076, how have you been?

  Gabriel's words only asked half, and there were still many doubts in his heart that had not been resolved. He felt that this letter was very important, so he hurried back to the temple in the town to report to Maria. She wasn't worried that Amun would run away either, as he couldn't go anywhere in his current state, let alone the fact that the courtyard had already been tightly monitored.

  In Mary's bedroom, the Holy Mother opened the envelope in front of Gabriel and looked at it. As she read on, her expression became increasingly solemn, a layer of frost seemed to cover her pale face, and she didn't speak for half a day. Gabriel asked anxiously: "Your Excellency, your complexion is not right, what did the letter say?"

  Mary handed over the letter and said: "You see for yourself, stay calm, don't be impulsive."

  Gabriel gazed at the letter, unable to contain his indignation. His hand instinctively grasped the hilt of his sword as he gritted his teeth and cursed, "How despicable! He will surely be forsaken by the gods! Thinking of transferring me from the Isis Temple just for that pitiful position. Your original decision was wise, Holy Maiden. The Isis Temple doesn't need a high priest like Julian, someone who should never return!"

  Maria comforted, "You and I have long been clear about what kind of person Julian is and what he's thinking in his heart. Amun's appearance is like the guidance of the gods, with him and this letter, Julian will certainly not be able to return to the Temple of Isis again. Vitru has died, thank the gods, Amun is still alive! As long as we copy down the contents of this letter and send it back to Julian, he naturally won't be able to disobey the next order from the Temple of Isis."

  Gabriel nodded and said, "Use the Information God's technique to copy this letter, send someone to deliver it to High Priest Burk, tell him that this is a letter from Julian to him. I think High Priest Burk can no longer help Julian say anything, nor can he stop you from reappointing a more devout and faithful High Priest."

  "Alright then, it's settled. You go and take care of it yourself. Armon is important, we can't let him get hurt again."

  Gabriel looked at the Holy Maiden and asked in a tentative tone, "So you're saying that Amun will be pardoned? A foreign civilian killed a high-ranking priest of the Isis Temple and won't face any consequences, not even anyone mentioning it again?"

  "Shouldn't it be this way? Amun is innocent, he didn't go to harm anyone, on the contrary, his noble and selfless character symbolizes the call of the gods. It was he who offered the tears of the gods under the gaze of Isis. He obtained the staff of Nile but did not keep it for himself, returning it to the city-state of Cape. And what does this letter mean, you should be very clear about it, yet he still trusted me and handed it over directly. Is there a reason to harm such a person?"

  Gabriel bowed his head involuntarily: "Saint Lady, you are right, I understand these things. But I have seen too many noble people doing shameful things, such as Lord Julian. It is precisely because I have witnessed so much evil in the world, and the black tail under the magnificent clothes, that my faith and protection of the divine light have become even more resolute... If it falls into the hands of another lord, handing over this letter would put Amun's life in danger, I am just worried about him."

  Maria: "I thought so too, so I decided to protect Amun."

  Gabriel: "I'd like to ask another question, sir. Why do you think that way too? Your position is different from mine, so you should understand that what Amun knows involves a scandal of the Isis temple, which may bring shame to the gods or the temple."

  Maria smiled faintly: "The shame that a despicable person can bring is only to himself. As the guardian saint of the goddess Isis, I guard the dignity and glory of the gods. Whether in the sunlight or in the darkness, I will not do things that shame the gods, this is true faith."

  Gabriel bowed and said, "You are indeed the Holy Maiden, with eyes that symbolize the goddess's compassion. I must confess to you, I was just guessing something in my heart, whether Amun knows the contents of this letter or not, and wondering how he would handle it if he knew."

  Mary looked at the envelope on the table and said, "The envelope doesn't seem to have been touched, and the contents are written in a script he can't read. He shouldn't know what's inside even if he saw it. It's not his fault that the letter fell into his hands. The content of the letter is important to us, we should thank him! ... Gabriel, I haven't finished asking you questions, I want to ask him myself."

  Gabriel thought for a moment: "It was you who saved him, he should thank you. I will arrange for him to have an audience with the Holy Maiden tomorrow morning. This is a small town and not the Temple of Isis, so things are more convenient."

  ...The Holy Maiden was touring the Roni River when she saved a fainted passerby on the shore and had him taken to the town. The next morning, the rescued man expressed his reverence and gratitude to the Holy Maiden. The kind-hearted Holy Maiden summoned him, which was an unparalleled honor for this person.

  Amun waited outside the temple under the guidance of his attendant, until the Holy Maiden had finished her breakfast. He was then summoned to the ceremonial hall within the temple, where the Holy Maiden temporarily handled official business. A mat had already been laid out on the ground, and Amun could not approach too closely. Following the prescribed etiquette, he knelt down on the mat and paid his respects to the Holy Maiden, with both knees and elbows flat on the ground, bowing his head to kiss the floor.

