175 、 What Business Do You Want to Do?
An exciting duel was over. Although the crowd did not see the scene of Rulio and Amon fighting, they were still dazzled. This was a duel between the top masters of the continent. After watching the duel, Arouca no longer had the idea of winning against Amon. He thought to himself that if he had been the one on the field, he would not have had a chance of winning at all. Amon, on the other hand, won easily while talking and laughing. Obviously, he did not use his full strength.
The captain of Syah's guards, the supreme warrior Muen, was stunned. He was once the captain of the guards at the relay station in the Charcoal Forest during the flood. He was rescued by Goliath and witnessed the magic of this supreme mage with his own eyes. Later, Goliath became a ninth-level supreme mage and was invincible in commanding the Hittite Army. Muen only admired Goliath in his heart and regarded the old man as a god-like existence. Now, there was another Amon. Not only was he a Great General whose name shook the nations, his combat prowess was so valiant. Hence, in Mu En's heart, Amon had become the second most revered and revered person.
As for Celia, she was, of course, convinced of her loss. She knew very well how powerful her summoned beast was, and although the Ironback King that Amon 'summoned' wasn't weak, it obviously didn't help much. It was basically just there to join in the fun. She was able to put it down. When her staff was taken away, her face was flushed, but after the duel was over, she was relieved and returned to the table to toast Amon.
Celia looked at Amon and felt extremely regretful. It was not because she lost, but because it was a pity that a talent like Amon was not used by Hittite. When she toasted, she could not help but say, "Supreme General, you have left Eygut, and it is impossible for you to go back, not to mention that the Empire of Eygut will send masters to hunt you down. You once led an army to fight against Hittite and captured the former King alive. However, you were also the one who facilitated the peace talks between the two countries and received the respect of the soldiers from both sides.
Now that King Asher has succeeded to the throne, the political situation in Hittite has returned to normal, and they are in urgent need of talents like you. Syah is your hometown. Since you're back, why not serve your hometown? Please reconsider the suggestions of Lord Goliath and Governor Schmul. I am also a court supreme mage and a member of the Hittite royal family. I can jointly recommend you. King Asher himself appreciates you very much, and you will definitely be put in an important position in Hittite. "
Amon looked at his glass and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Princess Celia. I have also come to serve my hometown this time. I have just made an agreement with Lord Goliath, and I have won this duel. Now, it is time to talk about our agreement, and I would like to ask for your help, Your Highness. "
Celia was Asher's cousin, and after Asher succeeded to the throne, he conferred her the title of Princess of the Kingdom, but to be honest, an ordinary Princess of the Kingdom was not as honorable as a supreme mage, so everyone still called her the supreme mage. Now that Amon had changed the way he addressed her, there was obviously a hidden meaning.
Governor Schmul spoke up, "Supreme General, you just said that you have a business to discuss with us. What kind of business is it that you need to discuss with us? If you want wealth or territory, just ask for it. There is no need to start a business yourself to earn money. "
Amon smiled, "The business I want to discuss is not to earn money myself, but to let Syah earn money. The town of Duc is my hometown, and as you all know very well, Syah has now lost control of the Plains of Duc, and its northern and southeastern corners have city-states established by the Kingdom of Assyria and the Kingdom of Bablon respectively.
That thousand miles of fertile land has been gradually developed over the long years, and in the future, it will be able to accommodate hundreds of thousands or even millions of people. It is rich and beautiful, but it is bound to be accompanied by human disputes. I do not want the city of Salem, where my friends and people live, to be destroyed before it is fully built, so I need support. The business I want to discuss is of course related to this, and the first is to build a road. "
Amon moved the utensils away, took out a map, and placed it on the table, drawing a winding road from their current location to the eastern end of the Charcoal Forest. He hoped to hire workmen from the city of Syah to pave the way, to build embankments and fill in the road along the route, to the extent that two wagons could pass at a time, and to build three stations on the open ground between the swamps for the passing caravans to rest.
