…
Hemenu, the human world.
Outside Memphis, on the road built along the Nile River.
The setting sun was like blood, and the breeze was blowing. The wheels of the oxcart rolled on the road, attracting the attention of passers-by.
The sound of whips being whipped could be heard from time to time, accompanied by bursts of whimpering.
This is the capital of the Egyptians, and a city as famous as Heliopolis and Thebes.
If the latter two are famous because of their sacredness in the theological sense, then Memphis, as the place where the pharaoh lived, is simply a capital in the secular sense.
Located at the core of Upper and Lower Egypt, not far from Cairo in later times, the dynasty's decrees were transmitted from here to all Egyptian city-states.
Of course, in addition to this, there is another meaning here now - at the command of Shu, one of the nine gods and the messenger of the god Ra, sinners throughout Egypt have been driven out in the past few years and then gathered around this city.
Therefore, it didn't take long for this place to become the largest gathering place for the Hebrews and also the largest construction site. Because for some reason, since Shu delivered the last oracle a few years ago, the connection between the gods who lived in Heliopolis and the human world has become discontinuous.
Some say that the existence of sinners angered God, while others say that the huge bronze statue that Pharaoh Ramses II built for himself was so extravagant that it displeased the gods.
In short, as the ruler of Upper and Lower Egypt, Pharaoh, the apostle of God on earth, gave orders for this. He ordered people to organize these slaves and build a huge temple to please God, and he spared no expense to achieve this goal.
So a large amount of stone was transported to Memphis, and countless slaves died of exhaustion under the increasingly bright sun.
On one of these days, one day, two ox carts came from afar, heading towards Memphis.
…
Wheels and wheels...
Ting——
"Thank you, Lord, for giving me lunch."
With his eyes slightly closed, he tapped the silver spoon on the plate. Amid the clear sound, Moses knelt in the carriage and prayed to God in a low voice.
The carriage was shaking a little, but Messer, who was over 80 years old, still sat very steadily.
His body stood straight, and beside him, two young boys and girls imitated him, drawing intricate patterns on their chests and closing their eyes to pray.
"Thank you, Lord, for giving me lunch."
"...Okay, that's enough. You two are hungry, so eat quickly."
After a while, Moses opened his eyes.
He looked gently at the two children who seemed to have their eyes closed but were actually secretly observing him and said with a smile.
His wife and family were in the car behind, and now the only ones here were him and the two mixed-race children he had rescued on the road.
They were not real Hebrews, but the descendants of Egyptians and their mixed blood. Their mixed blood certainly prevented them from being oppressed like the slaves carrying heavy stones on the roadside, but their rights would not be recognized either.
After all, Ra punished them for their Hebrew blood, so these mixed-race children were born sinners. No law would protect them, and if they hadn't met Moses, they would have died in the wilderness under the bullying of their peers.
"Thank you, sir."
Although they could no longer resist the tempting aroma of the food, the two children still spoke out first to express their gratitude.
Seeing this, Moses waved his hand, indicating that they should not worry about it.
After getting permission, the two children finally started eating.
"well..."
Sighing softly and watching the two children wolfing down their food, Messer felt a little helpless.
Even though he was sitting in the car, he could still hear the sound of whips being swung outside. They were like two different worlds, but he could do nothing now. Because this was an order issued by Pharaoh himself, and they themselves were recognized as criminals by the people.
If you want to change this situation, you must change the gods of Egypt and the pharaohs who rule the world.
Fortunately, the rumors he heard along the way told Moses that the connection between the Egyptian gods had become increasingly blurred since a few years ago, so he only needed to convince the rulers of the world.
"I want to save them, and I should save them. Because in this world, I am the only one who has the ability to do so."
Thinking silently, time passed quickly in Moses's meditation.
I don't know when, the two children finally finished their lunch.
The children, whose hunger was relieved, finally had the courage to raise their heads and looked at the old man who saved their lives with eyes full of gratitude.
"...Mr. Messer."
"Um?"
Coming back to his senses from his thoughts, Messer looked at the little girl who had just spoken.
The other party seemed to be a little hesitant, so he immediately smiled and encouraged: "Why, do you have anything to ask me?"
"Let me tell you, as an old guy, teaching kids is what I should do."
"Thank you, you are such a nice person!"
With an embarrassed smile, the boy immediately asked, "Mr. Moses, I want to know... which 'god' you just asked us to thank?"
"Is it the greatest one who controls the sun?" The girl at the side said with wide eyes, "Or some other god asked you to save us. I heard that we have blood cursed by the gods. Has the curse finally been lifted now?"
"…"
There was some silence, and Messer didn't know what to say for a moment. But after a moment, he shook his head slightly.
"No, you've got the wrong kid."
"The gods of Egypt have not withdrawn their punishment on us, even though I came here in the hope that they would do so. Pharaoh has also not restored our rights under the law, even though I came here for this purpose. At least now, the Hebrews are still sinners in their eyes, so the Lord I believe in is not the god of the Egyptians."
"He is the almighty divine, the beginning and the end of all things. I saw the revelation He gave me in the flames, and I came to the earth at His command to save my people who were in distress."
Speaking softly, according to Moses' original intention, he actually just wanted to distinguish the God he believed in from all the gods that existed in Egypt in the past. After all, the two children in front of him were just mixed-bloods. They had never heard of the legends of the Hebrews since they were young, and it was easy for them to confuse the two and think that different gods were just gods from the same pantheon but with different opinions.
However, after hearing his words, the girl's eyes lit up, as if she had misunderstood something.
