The Gods’ Tear which had been refined with the spiritual imprint, when embedded on a scepter, was very effective at casting the magic arts of Isis which had been secretly passed down as if the past generations of Adoratrices were silently assisting with the casting. And for Amon, as long as he could feel the resonance of the soul from the prayers of the past generations of Adoratrices, he could then enter Ra’s realm from Nel with the guidance of the Gods’ Tear.
Horus did not know that both Gods’ Tear were in Amon’s hands, but they could both be used as a key to enter Ra’s realm, whether Amon was a member of Ennead or not.
When a person’s life is over, his body decays. His soul either enters the underworld or is dispersed in the universe. A new being will be born as a brand new life of its own. If this being is fortunate enough to pass through the test of endless arising and ceasing cycle, it may also experience the life of Maria as one of its past lives. But if he is affected by this experience, he cannot pass the test. If he eventually passes the test, then he proved himself to be a new, unique lifeform.
Is this the reincarnation of souls that commoners talk about? Maybe, maybe not. The previous life and the new life are related, only to be unrelated. Even the gods could not fully clarify the subtlety inside. Horus once heard Ra mention that in the far east, on another continent, there is a group of true gods who may understand this subject more thoroughly.
As for the practitioners guided by the various divine clans in the continent, they do not speak of this in their beliefs. Because once trapped, it will become endless torment, preventing them from obtaining true transcendence. If Amon wanted to find Maria who was no longer there, there was a method that he could try. He could refine the Gods’ Tear which contained Maria’s spiritual imprint with his body and mind, and he might be guided by fate into finding a new life, that is, if Maria’s soul really reincarnated.
But Horus also told Amon, quoting the words of Ra, that there was no point in doing that, and that if there was a point, it would only have to do with the new being itself, and nothing to do with Maria.
After accepting this message, Amon stood up and bowed towards Horus. “Thank you for telling me this! But I can see that you don’t know much about it either, do you?”
Horus nodded. “Yes, I don’t know much about it. Among the Ennead, the one who knows the most about the departed souls is of course Osiris.”
Amon replied: “Thanks for the guidance, I will go and look for Osiris.”
Horus said with some surprise: “Osiris is in the Underworld, you are not a divine emissary of the Ennead, and you are still alive, he will not see you.”
Amon: “I will figure out a way to see him and ask him for advice. You have told me so much today, I should be grateful even though I did not accept your suggestion. May I ask if you have anything else for me? If not, I am leaving this place for the Underworld of the Ennead.”
By saying that, Amon was telling Horus to leave. Horus came to him today because he wanted to recruit him into Ennead to deal with Seth together, but he had nothing to offer except words, which didn’t interest Amon in joining him. Although Amon wanted to deal with Seth, he was not interested in Horus’s proposal and was not even willing to be associated with it.
Horus was once the king of the Ennead, but he was also one of the youngest and least experienced true gods in the Ennead, and although he might know a lot of earthly matters, he did not know much of the divine matters. But Amon was not without gain, at least he had a lot more doubts now, and if there were doubts, one could ponder upon them to seek verification, so he decided to visit Osiris.
Unlike other heavenly gods, Osiris was on earth, and Amon even knew the location and portal of the Ennead’ Underworld, so it was not hard for him to meet him. Horus also stood up and said: “Don’t you plan to go back to Ejypt? There are still twelve cities’ main shrines where the statues of Seth remain, including the shrine of Seth in Memfis. If you want to destroy them, I can help you.”
Amon shook his head. “Whether those statues are there or not, I have already taken down Seth in people’s minds. Please go back! Looking at your appearance, you still need some time to recover. I will ask one last question, did you purposely not mention something? You did not say the other use of the deitifact or sacred object.”
Horus was stunned. “What did I not mention?”
Amon: “Using a deitifact in battle can lock a god in place, and if the god cannot get rid of it, it cannot leave this world to Nel. I witnessed the moment when Maria activated Tiamat’s Wrath, and in that moment, the Gods’ Tear emitted golden light, locking the figure of Seth.”
