bit stealing game

Chapter 44 Mustafa

We walked up the Nile River for more than 20 minutes, got off the boat and took a car for more than half an hour to the village of Hassan.

This village is not too modern and has maintained its traditional features very well.

There are many such small villages in Egypt, and many of them are even deliberately designed to attract foreign tourists. Many Westerners like to see primitive villages that are simple and disconnected from the world.

However, there are no traces of tourism development here at Hassan's house, but there is no trace of ancient Egyptian priests hiding there. As expected, heroes don't care about their origins.

As soon as we entered the village, there were children watching from a distance. They all knew Hassan. The brave ones came over first, and when they saw that Hassan didn't chase them away, the rest also followed. They all came to see me and Li.

Yuan, these two foreigners wanted to take a selfie.

Mobile phones are not as common here as in the city. Basically, several people take turns taking pictures with their mobile phones. There was a small boy who also wanted to take a selfie, but he couldn't reach it, so Li Yuan squatted down and took a photo with him.

I noticed a line of sight. I looked over and saw that it was Laila.

I didn't take a close look yesterday, but now I saw that she was indeed a girl as beautiful as at night.

Laila quietly looked towards us, her eyes evasive. She was probably still thinking about following Hassan and the others in the Valley of the Kings to scheme against me. I am not a narrow-minded person, so I smiled at her.

As soon as I smiled, I heard Hassan say: "I brought Lee here to meet grandpa."

That smile just now was not for me, and I was embarrassed not to participate in kidnapping me, but because I was shy.

At this moment, Li Yuan pulled himself out from the pile of children. Seeing me looking at him with a half-smile, he was stunned for a moment. But Li Yuan quickly reacted, turned his head and smiled at Laila and nodded.

Laila also returned a small smile, showing a shyness that could not bear the cool breeze.

This village does not have a unified architectural style. Each family builds a house according to their own preferences or financial resources. It is broad daylight and it is not yet lunch time, but there are many people wandering around the village. There are even middle-aged people.

He even wanted to take a photo with us, which surprised Li Yuan.

Hassan led us through various houses and walked to a solid brick house.

I didn't expect that Hassan's grandfather would live in such a strange house. It was very clever to hide it from the city.

After entering the door, there was a room that I didn't know what it was used for, and passing through it was a small courtyard with sheep. The sheep were not at home now, and there were some herbs drying in the baskets scattered everywhere in the yard, and they smelled mixed.

Farmhouse flavor with spices.

Li Yuan came to this kind of village for the first time, but he didn't have any curiosity. He just followed Hassan inside with a polite smile. I caught a glimpse of his hypocritical look and reminded myself that we were here to do business this time.

Hassan went into the backyard and shouted something in Arabic. A female voice came from the open door of the kitchen, and then a short and stocky woman came out.

Hassan introduced that this was his aunt, and it was her husband who went to the desert twelve years ago. Li Yuan and I greeted Hassan's aunt in Arabic. She forced a smile and pointed to the other side.

They talked a few words in the room. She was accompanied by two little boys, both of whom were only in their teens. One had a playful smile, and the other was timid, but his eyes were a little defensive and fierce.

Hassan took us in the direction pointed by his aunt. When he opened the curtain, we saw an old man sitting on the ground playing incense. The lighting in the room was not very good, and through a few beams of light we could see the dancing dust and drifting smoke.

.

"Grandpa, the guests from afar have arrived." After Hassan finished talking to the old man, he introduced us: "This is my grandfather Mustafa."

We stood by the door, and the sunlight was blocked.

Mustafa was wearing a dark Arab robe, and the old god was playing with his incense on the ground, as if he didn't see anyone coming in.

If it weren't for the dust dancing under the tiny beam of light, the old man's robe, the old man's house, and the old man himself would all seem to have withered in this space.

Being left alone like this, Li Yuan was not in a hurry. He waited patiently with a smile on his face, without glancing around.

I was more curious and looked around quietly. This room seemed to have not changed in decades, and even the old man seemed not to belong to this era. Moreover, there were many elements in the room, including ancient Egyptian scarab ornaments and

There are items unique to Arabia.

After a while, Hassan's face became less worried. He called out "Grandpa" again and explained our purpose of coming. Judging from Hassan's attitude, he respected Grandpa very much, but the grandfather and grandson did not

Not close. Hassan seems to be quite complaining about his grandfather.

Mustafa finally raised his eyelids and glanced at us. His eyes were deeply sunk in wrinkles, and the grooves on his face silently showed the hardships he had experienced.

