Volume 2: Original Sin 050, The World Under the Sun

  After breakfast, Miyari enthusiastically urged Armon to go out and play, and asked Fresa to accompany him. She also gave Fresa a lot of pocket money. She said to Armon: "You didn't have to be so polite yesterday when buying things, just tell Fresa if you need anything."

  Vera clutched Amun's arm tightly, her body almost stuck to his side, and smiled as she said: "The capital is very big, many gardens are also open to ordinary people, there are all kinds of small vendors and street performers, it's lively, today I'll take you to have a good look."

  Ammon smiled and nodded: "Well, thank you then!"

  Amon spent another day playing in the city, and the capital was indeed dazzling to a mountain child. He asked Falsa about all sorts of interesting things with great interest, asking about things he had never seen before. On the way, he said to Falsa: "This place is really prosperous, my eyes are almost blinded by the sights. Only after coming to the capital did I realize that there were so many wonderful things in the world. Here, everyone can see what they want, but under the gaze of the gods, one must also be clear about what they are doing."

  As he said this, he was walking with Fothergill across the square in front of the Temple of Marduk, and had no idea whether she understood or not.

  After dinner that evening, Miyari quietly called Fusha into her own room and asked: "What new discoveries were there today? What else did Armon have on him, what was particularly noteworthy?"

  Fersa thought for a moment before answering: "When I was strolling on the temple square watching the acrobatics, I touched him with my body and felt something long and hard under his clothes..."

  Miya Li's face turned slightly red as she scolded her, "How could you touch him there in the square? I told you to seduce him, but not like that... Even if we can't wait until we get home, couldn't it have been in the carriage?"

  Fersa's face also turned red, and she hastily explained: "Master, you misunderstood. It wasn't from the man, but rather something long and hard was hidden under his ribs. He was carrying it so carefully, it must be extremely precious!"

  Miya Li showed a curious expression and nodded slightly: "Oh, well done! ...... But why did you let Amun go back to his room to rest alone just now, without accompanying him?"

  Fersa lowered her head, somewhat dejected: "It was Amun who refused my request to make his bed and attend to his washing. He said he didn't like being disturbed when resting... Mistress, is it that I'm not charming enough?"

  If Fresa knew that Yinnana had also tempted Amun, the goddess's temptation would be much more clever than this little maid's trickery. And yet Amun didn't think he should have any thoughts about it. She wondered what she would think and whether she would feel wronged or not. MiyaLi turned her face sideways and stared at her: "No, you're very charming, and you should have enough attraction to men. Maybe because you're Maidanzo's maid, so he feels a bit embarrassed. Tomorrow I'll advise him to be at ease."

  The next day, they continued to go out and play. Before leaving the house in the morning, Miyari secretly told Armon: "Fresa admires and respects you very much. If you don't mind, just let her serve you. You can make any request."

  Amon smiled politely and nodded in response, "Thank you, I understand! Actually, she's already made me happy by accompanying me on this tour of the capital. How could I ask for more?... When focusing on introspection, one must know what they're thinking, what they hope to gain, and what they should gain. Just like when we do anything, we should take responsibility for its consequences."

  It's unclear how much Miarlie understood, but that night after returning home, Armon didn't bring Fresa into his own room. Until the third day, Gilgamesh was about to leave the capital, and a grand carnival parade finally arrived again. This time, Gilgamesh stayed in Balen City for quite some time, and someone even privately speculated whether he came to complete his marriage with Princess Xiaoyan? But Princess Xiaoyan never returned to the capital, so this speculation collapsed on its own.

  Gilgamesh sat under the parasol on the chariot, leaving amidst the cheers of the crowd in the city. The king sent the palace guards to escort Gilgamesh ten miles outside the city gate, which was an unprecedented honor, and only a hero like him deserved such an honor! The people who worshiped heroes sent off Gilgamesh even further, and the procession extended thirty miles away. Tonight, the king ordered that the city gates would not be closed at night, and everyone could revel to their heart's content.

  Amon also sat in the Medanzo family's carriage and left the city, driven by Miarlie's brother Eno. This was both a pleasure trip and a farewell. Amon had all his belongings with him as he was about to embark on his journey home. The carriage was loaded with fine wine and food. Fresa leaned against Amon's arm, occasionally lifting the curtain to point out the scenery along the way.

  Ten miles outside the city, the horse carriage left the official road and turned onto another mountain path. The early winter weather was a bit cool, but today's sunshine was just right for a picnic in the mountains. Wearing warm fur coats, people savored fine wine and roasted meat in the midst of scenic beauty, a rare leisurely pleasure for those living in the big city.

  On a winter's day, the withered grass and trees in the mountains and fields take on a different charm under the bright sunshine. The sky is blue and the wind is gentle. A horse-drawn carriage stops by a lake surrounded by hills, where the withered yellow grass is softer than it was in summer, making it even more comfortable to sit on. Today is an outing, so I dressed up as a warrior, wearing a short sword at my waist, which can be used for both self-defense and cutting meat during meals.

