The Second Volume of Original Sin 071: The Name of Arokh

  The pursuers continued on their way and also entered the city of Tanis before nightfall. This old hunter, Heaven, was indeed impressive, as he found the hoof prints left by Amun on this section of road and discovered Amun's horse not far from the north gate of Tanis. - Before entering the city, Amun had abandoned his horse in the suburbs and entered the city on foot, leaving no recognizable footprints behind, completely cutting off the trail for the pursuers.

  The scale of the city-state of Tanis is not very large, with a population of about 100,000 in the main city. Compared to Cape City-State, it is not so prosperous. Most residents within the territory make a living by farming, herding and fishing. Amun found a good inn in the city, took the best room, finished dinner and rested behind closed doors, without going out for a stroll.

  Even on the road, his daily nighttime meditation practice has never been interrupted for a day. Whether it's the fifth-level body technique or the divine technique, both have reached their peak, but there is no sign of breaking through to the next level. Bell once said that cultivating the power of both sides becomes more and more difficult as one advances to higher levels, requiring not only unyielding willpower and persistent practice, but also certain opportunities and luck.

  The cultivation of divine techniques from the fifth level to the sixth, although not as difficult as advancing from the sixth level to a great divine technique master, is still an extremely difficult threshold. Becoming a sixth-level divine technique master means being able to cultivate high-ranking divine techniques, which isn't that simple. Fortunately, Amun is not in a hurry and is just doing his best with what's in front of him, following the requirements for cultivating the power of one body and two faces. The next test he will face is "Extreme Breakthrough".

  This should be a test of the body, according to Bell's words, the power awakened in the blood vessels causes the body to undergo qualitative changes, just like forging some kind of instrument, being re-refined. This process is naturally not easy, people must endure and break through their own limits, and still clearly experience and feel all this, but no one will push themselves into an unbearable situation to break through, even if it's a coincidence, they might get hurt or die.

  It sounds reasonable, but I don't know how to achieve it.

  That night, Ah Mon was meditating on the foundation of his divine technique, being extra vigilant and using his detection technique to pay attention to any movements around the inn. Just as it was getting dark, a commotion broke out on the street in front of the inn's gate, with patrolling soldiers opening the door to check the identities of all lodgers, taking away anyone suspicious or from out of town for questioning.

  From the conversation between the innkeeper and the captain of the soldiers, Amun learned that something unexpected had happened in the city-state today. A noble divine technique master's belongings were stolen, which was a very important divine artifact. The lord of the city ordered a thorough search throughout the entire city. Amun's room was naturally searched as well, but nothing was found. The cat slipped out of the window and possibly hid any suspicious items in the bones, which Amun casually hid on the roof.

  In addition to the goods, of course, people also need to be checked. Amun didn't say a word and only showed a certificate, which was the document that Dasuti, the town head, had given him at the time. Filling in the name could prove that this person is a citizen of the Egu Empire. This document finally came in handy today, and the name Amun wrote was - Arota.

  This matter was naturally handled by Vitru, who found the lord of Tanis City, Lord Yonah, claiming that he had returned to Isis City on official business under the orders of Lord Julian. When entering the city, several precious divine scrolls were placed in the luggage of his entourage, and when stopping the car, they were accidentally taken away by a foreign thief. These scrolls belonged to Lord Julian and must be recovered! It is unknown what else he said privately to Yonah, so there was this overnight search throughout the entire city.

  The soldiers didn't sleep at midnight and had to knock on doors all over the city, doing this kind of task that offended local residents. They naturally had complaints, but orders had to be carried out. The inn owner gave some benefits to the squad leader, asking him to be polite when searching so as not to offend the guests, otherwise business couldn't be done. The soldiers didn't make things difficult for Armon, after all, this guest lived in the best room in the store, his identity certificate was no problem, and he left after a simple glance. They were looking for outsiders.

