Chapter 1124 356: True and False Sun God

The streets of Memphis shimmered with a golden-red hue under the sunlight.

The air was filled with the unique scent of earth and spices from the Nile Riverbank. The bustling crowd, the shouts of merchants, and children chasing and playing in the streets created a lively scene, while the distant Sun God Ra Temple cast long shadows in the evening glow, as if watching over every inch of the city's land.

Ian stood under a palm tree at the street corner, his gaze fixed on an elderly man staggering along ahead.

The elderly man was dressed in a faded linen robe, clutching his Protective Talisman tightly, his steps unsteady but his expression unusually alert. He frequently turned back to glance around, as though wary of someone.

"Can you let me see the treasure in your arms?"

He spoke under the other's wary gaze.

The words Ian said were somewhat blunt. Since childhood, he hadn't often asked for favors, so his manner of requesting was admittedly a bit awkward.

"Don't come near! I know all of you want to steal it!" The old man shrank back into the shadow of the alley like a frightened wildcat, his cloudy eyes reflecting a sickly light in the darkness. His bony fingers clutched the amulet around his neck tightly, his knuckles whitening from the effort, as if it was the last lifeline of his existence.

"I mean no harm."

Ian tried to explain again, "I just… want to have a look."

"Have a look?"

The old man sneered, his eyes full of suspicion.

"You think because I'm old, I cannot tell good people from bad ones? Let me tell you, this item was given to me personally by the Sun God! To touch it means to offend the Divine Spirit!"

He indeed had a somewhat unclear mind just like people in the tavern had said.

As he spoke, he lifted the Protective Talisman as though praying to the sky. Ian observed his devout yet obsessive demeanor with a hint of doubt in his heart.

Does he truly believe this object was given to him by Ra?

Or... has he simply been deceived by some wizard?

"Don't be like that, I'm really not a bad person." Ian stopped three steps away from the old man, raising his hands slowly to indicate he meant no harm. The alley was filled with the stench of rotting food and animal dung, the dim light from the tavern's back door elongated their shadows, casting them twisted upon the mottled mudbrick wall.

"Sir, I'm just curious about your amulet." Ian deliberately softened his voice, as if soothing a frightened animal, "It looks quite special, could I see it?"

He slightly altered his approach to a more normal one.

"Liar!" The old man suddenly lashed out, brandishing a bizarre cane at Ian. The copper decoration at the cane's tip sliced through the air in a dangerous arc, coming perilously close to grazing Ian's nose. "You deceive me with all sorts of persuasive words to take it away! First the priests, then the merchants, and now strangers like you!"

"You thief! Do you think I don't know what you're after? I won't let you succeed!" The old man roared with evident affection for his Protective Talisman.

Facing the elderly man's frenzied chaotic punches.

Ian quickly stepped back, the hem of his robe sweeping over the piles of garbage on the ground. He could smell the sour stench emanating from the old man — the odor of extended wandering, malnutrition, and madness.

"Something's amiss."

Ian frowned, he had expected the elderly man to be albeit aged yet not so agitated. Yet the man's reaction had already far exceeding a normal citizen's typical protective awareness for a valuable item.

He slightly assessed.

And discovered something unusual.

The "Eye of the Ra Fragment" on the old man's neck was emitting a faint magic fluctuation, accompanied by a certain unnatural distortion.

It wasn't just an imitation; it was influencing the old man's mind, whether or not it was eroding his sanity could only be known once Ian got a hold of it.

"I swear to Anubis," Ian attempted to swear by the Nether God most revered by Ancient Egyptians, his tone very serious, "I just want to see it and won't take it."

In a world of gods, such an oath indeed held some persuasive power.

The old man's movements suddenly froze, a trace of hesitation flashing over his wrinkled face. But in an instant that spark of reason was engulfed by obsessive frenzy.

"Even the oath is fake!" He screamed hysterically, spitting flew everywhere, "Anubis has long abandoned me! All gods have forsaken me!"

These words were obviously inconsistent, after all, earlier he claimed Ra was protecting him, but now he said all gods had forsaken him, though it wasn't necessary to nitpick why it was so contradictory.

After all, this was a very typical mental illness thought process.

At the end of the alley, a few curious onlookers stopped to peer over. Ian knew time was short, he had to act swiftly. He sighed gently, his right hand quietly slipped into his sleeve to grip his Magic Wand. The Little Wizard wasn't intending to rob the man, he merely wanted to know where this imitation came from.

In the unfamiliar ancient times, Ian didn't want to become a villain either.

"I'm very sorry, sir," Ian said softly, his green eyes appearing unusually deep in the dim light, "But this matter is too important."

"It likely involves the resurrection of a friend of mine." Yes, Ian indeed had great wisdom, not unfamiliar with what Titan Claire intended to do.

The situation had come to this.

To uncover the truth.

Ian surely could only employ some special methods - wizards always have special ways for dealing with Muggles, such as the Legilimency favored by most wizards and not considered illegal by the Ministry of Magic.