185, Mount Sinai
Moses and his people could not pass through the city of Marduc controlled by Ussir, and they had been wandering in the mountains looking at the fertile plains for several months, constantly moving from one place to another, looking for water and food in the mountains and fields, living a very hard life.
A road had now appeared between the Euphrate River crossing controlled by the Kingdom of Bablon and the city of Marduc. Many expectant explorers came to this new city-state in search of wealth and dreams. There were also many merchants who organized convoys to send supplies back to the Plains of Duc, and although the journey was difficult and dangerous, it was very profitable.
The Plains of Duc was like a new unknown world given by the gods, full of challenges and opportunities, and people came here in search of hope. At some point, there was a legend that a wanderer with nothing could even own a city in the Plains of Duc, gaining wealth comparable to that of a King, and possibly receiving the blessings of the gods in the future. The migrants from the Kingdom of Bablon naturally chose the city of Marduc, while the caravans went even further, crossing the trails trodden by carriages and pedestrians in the wilderness and doing business with the city of Salem.
Salem traded with the Kingdom of Bablon through the city of Marduc, and this was the result of Medanzo's discussion with Ussir, which was beneficial to the development of both city-states. At present, the biggest enemy of Salem was the Assyrians in the north, and if the Assyrians advanced from the north to the south and occupied the entire Plains of Duc, it would be difficult for the city of Marduc to gain a foothold.
Ussir also did not want to be enemies with Salem, and he was happy to see a barrier in the middle of the Plains of Duc to block the strong enemies from the north, so that he would have more time to stabilize the city of Marduc.
The fine iron and leather goods produced by Salem were also materials needed by the Kingdom of Bablon, not to mention parangons. The mining skills of the town of Duc were taught by Amon to Link, and Link in turn taught them to the cavemen in the tribe, and now there was a group of excellent craftsmen in Salem who could not only smelt ores but also create all kinds of exquisite objects.
However, there were restrictions on trade between the Kingdom of Bablon and the city of Salem. For example, products such as fine iron could only be shipped out of the Plains of Duc and were not allowed to be shipped in. Weapons, armor, warhorses, and other very important strategic supplies were not allowed to be sold to the city of Salem.
If Salem needed these things, it would either have to build them itself or obtain them from other sources, and Amon had opened another trade route in the Charcoal Marsh, of course, to solve this problem. But even if that long trade route was opened, it would not be able to meet the urgent needs. Salem was understaffed and had many things to do, and it was impossible to use all of them to build war supplies.
Before the road to the Charcoal Marsh was opened, Medanzo came up with another idea, which was to carry out a kind of smuggling trade. Medanzo was originally a smuggler of Damasc billets, so it was easy for him to instruct people in this business.
Entering the wilderness to explore and hunt was full of danger, and naturally one had to carry weapons, armor, and horses. The personal equipment of those exploration teams and wandering hunters who went deep into the wilderness was not included in the trade restrictions. But a full set of fine weapons, armor, and warhorses was by no means affordable for the average person, and many exploration teams carried simple weapons and walked into the wilderness to try their luck.
A trading firm in Marduc City provided loans to these people, and the money borrowed was used to buy warhorses and weapons designated by the trading firm. Who would borrow this money, and how would they pay it back in the future? There was no need to worry about this, as after entering the wilderness, someone would buy their weapons and warhorses at a high price, and after repaying the loan to the trading firm, they would still be able to make a profit, and there would be no need to venture deep into the wilderness.
It was normal for explorers to lose their weapons and warhorses in the wilderness and jungle, sometimes because the road was difficult, sometimes because they encountered ferocious beasts, and sometimes even their own lives were lost. If they "luckily" escaped back from an expedition and returned to the trading firm to repay the loan, they would still be able to make a profit, and then continue to borrow to buy equipment before setting off again. It was in this way that Medanzo allowed the city of Salem to obtain a steady stream of strategic supplies.
Borrowing from the trading firm was calculated according to time, and the wandering explorers who smuggled supplies in this way would not make money if they delayed too long, so they had to strive to go and return quickly and steal as many times as possible in the shortest possible time in order to earn more profit.
The owner of the trading firm in Marduc City was also an old friend, the wealthy merchant of the city of Uruk, Neskot Lee. He not only made money by borrowing, but also by selling all kinds of strategic supplies, organizing caravans from all over the Kingdom of Bablon to Marduc City, and had a pleasant cooperation with Medanzo.
Due to the excellent operation of Neskot Lee's trading firm, the goods shipped, the customers attracted, and the taxes paid were all very high, promoting the prosperity and development of Marduc City, and was praised many times by the mayor of Marduc, Ussir. When Neskot Lee came to Marduc City to inspect his own trading firm, Mayor Ussir specially invited the wealthy merchant to a banquet and said that he would report Neskot Lee's achievements to the kingdom, and that he might be able to receive a noble title, as long as he continued to contribute to Marduc City.
