47. Each one's contribution

  47. Each one's contribution

  At that time, the two brothers were still young, and the awakening of power did not succeed. Immediately after, their grandfather also passed away. Although the family did not lose its noble status, it lost its title and rank, and its position was roughly the same as that of a well-off commoner, except that they did not have to pay the usual taxes levied on ordinary commoners.

  In theory, the two brothers can still practice divine magic, but after losing their titles and seals, no priest in the temple will continue to teach them. If they had awakened their powers at first, it would have been possible for them to continue practicing, which is not against the law, but it's hard to achieve higher accomplishments, let alone that the awakening ceremony was unsuccessful at first.

  "Brother, don't forget that our names are already recorded in the ritual records of the City-State Temple. If we learn divine magic, it's completely legitimate. If we have another chance to become mid-tier divine magic users, we can fully restore our ancestral titles and honors, and our family status will be even more glorious than before. We don't need to stay on this farm as farmers and shepherds anymore. Now there is a rare opportunity in front of us, we can ask Amun to awaken our powers and teach us divine magic."

  Abel had no interest in Amun, but Cain spoke for half a day and finally moved his brother's heart. For ordinary people, mastering that mysterious power is like an old madman trying to unlock the secrets of the gods. Whether it was Medanzo, who was not qualified to learn divine techniques, or Link, the chief of the wild tribe in the deep mountains, they all asked Amun for the opportunity to learn divine techniques when they saw the chance, let alone Abel and Cain, who were originally qualified but had nowhere to learn as fallen nobles.

  The two brothers consulted until midnight and decided to go to Ah Mun the next morning to make their request, each bringing his own gift. Ah Mun had overheard what they said in the fields and decided to grant the two brothers' request. The two brothers were qualified to learn divine arts, so doing so would not bring them trouble, which should be the best reward.

  The next morning, Ah Mun left the farmhouse to take a walk in the pasture and came to a place far from prying ears. As expected, the two brothers followed with gifts and knelt before Ah Mun: "Noble lord, please accept our most sincere offerings. Although this gift is not precious, it was obtained by our own hands through hard work and represents our true hearts."

  On the altar was a sheaf of golden wheat. He was a farmer, sometimes working in the fields himself, and this grain was also planted by his own hands. Abel slaughtered the first lamb born this year from his flock, cured the meat into jerky, and rendered the fat into oil to offer to Amun.

  Amun looked at them and smiled, tapping the staff in his hand: "Your hospitality is already the best gift. Since I promised to grant your request, I will naturally keep my promise. I know your intention is to ask me to hold a power awakening ceremony for you and impart divine techniques, which is perfectly fine."

  "Hasn't even opened his mouth, and you've already seen into our hearts. Are you a messenger of the gods? No, in my eyes, you're like the god who grants power." He feared Amun's aversion to magic, intentionally speaking such words, but actually Linke and Medanzo had also said similar things to Amun, yet Gaijin's tone was not so sincere.

  "Aber also crawled forward and said: "Thank you, noble lord. I will forever remember in my heart that it was you who gave us life, and also gave us the power of magic."

  Amon waved his hand and said, "Don't be in a hurry to thank me. I promised to hold the Power Awakening Ceremony for you, but whether it will succeed depends on yourselves. Not everyone can pass the test and learn magic. Get up now, tonight at the foot of the mountain behind the farm, I'll prepare the ceremony for you, but first, you have to agree to two conditions."

  The two brothers said in unison: "What conditions do you have, Master? Please speak."

  "First, you can only cultivate according to the method I have taught you, do not take any other path, and have a firm belief in it as the sole source of power. Second, you cannot draw my appearance or make my statue, nor show my face and name to others."

  Amon's reason for proposing the first condition is simple: he wants to try and awaken a two-sided power in the brothers, one that will only teach them the cultivation path they have personally verified. He has also said as much to Link. As for the second condition, it is easy to understand: Amon himself is a magician, and his "exploits" on the ferry have already been made public by the Uruk City-State, so naturally he wouldn't want anyone to know what he looks like or what his name is.

  The two brothers nodded in agreement immediately. Although Amun's first condition was unusual, they had nowhere else to go to learn, so there was no need to consider other options. On the way back, Amun took over Abel's gift and said, "Thank you, I just happened to use these things on the road, so I'll take them." But he returned the wheat ears to Cain, because they were not needed when they went on the road again.

