Rod Drick had received an oracle from An-Ra, and he was very eager to ask Medanzo and George for advice, and even more eager to hear the voice of the god Amon himself. But on the other hand, he had also received the latest order from Pharaoh, which was to still build a beautiful and magnificent statue for Seth, and to destroy the records of An-Ra's oracle and never allow them to be made public.
So Rod Drick did not leave the city to meet George and Medanzo, and pretended to know nothing on the surface. He knew very well that these two guests would come to see him, and he would receive them warmly when the time came. He wanted to set up the most exquisite banquet, but not in the governor's office or the city's shrine, but in his own private house to entertain his old friends in a private capacity.
The behavior of the legion generals gave Rod Drick a headache, but the governor did not expect that there was an even more troublesome thing waiting for him. The more he wanted to pretend to be deaf and dumb, the bigger the movement of Medanzo and George. When the two entered the city, they were actually accompanied by the Shrine of Cape and the chief priest of the An-Ra legion, Ibin. Many people ran out of the city to see the excitement and to welcome them.
After George and Medanzo entered the city, they were welcomed by the people on both sides of the street, accompanied by the supreme mage Ibin, the senior generals of the An-Ra legion, and the officials and nobles of the Cape States, and went directly to the door of Rod Drick's mansion.
Rod Drick had long known that the two "distinguished guests" were going to enter the city today, so he deliberately did not go to the government office, but set up a banquet at home. He did not expect that there would be so many generals and officials accompanying George and Medanzo.
A very important reason why all the lords came to join in the fun was the appearance of the chief priest, Ibin.
The distinguished supreme mage Ibin had been in charge of the Cape States for twenty years, and his status and reputation were no less than that of the governor of the city. Yi Bin went a hundred and fifty kilometers out of the city and met George and Medanzo at the southern end of the Red Sea where the Khenmet defensive line used to be.
As the chief priest of the Shrine of Cape and the An-Yla army, Ibin had no selfless relationship with Amon and the others back then. Why would he do this? Perhaps the reason was simple. First, he was a priest and a supreme mage who had achieved the highest level of achievement.
Ever since he was a child, he had a very sincere and firm belief in the gods. After awakening the "power bestowed by the gods", he became a supreme mage before the age of thirty. He may not be comparable to the rare geniuses like Maria or Amon, but his achievements were still very amazing. He was a standard priest in the traditional sense. His faith in the gods had never wavered.
When Merneptah implemented the reform of monotheism, Ibin had been confused, but he was also relieved. He understood Pharaoh's intentions and thought that mortals might not be able to interfere with what happened to the gods. But later, the appearance of Amon made him even more confused, and the process of seeking an answer in his heart may have taken twenty years.
Amon had slashed the statue of Seth in the Shrine of Cape in front of Ibin, then smashed through the dome of the shrine and flew away with Gabriel's help. Ibin knew that the man was Amon. Looking at the look in Rode-Drick's eyes, he had clearly recognized who the assassin was. But later, the order issued by Pharaoh was obviously tampering with the oracle, claiming that the man's name was Sudan.
Amon smashed the statues of Seth in the shrines of fourteen cities in a row, but the archangel that the kingdom believed in remained silent. Since then, Seth seemed to have completely disappeared. Whenever Ibin presided over the sacrificial ceremony or prayed alone in the shrine, he kept asking himself in his heart: Who gave him power, what was guiding him, and who was the god he worshipped in front of the altar every day? As the chief priest, he represented the people in the city to offer sacrifices to the gods, and on behalf of the gods to convey oracles to the people. But was that god really the god he truly believed in?
Sometimes when he appeared in public sacrificial ceremonies, he even felt like a clown in a play. With such a thought in his heart, it was reasonable to say that he should not continue to receive the power bestowed by the gods, and Ibin had indeed lost his power. This made him feel fear and even despair, thinking that the gods had abandoned him or were punishing him.
This situation troubled Ibin for nearly ten years, and because there was no war, no one could see that the chief priest could no longer use magic. Finally, one day, when Ibin was able to accept the situation calmly, admit that he did not believe in Seth in his heart, and no longer prayed to Seth, and was about to resign from the Empire of Eygut, he found that his power had miraculously been restored, and he had become an eighth-level supreme mage.
Ibin, however, fell into deeper thinking, and many questions were buried deep in his heart. Until one recent day, the confusion that had plagued him for many years seemed to have disappeared, because he heard the oracle of Allah.
This supreme mage's understanding of the oracle was not much different from that of others. It turned out that Amon was Allah who descended to earth, and Seth took advantage of Allah's absence to cause trouble in heaven. When Amon returned from earth to heaven and beheaded Seth, all the puzzling questions were perfectly explained.
For a priest like Ibin, the oracle accepted in his firm belief was more authoritative than the orders of Pharaoh. And for him to be able to reach this position, he was certainly not just a bookworm who recited hieroglyphs and practiced magic, and he could also see the current situation of Merneptah and Pharaoh. Although the words of Pharaoh's orders to the various cities were harsh, they were clearly strong in appearance and weak in heart, and the cities were unwilling to carry them out.