  The saintess sat there, beckoning him to stand up, and said calmly: "I really didn't expect it to be you. The person who excavated the Tears of the Gods in Duketown back then has met again by the Roni River. This is the guidance of the gods! ... Come on, give Mr. Amun a chair and ask him to sit down and talk."

  The servants were all shocked, as commoners did not have the qualifications to sit in front of the Holy Maiden unless they had a reason to receive special grace. It was this young man who had excavated the Tears of the Gods at first, and the Holy Maiden did not hide this matter, frankly admitting that she had known Amun for a long time, and everyone's gaze towards Amun revealed a look of astonishment.

  After Ah Mon sat down, he bowed his head and said in a dignified manner: "I used to be a miner, extracting divine stones was my duty, it was the gods who lent me their hands to bestow the tears of the gods upon the Holy Maiden. And today, the Holy Maiden saved me, I don't know how to express my gratitude!"

  Maria: "I didn't think it would be you."

  Ammon: "Yes, I didn't expect it was you!"

  If there was anything special about this summons, it was that Armon spoke while constantly staring into the saint's eyes, just like he did in Duke Town. He looked at her with unspoken sighs in his heart, clearly aware of the vast difference in their status, and gazing into her eyes might be all he could do, the youthful emotions that had once sprouted could only be deeply buried in his heart.

  Since Aike could recognize him, he must still remember the "accidental" hug and touch from back then, when he almost kissed her. This was an absolutely unmentionable past event, but Aike didn't hold any grudges against him because of it, and instead buried this shared secret deep in his heart; otherwise, Armon wouldn't be sitting here safely now. With a simple question and answer, the two people said almost the same thing, something that only they themselves could understand.

  The holy maiden waved her hand, with an elegance and nobility that could not be described. Smiling, she said: "Mr. Amun, you not only excavated and presented the tears of the gods, but I also heard about another matter. It was you who recently returned the staff of the chief priest of the coastal city-state, along with a large number of precious relics. What a noble and selfless deed! I saved you, it should be the call and guidance of the divine spirit, you should thank the gaze of Isis."

  The Holy Maiden then inquired about Amun's acquisition of Nero's relic, and since it might involve the secrets of a great divine magician, she ordered all her attendants to withdraw, leaving only Gabriel by her side.

  That "experience" Amun had already told twice in Cape Temple, and now he was just retelling it again. Then he continued to talk about his encounter in Cape City-State. Maria asked: "You are a fifth-level intermediate warrior, but as far as I know, Vitru is a sixth-level divine master, Julian's guards are all intermediate warriors, how could you have killed them all?"

  Amon's heart tightened, this deadly question could no longer be avoided. He couldn't possibly recount the entire battle process, or it would expose all the secrets.

  But Maria didn't wait for his answer and asked again, "The head of the Lington family doesn't even thank you for your kindness, but instead brings a divine technician and warriors to hunt you down. Two groups of people who are plotting against each other's lives appear for the same purpose, and neither can expose themselves. I think it was because they were both exhausted from fighting each other that you had the opportunity to escape with your life. Is that right?

  "Is there a more perfect answer than this?" Maria asked him, actually answering for him. Armon had been pondering such an explanation and now didn't need to waste his breath, quickly nodding in agreement: "The Holy Maiden is wise and brilliant, it's indeed so!"

  Gabriel chimed in from beside him: "Can you recall and describe the facial features of everyone around Vitruvius as much detail as possible?"

  Amon described the appearance and weapons of several warriors, Gabriel turned around with some surprise and said: "Saintess, among them is Julian's nephew Shute, and his personal guard captain, Hafen. This Hafen was quite promising, had a good chance of advancing to Great Warrior, didn't expect him to be dead too!"

  Maria said with a regretful expression: "Mr. Amun, I want to apologize on behalf of the Isis Temple for this matter, which was likely masterminded by Julian, the high priest. However, everyone is dead and there is no conclusive evidence that he did it. According to the Egufa Decree, civilians cannot directly accuse a great divine magician, all accusations must be made by another noble who understands the inside story, and the Supreme Divine Court will make a ruling.

  Since everyone present is dead, it's unlikely that any noble familiar with the circumstances will accuse you on your behalf. Even if the case reaches the highest court of Eguth, Julian won't receive any punishment. On the contrary, making this public would be extremely disadvantageous to your situation. However, please rest assured that I won't let this incident go unpunished. I will definitely expel Julian from the Isis Temple because he has harmed the dignity of the gods."

  Amon stood up and bowed deeply, saying: "Holy Maiden, how can you apologize to me? I understand what you're saying, it was you who saved me and are protecting me."

  Maria waved her hand again: "Amon, you'd better sit down and talk." Then she pointed at Gabriel: "You handed us a secret letter and admitted it was from Vitru's corpse. You know, an outsider doing this might put himself in mortal danger. Why did you trust Lord Gabriel and me so much?"

  "Living in this world, we face many unknown dangers, and you never know when or where they'll appear. But you have to believe in some people; if there's no one left to trust, then what's the point of living in this world?"

