Amon had once asked Maria this question, and Maria had asked him the same question today. The meaning behind it was very complicated. Perhaps only the two of them could understand it. It was just a simple greeting.
Amon replied, "I'm doing very well. I've never been so free. But I'm also waiting."
Maria's eyes were so soft and calm. She looked at him and asked, "What are you waiting for?"
Amon looked back at her. His eyes were so natural, "I'm waiting for you to summon me. I'm also waiting to make a request to you. I once said that I would return to Duc and guide my clansmen back to their homeland."
Maria nodded gently, "I remember. You said that you have something to do. How much time do you have left?"
Amon, "More than two months."
Maria, "A month later, I will send you to carry out a task. You will go deep into Duc surrounded by swamps and investigate the terrain there. You must report every change in detail. You are the most familiar with the area and the most suitable person to complete this task. "
Amon, "Thank you. I will definitely complete this task."
Maria said worriedly, "I have to remind you that after the flood, many monsters appeared in the mountains, plains, swamps and deserts. This trip will be full of danger."
Amon was slightly surprised, "I just passed through there last year. I didn't see any."
Maria asked, "From where did you get to where?"
Amon, "From the south of the inland lake, through the desert to Syah."
Maria explained, "The monsters mainly appear in the northwest of the inland lake. With the receding of the flood, they have appeared in large numbers in the past six months. Now there are also many poisonous scorpions in the desert. … Do you need to send enough mages to protect you? But you can't send a large group of people there. And this is a cross-border operation. I can't go with a public identity. "
Amon shook his head, "No need. I grew up there. It's more convenient for me to go by myself. As for the danger, I have experienced too much. I'm not afraid of it. Whether it's dangerous or not, whether it's a mission or not, I have to go. Now that I heard that a lot of monsters have appeared in that area, I have to go and investigate. "
Maria sighed softly. "Perhaps there is more than one path that people can choose. A thousand miles of fertile land has appeared in the center of the continent where monsters run amok. It will be a place where countless heroes will build their achievements, but it will also be a place where various kingdoms will fight and kill each other. Must you guide your clansmen back to their homeland? Living in Eygut and starting a family like many other ordinary people might be better. "
She was clearly persuading Amon, and presumably she had also read the document "Land of Marduc" and knew that the situation in that place would be very complicated. Amon replied sincerely, "I made a promise to the dead and the gods that I will find the descendants of Duc and guide them back to their homeland. Unless they are unwilling, I will do my best to fulfill my promise. "
Maria seemed a little hesitant, but finally said, "That day at the Blessing Ceremony, you saw the assassin. Not only did you throw the javelin to block the arrow, I saw it clearly from the platform. Then you rushed to the place where the assassin appeared. I was very worried at that time. Fortunately, the assassin ran away faster than you, otherwise your life would have been in danger. It was Gabriel who caught the arrow in the end. Later, she told me privately that she was no match for the assassin. "
Amon said frankly, "Thank you for your concern, but that was what I should do. A soldier charging at the enemy on the battlefield is in danger at any time. Should I just turn around and run away?"
Maria's tone was a little emotional, "I should thank you, and I should also help you in your matter, but I don't know how much I can help you. There is still a month before the mission. I will send you to patrol a place. When you get there, you will understand what I want to tell you. "
The Adoratrice not only wanted to send Amon to Duc to carry out the mission, but also to patrol a place before the mission. Her words were very meaningful. Amon did not ask further. He stood up and saluted, "Thank you for your arrangement."
Seeing that Maria also wanted to stand up, he finally sat down on the chair and waved his hand, "No need to thank me. You will understand when you get there. I am sorry that I can't help you more."
The conversation between the two was very short. The Adoratrice did not have much time to summon a guard captain alone. From beginning to end, Amon's attitude was respectful. The only difference was that the two of them kept looking at each other. When Amon left and turned around in front of the door, Maria suddenly said, "Amon, take this. I think you should read more of these books."
Amon turned around again and saw that Maria also stood up, holding a piece of paper in her hand. He quickly walked back and took the paper with both hands. Their fingertips accidentally touched each other. This was a violation of the rules. He was not allowed to touch the Adoratrice's body, nor was he allowed to directly deliver the Adoratrice's belongings. Even if he was a guard captain, the lightest punishment would be to cut off his finger.
It was funny. This was the second time that Amon had faced this kind of punishment. But the Adoratrice did not blame him, nor did she summon the servants to punish Amon. She gently let go of the paper and let Amon take it. Then she said calmly, "I forgot to ask the servant to hand this paper to you. Just pretend that I left it on the table and you took it yourself."
