Volume 1 Flood 041: The Divine Spirit's Gamble

  41. The Divine Bet

  Yin Nanna's body was warm and full of enticing elasticity, leaning against Ah Mon she said: "With a strong and handsome hunter like you by my side, I wouldn't be afraid... but why do you want to forgive them? They clearly wanted to kill you, they're not worth pitying, leaving enemies behind might even bring danger to yourself."

  "I'm not interested and don't think it's worth it. I've already given them punishment, but I just didn't want to kill anyone. They're not my enemies, they're their own enemies. Since they dared to let them go, I don't care... A wise elder once told me that if you choose to forgive, you must understand and be able to bear the consequences, and clearly know whether you are resolving hatred or bringing greater harm to yourself or others."

  Yin Nanna glanced at him, the ripples of her eyes under the moonlight seemed to be asking something, and she smiled and said: "That elder of yours is really interesting, and you are even more interesting. The young and handsome hunter speaks, but his tone is like that of a god."

  Does it? Amun himself didn't think so, and he wasn't sure what tone the gods spoke in either. Continuing to stroll through the beautiful scenery with a beautiful woman, Yin Nana's expression was as if nothing had happened just now, as if she was intoxicated in Amun's arms.

  As they walked, Ah Mon remained silent for a long time, lost in thought. Yoon Na-na saw his silence and asked in a soft voice, "Ah Mon, are you not speaking because you're angry with me? Because of me, you've gotten into so much trouble."

  Amun shook his head and said, "You misunderstood me. I didn't speak because the night is beautiful and I didn't want to disturb this peaceful enjoyment. These things are not your fault, why should I be angry with you?... I once accepted punishment in front of the whole town, someone wanted to cut off one of my fingers, and also received criticism from the kingdom, someone wanted to cut off my head. But I knew in my heart that I had done nothing wrong. Since I have had such experiences myself, why should I blame you today?"

  Yin Nanna covered her mouth in surprise and exclaimed: "Amon, I didn't know you had so many legendary stories. I really admire you, you're my hero!"

  The long road also has an end, and after talking, they finally arrived at the grass slope where they met Yinnana. Amun looked around and curiously asked: "Where are your sheep and sheepfold? Otherwise, I'll send you home directly."

  Yin Nanna untied the rope that was tied to the sheep's neck and handed it over to Amun, saying: "This is a gift from the shepherd. You keep it, I'll stay nearby, you don't have to send me off. My master will not be happy if he sees you... Thank you, handsome hunter, I won't forget you, I hope to see you again... Little lost sheep, come home with me quickly."

  She lifted her skirt and ran lightly in the moonlight, disappearing from view after circling a grassy slope. The little lamb, without being led by a rope, hopped along beside Yinnana's footsteps, looking very affectionate and happy. Seeing this scene, Ahmon was stunned - the sheep would follow Yinnana on its own, it seemed that it was indeed her lost one.

  ……

  Yin Nanna ran to a distant place where Ah Meng couldn't see and his detective technique couldn't detect, the sheep that was following behind suddenly disappeared, her figure also changed like light smoke flying quickly towards the distance. At the end of the grass slope was a hill, on top of a small mountain stood a sturdy old man, Yin Nanna's floating figure stopped right in front of him not far away.

  These two people seemed to have agreed to meet here, and if Amun saw the old man, he would surely be surprised to find that he was the shepherd from outside Sumer Town.

  Yin Nanna stood still and laughed: "Enlil, you lost. The young hunter met the conditions you set. He was not captivated by my beauty, did not devour all the delicious food in my hands, did not ask for more than he needed out of greed, did not delay his journey due to laziness, did not harm others out of unjustified anger, and did not envy others for having better things than himself..."

  The shepherd interrupted her with a slightly sarcastic tone: "Yes, look at the dress he bought for you, it's more expensive and beautiful than the clothes he bought for himself. It's just that, you wearing this looks really ridiculous."

  Yoon Nana, however, ignored the shepherd's ridicule and continued on her own: "He has not yet become arrogant with power and wealth, showing off that ridiculous sense of superiority that ordinary people have."

  The shepherd nodded, his expression not showing any disappointment: "You won, from now on you can freely enter and exit my divine domain, and also redeemed the lost Du Ke Town, but what's the significance of all this?"

  Yin Nanna smiled: "Maybe it makes sense, maybe it doesn't make sense, but I have to try anyway. Great god Enlil, you will also lose to me."

  The shepherd sneered, "In the long years, there will always be a day when you find such a person. I'm just curious how you found it so quickly? ... That young man bought a small lamb with two silver coins and didn't even haggle with me."

