The climate of the Amazon Rainforest was oppressively hot and humid.
An ordinary person would be drenched in sweat within minutes, as though they'd just climbed out of a river.
For that reason, most of the local tribespeople wore very little clothing.
Fortunately, neither Lewis nor Ciri had to worry about such things.
The leather armor Lewis had designed came with permanent enchantments such as Temperature Control and Drying.
As a result, the wearer remained at a comfortable temperature and perfectly dry regardless of the environment.
Neither of them was affected by the rainforest heat in the slightest.
Tonks, however, had come completely unprepared.
She ended up practically glued to Jaina's side, shamelessly stealing cool air from the rotating Frost Orb.
Thankfully, she was thick-skinned enough not to care.
Since it was her first time experiencing a tropical rainforest, Ciri spent much of the journey chatting excitedly with Lewis about the strange vines, towering trees, and exotic vegetation lining the riverbanks.
The two even turned it into a game, competing to identify animals hidden among the branches and undergrowth.
Lewis had also brought snacks.
The four of them spent the trip eating, talking, and enjoying the scenery.
Unfortunately, Lewis's previous research proved correct.
The Amazon Rainforest offered plenty of fascinating wildlife.
But beyond that…
It was mostly trees.
Lots and lots of trees.
After five or six straight hours of endless rainforest scenery, even Ciri stopped finding it novel.
"It's all trees."
Tonks lay across the deck with her hands behind her head.
"Everywhere I look, it's just more trees."
Even her hair had turned a bored shade of gray.
Lewis examined a colorful beetle he'd recently caught.
"That's fair."
"The rainforest itself gets repetitive."
"But once we're finished here, we could visit Peru."
He began counting on his fingers.
"There are indigenous villages, ancient Incan cities, the Uyuni Salt Flats, Machu Picchu…"
"You know, the salt flats are so vast they look like giant mirrors reflecting the sky."
He turned toward Jaina.
"Jaina, after we finish the mission, why don't we go sightseeing?"
"Sounds wonderful."
Jaina immediately agreed.
Since arriving in this world, she'd hardly had a chance to relax with genuine friends.
The truth was that being an outsider from another universe always created a certain distance between herself and everyone else.
She'd never truly belonged.
Looking at Lewis, her expression softened.
Nearby, Tonks was already imagining the future trip.
Ciri had quietly leaned against Lewis's shoulder, listening with a smile.
Then suddenly—
Lewis stopped speaking.
He rose to his feet and stared into the distance.
After several seconds, he muttered:
"Jaina… where exactly has that compass been leading us?"
His voice carried genuine astonishment.
"Because I think we've stumbled onto something extraordinary."
Everyone immediately stood.
Their boat had recently entered a smaller tributary.
Unlike the dense rainforest they'd traveled through earlier, the vegetation here had begun to thin.
Open grasslands occasionally appeared between the trees.
Thanks to his enhanced psychic perception, Lewis could see far beyond ordinary eyesight.
And what he saw left him stunned.
On a broad plain hidden deep within the rainforest stood an enormous stone structure.
A massive stepped pyramid.
"How is there a pyramid here?"
Pyramids were hardly unique to Egypt.
The term referred broadly to monumental structures built in a pyramidal shape.
Since such designs required relatively little advanced engineering, many ancient civilizations had adopted them as symbols of power and religious authority.
Ancient Egypt had done so.
So had the civilizations of South America.
Unlike Egyptian pyramids, which primarily served as royal tombs, the pyramids of the Inca and other South American cultures were often used for religious ceremonies.
Rulers believed that towering pyramids brought them closer to the heavens.
The most fascinating aspect of such structures was their construction.
Many were built from enormous stone blocks weighing hundreds or even thousands of tons.
No mortar.
No cement.
Simply the precise interlocking and stacking of stone upon stone.
Among Muggles, countless theories existed regarding how such monuments had been built.
Some claimed they represented the blood and suffering of ancient peoples.
Others insisted extraterrestrials had been involved.
For wizards, however, the answer was no mystery at all.
Ancient wizards had possessed both imagination and power.
They often served kings and rulers.
In exchange for resources and labor, they helped construct monumental structures.
And while doing so, they secretly embedded magical purposes into those projects.
The pyramids of Egypt.
The pyramids of the Maya.
Many were, in part, gigantic magical works disguised as public monuments.
With growing curiosity, the four travelers approached the structure.
Lewis immediately began examining the pyramid for traces of ancient enchantments.
Meanwhile, Jaina consulted her enchanted compass.
After several minutes of searching, she finally located their target.
It wasn't a dragon.
It was an old man.
The elderly figure stood partially hidden among the surrounding trees.
He was skinny and weathered, with a bare upper body.
A cloak woven from hundreds of different feathers draped across his shoulders.
In one hand he carried a polished wooden staff that looked as though generations had worn it smooth.
His appearance was that of a traditional Amazonian tribal elder.
Yet the moment he saw them, he waved cheerfully.
The four approached cautiously.
Then the old man called out:
"Hello there!"
"You must be the British wizards."
His English was flawless.
Combined with his knowledge of Britain, it was immediately obvious that he wasn't exactly a traditional tribesman.
The group exchanged glances.
Eventually, Jaina stepped forward.
"Good afternoon, sir."
"We are representatives of the British Ministry of Magic."
"Are you our contact?"
"The one known as Hornbill?"
"That's me!"
The old man laughed.
"Though you're welcome to call me by my real name."
"Manqo Capac."
"Welcome to my territory."
"Now then."
He turned around and started walking deeper into the jungle.
"Come with me to my village."
With little choice, the group followed.
After circling around a massive tree, they finally emerged into a clearing.
A tribal settlement appeared before them.
Simple wooden and thatched buildings filled the area.
Villagers worked nearby, chopping wood, washing clothes, and carrying supplies.
What immediately caught Lewis's attention was the way everyone reacted to the old man.
Each villager bowed respectfully as he passed.
That seemed strange.
Using his magical senses, Lewis could detect magical power from only one person in the entire settlement.
Manqo Capac.
Everyone else appeared to be ordinary Muggles.
Curious, Lewis quietly stopped beside a tribesman and cast Tongues.
Under the subtle influence of his psychic abilities, the man answered honestly.
"Lord Capac is our shaman."
"His family has protected this place for generations."
"A shaman?"
Lewis frowned.
"You mean he's second in command beneath the tribal chief?"
The tribesman looked horrified.
"No!"
"The chief governs the tribe."
"But every chief obeys Shaman Capac!"
"Capac is a great shaman!"
"His family speaks with the spirits."
"They bring us rain."
"They help our crops grow."
"They protect us from sickness and evil spirits."
The man became increasingly emotional as he spoke.
By the end, his body was trembling and his eyes had nearly rolled back into his head.
He looked exactly like a religious fanatic.
Glancing around, Lewis noticed that the other villagers seemed to share the same reverence.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
A wizard living openly among Muggles.
Acting as a tribal shaman.
Receiving near-religious devotion.
Didn't he care about the Statute of Secrecy?
Normally, wizards weren't allowed to reveal magic to Muggles at all.
With that question in mind, Lewis hurried to catch up with the others.
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