Privacy of the Gods

  The Private Affairs of the Gods

  A murder case occurred in the capital city of Edgeworth, and the victim was a divine artificer, coincidentally at a sensitive time. Although no clues about the murderer were found, the most direct suspect and mastermind behind the scenes is John, and people can't help but suspect him.

  The Pharaoh was enraged, if John really dared to do so, wouldn't it be lawless and heaven-defying? An investigation into John's background revealed that he was indeed a man who dared to do anything. The Pharaoh specially dispatched an envoy to the city-state of Haicheng to inquire about two things: first, whether John had indeed said that the Pharaoh's orders were nonsense, and second, whether he had sent someone to kill the god official.

  John received Pharaoh's envoy in the military camp, after understanding the intention, he drew his sword and cut off the table in front of him, scaring the envoy almost to the point of 'wetting' his pants. Roddick was also present at the time, worried that John would hurt Pharaoh's envoy in his impulsiveness, rushed forward to dissuade him. But John pushed Roddick away and said: "Don't worry, I just want to get things clear."

  It should have been the envoy interrogating John, but instead it was John who interrogated the envoy. He asked a question and the envoy answered truthfully, explaining the cause and effect of the matter clearly.

  John sneered and replied, "I did say that I would fart. I was in front of Pharaoh's messenger at the time. As a soldier, even if I didn't agree with the order in my heart, I would still carry it out at the time. You can report back to the Egyptian military department like this. As for the death of the god officer, it has nothing to do with me. I wouldn't have used such a method to take his life, and would have just dueled him directly. If he's still alive, I'll kill him. Go answer Pharaoh like that."

  The Pharaoh's envoy left Cape City like this, but before leaving, he accepted a large bribe from Lord Dick. The lord of the city let the messenger make some small changes to John's reply. What John said was farting, but that was scolding the messenger for speculating about the Pharaoh's intentions, not directly targeting the Pharaoh's orders. As for the murder case in the capital, there is no evidence, and no one can say anything.

  Several high-ranking military officers, such as Breze and Longtan, were also dissatisfied with Fa Lao's handling of the matter. John's family was also active in the process, and the final outcome was not severe.

  The death of the priest has no necessary connection with the impeachment of John. He had accumulated a large amount of gambling debt before his death, and it is difficult to say what the motive of the murderer was. There is no evidence to pursue. John indeed treated the envoy of Pharaoh unreasonably and lost his words. He was demoted one rank for reflection. The commander of the Anra Legion was temporarily replaced by Roddick.

  John was promoted to three ranks after the war due to his military achievements, and now that he has been demoted by one rank, it is equivalent to being promoted two ranks, only that he did not become a legion commander. Lord Dick, on the other hand, had a hard time, after Julian's death, this city lord also took over as the chief priest of the Cape City-State, and just after taking off the commander of the Sett Legion, he took up the burden of the commander of the Anla Legion again. It seems that he has great power in the Cape City-State, but if something goes wrong, he will have to take responsibility for it himself.

  The Imperial Court's decision on John's punishment was "to demote him one rank and wait for summons", while emphasizing that this decision was made because "considering his contributions to the country, he was dealt with leniency". The formal document also added a sentence: "Having failed to live up to General A's expectations, he should apologize to the general."

  The implicit meaning in the document is very clear, looking at 'Men' G's face and letting John go lightly. John has made military achievements and it is not convenient to punish him heavily, but he also cannot be arrogant because of his military achievements, and 'Men' G himself must also take it as a warning.

  Since John was made to apologize to General Ah'meng, he didn't even bother to report back to the Military Affairs Office after returning to Dreamflight. Instead, he followed George straight to Ah'meng's place. After hearing what had happened, Ah'meng shook his head and sighed, asking John: "Why did you have to answer the envoy of Falo like that? At the time, there was no divine technique record, it was all verbal, and even if you refused to admit it, no one could grasp your handle. Moreover, the accuser is already dead, and others are not convenient to openly continue to entangle."

