Chapter 222: Aswan (Edited)

Familiar zodiacs, familiar black-and-white cats...

"That's the third one, isn't it..."

"The third one?" Dr. Hunter looked up. "Is there even a third chapter to this pattern?"

Tom then told Dr. Hunter about his and Hermione's encounter with Bill, and proceeded to describe the pattern Bill had drawn.

Hunter pondered for a moment. "It seems there must be four of those patterns because you see, in the image we have before us, it's the eyes of this cat that appear slanted in the bottom-right corner, and counting the ones you found, they would be the bottom-left, top-left, and bottom-right, respectively. And I suppose there's another one in the top-right that hasn't been found."

Hal Hunter rubbed his forehead. The zodiacs no longer seemed insignificant to him, but trying to find the last piece of the puzzle was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

While the four of them conversed, Abdullah appeared astonished. If they knew the commissioner, why buy resold tickets? Why not just enter?

Dr. Hunter shared his frustration with his friends and children. "Now all I can do is pray that these patterns aren't crucial information."

"Could it be a map?" Commissioner Siddique voiced his suspicions but quickly dismissed them as it was difficult to relate them to the map with only the images he had in his hands.

The two men discussed for a while but found themselves utterly lost.

"Doctor, I would like to go to Aswan." Tom had a vague sense that a trip to Aswan could be fruitful.

"Aswan?" Dr. Hunt was puzzled. As an archaeologist who had explored the world, he knew the city, but he couldn't understand why Tom would want to go there at that moment.

Curator Siddiq at his side was clearly more purist, and from a tourist's perspective, there was nothing wrong with traveling to Aswan.

"Personally, I also recommend a trip to Alexandria." He gave his own advice. "When visiting Egypt, one should see Cairo, Aswan, and Alexandria."

Hal Hunter sighed. "Go ahead then, since we have some time to continue our preparations here."

And with that, he left with his father's old friend.

After the two walked away, Abdullah approached in a friendly manner.

"Well, um..." the talkative man didn't know what to say, wondering if he should refund the two their ticket price. The question was, should he refund the original price or the student ticket price?

But Tom didn't mind that. "Shall we go?" he said to Abdullah. "I'll need you as a guide this afternoon."

...

After leaving the Egyptian Museum, Tom returned to the hotel, grabbed his magical suitcase, and headed with Hermione to the Giza train station. The distance between Aswan and Cairo was 700 kilometers, making a bus trip impractical, and traveling by water was slow due to going against the current. Therefore, Tom opted to take the train to Aswan.

By the time he arrived at the station, it was already dark. But there was still time before the train departed, so Tom went to the nearby restaurant and bought two kebabs, a specialty of the Arab world, a kind of Arabic sandwich or rice casserole. The streets were filled with these shops, which have since spread throughout Western Europe, giving the impression that there is a kebab shop everywhere.

In conclusion, it's cheap. A kebab menu, only for five euros! It comes with a meat bun and a serving of French fries, and for an extra 0.50 euros, you can order a can of Coca-Cola or Sprite Fanta, so even in a chain restaurant, a daily menu never exceeds 8 euros.

Even adults are satisfied with just one meal, and those who can eat two are known to be big eaters.

In contrast to kebab, other cheap fast food restaurants, even McDonald's, start at 6 euros for a hamburger, and the hamburgers are even smaller. For a complete meal, you need at least 10 euros, which is enough to buy two sets of kebabs or a good Chinese buffet.

Europeans voted with their feet in favor of kebabs, and Chinese restaurants...

The kebab, also known as Turkish kebab, is actually a bun with lettuce and a skewer. But unlike the usual kebab the size of a palm, a kebab measures half the length of an adult's arm, so if you order the extra SuperKebab, you'll get a giant kebab the length of your arm filled with a mountain of meat. Each SuperKebab fills an entire tray of fast food and can satisfy the stomach of an adult man.

The word kebab comes from Arabic and originally referred to a large piece of marinated meat roasted on a skewer over fire, and now it refers to Turkish kebab. The meat is sliced into thin slices, layered on top of each other, marinated, and skewered, then placed on a rotating grill and roasted over moderate heat. The outer layer of meat is sliced into pieces with a small machete and served on a plate.

This is the kebab, in the authentic Loma style.

It is served in a bun with lettuce, shallots, and tomatoes, and topped with sauces such as mayonnaise, white sauce, ketchup, barbecue sauce, American sauce, yellow mustard, and many more - the nemesis of international students. Choosing sauces is like wizards eating Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans; you never know how these strange combinations of letters will taste.

Tom ordered the superturkish burger, two bottles of juice, and a box of kebabs.

The station has a very European feel: it is completely open-air and doesn't even have a roof. Outside the platform, there were old wooden tracks with dim yellow streetlights as the only source of light.

Tom and Hermione had arrived early, but the station was already crowded with people carrying bags of all sizes.

An unfamiliar Arabic language was spoken, and the train with its cyclops-like appearance screeched into the station.

The train slowed down but didn't stop, and the doors didn't close, so people who wanted to board would jump in two steps, some even with a large suitcase in hand!

Fortunately, the train Tom and Hermione were waiting for had a regular stop. They entered the private room they had reserved, which was a bit more expensive, but Tom chose it nonetheless.

People from Europe and America, for example, felt very comfortable traveling to the East. Thanks to the exchange rate, everything is cheap from their perspective: they earn in euros, spend in Egyptian pounds, and things are as cheap as if they were free. For example, Abdullah, who just gave them a ride, earned only 15 pounds for an afternoon of work...