"Destroy the records of the oracle, and never make them public." This was a kind of blasphemy in Ibin's view, and even more inconsistent with the laws of the Empire. Not to mention the oracle of Allah, even the oracle of the so-called evil god Hante, in Ibin's view, should be issued. As for the will of the gods, it might be better for the world to judge.
So in his heart, he was unwilling to carry out Pharaoh's orders, and he sent a secret letter to ask his most respected supreme mage, Vörde, what should he do? The ninth-level supreme mage, Vörde, was old and rarely dealt with mundane affairs. His reply to Ibin was only one meaningful sentence: "Seek the glory of light and wait for the right time."
What was the right time? A veteran of officialdom like Rod Drick naturally knew best. Such an important matter, of course, Ibin had to discuss it with Lord Drick. Rod Drick, however, was hesitant. He suggested that the oracle records should not be destroyed, but also not made public for the time being: the orders of Pharaoh should be executed on the surface, but it should be delayed in secret: the recruitment of craftsmen to rebuild the statue of Seth should be prepared first, but there was no rush to start.
As far as Rod Drick knew, the other nearby city-states had adopted a similar attitude. They did not openly violate the Pharaoh's orders to issue the oracle, but they were also secretly delaying the restoration of the statue of Seth.
Everyone was waiting for someone to be the first to raise an objection. Conflict would come sooner or later, but the first to raise an objection would often be the most severely suppressed and might become the first victim.
It was under such circumstances that George and Medanzo came to the Cape States. Ibin heard the news and went a hundred and fifty miles out of the city to meet the two visitors from afar at the southern end of the original Khenmet defense line. On this narrow throat at the southern end of the Red Sea, there was a military fortress and a large town where caravans stopped. The local garrison general was about to hold a banquet when he suddenly heard the sudden arrival of the chief priest, Ibin.
When Ibin saw George and Medanzo, he first explained the purpose of his visit, "I am the current chief priest of the Anjira army and the Cape States. I admire your achievements and reputation, so I came here to welcome you."
George smiled modestly, "We are only returning to Eygut to visit an old friend, we did not intend to disturb Lord Ibin."
Medanzo did not mince words, "Lord Ibin, you came all the way here to see us. Surely you are not just trying to show your hospitality and politeness? If you have something to say, why don't you just say it. "
Ibin bowed and said, "I do not have anything to ask of you, I am only looking for an answer. You are not only the founding fathers of the Anjira army, but also the followers of Amun. Especially Lord George, who was once of the same birth as me, but has witnessed the true gods of the human world. I once swore to believe in the gods and protect the glory of the gods, but when the gods came to the human world, the priests who thought they were closest to Ji Ling turned a blind eye. So I want to see you, and then think about how to face the gods? "
George's voice quietly sounded in his soul, "Lord Chief Priest, have you received Anjira's oracle?"
Ibin also quietly replied, "Yes, it is this that makes my soul uneasy, so Pharaoh ordered that the records be destroyed and never made public."
George said, "Is Pharaoh's order stupid?"
Ibin said, "Stupid, but also helpless. The name Merneptah is one with Seth's fate, he had no other choice."
George said, "So you can only carry out such an order?"
Ibin showed a pleading look, "Today I am welcoming Amun's messenger, this already shows that I do not want to carry out Pharaoh's order. You must have come here with Amun's guidance, I would like to know what this guidance is? "
George waved his hand lightly, "You and I are not puppets, we should know what we want to do, and what we can do? Since you're here, please do us a favor. We want to enter the Cape States to visit Rod Drick, the bigger the better, it would be best if we can gather the senior generals of the Anjira army and the lords of the city together. "
Rod Drick had originally planned to wait at home, but very soon, Medanzo and George "unexpectedly" came to visit.
But now that the scene had happened, he could no longer pretend. After hearing the news, he had to open the mansion door and personally welcome them. From afar, he saw Ibin and the others.
Rod Drick was a wily old fox, he quickly stepped forward and opened his arms to Medanzo and George, "It's a rare sight! I have already prepared fine wine and delicacies in the mansion, today we must drink to our heart's content! All the generals and lords are here? Come come come! Let's sit down and drink together.
Let's not go home until we're drunk. "
Medanzo chuckled and looked at Rod Drick, "City Lord, you've gained weight!"
Rod Drick was once the youngest city lord of Eygut, he was ten years older than Amon, this year he was already fifty-six years old. For ordinary people, this age was approaching the end of their lifespan, but Rod Drick was not a great aristocrat who only knew how to live like a prince, he was also a warrior of the sixth level, and his achievements in body arts were already quite good.
Although he was now a little fat, he did not neglect the practice of martial arts for many years, after all, as a legion commander, it was possible for him to go to the battlefield. Although he had never become a supreme warrior, his physique was still strong. At this moment, this warrior of the sixth level, of course, did not carry a sword, and only wore his usual clothes. He welcomed everyone into the mansion and set up a banquet to celebrate the reunion of old friends.