  This sudden city-wide night inspection was not without results, catching many thieves and robbers, even the young lord's concubine who was having an affair with a groom in an inn, were caught red-handed by patrolling soldiers on the bed, which can be considered an unexpected harvest. Many suspicious outsiders and young men who happened to pass through the city-state of Tanis were taken out for questioning, not everyone walking on the road carries identification.

  It was precisely the Amun that Vitruvius had been looking for, but he was nowhere to be found. Their true purpose could not be publicly stated, nor could they go door-to-door searching for people. After dawn, the city returned to calm.

  What happened at night made Armon more vigilant, he always felt that this big search was aimed at himself. After dawn, taking advantage of the busiest time for pedestrians in the city, he packed his bags and hurried out of the city. He left from the south gate of Tanis City, where there were also checks, but Armon still took out the ID document with "Arokh" written on it and left the city smoothly.

  There was a person standing on the city wall, who was Julian's nephew Shute. Seeing Amon's back figure felt a bit familiar, rubbed his eyes but couldn't be sure, by the time he came to himself Amon had already walked far away. He had seen Amon's appearance in Vitru's tracking technique, but Amon changed clothes today and mixed with the crowd, it was indeed not easy to recognize at a glance.

  Last night, they didn't find Ah Mon, so Hai Wen guessed that Ah Mon might leave the city as soon as possible. Weituo thought of another way and sent a few people to guard the city gates separately. If they found Ah Mon's whereabouts, they would send signals to their companions at any time. This matter couldn't be made public after all, and they couldn't openly capture Ah Mon at the city gate either. They still had to track down Ah Mon to a deserted place.

  When Weitru and Haiven rushed out of the south gate, Amun had already run away without a trace. Haiven could only continue to follow the clues left by Amun to the south. He was really amazing, and he actually found it! The tree branch in Amun's hand would leave a shallow circular hole on the ground, just on the small path leading to the mountains and fields not far from the city gate, and several were seen in a row.

  Continue to chase forward, and this trace also disappeared. Amun should have put away his staff. At the last trace, Vitru again used the tracking technique, and several people saw Amun's figure. This foreigner was walking alone on a winding mountain path, seemingly neither fast nor slow, but with extremely fast footsteps!

  "He gazed at the mountain peaks ahead and said, 'That person has entered the mountains. The straight-line distance isn't too far; he just passed by two mountain heads. However, this road can't be ridden on horseback, let alone driven.'"

  Vitru, the divine warrior, and three other warriors looked very unsightly. They thought it would be easy to capture Amun, but unexpectedly, chasing this person was so difficult! Walking on foot through the desolate mountains and ridges was a hardship they would never normally endure, but Amun wouldn't follow their wishes and walk on flat roads. Now, whether they liked it or not, they had to chase him; Lord Julian's orders must be carried out.

  In the wilderness, it was Haitun's turn to show off his skills. Armon couldn't help but leave any traces, footprints on the grass, occasionally broken twigs were all clues for tracking. Every time the clue was temporarily interrupted, Haitun didn't waste time searching around, and instead used Vitruvius' tracking technique next to the latest trace to re-determine Armon's position. They would rush over as soon as possible, usually taking a shorter route than Armon.

  Chasing an invisible target is generally much easier than escaping, but Amun encountered both Haeven and Vitrue at the same time and couldn't shake them off.

  Haiwen, unlike Amun the fake "Hunter", was a true mountain hunter from childhood and systematically learned various tracking and assassination techniques in the Isis Temple. He worked hard and had great talent, now only one step away from becoming a great warrior.

  Weitru is an excellent sixth-level divine spellcaster, and he also has a precious magical instrument from the Isis Temple called "Chase the Flickering Lamp". With the help of this lamp, he can simultaneously cast the Detecting Puppet Eye Technique and the Information Tracking Technique. Under Haiwen's guidance, he can always find Amun's latest location. In the mountains and fields, it is different from the main road. Although they are walking fast, the terrain is undulating and winding, and the straight-line distance is not far.

  Fortunately, these people will not fly.

