87. You shall not worship other gods.

  Walter was busy at the time and did not arrange for this immediately, only ordering the guards to protect the manor and sending Moses and others enough food and water, letting them wait for a while. Later, when Galen returned to the city-state of Syria, he advised Moses to stay, but Moses, who had not yet recovered from his fright, refused to continue staying there no matter what, asking this great wizard to send them away safely.

  Korah was helpless, and had to order his disciple Hua Leite to personally escort Moses and others out of the border, protecting them from harm on the way. Before leaving, he asked Moses: "If one day you can return home, are you willing to come back?"

  "Moses replied without hesitation, 'Is it Duketown? Of course, that's my hometown!' In his mind, the almost isolated Duketown and the detestable Syrian city-state were two completely different worlds. During the days of being besieged and attacked, his greatest wish was to return home and rebuild his home, which had become Moses' life ideal."

  "You will become the rightful heirs of a very important land, wherever you go, you may face hardships. Your hometown will resurface, but in a few years' time, if you can really come back, don't forget what I did today."

  Moses knelt down and said: "Noble great magician, I and my people will be forever grateful to you. In the future, if there is anything that needs to be done, Moses will definitely try his best to satisfy it."

  Walter escorted Moses and others through the half-dry swamp, across the desert, all the way to the border of Syria. Moses arrived at Cape City, seeking asylum from Lord Roddick. His request was not high, hoping to buy a plot of land in this place for temporary residence, and the miners were also strong young men who could be self-sufficient, waiting for the opportunity to return home.

  Lord Dick had received many benefits from the mayor of Dastin, and it was no problem for him to agree to Moses' request, even setting aside a piece of land in his own territory for them to live on. But before long, another unexpected event occurred.

  Moses and others came to the city of Haikou to seek refuge, and soon after Amun left Haikou, this news could not be hidden. It quickly spread to the capital of Egypt, and Julian, the great magician of Haikou, even sent a secret report to the Egyptian Academy of Magic and the Pharaoh of Egypt respectively. Roddick soon received the Pharaoh's order and dispatched the guards to send the people of Du Ke Town to designated places.

  Julian knew that Amun was a miner from the town of Duc, he had been the high priest of the Isis temple, and should have seen that "Marduk's Land", knowing many inside stories. Maybe it was revenge against Amun, or maybe he wanted to curry favor with Pharaoh, in short, what was said in that secret report was not good words, Moses naturally couldn't know the specific inside story.

  Moses was thus sent to Mount Horeb, where he and the people of Tukkun were confined and became slaves of Pharaoh. They were said to have been treated as foreign prisoners of war and continued to work in the quarrying of divine stones. It is said that Julian himself had escorted them here, and Julian not only conveyed Pharaoh's orders but also privately told them that these people had been abandoned and exiled by the gods and punished by the gods, losing their homes.

  This was roughly the experience of Moses and others. Amun fell into deep thought after hearing this, and the fate of his people might not be just a simple personal revenge by Julian. Even Roddick couldn't protect these people, and Pharaoh directly ordered them to be confined here, probably for other reasons.

  Maria once said to Amun, "I should thank you, and I should also offer my help with your matter, but I don't know how much I can actually help." Apparently she knew about this matter, but was powerless to do anything, unable to directly help Amun release these people.

  Amon, prompted by the goddess Mu Yun, already knew that the Douke Town area would become a thousand-mile fertile land. After being prompted by Xue Ding'an and reading the mythological legend "The Land of Malduk", he clearly understood that this place would lead to contention. He had also seen the soul of Dasiti Town's mayor lingering in the underworld, and learned that many lands in Douke Town were in Moses' hands.

  The Pharaoh detained the people of Du Ke Town, on the one hand, perhaps because their skills were extremely useful, and mining divine stones in He Lie Mountain was the most suitable. More importantly, another aspect is that they also wanted to get involved in the future disputes over the thousand-mile fertile land. Did the Eju Divine Technique Academy also know about the changes that would take place around Du Ke Town? This kind of thing can't be said for sure, since Goddess Mu Yun was clear about it, the gods of Eju might also be aware, and perhaps hinted to the people.

  Amun was silent for half a day before quietly asking: "Moses, I heard that all the land deeds in Duke Town are in your hands. Is this true?"

  Moses' expression suddenly became alert: "Who told you?"

  Amon let out a sigh, his hand on his shoulder saying: "Don't doubt me, I wasn't ordered to test you. After I left Du Ke Town, Dasiti Town Lord told me personally."

  Tears welled up in Moses' eyes again: "I didn't bring the deed with me, it's hidden in a secret place in the city-state of Syria. My father sent me to the city-state, but he himself died in the flood. What did he say to you before he left?"

  Amon: "The people of Dast Town have longed for you and the survivors of Douke Town to return home and rebuild your homes. I also want to ask, are you willing to do so?"

  Moses nodded involuntarily, reached out and grabbed Ahmon's arm: "I'm willing, this is what I and everyone else have been dreaming of! Ahmon, you are now the inspector envoy of the Isis Temple, do you have a way to save us?"

