In a rocky desert river valley downstream from the Derna urban oasis, the land, though not as barren as the Libya Desert, was a wasteland of gravel and shifting sand as far as the eye could see.
The blue sky was spotless, without a cloud for miles, and the air warped slightly under the scorching sunlight.
"Miss Shion, are you Japanese?"
The young reporter from Le Monde was lavishing attention on a veiled woman.
Out in the wilderness, where the ultraviolet rays were so intense, they all wore long-sleeved robes typical of the Middle East to protect against the sun and sand. Their hands, feet, heads, and faces were tightly covered, leaving only their eyes exposed.
Even so, the young reporter from the land of romance could tell from her slender figure and bright eyes that she had to be a beauty.
That mysterious Eastern allure, in particular, instantly set the amorous, romantic Frankish reporter's heart stirring.
The young reporter tried every trick he knew, but the mysterious woman named Shion barely acknowledged him. It had taken him ages just to get her name.
"Since you've also come to see this pyramid uncovered by the flood, Miss Shion, you must be very interested in Egyptian history."
The young reporter was shamelessly thick-skinned, insisting on courting her indifference with enthusiasm.
"I took an elective in Egyptology at the University of Lyon. If there's anything you don't understand, Miss Shion, feel free to ask me!"
Jingle, jingle, jingle.
Shion turned slightly, and the delicate little pink bell she wore on her chest rang clearly.
"I'm quite interested in where the people of Ancient Egypt went after death, and their gods of the underworld."
Like all ancient civilizations, Ancient Egypt treated the dead as it did the living. Its characteristic pyramids and mummies