This sentence was a reminder. She did not have to say it, but she still said it. Amon realized that he had overstepped the rules and hurriedly apologized. But there was always a soft feeling on his fingertips, which made him very ashamed. Maria shook her head and said, "It was an unintentional mistake. It is not your fault. Why apologize? When you leave in a month, I will summon you again. "
Amon stood up and raised his head. There was only a table between them. He looked into Maria's eyes again. Suddenly, he felt an impulse in his heart. It reminded him of the unfinished kiss. God, at this moment, he really wanted to kiss her. This impulse made Amon lower his head and not look at her again. He bowed and left the study.
… …
The Temple of Isis did not only have buildings in Montefiore, but also large pastures, farms, and groups of slaves. The place that Maria sent Amon to patrol was south of Montefiore and close to Herak. It was about two hundred miles west of the Nile River. It was far from the river valley and the climate was dry. It was a semi-desert area with many tall stone mountains.
There was sparse grass at the foot of the mountains. There were only some very drought-resistant shrubs in the crevices of the rocks. From a distance, the earth was yellow and the mountains were dark brown. At the foot of the mountains, there was a series of simple buildings made of stone. This place was very important to the Montefiore Temple. It was one of the main producers of parangons in the Lower Eygut. It was called Mount Horeb.
Amon was the messenger who came to patrol Mount Horeb. He was also responsible for escorting the parangons produced this season back to Montefiore. He was very warmly received at Mount Horeb. The person in charge of this place was a sixth-level mage and senior priest named Pawara. The environment here was very difficult. The living conditions were far from Montefiore. But there was one good thing about it: it was very profitable. Don't forget that Mount Horeb produced parangons.
Although it was a desolate place, Lord Pawara knew how to enjoy life. The courtyard he lived in was very luxurious. He even used the environment to set up a magic circle to make the courtyard cool and moist. The water he drank every day was specially purified from the Nile River. He could also eat fresh vegetables from the city of Herak, not to mention the cattle, sheep, and wine.
It was a lucrative job to patrol here. Moreover, this time, Amon was appointed by the Adoratrice. Naturally, he was different from the previous messengers. Pawara was a little uneasy. He knew that the Adoratrice had just come to power and was afraid that something wrong with him would be found out. So he gave Amon a generous gift as soon as he arrived.
Pawara's worries were unnecessary. Amon didn't want to deliberately cause trouble, nor did he want to blackmail him. He saw Pawara's surprise and took the gift with a smile. After checking the accounts, he counted the parangons stored in the cellar and ordered the carts to be loaded with the things that should be transported back to the Temple of Isis. Pawara finally heaved a sigh of relief.
Amon didn't care how well Pawara treated him, nor did he deliberately find fault with him. A few days after arriving at Mount Horeb, he spent most of his time reading in his room. The paper Maria gave him contained the file numbers of several scrolls. Amon borrowed them from the archives and read them when he had time.
Not all the documents in the archives of the Temple of Isis were written in hieroglyphs. As a warrior, Amon could also apply to borrow some scrolls recorded in the secular language. But during this time, Amon hadn't read a single one. He didn't even know how to flip through the secret texts written in hieroglyphs until Maria gave him this list of books.
Amon didn't expect that Maria would let him read a book on the art of war. The content was about marching, how to integrate logistics, how to arrange battle formations, how to manage various troops, and how to command legions in battle. Amon was a warrior and had achieved the sixth level at a young age. It was very likely that he would become a supreme warrior in the future. Could it be that Maria was looking forward to him becoming a general?
Of course, just reading books on the art of war wouldn't make him a good general, but it was still very useful. The proportion of people on the continent who could read was very small, and even fewer who could understand the art of war. But the book Maria let Amon study was very complete and systematic. It basically mentioned how to deal with any situation encountered in a battle. At least, it gave him the capital to start.
If he became a supreme warrior and systematically studied the art of war, he would definitely be qualified to be the leader of the army in the future. Was this a hint from Maria? Amon studied very seriously. He also silently deduced the various battle scenes mentioned in the book. He memorized all the contents of the book from Montefiore to Mount Horeb.
The accounts were checked and the parangons were sealed. But Amon didn't leave immediately, because he still had to patrol. On the third day after arriving at Mount Horeb, Amon asked Pawara to go to the mine to see the process of mining parangons. Since Maria sent him here, there must be a reason. Of course, Amon had to patrol every place.
Pawara advised him at the table, "Lord Envoy, you don't have to go to that place yourself. If you really want to patrol, you can just watch the scene of the mages mining the ore. I will praise you in my report on how carefully you did it. "
Amon laughed in his heart. It seemed that the people here didn't know his origin. He was a real miner. The backyard of the house he grew up in was a workshop. He smiled and explained, "You don't have to call me Lord Envoy. Although I am the envoy, I am still a civilian. The Adoratrice ordered me to patrol the mine. Naturally, I have to be loyal and go to every place. Even if it is inconvenient for the noble lords to go, I should go. "
He wasn't a noble? Pawara was well aware of this, but the captain of Mount Horeb's guards, Hardedef, who was sitting at the same table as Pawara, showed a look of surprise and disdain. John was born in a great noble family in Montefiore. Now, like Amon, he was also a sixth-level warrior. He was cruel and had hurt people in a conflict. That was why he was transferred to Mount Horeb as a guard captain. It was a punishment.
