085, That shouldn't be your curse

  085, That shouldn't be your curse

  Amun pushed away the people beside him, shook his head and said: "No, this is not an accident, I took this lash for this miner. Lord John, what you just said about the temple envoy should be me? All the divine stones of this season have been handed over, and I did not order these miners to dig out more. What do your words mean? Are you saying that I made you whip these people? If so, then this lash should indeed fall on my body."

  Amun publicly tore into him, with so many people around, John's face was very awkward, but after all, he had hurt the envoy, and could only apologize: "Mr. Amun, please don't blame me, I just got angry at these dirty miners. The man just now damaged the precious mineral core that was extracted with great difficulty. As for mentioning your arrival, it was just to remind them to work more seriously."

  Amun still had a gloomy face, and in a rebuking tone said: "Mining divine stones can't guarantee 100% success, occasionally damaging a mine core is normal, why are you so furious?"

  "Mr. Envoy, you probably don't know that these people are the Pharaoh's slaves, they come from the town of Duk in the Hittite Kingdom, a place abandoned by the gods, they are cursed and exiled by the gods, their tribesmen, their ancestors, have been filthy miners serving the gods for generations. It is an honor for them to be personally flogged by me with my noble status."

  Amon's expression had already calmed down, but upon hearing this, his face suddenly turned red again, his eyes sank and became sharp and terrifying, staring at John coldly and saying: "So to speak, this whip of yours is also my honor"

  John, with a straight face, replied somewhat bewildered: "Mr. Amun, although you are not of noble birth, but as an inspector of the temple, how can you be compared to these abandoned people of Du Ke Town?"

  "Ahmon: "Lord John, you've lost your mind! I'm a high-ranking warrior and even my strong physique was injured by that one lash. How could this frail miner possibly withstand it? If you had struck him earlier, you might have taken his life! They're not criminals, they're craftsmen who excavate divine stones for the temple. Their skills deserve respect. What gives you the right to say what you did?"

  Maria sent Ammon to inspect the Helei Mountain, and it turned out that there was a deep meaning. The descendants of Duoke Town were actually here. He didn't know what was going on, but John's words ignited an uncontrollable anger in Ammon. John was not only scolding these miners, but also insulting Ammon's clan and ancestors, including his deceased father. After all, he was just a child under the age of 18, how could he bear it?

  John was not aware of Armon's background, and this move by Armon seemed to be intentionally provocative in front of everyone. At this time, he also got angry, coldly snorting: "Mr. Armon, it seems you're deliberately standing under my whip. I'm a top-notch martial artist too, you can't even catch up with me, yet you want to blame me for hurting you? You should ask yourself why you didn't learn better martial skills. And what you just said is extremely disrespectful towards an imperial noble."

  The air was thick with gunpowder, and the attendants didn't know how to persuade him. Everyone knew John's temper, impulsive, violent, and easily angered, and once he got angry, he would be extremely rude to his subordinates and the slaves in the mine. These craftsmen who mined the divine stone served Pharaoh and were precious resources, and Pharaoh had ordered that they must not be harmed at will.

  But Captain John Wyndham was in a furious temper today, and he lashed out with such a whip that if it had really struck Moses, there would have been serious consequences. He might not have paid with his life, but he would certainly have been punished and rebuked. He had caused similar trouble in Dreamflight City, which was why he had been transferred to Mount Harlech, but old habits die hard.

  Aaron was not aware of the situation, his heart filled with anger, he turned around silently and snatched the hammer from Moses' hand. He walked slowly around the hall, came to each workbench and struck with the hammer. After one circle, everyone was stunned, because this special envoy actually opened all the mineral cores on the anvil.

  With each strike of the pickaxe, the hard outer shell of the ore core turned into a shallow white-colored fine sand that spilled out, and more than 30 spirit stones appeared perfectly intact before everyone's eyes. What a wonderful skill! Ah Mon didn't use a staff like a divine technique master, his hand was just a pickaxe. No need to explain what it meant, everyone had already vaguely guessed the origin of this special envoy, even the miners were stunned.

  In a short moment, more than 30 divine stones were extracted without any damage. For Amun, it was also quite strenuous. He walked back to John's side, his forehead already sweating, the veins on his arm bulging as he gripped the hammer, and said coldly: "Did you see that? I'm also a miner from Doktown. I'd like to ask, what qualifications do you have to say those words, insulting such craftsmanship?"

  "You have insulted my people, my ancestors, my late father and the teacher I respect. Noble warrior, I now formally request a duel with you. Under the Egur Empire's law, this must be granted by you, as I, a commoner, am requesting a duel with a noble, and will take responsibility for any harm caused. Lord John, you asked me earlier why I didn't learn better martial skills, so please grant this request, and let us make it clear what true martial skills are."

  The Edict of the Empire of A had provisions for duels between warriors, which could be requested in certain situations. In cases where a duel was requested, there had to be witnesses and the other party could refuse. Duels between commoners and nobles were allowed if the noble agreed, but if the commoner injured the noble, they would still face punishment. This edict seemed unfair, but since the status of nobles and commoners was unequal in itself, this edict at least provided a way for commoners to take revenge before facing the consequences.