  That night, when the moonlight illuminated the treetops in the forest, Abel and Cain came to the clearing at the foot of the mountain. Amun was already waiting there, with his staff shaped like a branch stuck in front of him. Amun's words were always few, seeing the two brothers arrive, he waved his hand and said: "The awakening ceremony of power begins now, this staff is its source. This is the first ceremony, don't think about what kind of power it will awaken, it is both a divine gift and a dormant power in the bloodline."

  "Wake up the power, and you will also wake up desire. This desire comes from both body and soul, it is two sides of the same coin. You need to learn how to face it without being controlled by it. Waking up the power through rituals is just the first step. In fact, this test is not temporary, it will run through your whole life until eternity. Pray towards my staff, please examine your own body and mind, the one who grants you power is not a known god, this prayer may be difficult, I hope you can find that focused and devout state."

  Amon now has a new understanding of the various trials in cultivating divine techniques. Whether it's "Awakening of Desire" or "Firming of Belief", "Devil's Temptation" all have two layers of meaning. The first layer of meaning refers to not being swayed by them during basic meditation, and can continue to cultivate more advanced divine techniques. The second layer of meaning is more complicated, and it's not that once you've passed the test in form, the test disappears. It will run through everyone's beliefs from start to finish, just like the devil's temptation always exists, and desire is always accompanied by human body and mind.

  Amon stayed in the farmhouse for another seven days, with the help of that magical staff, both brothers showed signs of power sprouting from their bodies and minds, and Amon fully recovered. He had been staying at the farmhouse for half a month, feeling his energy and physical strength had returned to their best state, and even his power seemed to be stronger than before.

  He was somewhat surprised at how long it had taken him, but Amun wasn't really sure. Overusing his magical powers beyond the limit was very dangerous for a divine technique user and would put him in a weak state where he couldn't even protect himself. In the same situation, an ordinary divine technique user might need two or three months to recover. Yet, he had only taken half a month to bounce back, which was truly astonishing. This speed wasn't just due to his physical training but also benefited from his unusual cultivation method.

  Before Amun left, he gave each of the two brothers a divine stone. The purpose was to let them use it as an intermediary to stimulate their power and continue to awaken their strength. Amun couldn't leave his staff here. The most difficult first step had already been taken, and what remained would depend on the two brothers themselves, how they faced the test of desire, each needing to cross it on their own.

  Two divine stones were enough to compensate for the two brothers' hospitality, and Abel didn't want to accept them, saying that although he wasn't rich, he still had some divine stones collected by his ancestors. However, Amun persuaded him to leave the divine stones behind, telling him that they would be used when inlaying the staff in the future, and that the cost would be much higher than one divine stone. Amun was very considerate and even thought that after the two brothers became divine spellcasters, they might not be able to afford a decent staff, so he also taught them the craftsmanship of making staffs.

  Before becoming a mid-tier mage, they didn't have the ability to make wands. But that's okay, Amun's own habit was to practice divine power without relying on wands in his daily life, and he naturally required his disciples to practice in the same way. He awakened the dual powers of the two brothers, and found that each had their differences, Abel was more skilled at mastering magical techniques, while Cain's talent leaned towards martial arts.

  The situation of the two brothers reminded Amun of Bell's annotation on the cultivation of the dual-faced power - "Anyone may have a bias in their abilities, which does not affect the cultivation of the dual-faced power. To bring any ability to its extreme, it would take a lifetime of effort and energy, and this path is so difficult that it is reasonable to first meet the most basic requirements before having a bias."

  Amon left behind a way of cultivating 1st to 6th level powers for the two brothers, each with different focuses. The most important purpose of doing so was to verify Bell's conjecture. Amon himself had some differences with what Bell pointed out, and the old madman hoped he would become an all-around master of divine techniques, exploring the paths that Bell had not yet taken. Therefore, Bell's annotations could only be verified in the case of the two brothers, and Amon, who was destined to unlock the secrets of the gods, could not overemphasize a certain path.

  The two brothers took Amun far away, until they left the territory of Uruk City-State and arrived on the official road to Balen City before turning back. Although Amun was a magician, he did not instigate these two men to offend or desecrate any god, but only awakened their power and taught them all the exercises before becoming a great wizard, which would not be learned in any temple at once.

