Everyone looked at Dusti. Shog discontentedly interjected, "You did this on purpose to let him go before Lord Randil arrives."
Before Dusti could answer, Goliath suddenly said to Schmul, "Governor, this decree is still in effect, right? No one should be blamed for faithfully carrying out the decree of the kingdom, and a clerk should never reprimand his own chief officer like this! "
Schmul had been in charge of politics in Syah for many years. Of course, he was a shrewd official. He immediately understood that Goliath wanted to defend Dusti. As the governor and high priest of the shrine in Syah, Schmul would rather offend ten Randils than one Goliath. Moreover, his position was one level higher than Randil's. He flattered Randil only because he was the emissary of the capital.
These days, looking at Randil's smug face, Schmul had long been displeased. Now, seeing that Goliath was reprimanding Shog and also Randil, Schmul was eager to take advantage of the situation. He quickly nodded and said, "Yes, this decree is completely legal and effective. I didn't say that Mayor Dusti should not have done this. I just asked him why. This is surprising after all. "
Dusti bowed and explained, "Actually, it's like this. I'm looking for an excuse to punish Amon. Not long ago, I heard from a merchant from Eygut that a new Adoratrice named Maria appeared in the Temple of Isis in Eygut. She received the Gods' Tear from a miner in Duc. More than two months ago, the governor of the Cape States, Rod Drick, did come here with a girl named Maria. I thought he was just doing business. I didn't expect this to happen.
Shog, the priest who presided over the affairs of the Temple of Horus and the Temple of Mourrin, did not know about it either. He was my clerk, so there was no record of such a parangon being produced in the town. My investigation revealed that Amon had extracted the Gods' Tear and offered it to Goddess Isis on the spot under his own name. The person who took the God's Stone was Rod Dick's clerk, Judas.
This kind of behavior could not be tolerated, but it was not an excuse to offend the Empire of Eygut. In order to prevent something like this from happening again, he had to punish Amon to serve as a warning to everyone. So I thought of this decree from thirty years ago, ordering him to go deep into the mountains where cavemen live to hunt down an evil magician, and ordering him not to return until he finds the magician.
This was a form of exile. He could not return alive! As the mayor, I have no right to sentence a citizen to death, but I have the responsibility to share the burden of the kingdom. After thinking for a few nights, I finally came up with this solution. Lord Randil came to punish Amon. I am pleased and regretful at the same time. I am pleased that from the kingdom's point of view, he should be punished, but regretful that Lord Randil did not come three days earlier. "
When Dusti finished, Shog did not dare to speak anymore after being reprimanded. The others also noticed that the atmosphere was not right, so they did not speak first. Only Goliath nodded and said, "I see. What a good plan! Dusti is a competent officer. He knows how to share the burden of the kingdom! Lord Governor, Lord Randil, we should be happy to have such an excellent man under our rule, shouldn't we? "
Governor Schmul, High Priest Cosman, and Financial Officer Morton all agreed in unison, "Yes, Mayor Dusti is loyal and competent!"
Randil was a little confused. He was the emissary who came to punish Amon. What would he do if Amon left? Would he be unable to complete his mission? He waved his hand and said, "Goliath, don't be in such a hurry to praise the mayor of a village. How can I complete my mission?"
Goliath suddenly snorted. The wine glass in front of Randil shattered without a sound, and the bright red wine splashed onto his clothes. Randil jumped out of his chair in fright. He heard Goliath say coldly, "You are so rude. How dare you call my name without any honorifics!"
Randil also came to his senses. The local officials had been very respectful to him along the way, so this minor official from the Ministry of Justice, who had left the capital for the first time, was a little carried away. Goliath was an eighth-level supreme mage and a member of the Council of Elders of the Academy of Magic in the Hittite Kingdom. His status was unparalleled. How could he scold him for no reason? If Goliath made a mountain out of a molehill and refused to let it go, he could even accuse him of disrespecting the gods through the Council of Elders of the Academy of Magic. The most serious consequence might be that he would be stripped of his title.
Naturally, Goliath would not do something so frivolous and demeaning, but Randil was frightened by his own thoughts. He immediately bowed and said, "Dear supreme mage, I am very sorry. I hope you can forgive my rudeness! I was just in a moment of panic, thinking that I could not complete my mission. That's why I spoke without thinking. "
Goliath's expression softened, but he did not let Randil sit down. He said slowly, "It's not impossible for you to complete your mission. Let Governor Schmul borrow a guard to escort you into the mountains at the border of Assyr and Bablon. When you find Amon and punish him, you can return to the capital to report. I can be your witness and bring the news back to the Ministry of Justice. Send someone to inform your superiors and family, so that they don't worry. "
Schmul and the others wanted to laugh in their hearts, but they had to hold back. A guy like Randil who regarded others' modesty and politeness as his own prestige was indeed abominable, but they could not say anything due to their status. But Goliath was a supreme mage who had no need to curry favor with Randil. If he really wanted to, wouldn't it be easy to get rid of him? Even the head of the Ministry of Justice would not offend Goliath because of Randil.
