149 、 Horus with the Broken Wing
The two of them had a close relationship. Back then, John was the frontline commander of the An-Ra Legion, while Sio was the logistics officer. They could be considered comrades who had fought on the frontlines together. John had no choice but to bring Sio back to pay his respects to the Supreme General.
When Amon saw Sio, he was overjoyed and laughed: "Why have you put on weight again? You can't live like a prince all day, you have to exercise and work hard. Back then, you were a very diligent merchant. If you didn't personally cross the desert to collect debts, we wouldn't have known each other. "
Sio bowed and said: "Because I worked day and night during the war, I was so tired that I was tanned and skinny. When I came back, my family was very sad to see me and advised me to rest well. In the end, I overnourished myself and became even fatter than before."
John kicked him lightly: "You call that working day and night?"
Amon then asked John: "How's the matter going?"
John replied: "It's done."
Amon nodded: "Go and invite Misphi here, I have something to say."
Misphi came to the front hall and knelt to Amon as soon as she entered: "Supreme General, I don't know how to express my gratitude. You and General John not only punished the sinners, but also made the matter public. This is a wish that I swore in front of the gods to fulfill at the cost of my life. It seems like the legends are true, you have received the blessings of the gods and have the glory of the gods in the world! "
Amon hurriedly gestured for John to help her up and sighed: "Miss, your words make me very ashamed. Mahu was a brave warrior who fought with me. He gave up his life on the battlefield, but we couldn't protect his family. By the time we found out about it, it was too late. … If you must thank someone, thank General John. He was the one who went to the farm to investigate, and he was also the one who filed the official complaint to the city. "
Misphi was about to kneel down to John again. John was holding onto her elbow. He hurriedly stopped her, looking like he was going to hug her. His face was a little red. Seeing this, Amon asked again: "Miss Misphi, John has redeemed your slave contract today, and your revenge has been avenged. What are your plans from now on?"
Tears welled up in Misphi's eyes: "I thought that my fate was to perish together with Sabaf, but not only did the Supreme General take revenge, he also allowed me to live. My life is yours. Even if I become your slave for the rest of my life, I'm afraid I won't be able to repay you. "
Amon waved his hand. "Don't say that. You didn't do anything wrong. You don't deserve such a tragedy. Since that's the case, I have something to ask you in private. The rest of you can leave now. "
John was still in a daze. Sio grabbed his arm and pulled him out, winking and smiling. They waited outside, and after a while, Misphi came out. Her eyes were red, and so was her face. She looked down at John and said: "The Supreme General invites you in to speak in private."
After a while, Hardedef came out. He lowered his head and peeked at Misphi with a silly grin on his face. Sio asked in bewilderment: "General John, what are you smiling about? I've never seen you like this before, is there something good? "
John continued to smile and did not answer. Amon walked out and said: "Of course there's something good. After so many days of trouble, there's finally something good. Lord Sio is also here. Let's have a feast tonight and have a drink. Tomorrow, we'll go to the Blessing Ceremony of Isis. "
… …
The annual Blessing Ceremony of the Goddess of Isis had finally arrived, and this year's ceremony was particularly lively. People from all the nearby cities came to attend, and just a few days before the ceremony, Supreme General Amon had caused a ruckus in Memphis, which became the talk of the town during their leisure time.
There were hundreds of thousands of people gathered in the huge square, but under the command of the warriors, they were orderly and there was no pushing or shoving. When the ceremony began, no matter where they stood, the holy light that descended from the sky would fall on everyone. With a spear in hand and armor, Amon stood in the crowd at the edge of the square like an ordinary guard, in charge of maintaining order in this area. The surrounding people all looked at the high platform in front of the shrine in the distance, not knowing that the person standing next to them was the famous Amon.
The warriors in bright armor formed a semicircle in front of the long steps of the shrine. In the middle of the formation was the high platform where the Holy Queen held the ceremony. Behind the high platform was a large magic formation formed by the priests. The noble lords were watching the ceremony from the long steps. Maria, wearing a golden crown and holding a staff, climbed the high platform. The bell in the shrine rang and everyone knelt down towards the high platform. Amon also knelt down and put his spear on the ground beside his hand.
The Supreme General did not bow his head to kiss the ground, but looked up at the Holy Queen. Maria slowly raised her staff and glanced at the people in the square. She seemed to see everyone clearly, but one of them was fixed on a pair of eyes at the edge of the square in the distance. She showed a shallow smile, then slightly closed her eyes and began to sing.
Amon did not know what Maria was singing. At this moment, the Holy Queen was in the center of a powerful magic formation. Amon's detection magic could not detect it, but he could feel it in his heart.
The Gods' Tear on the staff emitted a faint golden light. This golden light was getting stronger and stronger, but it was not dazzling. It spread to the surroundings and the sky. The magic formation began to operate. The golden light converged in the air and turned into a bright beam of light that shot towards the sky. The whole sky was golden.
The light disappeared. The sky of Montefiore seemed to have been golden since ancient times. With the melodious sound of the bell, there was a white light like a veil, like a waterfall, like flying snow, like a drop of rain, like a fluttering feather, silently sprinkling down. This was the blessing of Isis. Hundreds of thousands of people in the square felt its magical comfort, including Amon.