  Abel and Cain's gratitude in their hearts can be imagined, when they bid farewell, they both said to Amun: "You are our eternal benefactor, shining with divine light"

  Ah Meng drove the horse cart to continue on the road, and in the vast kingdom, no one recognized who he was. Ah Meng didn't encounter any trouble on this journey. He passed through the city-states of Lagash, Nippur, Kish, and others, not rushing, taking more than three months to arrive outside the capital city of Babylon. At this time, Ah Meng was no longer the foolish young man who had just left the deep mountains; his temperament seemed much more mature, having experienced so many things, gradually coming to understand this strange and vast world, and his travels on the continent were indeed a treasure.

  He understood what was meant by "the devil's temptation", that he could advance through trials when practicing his divine skills, but such trials still existed at all times. He also understood and verified the words he said to the two brothers. Amun was not stupid from the start, this journey had taught him many things, and he was always paying attention to the thoughts and desires of the people around him.

  Everything is so novel in his eyes, and there's always something new under the sun. If you can't see it, that only means you haven't taken the time to appreciate it. Amun walked slowly because he was waiting for someone. Xue Dingshan had told him she would come back to find him, but that cat never showed up.

  Amon was thinking of Xue Dingrui, and he even wanted to go back to the vicinity of Sumi Town to find it. The cat had left from there. Could it cross the Yu Di River by itself? But Amon suppressed this thought and continued on his way to Wangdu, let's talk about it when we see Meidan again, anyway, we'll be back sooner or later.

  He wanted to see Medanzo, not for any other purpose, but because he didn't know anyone on the mainland when he first left the deep mountains, so he set Barren City as his first stop. Incidentally, take a look at how Medanzo's one-body two-face strength training is going, Amun got the information left by Bell that after Medanzo left, there were many things that didn't come in time to teach him.

  If Medanzo's power has already been cultivated to a bottleneck and he doesn't know how to continue, Amun's departure is just in time to guide him further. Amun wants to see Medanzo for another reason, after all, Medanzo was born and raised in the royal capital as a mid-tier warrior, systematically learning the combat martial arts that Amun is not familiar with, which are also what Amun needs to learn from.

  As they approached the city of Balen, Amun couldn't help but think of Yinnana again. Would he meet this little princess in the capital once more? She must be with her fiancé Gilgamesh right now, and it was said that Gilgamesh would also go to the capital soon. Would the little princess come with him? If she came to find Amun as Yinnana again, how should they meet? But this possibility was very small, Yinnana

  I don't know where to find him anymore, might as well give up.

  When he arrived outside the city of Balen, Amun encountered his first obstacle since traveling across the continent.

  Balun City is the capital of the kingdom, and it's still heavily guarded even in peaceful times. The gate guards are all warriors, with at least a mid-tier warrior as the squad leader. Each city gate also has three divine magic users stationed there, with at least one being a mid-tier divine magic user. They don't show their faces on the city walls, but they can use divine magic to detect any suspicious people at any time.

  Amon had also thought of sneaking into the city at night by climbing over the walls, but he soon discovered that there was a faint divine power fluctuating on the walls. It turned out that a large divine array had been laid out around the entire city of Balen, and only the imperial capital could have such a grand layout. Song Lie had also temporarily laid down such a large array in the city-state of Syria. Among the city-states known on the Heavenly Axis Road, there were only five cities with permanent divine arrays guarding them: Thebes City of Egypt, Dreamflight City, Hattusa City of the Hittite Kingdom, Nineveh City of Assyria, and Balen City of the Balen Kingdom.

  The divine array here is much more complete than the temporary divine array set up by Song Lie, and after full activation, it can be both offensive and defensive, protecting the city like a golden soup. However, it is not fully activated at ordinary times, only retaining its detection function. If you want to detect abnormal situations in and out of the entire city every day, several divine stones need to be consumed, and a great divine master must be in charge. Only the imperial capital has this strength, and can dispatch enough great divine masters to take turns performing this task.

  It's impossible for Amun to sneak through the detection of this magical array without being noticed. He can only enter from the city gate during the day, and he has a document issued by the Egu Empire's Cape City-State that proves his identity as an Egu citizen if he fills in his name. However, this is the Kingdom of Balen, and Amun doesn't have any entry procedures. Holding such a document would only make it easier to get into trouble.

  The citizens of the kingdom who enter Balen City do not need to show proof documents, but they have to accept the inspection of the gate guards, and it is possible that someone will be checked. Amun does not want the things he carries on his body to be found out to be inappropriate, at least that bone is generally not something people can hold in their hands, if it is searched and found, it will definitely attract special attention.

