"Ninth … ninth level … sorcerer?" Amon's mouth was so wide open that he forgot to close it. He stuttered.
He heard clearly that Crazy 'Ole was talking about sorcerers, not mages. Sorcerers were people who learned magic without the permission of the gods. They would be punished by the shrines. How could he obtain the power of a demigod? That was unbelievable!
Crazy 'Ole stopped talking. His eyes seemed to be looking far away through the wall, as if he was recalling something. After a long while, Amon came back to himself. He asked carefully, "Are you a sorcerer too?"
"Yes, I'm a sorcerer. But I'm not as accomplished as my student. I'm only an eighth-level sorcerer, "answered Crazy 'Ole confidently, but he did not turn around to look at Amon.
Amon was petrified. He stared at Crazy 'Ole for a long time before he asked in a low voice, "Your student …" He paused, not knowing how to continue.
Crazy 'Ole seemed to be talking to himself, "His name is Bair. If he hadn't become a god, he would have died a long time ago. The last time I heard from him was thirty years ago, brought by Schrödinger. At that time, he kidnapped Troni, the Adoratrice of the Temple of Isis, and was being hunted by a large number of mages and warriors. He wanted to come to me, but he couldn't get away. Then there was no more news from him. "
Amon could not make a sound, as if he was under a magic spell. Crazy 'Ole's short words contained too much shocking information. First, if the sorcerer hadn't become a god, he would have died a long time ago. Obviously, he was hinting that mortals could become gods. And in all the prophecies, humans could not live forever like gods, let alone sorcerers who were cursed by gods.
Second, the message brought by Schrödinger thirty years ago meant that the cat had lived for at least thirty years and could send messages between sorcerers. What a magical cat! Amon recalled his childhood. That greedy and dirty fat cat had been at Crazy 'Ole's house for as long as he could remember. However, Schrödinger was too lazy. It slept soundly in the corner all day long, and almost no one noticed it.
The most shocking thing was that the magician named Bale had abducted the Saintess of the Temple of Isis 30 years ago. At this time, Amon still had no idea what kind of person the Adoratrice was, but he knew that a Magician would never be so ostentatious as to cause trouble in the Temple. It was as if he did not care about his status at all.
Amon stopped talking. Crazy 'Ole turned around and looked at him, "You can't believe it, can you? He entered the Montefiore Temple and accepted the invitation to become the Honorary High Priest to fulfill my wish. But even I did not expect that he would abduct the Adoratrice and the Gods' Tear together. How dare he! He's even crazier than me! "
Amon, who had been petrified, finally sensed something was wrong, "No, no, no, how could it be? Aren't sorcerers despised by the gods and hunted by the Temples? How did he become the Honorary High Priest of the Montefiore Temple? "
Crazy 'Ole smiled. It was his most common expression, a sneer of ridicule. "What I just told you about magic and body arts are the ancient sayings on the continent. They are oracles, and they seem to be the truth, but they may contain many mistakes and lies. I taught Bale everything, and I only wanted him to fulfill one wish of mine, which was to find out the real secret of the gods. "
Amon 'Ole's brain was not working so well at the moment. He could not think of so many complicated questions. He asked again, "You haven't told me how a sorcerer despised by the gods could become the High Priest of the Montefiore Temple?"
Crazy 'Ole's sneer became more obvious, "The saying that only nobles are qualified to learn magic and they have to get permission from the Temples is just a lie made up by the priests and priests to monopolise magic. Those who practice magic privately are called sorcerers, and they are not tolerated. If you are just a low-level or middle-level sorcerer, you will be punished or even hunted by the Temples. But if you are lucky enough to become a Great Magician, the situation will change and become very dramatic. "
"What kind of drama?" Amon was more and more confused. He had only seen plays praising the gods during festivals in his town.
Crazy 'Ole asked back, "Amon, would you sacrifice a flock of sheep just to kill a beast? What if the beast didn't provoke you and was even willing to help you? "
"Of course not, I'm not a fool!" Amon said.
Crazy 'Ole snorted, "The priests in the Temples are not fools either! The cost of killing a supreme sorcerer is too high. To encircle a supreme sorcerer, you have to bear a heavy loss. Who would do this unless they had no other choice? If a supreme sorcerer appears in the territory of a Temple, as long as he does not expose himself or make an enemy of the Temple, the priests will be happy to pretend that they don't know anything. If he is exposed and has to be dealt with, they will usually use another method first. "
Amon was beginning to understand, but he still asked, "How do you do it?"
Crazy 'Ole turned his head to the wall again. His eyes seemed to look through the room and into the distance. He told Amon about Bale's past.
