Embarrassing last words

  Embarrassing last words

  Lord Dick had the wrist of a skilled politician, able to steer an unexpected sudden event in the most favorable direction. This scene did not have a script beforehand, but if a playwright were to design it, the effect would be no better than this. When he took over the law and heard the cheers of the crowd, the prestige of the gods also increased the prestige of the city lord. Kneeling behind the guards, Ahmon was originally the most critical person, but at this moment, he seemed to have become a mere extra.

  After thanking the gods, Roddick got up with his staff and led everyone to Amun's side. With one hand, he personally helped him up and asked: "Sir, where did you find Nero's will and relics in a cave? Can you tell me in detail?"

  Amon replied, "In the deep mountains on the west bank of the Yuandi River, where people rarely set foot and only wild beasts roam, I was chasing after a wild beast when I lost my footing and slid down the cliff. That's how I happened to see it. At the bottom of the cliff, there was a cave with some writing left behind, along with a staff and this ring." As he spoke, he took out the ring and returned it to Rod-Dick in front of everyone.

  Rodick's hand sank slightly, the weight of this ring was not light, apparently a space artifact with something inside. Rodick himself was a sixth-level warrior who had studied elementary divine magic, but he didn't have the ability to use spatial artifacts, so when he took it in his hand, he could feel the heaviness, but didn't know what was inside.

  Fagin asked from beside him: "Amon, you are a hunter, how come you know letters?"

  Amon didn't have a good impression of this scribe, and replied calmly: "I am a hunter, but my grandfather wasn't; he was a punished scribe."

  Fagot Judah frowned and asked, "The deep mountains on the west bank of the Euphrates River should be within the territory of the Hittite Kingdom. You are a Hittite, even if you can read and write, how can you recognize Egyptian characters?"

  Amun explained naturally: "The last words of Master Nero were written in two different scripts."

  He certainly couldn't reveal the whole truth, which was actually the story of Old Maniac seeing Meidanzo's great-grandfather's will in the deep mountains years ago. Armon just borrowed it and changed it to Nero's will. And Belle's note in the mysterious cave was written in two languages, facing Judah's inquiry, Armon answered smoothly.

  As for Nero's will itself, it was completely true, and Armon didn't fabricate anything else. The information left by Nero is embedded in the Earth's Eye on the staff, and as long as Rodick verifies it, it will be clear that it cannot be faked, but Armon cannot say that he has read this information, or his identity as a magician will be exposed.

  The countries on the continent of Tianzhuan have different writings, but their languages are similar, and there is no barrier to communication. Amun did not conceal his identity as a foreigner, for his accent still carried traces of it. Roddick realized that it was not suitable to ask too many questions here, and in the midst of the crowd's attention, it was not the time to chat about family matters either. He took Amun's arm and said, "This righteous gentleman has come from afar, let's not stand on the square and talk, we'll go to the temple to discuss further."

  Lord Dick did not return home in the afternoon, changed his mind and returned to the Temple of Horus, with the nobles following closely behind him up the long stone steps, and the people still cheering.

  Fayerl-Juda walked behind, always feeling that Amun's tone just now was very familiar, and the impression in his memory was extremely deep. He looked at Amun's background, although standing beside Lord Dick, surrounded by many noble people, but this young man had a steady pace, straight waist, not a bit of nervousness or fear, and suddenly thought of something

  Two years ago in the distant and desolate town of Duk, one of Fayol-Juda's most triumphant achievements was to seize the freshly excavated Tears of the Gods at the first possible moment, allowing Lord Dick's plan to promote the Holy Maiden to succeed. As for who the miner was who excavated the Tears of the Gods, it didn't matter; the divine stone of Duk town must have been excavated by a certain miner, and that was just his good fortune.

  But Fawkes still remembered that when he walked into the low house, the boy holding the big hammer did not kneel down at the first time. He stood very straight in front of the anvil, just like this figure, only at that time he was not yet fully grown up. In his memory, the boy said only three sentences at that time, Fawkes-Judas still remembered them till now——

  "Who are you, just coming in like this?"

  "When mining for divine stones, you must stand up to swing your pickaxe well, otherwise how can you see it being taken out perfectly?"

  "My name is Amun, everyone here calls me Amun."

  That's right, it was him. The young man who had just spoken to Aristotle was the one called Amun - Fayel Judah shouted in his heart, and he finally recognized Amun, the young miner who had excavated the tears of the gods in Duke Town. He thought they would never meet again, but unexpectedly, they met again, and at this moment, they were walking arm-in-arm with Lord Dick amidst the cheers of the people.

  Shouldn't he tell Lord Dick? If he did, Armon would get more thanks. But Fayolle-Judas was worried about one thing: Lord Dick had given him thirty gold coins as a thank you to the miners, and he had only given Armon thirty silver coins. This was a small matter that no one would pursue for an occasional secretary's corruption, but now if this were made public, Fayolle-Judas would lose face.

  Many so-called "small things" are like this, seemingly insignificant, but when they are turned over and magnified, they become a kind of tarnish on noble character. Amidst the cheers of the people, if past events were brought up in such circumstances, Fayer-Judas would never be able to hold his head up again.