  Amun didn't think that this time entering the city still relied on Gilgamesh's help. He heard a message that three days later, Gilgamesh would bring gifts for Marduk and Princess Xia to come, at which time there would be a grand celebration. The king ordered the people to go out of the city to welcome him, and follow Gilgamesh's team into the city to hold a grand parade. Amun can mix in the parade crowd to enter the city, and it is also unlikely that there will be guards to check.

  Will he see Yinnana sitting in Gilgamesh's luxurious carriage, entering the palace with this hero amidst the cheers of the people? —— Amun thought to himself.

  ……

  However, three days later, Ah Mun did not see Yoon Na-na. Gilgamesh's chariot was still the same as before, without a canopy or carriage, with a large parasol held up. Gilgamesh himself had changed into a majestic and dignified city lord attire, paired with an exquisite warrior long sword, standing under the parasol to accept the cheers of the people, occasionally smiling and nodding, waving his hand in greeting.

  Gilgamesh's own chariot was the second to enter the city, and the first chariot did not have a canopy, but had two altar-like decorations on it, which were the spoils of war from Enkidu - the snake sinew pulled out after killing Humbaba and the snake teeth pulled out. These are the legendary bones of the gods! Gilgamesh let them be exposed to the sun, so that all the citizens who welcomed him along the way could see them clearly.

  Ah Mon also saw it very clearly, those snake tendons were much thicker than the one he got from the river, each one was as thick as a thumb, coiled together to form a diameter of over a foot, with a golden yellow color that shone with a mysterious luster in the sunlight, like the glittering water waves flowing under the golden glow of sunset. On both sides of the altar, three coiled snake tendons were placed on each side, and on top of each coil of snake tendon, four snake fangs were placed, two long and two short, the longer ones exceeding three feet, the shorter ones also over two feet, it can be imagined how terrifying the snake's kiss was.

  The bones of the snake and the divine, all in Amun's bundle, so he was particularly interested. At first, he was careful not to use the detection technique to explore, for fear that this would expose himself among the crowd. But when the convoy passed through the city gate, Amun sensed countless fluctuations of law from various directions, coming chaotically from all sides.

  Some came from the kingdom's welcoming guard, some from the city walls and others from the cheering crowds along the way. Amun did not notice anyone in the crowd carrying a staff as a wizard, it seemed that many wizards had disguised themselves to welcome outside the city today.

  Who wouldn't be curious about the legendary divine remains? Even the defensive city wall's grand magic array was intentionally activated, and the great magician in charge of the array must have used its powerful detection ability to carefully study and analyze the snake fangs and tendons that passed through the city gate.

  Gilgamesh put them on the first chariot, and entered the capital without any cover, in order to let everyone see it, to prove that this matter is not false, to add his own achievements and prestige with Enkidu, looking both extremely arrogant and extremely open.

  There were also many women in the crowd, who were not interested in Snake Skin and Boar Tusk, but only waved colorful headscarves towards Gilgamesh, shouting: "Dear Gil, great hero, I worship you... Look, he smiled at me, nodded and beckoned, it's the great Gil beckoning to me!" The girls who shouted like this looked happy as if they were about to faint, while Gil still had a humble yet noble smile, waving his hand continuously towards everyone.

  Amon did not act like those infatuated girls, he took the opportunity to unfold his detective technique and carefully sensed Hong BaBa's snake tendons and long fangs. Those fangs were different from the bones in his leather bag, and the detective technique could sense them very clearly, with a terrible and terrifying aura on them. As Amon concentrated on sensing them, a roar like that of thousands of wild oxen echoed deep within his mind, bringing great shock and tremors.

  Amon had heard this sound on the night he beheaded Hong BaBa in Enqi City. If his heart hadn't been so firm and deep, perhaps even his meditation state would have been disrupted. He had already judged that these fangs could become materials for making top-grade wands, or forging precious and rare magical instruments. But they were different from Osiris' rib bones; the bone in his pocket was either a real divine bone or had undergone some kind of magical processing.

  The sacred object of the Isis Temple, "Rib of the Underworld God", is only one, and those fangs are already rare treasures in the world. Amun has another feeling that if these fangs are used directly as weapons, they can bring spiritual attacks such as howling impact, and after being processed by master craftsmen, this weapon will be even more terrifying.