Pivot of the Sky
chapter-136-30041322

Amon finally returned to the city of Cape and met the Pharaoh once again. Rod Drick had returned half a month earlier to make preparations for the celebration ceremony. This ceremony was hosted by the Pharaoh and officiated by the high priest Lykwid. Supreme General Amon assisted the Pharaoh in offering sacrifices.

The ceremony was held in the Shrine, but the real highlight of the event was when the procession crossed the city square amidst the cheering of all the citizens. Amon wore shiny armor and carried a longsword at his waist as he walked beside the Pharaoh. This attire was not meant for battle, it was meant to be worn only when the Supreme General took part in the sacrificial ceremony. The longsword was also specially bestowed by the Pharaoh.

This was the second time Amon was hearing the cheering from thousands of citizens in Cape. The first time was when he came here to return Nero’s relics. Back then, the people were praising the great gods and their wise governor, Lord Drick. This time round, they were praising the gods, the Pharaoh, as well as Amon.

Amon was even more eye-catching and showy than the gods and the Pharaoh for he was young and handsome. Furthermore, as the Supreme General of Ejypt, he had returned after achieving multiple victories in war. All the men worshiped him while the women fantasized about him. Countless eyes gazed upon him. And when Amon heard the crowd chanting his name, the sincere reverence and worship which came from their hearts actually merged into a kind of power, a new kind of energy, a force. When he activated his unique ability, he could feel this power clearly!

Although Amon could feel this new power, he did not know how to use it. It was neither the magical power of a mage or the physical power of a warrior, and it contained too much mystery and unknown. He had felt various kinds of emotions in the Underworld that came from the prayers of mortals towards the Queen of the Underworld. Did those emotions contain such a power as well?

The Underworld was the realm of Kella, could it be that the secret of a realm lay in such a power? Was it a power that only gods knew to use?

As countless people’s thoughts entered Amon’s soul and countless gazes fell onto his body, Amon began to sense an inexplicable pressure, as if he had just walked into another battlefield. He did not want to stand out like this, but there was no place for him to hide. When the people chanted his name louder than the Pharaoh standing beside him, he could also sense very clearly a hint of displeasure from the latter. This displeasure resembled the feelings of a child whose favourite toy had been taken away from him, or perhaps an alcoholic who sees others drinking better wine than him.

The Pharaoh obviously would not show his displeasure like a child. Walking at the forefront of the procession while wearing his tall golden crown, he was the ruler of Ejypt, the epitome of authority in the Empire. Glancing towards the crowds on both sides, Amon noticed many young women waving their headscarves at him as they touched their lips with their fingers and shouted passionately.

Amon could only smile bitterly in his heart as he suddenly thought of Gilgamesh. After Gilgamesh killed Humbaba with Enkidu, he sent a portion of the fangs and strings to the capital of Bablon. As Gilgamesh entered the capital, the scene which welcomed him was similar to what Amon was facing right now. Back then, the Bablonian nobles had come to receive Gilgamesh with all sorts of motives in their hearts, but the proud hero did not care about them at all. He simply nodded and waved his hands generously to the crowd cheering for him.

Amon did not do things in the same way as Gilgamesh even though he now has a similar reputation as Gilgamesh. Perhaps it was due to the difference in their backgrounds. Gilgamesh was the governor of a city-state, and since young, he had been the pride of the city. On the other hand, Amon was a sorcerer whose goal in life was to unveil the secret of the gods, so he was not used to being a public figure.

The downfall of Gilgamesh, a prideful hero, had led to the glory of Amon today.

When the Pharaoh reached the end of the procession, he turned around at the entrance of the shrine and raised his hand at the people. The cheering reached its peak. Many people on the square were shaking in great excitement. Some of them had gone hoarse from shouting. Taking half a step back, Amon quietly stepped to the side as the generals and priests lined up below.

This scene reminded Amon of Golier, whose reputation in Hittite Kingdom had also reached the peak currently. Whether it was Gilgamesh or Golier, Amon’s status and reputation had now seemingly reached a similar point. However, in his heart he knew very well that there was still a huge difference in reality.

Amon was a foreigner with a somewhat unknown background. He had risen to the top too fast while he was too young. At the same time, he commanded too much respect and authority in the army, inadvertently overshadowing the Pharaoh. From the Pharaoh’s emotions which he had sensed a moment ago, this had been apparent. Even if the King of Hittite or the King of Bablon feared or doubted Golier and Gilgamesh, they could not do anything to them. However, Amon’s situation was different from them, not to mention that he had also lost his ability to protect himself now.