  Does Amun still recognize himself? Fayol-Judah muttered to himself, hoping he had forgotten. But reason told Judah that this was impossible, and thinking about it from his own perspective, if he were the miner, he would never forget that scene either. Will Amun mention past events later? Hopefully not, and even if he does, there's no need to bring up the trivial matter of those thirty silver coins again.

  Last time, it was the tears of the gods that Roddick received, and this time, only Amun himself will be thanked. Returning the High Priest's staff in front of the people on the temple square is just too perfect. Compared to the generous reward he would receive, thirty silver coins are not worth mentioning, and this child must still not understand that Roddick gave him thirty gold coins at first. - Fayol-Juda kept comforting himself like this.

  At the same time, Judas was secretly thinking in his heart that this child was too lucky. He was the one who mined out the tears of the gods, making Roddick's plan a success, and today he was the one who returned Nero's lost staff in public, allowing Roddick's prestige to reach a new peak unnoticed. He was simply like a guardian spirit watching over Roddick, why did all the good things happen to a lowly little miner? This was simply too unfair

  Isn't Douke Town already destroyed by flood and no one survived? How come he is still alive?

  No one knew what thoughts were surging in the mind of Fagin, the long steps leading to the hall seemed so endless, the weather was not hot, but Judah's forehead had already sweated.

  Not only did Fawer-Judah recognize Amun, but Aristotle also recognized him. It was he who had saved the child in the square and sent him to serve Maria for three days. But when Amun saw Roddick, he didn't mention anything about the past, nor did he show any sign of recognizing Aristotle. Apparently, he didn't want to bring it up again. Moreover, Amun's appearance had changed a lot, and he was almost unrecognizable.

  It's said that Duketown has been destroyed by the flood, so this surviving child must have gone through too much hardship. It's normal not to want to mention sad past events again. Who doesn't have secrets they don't want to mention? As long as he doesn't say it, Aristotle won't expose it either; after all, it's Ah Meng's own business.

  Aristotle was also moved, this young miner named Armon, really like a guardian deity of Roddick, not only did he excavate the tears of the gods at the most opportune moment, but also returned the staff of the high priest at the most opportune moment. As Roddick's most valued and trusted aide, Aristotle was well aware of what the young lord had been worried about all along.

  The Aighar Empire is powerful, but the coastal city-state in the northeast border is relatively weak. If a war breaks out with the neighboring Balen Kingdom and the two city-states of the Hatti Kingdom, the coastal city-state will be very passive.

  The Uruk city-state of the kingdom of Barron has great heroes Gilgamesh and Enkidu sitting in town, guarding the throat of the Euphrates River, and no one dares to attack them. But if they attack the Eguy Empire to the west, how can the Haicheng city-state resist? The relationship between the Kingdom of Barron and the Eguy Empire is still relatively peaceful, with no major war danger for the time being, but on the other hand, the Hittite Kingdom is unpredictable.

  On the surface, the Hatti Kingdom had been subjugated to the Egur Empire for many years, but it was precisely because of their dissatisfaction with this fate that they continued to accumulate power to resist. A great flood cut off land transportation, making the Sea Cape City-State temporarily safe, but the flood could not last forever. The soldiers of the Syria City-State were well-equipped and most importantly, united as one.

  It's said that the chief priest, Song Lie, led the crowd to protect the city, and later became a 9th-level divine magician. His reputation is unmatched, and in the Xia City-State, he has even more authority than the gods themselves. This kind of cohesive force that wins over the hearts of the people is the most terrifying weapon in times of war, allowing the masses to forget their lives and deaths as they charge towards a single goal.

  In the midst of a thousand troops and horses, Gilgamesh, Enkidu, and Kor may not have been the decisive factors in their personal strength, but rather their ability to rally and unite the people. In comparison, Lord Dick, although also a capable lord, did not reach that level. Therefore, when Ahmon returned his staff in public, Lord Dick was so excited that this normally calm lord's hands were trembling slightly.

  A powerful empire, a relatively weak city-state, in a very important strategic location, and facing the threat of potential war, this is what Lord Dick worries about most. It's not that the lord can't think far ahead, once something happens he can't escape, he's not only the lord but also the family's ancestral territory is in Cape City-State.

  On the other hand, personal strength is not the decisive factor in winning among thousands of troops, but it is also a symbol and a guarantee to calm people's minds. After Nero's death, the city-state of Cape had no great magician for more than 30 years, which was obviously at a disadvantage compared with Balen's Uruk City-State and Hatti's Syria City-State.

  Since Maria became the Holy Maiden, she has gradually taken over some important matters of the Temple of Isis. Roddick had applied several times to send a great divine magician to preside over the Cape Temple, but there was no response. Recently, the Holy Maiden finally ordered someone to convey the message that an eighth-level great divine magician would be sent to inspect the border temples.

