https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-513-Heavenly-Retribution-Descends/13454134/
Chapter 514: Pharaoh's Guard
Chapter 514: Pharaoh's Guard
The Black Book of the Dead and the Golden Book of the Sun are among the most important artifacts in this world. Originally, they were merely books made of gold, obsidian, and bronze, but thousands of years of divine power have transformed them into true relics.
When they used the key from the Spatial Bag to open the two books, they realized that the claim about these books containing all the magic of ancient Egypt was somewhat exaggerated. After all, both books were made of thick gold plates or obsidian slabs, bound with heavy bronze hinges. As a result, each book contained only seven pages.
"Seven is a number with magical power, and it seems this belief has a long history!" Hermione remarked as she examined the books. She had repeatedly heard this in her Arithmancy classes, but Liam hadn't expected that this rule would still hold true across dimensions and time.
After further inspection, they discovered an even more disappointing fact: due to either the technology or other reasons, each hieroglyph carved into these thick slabs was 2x2 cm in size, with many half-palm-sized illustrations. Although the carvings were indeed exquisite, this meant that each book, including the spells on the cover, contained only fifteen spells. Together, the two books held thirty spells.
However, upon closer examination, Liam found that these spells were more powerful than he had imagined. They contained a wealth of other spells, such as those for resurrection and large-scale environmental alteration. The basic runes used in these spells made it relatively easy to deduce other magical formulas.
However, these spells required divine power to function. Without it, Liam realized he would need to use ritual magic to achieve the same effects, which wouldn't be practical in combat. Moreover, due to the differences between worlds, some spells were only effective in their home world. For example, the rules of death varied slightly between worlds, and many did not allow the resurrection of those who had reached a certain point on the path of death.
"Was that noise you two made? Has the evil here truly been eliminated?" Just as Liam and Hermione had finished flipping through the books, Evelyn and Jonathan, after much effort with the Rose Crystal, calmed the horses that had been frightened by the thunder and rode over.
"Yes, not only has it been eliminated, but all the treasures in this underground chamber, including these two books, have been given to us by their master", Liam and Hermione said happily, holding the books. "We'll go down and clear out the dangerous traps, and then we can start moving the treasures."
Liam and Hermione descended into the ancient ruins to inspect the entire complex. With Liam's knowledge of mechanics, they discovered and disabled all the traps. Finally, they reached the lowest level of the ruins, the ritual chamber where Imhotep had attempted to resurrect Ansona in the movie.
"This is the Gateway to the Afterlife. Step into this pool, and you can travel directly to the Afterlife, just like we did through the Stone Arches in the Department of Mysteries. However, the difference is that it's much easier for the dead to return through this gate", Liam explained to Hermione as they crossed the small bridge over a pit filled with churning black liquid and human bones.
"Is this the difference in the laws of death between worlds?" Hermione mused, gazing at the black liquid. She then greeted Liam, took the Black Book of the Dead and the Golden Book of the Sun, and sat cross-legged by the black water to study them.
Liam smiled at Hermione, who had entered a state of enlightenment. Opportunities to directly confront the rules she studied were rare, and he wouldn't disturb her now. After using magic to clean the room and deploying a few robots, he left and returned to the surface to find Evelyn and Jonathan and Rose Crystal. However, as he reached the surface, he saw a black shadow on the horizon, which was quickly approaching.
"Black-robed Cavalry?" Liam immediately recognized who was approaching. These must be the descendants of the Pharaoh's Guard, the guardians of this land. However, when Liam and his group arrived, they had used Magic to conceal their presence. As a result, the Pharaoh's Guard descendants only noticed them when the Heavenly Thunder rolled, and it took them until now to gather enough courage and manpower to charge over.
At that moment, Evelyn and Jonathan also ran out from under the temporary awning they had set up and pulled out binoculars to observe the distance. Upon seeing what was approaching, Jonathan instinctively drew his small pistol and positioned himself in front of his sister, ready to flee. However, before he could take a step, he noticed Liam standing calmly.
Seeing this, Jonathan also calmed down and stood with his sister, watching the black-robed cavalry draw closer. The cavalry slowed down as they neared Hamunaptra and stopped about twenty to thirty meters from the entrance.
When the main force halted, a dozen black-robed figures stepped forward and spoke briefly with those at the back before riding slowly toward the entrance of the ruins. Upon seeing Liam, the leader dismounted, walked up to him, and knelt on one knee, performing an ancient salute.
"Chosen One, Destroyer of Ancient Evil, greetings. I am Adbay, the Leader of the Pharaoh's Guard. It is an honor to meet you!"
Liam bowed slightly in return, offering a Wizard's salute, and then asked Adbay, who had stood up, "Hello, you can call me Liam. May I ask why you have come?"
"We, the Pharaoh's Guard, have protected Hamunaptra for generations to prevent anyone from releasing the High Priest Imhotep, the Pharaoh Seti I's High Priest. In the past, Imhotep was caught in an affair with the Pharaoh's favored concubine, Ansona. When discovered, they conspired to murder the Pharaoh. As a result, our ancestors subjected him to a cruel punishment: the Crawling Curse", Adbay explained.
"So, if Big Brother hadn't taken care of those Wraiths, he would have brought endless darkness to all of Egypt, right?" Rose Crystal, who had been hiding beside Liam, suddenly asked. "Why did your ancestors leave you with such a heavy burden?"
Adbay was startled by Rose Crystal's sudden appearance but then looked at Liam and said, "Esteemed Wizard, my ancestors were extremely angry that they couldn't prevent Imhotep from committing regicide. In their rage, they subjected him to the Crawling Curse. However, they later realized that this could harm the people of this land, so for thousands of years, we have guarded this place, atoning for our ancestors' lack of foresight."
At this, Adbay looked at Liam with gratitude. "Thanks to your help, our mission is finally complete, and we can leave this barren land."
"Where will all of you go?" Liam suddenly thought of a question. After all, unlike thousands of years ago, the world is now full of people, and he was curious where these descendants of the Pharaoh's Guard would go.
"We don't know", Adbay shook his head, looking somewhat lost. "Due to the harsh land, our tribe has only grown to about fifty thousand people over three thousand years. We don't know where to go. Our homeland from a thousand years ago no longer belongs to us. Times have changed, and many things have become increasingly unfamiliar. We can only take one step at a time."
"I think I have an idea", Liam said, looking at the somewhat dejected leader of the ancient Pharaoh's Guard descendants.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