As they followed the Pharaoh into the shrine leaving behind the cheering of the crowds, the majestic statue of Horus came into sight. The Horus worshipped in the Shrine of Cape had the body of a man and the wings of an eagle, and this image reminded Amon of the cloud eagle destroyed by Enkidu.

He was reminded of another matter as well. The power of the worship from the crowds which he had felt earlier, was it the power of the gods? Perhaps it was the true meaning of a divine realm! The statue erected on the altar was obviously not Horus himself, but Amon could sense the pressure of being gazed upon from the statue, as if it was alive, and Horus was right here.

What meaning did these statues have to the gods? The answer could be right here. As a god, was there an actual need to have its statue on an altar? Perhaps, but it was not something that Amon should be concerned with yet.

After the sacrificial ceremony, it was time for the banquet. Similar to the time in the desert where they held a banquet with the Hittite ministers, many people stood up to make a toast to the Pharaoh as well as Amon for his achievements. The Pharaoh himself patted Amon on the shoulder and remarked: “Our Supreme General is the real top warrior on the continent!”

When the banquet was over, it was finally time for work. The legions needed to return to their bases to rest and recover, the fallen soldiers needed compensation for their families, and the troops needed to be rewarded for their achievements in war. These matters were discussed by the Pharaoh and his ministers before being handed over to the respective personnel to be carried out.

Actually, Ejypt didn’t really win the last two wars. With Hittite, they had nearly suffered a defeat. As for the war with the Uruk legion, they had abandoned their borders and successfully defended against them at Khenmet. Although they inflicted heavy losses on the Uruk legion, the losses they suffered were even greater. In the end, it was the Uruk legion who had made the decision to retreat.

For the sake of the Empire and the Pharaoh’s reputation, of course they could claim that Ejypt had achieved victory on both counts. Not having obtained any sort of advantages from the wars but instead expending a great amount of resources and manpower, The Pharaoh still insisted on rewarding the entire army according to a victory.

Since the Pharaoh did not mind the heavy expenditure, there was no need for Amon to mind it. The heads of the various legions handed the list of the awarded to the Pharaoh, while the awards and compensation for the remaining troops were taken care of by the heads of legions themselves. Amon himself had done the same for the An-Ra legion under his charge, making sure to mention all those who had made significant contributions.

The quartermaster Sihathor finally got his wish and became nobility, and due to Amon’s special recommendation, he was now a noble with a title.

A title meant that he would now have his own land. However, the Pharaoh did not reward him with a piece of land directly, but merely allowed Sihathor to purchase his own land. This was more than enough for Sihathor, as he previously did not have the right to purchase land in Memphis.

Hardedef, who had been banished to Mount Horeb for his reckless behavior previously but promoted to the Commander of An-Ra legion by Amon, had suffered serious injuries during the invasion of the Uruk legion and was now back in Memphis to recuperate. Having made significant contributions in the war, he was promoted three ranks, and his status was equivalent to the military commissioner of a sepat.

Amon requested to resign from his position of Commander-in-chief as well as the Head of An-Ra legion and formally handed over his military authority. The Pharaoh made a show of persuading Amon to carry on as the Head of An-Ra legion and thanked him for producing such an elite force for the Empire. Amon naturally insisted on resigning, so the Pharaoh finally accepted his resignation. Just like that, Amon was honorably discharged from his duties.

Although the Uruk legion had retreated, the fight over the plain of Duc was far from over, and the defense of Cape had become much more important than before. As the Seth legion was returning to its base, it was insufficient to rely on the original defense forces in Cape. Thus, Rod Drick made a request to the Pharaoh to allow the An-Ra legion to stay in Cape.

Amon made a similar suggestion to the Pharaoh and recommended Hardedef to be the Head of An-Ra legion. Although Hardedef was not a supreme warrior yet, based on his military achievements and the fact that he had been one of the founding members of this legion, it was not an issue. The Pharaoh agreed to let the An-Ra legion stay in Cape and did not refuse Amon’s recommendation for Hardedef, but simply said that it could wait until he had recovered from his injuries.

When Amon set off on the expedition, he had brought eighty personal guards with him. After the wars, only thirty six survived. These people had been specially selected by Metatro, and all of them possessed excellent potential. Originally, they were civilians who were illiterate, but now they had all become nobility.

