DOTM: Chapter 317/318

Chapter 317: Staying Up Late to Listen to Stories Together

"Go back and tell Ardeth Bay that I'll be waiting for him in Hamunaptra."

Ardeth Bay was one of the leaders of the guardians, the black-robed man with facial tattoos from the movie, who later became friends with the protagonists.

Those who came to intercept people heading toward Hamunaptra were essentially Ardeth Bay's subordinates, so Ethan wasn't concerned that his message wouldn't be delivered.

He didn't send the message with any special intention. He just didn't want these guardians continuously showing up along the journey to stir up trouble. There was no reasoning with them. They simply believed they were carrying out the duty they were born for.

After tossing the terrified black-robed men into the river, Ethan continued patrolling the ship, throwing all the remaining guardians into the water and completely extinguishing the fires that had just broken out.

Looking at the fist-sized flame in his hand, no one would have guessed it had been condensed from all the flames across the entire ship. On the outside, it looked like an ordinary flame, and its perceived temperature was also normal, but its internal structure was entirely different from regular fire. If triggered by an external force, the resulting explosion wouldn't be much weaker than a tank shell.

Ethan glanced at the black-robed men floating in the river. Many were still glaring indignantly at the ship. Ethan casually tossed the fireball into the water. The moment it left his hand, the fireball became unstable. As soon as it touched the water's surface, the fragile balance collapsed, and the energy inside erupted, creating a firestorm that filled the sky and lit up the entire river channel. The shockwaves from the blast caused the guardians soaking in the water to suffer even more.

O'Connell and Evelyn, who had been following behind Ethan in a daze, finally began to process what was happening. Then they continued to stare at Ethan with blank expressions.

"What was that just now?"

"Don't tell me that was just another insignificant little spell."

"Another?"

O'Connell turned to look at Evelyn beside him. That sentence revealed a lot. Apparently, this young man named Ethan had already demonstrated magical abilities before. Why had no one told him about this?

"This one was a bit more complicated, but still not a big deal."

Ethan looked around. Actually, it wasn't just O'Connell and Evelyn who were stunned. The group of archaeologists was also staring at him in shock.

Earlier, when Ethan was tossing black-robed men into the river along the ship, they were still excited and entertained. But when they saw fireballs forming in Ethan's palm and dancing quietly, even the most oblivious among them realized something wasn't right. Once the final fireball exploded, everyone knew the mysterious young man traveling with them was no ordinary person.

"A wizard!"

Even in the future, in a science-dominated society, awe toward the mysterious and unknown still lingered in most people's hearts. How much more so in this era, and in a place like Egypt, full of mystical legends?

Whether locals or foreigners, everyone was now filled with fear and awe toward Ethan—not respect, but pure fear.

"Looks like we won't be bothered much on the journey ahead."

O'Connell saw the reactions around them and strongly agreed with Ethan's words.

No one dared provoke a wizard with mysterious powers. Even if no one could be sure whether Ethan's magic was real or based on some unknown means, the effect was unquestionable.

Due to the guardians' attack, no one on the ship was in the mood to sleep. Now, with a mysterious male wizard among the passengers, even fewer dared to close their eyes, afraid they wouldn't be able to open them again.

No one even dared to approach Ethan's room, which allowed their group to speak freely without fear of being overheard.

O'Connell even went out of his way to check the doors and windows. The closest crew members were standing far away, clearly wanting to leave but too afraid, worrying that if the great wizard had a request and they weren't nearby, they'd incur his wrath.

"If I'd known that showing a little magic would be this effective, we could've just chartered the whole ship from the start."

O'Connell didn't want them tagging along. Ideally, they could be thrown into the river with the black-robed men, allowing the group to reach Hamunaptra sooner.

"No, I need them to reach the destination with us."

Ethan had already decided to resurrect Imhotep. Several steps were required for that process. Before fully understanding the resurrection and soul-summoning spells, Ethan couldn't risk modifying or recreating them on his own. So, the best and safest way to revive Imhotep was to let him follow the original method.

"Why? Doesn't that mean my gold might get stolen?"

