Imhotep gave a simple explanation.
When a deity with the authority over death awakens, all powerful souls in the Styx can sense it.
And the first thing this deity did after awakening was to seal the Gates of the Underworld. From then on, unless one has a special status, no one can summon the souls of the dead from the Styx through the book of the dead or magical incantations.
That Gate of the Underworld is the strongest seal.
Unless, special status.
"So, it just so happened that Mori Tsukisa held the book of the dead, which allowed her to call you back to the World of the living?" The black cat looked at Mori Tsukisa. "Planeswalker?"
Imhotep shook his head. "More than that. Your Excellency the Mage should possess a higher authority, such that even the Gates of the Underworld could not block her summons..."
Authority... Bastet sighed.
To be honest, calculating it this way, she was still the one taking advantage of Mori Tsukisa. Without her, where would she find someone whose authority and concept were higher than Anubis—and someone with such a status who could be seduced by a mere dragon... It could only be her... "I won't interfere in your business anymore. Now, tell me everything else. I need to find the god box before Anubis absorbs my divine power!" The black cat shook its head. Anyway, who knows when the Sun God will awaken; by then, Mori Tsukisa will have long since left with Imhotep.
She didn't need to give up her possibility of surviving the magicless era for the sake of the Sun God.
"Please follow me."
Ignoring Evelyn, who was frantically looking for her brother on the surface, Mori Tsukisa skipped along and took Imhotep's hand, following him into the deepest part of the City of the Dead.
The core part: The Land of Mourning.
The vessels and daily utensils everywhere were all made of gold. Countless red, green, blue, and yellow jewels were scattered haphazardly on the ground, hung on torch stands, and draped over statues—rectangular gold bars slightly larger than Mori Tsukisa's palm were cast with clear precision, piled into dazzling mountains in the shape of miniature pyramids.
Emerald cat's eyes, scarlet multi-faceted rubies, diamond-shaped sapphires, amber and agate with gold rims, strings of large white and black pearls, massive raw ivory tusks... "Gold... jewels..." If Nagini hadn't been holding Arrietty, the Little Sprite would have rushed out long ago... "Don't be in a hurry." Imhotep gently swept his finger through the air, soothing Arrietty softly: "When I become Your Excellency the Mage's follower, everything I have will belong to her."
"If I'm not mistaken, those are all part of Seti's treasure, right?"
"How wicked." The black cat interjected indignantly, mocking: "You killed him, yet you even plundered his treasures and claimed them as your own?"
Imhotep lowered his head and walked a few steps faster.
"Oh... my fingernail hurts so much!!" The girl suddenly fell into Nagini's arms like willow catkins blown by the wind (though there was no wind in the passage), struggling and agonizing with a face full of lament: "My fingernail has been cursed!"
"Bastet! I can't help you find the god box anymore!"
"Look at this fingernail of mine... it was fine just a moment ago..."
—It was still fine now.
"What should I do... it hurts so much, I'm going home... you must protect yourself and be the first to snatch your god box back from Anubis's plot..."
"I can't help you! I'm just a weak girl with a broken fingernail—"
"Take it, take it, take it, take it!!" The black sea urchin puffed up like a prickly little porcupine, extending its claws in anger and swiping roughly across the gold and silver jewelry: "Take it!! Stop talking! I knew you'd pull some nonsense!"
"Take it all, fine!"
"It's all yours!!"
"Huh...?" Mori Tsukisa tilted her index finger and gave it a puff with her pouted lips: "Whew, my fingernail grew back..."
"Let's walk faster, we still have to help the lovely and noble lady bastet find her god box."
Arrietty threw her head back and laughed loudly!
Nagini and Imhotep were much more subtle... one covered her mouth like a lady, though her shoulders were shaking; the other, because he didn't fully belong to Mori Tsukisa yet, could only keep a stiff face—the upper half of his face was serious, but the corners of his mouth were peculiarly curved into upward crescents... pressed tightly shut.
It was very comical.
"What crime did I commit to have to encounter you..." The black cat held its head and rolled frantically on the ground. Mori Tsukisa picked her up and rubbed against her cheek with a smile.
"Some gold and jewels, a deity doesn't need them anyway."
"And you do?" The black cat bared its teeth.
"I have so many cute cubs to raise... and there will be more in the future." Mori Tsukisa blew a breeze and pinched the black cat's ears into a tuft: "Black bunny!"
Bastet felt so tired.
The Land of Mourning was the core of Hamunaptra, not because there was some large high-tech gem here that could power the entire Underground City—but because things Imhotep considered important were kept here.
Plus, the Land of Mourning required a special incantation to open, so putting things here was much safer.
"This was left behind by the Children of the Wind."
The group waded through a river of gold coins that reached their ankles and walked into a storage room. They watched as Imhotep picked up a small square box and opened it—several golden-orange lines were neatly arranged on top.
After opening it, there was a... stone.
"That's right, a flying stone."
Imhotep pushed aside piles of obstructive gold coins, found two chairs once used by the Pharaoh (inlaid with many jewels and embroidered with gold thread) for them to sit on, and began to recount the history he knew... —That happened three thousand years ago, when I was still the High Priest of Pharaoh Seti.
The Children of the Wind, yes, that is what they called themselves and their clansmen.
Intelligent, free, and arrogant.
They possessed advanced technology and terrifying, highly lethal weapons. The cities they built rose one by one into the sky, leaving the Mortals on the ground with no choice but to look up.
They had a unique extraction method that could refine a certain mineral into stones that could make objects fly; they could even domesticate a small number of giant dragons, riding the terrifying creatures to soar through the heavens!
In this way, they naturally became the masters under the firmament.
But... Ancient Egypt was also very powerful.
We had the favor of the gods, could communicate with heaven and earth, and have them send down divine punishment; we knew how to farm, had a large population, and were unafraid of death; we had infinite possibilities, campaigned everywhere, and had a rock-like cohesion.
Later, a war broke out between the overlords of heaven and earth.
The firmament shattered, the earth cracked, and blood flowed like a river.
The Children of the Wind, whose population was already small, were struck by divine punishment, and more than half were killed or injured; while their machine Soldiers also slaughtered our people wantonly... A matchlessly cruel war lasted for only three short months before both the heaven and earth sides were forced to decide to call a truce:
The gods of Ancient Egypt and the Children of the Wind made an eternal pact.
[Under the witness of the gods and the Goddess of the Wind, the people of Ancient Egypt and the Children of the Wind Clan shall never infringe upon each other.]
They took charge of the sky, and we enjoyed the earth.
And the prince of that generation, who had fought me in the war, secretly gave me a flying stone.
Yes, this very one.
He said that if one day Ancient Egypt faced a catastrophe, I would be welcome to bring important people to their kingdom... At this point, Imhotep shook his head sadly: "I did not wait for that day."
"I could not leave Anck-Su-Namun and go to the sky."
Imhotep held up the stone in his hand.
On the brilliant sapphire-blue surface of the stone, a raised golden pattern was imprinted.
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