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16084Translator: adomman
Editor: Snorri
Raphael explained: “It’s really not easy to understand, because many people don’t know the difference between fantasy, ideal, and delusion. My teacher, Golier, taught me to verify this for myself, and I can tell you how I feel about it. Ordinary commoners with no power often fantasize that they become a king, this is not unattainable, for there are kings on earth. But if everyone thinks this way, it would be a delusion, not an ideal.
A real ideal is regardless of whether one can become a king, while having such a thought, to realize what is the master of one’s heart. I have met many kings, the kind of kings that countless commoners fantasize about becoming in their delusions, who may be as happy as an Ironback like within their hearts. They also have their own fantasies, and their original traits of humanity does not change because of their status.”
Raphael was silent for a moment at this point, and as he looked down at El Mar and saw that this Ironback had been silently thinking about this, he suddenly asked: “El Mar, why are you asking me this today?”
As if awakened from a dream, El Mar returned to its senses and replied: “Because God Amon said to me that I have already accumulated enough training and passed many tests, but to achieve the seventh level I need to merge my mind and body. For me, it might be very simple or it could be very difficult, and it requires a kind of open-hearted guidance, like opening my eyes and seeing the light. The person who can guide me to open my eyes may not necessarily be him.”
Raphael asked again: “When did Amon say that to you?”
El Mar: “It was the other day on the way here, when you were following behind. That day, he whispered to me about it, and that is why I am going to ask you for guidance today. Please tell me what you have realized and felt.”
Raphael’s look became serious. “My teacher, Golier, once asked me a question – what is the greatest delusion of mortals?”
El Mar blurted: “Of course it’s to become like a god.”
Raphael nodded. “Yes, that’s the answer. For most people, it’s just a delusion, but gods do exist! So what is the true meaning of this human nature which contains divinity? We live in the world around us, and we also live in our own thoughts. Don’t look at life based on the desires you have, your ideals are your path. What kind of a living being you are depends on how you look at life. It is pointless to just think of becoming like a god, the real meaningful question is why gods are gods…”
Raphael looked at the moon as he was explaining, and suddenly he heard El Mar speak again: “Thank you, for enlightening me!”
Raphael casually replied: “You are welcome, this is what some teachers used to teach and I am also seeking to prove its meaning for myself, but today I am just telling you my realizations. …Hmm, why has your voice changed?”
As he was talking Raphael suddenly realized that the voice of El Mar was not right. They were no longer exchanging information through their souls, but directly talking through their mouths and listening through the ears. Also, El Mar’s voice had turned into a soft female voice, and listening to it felt very comfortable. He immediately turned his head to look, but he was momentarily stunned, and when he finally reacted, his face became all red. Raphael quickly lowered his head and said in a low voice: “You…why aren’t you wearing anything!”
The large Ironback was gone, and sitting under the moonlight was a slender woman, about eighteen years old, and she had long golden brown hair, a beautiful face with a hint of devilish charm, cheekbones that were slightly high, full lips, and eyes that looked a little deep. Her features had a unique charm, and she was one exquisite beauty. What’s more, she was naked at this moment, and under the moonlight, her most primitive and natural beauty was revealed!
It was only when she heard Raphael’s words that the woman suddenly reacted, and she said in embarrassed shock: “I forgot, I wasn’t paying attention.” She stood up and turned around once in place, and a very common linen dress appeared on her body. Then she said: “I’m done wearing clothes now. I didn’t scare you just now, did I?”
The woman certainly couldn’t be anyone else, it was El Mar in human form. She was indeed inexperienced, as this was the first time in her life that she had taken this form, and it had felt abrupt even for her. Raphael turned his head to take a look but turned his head back again: “This dress of yours, it looks fine in the eyes of ordinary people, but in front of high level message magic, it is still equivalent to wearing nothing.”
