Judah was in a good mood. Rod Drick rewarded the craftsman with thirty gold coins, each of which weighed one baht. They were heavy in a bag. And what he put on the boy's anvil were thirty silver coins, about the same size as gold coins, but each of them weighed only half a baht, and were worth only one and a half gold coins. The rest were all his.
But Lord Jewel was not afraid that Rod Drick would reproach him. The noble Lord Dick would not deign to stand in front of the fire in this dirty and humble miner's house. It was a great honor for the family to have sent him, the clerk. He had done what Lord Dick had told him to do and was lucky enough to get the Gods' Tear. Lord Dick would only be pleasantly surprised and would even reward him. He wouldn't pursue such trivial matters. He knew Lord Dick too well.
This was the first time Judah had seen the Gods' Tear. He had never even heard of it before. Rod-dick told him that it looked like a pale gold, translucent parangon. He saw it in Amon's house and got it.
The house reeked of wine and the fire. Judah did not want to stay a moment longer. He left as soon as he got the Gods' Tear. Judah was very curious about the legendary symbol of the gods' mercy. He almost wanted to hold it in his hand and see what was so special about it. He even wanted to put it in his purse, but he dared not. He could only respectfully and carefully hold the golden box that contained the Gods' Tear.
… …
Judah left. After a while, Amon also left. He went to see Crazy 'Ole. Amon was still a boy. He felt wronged, but he could not say anything to his drunk father. Listening to Crazy 'Ole's rambling was a way to relax and comfort him.
He stayed in Crazy 'Ole's house for about an hour. Then he quietly went to the west side of the town. To the west of the town of Duc, there was a stretch of hills covered with strange black rocks. Closer to the hills, there were a few grassy slopes where a small number of sheep could be grazed. Farther away, it became more dangerous. The strange rocks were not tall, but they were strange, like a dense forest of demons. The shrubs growing on them looked like messy human hair.
The shrubs were no taller than two people, but their branches were very hard. They had to be cut down with good knives and axes. The charcoal made from the shrubs was the best fuel for smelting iron. This area was called the Charcoal Forest. It was on the road from Duc to Syah. Syah's post road also passed through this forest.
Except for the post roads that were guarded by soldiers of the city every thirty miles, people rarely entered the depths of the Charcoal Forest. The strange and complex shrubs and rocks could completely block the view within a short distance, and it looked as if it was full of mysterious dangers.
But Crazy 'Ole told Amon that there was a cold spring somewhere in the Charcoal Forest. The water was piercingly cold, but it could cleanse and purify one's body. Bathing in the cold spring all year round could make one's body stronger and more responsive. But one had to bathe according to the method Crazy 'Ole taught Amon. Otherwise, the cold would invade one's body and leave a hidden disease. Once the disease broke out, it would be fatal.
Whether or not he could learn it without harming his body, and whether or not he could endure the bone-piercing cold, it all depended on him. Amon once asked Crazy 'Ole what other benefits there were to bathe in the cold spring. Crazy 'Ole answered with a smile: sober up.
Amon wanted to take his drunkard father to the cold spring, but Crazy 'Ole glared at him, "Do you want to kill your father? He can't bear it. Only you can go. Don't tell anyone! "
So Amon went to the bath alone. Every time he went to the bath, it was in the middle of the night under the bright moonlight. At first, he couldn't stand the freezing cold, but every time he sat by the spring after his bath, he would feel a warm current flowing through his body, making him feel so comfortable that he wanted to moan. Amon liked the feeling. Every time he was in a bad mood, he would come to the cold spring.
And there was another special feature of the cold spring. Although it was extremely cold, it could wash people very clean. Not even a speck of dust would be left on their bodies.
… …
Rod-dick was very excited and even ecstatic. He had successfully obtained the Gods' Tear. How wise, wise, and lucky he was! Surrounded by the praises of his subordinates and servants, he felt a little complacent with the wine glass in his hand. Rod-dick didn't have the dream where Isis guided him. He made it up. But now, he couldn't help but believe that he was really guided and favored by Goddess Isis.
The first thing he did when he got the Gods' Tear was to kneel down and pray, praising the great goddess. Then he rewarded Judah with three parangons and sent a generous gift to Mayor Dusti. Mayor Dusti must have known why he had to give such a heavy gift to express his gratitude.
Judah did as he was told. When the Gods' Tear first appeared, he took it away on the spot in the name of offering it to Goddess Isis. This would save him a lot of trouble. Once such an important thing was extracted, it would be very difficult to get it back if it was handed over to Syah according to the local rules. Although Dick might get it with the right threats, there was no guarantee that he would get it.
Of course, there were people in the Hittite Kingdom who wanted the Gods' Tear. Even in the Empire of Eygut, Eco Maria was not the only candidate for the Adoratrice. It was a competition of interests. But how could the lowly miner who mined the God's Tear reject Rod Drick's noble will and offer it to the Goddess Isis? Everything seemed to be logical.
As for Mayor Dusti, Rod-dick would certainly make it up to him. He could not afford to lose this friend in the future. As for who the miner was and what did he get? Rod-dick did not worry about it anymore. He had asked Judah to do it. He generously gave him thirty gold coins, and Judah did it. That was enough.
The human heart was such a strange thing. Not long ago, Rod-dick was drinking and complaining that it was better to pray to the miner than to pray to the gods. Now that he had really gotten the Gods' Tear, he forgot about the miners who had mined the Gods' Tear. He could not help but think that he had really been blessed by the gods, so he prayed to the goddess Isis with sincerity.
