Volume 3: Messenger 089, Journey of Trials

  George must have seen Amun secretly browsing the sacred scriptures, but pretended to be ignorant and quietly took away the plaque, startling Amun. Amun was also wondering why he did this. Perhaps it was to give face to the Holy Maiden, although their positions were different, they were in the same situation, both being promoted by the Holy Maiden's favor, and belonging to the same camp within the Isis Temple.

  There is another possibility, George knew that Armon had a batch of precious scrolls and deliberately blackmailed him. Armon simply sent two scrolls as a test, but from the tone of George's voice, he didn't intend to pursue this matter further.

  Amun thought of various possibilities in his mind, just as he was about to leave, when he suddenly heard George, the high priest, gazing at the ceiling seemingly talking to himself: "George is a name I only took after entering the temple and making an oath before the goddess Isis. A long time ago, my name was Serkled, I don't want to mention it again nor do I hope anyone else mentions this name."

  Amon was stunned, for a moment he didn't know what to say. He had heard of the name Surquhleid before, it was mentioned in the old madman's will. This person was a friend that Nietzsche met when he traveled to the Egu Empire, and also a magician! At that time, he lived on the outskirts of the city-state of Herak, and when he met Nietzsche, he was only a fifth-level magician. As a great magician, Nietzsche gave Surquhleid many pointers.

  Thurkil had sworn to repay Nietzsche, which is why Nietzsche mentions his name in the message. Thurkil had only come to the Isis temple twenty years ago and changed his name to George, more than a decade after Bell's death, by which time he had become a great sorcerer. The Old Maniac was not aware of this information, so it is not mentioned in the Earth's Pupil.

  A magician who breaks through to a higher level will have a very subtle change in his situation, and as long as he is loyal to the temple, he will get another identity. After Sergyreid came to the Isis Temple, he became an honorary high priest, even changing his name, and his past experience had long since disappeared in various documents, leaving only the great god wizard George. Twenty years later, a very coincidental opportunity, he not only became the high priest but also saw the old madman's token again.

  George implied to Amun that he knew the origin of the slab, and at the same time warned Amun not to mention it again, a tacit secret between the two. It had been more than 40 years since the old madman met Surcilade, and more than 20 years since Surcilade came to the Isis Temple and became the great magician George, and past events had long become dusty secrets.

  Amun stood there silently, George withdrew his gaze from the ceiling and turned to look at him with a smile that was not quite a smile: "You have become the proud warrior of the Isis Temple, and it is very likely that you will become a great warrior in the future. This can change your life. But in the Isis Temple, you must follow everything here, and you cannot offend or desecrate the gods. Maybe I'm overthinking, but your behavior at the Blessing Ceremony that day was enough to prove your loyalty."

  Amun hastily nodded and said: "Noble High Priest, I have remembered all your words."

  George and Yan Yuese said: "Just remember, I really didn't expect you to be a warrior! If you have any confusion in the future, you can come to me, as long as it doesn't violate the temple rules, I'll be happy to help you... This volume of classics, I won't look at it anymore, just like many things in the past that I don't want to mention again, take it back."

  Amon took his leave, George didn't even open the box, and the book was sent back. By doing so, George has already repaid the old madman's kindness, this great magician is not an untrustworthy person. But now the situation is no longer what it used to be, he warned Amon not to mention past events again, nor can he easily take out that token again.

  Amun was very afraid, in a place like the Temple of Isis, where anyone with a weakness would eventually be discovered. Fortunately, this time he encountered George, and thanks to the old madman's past favors, he escaped unscathed. Being discovered seemed inevitable, but meeting George was an accident. In fact, the old madman's message also mentioned Julian, the original high priest, but in front of Julian, Amun would never have dared to take out that token, which would only have made him die faster.

  From now on, I must be more careful and not just rely on luck. Before becoming a great warrior and getting the approval of the sacred scriptures, Amun will no longer browse through things he shouldn't be looking at. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, George pointed out one thing to Amun - that gray, unnamed scroll was actually the legendary "Destruction Storm", probably the only one in this world.

