Aiden entered the underground of the pyramid, and what greeted him was astonishing—a massive ship docked in a cavernous hall.
"It really is a ship?" Aiden breathed, wide-eyed.
"Yes," Amir replied with pride. "We're probably one of the few civilizations to have ever conducted true Deep Realm navigation."
As they boarded, a spirited old man awaited them at the gangway. Without a word, the Captain released a wave of invisible mental pressure—strong enough to make a lesser wizard burst into tears.
Trying to intimidate me, huh? Aiden thought, his pupils narrowing to slits. He let the dragon's might ripple out, meeting the Captain's pressure head-on and suppressing it with ease.
The old man grinned and clapped his hands. "As expected from someone recommended by that old fox. You really are something."
"You're not bad yourself," Aiden replied, a hint of a smile on his lips.
"No need for formalities—just call me Captain," the old man said, waving off the pleasantries.
Why do all you leaders like to be called by titles? What would my title be? Aiden grumbled inwardly.
President of the Curly Baboon Protection Association, the system chimed in.
Shut up.
Heh.
The Captain noticed Aiden's momentary distraction and coughed to get his attention.
"Ahem. May I ask what brings Britain's top mind-walker to Egypt?" the Captain probed, eyes sharp.
"Huh? I'm just here on a family vacation," Aiden replied innocently.
The Captain blinked, caught off guard. "No urgent business? No secret mission?"
"Yes, Captain," Amir confirmed. "Mr. Aiden is traveling with his…descendant. All the paperwork is in order. It really looks like a holiday."
"Just here for fun?" The Captain was still skeptical.
"Come on, don't overthink it. My family just got lucky in a lottery, so we're traveling. And Amir, please stop calling him my descendant—I'm only twelve," Aiden said, shaking his head.
This time, it was Amir's turn to be stunned. "Twelve…years old?"
Amir looked devastated. "I'm not even as good as a kid?"
"Hey, don't look so defeated. If your skills aren't enough, just work harder to catch up!" The Captain knocked Amir on the head and shooed him away, then turned to Aiden with an apologetic smile. "Sorry you had to see that."
"It's fine. You just wanted to use me to teach him a lesson, right?" Aiden saw through the Captain's intentions.
"When I got the message from that old fox in Britain, I was surprised. Didn't think someone like you would actually show up," the Captain admitted. "Amir is my chosen successor. He's got talent, but he's too proud. Since I heard you'd be coming, I thought I'd use your reputation to humble him a bit."
The Captain's mischievous grin reminded Aiden of his own Director. "You old-timers really are sly," Aiden said, sticking out his tongue.
"Since you're here, let's talk about the two big events in Britain," the Captain said, suddenly serious.
"It's the Deep Realm Kings. They've been causing trouble, reaching out to ordinary people and creating two disasters," Aiden explained.
The Captain's gaze grew thoughtful. "I have a question—maybe you can answer it."
"Go ahead," Aiden replied.
"Why you? Or rather, why did this happen in Britain?" the Captain asked.
Aiden rolled his eyes. "Because we have a genius here who's been swept up by prophecy."
"There are lots of geniuses swept up by prophecy. Or rather, anyone who can be swept up by prophecy is a genius, right?" the Captain mused.
"But what if that genius goes astray and tries to change the world in his own way?" Aiden countered.
"That would be terrifying," the Captain agreed, shaking his head.
"Well, thanks for your honesty. As a thank you, let me give you a tour of our Solar Boat," the Captain said, his eyes twinkling with mischief.
Without further ado, he led Aiden up to the deck.
The deck was lined with seats. The Captain gestured for Aiden to sit beside him.
"Feels like I'm about to watch a movie," Aiden muttered.
"A what?" the Captain asked, confused.
"Uh, it's a Muggle form of entertainment," Aiden explained.
The Captain shook his head. "Well, I guarantee the Solar Boat is far more interesting than any movie."
As he spoke, the surrounding wizards activated the Solar Boat. The massive ship shuddered, then dove into the sea of the collective unconscious.
The wizards' method of mental navigation was completely different from Aiden's. Aiden would transform himself into a dream spirit and dive into individual islands of consciousness—when he was strong enough, he'd be able to sail the sea itself. But the wizards, relying on the omnipotent power of magic, forcibly altered the ship's very nature—transforming it from a material object into a concept, allowing it to carry them as they explored the sea of thought.
If you had to compare the two methods, it was individual strength versus collective effort.
"No wonder Professor McGonagall says Transfiguration is the most soul-like magic," Aiden said in awe, watching the Solar Boat constantly shift its own concept to navigate.
"That's not all. The materials used to build this ship are extremely rare," the Captain added.
"Oh? What materials?" Aiden asked, genuinely curious.
"Wizards," the Captain said, his voice suddenly cold.
Aiden's hand went to his wand, ready for a fight.
The Captain burst out laughing. "Haha, scared you, didn't I?"
That familiar rascal energy—are you the author, writing this scene? Aiden thought.
"The main body of the ship—thanks to the wizards who sacrificed themselves in the past. They gave their souls and bodies to this ship. Only after years of accumulation did this miracle become possible." The Captain's tone was full of respect for his predecessors, and Aiden relaxed, putting away his wand.
After a while, the ship reached its destination: the second layer of the Deep Realm—the Sea of Embers.
"This part of the Deep Realm was raging not long ago, but now it's suddenly calm. Any idea why?" the Captain asked.
"Maybe because human minds have been liberated, and the power of foolishness has greatly weakened?" Aiden offered, making it up as he went.
"Hmph, sly kid," the Captain snorted, but didn't press further.
The ship started moving again, plowing through reefs as if they were nothing.
"Aren't these wooden structures? How can they just plow through?" Aiden asked, amazed.
"No, the ship's structure has changed. Strictly speaking, it's not wood anymore," the Captain replied.
The Solar Boat carried the group through the second layer of the Deep Realm. Along the way, Aiden saw many things he'd never encountered in the real world, gaining new insights into the Deep Realm's environment.
"No wonder the Egyptians are so advanced in their study of the mind," Aiden said, running his hand along the ship's railing.
"All ancient civilizations are like this," the Captain said proudly, raising an eyebrow.
With the Deep Realm King now locked up in the Brain Hall, the journey through the Deep Realm was smooth and uneventful.
After returning to the real world, Aiden bid farewell to the Egyptian Ministry of Magic and set off to rejoin the Weasley family.
[Chapter Complete]
***
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