When a supreme sorcerer appeared in their territory, the smartest way was to "eliminate" him without losing or even increasing their own power. Then they could negotiate. Persuade and bribe him to join the Temple, accept the blessings of the gods, give him a noble identity, and become an honorary priest. In this way, all troubles would be solved, and there would be no need to fight to the death with heavy losses.
A supreme mage was a transcendent existence in any place on the continent. Of course, every shrine hoped to have more supreme mages in charge, which was also a symbol of power and status. Even the King secretly approved of such a thing. Who didn't want more supreme mages to serve them?
When a sorcerer became a mage, not only did he no longer have to worry about his identity, but he could also enjoy an honorable status. Shrines that could attract supreme mages enjoyed great wealth and resources. Practicing magic and enjoying the reverence of the people here was much better than being a sorcerer who could not see the light of day. So why not?
So these negotiations were often easy and pleasant, and both sides were happy. But there were also exceptions. Those who could practice magic in private and reach the highest level were all rare geniuses in the world. Among them, there was no lack of arrogant people who would not accept such an invitation. But as long as he did not openly make an enemy of the Temple, the Temple would promise him benefits or gifts in private, as long as there was no conflict between the two sides.
Only in open hostility, when a supreme sorcerer became an enemy of the kingdom and the Temple, then he must be eliminated. It would be an extremely tragic battle of annihilation, and even all kinds of forces would be involved.
Bale was a student of Crazy 'Ole Nietzsche. Thirty-six years ago, when he entered Montefiore, he was already an eighth-level supreme sorcerer. He was very straightforward. He went directly to the Temple of Isis to show his identity and demonstrated his magical achievements, which surprised the Adoratrice and the three high priests. Then, naturally, Bale became the honorary high priest of the Temple of Isis, a respected supreme mage.
The Montefiore Shrine claimed that Bale had been practicing magic for many years, never caring about the publicity of his reputation. It was not until he became an eighth-level supreme mage that he accepted the title of honorary high priest. How pious, humble, and determined he was!
In the beginning, Bale only had the symbolic status of honorary high priest, and did not hold any real power. But three years later, the situation changed again. During the period when he was the honorary high priest of the Temple of Isis, his magic advanced to the ninth level, and he became a demigod. At that time, Troni, the Adoratrice who represented the highest authority of the Temple of Isis, was only at the eighth level.
Bale's status not only became extremely honorable in the Temple of Isis, but also became one of the elders of the Magic Assembly of the Empire of Eygut. He was qualified to participate in the discussion of the supreme mysteries of magic, to guide the nobles and priests in their practice of magic, and to consult the historical records in the archives of the Temple of Isis and the Magic Assembly of the Empire of Eygut. These were the reasons why Bale entered the Temple of Isis.
It was Crazy Nietzsche who taught him everything. He only hoped that Bale could fulfill one wish: to find out how a god became a god. If he knew this secret, he might be able to answer two questions. Could a mortal become a god? If so, how could he become a god?
The difficulty of fulfilling this wish was almost beyond imagination. Crazy 'Ole did not expect Bale to succeed, as long as he tried his best. As far as Crazy 'Ole knew, Bale might be close to success. Even if he did not answer all the questions, he had at least grasped the key to solving the riddle. Otherwise, he would not have been able to abduct the Adoratrice of the Temple of Isis.
It was the abduction of the Adoratrice that completely changed Bale's fate. If it had not happened, Bale would have continued to enjoy his prestigious status. Perhaps he would have become one of the greatest mages in the history of the Empire of Eygut. Perhaps he would have been able to fulfill Crazy 'Ole's wish. But the world could not be reconstructed. Thirty years ago, Bale left the Temple of Isis. He took not only the Adoratrice, but also the Gods' Tear that Troni was in charge of.
Crazy 'Ole suddenly said something else, "Some people in the know said that it was Bale who abducted the Adoratrice, but I think the Adoratrice was abducted voluntarily. She had the Gods' Tear. Even if she could not defeat Bale, she would not be abducted if she was determined to fight. Thirty years later, right here, you excavated the Gods' Tear again. Maria will become the new Adoratrice of the Temple of Isis. They finally have the Adoratrice again! "
Amon was shocked again. He blurted out the question that concerned him the most, "Maria! She will become a Goddess?! Who is the Adoratrice? "
Crazy 'Ole poured another goblet of wine, but he did not drink it immediately. He shook the goblet in his hand and answered, "Don't interrupt me. I was just about to say this …"
The chief god of the Empire of Eygut was Horus, and the Pharaohs Of Eygut claimed to be the spokesman of Horus in the human world. The capital of Eygut was the city of Biss, located in the Upper Eygut. The Temple of Horus in Biss was the chief temple of the whole Eygut. It was equivalent to the highest theocratic center in the country. All the other temples in the country obeyed its orders. The chief priest of the Temple of Horus was, of course, the Pharaohs Of Eygut himself.