  After handing over the affairs of the archives, Amun left the temple and went to Xiao's home first. He made a request that he had been wanting to say for a long time - to buy the slave Yiso. Such a capable and diligent slave, Xiao was naturally reluctant to sell, but Amun's request was impossible to refuse, and the price he offered was simply astonishing, directly placing ten divine stones on the table.

  This is not the price of a slave. In the past, when Armon saved Theo in the desert and escorted him safely to Cape City, he also received ten divine stones as his reward. Now he has returned them with interest, under the pretext of buying Iso.

  Xie Ou was startled, of course, and didn't dare to accept the money. On the spot, he agreed to hand over Yiso to Amun. However, Amun smiled and insisted that Xie Ou take it, pushing him for half a day until Xie Ou had no choice but to accept the divine stone, sweating profusely on his forehead. He hastily ordered someone to call Yiso over and instructed: "Mr. Amun has already bought you, so from now on, you must listen to Mr. Amun's words and serve him well."

  When Arin left, he gave Shio a volume of books and specifically instructed: "Take a good look at this book. If you don't understand anything, you can pay someone to explain it to you. Aren't you eager to become a noble? In the future, there may be opportunities where what's written in this book will be important. I borrowed this from the Isis Archives, so please take good care of it. I'm going on a long trip and when I get back, return it to me."

  The content of the book mainly talks about transportation, Xi Ou is a merchant who does cross-border trade, and organizing a caravan to transport goods is naturally his expertise. However, the book talks about the organization, scheduling, and supply of military logistics, coordinating with the army's advance. Xi Ou doesn't understand why Ah Mon wants him to read this, but since he was entrusted with it, he'll take his time to look at it slowly. The book is a collection from the Isis Temple, which adds an air of mystery and nobility in Xi Ou's mind, making it worth reading!

  When Ah Meng led the newly bought slave out of the door, Ise asked: "Master Ah Meng, why did you buy me? Master Hsiu paid a lot of money to thank you for saving his life, and you spent the same amount of money to buy me. Why is that?"

  Amun smiled and said, "Iso, you are not inferior to your old master, including the current old master me. Although you are my slave, I cannot restrict your free spirit from looking up at the stars. You have two choices: one is to continue working for Master Hesio, receiving your wages, and being my slave in name only. Two is that I have a friend who has a manor in Dreamflight City, he's often away, and needs a steward to help manage it, are you willing to help with this task?"

  Yiso bowed and said, "Ah Meng, you don't have to speak to me like that. I should listen to your orders, why wouldn't I be willing to help? It's just that ten spirit stones for a slave is too expensive! This money is not necessary."

  "Ah, you're getting into character quickly, that's good. From now on, think more about things and help out. Follow me to the manor, I still have a surprise for you."

  What Amun said was a surprise, a blank deed that would grant the status of a free citizen of the Egur Empire to anyone whose name was written on it. Amun had another one just like it before, which he used up by writing Arlo's name on it; this time, in order to carry out his secret reconnaissance mission, the temple gave him another deed. Amun didn't need it himself, so he casually handed it over to Iso.

  In the manor, Yiso knelt down with this document for half a day without speaking. When he raised his head, his face was covered in hot tears, and he choked up saying: "Old Master Ameng, I don't know how to repay you, why do you want to give me something so precious?"

  Ammon shook his head and said, "It's of no use to me, but it can change your identity and you won't be a slave anymore. If I say thank you, I know you're a very capable person, so I'll leave this estate to you. When the master is not around, please take good care of it. I'll also leave some money for you to do business with. I don't know when I can come back either."

  Aesop: "Don't worry, sir, go ahead and take care of your business. I'll take care of everything here."

  Aesop asked: "What name are you going to write on it?"

  Aesop: "Of course it's Aesop, it's my name."

  Ammon asked curiously: "Why don't you change your name so that people can't recognize you?"