  Amon made a request for a duel, his previous action of excavating more than 30 divine stones in a row had already extinguished most of the anger in his heart, now looking at John's expression was mostly cold smile. With John's temper, how could he refuse, he was thoroughly enraged by Amon, pointing to the door and saying: "Let's go outside for a duel, you can choose your own favorite weapon."

  Amun shook his head and said, "I don't need any weapon, just this pickaxe." His contemptuous tone made John even more furious.

  The two walked shoulder to shoulder towards the door, and their attendants could not stop them. Just then Blanche rushed in with her staff, grabbed one of them by the hand and said: "You two warriors, why do you want to duel for these humble miners? Stop it at once, whoever gets hurt will be a disaster."

  Blanca heard that Armand was unexpectedly injured and rushed over, also not understanding the specific situation. At the door, she saw two people about to duel and hurried forward to dissuade them. John was also blunt with his superior, answering with a straight face: "As a noble warrior, I have already accepted Mr. Armand's request for a duel. Unless he proposes to withdraw from the duel, I will not back down."

  "Sir, I grew up in Duketown from a young age, the lowly miner you spoke of. He insulted my kin and ancestors, so I requested this duel. But please be assured, I will only defeat him without harming him during the duel. You've arrived just in time, would you be willing to act as our witness?"

  Blanca stamped her foot, wishing she could slap herself in the face. She had rushed over too hastily without asking about the situation clearly, and wasn't her attempt to mediate just adding fuel to the fire? By the time she turned around, two warriors were already standing facing each other on the empty ground outside the door. Johann drew out a heavy broadsword, while Armon grasped his warhammer, and the duel could no longer be stopped.

  Blanca stood at the door as a witness, holding her staff ready to cast a spell if either of the duelists was in mortal danger. She would immediately intervene to prevent irreparable consequences. At the same time, she was anxiously thinking about how to hush up this matter and quietly resolve it on Mount Heilongshan without letting it spread to the Isis Temple.

  He was pondering when he suddenly heard Amun urging: "Lady Blanca, why haven't you started yet?"

  Blanca finally came to herself, realizing she had been dazing off. With a helpless gesture, she raised her staff and sent out the signal for the duel to begin. John's figure shot towards Amun like an arrow released from its bowstring, his broadsword held high with a brilliant light shining on it. He didn't use the sword's tip to stab or the blade to chop, but instead used the back of the sword to slap Amun's shoulder where he was holding his hammer.

  This man is not completely brainless, although it's a duel, he just wants to knock Amun down and give him a lesson. This sword is more ferocious than the previous whip, with speed and power both reaching their limits. The surrounding warriors all let out a cry of surprise, seeing John standing over ten steps away, but in the blink of an eye his sword had already landed on Amun's shoulder.

  Gasps turned into screams, which were then drowned out by a loud, drawn-out crash. Amun stood still, yet saw John's sword fly out of his hand in two pieces, and the man himself fell to one knee before him, the pickaxe resting on his shoulder. With just a slight flick of his wrist, Amun could have smashed John's head like a rock, but he didn't take his life.

  Only a handful of people saw the situation clearly, John's speed was fast, but Amun's speed was even faster, exceeding John's reaction. When John rushed forward, his sword had not yet fallen, and in that instant, Amun's pickaxe turned into an afterimage and struck his left knee. John's leg softened and he knelt to the ground, his sword already falling down.

  Amon swung his second hammer in a short time, blocking the sword on John's shoulder, making a deafening sound, and shattering the light on the sword. John couldn't hold the sword, the heavy broadsword flew out of his hand, still trembling in mid-air, and suddenly broke into two pieces in mid-air. Amon took advantage of the momentum to flip his wrist, and the pickaxe was placed on John's shoulder.

  "Blanca shouted loudly: 'The duel is over, Amun wins!'"

  John, who was kneeling on the ground, was drenched in sweat and no one knew better than him how terrifying Amun's attack just now was. When he rushed over just now, he clearly saw Amun's pickaxe swing out, although he wanted to block it, but his movements couldn't keep up with the reaction, when the hammer hit his knee, his heart went cold, thinking that this leg would be crippled. But the feeling was strange, there was no severe pain, but a strange impact shock numbness spread throughout his body, and his legs softened and he knelt down.

  Amun swung his hammer upwards, striking the heavy sword with a massive impact. The intense shockwave caused John to lose his grip on the sword. After the sword flew out of his hand, the force of the impact continued, shattering a heavy broadsword in mid-air. John felt that Amun's pickaxe could kill or injure him at any moment, and even Branka couldn't stop it in time.

  Just now John was still filled with rage, but in an instant he was drenched from the inside out by a chill, and all he could hear was Ah Meng saying slowly: "This is the mining skill of Du Ke Town. It can open up the mine core without damaging the divine stone, and it can disperse your power without harming you. The gods bless me for controlling it well, and I didn't hurt you. Lord John, do you admit defeat or want to try again?"

