The Fourth Volume: The War of the Gods 141, Fish is what I desire

  The title of this story is "Book of the Dead", and its opening is not much different from today's Egyptian mythology. A person's life is like the flowing River Roni, with the end being the underworld ruled by Osiris. The god of the underworld will send a crescent-shaped boat to guide the soul, when the servant of the god of the underworld, Bastet, who has transformed into a cat, appears beside the corpse, the deceased's soul will be reborn in the underworld and come before Osiris for judgment on their good and evil deeds.

  However, this story also specifically mentions the origin of Bastet. Bastet was a goddess who became a cat in the judgment of fate and guarded the granary for the Egyptians to atone for her sins. As she gradually recovered her divine power, Osiris sealed and controlled her divine power, making her a servant of the underworld to guide souls in the spiritual realm.

  Oh, I see! Amun had never heard this part of the story before. It seems that the former goddess must have encountered some misfortune and turned into a cat. Amun had seen the existence of the scarab king, so if cats could also cultivate divine power, he wouldn't find it strange. But this cat was controlled by Osiris, its divine power sealed away, which made it hard to understand.

  The content of this book is not too long, but Amun spent a whole night reading it. When the sun rose outside the window, he closed the book and put it back in the copper box. Xue Dingyuan wanted to tell him about the past of the nine-linked divine system of Eju, and why she was trapped in a cat's body and couldn't escape. If Amun wanted to save her, he had to understand the causes and consequences, and this book explained everything very well.

  Thinking of this, Amun couldn't help but smile bitterly. He sympathized with Xue Ding'e's situation and was willing to do everything possible to help her, but now that he could hardly protect himself, the lost power showed no signs of recovering, and Amun didn't even know what to do, let alone help Xue Ding'e break the seal.

  George stayed in Armond's estate for a few days and also read that volume of scriptures but was still perplexed.

  The newly granted territory of the great general, of course, needs to be well-built and made to look like a long-term residence. Many houses, barracks for the personal guards, stables, and even the private garden of the great general were built in the manor.

  The so-called garden is actually an expansion of the backyard of the manor, which is not just a simple enlargement. It requires planting trees, digging ponds, leveling out a martial arts arena, and following convention, building a private temple, usually dedicated to Horus. But Amun had his own requirements, just like in that manor in Dreamflight City, the temple was dedicated to Bastet, the cat goddess, apparently also to make Xue Dinger happy.

  When Ammon gave the order, George was standing nearby and laughed, saying: "I've heard people mention in private that when you took King Hatti hostage, you actually let a cat sit at the head of the table to eat first, while Lucille waited on the side, and you yourself stood by roasting meat. The great general's love for cats is truly unmatched in the world, even the temple in the estate worships Bestia, the goddess of beasts."

  Ammon smiled and asked in return: "Can't it be done? What rule does this break?"

  George replied: "The Goddess of Best is also the spirit of Egu, and the general can certainly worship."

  Amun glanced out the window, and had no idea where Xue Dingyuan had gone to play at this moment. He nodded and said: "Since you, the Grand Priest, have said so, I should do a good job of worshiping this god."

  George suddenly thought of something and joked: "The great general likes that cat so much, the whole army knows. The volume you borrowed also mentioned the goddess Bastet at the end, no wonder you're interested, could it be your cat who made you look?"

  Amon didn't answer, but instead smiled and changed the subject in a low voice: "High Priest, I have something to ask you."

  George saw his expression suddenly become very serious and lowered his voice: "If there's something, just say it. If you need my personal help, just speak up."

  Amun thought seriously: "You also know my current situation, although it's glorious, but every move is inconvenient. Leaving one's own territory to do anything requires reporting to the nearest city-state and Eg official. But I want to find an opportunity to go out for a walk, and naturally no one will object."

  George smiled again, "This is not difficult, in a few more months, the annual Isis Blessing Ceremony will arrive. You used to be the glorious warrior of the Isis Temple and made great contributions at the ceremony two years ago. Going to Dreamflight City to attend this ceremony is natural, just need to make an announcement. ... The Holy Maiden often mentions you, you should also go to see her."

  Amon: "You reminded me, I almost forgot. Last year's Blessing Ceremony was during the war, when we were still on the front lines. The next ceremony should be in half a year, I'll just wait patiently then."

  "Is there anything else I can help you with?"

  "Nothing troubles you anymore, wish you a safe journey, when you return and see the Holy Maiden, please convey my greetings and gratitude!"

