Holding the Book of the Dead, Ethan continued following behind Evelyn. The woman seemed completely in her element, chattering non-stop the entire time. Even coming across a section of a mural would make her exclaim, wanting to press her whole body against it as she casually explained the story depicted to everyone.
Since Ethan had already recounted Imhotep's deeds, no one was surprised when Evelyn began telling the story of a High Priest who was punished for killing the Pharaoh and using forbidden magic. It seemed the ancient Egyptians who built this pyramid had used this method to warn visitors not to carelessly disturb the evil spirit imprisoned within, as doing so could lead to unimaginable disaster.
Evelyn turned her head to look at Ethan, as if asking, "Should we continue?" In the past, Evelyn had considered such warnings to be superstitious tricks used to scare off tomb robbers. But now, they seemed more like a kind reminder.
"No need to pay attention to these things."
Ethan had long since complained inwardly about the ancient Egyptians. Using something like scarab infestation as punishment would only create a powerful undead. Once resurrected, such an existence would have the power to destroy all of Egypt.
Ethan wasn't sure how powerful Imhotep had been in life, but after his resurrection, his strength was terrifying. He could stir up massive sandstorms, control rivers to create giant waves, summon swarms of bees that darkened the sky, conjure nearly immortal warrior guards, and even rain down fire on cities like falling meteors.
As for spreading plagues and similar feats, those were practically instinctive. Minor tricks like turning his entire body into sand or manipulating tornadoes were effortless for him.
Furthermore, the newly resurrected Imhotep existed in a state between life and death. Ordinary means couldn't harm him at all. Only the spells from the Book of Amun-Ra could defeat him.
So why had the ancient Egyptians used such a method to create such a terrifying enemy? Did they find life too boring and want some excitement?
Ethan couldn't understand their reasoning. Now that he finally had the Book of Amun-Ra in hand, he possessed the means to both resurrect and restrain Imhotep. The next step was to find Imhotep's sarcophagus and resurrect the ancient High Priest.
"Are we really going to resurrect that priest?"
"Before that, we need to study these two books."
Ethan still maintained his habit of only confronting enemies once he was fully prepared. Although there was a possibility of communicating or even negotiating with Imhotep, there was also a chance that, as a High Priest, Imhotep would disdain interacting with Ethan and his group of 'inferiors'—or that his long years of imprisonment had filled him with resentment, making him obsessed with destroying Egypt to vent his hatred.
Since that possibility existed, Ethan had to prepare in advance.
He didn't touch the Book of the Dead first. Instead, with Evelyn's help, he began studying the spells recorded in the Book of Amun-Ra.
Simply put, the spells in the Book of Amun-Ra were specifically designed to counter everything summoned from the Book of the Dead, including anyone resurrected by it and the undead creatures it created, such as the immortal guards.
Beyond that, the book didn't contain many other ancient Egyptian spells. Its entire existence seemed to serve only one purpose—to suppress the Black Book of the Dead.
More importantly, the book didn't describe any detailed methods of casting or training. The usage was very simple—just hold the book and recite the corresponding spell.
It could be said that this kind of divine spell didn't require any understanding of the content. One only needed to mechanically perform the ritual. The effect was entirely determined by the spell's preset power and had nothing to do with the caster.
"Useless."
Ethan shook his head helplessly. The book was of no use to him personally. Its only value was in giving him an edge against Imhotep. Since Imhotep was resurrected using the Black Book of the Dead, he would be directly countered by this one.
Not only Imhotep himself, but even the magic he used could be neutralized by the Book of Amun-Ra. Ethan could find all the spells to break Imhotep's magic in it. It could be said that holding this book placed Ethan in an invincible position against Imhotep.
With Evelyn's help, Ethan quickly memorized all the spells in the Book of Amun-Ra. His powerful memory allowed him to learn the book's contents in a very short time. That way, he wouldn't have to search through the pages for specific spells. As long as he had the book open, he could immediately cast the appropriate counter-spell against Imhotep.
Only then did Ethan open the Black Book of the Dead. He repeatedly reminded Evelyn not to read anything aloud under any circumstances.
"Then how can I explain it?"
"First, tell me the general meaning of these spells. Wait until I understand their function before saying anything."