However, El Mar asked: “Equivalent to wearing nothing? You’re peeping on me on purpose! You’re a supreme mage, of course you would know high level message magic. Does it make a difference whether an ordinary person wears clothes or not in front of high level message magic and detection magic? One look and you can see everything hidden underneath!”
The supreme mage Raphael, who was talking so freely just now, actually started to stammer a little: “I…I didn’t! Just wanted to remind you that detection magic detects items, that…that is not the same as this situation. This dress of yours is nothing more than a disguise conjured by message magic, and you have to use your magical power at all times. …Sorry, I forgot that you didn’t have any clothes with you in the first place.”
El Mar’s face also turned red, but fortunately it couldn’t be seen too clearly in the moonlight. She turned around and said again: “Look again, what about this now?”
Raphael turned his head cautiously to look at it and exclaimed slightly: “It’s a suit of armor!”
One could see that underneath the illusionary linen robe on El Mar’s body, a close-fitting dark golden soft armor had appeared. El Mar smiled and said: “Did you forget? I’m an Ironback, and conjuring this armor is a natural skill. It is useful in battle, and can also be worn as clothing normally.”
Raphael asked again: “Why has your voice changed as well?”
El Mar approached the tent and sat next to Raphael before explaining in a slightly embarrassed tone: “I’ve never spoken before, don’t you think that the voice I used to communicate with you was a little like Lynk and God Amon? That’s just mimicking voices that I’m familiar with using message magic, it’s my own voice you’re hearing now, okay?”
Raphael nodded. “Sounds good.”
El Mar: “Really sounds good?”
Raphael replied seriously, “Really sounds good! …Is this the first time you’ve changed like this?”
El Mar looked at the moon and sighed in relief. “I didn’t change into this, this is what I am now. If there is any difference between me and an Ironback, this is the difference. After years of training I have reached a point similar to the metamorphosis of those insects in the mountains. God Amon said that it might be hard or easy for me to take this step, and now I finally understand. No wonder he wanted me to run out of power and asked you to stay and protect me, God Amon had already anticipated it. So I want to thank you, you are the one who guided me!”
Raphael was a little embarrassed as he touched his chin. “Don’t say that, you have all it needs after years of hard work. Now you open the window and see the moonlight effortlessly, but when you look back, you will understand that the moon has always been there.”
El Mar murmured: “Yes, the moon has always been there, it turned out to be so beautiful, this feels so good.” She subconsciously leaned on Raphael’s shoulder as she spoke, and as a mutated Ironback King, her body senses were very keen, so she then asked: “Raphael, half of your body is suddenly all tight like you’ve found some enemy, am I making you so nervous?”
Raphael quickly explained: “No, no, no, it’s just that I’m still in shock.”
El Mar asked again: “You don’t like me being near you?”
Raphael: “It’s not that.”
El Mar: “Then why are you reacting like you’re on guard?”
Raphael nearly started sweating from all her questioning, and he quickly explained: “Physically, it does look that way, but it is different. A lot of people’s habits and reactions are complex and you still need to learn to appreciate and separate them. I’m nervous not because I don’t like you sitting here.”
El Mar: “But I feel that you’re a bit strange now, different from the other day.”
Raphael said in a helpless tone: “You’re also not the same now as you were a few days ago.” Before his words could be heard, this young supreme mage suddenly stopped speaking, and the muscles all over his body imperceptibly tightened.
El Mar said with an aggrieved tone: “You obviously don’t like it, that’s how you react when there’s danger, am I dangerous to you?”
Raphael didn’t say anything, but conversed through his soul: “Careful, the magic formation seems to have sensed something just now. The energy is very weak though, is someone spying on us secretly?”
El Mar was taken aback and immediately communicated in the same way: “There really is an enemy? How come I don’t feel it, that can’t be right, my reflexes are more sensitive than yours.”
Raphael explained: “I’m operating a magic formation that was laid down by Amon before he left. The detection range covers the surrounding marsh, and it is certainly a bit more sensitive than your natural senses. There was indeed a fluctuation just now, very faint but with magical power, I shouldn’t have been mistaken.”