  "John said resolutely: "What I said is that, even if the law old man asked me in person, I would answer like that. If it wasn't for farting, why did he immediately withdraw the order and appoint you as the commander-in-chief of the battlefield? After the battle was just over, he wanted to rectify people, and when he thought of sending someone to death, he thought of you again."

  "Can you tell me why you drew your sword in front of Pharaoh's envoy and cut through the table? If Rodrick hadn't intervened, the frightened envoy would have gone back to add to the charges against you. You wouldn't have been able to bear it. Has the turbulence and impulsiveness in your heart become uncontrollable again, causing you to lose your composure?"

  John replied seriously, "At that time, I was indeed angry and could feel the turbulent power, but it was no longer out of control. It was like a potential that existed at all times, which I could use freely. That one sword was just to show my attitude. Although I was furious, I was very clear-headed and calm in my heart, knowing what I should do and how to respond."

  A'men stared at John for a long time, then suddenly smiled: "You've changed a lot after recovering from your injuries. Being able to keep your mind calm in the midst of turbulent power is quite an achievement. It seems you didn't want to be that legion commander yourself and took the opportunity to slip away, even if it means being demoted by one rank."

  John burst out laughing: "Yes, thanks to your guidance all along, I finally got rid of the double shackles on my body and mind. I've never felt so relaxed before. That restless energy can no longer drive me, but instead has merged into my body and mind."

  "Ah, men! Let's get up and rush to George: 'We three were once the three main officers of the Anluo Legion. It's rare for us to gather here today. Tonight, let's have a good drink and celebrate John becoming a great warrior.'"

  George also laughed: "It turns out that General also saw John promoted to Grand Warrior, I didn't say it on purpose just now."

  John blushed and said, "This achievement is not worth mentioning in the same breath as General and High Priest. Where's Medanzo? He's also a great warrior, he should be here, I'd love to have a drink with him."

  "Unfortunately, I sent him on an errand a few days ago. If General John would stay here for a while longer, he will naturally be able to wait until his return."

  That night, the three of them got together to drink and make merry. John felt that sitting in a small hall was not lively enough, so he ordered his attendants to set up a large tent on an open space, put out the wine table there, and also called over his personal bodyguards to join in the drinking and eating, making for a very lively scene, as if they had returned to the days of marching and fighting.

  John was drunk and was helped back to rest. After the banquet, George called A'meng alone into a small hall, handed him an exquisite copper box: "General, this is the volume you wanted to see. This box can only be opened perfectly without damaging the contents by a great divine master, so I will personally deliver it and take it out in front of you."

  A'men said with some embarrassment, "It's a bit of trouble for the Grand Priest to come all this way. I didn't expect that there would be so much fuss about this volume of scriptures. When I was in the archives before, I only knew it was locked in a cabinet. It turns out that there is also a mechanism inside the cabinet."

  George smiled wryly: "It's just the face of the great general, otherwise this kind of classics can't leave the Isis temple. If you want to see it, it's not that you can't, but you have to go there in person to check it out, and you can't take it away. I told the Holy Maiden about it, and she asked if I wanted to come here to relax, I said yes, so she sent me with the classics, and then I had to be responsible for bringing them back personally."

  "What kind of book is this?"

  George was taken aback: "The file number you gave me, don't you know it yourself?"

  He smiled and said: "I've been to many places, and I've heard a lot of rumors. I just know there's such an archive number, but I'm not too clear about the content."

  George glanced at him: "Where did you know so many strange rumors? Forget it, I don't want to ask either. You can read if you like. To be honest, this volume of classics hasn't even been seen by me. According to the catalog index records of the archives, it is an ancient mythological legend, possibly involving private matters between gods and spirits, true or false is difficult to distinguish. This kind of human mythology that may be disrespectful to the gods should have been destroyed, but this book has been passed down since ancient times as a collection, so it was sealed. I checked the records, the last time someone borrowed it was over 200 years ago."