  The horse carriage stopped on a sunny meadow halfway up the hillside, where you can appreciate the lake and mountain scenery while avoiding the wind. The surroundings are very quiet, with mountains and forests on three sides and a lake on one side. Not a single person is seen all around, what a great place!

  Eno unloaded the wine, meat and other things from the carriage, Amun also lent a hand, Miyari tidied up the tableware, and the maid Fresa carried a jug to fetch water by the lake. After everything was put away, Amun gazed out at the azure lake surface and sighed: "What clear lake water! The air is so fresh, in this sunlight, it's as if one's soul can be purified."

  Yinuo frowned slightly and said, "Fusha went to fetch water, why did it take so long? Did she go to play again, picking wild fruits in the woods? She's really disobedient, making our noble guest wait here!"

  From the hillside to the nearest lake shore, you need to go down through a small forest where Fresa can't be seen fetching water. She's been gone for quite some time, no wonder Enno is getting anxious. Armon said: "Maybe the water jug is too heavy and the slope is too steep, she might have fallen on the way, you guys prepare the tableware, I'll go take a look."

  Amon walked down the mountain through the small woods to the lake, and when he was far away, Miyari lowered her voice and asked Eno: "My brother, have you thought about how to make a move?"

  "Wait for Fresa to come back, let her hold Amun by the stove and check if the meat is cooked well. You hold his other hand on the other side, I'll finish him off with one sword from behind... If you're afraid, just pretend to be choked by the smoke and close your eyes, don't look at anything." As he spoke, he drew out his own sword and placed it beside the roasting stove.

  "You didn't have to see anything, did you? Poor me, I just happened to see all of this. You guys never gave up!"

  A cold voice suddenly sounded from behind, almost scaring the souls out of these two. Enno drew his sword and turned around, but stood frozen in place. There, they saw Maidensouth walking out of the woods, holding an unsheathed longsword with a faint, still-uncongealed bloodstain on it.

  Meadows walked calmly, not quickly, step by step approaching. After a brief astonishment, Miarlie's waist was pinched by Enno, and she suddenly came to her senses, realizing something, opening her arms and squeezing out a smile: "You're finally back! My dear husband, I've missed you so much, did you see our carriage in the procession and followed us? Your noble friend Armon is also here, he's just about to leave, today we're seeing him off."

  Meadows' expression seemed to be trying to smile but couldn't, he nodded and said: "Yes, I know everything now. You've treated me well. I asked Vesa earlier, not only did I ask what I wanted to know, but also many things I didn't know before, which made me and my family ashamed! I feel disgusted and don't want to repeat it again."

  Yinuo heard this and saw the bloodstains on Medanzo's sword, suddenly realizing something was wrong. Without a word, he charged at Medanzo, who had approached him, and stabbed his chest with his short sword. Medanzo seemed to have been prepared and dodged the vicious stab with ease. A pained cry was heard as Medanzo's sword pierced Yinuo's ribs, followed by Miyari's terrified scream.

  Armand stood with his back to the lake, the small woods behind him blocking his view of the slope, but he heard Myriam's scream, which was abruptly cut off, like a chicken whose neck had been suddenly wrung. Armand closed his eyes, then opened them again, staring abstractedly at the beautiful lake in the sunlight, it was unclear what he saw.

  After a long time, there was a rustling in the woods. Meidanzuo walked to the lake and his sword had been sheathed, with a sorrowful expression on his face. He came behind Amun and bowed: "My god, I don't know how to express my shame to you!"

  Amon didn't turn around and said in a sorrowful tone: "I didn't let you kill them."

  Mai Dianzuo bit her lip: "I interrogated Fu Sha with my sword, not only did I ask about their plot against you, but also some shameful things that make me blush... None of them understood your hints and warnings until the last moment, so let blood be my sacrifice to the gods! Ah Meng, you are my only god, if it weren't for your arrival, I would have been forever deceived, living in unknown shame."

  Ammon didn't ask what else Medanzo had found out, but turned around and looked at him with sympathetic eyes: "These three people are gone, what do you plan to do now, just go home like this?"

  "Indeed, this place is secluded and unknown to others, a final resting place chosen by themselves. Ah, Amun, I have no more attachment to Balen City, please allow me to follow you on your journey across the continent, as your servant!"

  Ammon thought for a moment and finally nodded: "This is also good, I'm really afraid you'll do something again, but your home is still there, go back and settle down, I'll wait for you for three days."

  ...After being away for four months, the plebeian warrior Medanzo, who had lost his noble status, finally returned home exhausted. However, his young and beautiful wife Miyari was not at home to welcome her husband back. Yesterday, Miyari left with a maid accompanying a young man out of town and didn't come back all night. The man has been living in their house for a month now, being very generous with his spending, probably a young rich merchant who came to the capital city for sightseeing...the neighbors were gossiping like this.

  Mei Danzuo also vaguely heard these rumors, sat at home with a gloomy face waiting, but Miyali still didn't come back after another day and night. The neighbors were discussing again, did Miyali elope with that man?

