Volume 4: The War of the Gods 138, Key of Fate

  According to normal procedure, the slaves should have been sent to He Lie Shan after receiving the order from Fa Lao, and then He Lie Shan would send them to Amun's territory. However, General Amun of the Empire did not do so, instead he directly dispatched his personal guards to take the slaves away immediately. He was also afraid that if something unexpected happened to the slaves during the night, he would have no one to blame but himself.

  He Lie Shan's superior, Blanca, had not yet received the Pharaoh's order when Ah Meng's guards arrived. Blanca was also in a difficult position and wanted to wait for the Pharaoh's order to arrive before doing anything. However, this guard would not accept it and pressed his hand on the hilt of his sword, saying: "The Imperial General's command is not an order? I'll take him away first, you can report to your superiors again. The Pharaoh has already agreed in person, could he be lying?"

  This guard had been through thick and thin with the Wan Ma army, his whole body exuding a fierce and intimidating aura. He only followed Amun's orders and wouldn't listen to anyone else's words. Since he had come, he would definitely complete his mission. Blanca couldn't afford to offend him either. The Empire's Great General Amun was now a man whose prestige was unmatched, so she couldn't afford to provoke him. Therefore, she sent Moses and the others to Amun's territory, and even dispatched a guard squad to escort them, in case of any unexpected events. If there were any problems, let General Amun take responsibility himself; after all, he had forcibly taken these people away.

  Although Ahmon had no real power, his meritorious position was still there, as Aristotle said, in its place, planning its affairs, and exercising its rights. Before that, when he was browsing through the archives of the Isis Temple, he had to be careful not to be discovered, Xie Dingyi had given him two archive numbers, one of which was "The Land of Marduk", and the other was a top-secret scripture, which he had never had the chance to read.

  Now it's fine, write down the number and directly dispatch a personal guard to let the Isis Temple take out the classics and send someone to bring them to their own territory. Not even an explanation is needed, this is the difference in status.

  The territory of the Aigu Empire is vast, with people living along the Roni River, mainly concentrated in the upper and lower Aigu regions. In the center of the empire, there are only narrow strips of land suitable for farming on both banks of the Roni River, while to the east and west are vast expanses of wilderness, deserts, and rugged mountains. Only small towns and scattered villages exist, as well as some nomadic tribes. Far from human habitation, many strange beasts also roam.

  Amon's territory is vast, in the southern suburbs of Herak City-State, including both seasonal river beaches that are flooded by floods and can only be cultivated for one season, as well as farms not far from the river beach that can be irrigated, and further west. On the western mountain foot, there are large pastures that can be grazed, and beyond the pastures, there is a desolate and uninhabited wilderness that is also Amon's territory, which is where the great general usually goes hunting.

  The territory of the imperial reward and private land in the full sense are different. The people living on this land are all nominal servants of Amun, who must work for Amun free of charge for three months every year. If they do not want to serve, they need to pay a corresponding amount of gold. On the other hand, Amun cannot arbitrarily transfer or give away this fiefdom to others. He can only receive income from this territory, and the imperial authorities still hold the disposal rights over the fiefdom, but Amun's descendants can inherit the ownership of the land.

  Apart from the vassals living on his lands, Amun also had his own private servants, including his personal bodyguards, slaves purchased in his name and hired servants, who lived in a very large estate.

  There are sixty people in Duoke Town, more than forty of whom are young miners, and the rest are servants who were once beside Moses. They have all become slaves given to Amun by Pharaoh. They were brought here from Mount Horeb with a nervous mood. Everyone has already heard that Amun became the imperial general, led the Egyptian army to defeat the Hittites and the kingdom of Balen, and made meritorious requests to Pharaoh to give all the people of Duoke Town as slaves to himself.

  Amon went to Mount Hermon a year and a half ago, since then the living environment of these miners has improved a lot, and they have not been abused or beaten again. However, slaves are still slaves, and they have not escaped their fate as slaves. Amon was once an outcast in Duketown, but he achieved such success in Egypt, and his former tribesmen are now his slaves, how will he treat them?

  Moses had another concern in his heart, he accepted the guidance of Ah-roh and was secretly preparing to return home, but a year and a half passed, and that divine being had no news. Now such an accident has occurred, it seems that the tragic fate of the tribe is uncertain.

  Ahmen received them into his domain, without any particular difficulty but also without special treatment. Moses and the others were after all slaves, and it was not in accordance with etiquette to sit down to eat together even with Ahmen. Ahmen did not let them live in the manor, nor did he give them a house, but instead had his personal guards set up a row of military tents at the foot of the mountain and on the edge of the farm, allowing the tribespeople to temporarily settle down, and then summoned everyone.

