Volume 2 Original Sin 044, Everyone Has Their Own Secrets

  "What's with the getup, Amun? You're not even showing off your wizard identity, and you're a shady magician to begin with!" The captain asked, and everyone was curious. Amun had no choice but to explain with a straight face: "I have a mission that involves the secrets of the gods, so I'm hiding my identity while traveling. Please don't ask any more questions, and don't tell anyone else either!"

  Oh, it turned out to be a divine magician who was executing a secret mission. He didn't want to expose his identity, but due to the appearance of the monster, he had no choice but to cast his magic! Amun ordered everyone not to ask questions or spread the word to anyone else. He just demonstrated powerful magic that saved everyone's lives, so even though people were suspicious in their hearts, they could only nod and dare not say anything more. However, someone was still very puzzled.

  A noble sorcerer, even if he wants to disguise himself, can dress up as a noble, an ordinary official or a rich merchant, and will not attract attention. Why is Ah Mon dressed in such a lowly commoner's attire? This seems unreasonable! Some people even flashed a hint of doubt, wondering if he might be a magician? But it was just a flash of thought, no one dared to confirm, nor did they dare to express such suspicions.

  At this time, Yin Nanna walked up to the bow of the boat, hugged Ah Meng's arm and said in a soft voice: "Our noble godmaster has executed the kingdom's secret mission, disguising himself as a rough hemp shirt. ... His mission is very important and must not be exposed, and he should have killed all of you to silence! ... But the kind godmaster saved you and didn't want to do so, if anyone reveals his identity, he will definitely be severely punished by the kingdom!"

  These words shocked everyone, and they also saw the face of Yinnana clearly. She was actually a beautiful girl who should be the most favored maid of the divine technique master, and she was brought along in disguise. People stopped talking one after another, and no one dared to say anything more.

  Yin Nanna looked at the bow of the boat again, and suddenly her face changed. She cried to Ah Meng: "Little lamb, where is my little lamb? It's gone, it must have fallen into the river! I wanted to take good care of it, don't let it suffer anymore... Ah Meng, I'm so heartbroken..."

  Yin Nanna said, crying is just crying, the sound is so pleasant and moving, but her expression is also so pitiful, whoever sees it can't help but want to accompany her in sorrow and tears. A merchant hurriedly walked to the bow of the ship, bowed to Ah Meng and said: "Great magician, you saved everyone's life and preserved all my goods. You lost something, we should all compensate for it, let me be the one to make up for her loss!"

  This merchant had the most goods to transport across the river, and those two warriors were also his hired bodyguards. He was grateful that Amun saved his life and that the precious cargo on the ferry was not damaged at all. He wanted to take this opportunity to repay Amun, and it would be beneficial for him to make friends with a noble divine magician.

  Although Ah Meng is currently on a "secret mission", he will eventually complete his task and return to the city-state or temple. Seizing the opportunity in front of him, he wants to build a good relationship with Ah Meng, so that in the future, when Ah Meng takes office in the city-state, it will be easier for him to do business there. He thinks that what he wants to compensate is not just a sheep, but a large sum of money that will leave a deep impression.

  Amon looked very young, probably only around twenty years old, yet he had already mastered such powerful divine power, and absolutely had a remarkable hand, casually throwing out three precious scrolls without even blinking an eye. This merchant was not like those ignorant guys, not suspecting at all that Amon might be a magician.

  Some people may have become mages by privately practicing divine magic without the permission of the temple, but how could such a person possess so many precious magical artifacts and use them with such abandon? Only a large temple's resources can support the cultivation of such an elegant young mage. Amun's status must be quite noble, and his future prospects boundless! — The merchant's affirmative judgment.

  The merchant said, the servant next to him had already handed over a sheepskin bag of money. Holding it in his hand and feeling its weight, he knew that it was full of gold coins. Amun asked back with some surprise: "I lost my lamb because there was a monster in the river, why should you compensate me?"