Everyone bowed their heads and prayed devoutly. Only Amon looked up at Maria. She stood in the middle of the crowd, exuding a holy light. Amon did not pray, nor did he think of anything. He just looked at her. The light sprinkled on his body, as if accompanied by a soft singing, just like Maria's answer to the question "What is a blessing" in the shrine –
"When the heart has the power to yearn for, the gods will not close their eyes to their people. They will bear witness to sin and kindness. They will let love and honesty meet, and justice and peace meet. The fertility of the earth will accompany the peace of the heart of the gods, washing away the unclean soul. It is a gift, but also a test. This is the true blessing."
If the so-called gods were really like what Maria said, then Amon would use the most devout oath to offer his body and mind. That was Maria's god, the god she believed in! Under the comfort of this light, amidst the crowd, Amon felt very weak, like a newborn baby who had nothing but a brand new life and future.
This weakness was not weakness, but the germination of pure and exuberant vitality. Amon had forgotten whether he had lost his power or not. He didn't think about it at all. He just felt the call of this magic like a newborn. He was the only one in the square who did not pray, and he was the one who was the most focused on this ceremony.
… …
There was an assassin at the blessing ceremony the year before last, and there was a war with two kingdoms last year. Would there be an accident at this year's ceremony? Many people secretly raised their vigilance. Just as the ceremony reached its climax, the ninth-level supreme mage Wadj-hotep, who was in charge of monitoring the whole scene, suddenly frowned, because he heard the rumbling of thunder.
Amon, who was in a state of ecstasy at the edge of the square, suddenly "woke up". He also heard the thunder. The rolling thunder did not come from the sky, but from the depths of the earth in the east, accompanied by a slight tremor. The whole city was shaking, but the ordinary people were not yet aware of it.
What was going on? Without time to think, Amon used his magic to cast spatial magic in an instant, trying to stabilize the ground under his feet as much as possible. His magic spread out, and then he felt the convergence of several other powerful magical forces. It was Vörde and the other supreme mages who had taken the same measures.
The strongest force that stabilized the ground was, of course, from the magic formation behind the high platform. The main function of this magic formation was to assist the Holy Maiden in completing the ceremony and ensure that it would not be disturbed by any accidents. The people in the square neither heard the muffled sound like rolling thunder under the ground, nor did they feel the slight tremor of the earth. They were still immersed in the light of the blessing of Isis.
But Amon and the other supreme mages felt completely different. The magnitude of the tremor of the earth was slight, but the force was so huge that it was almost irresistible. So many people cast spatial magic at the same time, but they could only barely stabilize the central area of the city of Montefiore with the square as the center. They felt the impact of the magic power was so violent that although their bodies did not move, they felt like small boats being tossed around in a gale. The horror in their hearts could be imagined!
The tremor of the earth did not last long, and it stopped before the end of the blessing ceremony. Amon finally breathed a sigh of relief. In the legends of the continent, the tremor of the earth was the wrath of the gods against the sins of the world. But when he felt the tremor of the earth during the blessing ceremony of Isis, he thought of such a legend and felt that it was absurd.
Amon gently wiped the fine beads of sweat from his forehead, but his movements suddenly stopped. He realized one thing, his magic power had been restored! If not, how could he have cast spatial magic just now? It was restored without him realizing it at all. Amon did not even think about it when he cast the magic.
Had he completely passed the test and achieved the eighth level of the power of two sides? Amon moved his body and suddenly realized something else. He had not fully recovered his strength. The magic power of the magic power had indeed been restored, and it was far stronger than before, but the power of the blood in his body was still the same as yesterday. It had not recovered or grown. His current situation was similar to that of an ordinary eighth level supreme mage.
Amon closed his eyes and carefully felt his condition. Suddenly, he smiled again. The power of the blood in his body could be said to have recovered, but it could also be said to have not recovered. It still needed a process of growth, like a baby slowly becoming strong. It was no longer clear whether it was the power of magic or the power of body arts. The power of two sides had finally merged into a true one, as if he had been reborn.
… …
Maria on the high platform, of course, also felt the tremor of the earth, but she continued to complete the ceremony without making a sound. Her calmness and composure were even better than when she was assassinated. After the blessing ceremony, the crowd sang poems in praise of the goddess Isis. Maria walked down the high platform and led the priests and officials into the shrine to offer sacrifices to the goddess. The ceremony was successfully completed.
However, all the supreme mages present had an ominous premonition that something big must have happened in the distance. That night, Maria sent messengers to all the cities overnight to ask if there were any unusual changes. The next day, all the important officials in Montefiore were summoned to the shrine. Amon did not immediately return to his territory, but stayed in Montefiore to wait for news.
Something big had really happened, something earth-shattering, and three of them happened at the same time!
… …
The tremor occurred in the Cape States, and the exact source was the Khenmet defense line where Amon had fought against the Uruk legion. The entire lower Eygut felt the tremor, but it did not cause too many casualties.