  Unfortunately, the area south of Tanis City-State did not have many mountains and rivers. If it were a terrain like the Yu Di River Valley, apart from Hai Wen, no one else could keep up with Amun. He could shake off most of the pursuers. However, the desolate hills and dense forests here were not treacherous, and Amun was just using the terrain to take the most difficult path, but the people behind him could still keep up.

  Haiwen led the way with a sharp short knife, trying to choose a route that was both easy to walk and close. Vitru was supported by two warriors as he hurried along, grumbling and scolding Amun for making him, a noble person, suffer such hardships in the deep mountains and forests, playing hide-and-seek games, and every now and then using the Pursuing Death Lamp to perform clever magic tricks, truly exhausting!

  Hai Wen comforted, "Lord Vitru doesn't need to rush, he's walking in the deep mountains where there are advantages and disadvantages. When night falls and it's pitch black, he won't be able to hurry along. But with your divine technique guiding us, we can still move forward and catch up to him by dawn."

  Everyone who heard this speech was slightly invigorated, thinking to themselves that the pursuit would finally come to an end. The desolate mountains and wild ridges were just right for a showdown. Before killing Amun, they had to thoroughly torture this troublesome guy. They had suffered too much on this journey, and in their hearts, they all hated Amun bitterly.

  If Ah Mon knew about this resentment, he would definitely find it hilarious. Just because these people want to kill him, does he have to walk on the main road and let them catch him comfortably?

  After the sky darkened, the pursuers began to cry out in distress again, because Arin hadn't slowed down his pace at all and was walking almost as fast as he had during the day! Haimu's heart grew wary: "He can see clearly in the darkness without even lighting a torch for illumination. It seems that he must have mastered some sort of detection magic. Lord Julian's guess wasn't wrong, this person is indeed a magician - we absolutely cannot underestimate him."

  "Magicians, what's the big deal? We have Lord Vittel here, even if he secretly learned divine magic, it would be nothing but a death wish."

  Vitru frowned and said, "The real thing to be careful about is the scrolls in his hands. We can't let him have a chance to unroll them. When we make our move, we must coordinate with each other. If all else fails, use the scrolls first. Since he's a magician, taking him down will be no problem at all. Even if it gets exposed, it'll be easy to explain afterwards."

  "However, Lord Julian has instructed that the matter to be investigated is extremely important and cannot be leaked out in the slightest. This person also cannot be left behind. After killing him, no one can prove that he was a magician, so it's still necessary to take secret action."

  By midnight, Armon finally stopped, he was tired and needed to rest. He found a secluded spot to sit quietly and meditate on the basics of his divine technique. Vitru and others also stopped in their tracks, they really couldn't keep up with him. Although traveling in the dark could use detection techniques to explore the terrain, it wasn't very convenient after all. Vitru's physical strength was far inferior to Armon's.

  Amun departed before dawn, and Haiwen and the others followed the trail in the deep mountains. This was like a difficult march. Perhaps it was intuition, or a kind of feeling under the state of meditation, or maybe it was because of Xue Ding's reminder, but every time Amun walked through the deep mountains, he felt a sense of tension on his back, as if someone was staring at him intensely.

  They walked in the mountains for two more days, and the pursuers found Amun's campsite every night. This kid even made a fire to cook, it seems he was well-prepared. Viteru and others didn't bring too much dry food, if they continued to chase, they would have gone hungry. Fortunately, the range of this mountainous area is not large, two days later, they came to the plain again, Amun returned to the official road and entered a town.

  Wietru and the others felt relieved, following behind and emerging from the dense forest to arrive at the gathering town. They learned that Amun had already purchased several horses and a carriage, personally driving it southward. This time they were well-prepared, purchasing sufficient dry rations in the small town and buying two horse-drawn carriages equipped with the best horses, driving them in pursuit from behind. Although sitting in the carriage was bumpy, it was still much more comfortable than walking on foot through the deep mountains, and for several mid-ranking warriors, it was also a kind of rest.

