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Golier suddenly sighed out loud. “Warret, you are the first of my disciples to become a supreme mage and your future achievements are likely to surpass my own. You must listen when I say that if one day this man becomes your friend, you should never neglect and despise him.”
“My Lord, why would you say that?” Warret replied in amazement. “You are a ninth level supreme mage, your power will allow you to live a long life, far longer than the ordinary person. In my mind, you are like a god.”
Golier sighed again. “Gilgamesh showed you my secret letter so you must know my wishes. It is near impossible to achieve. At the very least I want to try my best. Perhaps thousands of years after we have gone, this wish may not be realised but at least people have tried. This is what I am pursuing during my existence. Do you understand?”
The look on Warret’s face turned grave. “Teacher, you want to build a new city on the newly-surfaced fertile soil ranging thousands of miles and have it be run by neighbouring countries. On top of that, the city will be accepting of people of all races and religion. I am afraid that even the gods would not support such a dream. However, I understand why you look for such cooperation. You have foreseen the endless disaster of blood and fire and you want to do your best to stop it even if you cannot. As long as I live, I will provide my full support in realising this dream.”
“This was a vow I made the moment I reached the ninth level of magic, knowing deep in my heart that it is an impossible task, but I will devote my whole life to it,” Golier said. “As for you and Raphael, there may be another secret unknown to me for you to seek out. The man named Allaha looks very familiar to me. Should he ever come to Syah City, you must bring him to see me.”
Amon did not know that Golier recognised him and was waiting to meet him. He still wandered and lived in Syah after having retrieved the land deed. This time, instead of staying at an inn, he purchased an expensive courtyard under the name Allaha, which could serve as a foothold for him in Syah. He thought that in the future there may have to be many journeys between Duc and Syah, so the courtyard would come in handy.
After settling down, Amon strolled around the city to familiarise himself with the place. On that day, when he walked to the south gate, he noticed large crowds gathering on the main road leading to the gate as if they were waiting excitedly for something. On another inquiry, it turned out that their other high priest Raphael had finally returned.
When Raphael first left on his mission he did so quietly, but on his return, the display and show were phenomenal. Cape City even sent with him an envoy to escort and guard the high priest as a courtesy. Amon was coincidentally looking for Raphael, so he stood in the crowd and partook in the festivities.
The guards responsible for gatekeeping neatly lined up to face each other. Raphael’s carriage entered the city first, followed by Cape soldiers that donned distinctively decorative armour. In order to show courtesy, all weapons except for axes and knives were kept away. Raphael’s eyes lit up as he waved and smiled at the welcoming party of people. He turned his head in front to see Amon before he nodded to him in surprise and whispered a few words to the attendant in charge of the carriage.
At that moment, Amon felt a rush of restlessness. It was a mild feeling of resentment and fear that came from a carriage that followed closely behind. The carriage contained the envoy sent by Cape City. With the curtains in the carriage blocking any view into it, the person’s identity couldn’t be made out, but Amon was sure that someone in that carriage sat in the corner by the curtains and stared at Amon with full hostility.
Amon wanted to avoid this as quickly as he could by disappearing from the crowd. Unfortunately for him, Raphael’s entourage intercepted him before he could move to salute him. “Greetings Lord Allaha! Lord Raphael sent me to give you his warmest greeting.”
The crowd automatically split to make room for Amon. Everyone looked at him with respect. Amon had to return the courtesy, so he said, “Lord Raphael has a good eye, being able to see and recognise me within the sea of people. What message do you hold?”
The attendant bowed and replied, “Lord Raphael expresses his pleasure at your presence in Syah. He wonders if you have seen Lord Warret, the other high priest?”
Amon shook his head gently. “I’ve just arrived in the city and have had barely any time to settle down. I haven’t found time to visit the temple just yet.”