Jonathan noticed that no one cared about the treasure, which frustrated him. Though deep down, he wished they truly didn't care, so the treasure could all be his.

Evelyn, however, kept inspecting Ethan's hand—the one he had used to gather and eventually release the flames. She seemed to be looking for some sort of mechanism. But there was nothing—no device, not even any special gear on his arm. She was practically ready to strip Ethan's clothes just to get a better look.

"How did you do that?"

"Didn't you hear what they called me?"

"A wizard?" Evelyn gave a skeptical smile. "You're telling me you're actually a male witch?"

"Actually, I prefer to be called a mage." Ethan switched hands, and this time what appeared in his palm was a sphere of water.

The water ball was perfectly clear. Evelyn, sitting nearby, could see through it to the other side. It slowly rotated in Ethan's hand, changing shapes as it spun. At one point, it turned into a mini heavy machine gun and sprayed a round toward the group—O'Connell and Evelyn both felt a cold chill on their faces. The brief shock helped them snap out of their stupor, and they continued watching in awe as the water ball transformed into a frozen rose.

Ice was a derivative of the water element. After mastering water control, Ethan had been training in its extended applications. These techniques weren't difficult once water was mastered—especially with Loki, a powerful mage proficient in frost, available for consultation at any time aboard the ship.

"You can control water and fire at will?"

Jonathan was the quickest to recover, even asking follow-up questions.

"Elemental manipulation is only part of a mage's abilities. I can also cast a few spells with more unique effects."

The ice rose in his hand dissolved instantly. Ethan flicked his finger. After half a night of chaos, fighting, smoke, and fire, everyone was looking disheveled. But as soon as Ethan cast the spell, everyone felt a wave of freshness sweep over them. Moments later, they realized that even their clothes had been cleaned.

Seeing this, Jonathan's face lit up with a grin. Perhaps he felt that with such a powerful mage in their party, their gold would be safe. No one could possibly steal it.

O'Connell, however, looked anything but happy. He was now deeply worried about this trip.

A mage with powerful, mysterious abilities had suddenly appeared and declared he was heading to the legendary City of the Dead, Hamunaptra. O'Connell himself had encountered strange things there before. All signs pointed to this not being just a simple treasure hunt or archaeological trip.

What kind of force could attract someone like Ethan to personally make this journey? It had to be another mysterious power.

The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. He even considered backing out.

But Ethan saw through his hesitation and reassured him.

"You don't need to worry. Even if something happens, it won't endanger your life—as long as you follow my instructions and don't act recklessly."

Evelyn might sometimes act naive and silly, but she wasn't stupid. On the contrary, she was an exceptionally intelligent woman. Otherwise, she wouldn't have mastered so much archaeological knowledge and become proficient in several ancient languages at such a young age.

She also believed Hamunaptra not only existed but likely contained many secrets yet to be uncovered. Some of the legends about the City of the Dead might not be mere myths after all.

"What exactly is in Hamunaptra?"

Evelyn had initially just wanted to prove Hamunaptra's existence and perhaps recover the legendary scriptures.

But now, even someone as unique as Ethan had set his sights on it. She suspected there was something she didn't know drawing him there.

She was now intensely curious, like a child eager for a bedtime story.

She wasn't alone. Jonathan, despite being overly fixated on gold, was just as curious as his sister.

O'Connell had always wanted to uncover the secrets of that place. Even Ada and Logan didn't fully know the details of this trip.

Ethan looked around and decided it was necessary to give them a summary of the situation ahead to avoid any unexpected mishaps.

Especially the siblings—those two were particularly prone to causing trouble. Even with multiple warnings, it wasn't guaranteed they wouldn't mess up his plans.

So it was better to lay everything out clearly in advance, so they would know what not to do and help ensure his plan proceeded smoothly.

No one was sleepy anyway, so Ethan gave them a basic rundown of Hamunaptra's history and the story of Imhotep. It was only then that Evelyn and O'Connell understood that Hamunaptra, the City of the Dead, was actually the prison of a high priest named Imhotep.

Ethan also shared his purpose: besides retrieving the two scriptures, he intended to resurrect the ancient Egyptian high priest.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 318: Arrival at Hamunaptra

The story of Imhotep and Anck-su-namun wasn't particularly moving.