  Following a wealthy and leisurely merchant who travels everywhere is better than spending several months of the year guarding an empty mansion with that unreliable Maitreya! Myriam even went so far as to bind the man's heart, along with the beautiful maid servant Vesper. I wonder what kind of feeling Maitreya would have if he heard such rumors?

  He waited another day at home, but finally couldn't bear it, dismissed the gatekeeper and groom, entrusted his ancestral home to a distant relative to take care of, and left Barren City again with his sword and luggage. People were secretly discussing that Medanzo went to find Miya Li, he might want to duel with that young rich merchant, don't know if he can come back?

  On an official road within the borders of Kish City in the Kingdom of Balen, Medanzo drove a carriage pulled by two fine horses with a serious expression. His eyes were fixed on something ahead but seemed to be staring at nothing, letting the horses run freely as if his mind was elsewhere again. This carriage had been lent to Amun by Leskot Lee, and when Amun infiltrated the city, he found it inconvenient to drive the carriage, so he left it in a tavern in a town and paid the waiter enough money to take good care of the two horses. On his way back, he took back the carriage, only replacing the driver with Medanzo.

  The curtains hadn't been let down, Ah Mon sat in the carriage studying that snake tendon, thinking about what kind of object he could process it into. The processing of divine objects wasn't always successful, and if one wasn't careful, even the materials would be damaged. Although Ah Mon had received guidance from the most outstanding master craftsmen on the continent, he had never personally processed an object before, and there was only this one snake tendon, so he naturally wanted to be more cautious.

  The carriage suddenly shook a bit, and Armon knew that Maidanzo had wandered off again. All along the way, Maidanzo had been very melancholy, even more so than that cat at first, often silent for half a day. At this time, Maidanzo was already a third-level magician, with a firm mind that would not be easily disturbed, but no one who encountered such things would feel good about it, and the feeling would not change because of the firmness of their beliefs.

  As Ah Mon understood it, any trial encountered in the practice of spiritual techniques was not just a single pass, but actually ran through from start to finish.

  Amun didn't want to see Medanzo so down, so he tried to find some light topics to distract him and put down the snake tendon, asking: "Medanzo, what are you thinking about?"

  Mai Dangzuo's shoulders shook slightly, and he cracked a whip, causing the two horses to run smoothly again. He murmured in response: "Nothing, nothing, just daydreaming."

  "Baron's city gate has guards checking, but you can bring contraband every time and pass through smoothly. What's the trick? Can you tell me?"

  Mai Danzuo revealed a faint smile: "My Ahmon God, there's actually no trick to it. With so many people entering and leaving the imperial city every day, it's impossible for everyone to be inspected. The guards will only stop those they deem suspicious. I've come and gone many times, and as a resident of the imperial city, they all know me. Moreover, I'm a mid-ranking warrior, and many of the soldiers at Ximen Garrison were originally my fellow martial arts practitioners. The captain and I have a good relationship, so why would they inspect me?"

  "Ah-ha! So that's how it is!"

  As they spoke, Meidanzo's mood seemed to have brightened a bit, but his eyes still held a hint of melancholy. They were heading west, the Kingdom of Kish was located in the northwest direction of the Kingdom of Balen, near the edge of the Assyrian Plateau, to the north were the continuous majestic mountain peaks, and beyond the plateau lay the Assyrian Kingdom, while to the west lay the towering mountains and valleys of the Yuti River.

  Geographically, this place is closer to the dwarven tribe on the other side of the distant Youdi River. Medanzo was not afraid to cross mountains and rivers, but the most troublesome thing in the past was crossing the river. The Youdi River has a section of relatively calm water flow in the mountains, and the valleys on both sides are also relatively open, which can be used as a ferry terminal.

  In the past, no one crossed the river from there because that was where Humbaba's lair was. Now things are different, Humbaba has been killed by Enkidu, and the city of Kish has taken advantage of this to establish a crossing point on that stretch of the river and stationed troops there; although it is necessary to cross a mountain road from that crossing point, it is much shorter than the detour via Uruk.

  Amon had originally planned to have Medanzo follow him for a while, then cross the river at that crossing point and send Medanzo north to Link's tribe, while he himself went south to the sea city-state of Eggu Empire to return Nero's remains.

  Maidanzuo's third-level divine technique had reached its peak, and according to Ahmon's unified dual cultivation method, the next challenge he faced was the physical test of "Bloodline Purification". Maidanzuo was already a fourth-level warrior and had unintentionally passed this test before. Repeating it again would be much simpler and easier, but still required a quiet and undisturbed environment to be more secure.

  He is now in a state where he needs to calm down, so Armon wants him to temporarily go to the Wildman tribe until he becomes a level 5 magician through "Devil's Temptation". Medanzo's experience is different from Armon's, and he doesn't lack worldly experience. As for the true face of the so-called devil, he has already seen it clearly enough.

  They were not afraid of the cold and danger of the wilderness, missing the accommodation they stayed in the wild, this night was resting in the mountains. Armon found a quiet place to practice his basic meditation skills, no matter what happened, he had never stopped practicing.

  Arin was deep in thought when he heard Medanzo, who was sleeping in the carriage, shouting Miyari's name in a pained voice - he was having another nightmare.