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11021Translator: Snorri
Proofreader: theunfetteredsalmon
Everyone stared at Dusti. Shog interrupted with discontentment, “You were just setting him free before Lord Deere arrived!”
Before Dusti could react, Golier suddenly asked Schmul, “Esteemed governor, this decree is still valid, isn’t it? No one should be blamed for executing a decree, and no clerk should accuse his senior officer like this! ”
As a cunning bureaucrat, Schmul immediately grasped Golier’s intentions. Being the governor of Syah, Schmul would rather displease Misel Deere ten times than Golier once. Actually, his official rank was higher than Deere, what he cared about was his identity of the commissioner. This pompous Deere had been a real eyesore for Schmul since his arrival in Syah. So Schmul pushed the boat with the current and replied, “Of course. The decree is entirely valid. There is no question on whether Mayor Dusti should execute it. I merely asked the question out of surprise.”
Dusti bowed and explained, “In fact, I was looking for an excuse to punish Amon. Not long ago, I heard from the merchants from Ejypt that the new Adoratrice of Isis had appeared in Memfis. Her name is Maria, and she obtained a Gods’ Tear in Duc from a miner. I recalled that, near three months ago, Rod Drick, the governor of Cape did indeed visit here with a girl called Maria. I just thought he had come for personal business. It’s an unfortunate oversight that I failed to unravel his agenda. ”
“Shog, my clerk and the executive priest of the Horus and Mourrin Shrine, was here as well. He wasn’t aware of it either. So there was no record of the discovery of such a rarity. My investigation showed that Amon was the one who extracted the parangon and paid it as a tribute to Isis in his own name. It was taken by Judah Fayol, Rod Drick’s clerk.”
“Intolerable as that is, I thought that we cannot blame Ejypt for this. In order to prevent similar crimes and warn the others, I needed to punish Amon. So I reminded myself of this old decree issued thirty years ago. I sent him to chase a supreme sorcerer in the deep mountains. He is not allowed to return before he captured the sorcerer.”
“As such, he was exiled. He can’t come back alive! I, as the mayor of the town, cannot execute a freeman. But I need to contribute to my country. So I came up with this solution after several nights of thought. I was relieved yet regretted when I heard that Lord Deere was coming here to execute Amon. I felt relieved since the Kingdom had made the right decision, but I also regretted that Lord Deere had come too late.”
Dusti finished his explanation. Shog was too scared to say anything now. The others picked up on the hint and decided not to give the first opinion. Golier nodded, “So that’s what happened. You are a true patriot, my mayor. You have your credit. Esteemed governor and Mister Deere, we should be happy to have such a competent official, shouldn’t we?”
Schmul, Cosman and Morton concerted, “Of course! Mayor Dusti is loyal and competent!”
Misel Deere was shocked. He came here to behead a man. Now that the man had already left, what could he do with his mission? He waved his hand, “Don’t praise this mayor, Golier. How am I supposed to fulfil my mission?”
Golier humphed and the goblet before Misel suddenly shattered, the crimson wine splashing on his clothes. Misel Deere jumped out in fright. Golier said coldly, “How dare you directly call my name!”
Misel woke up from his rosy fantasy created by too much flattering from the local officials all these days. He was just a bureaucrat and Golier was an eight-level supreme mage, a member of Hittite Kingdom’s magic senate. How dare he order a supreme being like that! If Golier raised a commotion from this and accused him of blasphemy through the Senate, he could lose his noble title!
Golier wouldn’t entertain such a boring scheme against him, but Misel was deeply frightened by his own thoughts and bowed lowly, “Esteemed supreme mage, I am so sorry for my rudeness! Please forgive me! I’ve made a terrible mistake! I was just anxious about failing my mission.”
Golier did not ask him to sit down, instead saying quietly, “You can still fulfil your mission. Governor Schmul can give you a troop to escort you into the deep mountains. When you find this man and have him beheaded, you can bring his head back to the capital to show that you’ve accomplished your task. I will stand as your witness and convey your decision to the Senate. They will inform your colleagues and family.”
Schmul and the others tried hard to hide their pleasure. In the last few days, due to Misel Deere’s identity, they failed to manifest their detestation of this wretched man who was intoxicated by others’ respect and compliments. Now that he offended Golier, a supreme mage who didn’t need to suck up to a commissioner like him at all, he was certainly going to suffer a lot. Even the Speaker of Senate wouldn’t defend him.
Misel Deere’s eyes welled up with tears and kneeled in front of Golier, “Dearest supreme mage, what else can I do?”
Golier suddenly smiled and held him at a distance, “You have other choices too. You can order Governor Schmul to send his men and bring Amon to you in Syah. But I have to tell you that Amon may have well been swallowed by beasts and you might never find him. Or you can just report what happened and praise Mayor Dusti for his contribution to the Kingdom. ”
“Amon has been punished. He’s just a miner. The ministry sent you to give a warning to the others. Now, the warning has already been given and your mission is complete. With me as your witness, there won’t be any problem. You must have been too diligent in the ministry, so they sent you out for a tour. You should have been enjoying your mission these past few days, haven’t you, Mister Deere?”