The attendant replied graciously, “In that case, Lord Raphael gave me directions to leave you his home address and welcomes you as a guest with the greatest reception. He would also like to know where you are currently staying in the city; he would like to visit you in person. If you do not have lodging at the moment, please allow us to arrange one for you.”
Meanwhile, the carriage and parade had already moved far. Though Raphael saw Amon and wanted to convey his greetings in person, he was accompanying the envoy from the city of Cape to bring him to the city hall, so he could not stop. Instead, he sent his carriage attendant to greet Amon. Amon thought for a moment, then decided to leave his address as he thought he had nothing to hide.
The hostile gaze coming from the second carriage caught Amon’s attention but now that he is a supreme sorcerer and warrior, he was not afraid of anything even if he was alone. If trouble sought him, he could always get away in this densely populated city. Moreover, he wanted to see Golier, and now Raphael has taken the initiative to find him.
As the parade faded away, Judah Fayol quietly lowered the corner of the curtain in his carriage. His face turned gloomy and meditative. He was the envoy on the visit to Syah. He had two tasks: his official duties were to lead the guard to escort Raphael and convey the greetings from Cape, negotiate business and trade affairs after the resumption of traffic, and to secretly examine the dynamic development of Syah.
In addition, he had another private task, which the supreme mage Urhiya had secretly explained to him. The two people in Cape who hated Amon the most were Urhiya and Judah Fayol.
Judah Fayol hated Amon simply because he received a lot of money from Rod Drick, and that his actions in Duc had framed Amon in vain.
Judah thought that Amon was nothing but a small, insignificant miner. He did not expect Amon to become such an important person after the original events unfolded. A little man who was offended and framed by Judah himself suddenly becoming important? It kept Judah Fayol up certain nights. He wished that Amon would encounter nothing but bad luck. Otherwise, one day it may be him who will be unlucky. This was a common mentality amongst many people, even though Amon had never offended nor affronted Judah.
As for Urhiya’s hatred for Amon, which had by now penetrated into his marrow, Urhiya had initially sent men to murder Amon but they disappeared without a trace. In fact, the Adoratrice sent back to Urhiya the secret letter he had initially addressed to Lord Burke. Then, the Adoratrice sent Lord Burke far away to Syah so that Urhiya could not contact him. For him, as long as Amon lived, he would be a thorn in his eye and he cannot do anything about it.
After all, Urhiya was an eighth level supreme mage and one of the elders of the Academy of Magic in Memfis. Although he was nominally under the jurisdiction of Rod Drick, Urhiya’s status was equal to his. He was also well-informed and influential in the Ejyptian Empire. He cannot blatantly offend the Adoratrice, which meant that he could not offend Amon due to his status in the Temple of Isis.
When Amon was situated in the Temple of Isis, Urhiya had his hands tied. Now the chance had finally come. Amon was sent to Syah to carry out secretive explorations and Urhiya had heard about it through his own channels. Such agents sent off on secret missions would not be publicly recognised by the Temple of Isis should they be caught. They would typically be executed after interrogation or they would be exchanged privately with the agent’s superiors. In short, once Amon is exposed, not only will his mission fail, his life will also almost certainly be lost.
Because of this, Urhiya specifically arranged Judah Fayol to be the envoy.
Judah, still in his carriage, remembered Lord Urhiya’s secret message. “When you go to the Kingdom of Hittite, you must pay attention to another matter besides the official duties entrusted to you. I heard that Amon was sent to Syah by the Temple of Isis on a secret mission. If you can find out his whereabouts, I think you know what you should do.”
Judah asked with hesitation, “If Amon was caught revealing his own identity, would it affect the nation and state affairs?”
Urhiya laughed in response. “He went to analyse the situation of the terrain post-flood. As far as I know, the Ejyptian Empire sent more than one man. There were many, many of them, and the military and political plane would like Amon to be kept in the dark. Even if Amon fails his mission, the Ejyptian Empire and the Temple of Isis would deny any responsibility. Judah, this is a secret between both of us. If you succeed, you will prove yourself to be a highly capable person. I don’t think you would like to be Rod Drick’s clerk forever, do you?”