"So Mr. Moses, the reason why we are considered sinners is that the gods in the past were the gods of the Egyptians. They only protected the Egyptians and hated any human beings outside of Egypt. The gods you believe in are our gods. They will only protect us and punish those who harm us. Is that right?"
"Of course not... um..."
Subconsciously he wanted to deny it, because Moses knew very well that the Lord had never cared about bloodline and race, nor did he care about good and evil and conflicts in the world.
Just as He had told him before, He did not care about the Hebrews, let alone their life or death; He only cared about Moses himself.
However, although he said so, at this moment, when Moses looked at the expectant eyes of the two children, he hesitated for a long time.
If he said so, perhaps it would extinguish the hope that had just risen in their hearts... On the contrary, if he admitted it, it would not shatter their illusions, and such misunderstanding would also help shape their reverence for the Lord.
For most ignorant mortals, understanding God as 'the one who protects oneself' and 'the one who protects the enemy' can let them know at the fastest speed to whom their faith should be devoted.
"Let's leave it at that for now. When things get settled down, I'll tell them the true greatness of the Lord, which is not limited to race, species, or the greatness of all things. For now, it's fine to let them indulge in their dreams."
After much thought, Moses finally nodded.
His smile is like the warm sun in winter. Even though he is very old, his eyes are still bright.
"Um...yes kids, you are right."
"He is the God of everything in the world, but He is also the God of the Hebrews. Anyone who brings destruction upon us will also be punished by Him."
"This is the covenant He made with me in the revelation of fire."
At least that was the truth in words... Moses didn't think he had deceived them.
Memphis was very close, and he also had to think about how to convince the Pharaoh.
Although God said that the road He was on would be tortuous and that the Hebrews would suffer heavy casualties on their way back to their homeland, Moses still wanted to give it a try.
It would be best if Pharaoh was willing to just let them go.
…
The brief conversation did not interfere with the progress of the ox cart. As time passed, the carriage finally arrived near Memphis.
But compared to the fantasy city in Chaos's human world, Memphis is far inferior.
The city wall was only more than ten meters high, and the guards were wearing leather armor... When the ox cart approached the city gate, it immediately attracted the attention of the guards.
Snap——
There was a sound of scattered leather armor colliding, and the guards had no intention of checking. Instead, they paid respect to the frame.
Because in Upper and Lower Egypt today, horses are an extremely rare livestock, they are often used in military units such as chariots. The only ones really used for transportation are camels or ox carts.
Of course, it is not much more than what we say. Compared with Chaos, which has undergone great changes, the mortal world of Hermeneus is the real productivity of the classical era.
Therefore, they were able to avoid the fatigue of traveling all the way and even avoided the soldiers' inspection. Even the guards in the Egyptian capital now acknowledged that they were the nobles in the city. Moses really had to thank his wife's family for their extraordinary background and the fact that they were priests respected by the Midianites.
Otherwise, even if no one remembered his identity as a fugitive forty years ago, he would most likely be detained directly as a Hebrew and then forced to build the temple.
"Please come in, distinguished gentlemen."
With the farewell of the captain of the guard, the carriage slowly drove into Memphis.
After more than forty years, Moser once again set foot in the city where he grew up.
"As far as I can remember, the place where the pharaoh lived should be there. I don't know if it has been moved or renovated over the years."
I introduced everything along the way to the two curious children one by one, and traveled through this city which was called the "royal capital" but was not as big as I had imagined.
Soon, the Egyptian palace was within reach, but once there, Moses' carriage could no longer move freely.
"You guys stay here for now. What happens next is a little dangerous... I want to go alone to meet the kings of Upper and Lower Egypt."
Reaching out his hand and grasping the long staff that had been lying across his knees, Moser gave the two children some instructions and then got off the carriage.
He looked straight at the place where he grew up, and old memories flashed through his mind.
It was here that he received the royal education, which led to everything he had later. So in a sense, Moses still hoped to solve this problem as peacefully as possible.
"Who is coming?"
clang——
The question came from the front, and two spears were crossed across the intersection.
The approach of Moses' carriage had already attracted the attention of the guards, but no one thought they were coming to attack the palace.
They looked at this strange 'noble' and wondered which city-state he came from.
"I am Moses, the messenger of the Lord among men. I have come from Midian to meet His Majesty Ramses II."
"I will consult with God about the future of our race."
Holding the scepter in hand, Moses spoke softly.
He had no intention of asking the Pharaoh to grant them equal status with the Egyptians; he simply took them away.
They will cross mountains and rivers and return to the place where their ancestors once lived according to myths and legends.
The first step starts here.
2024-07-25 Author: Deep Blue Waltz Chapter 364 Misunderstanding and Shadow
Ding-ling-ling——
The wind blew and the silver bells rang.
In the palace of Memphis, when Moses was stopped by armed guards at the steps of the palace, the ruler of Upper and Lower Egypt, Pharaoh Ramses II, son of Seti I and over a hundred years old, was admiring the scroll spread out in front of him.
His old body was still agile, which was actually different from the conclusion drawn by later generations based on records in certain scriptures. As the third pharaoh of the 19th Dynasty of Egypt and one of the greatest rulers in Egyptian history, Ramses was a very capable king and theoretically not the "villain" recorded in the scriptures.
He had led foreign armies and won many victories, had many children, was good at poetry and architecture, and made great achievements in the fields of culture, military affairs, and politics. Later generations even called him "Ramses the Great" to commemorate his achievements.
Of course, compared to these, the most inconsistent thing between this pharaoh who is closest to the gods and the historical records is his obviously much longer lifespan.
After all, according to later records, when Moses met the king with his snake staff, this famous pharaoh should have died long ago, and his descendants should have inherited the position.