  Rodrick had made all the preparations to welcome him, and wanted to take this opportunity to invite the great god wizard to stay as the main god officer of Cape City. But how could he bring up such a topic? Who would be willing to leave the prosperous and comfortable Dreamflight to live in Cape for a long time, where an eighth-level great god wizard can live comfortably anywhere. Just on the day before the arrival of the great god wizard, the staff of the main god officer was miraculously returned, giving Rodrick a good excuse to make a request.

  Amun wasn't aware of the complexity of his arrival. In fact, he had a good impression of Lord Dick from the start. It was because of Lord Dick's arrival that Amun got to know Aiko, so he always felt a sense of gratitude towards him. After all, it was Lord Dick who had sent Aiko to his side.

  The temple of the Cape City State is much more magnificent than the Temple of Horus in Tuk Town. As soon as you enter the main hall, you first worship the statue of Horus in the center. Amun was the first to carefully examine this legendary god. Although there is also a Temple of Horus in Tuk Town, it is only a symbol of submission to the Egyptian Empire, and no one goes to offer sacrifices on their own initiative.

  The statue of Horus here is over 50 feet tall, with its arms crossed in front of its chest and a pair of huge wings hanging down from its shoulders. The human body is carved with the head of an eagle, whose eyes are even sharper than the beak. According to legend, Horus's incarnation is a divine eagle soaring through the sky, so craftsmen created such a statue. The giant statue has an indescribable sense of oppression, and everyone who enters the temple involuntarily bows down.

  After worshiping the gods, Amun was invited to sit in a side hall, among a group of noble people. However, Amun didn't seem too surprised or delighted. He had already faced the princess of the kingdom and even strolled through the meadow with his arm around a goddess, so this scene wasn't anything special anymore.

  Rod-Dick was slightly surprised, and smiled: "Our righteous man Amun, you have an extraordinary demeanor, firm and calm, even sitting among the noble people, not at all flustered, this is very rare for a young person"

  "I've been through countless life-and-death tests while hunting ferocious beasts in the treacherous mountains, so I rarely feel frightened anymore."

  Rode-Dick: "Oh, I see. So it was a chance encounter that made you discover Nero's will. You also found it while hunting, can you tell me the details of what happened?"

  Amun retold the old man's story from years ago, replacing the time and characters with Nero's last words and the course of events. Finally, he explained: "I read the text on the cave wall, Lord Nero hoped that someone would find it, send his remains back to Cape City, return the staff to the temple, and give the ring to his family according to his will."

  He didn't repeat what the Earth's Pupil had said, nor did he conceal what he had obtained. He spoke of the three scrolls, and anyway, as long as Roddick took a look at the message, it would be clear. Roddick asked with great interest: "Did you bring those three scrolls? There's no other meaning to it, that's your reward from Emperor Nero, I'm just curious."

  Those three scrolls of Ah Mun can't be taken out, and he doesn't want to take them out either. Moreover, two of them have been used up. He replied with great regret: "I was falling off the cliff when I discovered Emperor Nero's will. The mountain road is very dangerous. When I escaped from the predicament, my luggage was accidentally scratched by thorns and those three scrolls were lost. Fortunately, the staff and ring are still here."

  Rode-Dick let out a long sigh and said, "It's fortunate that we were able to avoid disaster. Don't be too hard on yourself, I'll thank you properly later... Please wait for a moment, we need to go check the information left in the staff."

  It's not difficult to check the information in the staff, as long as you master the intermediate information technique. They didn't do it in front of Amun, and Nero's message is quite important, possibly involving some secrets that are not suitable for an outsider to know. In a small meditation room in the temple, Roddick handed over the staff to the oldest priest, who was accompanied by administrative officials from various departments in the city-state, three high priests of the temple, and several heirs of the Lington family.

  Nero was just a title, and after dedicating himself to the gods as a full-time priest, he used the name registered in the temple records. People's habit of calling him no longer carried his family surname. Nero came from the great noble family of Lingdon in the city-state of Cape Town. Nero himself had no children, but there were nine adult nephews in the family who should also be present. Rode-Dick thought it through and sent a fast horse to pick up whoever could come.

  When the priest raised his staff, the voice of Nero from over thirty years ago echoed in the quiet room once again. "Whoever you are, fortunate enough to have come here and picked up my staff, please listen to my final words. I am Nero, the High Priest of the Empire of Egur, a 7th level Great Divine Spellcaster... When you return this staff to the Temple of Cape, find Lord Dick and ask him to find a Great Divine Spellcaster who is well-versed in high-level space-time magic to take out the will from the ring and read it aloud as testimony. Lord Dick is trustworthy."

  After hearing the will, everyone's complexion changed. Nero's will involved some secrets, including his doubts and hesitation about the gods when he faced death, which were not suitable for public disclosure. The past events of Bell thirty years ago had long been concluded by the official Egu, and the details were not allowed to be spread outside. Although Nero claimed in his will that he did not abandon the gods, this was very detrimental to his posthumous reputation and the impact on the hearts of the people of the city-state.

  It was a long time before anyone spoke, and Roddick was the first to react, asking in a low voice: "Can the information recorded in the Earth's Pupil be erased? We've all heard Lord Nero's last words, and everyone present is a witness. That's enough."