Chapter 239: Flipping (Edited)

Of course, not only did the pyramid appear, but also many other auxiliary buildings. At first glance, the pyramid was built within a city, and the shape of the walls proved that it was the same city where Tom and his team were located! The walls were clean and orderly, and the buildings were in perfect order, a perfect representation of a city that had been built thousands of years ago.

Tom looked at the city with excitement. He couldn't wait. This was the reward for all his hard work, the greatest treasure of the journey right in front of him.

The rest of the group seemed incredulous, and old Yushadu's lips twisted twice. "Is this a miracle?"

At that moment, a row of stone steps appeared out of nowhere at the edge of the platform, extending downward and leading directly to the pyramid. Without hesitation, Tom waved to Hermione and descended the steps. The others looked at each other and decided to follow Tom.

But before they could descend the steps, they suddenly found themselves enveloped in a golden mist that emerged out of nowhere.

As Tom descended the steps, a golden mist suddenly surrounded him, and he had never experienced such a wonderful and terrifying sensation. The world turned upside down. Tom was standing on the steps, but it felt like he was hanging upside down, with his hair standing on end, threatening to plunge into the deep blue sky. The contact between the soles of his feet and the stone steps was his only connection to the ground and the unknown world beneath. Tom's instinct told him that if he fell down the steps, it would be a gift to land on the ground.

This overwhelming fear made him afraid to move his feet, fearing that he would fall if he did.

"Don't come any closer!" he shouted, and then his transformation began.

"Yes, as long as I transform into a phoenix, I can fly, and I won't fall into this abyss... as long as I transform into a phoenix!" But then something shocking happened to Tom: he couldn't transform on the stone steps.

His eyes widened, and his mind went blank. How was this possible? It was the first time he couldn't transform. He hurriedly took out his wand and tried to cast a spell, but he realized that he had turned into a Muggle and his wand had become an unresponsive stick.

On that stone staircase, he was stripped of all his magical powers.

At that moment, Tom felt all the blood in his body rushing to his head, and his entire head felt like it was going to explode. Then, he felt heat coming from his wrist, and although he couldn't see his surroundings, he could feel Hermione coming towards him, as there was warmth at a close distance.

He reached out his hand towards the warmth, letting the two streams of heat merge, and Hermione appeared by his side.

"It's horrible..." She looked terrified. "What are we going to do? It seems like I can't use my magic."

Tom thought for a moment. "Here's the deal. You take my hand, I'll count to three, two, one, and we'll take a step forward together."

He reached out his hand towards Hermione, and she placed her hand on top of his, intertwining their fingers. Tom closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and emptied his mind.

"Three, two, one!" he shouted, lifting his right foot from the stone step as forcefully as he could. The mist dissipated, and the world returned to normal. Tom and Hermione were now holding hands, standing on the stone steps that floated in the air. The golden mist directly behind them.

"Let's go down."

Tom and Hermione descended the stone steps, hand in hand. After a while, footsteps were heard behind them, and Tom looked back to see Alyosha and the others emerging from the mist, all pale and in a trance.

"Hallucinogen," Tom reacted, "That mist must have had a strong hallucinogenic effect."

Since it was an illusion, Tom hadn't been able to transform. If Hermione hadn't been close enough to notice the bracelet on his wrist, he would have been trapped for who knows how long. What would have happened if he hadn't snapped out of the illusion or if he had fallen into it, Tom didn't know.

Although it seemed like the pyramid was right in front of them, Tom and the others walked up the steps for a day and a night. When they grew tired of walking, they would sit down to rest, drink water, and eat some dry food.

During this time, they talked about what they had seen in the mist, and Tom was surprised to find that Alyosha and the others had found it much easier to pass through the mist than he and Hermione had.

"I felt like I was upside down, but as soon as I lifted my foot, I was back on my feet." This was Alyosha's experience, who didn't experience the same oppressive feeling as Tom.

"The sky? Yeah, it's above us. Isn't that normal?"

Tom: ...

He could sense that the pyramid seemed to have a deep animosity towards wizards, not wanting them to perform magic here. So instead of transforming into a phoenix and flying down, Tom chose to descend the stairs. Who knew where the transformation would lead?

The stairs were so long that by the end of the path, everyone had leg cramps and their calves trembled with every step they took. When they descended the stairs and reached the ground, they all sat down on solid ground with a sigh of relief. Tom looked back at the staircase and saw that the highest point was hidden among the clouds.

A serious question came to Tom's mind: if they were to go back, would they have to climb the staircase again?

No! His face twisted. It was easy to climb and difficult to descend, but given the choice, most would prefer to go down.

After a rest, the group took stock of their surroundings.

Unlike the previous desert, this one remained an oasis, with green grass outside the city and small clusters of wildflowers dotted among the brocade grass.

"Is there an oasis here? That's not scientific!" exclaimed Alan, but quickly shook his head. "But it's magical!"

He thought about it. Just now, they used that method to enter the "gate," and there was no need to investigate why there was such a large oasis in the central area of the desert.

Not far from where they had landed was the city gate.

At first sight of the city, Tom felt that there was only one word to describe it.

Majestic.

The walls were thick, built entirely of large stone blocks, with gaps between them that not even a razor blade could penetrate. The seven of them walked a few tens of meters around the walls and saw the entrance gate not far away.

The difference between this city and the others was that there was no moat, and Tom entered directly through the gates.

To be precise, he stood in front of the gate tunnel.

There were no doors at the entrance of the city.