But apparently, even though he is now over 100 years old, Ramses II is still in good spirits. He is still the master of this dynasty, and his successor is still unknown.
"call--"
"The Temple of Abu Simbel is truly a miracle created by mortals, and it is one of the achievements I am most proud of."
"And now, by the hands of the Hebrews, I will create a second."
Tapping his fingers lightly on the table, the Pharaoh admired the masterpiece on the scroll.
It was a drawing of a temple, and was also a masterpiece he created when he was young to show off his achievements.
According to this drawing, he ordered people to carve four huge statues out of the mountain rocks, depicting himself and three gods respectively.
It goes without saying that the one that belongs to Ramses himself, but the other three are actually one god.
Amun, Ra and Atum, the sun trinity, the masters of Heliopolis.
As a pharaoh, Ramses placed his statues together with them, and the meaning was obvious.
Ra is the sun in the sky, and I am the sun on earth. All gods obey Ra, just as mortals obey me, and I am the only agent of God on earth.
Tap tap tap——
"His Majesty."
There was the sound of footsteps and Ramses II looked up slightly.
"What's up?"
Pharaoh asked in a calm voice.
Normally, no one would disturb him at noon, as everyone knew that a centenarian's rest should not be disturbed. So if nothing unexpected happened, there must have been some unexpected incident that he had to deal with.
"Your Majesty, outside the palace, there is a man from Midian who claims to be here at the command of God and wants to see you..."
Kneeling on one knee, the guard said in a deep voice: "He wants to discuss the fate of the race with you. I cannot judge the truth of his words. Please make the final decision."
"What do you think is God's will?"
His expression remained unchanged; a hundred years of experience had made the Pharaoh calm and unperturbed.
He easily suppressed the shock in his heart, and subconsciously straightened his back, looking at the guard in front of him with sharp eyes.
"Hehe... Another messenger of God?"
This is not the first one, it is God's will... Although in this mythological world, Ramses II lived much longer than later records, but in the Hemenean world, there were very few ways for mortals to gain power, so his life was not actually that long.
His time of being alive will eventually come to an end, and the world of the dead is waiting for his arrival.
Fortunately, he had been in the human world for long enough that he was not afraid of death. But what really bothered Ramses II was that during his reign, the connection between the gods and the human world was suddenly severed.
Is this the anger of the gods, a punishment for casting bronze statues and building temples?
He didn't know but he thought not, because the glory and achievements he brought to the gods far exceeded these, and until a few years ago, the gods still praised his merits.
Perhaps it was because of something else that he had to restore this connection before he died, and the last oracle issued by the gods was to gather together those Gentiles who had shed sinful blood.
So Pharaoh ordered them to build temples in the hope of pleasing the gods.
"You did a good job. Let him come to see me."
"I also want to hear which god ordered him to come here, and what he wants me to do."
Closing the scroll, Ramses said calmly.
If it's true, then everything is fine.
If this is fake again, and if this is another guy pushed forward by a noble who doubts that he was abandoned by God...
Then he would let him know why he had been able to rule the dynasty for so many years.
…
"Sir, please come in. The Son of the Sun is waiting for you inside."
In the spacious palace, Moses walked inside under the guidance of the guards.
The Scepter's station made a series of soft sounds. Looking at the surrounding environment, this was where he once lived.
Half familiar, half strange, when Moses stepped through the door of the inner temple, he finally saw the owner of this place.
"Your Majesty, the person has been brought here."
The guard bowed slightly, and the Pharaoh immediately waved him away.
In front of the table, from the moment Moses appeared at the door, Ramses looked at this "messenger of God" who gave him an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
"I heard that you came to negotiate with me at the will of the gods?"
Straight to the point, the elderly Pharaoh didn't intend to be too polite.
He wanted to expose the other person's lies or prove his truthfulness, and Moses nodded in response.
"Yes, Your Majesty, that is why I am here. You are the master of Upper and Lower Egypt, but God is the master of this world. I am here at God's will to spread His glory among the people."
"very good."
With a smile, the Pharaoh seemed very enthusiastic.
"Then, this 'divine messenger', I wonder which god's will you follow? Which of the nine pillar gods is he, and what power does he hold?"
Just as Chaos had twelve gods, Egypt also had nine gods. Just as the twelve gods in the original mythology included the king of gods Zeus, the nine gods of Egypt also included the sun god Ra.
In addition to the Ennead, Egypt has many other gods, even the patron gods of city-states, such as Chaos, the regional god. But
obviously, the one who is qualified to issue oracles to the pharaoh must be one of the highest Ennead.
"Your Majesty, I am not a believer in the God you know."
With a slight bow, Moses had a bad feeling about Pharaoh's enthusiasm.
"I believe in the Creator of all spirits and offer my all to the eternal divine. All spiritual things in this world belong to Him."
Wan Ling...
Ramses II's smile became even warmer and he seemed to accept this explanation easily.
The old monarch asked again:
"I see... The gods in the world are not known to mortals. It is not surprising that there are some that I have not heard of."
"So you are a 'divine messenger' who has come from afar. I wonder what kind of oracle you have brought from the gods?"
"…Your Majesty, as I traveled along, I saw the people suffering on earth like the stars in the sky. They were imprisoned nearby and had no freedom to leave."
Moses spoke in a deep voice, his words sincere and heartfelt.
"In the eyes of my Lord, there is no distinction between high and low among all intelligent beings in the world. The noble and the humble are equal, and those with evil natures are equal to those with good natures."