  Ahmon wondered if George, an 8th-level divine magician who had transcended from a 7th-level divine magician, would also lose his powers. If this was an inevitable test, how should he get through it? Even if he couldn't get the answer, Ahmon wanted to ask this 8th-level great divine magician for advice on how to escape his predicament. He was very clear that George was different from other great divine magicians, and like Old Madman, he was also a magician by origin.

  But the words reached the tip of his tongue and swallowed back, no matter how good his private relationship with George was, after all, he was also the high priest of the Isis Temple, some secrets were better left unsaid. Even the topic of the old madman a few years ago, both of them deliberately avoided it. Amun lost his power, this is an absolute secret, even Medanzo and others did not know about it.

  When George took his leave, Amun of course could not let him go empty-handed and gave him a batch of exceptionally valuable gifts. The great general had plenty of money nowadays. George accepted his presents but returned another gift, which was the crystal flying arrow that he and Amun had ridden together to fly over the enemy camp for reconnaissance.

  This artifact resembles a semi-transparent small plate, with a Wind Charm Dance fusion in the center and three Azure Water Hearts symmetrically fused on the outside. It doesn't look like it's inlaid but rather forged into one piece. Its speed is not as fast as the most common Wind Riding Flying Arrow, but it can turn the transformed space into a hazy semi-transparent state, making it difficult to be discovered in the background light and shadow of the sky.

  If you want to save mana and sneak up high, you can also reveal a gray or white misty state, like a floating cloud. Riding this flying shuttle can avoid the detection of divine magic, and even if you keep a safe distance, not even great mages can detect it. It was with the help of this magical artifact that George brought Amun to discover King Luciel's camp.

  This artifact can be manipulated by at least a great divine magician, but George gave it to Amun and said with deep meaning: "With my current status, I have enough wealth and power to get what I want, but things like the Crystal Flying Arrow are hard to come by. It was made by me personally, symbolizing the hardships I've been through. You must take it, this is a memento of our life-and-death experiences together, and in your hands, it may be more useful than in mine."

  "This is a great thing, if Amun recovers his strength and wants to sneak away from Eju, this thing is an excellent tool. Even if Amun himself doesn't use it, giving it to his disciples is also very good, he didn't decline, said thank you and accepted it."

  George left, but John remained at Armon's estate, not having the slightest intention of returning to Dreamflight. He spent his days riding and hunting with Armon's personal guards, even going so far as to catch alligators in the Roni River, and seemed to be enjoying himself immensely. During the construction of the temple, John even took it upon himself to supervise the laborers, transport materials, quarry stone, and assign tasks, directing everything with the precision of a military commander.

  The miners of Duckburg are the best craftsmen, and Amun's estate can't do without these slaves. He simply entrusted John with this matter. John then let Moses adjust one-third of the manpower to rotate to the manor to help General Best repair the temple. After this general was promoted to Grand Warrior and merged that turbulent power into his body and mind, his temper became much better than before, and he no longer beat people randomly. However, as soon as he stood there, a murderous aura emanated from him.

  Amon asked John when he was going back. John shook his head and said, "I don't want to go back to Dreamflight at all, it's more comfortable here with you. Let me stay here, there are many things to do in your territory, I'll help you train the Imperial Guard, and I also want to wait for Medanzo to come back and exchange martial arts skills."

  Amon had to let John stay in his own territory, and soon Medanzo came back, driving the wind and flying arrow, and also brought Link. Before Medanzo left, Amon had entrusted him that if Link could spare time, it would be better to meet and have something to entrust Link with, and also wanted to see how the cultivation of this door-to-door apprentice was going.

  The news brought by Link is very good. In a short period of time, he not only led the Cave People tribe to stand firm, but also gathered several thousand people to build a stronghold, and the prototype of a city-state has appeared. So many people cannot all come from Link's tribe, many are cave people who walked out of other tribes in the deep mountains, and there are even some highland giants.

  After the floodwaters receded, the isolated island where Lin Ke was located grew larger, becoming a fertile land in the center of the swamp. Several small roads leading to the east and north also appeared, making it not always necessary for Yun Meng and several other iron-armored beasts to carry them when going out. As the climate and terrain around the periphery changed, many wild animals appeared on the Du Ke Plain, and some tribes came out of the deep mountains to hunt on the plain, knowing that there was a large village here, and many people voluntarily came to join Lin Ke.

  It just so happened that the Assyrian Highlands had recently suffered a flood. After the change in climate, there was more rain, and this time's heavy rainfall had nothing to do with the gods, it rained for a long time on the plateau, causing flash floods. Originally, it was only a small disaster, but for the highland giants who had lived there for generations, it was a great disaster, their villages were destroyed, many prey disappeared, and they were forced to leave the deep mountains and come to the plains.

