O'Connell pointed at Garfield, his anger barely contained.
"You're despicable! What good does it do you if the world is destroyed?!"
Garfield didn't even look offended.
He glanced at O'Connell lazily and replied in a detached voice,
"A two-legged creature born ignorant. I have no interest in arguing with a low-intelligence mercenary."
With a casual wave of his paw…
O'Connell was flung aside, tumbling several meters through the sand.
Jonathan immediately seized the opportunity.
He scurried over, squatted beside Garfield, and put on his most ingratiating smile.
"Great Master Orange Cat… what about me?"
Garfield finally showed interest.
He raised a paw. Arcane light gathered in his eyes, glowing faintly as he peered past flesh and bone… into Jonathan's soul.
Threads of fate unfolded before him.
"…Oh?" Garfield paused.
Jonathan's luck was outrageous. Born beneath a fortunate constellation, favored by chance itself, protected by unseen forces.
Whatever he had done in his previous life, it must have involved an unreasonable amount of good deeds.
"Tsk. Ridiculous luck." Garfield clicked his tongue.
He didn't bother digging deeper. Some things were better left alone.
"Jonathan." Garfield said calmly, "Follow your heart. Don't do evil. With your fate, even in mortal danger, you'll always find a way out."
He flicked his tail. "In the Eastern lands, there's a saying, fools have fools' blessings."
Jonathan stood frozen.
Alex quietly tugged his sleeve. "Uncle… that cat just called you stupid."
"…Me?" Jonathan blinked.
Evelyn nodded. "Yes."
"Yes." Alex nodded harder.
Jonathan stared at them both.
"Face it, Uncle."
Pfft!
Jonathan clutched his chest and collapsed dramatically into the sand.
"Oh no… my heart… I'm so sad… someone hug me… comfort me…"
Lock-Nah finally lost patience. He strode over and kicked Jonathan.
"Stop yelling."
Jonathan instantly shut up.
Seeing Lock-Nah's vicious expression, Jonathan hurriedly brushed himself off and scuttled over to O'Connell's side.
At least O'Connell could fight.
Garfield lifted a paw.
Lock-Nah suddenly felt his body go weightless, then he was thrown aside by an invisible force, crashing into the sand.
"Stay away." Garfield said coldly.
Lock-Nah dared bully the O'Connell family.
But for Garfield, not even a thought of resistance crossed his mind.
He scrambled up and retreated in silence. Lock-Nah soon found the curator again, who was clutching his face in agony.
The pain hadn't lessened at all.
Garfield's claws left residual spatial energy that still lingered in the wound. No medicine worked, and no spell healed it.
The curator had already begged Imhotep again.
And again, he was refused.
"Blasphemy." Imhotep had said.
The curator clenched his fists.
If I obtain Anubis's power… I'll make them all pay.
Imhotep.
That damned orange cat.
After hours of travel, the group finally reached it.
An oasis.
Green vegetation burst forth in the heart of the King's Desert, as if created by divine will.
The curator, Lock-Nah, and Imhotep were visibly excited. But Evelyn and O'Connell exchanged uneasy glances.
Something was wrong.
An oasis should be alive.
There should be footprints. Tracks. Signs of animals.
But no matter how carefully Evelyn examined the surroundings… there were none.
The greenery ended abruptly, sharply divided from the desert, as if cut cleanly by a blade.
Too artificial.
Standing at the edge of the oasis, Evelyn carefully surveyed the lush greenery before her.
"Incredible… truly incredible. Is this really the power of a god?"
"Yes. This is the power of the great Anubis, the power of a god."
The curator, his head still slightly turned as he nursed his injury, walked up proudly.
"Otherwise, why would I have spent so much manpower and money to resurrect Imhotep and dig all this up?"
Not far away, Wang stood with an unlit cigar between his fingers. After listening, he shook his bald head and sighed.
"Illusion." He said quietly. "All of it is illusion."
"The god of death governs death, not nature or life. It looks full of vitality, but it's hollow inside."
He paused, then muttered to himself, "Tch… I can't help seeing through these things."
Since the trip was already this far, Wang Defa figured he might as well enjoy it. With a snap of his fingers, the cigar lit itself. He took a deep drag.
Comfortable.
Imhotep walked over, Anck-su-namun resting in his arms. The scent of tobacco reached him, unfamiliar but strangely enticing.
"Wang." Imhotep said calmly, "Let me try one."
Wang Defa tilted his head and glanced at him. Knowing full well how this story would end, he still pulled out a cigar and handed it over without hesitation.
"Brother Orange gave me these. High-end stuff."
Imhotep lit it and took two tentative puffs. The taste was strange at first, sharp and foreign, but after a moment, he adjusted and nodded in approval.
"Not bad."
Wang patted him on the shoulder meaningfully. "Smoke more. The power of Anubis isn't something you can just grab."
Imhotep misunderstood the warning as encouragement and replied seriously.
"Thank you for your concern. I will definitely obtain the power of the god of death."
If Garfield had heard this exchange, he would have rolled his eyes.
Please.
At most, Imhotep could cause trouble in a couple of city blocks.
If Egypt had really been on the brink of destruction, not to mention the gods, even the stray cats and dogs wandering the streets would have objected.
History itself proved it.
Egypt still stood. Civilizations continued.
If an ancient capital had truly been annihilated, it wouldn't have gone unnoticed, even in an age without global communication.
After final preparations, the group began moving toward the oasis.
Garfield looked at the distance, then at his own short legs, and decisively chose a mode of transportation.
After careful consideration, he selected Jonathan.
Why not Evelyn?
Garfield was very rational. Evelyn might look like a high-end 'vehicle.' but she'd clearly been driven for years.
Mileage was high, and there were… lingering smells.
Jonathan, on the other hand, was a fresh model. Likely unused. Judging from appearances, probably still a single dog.
Perfect.
Sure enough, Garfield's judgment proved accurate.
Jonathan might be a scholar by title, but closer inspection revealed him to be, quite simply, an idiot.
Garfield squatted comfortably on Jonathan's shoulders as they followed the group.
Jonathan, for his part, was honored beyond words.
Especially after Evelyn quietly told him, "As long as that orange cat stays with us, Imhotep won't dare do anything."
Jonathan straightened his back proudly.
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
PhantomDream