Misel Deere was flushed. He didn’t know whether he should say yes or no. He mumbled, “Thank you for your kindness, esteemed supreme mage. Thank you all. Let’s do that.”
……
Amon was climbing along the path. He felt like he was entering a plateau rather than navigating the mountain. Indeed, the path did not go straight upwards but wound its way through many flat green lands. The forests were flourishing and animals were everywhere. It was a perfect place for hunting and fruit-gathering. The cavemen picked a good place.
Even still, he kept his stick in hand. He kept vigilant all day, finding no caveman but several squirrels and goats. The squirrels were quite hospitable, staring curiously at the new guests from afar on the high branches but they quickly slid into the leaves when approached. The goats are much shyer, dashing away quickly at the first sight of Amon. They were very agile, able to leap onto the steep cliffs.
The footprints disappeared and reappeared. The climate in the mountains was complex, a small hill could be the division of rain and clearness. Sometimes the land was too dry to leave a footprint, which sometimes made the path itself disappear.
When the sky went dark, Amon left the path and found a little cave in a wall of rock against a small open field. This was the best type of terrain for the night. He lit up another fire and prepared Schrodinger a nice dinner, then dug in himself. There was not much beef jerky left in his bag, so after two or three days, he would have to begin hunting their dinners.
As he prepared his dinner, he realized that according to Crazy’Ole, he was a qualified second-level sorcerer, now that he could skillfully use the primary air and water magic in a mix. He wanted to check if Crazy’Ole had left a message for him in the Terroculus.
When darkness pervaded his surroundings, Amon relaxed his limbs in the field. He did not have a routine but acted according to his will. It was a habit from the cold spring. The warm current flew to the whole body following his actions, relaxing his muscles and relieving fatigue from the day’s travel. Now, even without the cold spring, he still created a warm current and comfort flooded his limbs.
After the gymnastics, Amon planted the staff in front of him and sat on the hay to meditate, trying to exercise the magic power inside his body and communicate with the omnipresent force with a focused mind. Different mages might have different specialities, but every mage knew how to focus his mind and look within. The further the mage went on his path, the deeper he could explore through meditation.
Amon did not know how to use message magic. It was an advanced magic, much like detecting magic. A mage who could use an advanced magic in a synthetic way would be qualified as a third-level mage. But Crazy’Ole had sealed a message into the Terroculus with message magic. Amon would ‘see’ the contents when he achieved the corresponding levels.
Amon tried to contact the Terroculus while meditating. As expected, he found a message. It was like a written letter, yet it was read out loud in his mind at the same time.
The message was —
“My boy, you must be a good second-level sorcerer when you can see this. I don’t know what you have met in the mountains, but you should have realized by now that you’re much stronger than you thought. I can tell you all my experiences as a sorcerer, but as for the secret of the gods, I have no more assertions. What I have now are mere conjectures.”
“Practicing body arts and magic at the same pace after awakening the power of two sides is much more difficult than practicing either alone. But I still hope you can continue this way. If you cannot embrace “faith’s confirmation” for a long time after becoming second-level mage, I suggest you focus on body arts after mastering all the primary magics.”
“If the test comes after you become a peak second-level body arts practitioner, then one of my conjectures will be confirmed.”
“Being a sorcerer is dangerous in every city on this continent. But being a warrior is fine. If you accidently let others know that you can use magic, you can pretend to be a foreign mage. However, there is still danger in being a pagan.”
“In the forests, you don’t need to be that cautious. Don’t be too afraid of the cavemen. Just beware that their arrows may be poisonous. Magic can be a good way to gain their reverence, especially fire magic. Most cavemen worship fire. You may come across some cavemen tribes on your travels. If you are smart and lucky, you can enjoy being treated like a god.”
“Although you cannot reveal your secret, you can teach your way to those you trust or those who deserve it, and confirm your hypotheses from them. Maybe you think that’s unethical. I’m sorry. I did this to you too. For them, it’s better than muddling along as an ignorant commoner. Even if they cannot become a deity, they might be able to glimpse the light behind the clouds.”
“Reach for the sky. When you cross the third layer of clouds, find a place to hide. I don’t know when you can pass the next test, but from now on, you should start to observe the weather and the western sky. When the disaster comes, you will see the next message.”
The first message from Crazy’Ole stopped here. He didn’t teach anything concrete on magic, but rather just chatted about the things Amon should pay attention to. What made Amon uncomfortable was that he mentioned the disaster again, and the next message would only appear when it came. So what kind of disaster would it be?
Amon decided to stop thinking about this question that he couldn’t answer. He went back to his daily affairs. The next day, he continued to climb higher with Schrodinger. The mighty mountain seemed to be just before his eyes, but the path never seemed to end. As another day of travel passed, Amon realized that he had now passed two layers of clouds.
Why had Crazy’Ole told him to go so high? Schrodinger showed him the path, but the cat did nothing but sleep in the following days. It seemed like the cat did not care where and how fast Amon went. It also wasn’t the behavior of a guide. If it really wanted to guide Amon somewhere, then Amon could be miles away by now. In such a complexed landscape, a tiny detour could end up giving you an entirely new destination.
