After the Harrises left the Floating City, they took a Floating Ship down to Crete below.
The wizard in charge of receiving them from the Greek Ministry of Magic came forward to greet them. He was an elderly man who looked learned at a glance, dressed in the style of local wizards: the hems of his short tunic were trimmed, his belt was richly decorated, a necklace hung at his chest, and cool leather sandals were on his feet.
Only after the local wizard, named Stephanos Miltzakakis, gave a brief self-introduction did everyone realize in surprise that he had once served as Greece's Minister of Magic as well. After warmly and amiably embracing Owen and chatting with him for a while, he personally began acting as their guide for the day—and clearly, because Allen had previously burned down a city in the United States in his capacity as President, the former minister seemed especially cautious and humble.
On Crete, ancient-looking ruins and broken walls could be seen everywhere, their pale-yellow bricks and stones offering no resistance at all to weeds and wildflowers; life seemed to push its way out from every crack. Although Hermione and Lenn had long since given everyone a detailed introduction to the background of this world-famous Maze, when the Maze truly appeared before their eyes, the Harrises were still fascinated by the ancient structure—especially by the magical areas within it that were open to wizards.
"This is the ruins of the Palace of Knossos, an immense complex, a Maze that ancient magic-users probably began constructing around 1900 BC..." The lower end of Miltzakakis's bushy beard lifted as he introduced it to the Harrises. "This is one of the most famous landmarks on Crete. Minotaur's Bull originated here. Although that Minotaur only showed its face briefly at