According to the memory of a soldier on duty at the east gate of Khenmet, it was a sunny day, but the sky suddenly darkened. Looking up, there were no dark clouds, only a dark sky. It was not like at night where the stars and moon could be seen. All the residents of Khenmet came out of their houses, and the soldiers in the barracks also came out of their tents.
The hearts of the people were shrouded by a huge unknown fear, and they gathered in the square in the center of the town to pray to the gods. Just as the people looked up at the dark sky, all kinds of lights appeared in the sky, like huge, colorful flames shining and circling, accompanied by the sound of impact, rumbling, and thunderous explosions. Then the earth began to tremble, and three of the four towers of Khenmet collapsed in the violent tremor, and more than half of the houses were destroyed. Fortunately, the people had gathered in the square because of the strange phenomenon in the sky.
According to the memory of a boatman who was a few dozen miles north of Khenmet, he was repairing a damaged boat on the beach when he suddenly felt the sky darken. The blue sea churned even though there was no wind, reflecting the dark sky with a dark red color. There was a strong flash of light in the sky, and in the distant sky, balls of light exploded like fireworks. Then, the earth began to tremble violently, as if the rocks underground had turned into monsters, colliding and biting each other. The sea suddenly receded, revealing a large area of the seabed, leaving behind many stranded fish and prawns.
The boatman ran towards the higher part of the shore, and along the way, he stumbled and tripped countless times. He felt the earth moving, and looked back in horror. He was so frightened that his body went limp, and he sat on the hillside, unable to run anymore. The receding sea roared and formed a high wall, sweeping away the boats on the beach. Not far away, the shore was torn apart by an unimaginable force, and the sea flowed into the depths of the land through the crack.
… …
It was as if a giant blade had chopped down on the land, forcefully cleaving out a gap. The land moved horizontally along the Khenmet defensive line that Amon had laid out, and the sea flowed in from the north, forming a crevasse-like bay, shaped like a dagger cutting into the land. The sea swallowed up the battlefield where Amon and the Uruk Legion once fought, passing through the east of Khenmet and nearly four-fifths of the land, leaving only a narrow passage at the southernmost end.
A new narrow inland sea was formed in the territory of the sepat of Cape. When the sky cleared up again, the sea under the sunlight had a reddish hue, as if it was suffused with a faint bloody glow. Therefore, this narrow inland sea was later called the Scarlet Sea. The main city of the Cape States was a hundred and sixty kilometers away from the source of the earthquake. It was the nearest large city, and the tremors were the most intense. Many deep cracks appeared on the sturdy city walls, and many houses in the city suffered varying degrees of damage. There were hundreds of casualties.
However, the most serious accident occurred in the temple. The sturdy temple building was not damaged, but the statue of Horus that was enshrined in the center of the temple had its right wing broken. The huge stone statue fell from a high place, and broke into many pieces. The priests panicked.
If the tremors were too strong, the entire temple and the surrounding buildings would collapse, and the statue would inevitably be damaged. However, the temple and the surrounding buildings were all intact, and only the most important statue of Horus had one of its wings broken. This was a sign of disaster, and the consequences could be very serious.
The statue in the main temple of the city was not an ordinary object. From the extraction of the stone, to the chiseling, transportation, and carving of the statue, the entire process was strictly supervised, and the names of all the participating craftsmen were recorded in a book. This huge statue had a history of a hundred years, and it was majestic and sturdy without a single crack. How could it suddenly have one of its wings broken?
According to the rules, the responsible craftsmen would receive the most severe punishment, but the craftsmen from a hundred years ago could no longer be held accountable. City Lord Rod-dick organized people to investigate the disaster, and at the same time, he sent people to Montefiore and Eygut to send urgent reports while waiting anxiously.
The news from all over the country quickly came back, and Rod-dick was both frightened and slightly relieved at the same time. The same thing happened to the Temple of Horus in all the cities of Eygut. The body of the man, the head of the divine eagle, and the statue of Horus with its huge cloak-like wings were all destroyed, and the right wing was broken and smashed into the altar.
This could only mean one thing, the destruction of the statue had nothing to do with the craftsmen who built it, and it was not just the fault of the Cape States. But the same thing happened to the statues in the Temple of Horus in all the cities of the country. Only some small private temples had the statues of the King of the Empire still intact. What did this mean? It made people not dare to think about it, and it made all the people of Eygut shudder!
… …
The earthquake formed a long and narrow inland sea in the territory of the Cape States. The goddess Mourrin once told Amon that this was the boundary of the realm of the Ennead of Eygut. The wings of the statues of Horus in the temples of the cities of the country were broken and damaged, even the distant capital city of Thebes, which had no earthquake, was no exception.
According to the legends since ancient times, this probably not only symbolized the anger of the gods, but also the fall or injury of the gods. Pharaoh, who claimed to be the incarnation of Horus on earth, should be the most frightened, but he had to stand up to appease the people in order to maintain his theocratic status. But Lasith Ii did not need to worry anymore. The third major event that happened at the same time was the sudden death of the Pharaohs Of Eygut.
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