Rod-dick did not keep the Gods' Tear for himself. He immediately sent it to Gabriel. He knew that there must be many people who wanted to get the Gods' Tear. The most important thing was to get the approval of the Temple of Isis as soon as possible. He planned to leave Duc the next day. He did not want any more trouble. Unexpectedly, Gabriel told him that Eco Maria was ill. She had to rest in the town for at least another three days. She could not travel through the desert immediately.
… …
Early the next morning, the people in the town had just woken up. Smoke drifted over the houses. Then they heard the bell of the Temple of Mourin in the north of the town. It was the signal to summon all the people in the town.
Surrounded by four servants, Mayor Dusti, who was enjoying a sumptuous breakfast, was annoyed by the ringing of the bell. Who was disturbing his comfort and leisure? There were only two people in Duc who were qualified to ring the bell of the Temple of Mourin. Dusti was the chief priest of the town and the nominal high priest of the Temple of Mourin. But the one in charge of the specific affairs of the temple was the priest Marco Roberto Shog.
Shog was also the clerk of the town and the temple. He was responsible for writing and recording the taxes paid by the townspeople and the property offered to the temple every year. The status of a clerk was higher than that of an ordinary civilian. He could be regarded as a low-ranking noble. Shog was also the priest of the temple, so his status was more distinguished than that of a clerk. He was the second most important person in the town.
Do not underestimate a clerk, because he could read and write. Whether in Hittite or Eygut, only nobles could learn how to read. The chief clerk of Rod-dick, Fayol Judah, was almost on the same level as the nobles of the Hittite Kingdom like Mayor Dusti, even though he was just an advisor.
Dusti was just a small town. It could not and did not need so many nobles and officials. Mayor Dusti did not want too many people to share the power here. So the simpler things were, the better. According to the laws of the city, a clerk was a must, and so was a priest who presided over the affairs of the temple. So Shog could serve as both. Moreover, Dusti knew that the Lord of Syah liked Shog. To be more precise, he had been bribed by Shog.
What was even funnier was that since the construction of the Temple of Horus, in order to save manpower and centralize power, Mayor Dusti was still the high priest of the temple. The priest and clerk who presided over the affairs of the Temple of Horus was still Shog.
… …
Mayor Dusti changed into a luxurious coat and was the last to arrive at the square in front of the Temple of Mourin with his servants. People had already formed a large circle. Amon and his father stood at the front of the crowd with their heads bowed. Shog was facing the crowd on the high steps of the temple.
The crowd made way for Dusti. As he walked, he shouted unhappily, "Shog, why did you ring the bell so early in the morning? Lord Dick is still in town. Aren't you afraid of disturbing the honorable guest? "
Shog hurried down the steps and bowed to Dusti. "Dear Oracle, My Lord, someone has blasphemed our patron, the great Mourin." Then he lowered his voice and said, "Mayor, you still don't know. Someone in town has mined a legendary Gods' Tear, but he didn't hand it in. Instead, he offered it to Lord Rod-dick. You know, even if it's a tribute, it should be you or me — "
Dusti quickly interrupted him in a low voice. "Shog, don't mention it! Lord Dick wants the Gods' Tear. He's in town. Can you or I stop him? But we didn't hand it in as the rule. If someone comes after us, who will be responsible? The miners who mined it voluntarily offered it to the goddess Isis, and Lord Dick is the witness. It saves us a lot of trouble. Don't worry, Lord Dick's gift will be delivered to your house tonight. You won't be disappointed … Anything else? "
Shog was stunned for a second, then he nodded humbly. "Got it. We'll do as you say. But there's one more thing we have to deal with. Someone has violated the dignity of the goddess … "
The people in the square only saw Shog and Lord Dusti whispering to each other. Then Shog turned around and raised his voice, "Amon, the miner's son, violated the oracle of Duc. He opened the mine and took out a parangon without Mourin's permission and blessing. I've verified it last night. His father admitted it himself. Lord Dusti is here. What do you think we should do with him? "
Dusti frowned but didn't say anything. He could only pretend to be dignified. He was disgusted by Shog's actions, but he couldn't do anything to stop it. When it came to blasphemy, everyone had to be careful. He couldn't let Shog get anything on him. Besides, this was indeed the rule of Duc. It was related to the dignity of the patron. He thought to himself, What is this Shog trying to do with this? Is he after me?
Shog looked at Amon like a cold eagle looking at a trembling rabbit. Amon bit his lips and didn't tremble. He didn't like this kid for a long time. Duc produced an endless supply of parangons, which symbolized endless wealth. But there were only four people in this town who could write: Dusti, Shog, Crazy 'Ole Nietzsche and Amon.
Dusti could only write on clay tablets used in Hittite, Babylon and Assyr. This kind of writing was first carved on clay tablets with a knife. Shog, on the other hand, knew two kinds of writing. Apart from the knife script, he also knew the pen script used in the Empire of Eygut, which was written on papyrus with a pen. These were all taught to him by Crazy 'Ole. But now, Crazy' Ole also taught these two kinds of writing to Amon.
**
P: Tonight at midnight, add the second half of this chapter and make it to the list of new books!
List of characters in this chapter
Marco Roberto Shog: the clerk of Duc, the priest and clerk of the Shrine of Horus and the Shrine of Mourrin. He can write in both secular writing, and has mastered the corresponding hieroglyphs.
Aristotle: a young wandering sage from the distant continent, the attendant and aide of Rod-dick.
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