  Blanca walked over: "No need to come again, I am a notary, this duel, John has already lost"

  John, who was kneeling on the ground, suddenly bowed his head and said: "Mr. Armon, I give up." Not giving up would be humiliating himself, although they were both high-ranking warriors, but he didn't even have the strength to fight back in front of Armon. This warrior had a violent temper, but his outbursts came and went quickly, at this moment, he was completely meek.

  It seems that Armond's anger has not dissipated, and he turned to Blanca: "Since this warrior admitted defeat in the duel, he should atone for his words and actions and apologize."

  Blanca was about to persuade John to back down, but unexpectedly John nodded and said: "I apologize, take back what I just said, apologize to everyone I insulted, and make amends for my actions... Come here, bring me that whip, I'll return it to you"

  One of the men below brought over the long whip from earlier, and John handed it to Amun with both hands. Blanca's face looked a bit unsightly, wanting to say something but retreating to the side instead. John took a few steps back and turned around, and Amun didn't hold back either, taking the whip and cracking it out with a flick of his wrist. John wasn't wearing armor, so when the whip struck his back, his clothes tore open and a bloody mark was left on his skin. This strike was neither light nor heavy, just like the one Amun had received earlier.

  "Alright, alright, you two warriors. Everything is settled now. We can all be friends since we've had a good fight."

  "Your Honors, may I request a private conversation with you both? I have something to discuss and seek your guidance."

  ……

  After the duel, they calmed down and could finally speak calmly. Amun and John had medicine applied to their backs, it was just a superficial wound, there were no obstacles at all, and Branca even cast healing magic on both of them.

  Blanca, as the supervisor of Mount Horeb, only wanted to make things right, and had people bring out fine wine and food to accompany Ahmon in conversation. As for John being his subordinate, his tone was naturally more severe, he scolded: "John, you should thank Mr. Ahmon, those miners are Pharaoh's slaves, there is an order not to harm them arbitrarily. How did your temper come up and forget everything? That young man named Moses is their leader, if you really killed him, you will only be severely punished, Ahmon actually saved you today."

  "Excuse me, Lady Blanca," Ah Mon interrupted, "I'm also a miner from Duketown. What's strange is that the descendants of Duketown would come to Mount Heli."

  Blanca replied, embarrassed: "I'm not quite sure about that either. They were brought by the city-state of Haicheng's guards, along with a decree from the Pharaoh... Please forgive me, I don't know your background, but I'm very curious, Mr. Amun, how did you also come from Duketown?"

  "You haven't heard? The tears of the gods inlaid on the holy staff, I personally excavated them. Because I selfishly offered the tears of the gods to the goddess Isis, I was punished and exiled, but thus avoided a disastrous great flood."

  John exclaimed in surprise, "You're the one who mined the Tears of the Gods? No wonder the Holy Maiden has a special favor towards you. The mining skills of the people from Duke Town are indeed not to be underestimated. It's defeated me, please forgive my rashness."

  Amun could have ended the matter with a few more flattering words, but instead he shook his head and said: "Lord John, your rashness and impulsiveness are a disaster. Not only did you disobey Pharaoh's orders and harm those miners for no reason, but there is also another dangerous tendency that implies an even more serious crime. Are you aware of it?"

  John was startled and asked in a daze, "Please, Mr. Amun, what's wrong with me?"

  "Which god do you really believe in?" Ah Mon asked coldly.

  "Of course it's the great guardian god of the Aegyptian Empire, Horus," John replied succinctly, "and the Holy Mother Isis..." He rattled off a string of divine names.

  After he finished speaking, Amun asked slowly and unhurriedly: "You said that the miners you mentioned today were cursed and exiled by gods, which gods are they?"

  John was stunned, but Blanca realized the inappropriateness and replied stiffly: "It's just a slip of the tongue, Mr. Armon, no need to pursue it."

  Armond persisted, turning to Blanca and asking: "Captain John may not be clear, but as a divine magician, you should know. I'm not pursuing this, just want to clarify, please answer me."

  Bianca's cold sweat flowed down, and she had to answer: "It is Anu, the god of heaven, Hatti, Balen, Assyria The gods worshipped by the kingdom. In fact, I'm not very clear about the legend of the miners in Du Ke Town either, just occasionally heard people discussing it."

  Amun's face darkened as he turned to John and said, "You invoke the gods of foreign lands to curse those around you. Are you trying to betray your faith or commit treason? Let me tell you the truth, I offered the tears of the gods to Isis, which is why I was exiled from the city-state of Hatti. Is this also a crime in your eyes?"

  A calm and peaceful remark, however, proved to be even heavier than the mighty pickaxe from earlier. John, who had just calmed down, couldn't sit still no matter what and hastily got up to kneel on the ground and say: "Mr. Armon, this is my fault, I absolutely won't dare to say such words again."

  Amon also stood up and looked at him: "Noble warrior, even if they are cursed by the gods, but you are not a foreign god, that should not be your curse...... If I report everything that happened here to the Isis Temple, what will happen?"