According to the decree of the city, nine out of ten parangons mined by every household in Duc had to be handed over to the city, and the remaining one belonged to the household. But the decree also stipulated that every household in Duc had to pay at least one parangon every season, which was the basic tax.
All the adults in the town loved to drink, including the women in their prime. Mining ore or forging iron embryos required heavy physical labor. It was said that wine was a magical thing with some kind of mysterious power. It seemed to relax the mind and relieve physical fatigue, but drinking too much was not always a good thing. Amon's father was addicted to wine, especially the fragrant and expensive wine. His hands had been trembling more and more violently in recent years.
In addition to wine, the residents of Duc also loved all kinds of delicious meat. But except for the small flock of sheep they kept nearby and the occasional game they hunted in the mountains, most of the meat had to be shipped in from other places. Amon's father had exchanged his money for enjoyment, but he had not paid the parangon for the season's tax.
Mayor Dusti, who was in charge of the tax collection and statistics of Duc, was usually a kind person. He did not push the miners too hard when they were in arrears. After all, mining parangons required not only hard work and skill, but also luck. Even if they were in arrears for a while, they could always pay up when they were lucky. Because of this, Mayor Dusti had been respected by the residents for a long time and lived a comfortable life.
But three days ago, the mayor ordered that all the households in arrears must pay up within three days. All the households in the town had paid up within three days. Basically, everyone had a surplus for the rainy days, except for Amon's family. The mayor's order might have something to do with the honorable Lord Eygut who came to the town three days ago. Amon did not know the details, and it was not his place to ask.
Amon's father exchanged the last parangon he had for wine when the caravan first arrived in the town. When the mayor gave the order, he realized that he had not yet paid the tax for the season, so he went to borrow from Crazy 'Ole, Nietzsche, but all he got was a mined ore. Crazy 'Ole assured Amon's father that there must be a parangon inside.
Not all ores contained parangons, but parangons would only appear in such ores. His father's hands were trembling and he could not control the hammer, so he asked the fourteen-year-old Amon to try.
According to the rules of Duc since ancient times, when a man reached the age of sixteen, he would receive the blessing of God in the Temple of Mourin. Only then would he be qualified to learn the unique craftsmanship passed down from generation to generation. Only when he had mastered the craftsmanship could he open the ore and take out the parangons by himself. Those who were not qualified could only do some auxiliary work, such as searching for ore cores in the mountains and mining them, cutting trees to make charcoal to provide fuel for the furnace, and so on.
In the past two years, Amon's father felt that his physical strength was weakening faster and faster, and his hands were trembling more and more violently. If he waited for the day to come, it would be too late for Amon to take over his mining hammer. Therefore, he secretly taught his son the local mining skills in advance. After two years of practice, Amon had mastered the skills quite well, which surprised his father. Generally speaking, if a Duc boy wanted to master this unique way of controlling the power, he would have to start learning at the age of sixteen, and he would not be able to master it until he was twenty.
His father was surprised, but Amon was even more surprised, not because he was a fast learner. Didn't the priests and priests say that only with the blessing and approval of the patron could one learn the unique skills of Duc? He did not go through that solemn and sacred ceremony. How did he awaken the legendary power? He did not ask his father, but asked Crazy 'Ole Nietzsche. Crazy' Ole snorted and did not answer. But he also told him to keep it a secret and not to talk about it.
When Amon swung the hammer at the ore core, his father was very nervous, and his hands were trembling uncontrollably. But Amon was calm and focused. His father thought it was the first time he had done this, but he did not know that Amon had done the same thing many times in Crazy 'Ole's house. His father was not the only one who taught Amon in private. Crazy 'Ole also taught him. Crazy' Ole often drank while watching Amon work for him.
When the sledgehammer hit the ore core, not only did it control the force, but it also released a penetrating shockwave at the moment of contact. The shockwave entered the incomparably hard ore core, and the echoes of the shockwave lingered in the house for a long time. Then, countless fine cracks appeared on the surface of the ore core, which was harder than pig iron. The cracks continued to intertwine and spread, becoming densely packed. The ore core also gradually turned from a black color to a dull grayish-white.
When the cracks spread to the extreme, the ore core naturally opened, or rather, scattered like fine sand. If one was lucky, a parangon would appear in the center of the gray sand.
A parangon could not be taken out by brute force. It was very hard and could not be destroyed by ordinary force. But it was very fragile when it was still in the ore core. If one was not careful, it would turn into powder along with the ore core.