  Yin Nanna burst out laughing, the laughter echoing in the night like a silver bell: "The reason is simple, he's a child who grew up in Du Ke Town, I'm afraid he'll laugh at you for selling it too cheaply, Enril. Great divine spirit, your gaze won't be focused on every single mortal all the time... I may have lost my sheep, but I found a lost little lamb."

  Enril's expression changed slightly: "No wonder he was only a fifth-level magician, yet had such power, and could defeat those two people. Indeed, it was the skill of the miners from Duketown. And there were still miners from Duketown alive who were found by you, and just happened to meet the conditions I put forward?"

  Yin Nanna laughed even more happily: "Yes, just before you launched that angry flood, a child in Du Ke Town was banished. It is said that he privately offered the tears of the gods to Isis, but it was not his fault. I spent a long time finding him. In the future when the people of Du Ke Town return to that land again, it will still be my divine domain."

  Shepherd: "Mu Yun, why are you smiling so happily? Everything is still full of unknown dangers"

  Yin Nanna called the Shepherd "Great God Enlil", and the Shepherd actually called Yin Nanna "Mu Yun". I wonder how surprised Ah Mon would be if he heard this? No wonder Ah Mon thought Yin Nanna looked familiar yet was certain he had never seen her before, because he had seen Mu Yun's statue in the temple in town, but couldn't connect that solemn stone statue with the lively and charming Yin Nanna.

  Yoon Nana replied, "I'm happy because the great god Enlil also has miscalculations. Don't forget our bet, there is a person who, as long as they are not infatuated with my beauty and have not eaten all the pancakes in my hand, comes before you to redeem what I lost. If they do not turn redemption into robbery or abandon their promise, then I win the bet... If he still meets all other conditions, you cannot harm the people of Duk Town again."

  Enril sneered again: "That person is just a young fifth-level magician, wandering on this treacherous continent, he's still better off asking for trouble. As for what will happen in the area of Duketown, even you can't predict it."

  Yoon Nana: "Don't worry about what happens to this wizard, I've already won the bet anyway. Don't forget that apart from Armon, there are still descendants of the people of Deke Town alive, and you can't stop them from returning to their ancestors' land."

  Enril nodded indifferently and said, "I won't stop you, but you can't directly lend a hand either... That magician has already helped you win the bet, are you still not going to let him off?"

  Yoon Nana smiled again: "He's handsome and also very interesting, I'm interested in him."

  "Another poor man has fallen into your hands, I mourn in advance for his miserable life to come."

  Yoon Na-na's smile froze, and she immediately showed a look of anger: "Eunril, you're concerned about too many trivial matters"

  Enril ignored her anger and calmly said, "Which of the men who won your heart had a good ending? These are none of my business, it's your own affair. Just don't forget, this time when you leave my divine domain, you can't use divine power, and the Youngdi River has Hongbaba guarding it, how do you plan to cross over?"

  Yin Nanna's face was filled with anger as she coldly snorted: "If Hong BaBa comes to block you under your orders, I can also use my divine power."

  Enlil shook his head: "Hongba won't stop you, he wants to keep as many of his nine heads as possible, but in the Yuandi River, there are descendants of his clan - ferocious snakes lurking in the river. I hope that young man named Amun isn't the unluckiest one among all the men who have caught your eye... Heh heh, if it weren't for him having some skills, he would've been unlucky already."

  ……

  At this moment, Arin did not know that the Yuna he met was the guardian deity of Duke Town, Mu Ye Goddess. He also didn't know that Mu Ye Goddess had made a bet with Enlil, and he happened to help Mu Ye win the bet. What's more interesting is that Arin was clearly only a 4th-level magician, but when Enlil and Mu Ye were talking, they both said he was a 5th-level magician.

  He saw Yinnana off, then used his detective technique to scan the surroundings and confirm that no one was following him. After waiting for a while, he headed towards the Youdi River, as Amun had originally planned to cross the river and head east.

  Maidanzo once told Armon that if he wanted to go to Balen City, he had to cross the Yuti River, but not at night, because there were ferocious giant crocodiles and even more terrifying monsters in the river. It was said that those monsters were the descendants of the guardian god of the Yuti River, Hongbaba, and they only came out at night. No matter how strong you are, don't try to swim across, you can only take a ferry at noon.

  Amon didn't need a ship, that bone of his was an invisible giant vessel, but after what happened in Sumer Town, Amon had no intention of using it lightly. Those divine stones had already caused so much trouble, if this precious artifact were to be recognized by people, wouldn't it lead to endless troubles?