El Mar: “Could it be that some mutated monster in the marsh passed by unintentionally?”
Raphael frowned. “Maybe, but it’s better to be careful.”
El Mar laughed. “Don’t be afraid, I’m the king of the marsh, I can protect you from any enemies you encounter here!”
Raphael remarked with a smile: “King of the marsh? No, you should be the Goddess of the marsh, the guardian goddess of the Charcoal Marsh. Looking at you now, I wouldn’t be surprised if people started calling you that in future legends. But for now, I will be the one protecting you since your power hasn’t recovered yet.”
El Mar shook her arms. “My speed of recovery is very fast, it’s an innate talent.”
Raphael: “Your stamina might have recovered, but your magical power can’t possibly recover that fast, it has nothing to do with your innate talent, you still need to rest for a while before continuing on your way to be safe.” Just here he suddenly stood up and drew his staff and shouted as he looked up: “Who is it!”
“It’s me, Hardedef! God Amon sent me…” there was a voice that answered in mid-air. Before he landed, Hardedef put away his shuttle. Upon entering the tent, Hardedef was stunned briefly before he asked: “Raphael, where’s El Mar? And this girl is…?”
El Mar stood up while pulling Raphael’s sleeve, and she said as she blinked: “I am the Goddess of the marsh, the legendary guardian goddess of the Charcoal Marsh, don’t you know me?”
Hardedef touched his head and asked: “What legend, why haven’t I heard of it?”
El Mar smilingly replied: “The legend Raphael just told…ah, those legends on earth, maybe that’s how they are passed down.”
Hardedef had a good look at her and then frowned and asked Raphael: “God Amon asked you to protect El Mar here, and also asked me to come over, but you are here with this woman instead. Where is El Mar, why aren’t you protecting it?”
El Mar interrupted: “El Mar is right here, Hardedef, try looking around!”
Hardedef was somewhat baffled and could only stare at Raphael with his eyes, at which point Raphael gestured with his eyes and quietly reached out and pointed to the woman beside him. Hardedef suddenly realized what was happening, his mouth opened and his jaw nearly dropped, his eyes staring in disbelief. After a long time, he finally responded: “El Mar! Is that really you?”
El Mar stood there and posed with her body. “It’s me, you just recognized me?”
Hardedef rolled his eyes, “I didn’t even recognize it, it was a guess! What a Goddess of the marsh indeed, in the blink of an eye, the Ironback King has turned into a great beauty!”
El Mar giggled out loud, not to mention how happy she was, and Hardedef and Raphael both watched as she laughed. El Mar finished laughing before asking: “Hardedef, what are you doing here, did God Amon have something for us?”
Hardedef rolled his eyes again and nodded. “Of course there is something. A monster tried to assassinate God Amon halfway through the journey but was wounded by God Amon and fled into the marsh. God Amon was afraid that it wasn’t safe here, so he sent me here specifically.”
Raphael and El Mar were both taken aback, and Raphael said: “It is not easy to escape from Amon!” El Mar shouted: “How dare this man try to assassinate God Amon!”
Hardedef explained: “It’s true that this man’s background is not simple, but he should be at his weakest right now, so he won’t be a threat for a while, but God Amon is still worried. Let’s sit down and talk, I’ll tell you the details of what happened. …El Mar, I’m really not used to seeing you in this appearance that it almost made me forget what I came here for.”
……
Three days later, Amon finally made his way out of the Charcoal Marsh. The winding path which he created stretched from the southernmost tip of the marsh to the eastern edge, exiting at the closest point to Salem City. Lynk and Aesop were waiting here, and Salem was now filled with wanderers from all over the continent, cavemen from various tribes in the mountains, as well as some of the highlanders who had migrated to the plains.