Right after these thoughts appeared in Amon’s head, Schrodinger rushed out from his bag and raced into the woods, sprinting faster than any animal he had seen yet on this journey and disappearing in a flash. There was no time for Amon to hack his way through the undergrowth with his dagger. In his urgency, he jumped a dozen feet over the bushes and summoned a wind to cushion his landing. He caught sight of a vanishing figure then darted after it.
Jumping over a three-feet-high bush that was a dozen of feet long, along with a smooth landing, Amon might not have realized that his body arts skills had greatly improved.
He lost sight of the cat, but found the leather booted footprints again. It was the same pair of worn boots. After several seconds, he could hear noises from afar. He ran towards the sounds and came across a ridge. After climbing it, he saw Schrodinger hiding behind a big tree and sneakily peeping forward. Beast roars and a man’s battle cry echoed from the valley ahead.
The cat only walked to peep!
Amon went beside Schrodinger and stared into the valley. The scene that greeted him made his heart skip a beat. Right in front of him was a deep valley, with three steep cliffs half-circling a pool. A man was standing halfway up the cliffside and wielding a sword. He was being attacked by several huge Ironbacks.
Amon had seen some Ironbacks on his journey. Their bodies were covered by a scaly armor-like horny scute, tough as iron. They ate everything from termites to shrimps in the riverbed’s mud. They often swallowed the riverbed’s mud along with the shrimps to help their digestion, which happened to be rich in iron. Sometimes they also captured small animals. Their feces contained the best iron ore sand.
Ordinary Ironbacks were about three to four feet long, strong but not too dangerous. But the Ironbacks attacking the man were about ten feet long, definitely not the ordinary ones. Amon was shocked at first sight because for the first time in his life, he had found a magic beast that could use magic skills.
The Ironback were tough but not agile, so normally they could not climb the cliffs. The encircled young man knew that too. He might have provoked some of them in the pool then retreated to the cliffs, but the Ironbacks had followed him up.
Amon could feel an elemental magic power vibration . Those huge Ironback knew a skill that resembled some kind of earth magic. They could combine their body with the earth beneath them to make them stronger. Moreover, they were far more agile than ordinary Ironbacks. Their sharp claws and teeth were enough to cause fatal injuries. The long tails swept with a strange power that made its enemies feel oppressed, leaving them heavy and slow, thus making it harder to dodge and easier to be smashed to pieces by the huge tough tail. Amon had not started practicing earth magic, but with the knowledge and descriptions learned from Crazy’Ole, he could easily analyse the Ironbacks’ skills.
The young man wasn’t ordinary either. His skills with a sword allowed him to create an impenetrable defense where he stood. A light mist around his sword meant that he could already extend his bloodline power out of his body through his weapon, a sign of an advanced warrior. The huge Ironbacks might not fear ordinary blades, but they could smell a hint of danger from the mist on the sword. They had to dodge when it came close to their eyes and bellies. But they could not protect these parts if they wanted to attack him with their claws and teeth, so the young man could still keep them away. However, when Amon arrived at Schrodinger’s side, he saw the man desperately defending.
These huge Ironbacks were smart enough to use tactics. Three of them attracted the sword to the front while the other tried to attack the young man from a side. Climbing to a higher point behind the man, it swept its tail behind a huge rock. The man didn’t notice its body, only catching sight of a whip like tail speeding towards him. At that point, it was far too late.
It was too late for Amon to warn the man. But the Ironback behind the man suddenly slipped. A layer of ice formed on the ground and the biting coldness made the Ironback feel very uncomfortable. Using its magic instinctively, the layer of ice broke immediately, but then the pieces soon turned into crystal needles and stabbed at his belly. Although they did not penetrate the scute, it still hurt. The Ironback twisted its body, trying to stand upright. But a whirlwind arose right next to it, rolling up its tail and sending it completely off balance.
The tail of a Ironback was important for its balance. Attacked by a series of magic, the Ironback failed to keep the balance and tumbled down the cliff. Unfortunately, it happened to fall over one of his companions. The two rolled down all the way to the pool, crushing the rocks and causing a huge splash.
The young man was startled by the accident and nearly got impaled by a claw. But then a wind blade hit the claw and deflected it. A brown light materialized on the paw and the wind blade didn’t even leave a mark on it.
The next instant, the man dodged to the left, shouting, and swung his sword down on the Ironback in front of him. The mist on his sword became much thicker, like a glowing sheath. It was much more powerful than Amon’s wind blade; the Ironback in front of the man could not dodge and waved its paw to fend off the cutting edge. A claw on the paw was immediately cut, and the Ironback let out a pained growl.
These two Ironbacks felt danger. They curled up the body and rolled down straight into the pool.
The man knew that he was saved by a mage. Turning back to see Amon walking out the trees, he got down on one knee and greeted him, “I wasn’t expecting meeting an esteemed mage in this remote place. My name is Metatro, and I’m a fourth-level warrior. Thank you for saving my life.”
[List of characters]
Metatro: a fourth-level warrior from Bablon.