  The moonlight is bright, standing by the river, Ah Mon's eyesight can even vaguely see the fields and villages on the other side. Here, unfolding an invisible big boat to cross the river, it's hard not to be seen by someone. If it happens to be a divine technique master, one glance will know that someone is casting a spell, and with the help of an incredibly mysterious object, there might be trouble.

  At night, there might be a monster attack, but waiting until daytime would be even more inconvenient, as people on both banks could see very clearly. He thought for a moment and decided to walk downstream a bit further, find a ferry crossing, and take a boat over instead. Anyway, he wasn't in a hurry, so walking slowly was no big deal; first, he'd find a place to rest for the night, as today had been tiring indeed.

  Ammon walked a short distance along the riverbank where the grass was shallow, and sat down in a depression between two small hills. He thought he should prepare something for Xue Dingyuan to eat. This cat slept very soundly today, and didn't even snore on the way, despite all that had happened.

  Just as he had taken the pannier off his shoulder and put it down, Ah Meng thought of taking Xue Dingyuan out, but heard a belch. Xue Dingyuan himself lazily crawled out, stretched his limbs and shook off the fur on his body, as if to relax his muscles. Looking at the two bottles of fine wine bought in the pannier, one had already been opened by Xue Dingyuan and drunk clean.

  Ammon smiled and asked: "Xue Ding'e, you still have a bottle of wine left, is it for me to drink or for yourself tomorrow?"

  Xue Dingyuan hadn't paid much attention to him all year, but Armon always joked and coaxed the cat into talking out of habit. Unexpectedly, today there was a reaction, Xue Dingyuan stretched out his paw and began writing on the muddy ground. Armon was shocked, quickly stood up under the moonlight to take a closer look, only to see that Xue Dingyuan had written: "Don't look for me, I'll come back to find you. Be careful of that woman, don't let her see your bones, don't provoke her, and absolutely can't...her, otherwise you'll be unlucky."

  Amon was taken aback: "What do you mean? ... Don't I look for you, are you going somewhere? ... Who is that woman, are you referring to Yoon Na-na?"

  Xue Ding'an didn't respond to Amun's words, instead it quickly swiped its paw across the ground, erasing the marks. Then, with a flick of its body, it darted towards a small hill nearby and disappeared into the grass with a rustling sound. It was no easy task searching for a runaway cat in the middle of the night, and Amun's detective skills couldn't detect Xue Ding'an's whereabouts, leaving him with nowhere to pursue.

  He understood the mysteriousness of this cat, and things couldn't be measured by common sense. Since Xue Dingyuan said he would come back to find him, Ah Mon's anxiety was useless. Looking at Xue Dingyuan's message, it was clear that he wanted him to be careful with Yin Nana. That girl wasn't an ordinary shepherdess slave, Ah Mon had already figured it out, but what other secrets did her identity hold?

  Xue Dingyuan reminded Ah Mon "Absolutely cannot... her", the middle part of the sentence was left blank, without specifying what could not be done to Yinnana, leaving infinite room for imagination. However, judging from the most likely possibility between a young man and woman, it's probably that kind of thing. At the same time, Xue Dingyuan also said "Don't provoke her", clearly telling Ah Mon not to offend this woman, then he himself ran away without any explanation.

  Amun sat there thinking for half a day, and still decided to listen to Xue Dingyan's words. He trusted this cat to get to where he was today, but also thought in his heart - would he ever see Yin Nana again?

  It's no use thinking about the problem that can't be figured out, Ah Meng shook his head and calmed down, this is one of his good habits. He used water element magic to wash his hair and body as well as the old clothes on him, then changed into a new set of coarse linen clothes he bought today, and also put on the soft-soled cloth shoes that the young man from the tailor's shop had sent over. It was indeed very comfortable, thanks to Yin Nanna for suggesting he get this pair of shoes.

  He put the old clothes he had changed out of and a new set in his leather pouch, with the bone at the very bottom. This relic from the temple of Isis, Osiris' rib, was undetectable by any divination magic. As long as Amun didn't take it out in public, no one would know he had this bone. In fact, Schr?dinger's cat was the same, even the most skilled master of divination magic wouldn't know that there was a cat in Amun's pouch unless they saw it with their own eyes.

  Every night, Amon's habit of meditation with the gods had not only restored his physical and mental strength but also brought peace to his mind. In this state, Amon would habitually try out his divine powers, not casting a specific spell, but rather the ability inherent in his spirit to connect with the outside world, which was the foundation of all divine magic.

  At midnight, when the moonlight was most gentle, Ah Mon's extremely peaceful state of mind seemed to feel a slight disturbance, not any kind of miscellaneous thoughts, but a stirring of power. He didn't use his detective skills, yet he seemed to see his own heart and body, as well as the external moonlight, mountains, rivers.

