The Witch and the Doll Swear

After only one night, the curfew and martial law were lifted as the yawning city guards returned to their daily posts.

The remains of the fire turned into blank land under the magic of the priests, and the blood spilled on the streets was washed away without leaving a trace.

The children exchanged the knives and torches in their hands for rattan baskets filled with colored paper flowers and fragrant sand, and smiled to passers-by on the street.

The flood festival, which was supposed to be suspended, is still going on.

Dibis, the core of Amon Ra's faith, the city run by priests and believers of the gods for thousands of years is quickly washing away the traces of riots. Liliana and Ai met their eyes and quickly moved away. Tina almost thought that the flow of time turned to the past on the second night of coming here, changing history.

But that was just a girl's illusion.

Now in the girl's interspatial storage ring, the ruby ​​on the wide collar that was turned into silver by the craftsman that night also reminds Tina that everything yesterday is irrefutable truth.

"Did you know? On the night of the riots, I got a revelation from the gods in my dream. She rebuked me for being weak and mercilessly exposed how boring the trials I was worried about. And then when I woke up Come on, the whole city is like falling into a nightmare, I even suspect that I will be killed by my neighbors for not beating those foreigners hard enough! Oh, Amon Ra, that is really terrible, I don't want to be because of this The reason why I can’t convey my heart to you before I die, my beautiful lotus, my lovely hummingbird, the you I love the most—”

"What's the matter, are you interested in the love scene of the man in Sinai?"

"Oh no……"

On the way across the street, a group of high-pitched words suddenly sounded.

Ting Na, who couldn't help but stop and look at the small garden by the street, saw clearly the flowers still stained with dew in the man's arms and the girl in front of him who was blushing because of the sudden hot confession in the public, walking on her Ai from behind bumped into her back and snorted dissatisfiedly.

"No, I can't say I'm interested..."

The appearance of the man is very ordinary, and the appearance of the girl is only ordinary and good-looking.

The long and fleshy words of love were not very literary, but Tingna couldn't help but curled up the corners of her mouth, showing a gratified expression.

"... Strange woman."

Ai pouted, took the girl's hand, and caught up with the witch who was a little ahead, noticing that they hadn't followed, and stopped to wait.

Until she passed through the bustling market, Tina didn't see any foreigners except them. However, the number of ships at the pier has not seen a significant decrease, and it is not known what plans the passengers who have not left the city have next.

Arriving at the pier, led by the temple guards waiting here, the girls boarded a black galley.

The deck was covered with gorgeous carpets, and beside the low table, when Liliana's dark brown eyes met the figure of Liliana holding the doll, Flanadi nodded slightly.

"In the light of Amon Ra, I hope you all have a pleasant morning."

Apparently this lady has been waiting here for a long time.

The boat moved.

This is obviously the usual greeting of the nobles, Liliana responded lightly, took off her sandals and sat opposite the lady, and after glancing at the attendants who were far away from them, the witch stopped directly and entered the topic .

"...May the brilliance of the invisible sun protect each other at all times. Ms. Flanadi, I think, here, we can say what we couldn't tell us in the temple yesterday."

It has to be said that no matter where they go, Noble Phantasm level powerhouses are respected.

Even though Liliana's attitude was so indifferent, women with high status and power in the Sinai Temple did not have any special reactions.

She watched as Tina and Ai Ye sat beside the witch and clapped their hands. Several maids held clay pots of beer and brought golden plates full of bread. While drinking early in the morning may seem like a problem, beer is as common a beverage as water in Sinai.

"It will take some time to cross Nile Klei. Even if you have already had breakfast, I think these delicacies can make a few of you pass this slightly boring time. However, because of the sandstorm and the subsequent famine , The finances of the temple are also a little tight, and the meals are monotonous, please forgive me."

In addition to the sweet beer flavored with dates and malt, the waiters prepared fresh fruit and cookies and biscuits as snacks, and they put these down, poured everyone a drink, and hurried away.

Flanadi raised her wine glass to salute Liliana and the others. Before Liliana, who seemed to want to say something, spoke, she added another sentence:

"I know what Your Majesty is looking for, but I can say nothing, and even in the purest and most holy morning light of Ra, there is nothing to mention of that thing. A blasphemous act of forgiveness."

"...In other words, you will not reveal any information to us, but will lead us to that place?"

Flanadi nodded, then fell silent.

"...Then, I will trouble you."

Liliana handed the wine glass she picked up to Alice's hand.

The identity of God's wife means the wives of the gods in the world.