George and Medanzo did not know how many banquets they had eaten along the way, but today's meal was the most luxurious, the food on the table were all exquisite gold and silver utensils. Rod Drick was very enthusiastic, constantly toasting during the banquet, also recalling many things of the past, he could not help but sigh when talking about the emotional parts of the past. But this "smart" city lord never asked the purpose of Medanzo and George, he just wanted to reminisce about the past.
When the wine was almost drunk, the generals at the banquet untied their clothes, their foreheads began to sweat. Medanzo raised his glass to Rod Drick and stood up.
Rod Drick hurriedly stood up and raised his glass, saying: "Lord Medanzo, I should be the one to toast you!
Come, come, let me personally pour it for you! "
Medanzo, however, stretched out his hand to stop him, saying: "City Lord, don't be in a hurry to toast me. This glass of wine was raised by me on behalf of Amun, since you have already raised your glass, shouldn't you first toast to Amun? "
Rod Drick replied: "This glass of wine, let us toast to God together."
Rod Drick did not toast alone, he called everyone present, and said "To God", as a result, all the generals raised their glasses, stood up, and loudly said: "To Amun!" Then the other lords also stood up, some said "To God", some said "To Amun!" In any case, everyone toasted this glass of wine.
After putting down the glass, Medanzo did not sit down, but directly said: "City Lord Drick, this time we are here to visit, Amun asked me to ask you two questions."
Rod Drick secretly complained, he wanted to avoid the matter, but in the end, he could not avoid it. Medanzo used this occasion to ask questions in front of everyone. As long as he opened his mouth, it would be difficult to explain afterwards. The city lord hesitated for a moment, secretly sighed, but still put down the glass, bowed and said: "May I ask what message does Amun have?"
Speaking of which, as soon as this sentence came out, Rod Drick's originally uneasy heart became calm. In fact, he really wanted to know what Amon would say to him.
Only to hear Medanzo ask unhurriedly: "Amun has already sent down the oracle, why did the Cape States cover up the voice of God, hoodwinking people's ears, and have not announced it until now? Did the Cape States receive the oracle, and why did they not make it public? City Lord Rod Drick, if you were to make a sincere decision, what would you be willing to do? God does not want to blame anyone, he just wants an answer! "
Before Rod Drick could answer, Presiding Priest Ibin took over the conversation, bowed with a look of fear and replied: "The Cape States did receive the oracle of Amun, the priests of the shrine and City Lord Drick are all aware of it. As for why it has not been announced, it is not Lord Drick's fault, because Pharaoh has issued a secret order to destroy the records of the oracle and not allow it to be made public. "
The supreme mage spoke the truth, and the people present were shocked. Most of them did not know about this matter, and today was the first time they heard about it. The people asked one after another: "Respected supreme mage, what kind of oracle did Amun send down, and why did Pharaoh not allow it to be made public? Anyway, we are all on the same side here, just say it! "
The words of the city officials were still polite, but the generals already wanted to slam the table and shout.
Ibin looked at George with a pleading look, but George just smiled, and Medanzo said loudly: "Stupid Pharaoh, does he think that his order can stop the will of the gods? Presiding Priest, Lord Drick, have you ever thought about it, if Amun sends down an oracle during the ceremony of the city and let all the people hear it, can you cover it up? "
Ibin could not help but remind in a low voice: "Since ancient times, the oracle has only been sent down in the shrine to the priests who prayed, never in the ceremony for all the people to hear."
This was the truth. When the gods of the various divine systems of the Heaven's Pivot Continent descended the oracle, it was through the priests in the temples. Sometimes the priests prayed to the gods for instructions for a specific event, and the gods might give an oracle: sometimes the priests would hear the voice of the gods during their daily prayers, and this was an oracle given by the gods themselves.
The shrine was a place where people offered sacrifices to the gods and received the oracle, and the priests in the shrine were not only the organizers of the sacrifice, but also the spokesmen of the gods in the world. There were at least three advantages for the gods to do this: first, they could use the combination of theocracy and monarchical power to form a stable source of divine power. The gods could not build the shrine themselves, the shrines were built by the cities in the world. Second, they could avoid a lot of conflicts or doubts. When people were dissatisfied, they often did not directly target the gods, but resented the priests for violating the will of the gods.
The third advantage was obvious, and that was the most convenient. In theory, the gods could hear the prayers and calls of all the believers in the realm of the gods, but in fact, they could not be concentrating on distinguishing countless thoughts all the time. The priests prayed to the gods on behalf of the people, and told the gods about the most important things in a specific ceremony, and this solved the problem.
In theory, the gods could speak to all the people who believed in them, but many gods did not have such a huge magical power, especially some ninth level oracles who were worshipped as gods, they did not have this ability. Moreover, the gods were not always in the world, when they were in the Divine Kingdom, it was difficult to communicate directly with ordinary mortals in the soul like in the world.
At this time, the oracle had to be conveyed through a specific way, and the incarnation of the god in the statue was the simplest and most effective. It was the extension of the perception of the gods, and could give the oracle to the priests in the state of prayer and meditation.
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