  The simple-minded Highland Giants initially clashed with the Cave Dwellers' stronghold several times, but were all taken care of by Link. Later, Link took in many wandering Highland Giants, gave them work to do and a place to live and food to eat, essentially saving these people.

  All this was thanks to Isor, who came to Link's side and helped a lot. He assigned tasks to everyone, took charge of different things, made plans, cleared the wilderness with the highest efficiency under existing conditions, built houses and walls, sent people to guard and scout the surroundings, organized warriors to hunt collectively, and managed several thousand people in an orderly manner.

  Lin Ke didn't have much to say, and as soon as Mei Danzuo arrived, he hadn't even opened his mouth when Lin Ke urged him to take him to see Ah Mon. Mei Danzuo then took him back.

  Lin Ke is the tribe leader and is considered one of the most capable leaders in the primitive tribe. He has gained a lot of experience, but like Ah Mon when he was young, he has never been anywhere except for the river valley, deep mountains, and the wasteland around Du Ke Town. Along the way, flying through the sky, everything looks strange to him, and he can't help but ask Mei Dan Suo to take him to town to see the world.

  Maidenzo laughed at him several times, but still took Link to open his eyes in a few city-states. The dazzling things in the shops of the city-state made Link drool, and he bought a bunch of miscellaneous items, all of which were packed into Maidenzo's spatial artifact, as well as many grains, seeds, and new farming tools.

  After being delayed on the road for several days, the two finally returned to Armon's territory. There was another thing that made Medanzo a little depressed, he had become a great warrior and a great magician, thinking in his heart that this time he would be able to show off in front of Link. As a result, Link also broke through the seventh level achievement, becoming a great warrior and a great magician, keeping pace with Medanzo.

  Two people ran into the swamp to secretly compare their skills, and it turned out that they were evenly matched in terms of martial arts. Neither of them was weak. But when they really fought, Mei Dansuo had the upper hand. After all, he was a general who had come out of the battlefield, and even Enqi, the number one warrior on the mainland, had clashed with him head-on. In terms of actual combat skills and experience, Lin Ke couldn't compare to him.

  Link was no match for Medli and was about to give up, but suddenly he whistled loudly, and Midna appeared out of nowhere. With the help of Midna, Link defeated Medli, who ran wildly around the swamp, and emerged victorious! Medli shouted that Link was cheating, while Link laughed triumphantly. When she saw Link's starry-eyed expression on his way back, Medli couldn't help but tease him, and finally regained her composure.

  Lin Ke also had a seventh-level achievement, and Ah Meng was very happy, smiling and nodding: "As you said before, building a brand new home on the wasteland, every day has harvests, every day witnesses new creations. As long as there is such a heart, life is full of positive meaning. It seems that this mentality has been verified!"

  Amon did not rush to send Link back, but instead left him in the territory as a temporary steward, mainly responsible for managing the daily life of Moses and other slaves, and assigning them tasks to do every day. Amon's arrangement was also well-intentioned, because even if Moses returned to Douke Town, he would have to integrate into that new city-state and get along with Link's clansmen and other residents.

  Amon himself did not deliberately get close to the people of Duke Town, and was still a high-ranking general who was high above. Even the opportunity to meet in person was rare, leaving all good things to be done by Lin Ke. Whatever supplies Moses and others needed, what kind of labor tools and food were provided to them, were all handled by Lin Ke. Lin Ke's attitude towards these people was very good, and he bestowed many favors on them, and Moses and others were also grateful in their hearts.

  Link also had the task of secretly supervising Moses and others in their cultivation, although no one would interfere in Ahmon's territory, but still had to pay attention to keeping secrets, lest they accidentally leak out and cause unexpected events. Link now has a seventh-level achievement, secretly monitoring and protecting himself will not be detected by Moses and others.

  Amon had considered it thoroughly enough, but one day Moses was discovered by someone while practicing divine skills with twelve tribesmen in the valley. This matter still has to start from John.

  John was overjoyed to see Medanzo return, having just been promoted to Grand Warrior and having no one to spar with. He immediately dragged Medanzo out for a drink and then to the hunting grounds to compare martial skills. As a result, Medanzo won three battles in a row, beating John so badly that he was left with no face.

  John was baffled, they were all seventh-level great warriors, and John could mobilize the explosive power of Zuo Dong, which was much stronger than ordinary great warriors in this state, but still couldn't deal with Maidanzo. Maidanzo would use various divine techniques to assist in combat, and used them very covertly, almost invisible, with endless tricks and tactics.