  Moses and the others saw Ahmen, and they all knelt down to pay their respects. Ahmen raised his hand to stop them, saying: "This is a private gathering, everyone is my clansman, some etiquette can be omitted. I once asked Pharaoh to give you freedom, but it was not successful, so I brought you here. Everyone in my territory has any requirements that can be said now."

  There was a woman who was Moses' former maid, and she said weakly: "Winter has just passed, the weather is still very cold, can we have a house to live in? Even if it's just a stone hut like Mount Horeb."

  Ah Mon smiled and said, "The tent you are living in now is the military tent I used to live in, it should be able to withstand the wind and cold. As for houses, they will have them, but you need to build them yourself. In my territory, you can go up the mountain to cut down trees, excavate stone materials to build your own village. Spring is coming soon, there are large tracts of land at the foot of the mountain that can be opened up and planted, and water from the Ronnie River can be used for irrigation. As for seeds and farming tools, you can ask my steward for them."

  Amon did not provide the tribe with everything ready-made, but instead had them build houses and cultivate land by their own hands. In the mountains there were still wild beasts roaming about; they could hunt but also needed to protect themselves. Some people showed disappointment but didn't dare say anything, while Moses bowed and said: "Thank you, great general! Thank you for all that you have done for us! But we have a common longing, always wanting to return home, where it is said has become a fertile land in the wilderness."

  "Even if you go back there, you will still have to rebuild your home. Why not prepare well from now on? Don't be in a hurry, I'll try my best to satisfy your wishes as much as possible, but we still need to wait for the right moment."

  Amon only provided materials, not giving the tribe ready-made things, everything had to be obtained by their own hands. Even if Moses and others could return to the plain of Duk in the future, they would have to start from scratch and couldn't rely on others. After that, he didn't see the tribespeople again, seemingly intentionally keeping a distant distance. This situation was also very normal, what's the point of a high-ranking imperial general getting close to a group of slaves?

  The Tuareg people's new life began, they were already the best craftsmen on the mainland, after getting the tools, they cut down trees nearby and built wooden houses that could accommodate everyone within two or three days. Then Moses again commanded the strong laborers to go to the nearby mountains to quarry stone materials and transport them back to the campsite, starting to build a permanent solid courtyard, completely planned according to a village on a large scale, even leaving space for the temple.

  Someone asked Moses, "This is not our home, why build it so well?"

  "Moses replied, 'My father once told me that the body is a courtyard where the soul resides, and one's footing is the home of the mind. If the mind loses its foothold, it doesn't know where the soul is or what it's pursuing, then that's truly being homeless. We don't even know how long we'll be staying here, so why not build a proper dwelling? Even if we return to Duke Town, we'll still need to do this.'"

  There were still people who were dissatisfied with Ahman, and they complained to Moses in private: "Ahman is now powerful in Egypt, with endless wealth, but he doesn't give us anything. Instead, he lets our tribesmen build villages on his land and cultivate the wilderness for him. We are all his slaves, and everything we build is not ours, but Ahman's!"

  Moses smiled and replied, "The achievements of the Imperial General belong to him alone, not to you or me. You complain that he didn't give you more, but have you ever thought about what he owes you? Armon is the son of an old drunkard, who was bullied since childhood, and was even forced to leave Duk Town. Now we are his slaves, but he hasn't mistreated us, so we should already be thanking the gods! This is Armon's territory, but it's also our own homes and fields that we cultivate. If you want a better life, you can only rely on yourself."

  Moses led the tribe to build a new home, his heart had been eagerly awaiting the long-awaited moment, hoping that the messenger of Aro would arrive soon, this was the hope that supported him to make all these efforts. Moses himself had received the transmission of the two-faced power, and now he had achieved the achievement of a 6th-level magician and a 6th-level warrior, if he wanted to escape by himself, it was completely possible.

  Professor Ahmon's way of teaching Moses is different from others, he only lets Moses cultivate basic strength and pursue breakthroughs in his realm, without involving any specific divine techniques or martial arts. Nevertheless, with Moses' achievements today, as long as he pays attention to hiding his identity, he can set foot anywhere he wants to escape. But what's the point of him escaping alone?

  Amon had been secretly observing the actions of Moses and others. When the people of Tuk town finished building their wooden houses, started mining stones and reclaiming wasteland, he finally decided to summon Moses again. However, there was one inconvenient thing - Amon had lost his magical powers and couldn't cast spells, so he handed this task over to Medanzer.