  Mary's calm expression finally showed a slight change, her cherry lips parted as if to say something but didn't. At this time Gabriel asked again: "Amon, do you know the word?"

  Isn't this nonsense, Ah Meng? If he can't read, how could he understand Nero's will? And Maria should be even clearer. Ah Meng is probably not only familiar with knife books but also knows Eju grass script, otherwise how would he call out the name "Aiqiu"?

  "Sir, I can read," Ah Mon replied honestly, without explaining which script he could recognize.

  Gabriel asked again: "Do you know God's words?"

  Amun replied respectfully: "With my status, I shouldn't know divine writings; no one would teach me."

  Gabriel nodded silently and went outside the door. Maria changed the subject, saying: "Gabriel, can you go outside for a moment? I have something to ask Armon privately."

  Gabriel nodded silently, and without another word, he immediately obeyed and went out the door, standing guard with his sword. Leaving a grown man alone in a large hall with Saint Maria seemed somewhat inappropriate, but Gabriel knew there would be no problem; he trusted Maria even more than he trusted himself.

  What if Armon is an assassin? There's no need to worry about that either. Even if Armon were a powerful wizard who suddenly attacks, Maria would be able to withstand it with the Holy Maiden's staff and other divine artifacts in her hand.

  When only Maria and Armand were left in the hall, both of them fell silent, not knowing what to say next. The previous conversation did not mention the contents of the secret letter, Armand did not ask what was written on it, and Maria did not ask if Armand had seen it, they both deliberately avoided this topic.

  After a long time, Maria asked first: "Amon, how did you know my name was Aiko? By the Roni River, I heard you call me that. Was it just a coincidence?"

  How to answer this, should he tell Maria that a great magician had recorded her handwriting with the Information God's technique? Armon finally lowered his head and no longer looked directly into her eyes, slowly answering: "Holy Maiden, you once wrote down this name on a wall in Duke Town. Everything that happens in this world will leave traces, whether people are aware of it or not, it has happened, please forgive me for calling you this."

  Maria didn't get angry, instead she lowered her head and looked at her fingers, saying: "Amon, from now on you can't call me that anymore, I'm not using this name."

  Amon raised his head and said, "Yes, Holy Maiden! I won't call you that again, but in my heart, I still think of you by that name. Is that also a blasphemy? Forgive my rudeness, but it's the truth."

  "This is truly a bold and presumptuous statement, to say such a thing in the presence of Her Holiness! Maria was taken aback, and couldn't even bear to look him in the eye, responding in a low voice: 'When we gaze up at the divine spirit, what we see is the starry sky above us and the sincerity within our hearts. Ahmon, the divine spirit will not blame you, so how could I possibly blame you?'"

  Amon silently let out a sigh: "Thank you for your answer, Holy Maiden. Someone else has also told me something similar before."

  "Who is it?" Maria raised her eyes:

  Amun: "He is called Eso, a slave of Dreamflight merchant in Cape City-state, he told me."

  Maria intertwined the fingers of both hands and sighed softly, "The nobility of the soul is not different because of status. ... Ahmon, if you want to call me Aiko, you can do so today, but once you leave this door, remember what I just said."

  Then the two fell silent again, seemingly unsure of what to say next. After a while, Amun finally asked, "Aiko, are you doing all right?"

  Maria retorted: "Amon, you clearly know that I am already the Guardian Saintess of the Isis Temple, why ask this?"

  Amun lowered his eyelids and looked at his toes, weakly answering: "Yes, I know you are the Holy Maiden. But I also know that the high priest who should be loyal and honest by your side is not what people imagine. You must have your own difficulties too, so I want to ask if you're happy?"

  Maria smiled, as if it were the same pure smile of that girl back then: "I just said earlier, when looking up to the divine, what I see is the starry sky above and the honest heart within. I am the guardian saintess of Isis, guarding the sacred faith, and the existence of sin and darkness in the world is even more reason for me to be steadfast. Under the guardianship of the light within my heart, I have been doing well, it shouldn't be described as happy or not, this is my glory and honor!"

  Aiko didn't hide anything from Armon, his special ability allowed him to sense her true emotions. At this moment, Armon fully understood what she meant. He looked at her and thought that this Holy Maiden would eventually become a great sorceress. "Faith Fusion" was a difficult test for others, but for her, it was just an inevitable process.

  Amon has already achieved a 6th-level divine technique, and it's only been two years since she started practicing. Amon's progress is quite astonishing, but so far he only has a 5th-level achievement with the power of one body and two faces. This kind of power is more difficult to cultivate, but his foundation was laid much earlier than Maria's, as the old madman had given him all sorts of foundations many years ago.

  If Maria didn't have superhuman talent, she wouldn't have been selected as a holy maiden by the Isisis Temple. After becoming a holy maiden, she had all the conditions that were more convenient than Amun's, and whatever scriptures or objects she wanted to use would appear before her eyes. Moreover, she also possessed the Holy Maiden's staff, which made it extremely easy for her to try out any divine technique.

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