The next day, all five of them were inside Sam's jeep.
"Where should we go, Vincent sir?" Sam asked.
Amanda spoke before anyone else could.
"Let's go to the place where the Mayan pyramid is, Leader."
After seeing the Mayan pyramid at Chichén Itzá the previous day, Amanda couldn't stop thinking about it. She felt an irresistible urge to see it once more.
Vincent nodded.
"Alright, Sam. Take us there."
As the jeep moved deeper into the forest, the number of trees gradually began to thin. Amanda stood up inside the moving jeep and looked ahead. At first, only the tip of the Mayan pyramid was visible. Within twelve minutes, the middle section—and then the base—came into view. Soon, the entire pyramid stood before them in all its grandeur.
Sam had taken a shortcut and reached Chichén Itzá much faster than expected.
Since the pyramid was considered a world wonder, many tourists who had arrived the previous day to witness the strange event had stayed overnight. Now, after getting a closer look at the pyramid, they were leaving for their respective countries.
Before departing, everyone was given a photograph taken in front of the pyramid.
Sam stopped the jeep. Beulah and Amanda were the first to step out. Sam remained seated inside the vehicle.
Rebecca opened her bag and took out a few items.
Vincent frowned.
"Hey, Rebecca… we didn't come here to do research. Why are you carrying a magnifying glass? Keep it inside."
Rebecca shook her head.
"No, Vincent. I didn't take it for research. I thought I heard something like the sound of glass breaking, so I took it out to check."
"Hm… alright," Vincent replied.
Vincent walked alongside Rebecca. David was the last one to get out of the jeep.
Sam was about to ask Vincent where they should go next. Vincent had just opened his mouth to answer—but before he could say anything, Amanda quickly said they should go to the pyramid.
If she hadn't spoken at that moment, they might have been attacked with a broken beer bottle.
Vincent clapped his hands.
"Alright, guys. Let's climb up the pyramid and take a look."
David stared at him in disbelief.
"Are you serious, Vincent? This pyramid has a total of 365 steps."
It had been designed based on the number of days in a year.
For once, Beulah agreed with David.
Rebecca pointed toward the structure.
"Amanda, instead of standing here, if you look from the right side, the view will be much better."
As the two of them moved in that direction, they noticed two massive serpent sculptures at the entrance of the pyramid, their mouths wide open.
The steps were built at a forty-five-degree angle. Two imaginary lines connecting the four corners of the pyramid aligned perfectly with the north-south and east-west directions.
As Amanda and Rebecca observed the pyramid closely, they noticed two engineers standing nearby, discussing the architectural brilliance of the structure.
Amanda glanced at an image of the Egyptian pyramids displayed on her phone. The Mayan pyramid looked almost identical to the Egyptian ones. The only feature that set it apart was the enormous serpent sculptures along the sides.
An hour later, they were all back in the jeep, driving again.
In the distance, Beulah noticed the remains of ancient walls.
"Vincent… what is that? A Mayan fort or a temple?" she asked.
"I can't tell from here," Vincent replied.
"Let's get closer and see, Beulah."
Sam turned the jeep to the left. After a short distance, the road became filled with rocks and uneven stones. He stopped the vehicle.
"I can't drive any further, sir. The tire might get punctured."
The moment Sam said that, Amanda jumped out of the jeep.
"Hey, be careful, Amanda!" Beulah called out.
"Wait, I'll come with you."
Rebecca stepped out as well and started asking Sam about the forest.
Vincent, however, did not get out of the jeep. He remained seated inside. Seeing this, Rebecca felt that this place probably wasn't important.
David sat on the edge of the jeep, watching Beulah walk toward the temple. A part of him wished he could hold her hand and walk inside with her.
The walls of the Mayan temple were covered with numerous paintings of gods and angels.
The place they had arrived at was Machu Picchu, a sacred worship site of the Mayans.
There were countless temples within the complex.
Right in front of Beulah stood a statue of a deity. She felt as though the statue was staring directly at her—watching her alone.
The name of the deity was "Pachama."