In her capacity, she should not know what those magic emperors are researching in the secret realm. According to the words of God Seth, that is a field where the magic emperors quell the sand damage in the entire Sinai as a condition, so that the gods cannot set foot .

...but not so sure.

People may be able to figure out what the gods cannot know due to the clauses and oaths, and the ancient saying that the magic empire is not taboo in Sinai. Except for the oldest dozen dynasties in this country, the rest of this country is the history of submission.

From being attached to the Psychetin Empire in the first era, to being ruled by the ancient language magic empire for five thousand years in the second era, after the collapse of the ancient language magic empire, it was defeated by the rapidly rising Qiqiu, and was forced to surrender to the city that turned the elegant inner sea into The Empire of Neihu.

In other words, it is more likely that Flanadi is so secretive...

Liliana turned her head and looked at Tingna who was sipping beer silently.

After knowing through the earrings that her guess might be correct, Tingna tried her best not to show an overly excited expression.

"It would be great if I could help Miss Liliana—"

Her voice floated up.

In response, Ai pursed her lips tightly, and the girl with an unwilling face let out a soft snort, biting the biscuit with a sullen face.

About half an hour later, the wide and gentle Nerocle was left behind. The carriage of the temple had been waiting on the river bank for a long time. Franati did not bring any guards, but was escorted by the city guards stationed here, and Ting Na and the others walked through the rugged mountain road together and came to the valley.

Here, she also swung the soldiers back, leaving the carriage and driver behind the two staring statues.

The rest of the road has to be walked on her own feet - so she anointed the holy oil on the boat, and walked into the valley with the small incense burner,

The terrain of the Valley of the Kings is divided into upper and lower layers by an upward slope. There are three open tombs distributed below, and two are on the edge of the slope.

Every time she passed a tomb, Flanadi would stop and chant a long requiem.

When the slope came to an end, it reached the edge of the open valley, and the cracks in the rock wall were full of yellow sand. These sand grains came from the distant sand sea and penetrated into the rock cracks. Scoured clean, it instead mixes with it into a thick mortar that congeals on the rock walls into large expanses of off-white sandstone.

Except for the dusty mountain road under the feet, there are no artificial traces here, which makes it even more barren.

Flanadi stopped in her tracks. She put down the censer, took a step back, and pointed at the rock wall.

She has been silent since the end of the question and answer on the boat, even now, she has not said a word.

Is this the entrance to the secret realm?

Or, the tomb of the "pagan pharaoh" Akhenaten?

Ting Na looked at the rock wall without any artificial traces, feeling a little skeptical.

The witch didn't say anything, she walked to the direction that Flannati was pointing at, and stretched out her hand to press on the rock wall.

The dry clods picked up from the ground and the stones were held between the fingertips. There was no singing, but two aurora-colored magic circles floated on the surface of the mortar like double stars. In an instant, clear flowing water flowed from the smaller The magic circle spewed out, wet the stone wall, and also wet the witch's hair and dress.

"..."Lulu Tivi Fossilized into Mud Art". "

Then, the magic circle, which was taller than Liliana's small body, flickered as she softly chanted the name of magic.

Liliana withdrew her palm, which was holding nothing, and took a few steps back. Then, the hard rock and the thick and solid sandstone seemed to melt and flow, turning into mud all over the place. Waiting for these rocks to turn into mud under the magical power It collapsed, and a gap was revealed in the mountain wall that was dug out several meters.

Narrow and rough, if it is artificially excavated, it is too rough. The raised and sunken places on both sides of the rock wall make people wonder how difficult it is to pass through this gap. , but if it is naturally formed...

Looking at the crack that stretched all the way up to the top of the mountain wall, Tingna couldn't help muttering, might as well say that it was opened by a god.

"...Is it right here?"

Turning the dirty mud all over the floor into dry mud, Liliana stared into Flannati's eyes, but the divine wife closed her eyes tightly, and just pointed at the gap with her finger, without saying a word.

Then, she lowered her hand, bowed to the girls, and left in the direction she came from.

"..."

She didn't look back.

After a moment of silence, the witch propped up her magic shield and walked towards the depression on the rock wall.

"Then, let's go in too. Miss Tingna and Ai must follow closely behind Lily."

"Okay, okay..."

"... Ai takes protecting himself as the most important thing. If you still have the energy, you can also take care of Miss Tingna."

"I know, Master Liliana."

"……Um."

After giving Tina and Ai a little advice, the new magic was woven in the silent singing, and the rock retreated to both sides, like an earth elf stretching lazily.