  Amun shook his head helplessly and said, "I am just a small archivist guard at the Temple of Isis, it is impossible for me to let Pharaoh change his orders to release you. This time I came to Mount Hermon, I can only do my best to make sure you receive better treatment in the future. But please rest assured, after leaving Duketown, I have heard the divine revelation, the messenger of the gods will guide you out of Egypt and return home."

  Moses' grip tightened: "Will the messenger of God come to Mount Horeb? When?"

  "Since the gods have made a promise, please be patient and wait for the guidance of the oracle. The hopes of those miners are pinned on you, you are their leader, now what needs to be done is to lead your people to live well, don't lose faith and courage."

  Amon did not say more to Moses, for he did not want to bring trouble upon himself and his people. Some things were not meant to be made public, and Moses knew too much too soon, which was not good. His appearance only gave the tribespeople a glimmer of hope. After keeping Moses back to have a sumptuous lunch with him, he ordered someone to send him back.

  Amon stayed in He Lie Shan for more than ten days, nominally to recover from his injuries. Meanwhile, Blanca and John kept their promise, and the living conditions of the miners in Ke Zhen improved significantly. These people had personally excavated at least 40% of the divine stone produced in this area and should have been treated better.

  As John had promised, as long as Armon didn't take these tribesmen away, nothing else mattered. In this remote place of He Liao Shan, big or small matters were basically decided by Blanca and him. Armon took the opportunity to make a small request, moving to live near the miner's residence, convenient for chatting with the tribesmen at any time, he was very concerned about the situation in his hometown, and couldn't finish speaking in just a few words.

  In that village, the simple stone house was naturally not convenient for Mr. Te to live in. The closest ones were the residences of those divine stone miners, the divine masters. Blanca ordered the main house of the divine master to be vacated and let Amun temporarily take over.

  Actually, Armon didn't need to talk to those miners about anything. After the flood, Dek Town no longer existed, and there was really nothing to discuss. He had other plans. The situation on Mount Heiluo was already clear to him, although many warriors and divine arts practitioners were stationed here in shifts, but the defense was not tight.

  Here in the depths of Eju, there was no threat of war during peaceful times, and no one would be on high alert for no reason. On the other hand, He Lie Shan was a remote semi-desert area, more than 200 miles away from the Luo Ni River, with no villages or residents nearby, and no one came to disturb them here. It was not easy for people to escape even if they wanted to. The labor of mining was hard enough in normal times, and it was really unnecessary to manage things too strictly.

  The defensive strength of the Hellsing family is not weak, but in terms of individual ability, no one can compare to Alucard's. The highest divine technique is possessed by Integra, and the highest physical technique is possessed by Seras, but even if you add them together, they are still not as brilliant as Alucard. Whatever Alucard wants to do, he always has a way to secretly deceive others, as long as it's not too ostentatious.

  It was a deep night, Moses lay in bed tossing and turning, unable to sleep, still thinking about the scene of meeting with Ahmen. Ahmen's appearance brought a glimmer of hope to the tribe, and their treatment had also improved a lot in the past few days, but were his words true? Would there really be divine guidance for them to escape the predicament? Moses had been insomnia for three days, and Ahmen's arrival also brought new anxiety and expectation.

  Just then, he suddenly heard a voice in his ear saying: "Moses, do not be afraid or surprised, the voice you hear is the guidance of the divine spirit."

  Moses was so startled that he almost fell off the bed, looking around for half a day, the room was dark and there was no shadow of anyone, he sat up excitedly, just wanting to speak, but heard the voice say again: "You don't have to talk, it's not possible to communicate with me in this way now. Please follow my guidance, put on your clothes and go out, follow a group of fireflies to climb Mount He Lie, I'll be waiting for you there."

  Moses felt his heart beating violently, almost jumping out of his throat. Ahmon had said that a divine spirit would guide him, could it be appearing so soon? He didn't dare to believe but couldn't give up the opportunity either. He got out of bed, put on his clothes, gritted his teeth and stepped out of the stone hut with determination.

  There was a faint glow outside the door, like a firefly flying alone in the night. As soon as Moses stepped out, the light flew away. The night was very quiet, so quiet that it made people feel afraid, even the slightest footsteps seemed to have an echo, as if there were invisible people following behind.

  Moses was very nervous, afraid of being discovered by the guards. However, the glow led him to wander around the stone house group without encountering a single person, and he finally left the small village towards Mount Horeb. When he arrived at the foot of the mountain, he looked back and saw that several guards were leaning against the wall outside the village, dozing off, seemingly unaware of his presence, before turning to climb up the mountain with relief.

  The mountain was a bit steep, with sparse shrubs growing among the bare rocks. The fireflies twinkled on and off, as if guiding Moses along the easiest path to the summit. Tonight, Moses felt especially excited, as if an invisible force was supporting him, his footsteps light and almost flying, moving at an incredible speed.