"So I have come to you to ask you to release the Hebrews who are trapped near Memphis. Since their presence is not accepted by the Egyptians, let my people go and hold a festival to me in the wilderness."
The Hebrews...
The smile faded, and Ramses II could notice that the guards around him were a little angry, but he still did not show any sign of being angry.
Looking at the 'divine messenger' who made the request, he finally asked:
"Messenger from afar, I understand your request, but everything you said has no evidence."
"I wonder if you have any ability beyond that of a mortal that can prove to me that you have indeed received the glory of God and come here to deliver the oracle?"
"...certainly."
After a moment of silence, feeling the malicious gazes all around him, Moses lightly held the scepter.
This is a holy object given to him by God. Only when he returns to his tribe and begins his mission will it gradually reveal its power.
And the greater the suffering they endure, the more powerful this holy relic becomes.
Compared to before, from the moment he stepped into Memphis, and even from the moment he rescued the two mixed-race children, Moses felt the extraordinaryness beginning to emerge from the scepter.
So, under everyone's gaze, the scepter turned into a black snake the moment it hit the ground. A wild aura emanated from it, and its bloodthirsty eyes scanned everyone in the hall.
"This is one of the insignificant powers God has given me, Your Majesty."
Despite his presentiment, Moses still tried his best to persuade them: "Let my people go, that they may hold a festival to me in the wilderness."
"…"
"hiss..."
The hall fell silent for a moment, with only the sound of snakes.
The guards were shocked by this scene, but Ramses II just nodded slightly.
At this moment, the last piece of the puzzle he guessed was complete.
"Messer, huh?"
"Yes, sire."
"Yeah, I remember you."
Nodding and smiling, Pharaoh said calmly: "My daughter's adopted son, a criminal who fled for murder more than 40 years ago."
"I even remember the reason why you killed people, because you learned that you were a Hebrew, and then you saw your people being bullied?"
"…"
"As the Pharaoh of Upper and Lower Egypt, I have received oracles from the gods more than once, and I have also seen secret history that is not open to outsiders."
"I heard that, just as the ancestor of the Egyptians was a god, the ancestor of the Hebrew bloodline was also a god. It's just that your ancestors were punished by the god Ra, so Isis, who was originally one of the nine pillars of gods, lost her eternity and became a mortal from then on."
"…Your Majesty, you may have misunderstood…"
"The Creator of All Spirits," Ramses II said lightly, ignoring Moses' explanation: "There are also such tricks of sorcerers - yes, since the death of Her Majesty Isis, there have been no sorcerers in the world, so people will regard this extraordinary power as divine power, but I will not."
"That's the Pillar God of Life and Magic... It seems that all this originated from her? As expected, I was not abandoned by God Ra. All this is just a conspiracy created by another dead god."
"…No, Your Majesty—"
Moses wanted to explain further that he had thought that the other party would refuse to believe in the existence of his God, but he did not expect that Pharaoh would have such a misunderstanding.
However, in front of him, Ramses II was no longer going to give him a chance to explain.
"Take him down!"
At the command, the guards who were waiting around immediately jumped up and surrounded Moses.
hiss--
Bang!
The big snake swung its body upon seeing this, and with a flick of its tail it knocked a guard out.
However, as Pharaoh's personal guards, all of them were willing to sacrifice their own lives and had no thought of retreating at all.
"Your Majesty, this is just a misunderstanding. I very much hope you can understand it. But now, I have to leave."
Although he still had a lot to say, after seeing this scene, Moses had no choice.
He took advantage of the gap when the snake was forcing the guards to retreat and turned it back into a snake staff. Then he waved his hand and retreated from the palace.
"Chase--!"
Upon seeing this, the guards immediately chased after him, but the Pharaoh raised his hand and ultimately did not stop them.
They probably wouldn't be able to catch up, but there was no harm in trying.
But speaking of it, Ramses thought he was going to be disappointed again, but he didn't expect that he would gain so much from this meeting.
Not only sinful people, but also sinful gods... Thinking of this, Pharaoh looked again at the scroll that he had opened before.
I was too kind... I even provided them with materials to build the temple, even though they could obtain these things themselves.
And in this way, he can also see what abilities this god who should have died long ago still has.
"guard."
Thinking of this, Pharaoh slowly said: "Pass on my order."
"From today on, those criminals will be responsible for everything they have to do to build the palace."
······
A brief meeting, the escaped 'messenger of God', and Pharaoh's orders will be passed on.
However, in a place that mortals could not see or hear, when Moses met Pharaoh, a roar resounded throughout the world.
The Egyptian monarch and Chaos, who was destined to be a king, met here, and the collision between the worlds thus accelerated in intensity.
Then, a huge shadow slowly took shape in the sky.
Chapter 365: Holy City and Chessboard
Heliopolis, the holy city where the Egyptian gods lived on earth.
This is a city on earth and also the domain of God. It has had many names, including the City of the Sun, the Home of the Gods, the Capital of All Gods, and even the capital of the thirteen gnomes (city-states) of Lower Egypt.
It was here that Io, who accidentally fell to Hermeneus in the past, married Osiris, the god of the underworld, instead of Isis, and was then deposed as a sinner and died in front of the gods.
For thousands of years, there has almost never been a lack of traces of gods here, and the Egyptian gods enjoy the offerings of mortals here.
It is like a Mount Olympus closer to the human world, where gods and humans live together...until the incident a few years ago, when everything came to an end.
First, the supreme god Ra summoned Shu, the god in charge of the atmosphere and wind among the nine pillars of gods, to the Golden Palace of the Sun, and then not long after, the remaining gods left one after another.