All parangons were of the same shape and size, about the size of a cat's eye. It was a perfect dodecahedron. It had thirty sides, twenty corners, and twelve faces, each of which was a regular pentagon. It was said that in the far northwest of the continent, there was a sage named Tayatay who once said that there were only five regular polyhedrons in the world, and the dodecahedron was the most special one.
It was the outline of the world drawn by God, and it contained the mysterious information of the fifth element. It was the source and symbol of the mysterious power. The most common type of God's Stone was colorless and transparent. Holding it in one's hand and looking at it from different angles, it would show various ever-changing pentagrams. It was so perfect, dazzling, and enchanting that it made people marvel at the wonders of the Creator.
In addition to the colorless and transparent parangons, Amon knew that there were four other kinds of parangons. They were blue, red, black, and white. According to a distant sage, Empedocles, they symbolized the mysterious information of the four elements that made up the world: water, fire, earth, and air. Of course, Amon heard all this from Crazy 'Ole. He did not know whether it was true or not, nor did he know whether those so-called sages really existed. Maybe it was all made up by Crazy' Ole.
Crazy 'Ole, Nietzsche, had another unorthodox theory about parangons. He said that they were the crystallization of the bones of the fallen gods, and could be called the bones of the gods. Amon could not believe it. He once asked Crazy 'Ole, "Can the eternal gods also fall?"
Crazy 'Ole asked him back. According to the legend, humans were created by the gods. Humans could die, so who created the gods? Why couldn't they fall? In the oldest legend, the area around Duc was the place where the gods fell in the ancient war.
Crazy 'Ole also said that when he traveled the continent in his early years, he met a monk from the far east who called parangons the Sarira of the Earth. Amon did not understand what that meant. Crazy 'Ole's messy beard was stained with bright red wine when he said this. Then he winked at Amon and said, "There are many legends about the gods in the continent. The earth is the body of the ancient gods. Is there anything wrong with parangons being the bones of the gods?"
Amon could only take it as the drunken talk of Crazy 'Ole. But he did not dare to say that it was impossible. So he stopped thinking about it and focused on what he was doing. This was his best habit.
Although Amon did not know what parangons were, he knew the types of parangons. The four special parangons were much rarer than the ordinary ones. The probability of them being mined was only one out of several hundred. Amon did not know how valuable they were. All the special parangons that appeared in Duc were taken away by the state as important tributes.
But tonight, when the ore core turned into gray sand and scattered on the anvil, Amon was stunned. The heavy hammer froze in the air. His father, who was watching from the side, was also stunned. His eyes were wide open and his mouth was wide open, but he forgot to close it. His hand that was holding the wine cup was still trembling, but he didn't realize that the wine had splashed on his clothes.
Amidst the greyish-white fine sand, there was a divine stone lying there quietly. It was pale gold and translucent. There seemed to be a strange luster flowing in it, as if it contained tears. What kind of parangon was this?
When the parangon appeared, a mysterious wave rippled silently in the surroundings. Amon was keenly aware of it, but he didn't pay much attention to it due to his surprise. His father, on the other hand, was completely stunned. Not long after, a polite voice outside the door brought the father and son back to reality.
"Is anyone home? I am Fayol Judah, the clerk of Lord Rod-dick, governor of Cape State of the Great Empire of Eygut. I am here on the order of Lord Dick. " Following the voice, the person who spoke had already pushed open the door, walked through the house into the backyard, and arrived at the door of the workshop.
His voice sounded cultured, but his behavior was casual. He walked in without the permission of the owner. Two heavily armed soldiers stood guard outside the door, and another two followed behind him on both sides. When Amon came to his senses and turned to look at the door, Fayol happened to have one foot over the threshold. He looked shocked and ecstatic.
Fayol was in his thirties. He was of medium height, brown skin, curly hair, and wore a linen robe. He was very clean. His lips were a little thin, and his eyes were a little narrow. He always had a thoughtful look. Only in front of honorable men like Rod-dick would he show such a look of concentration. But now, all he could see was the parangon shining with pale gold luster.
"Thank the great Goddess Isis. Thank the gods for their mercy. May the light of God always shine on Eygut and protect Cape States forever …" While Amon was puzzled, Fayol had already stepped over the threshold. He put one hand on his forehead and the other on the ground as he knelt on one knee. The two soldiers outside the door also knelt on one knee with Lord Fayol. They put their swords on the ground, and their armor clanged against each other.
"Who are you? How can you come in like this?" Amon asked hesitantly.