Aesop selected the most able-bodied of the craftsmen to build a fortified checkpoint here. The fortress was built at the end of the narrow road, which not only served as a rest station for the caravans, but also as a place where soldiers could be garrisoned, as the surrounding terrain made it easy to defend against attacks.
Half of the walls of the fortress extended into the marsh, dug deep into the mud up to the rock strata, and then built up with boulders. Right now, it was just halfway built. As Amon walked through the gates, the craftsmen of Salem were busy, but when they heard of his arrival, they dropped their work and prostrated themselves in the open.
It was a grand and spectacular sight, and it made Amon feel slightly embarrassed. Although he had been worshipped as a god back by the cavemen tribes, he had been around long enough for them not to act in such an exaggerated manner. He then realized that it must have been due to the fact that Lynk had already built a shrine in Salem where there was a statue of him and Goddess Mourrin on the altar. In the minds of the people of Salem, he was not roughly equivalent to a god, but an actual god!
Now that the god himself had suddenly come into view, to these people it was nothing less than a miracle! What kind of miracle did the god Amon just perform? To have established such a long and winding path through the impassable Charcoal marsh all by himself was far beyond the imagination of the commoners, it was a miracle!
Amon gently waved his hand, and countless soft white curtains of light fell in mid-air, gently sprinkling down on the crowd. This was an advanced theurgy that could eliminate fatigue and pain, making people feel uplifted and comfortable, and it could be casted by an advanced mage. However, Amon did not even need to use his staff to cast it, and with his vast magical power, and the area covered by the spell was so large that it seemed like a blessing from the gods. Everyone stayed on the ground and prayed, not even daring to breathe.
Amon could feel the thoughts of the people in front of him, they were very focused and sincere. Since they were very tired from their work, so he naturally decided to cast a theurgy on them. In front of them, Aesop and Lynk also smiled and prostrated, as if they had expected this scene.
There were two people standing far behind the crowd, which made them very conspicuous at this moment. One of them was holding a staff and bowing, his expression seemed to be a smile but also a little odd, and it was the High Priest of the Shrine of Isis, Idu. The other person stood upright with her hands on the hilt of her sword. She looked at Amon with a blank expression, her posture elegant, her face beautiful, and her body exuding an indescribable air of majesty, it was none other than the supreme warrior Gabriel.
Amon’s heart was slightly bitter, having encountered an unexpected assassin in the marsh, while the one who was really here to kill him was waiting here. Golier had already said that the pursuers sent by the Ejyptian Empire were Idu and Gabriel, the last people he wanted to be enemies with. There was always no avoiding what was to come, it was like facing one’s fate sooner or later, and Amon continued walking with a sigh.
All those who were praying heard the voice of God Amon in their souls: “The road through the Charcoal Marsh has been opened, and the official trade route will reach here in two months. All of you have worked hard to build your homes, and the faith in your hearts is a true blessing, so continue your work.”
Amon quietly instructed Aesop to lead the craftsmen back to their work, leaving Lynk to follow him. The men rose and slowly dispersed with their heads bowed in awe while Lynk followed quietly as he whispered: “These two came to Salem to find you, and when they heard that you would be here, they waited for you here. I know they are your friends and benefactors, but I have also heard that the pursuers sent by Ejypt are…”
Amon interrupted him and said: “I am clear on the matter, it will be resolved. They are the guests of Salem, so they cannot be treated casually.”
Lynk: “Of course I know this, I’ve been careful to receive them properly, so let them come if they want to. Your thirty-six personal guards are in ambush around the house next to you, and I will be following you, so there won’t be any problems.”
Amon waved his hand. “There’s no need to let anyone else interfere, I’ll take care of my business. Let’s find an empty place to talk first.”
As he spoke, Amon went across the clearing. He gave a bow and said, “Lord Gabriel and Lord Idu, it’s been a long time. It must have been a hard journey for the two of you! I’m really sorry you had to travel so far because of me.”