The old Arab man took something from the altar table behind him and asked us in a low voice. When we walked up to him, his old, withered palm was spread out, and there was a blue scarab lying inside.

I recognized that this was the style of an ancient Egyptian amulet, but it was hard to say whether it was an antique or not.

Li Yuan and I didn't know what this meant. We looked at each other and made no move.

Mustafa laughed muffledly. Hassan quickly asked what he meant, and then told us in English: "Grandpa asked you to put your hands on this thing."

When Hassan mentioned the scarab, he used the word "thing", which shows no respect for this ancient Egyptian holy object.

We both did it separately.

When I came into contact with the scarab, it seemed that I was touching the liquid on the surface of the object instead of touching the actual object. I pressed the beetle again with my fingertips in confusion. But it didn't seem to be wrong. It seemed that the liquid was just touching it.

My misconception.

Li Yuan gently touched the scarab. From where he touched it, it melted like water waves. But as Li Yuan withdrew his hand, the fluctuations quickly disappeared.

Mustafa was silent for a while and put the amulet back on the altar table. I took a special look and found that the place he touched seemed to be liquid.

Next, Hassan acted as an interpreter for his grandfather and asked us a few simple questions, such as "What's your name, and why are you here?"

This old man hasn't chatted with him for a long time. Why is he still chatting about family matters? I couldn't help but feel a little anxious. We are here to ask the descendants of the priests and what happened sixty years ago. It is certain that 279 will enter the desert.

The thing is, if you don’t ask now, you don’t know what will happen when you enter the desert.

Li Yuan seemed to be content with what he had come to, and he was quite happy chatting with Mustafa.

I chatted there for a while and couldn't help it anymore, so I asked Hassan to translate for me: "We saw the miracles of ancient Egypt last night. Because of work, we need to go to the Eastern Sahara Desert next time. I heard that you once went

I've been there and wanted to gain some experience."

Hassan processed my question and asked it to his grandfather.

Mustafa looked at Hassan for the first time since we came in. He whispered something, and when I saw Hassan's face looking strange, I hated myself for not learning Arabic well, and now I can hear it.

I don’t understand. I don’t know if Hassan will honestly tell us his grandfather’s original words.

"My grandpa asked, which of you received guidance from the gods yesterday?"

Mustafa just said a lot, but Hassan only translated this sentence. I asked him quietly: "What else did your grandfather say?"

Hassan blushed: "I said I didn't listen and was taken advantage of."

I laughed twice and said nothing.

Li Yuan answered honestly: "I don't know if it's the guidance of the gods, but I feel that some pictures are emerging. There are also some words that I don't understand."

This is different from what he told me. Li Yuan's tone sounded sincere, but I didn't expect that he would start talking nonsense. I was afraid that Mustafa would find out, so I didn't react to his lies.

"What about you?" Mustafa asked.

I can still understand this sentence.

"Like everyone present at the time, I just felt like I was watching a 5D movie." It would be wrong to say more, so I highly refined it.

Hassan translated for his grandfather, and probably also explained what a 5D movie is.

Mustafa glanced at me, as if he could see that I wasn't telling the truth. Although I felt guilty when he saw me, I still held on to a smile.

"You all had a reaction when you touched this amulet just now. So you must have received a message from the gods last night." Hassan relayed his grandfather's words. "Especially that man. This is the first time I have seen this amulet that can awaken people."

people."

Hassan was quite surprised, as if he had not expected that Li Yuan would be so unlucky. I even felt that he was secretly relieved.

Li Yuan was noncommittal: "I have always felt something, but the situation last night was the first time I encountered it. It is said that this kind of situation happens once every sixty years, and you also experienced it in the last sixty years."

Mustafa nodded. He did not continue the topic. Instead, he asked Hassan to boil water for us to make tea.

Hassan went away confused, and I was also a little confused by this operation. It took us both a long time to talk about it before we showed the guests tea?

Mustafa closed his eyes and meditated.

After a while, Li Yuan spoke: "If you have anything to say to us, we are all ears."

I glanced at him and was about to say that he might not be able to understand English, when I heard Mustafa say: "He is really smart."

The old man slowly opened his eyes. Although those eyes were cloudy, the Arab wisdom still shined in this dim place.

Mustafa spoke English. His accent was thick and slow, as if he had not used this language for a long time.

We waited quietly for him to finish.

"I'm afraid you come here to ask what happened sixty years ago and what will happen this time."

