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Chapter 819: The Golden Book of Amun Ra
🕑 Added 2023-07-20 09:46:31 +0000 UTC"New ruins, what is it?" Evan asked curiously.
"It is the relic of Amun Ra, said to be left by Ramses II,” said Bill. "You all know Ramses II, right?"
"Well, he’s the most famous Pharaoh in Egyptian history. His life experience is simply a legend. He once led Egypt to prosperity!" said Hermione quickly. "I’ve read about him in many books. He conquered many countries in his lifetime..."
"Yeah, this great pharaoh has done a lot of great things. At present, over half of the surviving temples and relics in Egypt are associated with him. We’ve been trying to find the secrets he left," said Bill. "Not long ago, a team of explorers discovered the relic of Amun Ra in the heart of the city of Pi-Ramses in northeastern Cairo. It contains important information about the pharaohs. The exploration team of Gringotts has settled in it, but there are still many wizards coming to Egypt to enter that relic."
"Pi-Ramses?!" Evan repeated.
"An ancient Egyptian city that disappeared in history, built by Ramses II, also known as the House of Ramses," Bill explained. "The city was discovered twenty years ago, and excavation work has been going on since then, and we’ve found many valuable temples inside."
"Why do those wizards want to enter the relic of Amun Ra? What are they looking for?" asked Hermione.
"It's probably an adventure to see if there’s any gain. This is a normal phenomenon in the Egyptian Wizarding world," said Bill. "Every time a new relic is discovered, it always attracts a group of people. They are typical speculators, only interested in money and they’re reckless.”
"Doesn’t the Egyptian Ministry of Magic intervene? Do they just allow these people to enter the relics?"
"Unlike ours, the Egyptian Ministry of Magic has no objection to such things, or rather, has no ability to manage them. There are simply too many ruins in Egypt, and thousands of them are being excavated at present," said Bill, shrugging. "The Ministry's resources are insufficient for exploration, and they cannot provide protection. Illegal excavation is widespread, which is the main reason they have to cooperate with Gringotts. The situation now is that as long as you register with the Egyptian Ministry of Magic, you can become a legal explorer and excavate the relics. But if you really find anything, you must turn it over to the state, and the Egyptian Ministry will give you corresponding compensation. Smuggling out is not allowed. Once found, it's a felony!"
"Explorer, this job sounds good!" said Evan.
"In fact, it’s very dangerous. Untrained wizards don't have enough ability to deal with the curses in the ruins. They also lack professional supplies. People die every year, but if you really find something, you can get rich overnight, just like this time... "said Bill, looking around to see if they were being noticed by anyone, and he bent down, lowered his voice and said, "This time the situation is different. This was supposed to be classified information, but it’s okay to tell you both."
"Classified information?!" Both Evan and Hermione looked at him in astonishment.
"Yes!" Bill's voice grew lower. "I knew from a colleague that according to reliable historical records, the relic of Amun Ra contains the long-vanished ancient Egyptian undead book, the Golden Book of Amun Ra, which records the secret of eternal life."
"The Golden Book of Amun Ra … eternal life!" Hermione held her breath and seemed fascinated by the book.
Evan sighed. Immortality and eternal life again and again, couldn’t these powerful ancient warlocks have a higher pursuit?!
He was too aware of the attraction of this word to wizards. If this information were to be made public, many people would be ecstatic.
"I don’t think it’s true. There may be no Golden Book of Amun Ra in the ruins, or this book is not as powerful as the legend says. If it truly granted eternal life, why did Ramses II die?" Evan asked.
"Who knows, maybe he wanted to see the world of the dead, or he’s been resurrected in some other way, and can’t appear just because of restrictions,” said Bill. "Evan, don't underestimate the magic of Egypt. I'll show you the pyramids and tombs in a few days, and you'll know how fantastic the ancient Egyptian Magic is. There's a special magic here."
Evan nodded hesitantly. He knew exactly what the Book of Amun Ra meant. Like the Book of Abraham, which he carried with him, this book itself was a legendary magical item.
It was said that it recorded the magic of obtaining eternal life, the ability to unravel all curses in the world, and the method to harness the power of the sun, the most potent force of heat in existence. Ramses II became the greatest Pharaoh because of this book.
In contrast to the Golden Book of Amun Ra was the Black Book of the Dead, which could bring the dead back to life.
Unlike the Golden Book of Amun Ra, which had no trace at all, many incantations in the Black Book of the Dead were carved on the walls of the tombs of pharaohs and sacrificial rites in the past dynasties with hieroglyphs and ancient magical writings, and some were printed on coffins or carved on exquisite stone pavilions.
Although these incantations were incomplete, the wizards of later generations had continued to perfect the Black Book of the Dead through a little archaeological excavation, and on this basis, they had developed the Necromancer magic, a very unpopular and very small branch of magic, which belonged to a kind of evil Dark magic.
This magic could finally bring the dead back to this world, but at a very heavy price. Evan had never heard of anyone who’d successfully cast it.
Even so, the power of undead Dark magic to control the realms of the dead and curses through necromantic magic still evoked fear.
"If you’re interested, I can show you the relic of Amun Ra in a few days," said bill. "But you have to apply to become explorers first. We can go around the entrance of the relic. Remember, don't talk about it!"
"Mr. Weasley, about the room..." At this moment, the goblin behind the counter interrupted in a shrill voice.
"Oh, right, the room," said Bill. "When are your two friends arriving?"
"Gabrielle said they’ll be arriving tomorrow morning!" Hermione replied. "We made the arrangement before she left Hogwarts."
"Tomorrow … um … because of the relic of Amun Ra, many wizards have returned to Cairo recently. Finding new accommodations would take time, and the safety and comfort wouldn't be as good as here," Bill turned to the goblin, and said in some embarrassment, "Can you think of a way to get us two rooms?"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Weasley, we don't have any vacant rooms!" The goblin replied in a stubborn tone and looked at Evan and Hermione. "If you'll allow me to be forward, I've noticed that your friends are all children. Our rooms are quite spacious, and it would be a waste for single occupancy. If you don't mind, I suggest two or three of you sharing one room."