The narrow gap was quickly widened enough for two people to walk side by side, and the light shining from the gap became brighter, reflecting the scenery behind the gap into the girl's pupils.

That is the patio dug out of the rocky mountain—although it is not so appropriate to describe the natural creation in terms of architecture, but this is Tingna standing on the thick yellow sand looking up at the quilt mountain through the gap. The only thought when the wall cuts the sky.

The vertical hole leading directly to the top of the mountain, above is the clear blue sky.

Saigon’s sun disc has not yet risen to the highest point of the sky, and the sun is only at the top, illuminating part of the rock wall that has been washed by wind and sand, whether it is naturally formed or artificially excavated, into a golden yellow.

Except for the wind, this narrow valley is very quiet. The slight sound of the Witch's little feet stepping on the thick yellow sand makes one even wonder if this is the first light sound that breaks the thousands of years of silence.

"...Alice."

Then a strong wind picked up.

The Witch stood in the valley, surrounded by solid rock walls. She looked around at these lifeless rocks, and soon turned her gaze to her feet, to the golden carpet that had been piled up by wind and sand for an unknown number of years.

"Hmph, this place is well hidden. Even if you look at it from the sky with the eyes of a wizard, you will probably think that this place is just a naturally formed small valley."

Before Liliana spoke, the little puppet seemed to know what the witch who had been with her for a long time wanted her to do.

Alice held up a finger, and the spirits of the wind surrounded her. The sky-high sandstorm made the flowing yellow sand fly over the top of the mountain and fly around the valley, like a bunch of fireworks filled with sand.

The thick yellow sand was blown away by the storm, leaving only a thin layer. There is no chanting, and there is no magic circle. This is not magic, because Alice is not a magician now.

She just communicated with the atmospheric elemental elves with a super high affinity for the elements, and let them roll up such a sandstorm. This ability belongs to elemental and elf messengers. Although it is not as versatile as magic, it can also be used in many cases. enough.

Although the lively and impatient Atmospheric Elf failed to complete all the work properly, nothing could bury the remaining grains of sand.

"It's buried in the sand."

"If you want to hide something in Sinai, you just need to throw it in the desert..."

In Tina, Ai, in front of the witches and dolls who are looking for the real, under the rocky ground, a staircase built at an unknown time connects to the deep and dark tomb under the ground.

In front of the first step, a stone slab that still retains color is inlaid on the ground. Alice once again directed the wind to sweep the sand away from the stone slab. Alice fell down and reached out to caress the rough piece , painted slate.

Her lips uttered a title softly, very lightly, very lightly.

When the atmospheric elf, who was so light that he was still playing at Alice's fingertips just now, brought the whisper to Tina's ear, the girl just repeated it blankly.

"The Sun Wheel of Thousand Hands..."

Then, the relevant knowledge slowly came out from somewhere in his mind with graceful steps.

The pattern on the slate is two people standing face to face, with an altar in the center, holding a branch of an unknown plant in their hands. And above them, in the sky, the sun hangs, stretching out many young arms to touch the paper in their hands, taking the ancient talisman of life from the altar, as if taking away its offering.

In the history of Sinai, such a pattern appears only at one time.

That disc of the sun with outstretched hands belonged to one Pharaoh.

"...Reform the traditional polytheistic system of Sinai into a monotheistic system, ban and belittle all other gods, and let people only believe in Aton, the creator of the starry sky and the world. This is the main content of the "Sunlun Reformation." In order to distinguish it from the traditional gods, the god created by the pharaoh is abstract, without specific statues, and only symbolic patterns have been handed down. "

Liliana spoke calmly, but the less obvious excitement still made her voice a little different from usual, letting Tina and Ai know that this witch is rarely excited.

The ancient mausoleum whose existence could not even be determined in the historical records was right in front of her eyes at this moment, within a distance that could be stepped into with just one step.

No scholar can maintain Gujing Wubo's state of mind in such a situation, unless he has become an undead without emotion or heartbeat.

"Akhenaten..."

Ai's breathing was a little short, so that when he said the pharaoh's name, he was a little out of tune.

The reaction of the master and apprentice at this time was so consistent that even Alice raised her eyebrows with great interest. Even if Tina can't feel that feeling, she can feel the loss... no, the excitement of the hidden fragments in history unfolding before her.

Without staying too long, Liliana and Ai seemed to have forgotten that they were not here for archaeology, and from the moment they walked into the corridor, they used magic balls of light to illuminate the tomb.