The Pharaoh's concubine and the High Priest had an affair, and when the Pharaoh discovered them, the two joined forces and stabbed him—one after another, without hesitation. Then Anck-su-namun told Imhotep to escape first while she stayed behind, only to be cut down by the Pharaoh's guards, also one after another.

Imhotep couldn't accept that his beloved had died like that. Using his status as High Priest, he retrieved the Book of the Dead and prepared to use forbidden power to resurrect Anck-su-namun. Unfortunately, he was interrupted at the last moment. His crimes—murdering the Pharaoh and using forbidden magic—were tallied up, and he was sentenced to the cruelest punishment: Hom-Dai, being devoured alive by flesh-eating scarabs.

Imhotep's sarcophagus, sealed with a large number of those "ingredients" (scarabs), along with the two books, was buried in the legendary Hamunaptra.

"I can understand why you want those two books that record many ancient Egyptian spells, but why do you want to resurrect Imhotep?"

From Ethan's description, Imhotep didn't sound like a good person. Of course, he wasn't some great villain either. But after suffering such cruel punishment, wouldn't a High Priest like that seek revenge once revived?

"Reading spellbooks and learning from a High Priest who truly mastered those spells are two completely different things," Ethan explained briefly. "I made a promise. To fulfill it, I need to master a resurrection spell correctly."

Bringing someone back to life sounded incredible. If anyone had told them this before today, they would've assumed the speaker was either insane or lying.

But now, they didn't feel that way at all, because Ethan had already proven that this world held many incredible and mysterious powers.

O'Connell was fairly calm—he had encountered strange phenomena before, and Ethan's words actually explained a lot of things he'd experienced.

Only Evelyn felt her worldview shaken. At first, she showed disbelief, but after witnessing Ethan's power, she came to trust his words even more than O'Connell did.

Perhaps this was due to her profession. Archaeology often touched on myths and legends, many of which were fantastical. Now that mysterious powers had been proven real, those stories long considered myths suddenly felt like they could be true. That revelation was far more important to her than the identity of a wizard or High Priest.

"To keep yourselves safe, it's best not to wander around after reaching Hamunaptra."

Ethan briefly explained what to expect at Hamunaptra. Most things weren't too dangerous—this group could handle traps and mechanisms. However, things like scarabs were more troublesome. By mentioning them in advance, they would know not to pick up random things or wander off, mistaking scarab eggs for gems.

It wasn't paranoia. In the original story, Jonathan had done exactly that. Now that Ethan had warned him in advance, maybe the habitual thief would be a little more cautious?

The rest of the journey was uneventful. Aside from learning ancient Egyptian from Evelyn, Ethan behaved no differently from an ordinary person and didn't do anything that might scare or disturb the others.

However, once they disembarked and began crossing the desert, the exploration team deliberately kept their distance from Ethan and his group, which gave him a headache.

He had hoped they'd rush into Hamunaptra ahead of him and serve as cannon fodder. But judging by the situation, they planned to hide behind him and take advantage of his lead?

"What should we do?" Logan asked.

He didn't ride a horse or camel. No animal could carry his weight. Most of the time, he walked, leading the pack animals burdened with heavy supplies.

Fortunately, his enhanced body had greatly increased his stamina, so the distance didn't tire him. But their pace was already slow, and that group of Americans was stubbornly refusing to overtake them, just trailing behind.

"If they're not necessary, why not drive them off?"

O'Connell and the others already knew Ethan's plan. Hamunaptra was full of danger, and the Americans were meant to be the cannon fodder.

But that cannon fodder clearly lacked self-awareness and wasn't stepping forward. It was getting awkward.

"Don't worry about them. Once we reach Hamunaptra, I doubt they'll be able to resist."

Hamunaptra was vast. They might think they could enter from another side, avoid Ethan, and still come away with riches.

There was so much treasure in Hamunaptra that even if the two teams split it evenly, every person—including the hired locals—could walk away incredibly wealthy. If they could truly resist their greed, maybe they could get rich and stay alive.