Hardedef was arrogant by nature, so he naturally resented staying in this remote place for a long time. Now, there was a special envoy who was said to be highly appreciated by the Saintess. Coincidentally, he had made several meritorious deeds and was promoted to guard captain despite being a commoner. Hardedef felt depressed when he compared himself to Amon. At the same time, he looked down on Amon, which he inadvertently revealed at the table.
Amon knew how John felt, but he pretended not to see it. He said pleasantly, "Lord Pawara, you don't have to worry about me. You don't have to accompany me to those filthy places. Just send some of your men to lead the way. I will patrol the place. It will be easier for the Adoratrice to complete her task."
The mine of Mount Horeb was very large. It not only produced parangons, but also the stone used to build the Shrines and the Pyramids of the Pharaoh. The first day Amon went to the mine, he felt like he had returned to his hometown. The mine here was much larger than the one outside Duc. There were guards to maintain order and craftsmen to direct the work. Most of the mining work was done by slaves. It was very hard work.
The next day, he inspected the mines that produced parangons. Accompanied by special engineers, he watched the whole process of mining. He even saw some of the parangons being mined with his own eyes. It was a very familiar feeling. He walked around the mines and found that the distribution of the mines here was much larger than that around Duc. The number of miners here was more than ten times that of Duc, but the production of parangons was less than one-tenth of that of Duc.
On the morning of the third day, Amon inspected the last step of the process of mining parangons. In a large and clean stone house, there were dozens of junior mages. They were using their staffs to open the mines and extract the parangons. These mages were sent by the Temple of Isis. They would be rotated every season. It was a kind of training mission. They all had their own workshop and were always served by servants.
Amon looked at the number of mages and the speed at which they were opening the mines. Comparing it with the total amount of parangons collected this season, he did a quick calculation and found something wrong. He asked the priest who was accompanying him, "According to my calculations this morning, the amount of parangons mined by these mages is only about sixty percent of the total produced this time. Is the production declining recently?"
The priest hurriedly explained, "No, it's not like that. There is another group of people mining the mines. But they are of low status and the place they work is more crowded. Anyway, Mr. Amon has seen everything that needs to be seen. There is no need to go anymore. "
Amon paused for a moment. Sure enough, there was a situation here. The last step of mining was done by mages. How could there be a lowly person here? He immediately said, "I've even entered the mine, not to mention the workshop. Since I'm here, of course I have to inspect all the places. Take me there. "
The priest reluctantly said, "It's already noon. Let's have lunch before we go."
Good wine was served at lunch. Several members of the patrol team kept urging Amon to drink. Amon drank a lot, but he was not drunk. After lunch, he urged his guards to inspect the rest of the places. The priest had no choice but to take Amon to a group of stone houses guarded by guards.
It was like an independent village, surrounded by some low and shabby houses. In the middle of the stone houses, there was a large hall. The roof of the hall was not high and the door was very narrow. There were guards with weapons in front of it.
Before Amon entered the door, he heard a loud shout from inside, "You dirty miner, do you want to die? How dare you destroy parangons … The envoy of the Temple of Isis has arrived and ordered us to mine enough parangons for this season. But you can't finish the task. No one will have a good end. He is the example."
Amon, who was walking inside, heard the roar and the sharp sound of the whip. He heard the words and dashed in like an arrow.
The hall was very large, and there were many workbenches arranged around it. Dozens of miners in rough clothes were working with sledgehammers in their hands. On the anvils were the ores that had been mined, and only the final step was to extract the parangons. Behind a workbench near the door, there was a frail young man holding a heavy hammer. The ore core in front of him had already turned into powder. It was obvious that he had not controlled his strength perfectly when he dropped the hammer, and even the God's Stone was destroyed.
Amon recognized the young man at a glance. His facial features were so familiar, but now they were dark and thin. It was Moses, the son of Mayor Dusti.
The captain of Mount Horeb's guards, John, had a furious look on his face, and he was waving a long whip at Moses. His vision blurred, and the whip landed solidly on a person's back. The person's clothes split open, and a bloody mark was left on the person's skin. The man turned around slowly with a sullen face. His chest was heaving violently, as if he was trying to suppress his rising anger. It was Amon, the patrolling envoy sent by the Temple of Isis.
John was also shocked. He quickly put down the whip and said, "Mr. Amon, why did you suddenly rush in? I couldn't stop my whip. I'm sorry to hurt you. It was an accident. "
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