At first, no one took it seriously, even the servants who guarded and served the gods thought it was just a gathering of gods. They waited in the city for the gods to return, but day after day, they were greeted by only silence.
No god ever came back, and from that day on, the home of the gods seemed to be abandoned. The traces of the gods gradually disappeared, and only the empty temples still stood on the ground.
It's not just the gods, the traces of humans are the same. At the beginning of the incident, the priests tried to use grand sacrifices to call back the attention of the gods, and even the pharaoh came here to worship in person.
But as hope and disappointment intersect again and again, there are fewer and fewer people in the holy city.
After all, no one would respect the priests and temples abandoned by God, which was a complete proof of their dereliction of duty. Moreover, in the Egyptians' concept, the Pharaoh was the highest priest and a ruler with both secular and non-secular meanings.
Since the gods were gone, even the truly pious ones mostly went to Memphis to serve the Pharaoh, and this decaying holy city became increasingly deserted.
"So, Aibu, this is the truth. The truly pious ones have left. They have abandoned everything in the world and are still following the footsteps of God. In comparison, those who stayed are not very pious, like me."
"Over the years, I often thought I was a devout believer... But now I see that this was just an illusion. Many people think that I was born to understand the greatness of God, but in fact, the only reason I came to Heliopolis is because serving the gods is the best way out for ordinary people."
"I don't have noble blood or an extraordinary family background, so when I knew I had the opportunity to be a servant of God, I agreed without hesitation - and it turns out that my choice was quite right."
"In just a few decades, I became the most admired mortal by the god Ra, and the most prestigious priest besides the pharaoh. Even if it weren't for this incident, I would still be one of the most powerful mortals in Upper and Lower Egypt."
"You see, this is the importance of choice."
In the empty hall, the statue of the Trinity Sun God is over a hundred meters tall, like a small mountain, making the mortals kneeling before it look so small.
However, at this moment, neither the kneeling priest nor the apprentice serving the teacher looked at the statue even once.
As Qasim himself just said, he was never a devout believer, and the same was true for his students.
"So, teacher, why do you still insist on staying here?"
"The gods have abandoned this city and no one knows when they will come back... What's the point of staying here with some stones? Pharaoh has invited you to Memphis more than once. Although he only wants to use your fame to stabilize people's hearts, you still have the honor to win..."
"Then what?"
Interrupting his student, Qasim asked calmly.
"Then?"
The young man named Aibu was a little confused. He didn't understand what his teacher meant.
"Yes, then."
"You see, no one knows when God will change his mind, but I know that people will learn to get used to it. In the first ten years after God left, people still missed the days when God was there. In the second ten years, people still missed him. In the third and fourth ten years, in the eyes of many young people, God was just a symbol, because they had never seen the real God, and the right to interpret this symbol belonged only to Pharaoh."
"But Pharaoh is dying."
Qasim spoke softly while bowing devoutly, just like he did every time in the past.
There were no spectators in the empty hall, but if anyone saw this scene, they would probably just think that he was a true believer.
"teacher..."
The rest of the words were hard to say and Aibu was a little afraid.
Although God had left, the majesty he left behind was not enough to dissipate in just a few years. He still lacked courage to discuss such things in the once sacred temple.
"It's okay, you're still young."
Without looking back, the priest seemed to be fully aware of the reactions of the students behind him.
"These are indeed not things you should consider yet, but you should write them down now until you can understand them."
"The Pharaoh is about to die, but I am actually quite old. If the gods can come back, then it is the best choice for me to stay here. But if they can't come back... I will not leave at this time and use the fame I have accumulated throughout my life to stabilize the situation for the Pharaoh."
"Only when he dies will I walk out of here. I will not leave alone. I will receive the 'oracle' and tell the people of Upper and Lower Egypt that God is dissatisfied with Pharaoh's arrogance, so what belongs to God should belong to the priests, and what belongs to the city-state should belong to Pharaoh."
"And at that time, the successor of His Majesty Ramses II will have to face a choice - the turmoil caused by the departure of the gods has not yet subsided, and the nobles who are dissatisfied with him may use this as an excuse to oppose him at any time. Do you think he will have the courage to declare that I have falsely transmitted the oracle and then send troops against me when that day comes?"
With a low chuckle, Kasim's worship movements remained standard.
"If it was Ramses, I think he would dare, but Merneptah, I don't think he has the ability."
The hall fell silent for a moment, and Abu didn't know what to say. He was shocked by his teacher's plan. Separating the royal power from the divine power would make the Pharaoh no longer have religious significance... This was really shocking.
If Aibu didn't know his special identity, he would even think that the teacher wanted to kill him to silence him.
But he knew very well that in such matters, a teacher might kill a student to silence him, but a father would not kill his son to silence him.
Yes, they were not only master and apprentice, but also father and son. So although Aibu was a little nervous, he was nervous for his father.
The communication was temporarily terminated, but Cassim was not in a hurry to instill these things into his successor immediately. After all, there was still plenty of time, so he just continued his worship.
So time passed minute by minute, the sunlight shone into the hall, and the direction of the shadow slowly shifted.
The sacrifice to Ra was so complicated that according to later time records, it was probably between 11:00 and 1:00 p.m. However, Qasim did not feel bored at all, he just continued it bit by bit.
However, just as the ceremony was nearing its end, Aibu's exclamation broke the silence in the hall.
"Teacher, look, what is that?"
With a frown on his face, Qasim ignored it and completed his last prostration. He then looked up to find out the reason why the student exclaimed.
He planned to take this opportunity to teach the other party a lesson again, telling him to stay calm no matter what he saw and think about the problem in the calmest way possible...
"--This is!"