  To the south of Tanis was the city-state of Bubastis, but Amun bypassed it and headed straight for Heliopolis in the far south. Along the way, except for a brief camp at midnight, they hardly rested at all, leaving their pursuers exhausted. Except for Hevin, who could still hold on, Vitru and the other three warriors were more or less unable to bear it, and they secretly thought to themselves: "Is Amun made of iron or something? Doesn't he ever get tired?"

  Actually, Ah Mon was also very tired. Unlike the trackers who could take turns resting and driving, he had been personally whipping the horse carriage all along. The feeling of having a thorn in his back constantly reminded him of the existence of danger, making him want to escape quickly. However, no matter how hard he tried for so many days, that feeling always lingered, and his physical and mental strength were almost at their limits.

  If this continues, regardless of whether there are pursuers or not, and whether they can catch him or not, Amun will collapse from exhaustion first. Realizing this, Amun also started to conserve his energy, no longer sprinting recklessly like before. Even if he encounters any unexpected events, he must reserve some strength, at least he still has a large number of scrolls to rely on, and having escaped the underworld, he should be able to get through this hurdle as well.

  The city of Helios is located on the east bank of the Roni River, across from the city of Mufei. This area has become a center for economic and cultural development in Lower Egypt. The nearby Roni River Delta is fertile, rich in resources, economically developed, and densely populated. Amun once again skirted around the city and headed south on foot along the official road, entering the mountainous region on the east bank of the Roni River Valley, where another pursuit through the wilderness began.

  This time Amun's speed slowed down, and he rested for longer periods every night, deliberately heading towards desolate and uninhabited areas.

  Long before entering the city-state of Tanis, Amun felt that someone was tracking him. These trackers were not simple and actually followed all the way to the banks of the Roni River. It seems that escaping in one direction is not enough. Before being forced into a desperate situation, think of ways to counterattack. In a remote mountainous area with no one around, take action and use as many scrolls as possible at once, which is currently the best option.

  Amon has his own plan, and Vitru also has a mind. He chased Amon through the city-state of Bubastis, found that Amon bypassed the city and continued south, and couldn't help but ask Haiwen: "Look at this person, where is he going to escape?"

  Hai Wen thought: "He's heading southwest, towards the Ronnie River. If he wants to escape Julian's pursuit, where should he go?"

  "Vitru suddenly reacted and said: 'Meng Fei Si!'"

  Haiwen nodded solemnly and said, "If I were him, carrying some unspeakable secret, escaping into Dreamflight would be both dangerous and safe. We don't know who sent him or why Julian wants to kill him. Once he really enters the city of Dreamflight, it won't be easy to make a move, and even Julian can't cover up everything in Dreamflight!"

  As the high priest of the Isis temple, Julian naturally held a high position, but in the city of Meng Fei Si, it was impossible for him to be all-powerful. There were at least several others whose power was not below his, and things didn't always go as Julian said. If Amun entered the city of Meng Fei Si, it would be even more difficult to make a secret move, and if any rumors leaked out, Julian might lose control of the situation.

  Vitru thought of this too, narrowing his eyes: "It seems that the person's destination is likely to be Dreamflight, and we must intercept him before he crosses the river... We must be careful about those scrolls in his hand. If someone else makes a move first, it would be even better."

  Haiwen smiled, but the smile looked extremely cruel: "Knowing his destination makes it easier to handle. We can notify Obama-Lington to make the first move, and we'll follow Amun without haste. His speed has also slowed down, it seems that he can't hold on for long. This period of time circling around trying to shake us off ultimately didn't work. Obama will come directly from the official road, his speed will be much faster than Amun's."

  Wyatt and Haven slowed down when they found out that Armon had abandoned his horse and entered the mountains. Since Armon's speed had slowed, they also slowed down their pace, just keeping track of him. Wyatt and Haven studied the terrain and no matter how Armon wandered in the mountains, he would definitely come out at the valley mouth in the southwest direction, which was the road to the ferry terminal of the Roni River.