Randil looked like he was about to cry. He knelt before Goliath and said, "Respected supreme mage, do you have any other orders?"
Goliath smiled and reached out to help him up. "Actually, it's easy to do. There are two ways. The first is to give Governor Schmul an order to send someone to bring Amon to you, and you can wait in Syah. However, this method may not be very effective. Amon has most likely been eaten by wild beasts in the mountains. The second method is simple. You just have to report what happened here truthfully. Don't forget to praise Schmul, Dusti, and the other local officials for how they truly shared the burden of the country.
Amon has already received the punishment he deserves. He is just a miner. The purpose of the king sending you as an envoy to punish him was only to warn the others. Now that this purpose has been completely achieved, no one will worry about anything else. Besides, with me here as a witness, it can be solved with a single word. I think the head of the Ministry of Justice saw that you are usually diligent, so he sent you out for a walk. Did you enjoy eating, drinking, and playing along the way? "
Randil's face turned red. He could not say 'yes' or 'no', so he could only say submissively, "Thank you, respected supreme mage. Thank you, my colleagues. Then let's do it."
… …
Amon climbed all the way up. He felt that he was not climbing an isolated mountain, but walking on a plateau. The mountain road was not a straight upward path. It rose and fell, passing through many flat and open areas with lush primeval forests. The vegetation here was rich, the rainfall was good, and there were many wild animals. It was a place suitable for hunting and picking. No wonder there were tribes of cavemen.
He leaned on the iron tree branch and remained vigilant. However, for a whole day, he did not find any trace of cavemen, only a few squirrels and wild goats. The mountain squirrels did not avoid people. They would even jump on high branches and look at you curiously, but if you walked too close, they would quickly burrow into the canopy and disappear. The wild goats were very timid. They ran far away when they heard the noise. They were very agile and could jump on steep rocks.
Footprints could not always be found on the path. The climate in the mountains was very complicated. Sometimes it was cloudy or sunny just across the mountain ridge. Some places were so dry that footprints could not be left behind. The path itself was also intermittent.
As the sky gradually darkened, Amon left the path and found a depression with his back against the stone wall. There was a small open space in front of him. This was his favorite terrain to camp in the mountains. He lit a campfire and made dinner for Schrödinger. Then he ate himself. He did not have much special meat floss with him. It was enough for him and Schrödinger for another two or three days. After that, he would have to hunt by himself.
While camping, he realized one thing. According to Crazy 'Ole, a sorcerer who could use two low-level magic together was already qualified to be a second-level sorcerer. He wondered if Crazy' Ole had left any useful information in the Terroculus.
When it was dark, Amon moved his limbs in the open space. His movements were like gymnastics, but there was no fixed routine. It was a habit he had developed after years of bathing in the cold spring. As the heat rose and spread in his body, he stretched his muscles and bones. He could get the most relaxation and eliminate the fatigue of the day. Strangely enough, even if he did not bathe in the cold spring, he would feel warm and comfortable when he exercised like this every day.
Then Amon inserted his staff into the ground in front of him. He spread the clean grass on the ground and sat quietly to meditate. The so-called "power bestowed by the gods" was more often called magic power. In the state of meditation, one could use magic power to communicate with the outside world. Mages might be good at different magic, but as the most basic skill, the state of meditation was the same for all mages. Mages of different levels could achieve different states.
Amon did not know message magic yet. Message magic and detection magic were both advanced magic. Being able to use one advanced magic independently was also one of the criteria for a third-level mage. But Crazy 'Ole had sealed the message in the Terroculus with message magic. As long as Amon reached a certain stage, he would naturally "see" the message.
Amon entered the state of meditation and used his magic to touch and summon the Terroculus. As expected, a message came into his mind. Like words appearing in front of his eyes, or like a voice ringing in his ears, the message was as follows:
**
P: After ten o 'clock in the evening, before twelve o' clock, add the second half of the chapter:) Please vote!
Introduction of the characters in this chapter:
Medanzo: A fourth-level warrior from the Kingdom of Bablon. He went deep into the mountains and jungles of the Euphrate River in search of the relics of his ancestors.
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