The corridor goes down obliquely. Liliana’s chronicle to Tina mentions that Akhenaten once designed his own tomb, and it leads straight to the tomb like this, so that he can bathe from the tomb without hindrance. Aten - the radiance of the Thousand-Handed Sun of Dawn.

But there is nothing here.

There is no light from the gods that the pharaoh believed in, and the towering rock walls outside the tomb ensure that except for a short time at noon, there is no sunlight throughout the year.

There is no treasure, no cultural relics, and at the end of the corridor, the tomb is like Tutankhamun's tomb that has been looted. Except for the tenacious sand spiders and bugs, and the central coffin, there is nothing here.

Yes, nothing, even the murals on the wall and the copper lamp in the corner.

The place is empty, cold and dark, only Ai's incomprehensible questions and the witch's faint sighs echo here, like the regretful singing of ancient souls.

"...It's not surprising. Akhenaten is an absolute taboo in Sinai's beliefs. Of course, the treasures buried with him will be looted, smashed, melted, and burned by the people organized by the temple. The murals praising his achievements will be destroyed. It is unbelievable enough to say that the mausoleum is still intact..."

As she spoke, the witch seemed to think of something.

She walked quickly to the tomb, next to the only remaining sarcophagus, the gorgeous magic power condensed in her hands, constructing runes that symbolized the atmosphere, invisible power and movement.

Complicated magic formulas were formed in concentric circles, and when the magic circle was brightly lit up, the coffin lid, which could only be lifted by a dozen burly men, made a blunt rubbing sound, and moved a corner away.

There is nothing in it.

"...There are no mummies, so this tomb survived..."

The witch narrowed her eyes and looked around under the light of the lighting technique.

"There are no murals that record life, no burial objects, and no mummies. This pharaoh is really hated, but if these are the actions of the temple forces that resented him after the pharaoh was buried, and have reached this level, there are some Why is there still a tomb..."

Standing on the sarcophagus, Alice slowly raised her head.

"It doesn't make sense unless..."

"Except, unless the tomb itself has other meanings... right?"

"The question Liliana asked Flanadi yesterday was about the entrance to the secret realm rather than Akhenaten's tomb. We were guided here by her, which means... the entrance is somewhere in this tomb. ?”

"Correct, Miss Tina, Miss Ai, but Alice hopes that you will not steal Alice's words in the future—"

After speaking, the little puppet stomped on the sarcophagus and turned to Liliana.

"Take out the slate, Lily, everything shows that this is the only answer, but whether it is correct or not is another matter."

"..."

Liliana nodded wordlessly, and with a wave of her hand, the ancient stone slab—perhaps as old as this tomb chamber—was taken out of the space storage ring and floated beside her.

In the next second, another light lit up in the tomb.

Unlike the floating incandescent light ball, the light was not dazzling, and when it was lit, the slate did not move at all, because of this, Tina didn't realize what happened all of a sudden.

It wasn't until the eyes of Ai, Liliana, and Alice gathered behind her that the girl turned around and saw it bursting out from the stone wall, and it seemed like clear spring water gushed out of the crack and flowed on the uneven stone wall. glowing light.

The light solidified and converged on the rock wall, turning into a shimmering crack.

... Is it a gap again?

It looks like you have to turn sideways to squeeze through, Tina thought, looking at Liliana and Alice.

Beside the witch, the slate still did not respond.

Liliana and Alice stood in front of the light, and after a short inspection, they came to a conclusion.

Probably, the stone slab marking the approximate location of the entrance to the secret realm was just some kind of identification. When the light shone, neither she nor Alice felt the fluctuation of the magic power on the slate.

That is to say, what is triggered is not the slate, but the slate is the trigger, just like putting the key into the lockhole, the door is opened instead of the key. According to this logic, this light should be the door to the secret realm.

But this is only speculation.

"Alice will find out after going to see."

But when Alice said so and floated in, and floated out a few minutes later, and nodded to Liliana wordlessly, the witch stopped hesitating.

"...This is just a certificate to open the door. You don't need a stone slab to enter this door. If this design is not that the security measures are not set up well...or it is in the secret realm, there are other security measures."

"But that measure has failed, no matter what it is, it can't beat time."

Alice shrugged and floated to Tina's side.

"Let's go."

This is not a rush.

Of course, it's not an inquiry.

For Tina and Ai, it was the uncharted place they were led to after months of traveling in Sinai.

For Alice and Liliana, it was the clue they finally found during their long journey.

Tina couldn't help feeling a little nervous.