Naturally, he could not let the workers work for nothing, and Amon would pay them enough. Governor Schmul looked at it for a long time, and said in a deep voice: "This project is big enough, I wonder how long it will take to repair it?"
Amon said with a faint smile: "Since I have come to you for help and am willing to pay a lot of money, naturally the sooner the better. I hope to repair it within three months."
Governor Schmul shook his head and said: "It is unlikely that it will be so fast. Organizing manpower is one thing, but there is no road through the swamp, and there is no way to get local materials. Many things have to be transported from all over the city, and it is very difficult to push in bit by bit."
Goliath looked at the map and added: "If someone opens a narrow road that can be walked in advance, and then organizes enough manpower to strengthen and widen it later, it is not impossible to complete it in three months. … Amon, this road is winding, and seems to be only suitable for trade, not for military campaigns? "
Amon spread his hands: "There is no other way, this is the Charcoal Forest. To be able to find such a road is already the credit of the King Ironback. Its name is El Mar, and it has lived in the swamp since it was a child. … El Mar, say hello to everyone. "
After the duel, El Mar had been crawling on the open ground beside the swamp, and when he heard Amon's call, he raised his huge body and nodded to everyone. Governor Schmul frowned again and said: "This requires a large number of people to be recruited in the name of the authorities, how will we explain this to the capital?"
Amon pointed to the Plains of Duc on the map and said: "You have been governor for many years, there used to be only one town of Duc, with more than two thousand inhabitants, and most of the daily necessities had to be transported from outside, but that small place was already an important source of tax for Syah. … Now there are city-states established there, but the city-states of Assyr and Bablon will not bring you any benefits, only this city of Salem can cooperate. "
The original town of Duc only had a population of more than two thousand, and excluding the old, the weak, and the children, there were no more than eight hundred registered miners at most, but the parangons and iron smelted by them were already important products of Syah. The area was rich in resources, and there were mineral veins in the nearby mountains, which the Ducians had long known, but they did not have that many people to mine, so they only chose the area with the richest mineral deposits and the easiest to mine to build mines.
If the Plains of Duc were to be fully reclaimed in the future, it would be enough to accommodate hundreds of thousands of people, and even the current city of Salem could provide tens of thousands of people. If this city-state were to develop, the one who would benefit the most would be Syah, because the products there had to be transported out, and the materials needed had to be transported in. After passing through this road that Amon wanted to open, not only would there be the benefits of trade, but it would also increase a lot of tax revenue.
In the years after the Great Flood, Syah had been very stable under Goliath's rule, but after two wars and the loss of such an important source of tax revenue as the town of Duc, it was clearly not as prosperous and affluent as it used to be. Now Amon provided another opportunity to open up a source of revenue, but the status of the city of Salem was already different from that of the former town of Duc.
The city of Salem not only needed reinforcements, but also more people. Vagrants who had lost their land in Syah, LNG explorers who were trying their luck, and bankrupt craftsmen could all enter Salem from here to look for opportunities, and as long as they obeyed the management there, they would be welcomed. The more prosperous the city of Salem was, the more prosperous this trade route would be, and the greater the profits of Syah would be.
The reason why Amon wanted to talk about this matter in person was that the ownership of the city of Salem was very delicate. It was not under the jurisdiction of the Hittite Kingdom, but only in a relationship of trade and mutual benefit. Nominally, the Hittite Kingdom might not openly accept it, but the fact that three city-states had been established on the Plains of Duc was also a fact that the Hittite Kingdom could not stop.
Amon's cooperation plan had three steps: the first step was to pay a large sum of money to hire people to build roads in Syah. The second step was to organize a large trading firm in Eygut to transport supplies through Syah's checkpoint, and to do business with the city of Salem through this trade route, they would need to pass through Syah, and they would pay a toll tax in accordance with the regulations. The third step was for Syah to be able to carry out the flow of people and trade with the city of Salem.