  "The merchant replied humbly: 'If it weren't for you, the entire ship would have sunk to the bottom of the river and my life, as well as everyone else's, would no longer exist. This cargo and wealth would also no longer belong to me... Your bravery and strength saved us all, so it is only right that we express our gratitude. Please, don't refuse.'"

  The boat owner also advised on the side: "Honorable divine technique master, you should accept everyone's gratitude, otherwise we will be uneasy in our hearts." He spoke while his heart was still pounding wildly, Yin Nanna's words had scared him.

  The boat owner is knowledgeable and has guessed that Amun's identity must be very noble, using three scrolls to fight the monster, the cost is beyond ordinary people's imagination. If he doesn't show gratitude properly, he might offend Amun, others got on shore and left, but this unlucky boat owner can't escape.

  Since you put it that way, Armon didn't want to refuse the kind intention. He looked at the merchant and nodded: "Alright then, thank you. That lamb was bought by me for two silver coins. If you want to compensate for my loss, give me two silver coins."

  Everyone on the boat was stunned by this remark. Two silver coins were not even worth mentioning to a noble divine art master, Amun should either accept the merchant's generous gift or refuse it outright to show his generosity. On the other hand, for ordinary people, two silver coins were enough to buy a small lamb, which was clearly extortionate. The noble divine art master extorting a small amount of money from this rich merchant for a sheep was simply inexplicable!

  Apart from Yoon Na-na, no one clearly knew if Ah-mon was telling the truth. Not everyone in the cabin saw Ah-mon use the scroll just now, and even if they did, they didn't understand what was going on, and some people really suspected that Ah-mon was a magician. And there were also people with experience who knew how precious the scroll used by Ah-mon was.

  Yin Nanna whispered in Ah Mon's ear, "Master of the Divine Arts, our losses are not limited to just one sheep. You also spent three precious scrolls to kill that monster." The words seemed like a whisper, and the voice was not loud, but somehow everyone on the boat heard it clearly.

  Someone spoke up: "Lyscott-Lee, the wealthy merchant of Uruk City, why did you only compensate the noble God's Artisan with one sheep and not compensate for those three God's Art scrolls?"

  Someone else said: "Boat owner, you're also a rich man. The divine master saved your ferry, so you should compensate for those precious scrolls."

  No matter what everyone guesses in their hearts, they all want to thank Ah Meng and are afraid of offending the disguised godly craftsman because of this matter. Anyway, since there are merchants and boat owners who are willing to pay, why not let them be generous with someone else's money?

  The boat owner's face turned pale with sweat, and he wished to throw the person who spoke nonsense into the river. Merchant Naskot Lee also secretly lamented, thinking of taking this opportunity to reward him handsomely and befriend the young noble sorcerer, but even if he sold all his goods and the boat owner's ship together, he feared it would not make up for the loss of the scroll.

  The divine scroll is not an ordinary commodity, ordinary people can't buy it even if they want to, and only divine masters can use it. But as long as it's useful, there's a price to pay, in the capital's Divine Academy or the temples of the Grand Duchy, noble and wealthy nobles can "request" the scroll makers for gifts, or spend a lot of money to have them specially made. No matter how they get it, the price paid is not cheap.

  "Amon waved his hand and said, 'I used the scroll to save my own life, no need for others to compensate me. Thank you all for your kindness, if you really want to repay me, then don't interfere with my mission. After you get off the boat, don't reveal my disguise identity, that's enough!'"

  The boat owner wiped the sweat from his brow. The merchant also let out a sigh of relief and said gratefully, "My name is Laineskott Lee, I'm a merchant from Uruk City. If you have the chance to pass by Uruk City after completing your task, esteemed divine magic user, I will definitely give you the best hospitality." These words were completely sincere, Amun had no intention of making the people on the boat compensate for the scroll, and as for the lamb that cost two silver coins, in the merchant's eyes, it was just because of the owner's noble status.