Li Yuan nodded. "If you could tell us, I would be grateful."

"No need to thank you, I'm not doing it for you." Mustafa didn't look at us. "No one should go to that desert, but it can't stop some people from wanting to go. Some are stupid and some are greedy. Which one are you?"

Li Yuan said: "I have to go."

Mustafa then looked up at him and then at me.

I had to say: "Well, the reason why I went was more for work."

Mustafa directly looked away.

I was a little embarrassed, but I still insisted on asking: "But what can you get by going to that desert? Since some people are greedy."

"I went there just for the money. But there are things more attractive than money. As long as you know what you are looking for."

I looked at Li Yuan. He felt my gaze and smiled at me. But he clearly met my gaze, but he seemed to be staring into space.

"Young man, why are you going?" Mustafa was not interested in me and continued to ask Li Yuan.

"I don't know what's there, and I don't want to bring anything out. If possible, maybe return the genetic disease."

Li Yuan said calmly.

"It seems that you still know something about 'it'." Mustafa nodded with satisfaction, "If I had known about it sixty years ago, I would never have followed it to that desert."

Hassan never came back.

"Then why did you go there?" Li Yuan asked.

"I said, it's for money." Mustafa said.

But Li Yuan's gaze refused to give way.

The old man then said: "At that time, I worked for the archaeological team and helped them dig up things from ancient Egypt. We don't care about those things, as long as we make money. I have never joined the army and I don't understand archaeological history. I think it's better to use some dead people

It would be a great thing to change the life of a family with something. I have a family, and I don’t want to die trapped here. But the French will leave soon. Before leaving, someone found me and asked me to take them into the desert.

"

Mustafa was lost in memories.

"That's a rich British man. He said I could be put to great use because I can speak English, I'm smart, and I'm familiar with this place. He asked me if I could take him to the desert to see where Thutmose III was guarding the border.

Ruins.

I didn’t know who Thutmose III was at that time, and I didn’t care. I thought they chose me because I ‘can speak English, I’m smart, and I’m familiar with Egypt’. In fact, it was because I had hummed a ballad.”

Mustafa hummed in his hoarse and heavy voice:

"Go to the desert and find the Bones of Seth for the gods.

It is our destiny to return the full moon that we have borrowed for sixty years."

Mustafa continues:

"I was only seventeen years old at that time, and I wanted to change my life. My master said he could take me away and give my family a good life.

I went back and told my family, but they wouldn't let me go. They said that our ancestors had passed down from generation to generation that the desert was cursed. Anyone who attempted to set foot there would be punished.

I don't believe what they say at all. What kind of curse? If the gods really existed, would they make all their people disappear?

I didn't realize at that time that my own existence proved that those in ancient Egypt were not groundless.

Anyway, I took those ‘people from far away’ into the desert.”

Mustafa flicked the incense again but did not continue.

I wanted to know what happened after they entered the desert. When I almost couldn't help but urge, Mustafa finally spoke again.

"We first walked to a buried temple. Then according to French archaeologists, I took them deep into the desert. They arrived at the place they were looking for. I didn't know what to do because they

They didn't let me follow and just asked me to wait where I was. Later, when I came back, those people were not there. I was extremely scared and hated myself. At that time, I just felt that I had killed such a good British gentleman. I began to believe it.

My family said it was a curse. I couldn’t let others go there again, so I came back and destroyed the records on the construction site.”

It turns out that Mustafa had erased the inscriptions in the Temple of Horus.

Mustafa took a breath and calmed down before continuing: "But that place has always stayed in my memory, and I still have the map that the master gave me. Later, it was stolen by my second son, and he made the same mistake again.

.

After that, I figured out that the British master was taking advantage of me. He paid the price in the end, but I have not yet paid the price."

cost?

"After I came back from the desert, I fell seriously ill during the first full moon and almost died. I never saw a full moon again."

"What about before this? Does anyone in your family have similar symptoms?" Although Li Yuan's tone was still calm, it was already considered urgent to him.

"It's punishment." Mustafa corrected him. "What's wrong with us people? It's because I brought outsiders into the cursed desert, and the gods punished me. And He also punished me.

child."

"What is the punishment like?" Li Yuan asked.

"Don't you know?" Mustafa laughed again.

This was a cruel smile. It was as if he was insulting himself and putting himself on the judgment pillar.

"At the full moon, you have to endure the fire of hell [Le feu de l'enfer] that can temper the deepest pain."

Genetic diseases that transcend time, space and race

(End of chapter)