Although Schmul was the governor, he did not dare to agree to this easily, so he needed to talk to Goliath. If Goliath supported Amon's proposal, with his status and prestige in the Hittite Kingdom, even King Asher would not be able to object.
Everyone was not in a position to express their stance, and they all looked at Goliath with questioning eyes. Goliath stroked his goatee and said: "In the duel just now, did Amon win?"
Celia replied with a wry smile: "Of course it was Supreme General Amon who won, you were the arbiter."
Goliath then said to Schmul: "Then we have to keep our word, the governors of several states need not worry, whether the Hittite Kingdom is willing or not, a city has already been established on the Plains of Duc, and we are powerless to intervene. At least having this road is better than not having it at all, it is beneficial for the present and even more beneficial for the future, so in the name of Amon paying people to build the road, we will first open this trade route. We have a peace and trade agreement with Eygut, so naturally we should also allow their caravans to pass through. If everything goes well, it would be better if we could do more business ourselves. … Let's just treat it as a civilian trade, and Syah should acquiesce. "
Governor Schmul nodded and said: "Since you have made your stand so, then let's do it this way. In terms of practical benefits, Syah will also benefit. No wonder you asked me to bring the two directors and the clerk with me, it turns out that you had already thought of this. "
Amon stood up and raised his glass: "Then let's have a happy cooperation in the future."
Goliath also raised his glass and said: "Hold your celebration, the Supreme General's request for such a tight time, presumably Salem is also under a lot of pressure at the moment, and the conflict on the Plains of Duc will soon arrive. Syah can recruit people to build the trade route as soon as possible, but the prerequisite is that the Supreme General still needs to open a path in front of us that can be traveled. "
Amon nodded and said: "I will do it right away, and the road will be opened within a month. As for the people of Syah, they don't have to worry about where I have gone, just follow that road to level and widen it."
Goliath also nodded and said: "Of course I trust what the Supreme General says, then Syah will immediately go and organize the manpower and supplies, it won't be long before work starts."
Raphael said: "There are now three city-states on the Plains of Duc, the city of Enril built by Assyria, the city of Marduc built by Bablon, and Supreme General Amon did not have the support of a kingdom, but he also guided people to build the city of Salem. I am very curious about this city that seems to have appeared out of thin air, and I hope to go and see it for myself. "
Celia also said: "I also want to go and see the excitement, it's like a miracle."
Amon smiled and said: "You are welcome to Salem as guests, but it would be best to wait until the road is built, then everything will be convenient."
Raphael replied: "Supreme General, you can rest assured, since Teacher Goliath has agreed to cooperate with Salem, then this road will definitely be built within three months, as long as the old man says the word."
After talking about the cooperation, everyone raised their glasses and drank heartily, and during the dinner, they talked about all kinds of things they had seen and heard in the war between the kingdoms, especially when Amon witnessed the final fate of Enkidu in the casserole on the battlefield. Everyone listened with emotion, but at the same time, their hearts were filled with unknown doubts. After the banquet, Goliath did not leave immediately, he asked Amon to talk.
That night, the huge body of the King Ironback floated lazily in the swamp, while Raphael stood on its back, looking at the mud around him with interest, no one knew what he was studying. This noble supreme mage and the King Ironback had just met, but they actually got along quite well, they could talk in their souls, and El Mar was willing to take Raphael around the Charcoal Forest, telling him where there was good food to eat.
On a strange rock protruding from the swamp in the distance, Goliath and Amon stood side by side, talking through message magic. Goliath asked, "Do you know what happened to the fall of Enkidu?"
There were only a few people in the world who could make Amon reveal secrets without reservation, except for Schrödinger who had left, Maria who was far away in Eygut, and the last one was the supreme mage Goliath in front of him. It was interesting to say that they were once enemies who led armies to fight on the battlefield, but Goliath was a friend of Crazy 'Ole and a respected elder of Amon.
