“Boss, are you saying that gods truly existed in ancient Egypt?” Dawn asked.

“Who knows?” The bar owner shrugged. “But it’s exactly that sense of mystery that makes it all the more fascinating.”

Dawn narrowed his eyes.

The existence of gods had always been a debated topic in the wizarding world.

The most direct piece of supposed evidence was the tale of Death and the Deathly Hallows from The Tales of Beedle the Bard.

And yet—

Dawn had never been convinced of their existence.

Compared to some all-powerful divine beings, he preferred to believe that anything difficult to explain was simply tied to the natural flow of magic.

Still…

It was the first time Dawn had learned that all Egyptian pharaohs had been wizards. He had assumed that Egyptian wizards were more like Merlin—advisors and aides to kings rather than kings themselves.

“Hm…”

Dawn suddenly gave a soft sound of realization.

Thinking of the Carter family’s blood curse, and Egypt’s reverence for the gods… a connection began forming in his mind. His thumb and forefinger rubbed together unconsciously.

After a moment, he shook his head and decided to set those thoughts aside for now, pressing them deep into the back of his mind.

“Boss, do you offer lodging here?”

“No, I don’t.”

The bar owner shook his head.

“This is just a bar, nothing more.”

“But if you’re looking for a place to stay, there’s a tent nearby called Horus. They run an inn service. You’ll find one of their tents near just about every pyramid.”

Dawn nodded.

They chatted a little more about Egypt, and after getting directions to Gringotts, he jumped down from the high stool.

“Time for me to go.”

“Take care,” the owner nodded in farewell.

But just as Dawn was about to leave the tent, the man called after him.

“Wait—don’t go wandering around on your own! The tents nearby are relatively regulated, but it’s not unusual for a dark wizard to be running a shop. Watch yourself, or you might end up turned into a mummy.”

“A mummy?” Dawn turned his head, puzzled. “That’s still a thing here?”

“Hard to avoid it. A lot of people like collecting them. And it’s not just Muggles—even wizards are fascinated by mummies.”

The man shrugged. “Where there’s a buyer, there’s a market.”

“Doesn’t the Egyptian Ministry of Magic do anything about it?” Dawn asked.

“They don’t have much power. The heart of the African wizarding world is near Uagadou, not Egypt… so as long as it doesn’t involve Muggles, they rarely step in.”

The bar owner sneered suddenly. “In fact, they even turn a blind eye on purpose. Let the dark wizards go into the pyramids—it’s free curse-breaking without having to pay anyone.”

Dawn narrowed his eyes. He felt like he had just heard something very useful.

He gave a small wave and walked off into the sun.

The bar owner watched his silhouette disappear, smacked his lips, and thought it wasn’t such a bad thing to chat once in a while.

But—

As he hummed to himself and began cleaning up the bar, he suddenly noticed…

The glass of ice water hadn’t been touched at all.

…..

The midday sun was getting harsher.

Sunlight poured across the golden sands, and for someone used to Britain’s cooler climate, it was starting to get a little uncomfortable.

Dawn wandered the area, looking for a bookstore.

There were plenty of tents, and every so often another one appeared ahead of him.

But not all of them were wizard-run.

Dawn entered a few Muggle shops to have a look. Most of them sold charms and trinkets—scarab-shaped amulets were especially common.

Aside from those, there were plenty of Egyptian food stalls.

He stopped at one tent to buy some grilled meat and filled his stomach. To his surprise, even in the Muggle parts of Egypt, they accepted British pounds.

The meat tasted pretty good, though the spices were overwhelmingly strong.

Dawn even wondered if the Europeans who supposedly ate mummies did so because the embalming spices made them smell… tasty.

….

After walking for another ten minutes or so…

Dawn finally came across a tent protected by a Muggle-Repelling Charm—only wizards could enter.

He stepped up and found it was exactly what he’d been looking for.

The wooden signboard at the tent entrance had a line of English carved into it: Amenhotep’s Bookstore.

Dawn stepped inside.

The space had been enchanted with an Extension Charm, just like the bar.

The shop was clearly divided in two—one half dedicated to books, and the other selling various magical items.

“…#*#?”

Before Dawn could take a closer look, a voice in an unfamiliar language rang out behind him.

It came from an elderly man—thin, with white hair, cracked glasses resting on his long nose, and his head buried in a book.

When no one answered, the old man looked up, paused at the sight of Dawn, then switched to rough, halting English.

“What do you need?”

“Do you have Egyptian Translation: English Edition?”

“Second bookshelf. Third row.”

The old man didn’t have much of a service attitude. He just gave the location and left the customer to find it.

Still, the shelves weren’t large, and Dawn quickly found what he was looking for.

He pulled the book out, but didn’t head straight for the counter. Instead, he walked slowly along the shelf, curious to see how Egyptian books compared to British ones.

Unfortunately—

Most of them were written entirely in Egyptian, and Dawn couldn’t read a word.

Only a few were in English, and even those were basic textbooks easily found back in Britain.

Shaking his head, Dawn placed his chosen book on the counter.

“How much?”

The old man glanced at it. “If you’re paying in British coin, that’ll be ten silver Sickles.”

Dawn nodded, pulled out the right amount, and placed the coins beside the book.

Noticing how little money he had left, he made a mental note to get to Gringotts soon and exchange his gold.

“Do you need an amulet?” the old man asked suddenly as Dawn was about to leave.

An amulet?

Dawn narrowed his eyes and glanced toward the other side of the shop.

The display shelves were filled with all kinds of items—bracelets, collars, necklaces, rings… It looked more like a Muggle jewelry store. But sure enough, magical circuitry ran through each piece.

“If you’re visiting the pyramids while you’re in Egypt—which I’m sure you are—then I highly recommend taking an amulet with you.”

“What does it do?” Dawn asked.

“It protects you from curses.”

The old man’s voice was dry and raspy. “As you must know, the pyramids are filled with them. If you accidentally trigger one, it’ll be too late for regrets.”

Dawn blinked. “Wait, aren’t the open areas supposed to be safe? Why haven’t any Muggles gotten cursed?”

“Heh. Magic isn’t so easily explained.” The old man chuckled quietly.

Dawn thought for a moment. “How much?”

The old man slowly held up three bony fingers. “If you’re paying in British currency—thirty Galleons.”

“Can I take a look first?”

Curse-resistant items were rare. Dawn had never even heard of such a thing being sold in Britain.

So—

He figured it was worth examining the magical circuits and recording them for himself.

________________

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