"Well, good, good... But speaking of it, why is there a gap again, the emperors of the ancient magic empire, can't you make a good door for the entrance?"

In order to relieve this tension, the girl followed the witch to the narrow path of light while speaking, using words to soothe her beating heart.

The witch who had already put half of her body into the light suddenly froze.

"...a gap...the entrance will be a gap..."

The narrow light gap made it impossible for the girl to turn around, and she didn't stop or back out while muttering to herself.

The light engulfed her snow-white skin and long hair of gradient color, followed by Liliana, and Tingna also squeezed into the gap with her body sideways.

After embracing the light, Tina opened her subconsciously closed eyes.

She froze.

Since receiving the blessings of the elemental elves in the City of Thousand Towers, Tina has not lost her vision due to strong light and darkness for a long time, and the reason why she closes her eyes is just a habit developed over the years.

But after the girl opened her eyes through the light, what she saw was boundless darkness.

Knight's blessing seemed to be invalid. In the darkness, she couldn't see anything—except herself and her shadow.

But this only made the girl tremble even more.

How can there be shadows in the dark?

Not even the highest shadow fiend can survive in pure darkness.

In the darkness, the icy stone walls on either side of the gap—or perhaps walls made of other hard things—clung to her body.

She couldn't turn around, couldn't turn her face away, the coldness penetrated into the depths of her soul along her skin, and the girl was surrounded by inexplicable coldness and fear.

"Miss Liliana?"

she yelled.

"Alice? Ai?!"

The voice floated in the darkness, spreading far away, but it didn't seem to leave the side at all.

As it should be, Tina didn't get any response. Even if she concentrated her consciousness on the black pearl earrings, within a communication range of 100 meters, there was only silence.

It seemed that in this darkness, only she existed.

Standing in this narrow passage for two seconds, Ting Na took a deep breath and stepped back, but as soon as she stepped back, the only heartbeat that belonged to the girl herself stopped for half a beat.

She clearly remembered that after she walked into the light, she only took one step.

But after taking a few steps back, she was still shrouded in darkness.

"Liliana! Alice! Ai!"

Tina kept shouting, she shouted, shouted.

On the eleventh, or twenty-first time, when the icy breath made her almost unable to feel the existence of her legs, her hand was suddenly grabbed.

It was a slender hand that grabbed the left hand.

What grasped the right hand was a warm hand.

The moment the two hands were touched, the coldness disappeared, and the eyes that were deeper than the starry sky appeared in the darkness, and the white light shot from a distance, as if cracking a gap in the darkness.

"What are you doing standing there and not going away?"

Ai's angry sound came from behind, and the waist was pinched, making the girl almost bounce.

"Wow!"

"Or what happened? Your heart is beating so fast."

"I, I don't know, just now, I seem to have fallen into darkness..."

"Although it is strange that there is darkness in the gap of light, there is indeed darkness here."

"No, no, that darkness is... well... I can't say..."

Although she couldn't turn her face away, Tina still heard Ai's concern after complaining, but when she wanted to describe what she saw just now, she found that she didn't know how to speak.

"...Is it a hallucination?"

"Big, probably..."

Ai carefully looked at the girl in front of him, then shook his head.

"It seems to me that you have nothing but a frightened heartbeat. Maybe it's just a hallucination... Maybe."

"Well, is that so..."

"...After you get out, give Miss Tingna a checkup."

"Uh-huh."

There is no clue to think, and more importantly, there is no need to think in this kind of place. Liliana took another step towards the crack of light not far away.

Tina followed closely behind her, and Ai followed behind Tina. This time, both of them held Tina's hand tightly.

Alice, who was at the end, chuckled a few times and said nothing.

Soon, the light was near.

Passing through the gap, this time, the skin and nasal cavity are the first to react than the eyes.

What the exposed skin feels is coolness, and what flows into the tip of the nose with the breath is moist water vapor.

Then, Tina's brain finally understood the scenery that came into view, but because she couldn't understand it, like a stuck gear, Tina's thinking stopped.

It was a clear sky.

It was a sea of ​​golden sand spreading.

That is the converging blue waves and emerald waves, that is the snow-white, majestic, sacred ancient city-state!

The sea of ​​sand is under the clear sky, and the lake is between the dunes. The huge temple built with white stones stands above the waves, bathed in the brilliance of the three suns.

For no reason, at that moment, Ting Na suddenly had an idea in her mind.

Akhenaten was the pharaoh who was buried in history by the temple forces of Sinai, but what was buried was his history and his tomb.

But it's obvious.

Here, is what is really hidden.