  The moonlight was bright, and a figure stood on the mountain top, leaning on a tree branch with a cloak wrapped around him, making his face indistinguishable. The firefly flew up to the mountain top and disappeared into his bosom. He spoke to Moses in a voice that was both near and far: "Moses, child from Tuk town, do not be afraid, I am the messenger guiding you!"

  Moses felt as if he were sleepwalking, and he didn't dare to believe that he had walked out of the stone hut and followed a ball of light to arrive at the mountain top, where he indeed saw the person who was speaking! He took a step forward and knelt down on the ground, saying: "Are you really here to guide me and my people out of trouble?"

  He nodded and said: "Yes, since I have guided you to this place to see me, in the future I will also guide you and your people back to their hometown. You must not have any doubts in your heart."

  Moses knelt on the ground for half a day without speaking, his shoulders shaking uncontrollably, and he actually began to cry silently. Ahmon, who was wearing a cloak to hide his face and change his voice, asked softly: "What's wrong with you? Why do you cry when you see me?"

  Moses wept and said, "I am crying for the bitter fate, I am crying for my father, and I am crying for Du Ke Town! Now that I have finally seen you, may I ask which god is guiding this?"

  Amun replied: "I once made a promise in front of the goddess Mu Yun, I will guide you and your people back to their hometown to rebuild their homes."

  Moses' shoulders shook even harder: "I dare not lie in the presence of God, but I do have doubts in my heart! Where was the guardian deity when my father died in the flood? And where was the guardian deity when I and my people were threatened with death? I hold no grudge against the guardian deity, but my heart can no longer summon that former reverence. The world has become so strange to me, and the former guardian deity is now just like a stranger!"

  This kid is quite unique, although he's only nineteen years old, but with so many hardships in his life, anyone would become mature and can't help but think more. He has an opinion about the goddess Mu Yun, although he doesn't have any resentment towards this god, but indeed cannot revere her. Amun told him not to have doubts in his heart, and he spoke out the most genuine thoughts that had been suppressed for a long time.

  Amon didn't have enough time to explain more, and it was also what he couldn't explain clearly. He had to give Moses a firm hope, so he said again: "You don't resent the guardian spirit, which is rare. When people pray for divine help, they should first think about what they have done themselves, why ask the divine to do something for you? The former guardian spirit indeed wanted to guide the tribe back, but she was not the only god in the world."

  Moses lifted his tear-stained face: "I hope you can give me the only, most firm belief, which is the reason why we live well in adversity. Since you have come here, will you always guide me? May I ask your name?"

  "I am Arroh, and when you have doubts in your heart, you can silently recite this name. My appearance will be like the guiding light that leads you to the top of the mountain, and the path is under your own feet. As long as you don't give up on your faith, I won't give up on you either. Whether or not there's a guardian deity's protection, no matter how many hardships there are, I will fulfill my promise."

  Moses bowed down and kissed the ground, saying: "Your voice is the guidance of the divine spirit, the light that does not go out in darkness. If you can guide me to come out of prison and reach this mountain top, can you also guide my people to leave this place?"

  Amon wanted to sigh but held back, and replied in a calm tone: "I can guide you alone to come here quietly in the dark of night, but from here on out is a vast desert, returning home is thousands of miles away, having to cross many city-states, you and so many tribespeople cannot avoid being discovered, nor can you escape pursuit."

  "Moses asked in disappointment: 'Then how can we leave?'"

  "Amon: 'Don't give up on your beliefs, get ready from now on and wait for that day to come.'"

  Moses: "May I ask how to prepare?"

  Ah Mon raised the branch in his hand: "This is the purpose of my summoning you today, the mining skills of Du Ke Town still contain mysterious and profound skills, it is a two-sided power. I want to awaken this power for you, and also awaken your confidence, making your soul truly strong."

  Amon changed his identity to impart the power of both sides to Moses, but said it was a mining technique from Duke Town, and made Moses swear an oath of secrecy. On the one hand, this was done to make Moses believe without a doubt, on the other hand, it also avoided exposing his own identity. As for whether Moses could master it or not, that would depend on his luck, Amon couldn't force him either.

  For the next few nights, Amun led Moses secretly up Mount Horeb each night to perform a ritual of empowerment with his iron staff. Before he left Mount Horeb, Moses awakened to the power of duality. Amun then had him take another important oath: "You shall not pray to other gods; you must hold fast to the one faith. I have imparted this power to you; you cannot learn martial arts and divine magic like other men in the world; you must accept my guidance."

  What Amun had taught him concerned the secrets of the gods, and according to the old man's guesswork, the gods probably did not want it to be spread either. Amun had been to the realm of Erebus, the queen of the underworld, where he could hear the prayers and pleas of the faithful. So Amun would not allow Moses to pray to other gods again, lest they expose secrets that the gods did not want to see in the world, which would be detrimental to both him and Moses.

  When the power of both sides was awakened, Moses had thoroughly believed in Amun and immediately knelt down to worship: "I understand, you are the only God in my heart!"

  （）