Days and nights passed in swift succession.
Time seemed to fly.
On the morning they were set to depart for Tutankhamun's tomb, Harris brought home a woman he referred to as his partner.
She was a strikingly beautiful woman with defined features, long hair cascading down to her waist, and five metal rings adorning each wrist.
Dawn immediately recognized her. She was the woman he had encountered earlier in the Amunhotep Bookstore.
"I thought you were one of those patriotic Egyptians who despise the British," Dawn said, genuinely surprised. "Didn't expect you'd team up with them to enter a pharaoh's tomb."
The woman shook her finger lightly. "Don't get the wrong idea. I'm only interested in the scarab beetle and certain secrets. I have nothing to do with the British."
She seemed familiar with the Carter household. Without asking, she took out a bottle of beer and used magic to chill it.
Although she had just thrown some unpleasant words at him, Harris, well accustomed to her personality, wasn't offended. Instead, he asked curiously, "You two know each other?"
"We met once."
The woman smiled.
She took a long drink of beer, then licked the foam off the corner of her lips with the tip of her tongue before introducing herself to Dawn. "Fatima. It's a pleasure to see you again, little one."
Dawn nodded and casually gave her a fake name.
Looking at this graceful, intelligent woman who carried herself like an aristocrat, he asked with curiosity, "Interested in the scarab beetle… Do you have a curse on you too?"
"No. Just pure curiosity."
"Curiosity?"
"That's right."
Fatima lifted the hem of her skirt elegantly and sat down in a chair.
"Do you know that, even setting the scarab aside, among all the known Egyptian pharaohs, Tutankhamun is the one shrouded in the most secrets?"
"For example, take his tomb. No matter how the Egyptian pharaohs died, they all had grand tombs built for themselves. But Tutankhamun's burial chamber is unusually small, and it lies directly beneath the tomb of Ramesses VI."
"And what's more interesting is that although more than five thousand precious artifacts were unearthed inside, not a single papyrus scroll recording Tutankhamun's life was found."
"So many hidden mysteries—don't you find that intriguing?"
When it came to discussing hidden history, Fatima became notably more talkative.
Dawn gave her a strange look. "Are you a historian?"
"Part-time archaeologist," Fatima replied with a mysterious smile. "But if possible, I'd prefer you call me a theologian."
A theologian?
Dawn was a little stunned. "Wizards have theologians?"
"Why is that strange, child? Wizards are no different from Muggles. We're all people, with our own interests and hobbies," she said.
"As for me, I'm particularly fond of the thrill of uncovering history and chasing after those elusive, ethereal deities."
Dawn raised an eyebrow. "You think the gods of Egypt actually exist?"
"I don't know. That's why I'm trying to prove it." She spread her hands.
When talking about their passion, everyone tends to speak more, and Fatima was no exception.
"Child, have you ever seriously studied Muggle history?"
"If you know enough about Egypt, you'll notice that some things that seem ordinary to Muggles become remarkably fascinating when viewed through the lens of magic."
Dawn's curiosity was piqued. "Like what?"
"Let's continue with Tutankhamun as an example."
Fatima clasped her hands together, the metal rings on her wrists sliding and producing a crisp jingling sound.
"Tutankhamun lived from 1341 BC to 1323 BC. He was the last pharaoh of Egypt's Eighteenth Dynasty.
"He ascended the throne at the age of ten. At that time, the Egyptian kingdom he inherited was facing extraordinary tension. Do you know why?"
Dawn shook his head honestly. He had no knowledge of Egyptian history.
Fatima smiled faintly.
"The reason was his father—Amenhotep IV—and his religious reforms.
"At the time, the multitude of Egyptian gods had deeply influenced everyday life and the people's faith in the pharaoh. During his reign, Amenhotep IV issued a rather bold decree.
"He abolished the worship of the many gods and declared that from then on, Egypt would worship only one god—the sun god Aten.
"Of course, because the reform was so radical, it was abolished by the new pharaoh after Amenhotep IV and Tutankhamun died."
Fatima paused here and looked at Dawn. "So, do you see the problem?"
Dawn opened his mouth thoughtfully.
But before he could answer, Fatima continued on her own.
"The attitude of Egyptian wizards toward gods is fascinating.
"On one hand, they clearly possess far greater power than Muggles, yet when ruling their people, they still promoted the existence of gods and were devout believers themselves.
"On the other hand, they seemed to doubt the gods' existence. Quite a few pharaohs personally interfered in deciding which gods to abolish or promote."
Fatima tapped her chin with her index finger. "Why do you think that is? Or to put it simply, do you think gods exist or not?"
"I don't know…"
Dawn fell silent for a moment and answered softly.
His crimson eyes were half-lidded, betraying nothing of his true thoughts.
Bang—!
At that moment, Harris dropped his backpack onto the table, interrupting their conversation.
"All right, enough chatter! Fatima, check your gear."
"Relax, everything's ready. And just in case, I brought this."
She reached into the flat pocket of her skirt and, with some effort, pulled out a black cat.
"Why are you bringing a cat?" Harris was clearly taken aback.
She gently stroked the cat's head.
"Don't underestimate it! If we encounter a resurrected pharaoh, this little one might just save our lives. Mummies fear black cats, after all."
"That's just folklore," Harris said, speechless. "And resurrection? How could mummies possibly come back to life?"
"Who knows?" Fatima smiled mysteriously again.
"Didn't your most revered British wizard, Dumbledore, say that death is but the next great adventure?
"If death leads to another world, then a soul breaking free from the underworld isn't entirely impossible, is it?"
Harris was at a loss for words.
"Fine, whatever makes you happy," he sighed, slinging the backpack over his shoulder. "Can we leave now?"
"Of course."
Fatima stood gracefully.
...
Harris left after solemnly asking Dawn not to harm William.
Naturally, Dawn readily agreed.
"Now it's just the two of us," he murmured.
Watching Harris's figure disappear into the yellow sands, Dawn smiled and took the chubby hand of the boy beside him.
William looked up at him blankly, then lowered his head.
"Let's get along well from now on," Dawn said.
He tried to put on a kind smile, but as soon as the corners of his mouth lifted, he froze for a moment.
Maybe Harris's constant nagging over the past few days had gotten to him.
He suddenly felt that what he had just said… did sound a bit creepy.
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