  "Ah, so it seems that this box hasn't been opened by anyone for over two hundred years?"

  George looked at the box with a somewhat strange expression: "According to the archives, it should be like this. As for whether anyone has opened it during this period of time, I'm not sure. It's not always been in my hands... You've got me curious now, after you're done looking at it, I'll take a good look too."

  These two are both proficient in advanced information magic, and this box is naturally sealed with magic. However, the seal's mark is clearly from just a few decades ago, indicating that someone had opened it privately without registration. Who did it? Nine out of ten times it was probably Bell back then; they tacitly didn't mention this matter.

  George opened the copper box in front of Ameng, revealing a roll of pale yellow and white documents, and then bid farewell to rest. Ameng took this roll of documents back to his bedroom, did not light the lamp, but opened the window under the moonlight, with his current eyesight he could see clearly.

  This scroll was written on grass stalk paper hundreds of years ago, slightly damaged but still well preserved. Unexpectedly, it is written in secular script rather than divine script, the notes are a bit messy and neat, in the format of poetry, the content seems to be recorded by a folk poet who travels around, ancient mythological legends.

  The first long poem tells the story of Isis, the female goddess and An-Ra, the god. In this poem, it is claimed that Isis was the earliest human woman to grasp language, while An-Ra was an ancient deity who ruled over heaven and earth and was also Egypt's earliest sun god, symbolizing the rise of life and hope.

  Isis fashioned a snake from the sand and placed it in An-Ra's path, where it bit the god. An-Ra was poisoned and suffered greatly. Isis came before him and sang: "O God, hast thou been bitten by a poisonous snake? The power of language has wisdom; it can conquer pain. Tell me thy true name and hidden speech, that I may be able to cure thee."

  "I am the ruler of heaven and earth, the creator of the gods. All that you see within the horizon is my domain. I am called Atum in the evening, Re at noon, and Khepri at dawn."

  Isis said: "This is not your real name, tell me the true secret and all this suffering will disappear."

  Then Anra spoke out his true name and hidden language, Isis acquired his magical power, became stronger than Anra, and became the guardian god of Dreamflight and all of Lower Eridu. The old Anra retreated to the clouds at the source of the Roni River.

  This long poem made A Meng look straight-eyed, the story told by the poet who wandered hundreds of years ago, many places are similar but difficult to understand, such as "language", "original name", and "hidden language". These may have other meanings, or perhaps the poet just imagined things he didn't understand about himself, some absurdity but also some symbolic shadows.

  In this poem, it is explicitly stated that Isis was once human and not a goddess. According to the understanding of Amun, Isis must have mastered some kind of cultivation secret, which is "language", and also obtained the secret of becoming a divine spirit from Anubis, which is "hidden language". As for the "original name", it may have other meanings.

  How did Isis get the divine power of Ra? Is it just the empty imagination of a traveling poet, or is it an exaggerated processing of folk legends? But Amun clearly remembered that Xue Dingshan had said before that she wanted to find someone who could save her from trouble and would not plot to take the divine power again to bind her. It seems that this might be true, but I don't know the subtlety behind it.

  He shook his head, temporarily putting aside the doubts in his mind, and continued to read the next long poem. The content of this poem is somewhat contradictory to the previous one, possibly due to different versions of the legend circulating among the people, telling the story of the "family" of the nine heavenly gods.

  An-Ra is the oldest creation god among the nine gods of heaven, born in the primordial lotus 'flower' at the source of the Roni River. An-Ra spat out the wind god "Shu" and the water god "Tefnut" from his mouth, Shu and Tefnut gave birth to the earth god "Geb" and the sky god "Nut", Geb and Nut then gave birth to four gods, namely "Osiris", "Isis", "Nephthys" and "Set".