Evelyn had no objections. A large part of her enthusiasm for finding Hamunaptra had been due to these two books. However, unlike what she had originally thought, these were actually pure spellbooks—but being able to read their content still made her very happy.
While reading with great interest, Evelyn almost read one of the spells aloud. Fortunately, Ethan had been wary. Just as she softly spoke two syllables, he reached out and covered her mouth.
"Does the Black Book of the Dead also tempt people's hearts?"
After a careful examination, Ethan finally determined that Evelyn simply couldn't help herself. He was completely speechless. From that point on, while paying attention to Evelyn's explanations, he also had to constantly guard against her accidentally blurting out spells.
Fortunately, even though the book looked thick, it didn't contain many pages. By the time Ethan finished understanding the functions of the spells in the Black Book of the Dead, the sky had just turned dark.
"This is the perfect time to do things that aren't exactly above board."
The ancient Egyptians had used mirrors and light reflection to ensure that the inside of the pyramid was as bright as the outside during the day.
At night, they could use moonlight to ensure that even areas without torches had some level of brightness, preventing complete darkness.
The room where Imhotep's sarcophagus was located, however, had no lighting. Ethan and the others had to light countless torches to ensure visibility, as well as to test the air quality.
"Up above?"
"Probably."
It was still Evelyn who found the place. Based on her professional knowledge and careful judgment, she believed something was above this stone chamber—but she couldn't confirm whether it was Imhotep's sarcophagus.
Ethan only knew the general situation from memory. He didn't know the exact location, so he had to proceed based on Evelyn's guidance.
He had also considered using high-tech methods or magic to search, but the pyramid was filled with divine energy, which severely interfered with magic or psychic detection. As for technological means, before resurrection, Imhotep was just an ordinary mummy, with no energy fluctuations or biological signals. How could they find him like that?
At this moment, Ethan was very glad he had brought Evelyn. Her presence made the plan go smoothly, almost without any wasted time. He had obtained both books, learned the function of the spells, and... found Imhotep's sarcophagus.
"What now?"
"Now, watch my performance."
Ethan had everyone step back. No one could guarantee that Imhotep wouldn't attack immediately upon resurrection, and Ethan felt it was his responsibility to protect everyone's safety.
Resurrecting Imhotep had been his decision. The others were only helping. They had no obligation to do this. For them, letting Imhotep remain asleep was the smarter choice.
Taking a deep breath, Ethan used the special key in his hand to unlock the sarcophagus. Then he pushed the heavy lid aside, revealing a very "fresh" mummy inside.
Evelyn couldn't help herself again and stepped forward to examine the mummy. She was curious about the legendary High Priest and amazed at how well-preserved the body was.
O'Connell, however, noticed countless scratches on the inside of the sarcophagus lid. After a quick inspection, he realized they were marks Imhotep had made with his own hands before his death. He had even left a sentence behind.
Evelyn tried to move closer again, but this time O'Connell noticed Ethan's gaze. He obediently pulled Evelyn back a few steps. He also noticed that Logan and Ada seemed to be shielding them, intentionally or not. This made O'Connell feel rebellious, and he deliberately stepped forward half a pace—only to be pushed back by Logan.
Seeing that everyone had maintained a safe distance, Ethan opened the Black Book of the Dead. He no longer needed to flip through it. After memorizing the various pronunciations of ancient Egyptian and understanding the spell functions, he only needed to open the book to cast a spell.
The mysterious text transformed into tongue-twisting incantations, carrying strange fluctuations. As Ethan chanted, the Black Book of the Dead in his hand released a chilling, eerie wind. Everyone felt a cold draft sweep over them, then saw it circle around Imhotep's body before suddenly erupting.
Almost at that instant, Ethan sensed a powerful fluctuation emanating from the seemingly lifeless mummy. He knew Imhotep had been resurrected. Although his appearance remained that of a mummy, he had already gained the ability to move in the human world. At this moment, he existed in a state between life and death, more undead than alive.
He only needed to complete the follow-up ritual to be fully resurrected. Once that was done, even his weakness to cats would disappear entirely.
However, Ethan wasn't planning to help him complete that ritual just yet—unless they could reach a consensus.
Watching the mummy slowly stand up, Ethan closed the Black Book of the Dead and opened the Book of Amun-Ra. Facing Imhotep, he said calmly, "Imhotep, I've come to negotiate."
(To be continued.)
***
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