The nature of personal guards were similar to that of private armies, and many great nobles of the Empire employed them as guard of honor. However, their salaries were paid by the Empire, and Amon could also pay them additional salaries out of his own pocket. Since he had handed over his military authority, he could no longer keep a large private army. Dividing the thirty six of them into three teams of twelve, this number was just right for a Supreme General to keep, and Amon prepared to bring them back to his territory.

As of now, Amon only had the empty title of Supreme General, but his status was incredibly high: higher than the nomarch of an ordinary and closer to that of Memphis and the high priest of Isis Shrine, so he was able to give his personal guards a decent rank as well.

However, he did not appoint any title or rank to Metatro. Metatro’s identity was somewhat awkward due to the fact that he was a noble of Bablon and was hired as a mercenary, while the Ejyptian Empire had recently fought a war with the Uruk legion which came from Bablon. Before Amon had set off on his expedition, he had not expected Bablon to attack them, otherwise he would not have appointed Metatro as the captain of his personal guards.

During the war with the Uruk legion, he did not ask Metatro to lead the soldiers on an attack at any point of time, but merely let him serve as his guard on the battlefield. After Amon handed over his authority, Metatro also left the army. He did receive a large sum of money as a reward but did not receive any titles or ranks.

All these did not matter much to them, and Amon simply asked Metatro to return to his land with the personal guards. As for the post of captain of the personal guards, he would just leave it empty for now.

In the meeting hall, after the miscellaneous tasks were taken care of, the Pharaoh was about to dismiss the ministers. At this moment, Amon stood up and came to the center of the hall. He knelt on the floor and said to the Pharaoh with a bow: “Your Majesty, Amon has a request to make.”

The Pharaoh was slightly taken aback, but he quickly replied with a smile: “Supreme General, you surely are permitted. Let me know what you want.”

Amon remained kneeling and spoke unhurriedly: “After the talks with the King of Hittite had concluded, you once said that if I wanted any reward, I could ask for it in Ejypt. Today, I would like to make that request.”

The Pharaoh had already rewarded Amon handsomely, but now he was asking for more in front of all the ministers and bringing up the words that he had spoken previously, so it felt a little forceful. However, looking at Amon’s achievements, it was normal for him to ask for a further reward since he had resigned from his duties and was now merely left with a fancy title. No matter what his request was, it would be difficult for the Pharaoh to reject him.

The Pharaoh was dazed for a moment, but he soon replied with a hearty laugh: “My dear Amon, of course you can ask for anything. As long as I can give it to you, I will agree to it!”

“Thank you Your Majesty, you have given me more than enough, and I don’t really want to ask for more. I ask for my people, the descendents of the miners of Duc, who are still serving hard labor in Mount Horeb. I hope that they can be released. I fought for the Empire, not only for the sake of Your Majesty’s glory. I also want to save my people.”

The Pharaoh frowned. “Is there such a matter? Why did I not know of it!”

Amon took out a document and raised it over his head. “Perhaps Your Majesty does not remember a small matter like this, but it is of utmost importance to me. This is the official record which shows that Your Majesty had personally given the order, imprisoning them at Mount Horeb.”

After an attendant passed the document to the Pharaoh, he opened it and took a glance. “Oh, now I remember this matter. Supreme General Amon, I am unable to refuse your request. However, do you still remember the treaty that we signed with the kingdom of Hittite? One of the terms was to return the other party’s escaped slaves. You were also one of the witnesses to the treaty, so you should be aware. By leaving them at Mount Horeb, I was giving them a form of protection. Should I really send them back to the kingdom of Hittite?”

Amon replied with an unmoving expression: “There is completely no need for Your Majesty to send them back to Hittite, because they did not leave the kingdom as slaves, but as refugees who lost their home. It was due to the kindness and generosity of Your Majesty that they could have a place to stay, and I represent my people in expressing our gratitude!”

The Pharaoh’s expression turned slightly ugly upon hearing Amon’s words, and the minister standing beside him quickly interrupted: “You may not know this, Supreme General Amon, but these people are now slaves belonging to the Pharaoh. Although you have made great contributions to our Empire, they are merely your kinsmen, and it is not possible to grant them freedom just because of your contributions.”

After thinking for a moment, Amon replied: “Then let me make a different request. Your Majesty, please reward me with these slaves.”

Looking at Amon, the Pharaoh finally smiled. “Of course I can do that, it’s just several dozen slaves. If I’m reluctant to do even that, how can I expect my subjects to serve me willingly? Amon, as of today, all your people are now your slaves, and you are free to take them back to your own territory.”