“So why did the temple send Amon on such a mission?”
Urhiya sneered. “It’s just to give him a chance to be promoted. The Temple of Isis is facing a change in the positions of power. Some people are vigorously cultivating their loyalty, including me, who is one of the many who are being excluded. But do not forget that even if I lose the position of high priest in the temple, I am still an elder in the Academy of Magic. The city of Syah is about to change. The Academy made a clear prediction a long time ago and was guided by the oracle. Amon’s task is irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.”
While on the road, Judah’s mood was somewhat tangled. He knew that Lord Urhiya wanted to use Hittite to get rid of Amon, which was also in line with his intentions. However, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy. Furthermore, the city of Syah was so big that any hope of seeing Amon was slim. Luckily for him, he spotted Amon when he entered the city. What a coincidence! Is there really god’s favour?
Judah gritted his teeth and made a decision to make Amon disappear in Syah, forever. When he returns to the sepat of Cape, Lord Urhiya will appreciate and value him, and more importantly, there will be no Amon to worry about.
Golier did not receive the envoy from Cape. Instead, Governer Schmul took it upon himself to hold a welcoming dinner at his personal residence and ordered the treasurer of the city to make a special exception to accompany Judah Fayol on trips around Syah City the next few days.
At the same time, Fermien Schmul secretly issued an order to the treasurer to show Judah the more leisurely people of the city. Then, he quietly stepped up security to prevent any snooping into classified information. In the hearts of officials of Fermien’s rank, it was known that conflict between Hittite and Ejypt was imminent, but it was not yet time for direct confrontation.
That evening, the guard captain in charge of the patrols in Syah, Musenu, received a confidential report that a secret agent from the Empire of Ejypt had snuck into the city to gather information on the military situation of Syah after exploring the possible strategic terrain around the Charcoal Forest. The report said that the man was only just identified. On top of that, the report also contained the address of the secret agent under the name Allaha, who had just purchased property in Syah a few days ago to act as a base for covert activities.
Before two countries prepared for a declaration of war, this kind of espionage activity was very common. The Kingdom of Hittite also sent many agents and spies to conduct business in the Ejyptian Empire in the name of business or other identities. This was typical when both sides of the conflict were unable to afford sufficient weapons and soldiers, thus they were highly defensive in seclusion.
Musenu was unsure of the authenticity of the confidential report but he dared not neglect it. He immediately rushed to the address listed with a team of soldiers. Under the cover of the night, Musenu quietly approached the house from both ends to cover the intersections. The armed soldiers then proceeded to surround the property to prevent any chance of escape or leak. Only then did the guard captain walk up to the door with several of his elite soldiers to infiltrate and capture Allaha.
Musenu, being the captain of Syah, was in charge of three guard corps. Typically, the three team leaders would take turns to arrange patrol in the city. However, the governor received direct orders related to the envoy from Cape, so he appeared for a shift on the basis of its importance. He luckily came across this report on his extra shift.
Musenu was also of unique origin. Just two years ago, he was an insignificant leader of a security post in the Charcoal Forest, in charge of only a dozen soldiers stationed at the post.
During the flood, all the security posts around the town of Duc and in the Charcoal Forest were destroyed. Musenu quickly led the soldiers to evacuate and rendezvous on the tallest rock nearby and used a belt to tie everyone together so they could catch bushes and ensured their safety before awaiting rescue. The supreme mage Golier then showed up in his magic flying boat and rescued them. The soldiers were the only survivors in the flood.
Whether he was in distress or safety, Musenu remained composed and allowed his soldiers to stay disciplined under his command. They were calm and collected and did not disturb Golier when he drove the boat in the opposite direction to Duc. When they returned to Syah, he was personally recommended by Golier to Fermien Schmul, who has proven highly useful to the governor since.