His pupils shrank, and power seemed to burst out from his old body.
In front of Cassim, the statue that had been silent for years began to glow.
The god seemed to communicate with his statue again, and the next moment, the entire hall became bright.
"Oracle, this is a true oracle!"
He raised his hands high, and a stream of light fell into his palms. At this moment, all his previous plans were thrown out of Qasim's mind.
No matter what the oracle said, he was now the only priest who had received the oracle since the gods left, and the most devout believer of the gods!
"Aibu, join me in offering sacrifice to the god Ra!"
With a low shout, Cassim looked pious.
Having served the gods for so long, he understood them. He was sure that before casting his will, God Ra probably didn't know what he was saying, but he might be able to see what he was doing.
Therefore, as the most devout believer of the gods, he felt extremely proud at this moment.
······
Boom——
The sky is higher than the sky, and the earth is lower than the earth.
It is difficult to say where exactly this is, or to explain it from another perspective, this is probably a place similar to Chaos' 'Source Sea'.
This is the most critical place in the world, just like the human heart and brain, or the medulla that produces blood.
For any world, this place is the most heavily protected. Even the powerful local gods can only perceive changes by will. Every wave here represents the rise and fall of the world's laws.
However, at this moment, if someone could compare the before with the present, he would see that this most precious place has changed greatly, and the entire "sea" seems to be divided into two.
Black and gold interweave, ocean currents collide, they intersect and yet are distinct from each other. It is like the most magnificent spectacle, but also the most terrifying thing in the world.
Because this means that the world has been completely invaded, and the most solid shell has been shattered. Regardless of whether he can successfully repel the outsiders, he is destined to be seriously injured.
"God Ra, you just..."
Standing on the surging waves, surrounded by golden waves, a sense of intimacy continued to come from it, but Hermeneus's Hades and agricultural god Osiris did not feel safe at all.
In the original mythology, he married Isis and once ruled the world and the gods for the god Ra. He was then killed out of jealousy by his younger brother Set, the god of deserts and storms. After his resurrection from the dead, he went underground and became the main god of the underworld of Hermeneus.
However, in this world line, he was angered by Ra simply because of the "Goddess of Sin Isis" and was directly thrown into the underworld, so that he had a good relationship with his brother Set, but was dissatisfied with the god Ra
. However, despite his dissatisfaction, when the great changes in the world suddenly happened a few years ago, the gods were forced to leave the human world and follow the connection of power to come to the source sea, which symbolizes the core of the world, in their true bodies. All dissatisfaction was put aside, and only fear remained in his heart.
Even though this golden liquid is the 'blood' of the world and it seems to bring him a feeling of closeness and desire, Osiris knows that for any god, there is only one outcome for direct contact with the source of power.
Assimilated by the source force, losing personality and consciousness.
"Osiris, I just tried to communicate with the outside world. It was difficult, but I managed to succeed."
"The source of evil has come to Memphis, and the offensive of the foreign land has become more radical, but this has also caused him to suffer greater losses. I found a flaw - the person who caused all these changes must die. Only when he dies can we have a chance to breathe!"
With his fists clenched, the sun god with an eagle's head and a human body gazed at the end of the "sea" above the rolling golden ocean.
La didn't know what was so special about that mortal, but he was sure that the crazy and reckless erosion of the alien world was caused by him.
Killing 800 enemies and losing 3,000 of your own is something that a world with only instincts should not do. Although as long as a world wins in the end, the gains of a world are enough to make up for the losses, but if the price of gaining more is just a little time, then why should a world refuse?
The other world refused, and the power of the interface targeted that mortal and continuously entered this world. La didn't know what would happen if the two came into contact, but he would stop the enemy from doing what he wanted.
"Not only that mortal, Your Majesty, but also Him..."
Shu's voice came from his ears, and the sun god Ra knew what the other party was saying.
On the other side of the interweaving of black and gold was the darkness that was like the abyss. Just as the offensive of the alien world was surging, and La was taking the opportunity to convey the oracle to the human world, in that boundless darkness, it seemed that something had made some moves.
As for the consequences of this action...
His sharp eagle eyes scanned the surroundings, and for some reason, La suddenly felt that the surrounding environment seemed to have changed.
The intersection of the black and gold oceans began to interweave with each other. The two were no longer on the left and right of a "wave line", but became one in you and me in you.
The expansion of the contact surface brought about greater losses to each other, but this was not what really concerned La. Instead, as the power of the alien world and this world changed, the rules of the source sea seemed to be slowly shifting.
Before his eyes, a 'chessboard' seemed to appear from nothing, gradually stretching across the place.
Everything in the universe is connected because of this, and he, the sun god Ra, is a chess player, but also a chess piece... The fate of this world and himself lies in the black and white space before him.
Chapter 366 Ten Pillars
In La's eyes, this chessboard is also a destiny board, and even more so a ritual, a ritual woven with all the existences on both sides of the source sea at this moment.
It encompasses everything, but it was not generated suddenly. The current change is only the result of quantitative change reaching qualitative change. In fact, it has already begun to be constructed, and as the de facto king of the gods in this world, Ra witnessed with his own eyes how this simple yet terrifying ritual was accomplished.
Even he himself was half forced and half voluntarily became one of the creators of the entire ritual.
Of course, La did not intend to mention this to other gods. To them, all this was a conspiracy of foreign gods.
"Your Majesty, what's going on? Since you have successfully sent down the oracle, can we also reconnect with the human world? Can we leave here?"
Looking somewhat panicked, Geb, the earth god of Hermeneu, whispered to Ra, "How should we expel this foreign invader? Please give us some advice."