On the high slopes of the mountains, caravans and explorers could be seen going back and forth between Marduc City and Salem, but Moses and the others could not move forward, as they were bound by an oracle: they were not allowed to build statues for any other gods except Marduc.
But they believed in their one and only god and accepted Allaha's guidance in order to get here through all the hardships, and Moses and his people were naturally unwilling to accept this condition.
At first, they prayed to the gods all night, and then they heard the voice of the oracle. Medanzo told them that this was the test of the gods, the last obstacle they had to overcome before returning home. The gods had given them confidence and courage, and now they needed to solve it with their own wisdom and strength. The implication was that Allaha would not take them directly, and this time it was up to the people to find a way to get through it themselves.
What should they do? From the top of the mountain, they could see the vast Plains of Duc in the distance, but the city of Marduc was in front of them, and behind it was the Syrian Desert. The food carried in Moses's spatial artifact had been exhausted, and Allaha no longer performed miracles, so they could only pick wild fruits and catch prey in the mountains to fill their stomachs.
The miners of Duc moved in the mountains in pursuit of prey and water, and when spring came, they finally stopped their weary footsteps for a while and found a valley on the edge of the mountains where they could stop. There was a thin spring on the hillside, forming a winding mountain stream through a valley sheltered from the wind and facing the sun. Moses took out the grain seeds he carried with him, ordered his people to cultivate the land by the mountain stream to plant crops, and built simple huts to live at the foot of the mountain.
The people guarded the fields from being trampled by wild beasts and took turns to go hunting in the nearby mountains. The seeds had just sprouted, and there was still a long time before the harvest, and every day they had to go to the mountain stream to fetch water for irrigation and go into the mountains to hunt for food, so life was very difficult. Suffering was secondary, the most torturous thing was the feeling of not seeing hope.
A clansman said to Moses: "You asked us to cultivate the fields and build huts, do you want to settle here? Looking around, there were no signs of human habitation. Not far from the foot of the mountain was a boundless desert. We were only guarding a small mountain stream. Living in this barren valley, we could only build the simplest thatched huts. If this is the case, it is better to stay in Amon's territory, why did we leave in the first place? We have gone through so many hardships, and what we want is not today's result! "
Moses replied: "This is just a place where we stop temporarily, spring is coming, we must sow in the autumn to have a harvest, and with food, we can survive the next winter and go further."
A clansman asked again: "Temporarily? But how long are we going to wander here? Where is the god who guides us? "
Moses advised: "This is a test from God, and we have to overcome it ourselves. Sowing seeds here is for the future harvest, and building houses is so that everyone can rest better, and when the day comes when we embark on our journey again, we will have a better hope and future. "
Everyone asked: "Then can you tell us how long we are going to stay here?"
Moses did not answer this question, because he did not know the answer himself, but leaned on his iron staff and said: "Look at the ground under your feet, the broken barley is full of vitality, and look at the clouds in the sky, the changing patterns are always so beautiful and magical. If the heart is full of hope, even the sun on that desert is always so bright. "
In fact, Moses himself could have quietly bypassed the city of Marduc and entered the Plains of Duc, and after crossing the Red Sea, he had already attained the seventh level of the power of two sides. Although Amon had not yet given him the guidance of the power of origin, Moses was already a supreme mage and supreme warrior, and he could go anywhere he wanted. But Moses did not abandon his clansmen, he was their leader, and he had to fulfill his promise.
At this time, Ussir sent someone to find them again, and Ussir's messenger told Moses: "The great god Marduc has sent down another oracle. You are all the best craftsmen on the continent, and if you are willing to live in the city of Marduc and swear to worship the great god Marduc forever, you will have a happy and prosperous life. There are comfortable houses and beautiful girls in the city of Marduc, craftsmen's workshops have been prepared for you, and there is good wine by the workbench. "
Moses refused this request, but some people were already tempted in private. Instead of waiting aimlessly here, it was better to go to the city of Marduc and live a comfortable life. It was just that it was difficult to face the guidance of Allaha like this, but the god had already said that they needed to find a way to get through the difficulties on their own. In that case, could they also accept Ussir's conditions?
If they gave up persevering, the benefits were right in front of them, and they had suffered enough for a long time. Moses was aware of the thoughts of many of his clansmen, and he was also trying to get out of the predicament. He sent the twelve Judges to climb the various high slopes near the Plains of Duc to observe the terrain and check if there were secret passages to pass through, and then return to the station to discuss countermeasures.