  That night, Moses, who had been working hard all day, was meditating in his wooden hut. He had passed the "Extreme Breakthrough" test and possessed a sixth-level achievement with two-faced power. Although he hadn't learned any specific divine techniques, his magical powers were already very strong, and he naturally grasped many power rules. Some simple divine technique skills didn't need to be learned, and he could figure them out on his own. But he always remembered Arlo's warning, only focusing on cultivation, not using it.

  This amount of work during the day was nothing to him, and if necessary, he could persist even if he didn't sleep for ten or more days in a row. Every night's basic meditation had never been interrupted, only in this way could he see hope in life amidst hardships.

  Just then, a low humming noise, like the buzzing of a mosquito, penetrated his ear: "Moses, I am a messenger from God; slip out of the village and come to me on the west slope of the mountain. I have something to ask you."

  Moses almost jumped out of bed, his heart filled with wild joy, finally the day had arrived! It seemed that the divine spirit Aroga had not forgotten him and had been quietly paying attention to him and his people all along. He quickly got dressed, and before leaving the tent, he didn't forget to brush off the dust from his hair and clothes, tidying up his appearance before sneaking out of the campsite and running towards the western mountain.

  The mountains here are not high but very steep, with many rocky outcrops. Moses and his people were quarrying stone here. Ahead of him, a firefly-like glow was guiding him. Moses walked past the quarry where his tribesmen were working, climbed over the cliff, and came to a high ridge. In front of him stood a man wrapped in a cloak, holding a "branch" horizontally in his hand.

  Although Moses' eyesight is not clear now, he can't see the face of this person clearly, but under the starlight, he can clearly see the thing in his hand, which is the staff that Aaron used before. He quickly knelt down to the ground: "Messenger of God, are you calling me?"

  Meadanzo nodded and said: "Yes, I was sent by the divine spirit to see how you and your clan are preparing now?"

  Moses was so excited that he almost shed tears: "Thank God, Ah-roh has not forgotten me and has been watching over us all along!"

  "Have you forgotten? You must not pray to any other gods! From now on, do not utter the name of Arokh in my presence or anyone else's. He is your one and only god! That is true devotion, merging into faith."

  Moses' words are interesting, Moses can invoke the divine, but not directly invoke the name of Aaron, because he cannot pray to other gods, so when referring to the divine, it refers to Aaron rather than other gods in the world. The word "divine" has a specific meaning from this moment on.

  Meadanzo asked Moses many questions, including how his cultivation had been for the past year and a half, and what preparations he had guided the tribe to make. Moses answered respectfully and in detail. Moses was the highest achiever in the tribe's cultivation, having already attained the sixth level of unity with two faces. He also quietly spread the divine signs of Arohan among the tribe, telling everyone that this god would guide them back to their hometown.

  In addition, Moses also awakened the dual-faced power of the twelve tribesmen, and now they all have intermediate achievements, at least one fourth-level magician and warrior. Without needing to be reminded, the tribespeople also knew that this was an absolute secret that could not be leaked, and even a hint would bring them mortal danger, so everything was carried out in secrecy.

  On Mount Helei, they have to engage in heavy labor every day, and it's really hard to make more preparations. They can only instill hope and faith in the tribe members and let everyone protect themselves well. As for those miners who haven't awakened the dual powers of one body, they also need to work hard to cultivate the mining skills of Du Ke Town. It's not just for extracting divine stones for the Ai Ju Empire, but also a way to strengthen their physical and mental strength.

  Mai Dianzuo nodded in satisfaction: "From today on, you will come here every night. I will teach you divine techniques and martial arts, and you will pass them on to your tribe members who can learn. Be careful when practicing, don't let anyone discover it. Take good care of this staff and make some disguise for it. It is both a weapon and a magic wand. The gods allow you to use it temporarily."

  Amon handed the iron branch staff to Moses, keeping only the Tears of the Gods for himself. The staff still had four divine stones inlaid in sequence: the Earth's Pupil, the Azure Water Heart, the Wind's Enchanting Dance, and the Flame Spirit. However, he didn't explain the mysteries of this staff, simply handing it over to Moses for use.

  Aaron lost his power, even the spatial law instrument couldn't be used, and this staff was idle. Moses was a slave, it wasn't convenient to openly take out weapons, let alone have a staff, Aaron had many things in his hand, but only this "branch" was suitable, wrapped with cloth strips, no one could see any flaws. To cover up, Moses also ordered the tribesmen to cut down a branch of similar shape, wrap it with cloth strips and make a staff.

  Thus, every night, Medanzo taught Moses various divine techniques and martial arts secrets, demonstrating them briefly before letting Moses practice on his own and teach the tribe. Previously in Mount Heli, it was inconvenient to teach these contents, but now in Amun's territory, they could do so freely. Near the quarry, there were uninhabited valleys where they could practice without anyone interfering.