But Pharaoh himself usually lived in the palace to deal with government affairs. Only during important ceremonies would he ascend the altar as the chief priest. Therefore, there was a chief priest in the temple who represented Pharaoh to offer sacrifices to Horus and other gods. In addition to the chief priest, the Temple of Horus also had three high priests who were in charge of daily affairs. Their status was much higher than that of the high priests in the local temples.
There was also a group of senior priests in the Temple of Horus. They were the most honorable group in the empire. The Magic Council and the Magic Academy, which represented the highest authority of magic in the empire, were also located here.
The Upper Eygut was located in the fertile valley of the upper Nile River. Another important territory of the Empire of Eygut was the Lower Eygut, which was located in the delta of the lower Nile River. In history, the Eygut had been divided into two countries. The capital of the Lower Eygut was Montefiore. Later, Pharaoh completed the unification.
The main temple of Montefiore was the Temple of Isis, which was also the most important temple in the whole of the Lower Eygut. The chief priest was Pharaoh, which symbolized the rule of the Lower Eygut. But the person who offered sacrifices to the gods on behalf of Pharaoh was the Adoratrice.
The chief goddess worshiped in the Temple of Isis was, of course, the Goddess Isis. She was the mother of Horus, the goddess of fertility worshiped by the people of the Eygut, and the patron goddess of Montefiore since ancient times. The Temple of Isis not only offered sacrifices to the Goddess Isis, but also to the various gods of the Eygut. In the middle of the temple was the statue of the Goddess Isis holding the baby Horus.
Isis was worshiped as the Virgin in the Eygut. There was a tradition since ancient times that the person who offered sacrifices to the Goddess on behalf of the people was called the Adoratrice. The full name was "The Adoratrice of the Goddess Isis". The Gods' Tear on her scepter was the symbol of the Adoratrice. It represented the loyalty, love, and compassion of the Goddess Isis.
The Adoratrice was pure and pious. She offered everything she had to the Goddess Isis. Therefore, no adult man was allowed to touch her. They could only kiss the soil under her feet to show their respect.
According to the records, thirty years ago, the Adoratrice of the Temple of Isis, Troni, killed an evil ninth-level sorcerer with the power granted by the Goddess. Unfortunately, she fell, and the Gods' Tear on her scepter was destroyed in the fierce battle. This was the official statement of the Eygut, and its authority was unquestionable.
The evil sorcerer was, of course, Bair. This incident was called "The Sorcerer's Disaster" in the history of the Eygut. As far as Crazy 'Ole knew, the truth was that Bair, the Honorary High Priest of the Temple of Isis, the ninth-level supreme mage, had abducted the Adoratrice and the Gods' Tear. This was absolutely intolerable. It had violated and shaken the authority of the gods who ruled the Empire.
Pharaoh had issued a secret order to destroy him. Wherever Bair went, the forces of the various shrines in the lower Eygut participated in the operation. Bair hid everywhere, and eventually, he could not find a place to stay in the Ejyptian Empire. He fled through the desert all the way out of the border, and came to the mountains where the three kingdoms of Assyr, Bablon, and Hittite met.
The Pharaohs Of Eygut sent a large number of mages and warriors to hunt him down, but none of them returned. Bair and Troni were never heard from again.
After this incident, all records of Bair as the Honorary High Priest of the Temple of Isis and a member of the Magic Council of the Eygut were destroyed. No one was allowed to mention him again. In the official records, he was an evil sorcerer who was killed by the Adoratrice, Troni, at the cost of her own life.
At this point, Crazy 'Ole fell silent again. The room was quiet for a long time. Both the old and the young were lost in their own thoughts.
Amon finally knew who the Adoratrice was and what kind of person Maria would become. He could not help but feel sad. Although he knew that nothing could happen between him and Maria, there was always a trace of regret in his heart. He couldn't help but silently think of her and let out a deep sigh. His sigh didn't sound like a fourteen-year-old child at all.
In the end, it was Amon who broke the silence. "You said that your student, the Archmage Bale, is close to solving the secrets of the gods. Do you have any concrete proof?"
Crazy 'Ole answered absentmindedly, "It was the last message he sent thirty years ago, which confirmed my speculation. But I still don't know how many mysteries he has solved. When I explained the situation of magic arts and body arts, many people's understanding may be wrong! Divine Arts and Body Arts were deliberately separated, and the key content was still missing. That should be the secret of the gods! "
**
List of Characters in this Chapter
Bair: Crazy 'Ole's student, an evil ninth-level archmage in the official records. It was said that he was killed by the Adoratrice of the Temple of Isis thirty years ago.
Troni: Thirty years ago, the former Adoratrice of the Temple of Isis. According to the official records, she killed the evil sorcerer Bair and sacrificed herself in the battle.
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