Although he tried his best to hide it, the panic in Gabe's voice was still obvious.
Beside him, the goddess Nut also nodded in agreement - she was a goddess, and was married to the god of earth.
It must be said that although the earth gods in most later myths often have maternal attributes, the world of Hemenu is an exception.
Here, the male god rules over the earth, while the goddess symbolizes the sky. The sky and the earth are not the original gods, but are considered to be the children of the atmosphere and the lakes... In their eyes, the earth does not have the motherhood that gives birth to all things, but the sky has similar characteristics.
This may be related to the yellow sands around the Nile River Basin. All life here depends on the climate, the Nile River and the oases. Therefore, their unique beliefs and characteristics of gods also correspond to the climate here.
"Gab, don't worry. I wasn't sure before, but now I have some idea. This ceremony... do you remember what I said when we first came here a few years ago?"
The voice was calm, and looking at the 'chessboard' that was faintly inviting and incomplete, a strange color flashed in La's eyes.
It is not complete yet, and something is missing. For example, in a game of chess, there always needs to be an opponent.
"I remember you said... this is a danger, but also an opportunity."
Emotions are contagious. Seeing La so calm, Gabe's nervousness was relieved a little.
And after hearing Ra's response, not only him, but the other gods present also remembered the scene a few years ago.
It was an ordinary day, but it became extraordinary because of Ra's will.
The sun in the sky shines brightly, and the power of the sun spreads across the sky. Ra, who has finally made up his mind, is about to use his power to wipe out the sinners on the earth, but the sudden impact of the foreign land forces him to stop.
So La turned to Shu to convey his will. He ordered the gods to exercise their power on earth, creating destruction and killing all mortals with foreign blood, in order to gain insight into the secrets behind it.
However, what all the gods did not expect was that this plan could not be carried out.
As the collision between the two worlds escalated suddenly, before the gods had time to do anything, the instincts of the Hemenu world became active first.
Faced with a crisis that threatened his survival, he began to draw together all his strength to fight the invasion. As gods holding corresponding powers, the Egyptian gods were almost simultaneously pulled into this intersecting and colliding sea of sources and cut off from the outside world.
And it was on that day that they met face to face with the foreign gods who had also followed the rioting world power of the alien land and rushed into the Source Sea.
At that moment, most of the gods of Hermeneu were almost in despair.
Except for Ra, almost none of the gods who had just fallen here could adapt to the environment here, and even their own safety was a problem.
They cannot exert their power, and the world cannot provide them with protection. If the foreign gods that follow take action together, they will probably all perish and become "food" for the foreign land.
However, to their surprise, the god from the outside world not only did not take advantage of the opportunity to attack, but instead temporarily curbed the boiling of the source sea, allowing several gods who were accidentally contaminated by the source power to escape danger.
Of course, no one will let down their guard because of this, not even the few gods who will benefit from it.
In short, from that day on, the two sides have been confronting each other across the clear black and gold line, but no actual conflict has occurred.
During this time, the gods of Hemenu also tried to communicate with each other, but they were only greeted with silence. Except for the brief attack when he just arrived, he was like a shadow covering everything, just standing there quietly.
The Outer Gods seemed to have been waiting for something, and no one among the gods could see the secret, except for Ra who seemed to have noticed some clues at that time.
So he told the gods that this was a danger, but perhaps also an opportunity.
"Yes, that's what I said. But I wasn't completely sure at the time, but now it seems that everything is indeed true."
"Gabe, you know, even though we are here to confront Him, have you ever thought about what we can gain even if we win?"
He spoke softly, and golden flames seemed to dance in La's eyes.
Without waiting for the Earth God Geb's reply, he continued, "Nothing will happen."
"This is not the outside world. This is the heart of Hemenu and the source of all power in the world. Worlds collide with each other here in the most essential form. Except for us as gods, everything will be assimilated by the world and become nothingness."
"Whether it's us or the Outer Gods, no matter which side defeats the opponent, we won't actually gain any results."
"The power and strength of the other side will be devoured and digested by our world, and become a boost to the attack on the other world. Of course, there's nothing wrong with this... If the outcome of this war is still uncertain, then it's actually the best way to help our world win."
The voice was calm but with a hint of strangeness. Unlike the time when he plundered part of Apollo's origin outside the world, Ra was sure that if the gods of Hermeneu were killed by the enemy here, their origin and everything would only be absorbed by the other side's world, and that outer god would probably get nothing.
Even if he underestimated his strength, the other party actually had the ability to snatch food from the world's mouth. But facing such a competitor, how much could he gain?
The same is true for our side. If time could go back, and that foreign sun god was injured by Ra here, then he would not be able to gain anything either. Everything would be taken away by the world itself and become a part of it to resist foreign invasions.
This sounds reasonable, after all, the gods were born from the world, including their authority. At this critical moment of life and death, fighting for the world is reasonable... But as Ra said, all this is based on the premise that this war can still be won.
And how much chance of victory does this war between worlds have... If it were a few years ago, the gods would probably have firmly believed in this outcome. But now, even Ra began to waver.
In the past, they had only seen the might of Hermeneus, so they thought that such power was unmatched. But now, this concept has quietly changed.
"So, this ceremony…"
As if he understood something, the eyes of the Earth God Geb flickered. He finally understood why La said that this was both a danger and an opportunity.
And beside him, the other gods are also different.
Some had already guessed it, but now La's words completely proved it, while others suddenly realized, as if they finally understood something.
But no matter what, the originally panicked atmosphere changed. Facing the turmoil in the Origin Sea, the attitudes of the gods began to change drastically.
"Yes, Gabe, the ritual is just what you think it is."