  Amon smiled and nodded, "Alright, I'll remember!" This continent was so unfamiliar to him, having one more acquaintance would be good. Apart from Meidansuo and the mysterious Yinnana, he didn't know anyone else. His impression of this merchant was also quite favorable.

  The ferry arrived at the opposite bank, and everyone bowed their heads in gratitude as they disembarked. Ahmon stood at the bow of the boat with Yoon Na, smiling and nodding his head, as they were the last to leave the ship. The dock on the other side was not far from a small town, and everyone on the boat followed Ahmon's orders without revealing his identity, at least in this town no one spoke out because the divine master had not left yet.

  On the other side of the river, someone saw from afar the shocking battle that took place in the river and asked those who came down from the boat what had happened. Everyone could only stammer out a reply, saying that a monster appeared during the day but was beheaded by a divine technique master on the boat. However, this divine technique master had a secret mission and didn't want to reveal himself, so he quietly left after getting off the boat. Although Amun hadn't exposed his identity, the matter couldn't be covered up, and news spread like wildfire.

  After Amun got off the boat, he first went to the market to find a horse-drawn carriage for Yinnana to ride in. The road to Wangdu is very far away, and it's not possible to let a young lady walk thousands of miles. At the market, Leiskote-Lee happened to be directing a group of workers loading goods from the boat onto several carriages. Seeing Amun looking for a carriage, he walked over and said: "Sir, you can take my carriage, I'll give it to you, it's my best carriage and horse."

  Amun shook his head and said: "I'm just walking a short distance, you don't have to send me such a good horse carriage."

  Laiscott-Lee's carriage decorations were obviously for commoners, although comfortable and luxurious, but probably not comparable to those of a noble wizard. He heard Amun say so, and hurriedly said: "This town can't find a better carriage, you just temporarily sit on this one, even if it's borrowed from you, use it until when you can return it. In the future, you will remember my words and send someone to return the carriage."

  Lyscott-Lee's idea wasn't bad, he might be able to find out Amun's identity through the carriage. Amun thought for a moment and said, "Alright then, thank you! I'll return your horse and carriage!" His first stop was going to be Medanzo, but in the future, he would eventually have to go back to Egou's Cape City-State to return Nero's scepter, so it would be convenient to return the horse and carriage at that time.

  As he got off the ferry, Armon made a decision. The second thing to do on the mainland was to fulfill Nero's last wish. Although Nero was one of the great mages who pursued and killed Bell, executing the oracle and the kingdom's decree was not a personal vendetta. Knowing that he would surely die, he still carried out his orders without hesitation, which was admirable.

  The scroll left by Nero saved Amun's life today, and the merchant still knew to repay Amun. Amun himself should also repay Nero and send his staff and ring to the Temple of Cape God according to his will.

  He didn't stay in the town for long, and drove a horse carriage with Yinnana leaving the ferry but not taking the official road, instead turning into a small path in the wilderness. The area on the east bank of the Youdi River was within the territory of the Uruk City-State, with open plains, grasslands, farms, and low hills everywhere, more fertile than the land around Duk Town, looking rich and prosperous.

  Ah Mon wasn't very good at driving the horse carriage, it took him half a day to barely control the reins and let the horse walk along the road in front of the field station, he even used the power of the Qi Yuan Suo Shen technique to control the horse, and there was always a gust of wind beside the carriage guiding the direction.

  Yin Nanna lifted the curtain of the carriage and smiled: "Ah Meng, my brave hero, handsome hunter, noble divine master, you're not very good at driving a horse cart, are you? Why use divine magic instead of a whip? A well-trained fine horse will know which direction to run as soon as it hears the sound of the whip... There's a whip on the carriage, I advise you to change to the one that shepherd from Sumel Town gave you."

  When buying sheep outside the town of Sumer, the shepherd gave a whip to Amun, which was later put in his leather pouch and didn't pay much attention to it. At this moment, reminded by Yin Nana, he took out the whip and was shocked, then took out a lump from the leather pouch, which was the snake tendon picked up from the river.