  This "look" is a feeling, he feels that there is a power similar to his "divine power" in the heavens and the earth, mountains and rivers, fluctuating, everywhere, almost imperceptibly weak, but also profound and vast. The source of the divine technique master's power is to feel the laws of nature and communicate with them, control them, only by reaching this state can one understand many of the true mysteries of the divine techniques.

  According to Bell's notes, this is a realm that only fifth-grade divine spellcasters possess.

  Kaamon was just a 4th-level divine technique master, he opened his eyes in confusion, his eyebrows furrowed in deep thought. He didn't remember when he had welcomed the promotion test, let alone breaking through the body technique that had already broken through the 4th level and also possessed the achievement of a 4th-level divine technique master. Continuing to cultivate, the test he would face next was "The Devil's Temptation".

  Regarding this trial, Bell's annotation was vague and didn't say what the devil was or what kind of temptation there would be. The old madman's note was also very ambiguous, only saying that it needed to experience all sorts of things in the mortal world. Armon doubted whether he had made a mistake, but since this situation had occurred, he might as well try his magical powers.

  He sat there, waving his staff from his own angle, and everything around him didn't change at all. But if someone far away was looking over here, they would find that the moonlight shining between the two mountains suddenly disappeared, leaving a shadow, and Amun's place became unclear. This is spatial shielding technique, Amun not only hid his figure but also isolated his voice, in theory, only a fifth-level divine master who has mastered power control can do it, and he successfully cast it with his staff at this moment.

  Amon didn't interrupt his spell due to surprise, he keenly sensed a slight change, the vague power that permeated between heaven and earth seemed to fluctuate along with it. Continuing to cast such a spell would consume a considerable amount of magic over time, how could he achieve a stable state? There should be another method to utilize.

  He took out five divine stones in a row, placing them around him to gradually activate. Although he was sitting still, he felt like a drop of water merging into the ocean, drifting with the waves and resonating with the natural forces outside. It wasn't until after some time had passed that he found the correct way to use the power activated by the five divine stones to communicate with the omnipresent natural law's force, finally achieving a stable resonance state.

  At this time, looking back from a distance, the shadow area under the moonlight disappeared, and there was still a hazy mountain valley in sight, as if everything was normal, but Amun could not be seen. Amun created an abstract space of his own, without having to continuously consume the power of the spatial shield technique, as long as he kept the five divine stones in this stable and orderly excited state, he could "hide" inside for a very long time.

  The joy of success, however, made Amun even more perplexed. He had a better way to verify it, which was to take out the Earth's Pupil and retrieve the information left inside. Every time Amun leveled up, he would receive new messages in the Earth's Pupil. So, taking out the Earth's Pupil and stimulating it with his magical powers, he once again heard the voice of the old madman...

  "Haha, Ahmon, you've finally become a 5th-level magician by passing the 'Devil's Temptation'. I don't know whether to congratulate or comfort you, as you must have gone through many hardships in this world. This trial may be the simplest yet also the most difficult, everything happens without one realizing it. Only when looking back will one suddenly realize, but beforehand no one can make it clear because no one else can replace your own experiences... I too cannot..."

  Next, the old madman explained that from the low-level divine technique "Awakening of Power" to the mid-level divine technique "Control of Power", what changes will occur in the power that can be used. The elemental divine technique that Armon initially learned is a natural law of power application, but when this power was just awakened, it could not completely sense and control nature.

  At this stage, the power that can be applied has become much more ingenious. The old madman introduced not a specific method of spiritual practice, but the principles of various spiritual techniques. Then there was another item in the information that Amun had never touched before, which was various spiritual arrays.

  The divine formation is not the achievement of the divine practitioner's cultivation, but its effect is very clever. It can unite the power of many people to achieve a certain special effect, and it can also communicate with the natural power according to a certain law. Many divine formations can also assist practitioners in cultivating some special abilities, such as the old madman himself who set up a divine formation to create an icy spring.

  So far, all kinds of things that a wizard can learn, the old madman has already taught to Amun.

  These contents include the creation of scrolls, wands, and magical instruments, the layout of magical arrays, all categories of magical cultivation methods and application principles. Even a top-notch great magician cannot master and excel in all magic and skills, and the direction of cultivation must have its focus.

  The old madman himself couldn't achieve this, but with his hundred years of experience and the data and classics he collected from all over the mainland, he organized and compiled them into a quintessence, passing it all on to Amun. He not only wanted to cultivate Amun into a great magician, but also hoped that he could become an omniscient master of divine techniques, artifact mastery, and array mastery.