Originally, when some of the generals in the hall heard the Pharaoh rejecting Amon’s request, they were indignant and wanted to speak up for him. It was only after the Pharaoh finally agreed to reward Amon with the slaves that they held back.

Amon bowed deeply and said: “Thank you for the reward, Your Majesty!”

The Pharaoh probably felt a little embarrassed, so he asked again: “Amon, do you have anymore requests? If there is any treasure or beauty that you desire, or perhaps more slaves or land, you can let me know.”

Amon smiled. “In that case, I actually do have one more request. I would like Your Majesty to reward me with another piece of land.”

Unable to take back his words, the Pharaoh asked: “Supreme General, you already have a very large piece of land, which other location is it that has caught your fancy?”

This request was indeed a bit too much, so all the generals looked at him with curiosity. If the land Amon wanted was owned by someone else, it would be quite difficult to give it to him. Amon slowly took out a sheepskin scroll and held it over his head. “I have already prepared the map. Please take a look, Your Majesty.”

Looking at the scroll handed over by an attendant, the Pharaoh exclaimed in shock: “The plains of Duc! This is not part of our Empire’s territory!” The scroll presented by Amon was a map of the plain of Duc. In the area where Duc used to be, he had drawn an irregular circle with a diameter of approximately twenty miles. This was the region that he had found to be the most suitable to build a city and live in after the previous survey.

Amon nodded. “Yes, I cannot request for more land within the Empire. However, according to the treaty between Ejypt and Hittite, the explorers from both countries are free to enter the region to look for riches and reclaim the wilderness. All I’m asking is for Your Majesty to give me the right to do so. As for whether I can succeed in reclaiming the land as my territory, the risk is all on me.”

So that was how it was! Everyone had a relieved expression upon hearing Amon’s explanation. There was no reason for the Pharaoh to reject this request since it cost him nothing to give Amon a piece of land that was not within the Empire’s territory. Furthermore, Amon had to do the work himself to reclaim the wilderness and build a settlement from scratch. Looking at Amon with a thoughtful expression, the Pharaoh nodded and said: “Alright, looks like you are well prepared for this! I will issue a document giving the rights of the land to you. However, you need to do the work yourself.”

Thanking the Pharaoh once again, Amon finally stood up and returned to his seat. The two documents he brought out had been prepared a long time ago, and Amon had seized the opportunity today to make his request to the Pharaoh in front of all the subjects so that it would be difficult for the Pharaoh to refuse.

The war with Hittite being fruitless, the Pharaoh did not give up on the plain of Duc. He needed to have the miners of Duc in his hands. Before the war, he had investigated the Ducians about the title deed of Duc. If he had the title deed of Duc, being the master of the Ducians, he naturally owned the land of Duc. The Ducians could only say that the title deed had disappeared along with the town in the great flood. The Pharaoh went ahead and launched the expedition regardless.

These miners still had an important role. Not only did they possess incredible skills and had a much greater efficiency at mining parangons compared to ordinary mages, they were also familiar with the parangon mines in the plain of Duc.

After the war, these miners were added with new value. With them in hand, it would be impossible for Amon to simply leave. When this young stranger’s loyalty was not guaranteed, he had to find a guarantee himself.

It was nothing much for the Pharaoh to grant the slaves to Amon. As long as they stayed in the Empire, Amon could not go anywhere.

However, Amon was well prepared for that, so he made that second request. The thirst for the land left the Pharaoh no excuse to refuse giving it out to Amon. Because, if today he refused Amon’s request and later took the land himself, the Pharaoh’s reputation and his relation with the generals would be severely damaged. The story would be that, the Pharaoh wanted the land of Duc so much that he drove the Supreme General out of his homeland. So he had to grant the land to Amon.

And in this way, Amon could naturally take his people back to Duc, since it was now his own territory.

The story shouldn’t be like this. It should have been that the great lord of two lands, ruler of Ejypt defeated Hittite, taking back the plain of Duc for the Supreme General, and the latter, grateful of having his homeland back, offered to serve the Empire with the local specialty: the parangons.

However, Amon was no longer the young boy who knew nothing. On his long journey from a hunter to the Commander-in-chief of the Ejyptian army, he had met many different people and learnt a lot. The trick he used on the Pharaoh was inspired by a certain experience a long time ago, when Princess Sissila granted Ussir, the leader of the highlanders, a territory which didn’t belong to the Kingdom of Bablon.

Except this time, he was the one to make the request.

All along, he tried to be honest and not resort to tricks and deception. For the first time in his life, he used a scheme, and his opponent was the Pharaoh.