After the twelve Judges left, Moses climbed alone to the highest mountain next to the station, called Mount Sinai. Moses prayed on the top of Mount Sinai for three days and three nights, calling in his heart: "Allaha, my one and only god! Please give us true guidance, I do not ask you to move the mountains and fill the seas so that we can reach our homeland directly, I just want you to show us the right faith so that we will not get lost in the journey. "
Three days passed, and Mount Sinai was silent. Moses was worried about the situation of his clansmen and was finally ready to go back, so he stood up with a long sigh. He was about to go down the mountain with his iron staff when he suddenly heard Allaha's voice again: "Moses, you could have passed through the city of Marduc long ago, why are you still here?"
Moses hurriedly turned and knelt down, prostrating himself to the invisible god in the void. "My god, you have finally spoken! Marduc sent down an oracle and made us swear that we would not build statues for any god other than him, and this oath has stopped our clansmen in their tracks. "
Allaha asked in return: "Did I ask you to build a statue for me? If you really wanted to build a statue for me, what would it look like? "
Moses froze, and it took a long time before he suddenly understood. "I understand what you mean, not building a statue does not shake our faith."
Allaha asked again: "Then why haven't you led your clansmen into the Plains of Duc yet? Marduc is not an obstacle. "
Moses sighed. "But the clansmen don't understand this, and even I am not sure. It would be disrespectful to you to agree to such a condition, and the clansmen are afraid of losing the guidance of God and even of your revenge. My god! Are you really unwilling to show your face to your people and not want us to build a statue for you? "
Allaha replied: "Yes, I just gave you a promise to strengthen your faith in your hearts, and you do not need and will not be allowed to build a statue for me. If you ever see my face, it is also a secret that you must keep strictly. Because from the beginning, I have made such an agreement with my clansmen. Today these agreements will be made clear, and you will bring them back to announce them. "
Moses nodded quickly and said: "Okay, please make an agreement with me and my clansmen."
Allaha said solemnly: "You must not have any other gods but me! Otherwise you will lose my guidance, that is the first agreement. You must not build a tangible statue for God, if that is the case, future generations may forget the guidance of faith and only pray to the idol on the altar, that is the second agreement. These two agreements are enough to get you out of your current predicament, that is my request and my promise. "
Moses kissed the dirt and said: "Thank you, my god!"
Allaha added: "You must not act in my name, and everyone must be responsible for their own choices, that is the third agreement. The clansmen work hard, and after six days of work they should rest for a day, and they should not be forced to work again, that is the fourth agreement. You must respect your parents, and never forget who brought you into this world and gave you life, that is the fifth agreement. "
Moses prostrated himself on the ground and replied: "I have remembered all of this."
Allaha continued: "I have given you the guidance of power, and at the same time you must understand the various trials of this world, the tests of fate throughout, and there are five more warnings after returning home. Do not kill innocent people, do not deprive others of their lives for money or selfish desires, do not, do not steal, do not bear false witness against others, and do not covet what does not belong to you. You must remember these agreements, the city of Salem has preserved the land and mines of your ancestors for you, and you must live in harmony with the people there, and do not think that everything there is due to my promise. "
Moses kept in mind Allaha's words, which were the ten agreements that God had made with him and his people, and later became known as the Ten Commandments. After saying this, Allaha ordered again: "You will convey my agreement to the people, and if they are willing to abide by it, then I will fulfill my promise and continue to guide them. After all this is done, you will come to see me on Mount Sinai. "
Moses walked down Mount Sinai with the agreement with Allaha in mind, passed the spring where the stream originated from halfway up the mountain, and ran briskly along the mountain stream. He could not wait to tell the good news to the people, and when he arrived at the place where the people lived, it was already dark, but the scene in front of him surprised him.
Several large fires were lit beside the open space in the middle of the huts, which was originally used as a wheat field after the autumn harvest, and now there was a shining golden bull in the middle of the open space. Some people were dancing around the golden bull, and others were lined up in a circle and praying to the golden bull.
Moses shouted: "What are you doing! Where did this golden bull come from? "
The shout was accompanied by magic, and had the power to shock the soul and wake people from their stupor. The dancers stopped, and the prayers rose, with expressions of bewilderment, alarm, and defiance. Joshua flashed out of the shadow of the hut, grabbed Moses's sleeve, and said: "You are finally back! Something big happened here in the past three days, and a god showed a miracle. "He whispered what had happened.
The twelve Judges who protected the people left the camp, and the leader Moses also climbed Mount Sinai. The people seemed to have lost their backbone, and even the sound of the wind blowing through the treetops at night became so frightening, and they spent the first night in fear and uneasiness. In fact, most of them were very strong, comparable to the soldiers of any regular army on the road, but for the first time in a long time, they lost the protection of a stronger force, and for a moment, they were a little panicked.
On the first day after Moses left, a disturbing situation occurred. The prey in the nearby mountains had disappeared without a trace, and the people who went hunting in the mountains did not even catch a rabbit. All of them returned empty-handed, and for the first time, everyone went to bed hungry. They had eaten up the food they carried, and the last batch had been sown as seeds.
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