Ethan thought it over. He couldn't force people to die just because they refused to take the bait. He wasn't willing to cross that moral line.

"If they really can resist, then it proves they don't deserve to die here."

"What about Imhotep's resurrection?"

"As long as I can awaken Imhotep, worst case, I'll help him finish the resurrection myself."

Imhotep's resurrection required a specific ritual, but for a mage, rituals were just tools. What truly mattered was energy conversion—consuming the right energy to produce the desired effect.

He could completely replace the power required for Imhotep's resurrection with other forms of energy. As a High Priest with vast magical knowledge, Ethan didn't believe Imhotep couldn't solve such a minor issue.

Maybe Imhotep, lacking his full strength, couldn't do it alone. But with Ethan's help, the problem would cease to exist.

"I still feel like we're doing something very wrong."

After spending time with them, O'Connell had become familiar with everyone's personalities. Jonathan aside, Evelyn was ditzy but actually quite intelligent.

Logan always wore a cold expression and looked indifferent, but whenever someone was in danger, he always stepped in. Earlier, when a scorpion nearly attacked Jonathan, Logan had quietly saved him.

A cold exterior, but warm heart. O'Connell could sense a military background, and he felt they had some shared ground.

"You don't need to worry. Ethan's reliable, most of the time," Logan said.

Although Logan had an intimidating presence, he wasn't antisocial and didn't mind conversation.

"Most of the time?"

"Sometimes he does things that make you speechless. But when it comes to serious matters, he's dependable."

O'Connell felt a little more at ease. As long as Ethan could be counted on when it mattered, that was enough.

He was still curious about where Ethan and the others came from, but Logan, without Ethan prompting him, never gave a full explanation. What he could share, he did. What he couldn't, he kept to himself, and O'Connell understood not to press.

After a long, exhausting journey, O'Connell finally led them to Hamunaptra. Watching a massive pyramid emerge from seemingly nowhere, even Ethan felt a jolt of awe.

"Is this spell powered by divine energy?"

There was no way mere mortals could hide a pyramid of this size between reality and illusion for over three thousand years. Ethan could vaguely sense divine energy.

He was now a demigod. While he didn't possess his own divine power, that didn't mean he couldn't recognize this type of special energy.

"We're finally here."

The exploration team couldn't hold back anymore and moved closer. Their gasps of wonder were clearly audible.

Ethan glanced at them, then looked into the distance.

He spotted a group hidden behind the far sand dunes. Without a doubt, it was the Medjai led by Ardeth Bay. It seemed Ardeth didn't want to meet face-to-face, especially now that Hamunaptra had been found.

For the Medjai, the only way to protect the secret was for everyone who had discovered Hamunaptra to die.

"What should we do next?"

Evelyn wanted to rush in immediately but remembered Ethan's repeated warnings—Follow my instructions. Don't act rashly. So she forced herself to hold back and looked to Ethan.

Everyone turned to him. Ethan didn't keep them waiting. He pointed at Hamunaptra in the distance.

"Go straight in and find the two books first."

Unlike in the original story, where the large exploration team occupied the area with the Book of the Dead and Evelyn happened to stumble upon Imhotep's sarcophagus while avoiding them, now the roles had reversed. They were avoiding Ethan, which allowed Evelyn to fully apply her expertise and help Ethan find what he needed quickly.

When Ethan obtained the Book of the Dead, the resurrection ritual for Imhotep had already been disrupted.

He had no choice. The exploration team had deliberately taken a different route in search of treasure and hadn't come this way at all. Ethan couldn't just stand around waiting or invite them to dig it up for him, could he?

Even the dumbest person would sense something was off. So Ethan had to retrieve the Book of the Dead himself.

At the same time, he acquired several jars shaped like dolls—presumably containing Anck-su-namun's internal organs. These were essential bargaining chips for negotiating with Imhotep.

Looking at the black hardback book in his hand, Ethan didn't rush to open it.

He sensed a mysterious power emanating from it and immediately understood why Jonathan could activate the spells in the Book of Amun-Ra just by reading aloud. Holding the book and chanting was merely a key—the power fueling the spell came from a higher existence.

"Divine magic?"

(To be continued.)