Chapter 242: The Sphinx (Edited)

Fortunately, phoenix tears have a strong healing effect. When the tears dripped onto the wound, the effect was immediate. Two puffs of black air immediately emerged from Hermione's feet, and drops of venomous and foul-smelling blood spurted before the bruise dissipated.

Seeing that Hermione's left foot had returned to normal, Tom felt relieved and transformed back into his human form.

"It's okay now," Tom wiped the sweat off his forehead, while Hermione blushed and responded with a small "mmm," her voice no louder than the buzz of a mosquito. She snatched the shoes and socks from Tom's hand and put them on her feet.

Now that Hermione was out of danger, Tom had time to think about other things. Hermione wiggled her toes and slid the white socks she had snatched from Tom over her cute little digits, then she gently pulled them up and passed them over her perfect arches, finally adjusting them to her calves.

Watching this scene, Tom couldn't help but remember the warm, soft touch of his hands, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of relief.

Hermione, who had regained her usual calm, saw through Tom's thoughts. She didn't mind it; she even wanted him to touch her feet again.

It was a wonderful feeling, truly.

So she straightened her legs.

"Hey, help me put it on!" She picked up the boot she had taken off, looked at Tom with a flirtatious look, stretched out her foot, and rubbed it against his chest.

Now it was Tom's turn to get excited.

He grabbed the still-warm boots from Hermione's hand and put them on.

"Anyway, I still want to thank you," Hermione thanked Tom seriously when she finished, "I can't believe I didn't notice at all, and it's amazing that you managed to produce a tear immediately in that situation."

"It's nothing, it's mainly the sand."

"What did you say?" Hermione grabbed Tom's head.

"I mean, I was crying for you at that moment."

...

After a short rest, the group recovered, bandaged their wounds and bruises, and prepared for new adventures. They stood up one after another and walked up the stone steps towards the pyramid.

Once inside the pyramid, there was a straight tunnel, so narrow that only one person could pass through it, and if that person was tall, they would have to crouch and hunch their shoulders in this tunnel.

"Lumos!" Tom took out his wand, and a brilliant light emanated from its tip, illuminating the way. Behind him, Dr. Hunter and the others took out their glow sticks and rubbed them, causing the chemicals inside to react and emit a cold, bright light.

Alan waved the glow stick towards Tom, "I have more, do you want one?"

Tom smiled and declined.

On both sides of the tunnel were large painted murals, and Dr. Hunter stared at them for a while to make sure they depicted the life of Narmer, the pharaoh of pharaohs, the ruler of Upper and Lower Egypt, the incarnation of God walking on Earth, the owner of the pyramid.

When they first entered, the content showed various scenes from Narmer's birth and his youth, and now the place where Tom and the others stood was the setting of the decisive battle of Narmer's Northern Expedition.

Doctor Hunter was excited, "These are the first discoveries of archaeology, and when they come to light, they will be a global sensation!" But suddenly, he became depressed again, "It's a shame that Will couldn't see these murals."

Allen lightly touched the mural with his hand, felt its condition, and said in a barely audible voice, "Perhaps you'll need to remove it with tools..."

At the same time, he secretly identified in his mind some places where he should place his knife.

The content on both sides of the hallway gradually changed from a unified Egypt to Narmer's internal affairs and diplomacy, as well as his own life. Suddenly, the space widened, and the group reached an open platform.

The wand's light and the glow sticks dissipated the darkness on the platform, and the group was startled by what they saw. On the granite platform lay an enormous lion.

It was far from being dead, as its rippling ribs indicated that it was now soundly asleep. But the proximity of Tom and his group had disturbed it, and it awakened.

Alyosha immediately raised his rifle but was held back by Tom.

Tom had recognized that the lion was no ordinary lion but a Sphinx.

Alyosha was still a bit confused, but when the lion turned and looked at him, he realized something extraordinary: it had the head of a woman! Its features were exactly the same as those of the Egyptian women in the murals of ancient Egypt. It looked at them with its long almond-shaped eyes and stood up. But instead of acting aggressively and striking at the intruders, it positioned itself in front of them. It spoke in an incomprehensible language, with a low, hoarse voice.

Seeing that some people didn't seem to understand anything, the Sphinx also showed a hint of helplessness. With a flick of its tail, an exquisite hollow sphere rolled out of nowhere. The ball was only the size of a thumb, made of pure gold, and something inside it was spinning.

It shook the sphere and repeated what it had just said. This time, although the words and pronunciation remained the same, Tom and the others found that they could understand the words of the Sphinx.

"Only priests can harm me; this toy you have in your hand is useless."

Apparently, the Sphinx was talking to Alyosha, who lowered his weapon in embarrassment.

"Now that you have entered the abode of the gods, there is no turning back. I will give each of you a riddle, and if you guess it, I will let you pass. If you fail to guess it, I will eat you. If you don't answer, I won't harm you, I will let you go, but you will only have one chance."

"No way out? Can't we go back the way we came?" Alan's heart tightened; if they couldn't go back, how would they make it?

The Sphinx said indifferently, "You can try."

It stood in front of Alan, sat on its hind legs, and stared at him intently, "Since you asked me a question, let's start with you."

When the Sphinx looked at him, Alan felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. It was the sensation of being the prey of a predator, like a mouse caught by a cat, unable to move again.

Fortunately for him, the Sphinx averted its gaze and said, "By the light, I have lost the light."

Alan: ???

He was dumbfounded.

Doctor Hunter thought for a moment and came up with the answer, but just as he was about to speak, the Sphinx gave him a look that silenced him.

"Riddles can only be solved independently; cheaters will be simply disqualified." With that, it fell silent, waiting for Alan's response.