With a slight nod, a golden light began to surge on La's body.
"It is not a one-way ritual or a tool to defeat ourselves. It is a two-way ritual that requires us to complete it together."
"The essence of its existence is an exchange, a gamble of equal value. Although I don't know why the other party's world will recognize this strange rule, the rules themselves will not lie."
"Everyone is a chess player, but everything about him becomes a chess piece, a gamble on the chessboard. If you lose, you lose everything, but if you win, the opponent must also split off an equal amount of power, and this power will be absorbed by the winner."
Absorbing the power of other gods is an extremely rare thing in the world of Chaos, but it is completely commonplace for the gods of Hermeneus.
No one questioned this, and no one thought that the other party would regret it after failure. Because at this moment, it was the power of the two worlds that served as the "chessboard" to maintain the operation of this rule.
This is a ritual that cannot be terminated once it is completed, until one side is completely defeated... However, at this juncture, Thoth, the symbol of wisdom and words, suddenly spoke.
"Your Majesty, perhaps this ceremony is indeed as you described, but I still have some questions."
"If you want to abandon the two worlds' instinctive absorption of power, hold the 'trophy' in your own hands, and then form such a ritual, then the prerequisite for everything is to make the world itself recognize this rule."
"For our world, we are already at a disadvantage, so it is normal for us to allow such a fairer gamble. But the other world... "He" is clearly in an advantageous position, so why should he give us a chance to turn the disadvantage around, and why should he give this Outer God the right to seize power openly?"
"And the most important thing is that the outcome is decided by the life and death of some humans. What is so special about them?"
Thoth didn't understand, and Ra didn't really understand either.
It's impossible that the other world also wants to kill those mortals with foreign blood... But with this explanation, everything seems to make sense.
But whether this is the case or not, it has nothing to do with Ra, because preventing alien forces from reaching the mortal world has actually nothing to do with Ra itself. It is the instinct of the world to prevent the other party from invading its body.
So no matter whether those beings with sinful blood are the objects that the foreign land wants to protect or the objects that they want to be killed, La intends to kill them anyway. This is also the only way to win this gamble.
"They are all going to die no matter what. Now, if you are willing to come up, come with me."
Feeling the increasingly strong attraction of the black and gold 'chessboard', La took a step forward, and his figure magnified thousands of times.
The size of the source sea is not just an appearance, strength is the criterion for measuring everything. The next moment, a big sun seemed to rise up, and on top of it sat a huge and incomparable giant god.
"You want my power, and I want yours too... It's just that we can lose many times, but there is only one of you."
…
world.
Just when Ladangxian chose to accept this or that chess game and sat down opposite the chessboard, in the outside world, high in the sky where mortals cannot see.
The Origin Sea is the core of the world, and everything that happens here will be reflected in the outside world... So the next moment, nine figures that seemed to penetrate the starry sky and the sea emerged above the world.
As soon as their shadows were born, they were reconnected with their respective authorities, and then continued to expand and grow stronger.
Finally, the supreme god Ra sat on the celestial sun, while the other eight pillar gods were on both sides.
Shu, the god of wind and air, the embodiment of order, and the symbol of drought, dryness, and depletion.
Tefnut, the goddess of rain and moisture, is the embodiment of disorder and a symbol of the corruption of all things. The lion god Sekhmet is her incarnation.
Nut, goddess of the sky and mother of the stars, the sun rises and sets in the sky, so she is also seen as the cycle of life and death.
Geb, god of the earth, earthquakes are his laughter and the echo of all things is his breathing.
Osiris, the god of plants, fertility, agriculture and the underworld, is also the priest of judgment and death. Anubis is his incarnation and is also mistakenly believed by mortals to be his offspring.
Set, the god of war, desert and storm, whose bones are made of metal underground, is the most powerful among the gods.
Nephthys, guardian and protector of the dead, patron of fertility and home.
And the last one, who filled the gap left by Isis, is Thoth, the one who represents wisdom, writing, and books, and the one who is most valued by Ra.
The nine gods were like nine pillars, supporting the heaven and earth of the Hemenu world in an instant. A huge chessboard appeared in the sky, and opposite them, it seemed empty.
"Haha, as expected..."
Sitting in the highest and most central position, a golden mask appeared on La's face at some point, and the corners of his mouth under the mask were slightly raised.
It's not that the other party isn't there, but in this place where strength is the measure of size, the other party's presence is far more massive than they imagined.
Great sounds are silent, great elephants are invisible, so it seems as if they have no opponents... According to this logic, even if all nine of them defeat each other, they cannot achieve real victory.
But since Ra dared to agree, there must be a reason. For a gambling game to take shape, both parties must be equal. But he never told the gods that he actually had a part in this huge chessboard, and he was both forced and willing to participate in its construction.
Then the question is, as the sun god, what is the relationship between him and this ritual? Can the nine simple gods really be equal to the outer gods?
And most importantly, after reincarnation, he became even stronger. Where did he become stronger?
"Of course it's a lot, because I'm more than just 'pull'."
"I am Amon-Ra-Atum."
As his mind was shaken, his sight continued to rise. When the earth became small, the stars were like embellishments, and everything in Hemenu became like dust.
At the innermost of the four barriers of the world, further out from the [Original Water], Ryan's divinity looked ahead calmly.
The nine pillars of gods were not as big as his hand, and the world was at his feet. But opposite to Him, another Ra was standing there.
Atum, the original god of Hemenu, the father of all things; Amon, the title of one of the eight gods, the embodiment of absolute void.
When they come together, Amon-Ra-Atum is naturally more than just a name.