  This poem does not mention the current king of Egypt, Horus, by name; it is clear that 'Amun' already exists, and the relationship between gods is not a familial one like humans have, but rather how people understand it. In this poem Isis and Anubis are separated by several generations, and her power does not come directly from Anubis.

  If we connect these two poems, a conjecture can be made that Isis obtained power from Shu and Geb, then with this power plus other means defeated An-Ra, obtaining An-Ra's secrets and divine powers, becoming the supreme 'female' king. After An-Ra retreated, Isis' son Horus became the ruling god-king of Egypt, occupying the main god position in the Ennead.

  He opened the third long poem, and the story inside was actually the war of the ancient gods. It turned out that there had been such conflicts between the nine heavenly gods. Some plots in the poem still had discrepancies with the first two poems. The characters in the story didn't seem like divine spirits, but rather like a record of a human court struggle, just like what's happening today on the mainland of Zhongzhou.

  Osiris became the most powerful god, known as the king of all gods, symbolizing fertility and controlling the withering and flourishing of all things and the life and death of human beings. After establishing the Egyptian Empire, he was revered as Pharaoh. His brother Seth, originally a protective god of royalty, murdered Osiris by cunning and became the king of Upper and Lower Egypt.

  Seth placed Osiris in a coffin and threw it into the Nile River, but Isis retrieved her husband's body after much searching. Seth discovered this and tore Osiris' body into many pieces, scattering them across Egypt. Isis found each piece of the body, except for one part that was eaten by fish in the Nile River.

  Isis conceived Horus at the corpse of Osiris, and bore him. Isis nurtured 'grown' Horus and taught him his powers, with the help of other gods defeated Seth, regained the throne and became the new king of the gods, eternal ruler of the kingdom of Egypt.

  The poem doesn't end here, there is still a tail behind. Isis finds the scattered body of Osiris in the marsh and desert with the help of Nephthys, and Osiris is resurrected. The papyrus is damaged here, it seems to say that the soul of Osiris reappears, sees Horus has become the king of all gods, and returns to the underworld to become the god of the nine-linked divine region.

  He finished reading the third long poem, looked up and gazed out of the window, lost in thought. The content of the poem had naturally been processed through the poet's imagination, but there were still a few things that could be verified, and the legend was not entirely unfounded.

  The Edo people do not eat fish, nor do they ever catch fish in the Roni River. It is said that the fish in the Roni River have the flesh and blood of Osiris within them. This sacred river leads to the underworld, where Osiris is the guardian deity of the Roni River. The annual flooding and withering of vegetation along the river symbolize the cycle of life and death, as well as the resurrection of Osiris from the dead.

  The poem mentions that Osiris' body was divided into many parts by Seth, and one part of the flesh and blood was eaten by fish in the Roni River, which is the source of the custom of the Egyptians today. Another conclusive evidence is one of Osiris' ribs, which is now in Amen's hand, a relic stolen from the temple of Isis by Bel.

  It seems that Osiris abandoned his original body and did not return to the world of men, but became a god of the underworld. Did he acquire a new body or exist like a soul? It is unknown...

  They called themselves the Horus in the world and Osiris after death, all of whom built magnificent tombs for themselves. The corpses were specially treated to be preserved for a long time, expecting to die like Osiris. This also proves that myths existed a long time ago.

  A'meng let out a sigh and lowered her head to read the last article, which mentioned the story of the cat god Bastet. Seeing this, A'meng finally understood why Xue Dingyuan wanted her to read this volume of classics - the secret of her loss of divine power and being sealed away might be hidden in this ancient legend.

  PS: As I was writing this chapter, I suddenly thought of Shakespeare's famous work "Hamlet", it seems that Shakespeare drew inspiration from ancient Egyptian mythology. However, what Shakespeare wrote is no longer about gods, but rather strips the divine aura from his characters, returning to a true portrayal of human nature. The origins of "Hamlet" should be traced back to ancient Egyptian mythology.