  Aesop replied: "This is the name given to me by my father, I do not want to give it up. There are many people in the world with the same name, and even if there is one more free man named Aesop, it does not matter."

  "Very well, Mr. Izzo, have it your way."

  Whether in Egypt or other mainland countries, the master can sell slaves or treat them well, but has no right to give them freedom arbitrarily, which is a legal provision. Even if Amun bought Isos, he couldn't make him a free man, and doing so now would be a way of stealing the beam, giving Isos a new identity that was not his original self. This was an unexpected gift for Isos.

  The manor was handed over to Yso, and Amun still had some personal items stored here. The slaves who were hired also needed someone to manage them. Xue Dingxiao's favorite wine and food were prepared every day. However, after Amun and Medanzo left the city of Meng Fei Si, Xue Dingxiao suddenly jumped out from the tree cluster by the side of the official road, blocking Amun's way and staring at him.

  Amun squatted down and said softly, "Xue Dingyuan, I haven't seen you for several days. I wanted to say hello but didn't know where to find you. Now I have to return to the area of Du Ke Town to carry out my mission. You can stay in Meng Fei Si City and play well, everything is arranged."

  The cat twisted its neck, neither meowing nor speaking, and raised a paw to point at Ah Meng's waist. In the past, when Ah Meng was on the road, he always carried a large leather bag, which was given by Old Crazy when they left Deke Town. Xue Ding'an always slept in the bag. This time, when they went out, they didn't carry the bag, and Xue Ding'an seemed to be very dissatisfied.

  Amun said, "You asked me to take you back to Egypt, and after traveling thousands of miles, we finally returned. We had a comfortable time in the city of Meng Fei Si. Why do you want to follow me on another adventure? Can't you just wait for me in the city?"

  Xue Dingyuan puffed out his cheeks and didn't speak, nor did he put down his claws. Mei Dansuo looked at Ah Meng and the soft-spoken one talking to a cat, and couldn't help but look a bit strange, but he had known about the relationship between this cat and Ah Meng since they were in the Wild People's tribe, so he didn't interrupt. Ah Meng was helpless, and could only stand up, swing his iron branch staff, and pull out a large leather pouch to slant across his body.

  Xue Dingyuan sprang into action, jumping onto the leather pouch and using his claws to pry open the mouth. He slipped inside with great agility. Ah Mon turned around and rushed towards Mei Danzuo, saying: "Go to the town ahead and buy more fine wine. Also, we need to re-prepare a batch of dried meat for the road. I'll teach you how to use divine techniques to process vegetables and meat, so they can be preserved for a long time and taste delicious."

  "Ah, Amun god," Mei Danzuo asked with a smile, "I've seen you conjure up many things out of thin air. What kind of divine technique is this?"

  "It's nothing major, just relying on spatial objects. Once you break through to the sixth rank and become accomplished, I'll teach you how to use high-level spatial divine techniques. The deeper your magical powers are, the larger the space you can manipulate with divine techniques. Many things are indeed very convenient."

  They not only bought a large quantity of living materials in the town ahead, but also bought a horse-drawn carriage and two horses. The two men and a cat drove the carriage at a steady pace for a month, finally arriving at the border of Egu. Along the way, Medanzo spent his time reading the military books given to him by Armon, as well as using his divine skills to process various secret foods, which seemed like trivial matters but were actually a form of power training.

  For example, to process a piece of tender beef into jerky while retaining its original flavor and juice, one needs to use both fire and water elemental magic, and even add some simple spatial magic. The timing has to be precise; otherwise, the jerky will either become tasteless dried meat or charred black carbon. Processing just a few pieces might be fun, but doing it for many days in a row becomes dull and boring. Amun wants Medanzo to do this, applying magical power to mundane tasks.

  When they arrived at the last town on the edge of Egu, Amun told Medanzo to sell all their horses and carriages. The two set out on foot. Medanzo asked in confusion: "We still have a long way to go to Eluo, isn't it more convenient to take a carriage? Why do we have to walk?"