Amon replied frankly, "I didn't know it at the time, but later, because of a special experience, I understood that it was' the test of fate, the judgment of the end of days', the ultimate consequence of a life's choice. Please forgive me for not being able to explain it to you too clearly, because it may not be good for you to know it. But I can tell you that if a mortal wants to become a true god who transcends eternal life, that is a test that must be passed. "
Goliath was slightly taken aback, "You mean that Enkidu has reached the end of the human realm and may become a god?"
Amon sighed, "Yes, he already has that kind of achievement, but unfortunately he did not succeed, but he has a clear conscience in this life. Your original assumption may be right. Whether it is a mage like you or a warrior like Enkidu, when they reach the end of the human realm, it is possible for them to touch the light of the divine realm, but this hope is too remote and too accidental. I once told you about the power of two sides, but when I was in Eygut, I realized that there is no such thing as two sides, power and body and mind are one.
A warrior or a mage may also reach the end of the human realm because of superhuman luck, talent, and perseverance, but there are many missing contents in the secret books of practice in the world. Unless the body and mind have unintentionally met the requirements of these tests, it is impossible to take the final step. The ninth level of the power of origin has a seemingly endless life, and although the ninth level supreme mages in the human realm live a long life, they cannot be compared to the messengers of the gods. "
Goliath asked again, "The messengers of the gods?"
Amon smiled, "Some so-called gods, such as myself today, can already be called a god in myths and legends, just like Humbaba was once called the God of the Euphrates River. But there is still a difference between this and the true gods who transcend eternal life. As for what the difference is, I have not yet verified it. Of course, this requires the ninth level of the power of origin. Not all messengers can reach this level, they only understand the secrets of the power of origin. "
After saying this, Amon stopped talking, waiting for Goliath to ask. Regarding the secret of the power of origin, if Goliath did not ask, Amon would not take the initiative to say it, but if Goliath wanted to know, Amon would not hide it. He could tell Goliath the secret. As for the guidance of faith, that was up to Goliath. Even if he knew the secret, it did not mean that he could become a god.
Goliath did not pursue the matter. Instead, he sighed and said, "Amén, if you want to open up this road, what you want is not only resources, but more importantly, population, right? Attracting the poor vagrants of Hittite and Eygut to settle in the city of Salem, so that they could have a growing power to fight against the other two city-states. From a human point of view, I'm even willing to send unemployed soldiers back to their hometowns. With a bit of organization, they can become an army. But there is one question, if you do that, for whom are you going to build a shrine in Salem? "
Amon replied simply: "The city of Salem has already built a shrine for Goddess Mourrin, just like the original town of Duc. I don't think anyone can have any objections, right? As for my people, they have their own gods. "
Perhaps in another era, in another place, people might not understand what Amon and Golier were saying, but in the Heaven's Pivot Continent at that time, faith in the gods was an essential source of spiritual support for people. Toiling day in and day out, living in this world, what difference was there between them and the beasts without intelligence, or the walking corpses without intelligence? That was the yearning and hope in people's hearts. The world was material, but people lived in the spiritual.
If a person lost his sense of taste, the best delicacies in the world would be meaningless to him, and if he lost his vision, no matter how beautiful the colors were, they would no longer be gorgeous. This was the meaning of faith. It was not necessarily a debate about whether there was a god or not, but a belief in the meaning of existence. Regardless of whether gods existed or not, people needed the sustenance of gods or symbols of gods in their hearts, so that they could face the suffering of life and the unknowns of the world.
On the other hand, the royal power relied on the divine power, which was also conducive to the rule of the kingdoms, so that the human emperors had a self-evident transcendent status. With the combination of the two, every city-state on the continent had its own shrine. No matter what Amon did, it could not be divorced from reality. A city-state must have a shrine in order to be stable, the only difference was which god or what kind of god they believed in.
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