously.
"I'm not sure yet, but I suspect the place marked on this map is connected to a certain 'prophet.' Look here." Jiang Hao pointed to the words at the bottom of the map.
"Place of the Prophet's Fall, Syria—Marilla."
"Who is Marilla?"
"Let's look it up."
They turned on the computer and searched for the name Marilla. A great many matching entries appeared, including politicians and businessmen. They went through them one by one before finally settling on one person.
"Marilla, a French explorer, born in 1909, who once explored the jungles of Southeast Asia and ruins in Western Asia."
Jiang Hao then said, "Lara, I remember that your father's notes also contained records about the prophet. They said there were ruins connected to a prophet in Syria. Supposedly, finding the prophet could grant someone the power of immortality."
Lara nodded vigorously. "I remember now too."
"Marilla and your father came from two entirely different eras and had no connection at all, yet both recorded something about a prophet in Syria. That means these ruins most likely exist. The place marked on this map is probably the location of the prophet's ancient tomb," Jiang Hao analyzed.
They opened a map of Syria on the computer and compared it to the yellowed map. At last, they found a location that was extremely similar. Lara softly read out the name: "Turkmen Mountains."
"Oh, Syria is at war right now. The Turkmen Mountains are a combat zone, so it's rather dangerous," Lara said with a