Amon's father had already put down his glass and stood up. He asked in a trembling voice, "Honorable Sir, what kind of parangon is this? Why have I never seen it before?"
"Great Goddess Isis, please forgive this ignorant voice!" Hearing the father and son, Fayol put down his hand on his forehead and raised his head in an exaggerated exclamation. When he saw that Amon and his son were still standing there, he shouted angrily, "Kneel!"
Fayol had already knelt, but these people were still standing there. It looked as if Fayol was kneeling before them. How could they not be angry? Amon's father's lips moved, but he did not dare to say anything. He did not know whether he should kneel to the parangon on the anvil or to the honorable Sir in front of the door. He thought for a moment, then knelt before Fayol.
Amon gently put the sledgehammer down beside the anvil and said as calmly as he could, "When you mine a parangon, you have to stand to swing the hammer. Otherwise, how can you see it being taken out in one piece?" Then he copied Fayol's posture and knelt before the parangon in front of him. He had realized that the parangon they had mined today was extraordinary, and these people had come for it.
When the father and son knelt, Fayol had already stood up. He had seen clearly that it was the child who had mined the Gods' Tear. When Fayol came in, Amon had not put down the hammer in his hand. The sloppy old drunkard's hands were trembling. Obviously, he was not the one who had mined the parangon.
"My child, you have received the blessing of the goddess Isis and are lucky enough to welcome the Gods' Tear to the world. What is your name?" asked Fayol, looking at Amon.
Amon realized that this parangon was called the Gods' Tear. It seemed that Crazy 'Ole was not completely wrong when he said that the parangon was the remains of the gods. He answered respectfully, "My name is Amon. People here call me Amon."
Amon had a full name, Allaha Men-Su-Messiah Hovah-Anra-Ye Montmon. But it was his father who had given him this name, and only his father had mentioned it when he was a child. Even Amon himself did not remember it clearly. People in the town just called him Amon. His father had crossed the line by giving him such a name. Only a noble could have such a long list of names and write them out. It represented hereditary glory.
Amon was neither a slave nor a noble. He was just an ordinary citizen of Duc. Giving him such a name was just a self-consolation for his drunkard father's illusionary glory. The long list of titles was not his family's lineage. His father made them up when he was drunk, so even Amon himself wouldn't mention them.
Fayol looked at Amon and nodded with satisfaction. His expression became solemn. "My name is Fayol Judah. I come from the Empire of Eygut, Cape States, which rules the Hittite Kingdom. I am the chief clerk of Lord Drick. Lord Drick received a prophecy from the great Goddess Isis in his dream. The Adoratrice of the Temple of Isis was blessed by the gods and bestowed with a Gods' Tear. This is the place where the Gods' Tear will descend. "
Fayol cleared his throat and looked at Amon. He did not see any reaction from the boy. Perhaps he was already in a daze. He cleared his throat and continued, "Amon, under the benevolent gaze of Isis, you are fortunate enough to receive the Gods' Tear. Thank you for your gift. It will belong to the Adoratrice of Isis. The Goddess will remember your name. These are bestowed upon you by the generous Lord Rod-dick. "
Fayol took out a bag and put it on the anvil. He picked up the Gods' Tear and put it in a golden box he carried with him. Then he turned and walked out. Amon's father saw him. He wanted to stop him but did not dare to make a sound.
When Amon stood up, Fayol was already gone. Two warriors followed closely behind him to protect him. The hilts of their swords clanged against their armor.
Amon realized that it was useless to chase after him. The strange parangon, which he had never seen before, was taken away by the uninvited guest as soon as it was mined, leaving only a bag of money. But the man said "thank you for your gift", as if Amon had voluntarily given him the parangon.
Amon was angry and unwilling. He remembered that his father still had to pay the parangon tomorrow. The strange parangon could have been used to complete the task, but now it had been taken away. Then he remembered that the parangon was taken away by Lord Drick. If the mayor wanted to pursue the matter, he should go to Lord Drick. Their family had paid their taxes.
Many thoughts flashed through his mind. But one thing that did not occur to Amon was that Fayol's action would reveal the fact that he had learned the Duc mining skills without permission.
**
Young Master Xu's Note: Thanks to the 'Disciple of the Tridream Sect' for creating the diagram of the twelve-sided parangon.
List of Characters in this Chapter
Amon's father: A Duc miner and blacksmith, a drunkard.
Nietzsche: A resident of Duc, an old friend of Amon, nicknamed Crazy 'Ole.
Fayol Judah: Rod-dick's clerk.
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