  John was very determined, repeatedly defeated and fought again, while diligently practicing and continuing to find Medanzo "to ask for advice". Medanzo played a trick, secretly telling John that Link was also a great warrior, and like him, had received instruction from Armon, so he could go and fight with Link.

  If Maidanzo didn't say, John really couldn't tell because Link is now the butler and has never seen him touch a weapon with a smile all day. As a result, John took up arms to find Link, who was supervising on the construction site at that time, and fought with John in front of Moses and others, and John was actually defeated by Link again!

  This time John was convinced, knowing that there were stronger men in the strong, and Ah Mon's side was indeed a hidden dragon and crouching tiger. He saw Mai Dangzo return but did not continue to serve as Ah Mon's personal guard captain, so he went to beg Ah Mon, no matter what, to stay by the general's side, and simply let him be the personal guard captain.

  Amon did have the right to appoint a noble as his personal guard captain, whose identity and position were quite high. The personal guard captain was not in charge of many people and had no great power, but his status was not low. Appointing John as the personal guard captain was equivalent to promoting John one rank, since John himself was willing, Amon agreed.

  John became the captain of the general's personal guard, responsible for protecting Amun and maintaining law and order in the territory. The captain was very diligent, often taking his guards on patrol to see if there were any disturbances that needed to be quelled. But there were no security incidents to speak of in the general's territory, where Amun lived with four great warriors and thirty-six fierce personal guards - who would dare cause trouble? Even petty thieves kept their distance!

  Amon has kept so many powerful people around him, of course, he has his considerations. He has been unable to recover his strength for a long time, and there is naturally a deep anxiety in his subconscious mind. If he doesn't even have the power to protect himself, how can he fulfill those difficult wishes? His own situation seems very precarious, so it's better to have more trustworthy powerful people around him.

  It's said that Ah Meng could have sent Moses and the others to the Duk Plain, just let Link "escort" them, but he didn't let this group of people move for a long time. Apart from wanting to continue training them, there was also this reason. This is his wish and promise to Yin Nana, it's best to wait until they recover their strength before going, in case something unexpected happens, they can cope with it.

  John took his guards on patrol around the territory, and often slipped away to the western mountains to hunt when he had nothing better to do. One day, this great warrior suddenly sensed a surge of magical energy in a hidden valley near the quarry, as if someone was casting some powerful spell. He was startled, quietly letting his subordinates rest where they were, while he himself crept up onto a nearby mountain peak, and saw Moses demonstrating high-level elemental magic to twelve miners!

  John was astonished, but returned without saying anything and continued to lead his men in patrolling the territory. Link was originally responsible for secretly monitoring, but John was extremely vigilant, and by the time he discovered it, Link was unable to stop him. Link knew that this general had already understood the secrets of Moses and others, and went back to report to Amun.

  Ammon heard that John was making no unusual moves and was waiting quietly for the next development. He knew very well that since John was doing this, he must have some plan in mind.

  The Egyptians do not eat fish, and the Egyptians worship cats. There is an interesting relationship between these two, because cats like to eat fish, but cats generally don't catch fish themselves, so the cats in Egypt also didn't have fish to eat. Schr?dinger enjoyed fine wines and delicacies, but still liked Ah Meng's roasted meat the most. This cat of course wouldn't go catch mice itself, let alone personally go fishing.

  Ameng often personally barbecues meat for Xue Dingyuan. One day, when Xue Dingyuan was eating the meat, he suddenly said: "Ameng, you barbecue so well, I'm sure your grilled fish is extremely fragrant!"

  Ah Mon knew at once that Xue Dingyuan wanted to eat fish, and this cat was the first to take the initiative to make a request. How could such a small wish not be fulfilled? The people of Ai Ju never catch fish, thinking it's blasphemy against the gods, so it's naturally inconvenient for the servants to go fishing. As for the things entrusted to Xue Dingyuan, Ah Mon has always been personally responsible, so this great general went to the Roni River to catch fish by himself, without any entourage.

  John was patrolling the riverbank with his guards that day when he saw General Ammon take a boat to the Roni River and make a round trip. He waited on the shore and asked General Ammon what was going on. Ammon smiled and said nothing, just came to see the scenery. Later, John found out that General Ammon had been taking a solo boat ride on the Roni River for several days in a row, making a circle and then returning. What's so good about it?

  One day, when John was inspecting the manor temple, he smelled a very tempting fragrance with a strange fishy smell. Suddenly, he understood something. He turned around and went to discuss things with Medanzo. At first, Medanzo was very embarrassed, but later on, it's unknown what John said, anyway, the two of them whispered for several days, then John wanted to set up a banquet to invite Armon to drink wine.

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