  Amun smiled mysteriously: "You'll understand soon enough. Just go like this, don't be afraid of hardship, it's a necessary experience for you."

  Ahead of them was the Syrian Desert, and they were on the trade route between the Kingdoms of Edom and Baal. Along the way, only these two were on foot. Medanzo was a 5th-level magician and warrior, so traveling like this wasn't particularly difficult. After several days, when they reached the middle of the trade route, Amun suddenly said: "Head north from here, go directly to Douke Town."

  "Didn't we come to visit Link's tribe?"

  Amun nodded: "Yes, from Douke Town to the east, through the deep mountains and forests of Youdi River Valley, you can reach Lin Ke's tribe. I went there at the beginning."

  "Ah, Amun god, I suggest we take another route, entering the Kingdom of Balen from here, along the east bank of the Yubu River to reach the city-state of Kish, and then westward in Akkad town where we have been before, there is a new ferry that can cross the river, directly into the mountainous area of the Yubu River Valley, it will be more convenient to reach Link's tribe."

  Although this route is a bit farther, it's all very peaceful and the speed will be faster. When we arrive at Lin Ke's place, let's bring Lin Ke and Tie Jia Shou Wang Yun Meng together to explore the area around Du Ke Town, which will be much more stable. Didn't you say that there are many monsters in the desert and swamp now, and it's not easy to pass through? Why bother seeking difficulty when we can take the easier route?

  "Ah Mon shook his head and said, "Mei Danzuo, do you know why I brought you here? This is your trial journey. If you want to pass the test of 'Extreme Breakthrough', follow me north; if you want to be safer and more stable, go on your own to Lin Ke's tribe and wait for me."

  Mei Danzuo smiled and said: "I'm just making a suggestion, you're the one guiding my spirit, wherever you want to go, that's where we'll go."

  Amun looked at Maidanzo, a smile with deep meaning: "Since you said so, you can't hesitate or regret it. Let's discuss one thing first, if we encounter any trouble on the road, you take action first, and if it really doesn't work out, I'll take action."

  "Of course," said Mei Danzuo, nodding repeatedly. "With me here, how could I trouble the great God Amun to take action!"

  As they turned north and walked deeper into the desert, Medanzo only then discovered that there was a bitter pill to swallow. Medanzo wasn't a pampered person, on the contrary, he could endure hardship very well, otherwise he wouldn't have traveled through the deep mountains to Lin Ke's tribe to purchase horse steel. During this time as the steward of Meng Fei City, living a life of luxury and comfort had been very pleasant, but now walking on foot through the desert didn't feel laborious at all.

  But human ability and willpower have a limit, sometimes it's not that they don't want to persist, but it's just too hard. Armon suddenly accelerated his pace as he traversed the desert, and Medanzo had to use all his strength to keep up. The climate in the desert has an extremely large temperature difference between day and night, with the scorching sun during the day being like a flame that bakes, and the cold air at night seeming to be able to freeze people stiff, and it's also abnormally dry.

  Amon rushed along the road, regardless of day and night, heat or cold, using his iron staff to cast spells, always surrounded by a soft, cool aura. Xue Dingyuan in his pocket felt very comfortable, but Mei Dansuo following behind was suffering greatly. Amon stopped only twice a day, once to make food for Xue Dingyuan, and he and Mei Dansuo also ate their fill, the other time was at night when he sat down to cultivate his magic and meditate.

  After three days, Meidanzuo's will and physical strength were almost exhausted, but since the words had been spoken, he could only grit his teeth and follow Tightly Amun. On the third night, the gods opened their eyes, after practicing divine meditation, Amun said to Meidanzuo: "We won't rush at night, you can have a good sleep tonight." And with a wave of his hand, a tent was set up.

  This sleep was incredibly refreshing, and he didn't even have the energy to dream. Mei Dansuo didn't know how long he had slept, but suddenly heard a cat meowing with a warning tone. Although exhausted, his vigilance hadn't disappeared, and he immediately opened his eyes, jumped up, and crawled out of the tent.