  Moses was very intelligent, which also benefited from the good education he received since childhood and the tempering of these years. More than a dozen days later, Medanzo had almost finished teaching what he should teach, and the remaining skills could only be mastered by Moses and others through practice, so they went back to report to Amun.

  In the manor, Medanzo exclaimed in surprise and admiration: "Oh, Ahmon God, are all your people geniuses? Among sixty people, twelve have awakened the power of two sides, and within a year and a half, they have all achieved middle-level accomplishments. Especially that Moses, with just an opportunity, I think he has a chance to break through to seventh-level accomplishment, which is even faster than me back then!"

  Amon didn't seem surprised, and with a hint of a smile, explained: "You only see these people, so you think it's amazing, but have you ever thought about how many generations of ruthless selection and accumulation this is? The mining skills in Duoke Town have been passed down for generations. A long time ago, the living environment there was even more dangerous than now. If a grown man couldn't master this skill, it would be difficult to survive there, and many people died young. For hundreds of years, the population has hardly increased at all."

  The environment's selection and elimination are so cruel and heartless, yet the descendants of these people have inherited the strongest power, which is the essence of many years of sedimentation. If it weren't for this, do you think they could still be healthy after experiencing so much hardship? As for those twelve people, you only thought about their one-and-a-half-year cultivation, but they started learning the mining skills of Du Ke Town from the age of sixteen, which is also the foundation of a two-sided powerful force.

  Apart from Moses, they have been cultivating for a longer period than you and I. However, no one has opened the true door for them. Even so, they haven't surpassed your achievements and cultivation speed. You and I are already miracles in the eyes of ordinary people, but think about Enqi again - becoming a 9th-level great warrior at the age of 21, what kind of existence is that?

  Mei Danzuo chuckled: "I just think their cultivation speed is indeed amazing, not one person but a batch of people. Your explanation can be said to make sense, but the cultivation of the two sides of the power has its own rules, and it's not just about using hard work with power, but also needs to go through various tests."

  Ah Mon smiled wryly and said, "They are more suited to cultivating this power than ordinary divine magic practitioners, especially Moses. Having lost their home and wandered in a foreign land, they have to engage in heavy labor every day, yet they do not give up the hope in their hearts. Which noble divine magic practitioner has experienced such trials? Don't forget that on the mainland, only nobles can cultivate divine magic, while slaves are not allowed to cultivate martial arts. Ordinary warriors would find it difficult to withstand such tempering, but they have endured, and this is what makes them accomplished!"

  Since Moses and the others had not given up hope and were making preparations, Amun sent Medanzzo to the Duk Plain to see how Link was preparing. Before leaving, he handed over the spatial artifact Wind Charm Dance to Medanzzo, and also let Medanzzo take out a few things from inside, including the somewhat damaged Scorpion Shell Armor, a Wind Riding Arrow, and a golden arrow gun.

  This dart gun is over ten feet long, unlike ordinary dart guns. It's like an extremely slender drop of liquid, a whole entity that can't be told what material it's made of. Even with the eyesight of a master craftsman, the method of its refinement is not entirely clear. Amun handed the dart gun to Maidanzo: "You've always envied me for having a magical staff that can also serve as a weapon. The long sword I gave you last time was damaged in the fierce battle with Enqiu, and this dart gun is even more magical than my iron branch staff."

  Maidanzuo took the spear and tried it out, exclaiming in surprise: "Oh Amun, where did you get this divine artifact! It's almost invincible, and it's also the best staff I've ever seen. Did you make it yourself? What's its name?"

  "Ah Mon sighed and said: 'It wasn't made by my own hands, I call it the Key of Fate. You've seen it before, and had a life-or-death duel with the person who wielded this weapon.'"

  "Impossible," Mei Dān said vaguely. "I've never seen such a mysterious weapon before, let alone duel with the person who owns it."

  "Amon explained: 'You just can't recognize it, it was the broadsword in Enkido's hand, which became incomplete when cutting towards the cloud eagle in the sky. In the final battle, Enkido fought against the black thunder that fell from the sky, and the sword tip turned into a golden mist, even changing the shape of the sword body. At the last moment when Enkido rushed towards the sky, he shot the sword in his hand at me, which I absorbed into the Wind Dance, and it became this spear-like shape.'"

  "Ah, so it's the remnants of Enkido's sword, imbued with all his life's power, tempered through that dark vortex and transformed into this... truly a work beyond human craftsmanship!"

  He nodded and said, "It has a mysterious use, symbolizing the test of fate, just like all the encounters, actions, and choices that one's true self must face. It flew to kill me, but fell into my hands. I don't want to use it, so I'll give it to you. This might be the most suitable weapon and magic tool for you!"

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