When Fermien Schmul led an ambush of his own against Rod Drick’s team, he lost a handful of his own soldiers. Of course, this meant that he needed to rebuild his guard. Musenu became his team leader and then later, the lieutenant. Just a few months ago, Musenu had become a supreme warrior of the seventh level, prompting his own promotion to become the captain of the entire guard of Syah. He was then responsible for sustaining the security of the governor as well as maintaining order in the city.
As a supreme warrior, Musenu enjoyed a status of nobility and served as the captain of the guard. His status had become far beyond the level of security post leaders in the days back then. He was deeply grateful to Golier. The supreme mage saved his life, then proceeded to recommend him to the governor. In the end, he got to keep his life and enjoy good status and pay.
It was for that reason that Musenu, as a supreme warrior, will personally endanger himself to show loyalty to Syah. Judah Fayol, the envoy from Cape, was still in the city, so everything he did he had to do secretly.
It was a quiet night, and Allaha’s house was silent. The streets had been cleared and martial law was enforced. Musenu was satisfied with his guards’ inspection of the situation, so he walked up to the front gate, unsheathed his weapon and kicked the gate down.
At the foot of such a formidable warrior, heavy wooden doors were as fragile as paper. The gate broke and scattered without making much noise. Musenu, with a shield in his left hand and sword in his right, led the detachment of guards and entered the property first. The front yard was empty but the windows lining the house were illuminated from the light indoors. He deduced that the occupants of the house had not yet slept.
Musenu was a no-nonsense man. He stepped towards the house door under the guard of his soldiers. Once again, he raised his foot and rooted himself with his other leg and kicked the door. His kick was very heavy so the door flew directly into the house. If someone was hiding right behind the door, they would have been knocked back along with it.
Musenu’s sword and shield gleamed on the sides. The elite guards on either side of Musenu shuttled around their captain, facing left and right to protect the flanks. This was a clear showcase of their skill. By policy, Captain Musenu should shout for the suspect, indicating a desire to allow the culprit a chance to surrender.
Any secret agent witnessing such skill would soil their pants, especially since it was a detachment led personally by the supreme warrior Captain Musenu.
However, something astonishing happened. Musenu had just kicked the door down to see the inside of the house. He then dropped his weapon and threw down on his knees with a flop. His subordinate guards on either side of him followed suit, kneeling just outside the door. The armour on the guards’ bodies clanked with the flooring. The three men then voiced simultaneously, “We deserve to die! On a peaceful night, we disturb you!”
The soldiers behind the three were horrified and threw their weapons down as well.
Musenu was right that the occupants were awake, but there were four of them. There was an elderly man sitting face-to-face with a young man and had not reacted to the commotion. There were two other people sitting side by side at the table who happened to face the door. They saw Musenu kicking in, then raised their hands with a stern look to gesture them to stop. It was the two high priests of Syah, Warret and Raphael.
The broken door turned into numerous debris in midair and fluttered down onto the ground, but not a single piece of it touched the table nor the four people sitting around it. Of course, the young man was Allaha, the ‘secret agent’ Musenu was planning to capture that night. The old man sitting opposite of Allaha was, of course, Golier, and the two of them were playing chess!
They were playing ancient military chess, which replaced the chess pieces with various beasts. They were lined up on a large chessboard to restrain their opponents from fighting. The calculation required in this game was highly complicated and few could understand it. The rules of the two players were even more peculiar. There was actually no chessboard nor chess pieces at all; the emptiness on the table was displaying the shadow and light of the chess game. The chessboard visibly moved and shifted whilst the bestial pieces seemed to fight as if the entire chess board was alive.
This kind of chess game was not unheard of by Musenu, but only supreme mages had the ability to play it. It went without saying that the man sitting opposite of Golier was also a supreme mage!
Thank you for the chapter 🙂
Ty
Oops lol, this captain is way too hasty! Thanks for the chapter!