  This whip and the snake's tendon are surprisingly similar, it's not just similar, they should be made of the same material!

  But the whip and the snake tendon are also different, it has not shrunk into a ball, but is spread out like a rope, as if it has undergone some special processing. Although Amun has theoretical knowledge of making various divine instruments, for the time being, he can't see what method was used to process the snake tendon into a whip, after all, he hasn't actually made any instrument.

  That monstrous snake's terrifying Amun had personally experienced it, a shepherd actually made a whip out of the snake's tendons and even casually gave it to Amun. So his identity is absolutely not ordinary, mysterious and makes people guess! Since Yin Nanna reminded Amun, she must be in the know. Then she took Amun to buy sheep outside the town, there should be other intentions!

  Yin Nanna once said that her identity was mysterious and noble, and even her name couldn't be mentioned lightly. Now it seems that her own experience is probably not so simple. Ah Meng changed the whip to a lighter one and gently lashed forward with a crisp sound, the two horses in front of the carriage began to run quickly towards the front, without needing more control, driving the carriage seemed effortless.

  The vast field scenery is beautiful, the horse runs very fast, but Ah Meng Mo has a feeling of coolness on the back of his neck. Seeing this whip, he has realized that he seems to have been used by someone. Everything connected together, from meeting Yin Nana outside the mountain, the shepherd of Sumel Town, to the sudden appearance of monsters in the river, seems to be arranged by someone.

  Yin Nanna's experience will never be as simple as she said, and her encounter with Amun is not accidental. —— No wonder Xue Ding'e reminded him like that!

  Amon drove the carriage onto a small path between fields, wanting to avoid the crowd on the ship and also having something to ask Yinnana alone, but now he didn't dare open his mouth. This mysterious and beautiful woman, what was she planning for him? Yinnana sat in the canopy behind him, Amon's back stiffened, and after a while, he asked: "Yinnana, we're not taking the main road to Balen Kingdom, do you know this path, will we get lost?"

  Yin Nanna stretched out one hand and gently placed it on his shoulder: "The road is under your feet, I am your guide, just keep moving forward. This road can go along the east bank of the Yuandi River, bypassing the city-state of Wuluke, and return to the main road to continue towards Balen City... After crossing the river, we lost a lamb, but I still have you - my handsome Amun! Why are you a bit tense? What moved your heartstrings? You must have something to ask me, why not speak up?"

  After crossing the river, Yoon Na-na reminded Ah-mon of the strange place where the root whip was located, which was a hint. She knew that Ah-mon would react to some things and must have been filled with doubts in his heart, so she smiled and let him speak out on his own initiative.

  Her hand was soft and boneless, placed on his shoulder it should have felt comfortable, but Amun somehow felt a little scared, even more tense than when facing the strange snake in the river. But he thought carefully again, Yinnana shouldn't have any malicious intentions towards him, so he tried to ask naturally: "Yinnana, how did you know I had the scroll?"

  He had thought of asking this sentence when he was on the boat, but it was inconvenient to speak in front of everyone. Fortunately, Yin Nanna reminded him that Amun took out the scroll and killed the strange snake, saving his own life. However, he had never opened the leather pouch to let Yin Nanna see it, nor had he exposed the secret of his ability to use divine techniques. How did Yin Nanna know that there was still a scroll hidden in his leather pouch?

  Yin Nanna gently massaged Ah Mon's shoulders with her hands, seemingly intentionally teasing: "You didn't tell me you knew divine magic, this is your secret, we all have our own secrets, don't we?... You used divine magic on the boat to kill the monster, and I also know you're carrying many precious divine stones, it's normal to have a scroll for protection too, right?... You told everyone that you're shouldering a secret mission that can't be revealed, and I'm still following you now, you won't kill me to silence me, will you?"

  This chapter's character introduction - Laiscott Lee: A wealthy merchant in Uruk City of the Kingdom of Balen.

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