As he spoke he slowly drew out the Eye of Sealing and looked at Horus and said: “This is also a deitifact, you are too close right now, within the range that my detection magic can lock into. If I am an enemy, you won’t be able to escape to Nel, and you would either have to fight or try to break it. …Don’t worry, I have no intention of making an enemy of you. I thank you for everything you have told me today, but I still think that you, as the former king of Ejypt, have abandoned the responsibility of what you were guarding!”
Horus’s face turned white for a moment, but he finally turned towards the waves of the sea, and stepped into the void on the shoreline as the last of his voice appeared: “I know I can’t convince you now, you can come back to me after you become a true god.”
Amon’s words had another meaning. Horus lost to Marduc may be helpless, but he was initially scared back by Enkidu and later forced back by Seth, both chose to evade rather than resist, as the first king of the Ejyptian Empire is not as good as the guardian of the shrine of Isis! Now he wants to pull Amon in to take revenge on Seth, in an attempt to regain all that he had lost. If Amon can really do it, it will be the achievement of Amon, not Horus.
……
After Horus left, Gabriel walked from the hills to the shore and asked: “Are you going to the Underworld to look for Osiris?”
Amon nodded. “Yes, did you hear what we just talked about?”
Gabriel: “I only heard your words. I could not hear what Horus was saying.”
Amon smiled. “A god is a god, after all, it seems he doesn’t want you to hear him.”
Gabriel: “If it’s a secret, I don’t want to know about it. Are you going to the Underworld for the sake of Maria? And how can you be sure that Osiris will see you?”
Amon reached out and took out a bone. “This is the rib of Osiris, as well as the boat that can enter and leave the Underworld. If I return it to Osiris, Osiris will definitely see me.”
Gabriel reminded: “This deitifact is very important to you, there are too many uses for it.”
Amon shook his head gently. “But it is not mine after all, and the time has come to give it up. The Edge of Order in your hand is also a deitifact, but that is something which belongs to you.” As he said that he also imprinted a message in Gabriel’s soul, which contained the entire conversation with Horus just now.
Gabriel also froze, and only after half a day did she let out a long sigh and said: “You finally stopped obsessing with Seth’s statues in a meaningless way, and that makes me relieved. But you just accused Horus of abandoning his responsibilities, aren’t you also guilty of the same thing?
You are God Amon of Salem, but that city is now in the midst of the chaos in the Plains of Duc, and the people there are calling for your attention every day. Aesop, the lord of the city, must have sent his men to search for news of you, and the disciples in the Garden of Eden must be waiting and hoping in anxiety. But you have not sent any news back for more than a year, and this is not right.”
Amon lowered his head and said: “I know I shouldn’t do this. There may not be any meaning in going to the Underworld to find what I want, but I have to go there to feel at ease.”
Gabriel: “You have finally regained your composure, yet there are still things which you cannot put down. How about this, I will take the rib and go to see Osiris, while you go back to Salem first.”
Amon shook his head and said: “There are too many people who have been searching hard for me for more than a year, and I have not left any message. So I decided to send you back first, both to relay my situation and to help Aesop and the others. I have to go to the Underworld of the Ennead before I can go back, so please forgive my wilfulness.”
Gabriel looked at Amon for half a day and finally sighed. “Maybe you did not do wrong, no matter who it is they probably can’t just put it behind them either. Since you can enter the Underworld then go, I will go back to Salem first. Now I finally understand that the task of protecting you given by Maria is not merely about guarding you by your side, but also includes taking care of the responsibilities that you are shouldering.”
Amon took out the Eye of Sealing and handed it to Gabriel. “Please lend me your battle axe, in case I get trapped in the Underworld, I may need it to help me get out. Take my sword back to Salem, it is a token that represents me and it can also help you fight.”
Amon had been to the Underworld of the Anunnaki and had almost got captured, so he was also worried that he might not be able to get out of the Underworld of the Ennead in case of any unforeseen circumstances. Since he was going to return the rib to Osiris and no longer had scrolls of Message Annihilation or Space Turbulence with him, it was naturally impossible for him to escape as he did before.
But back then, he had only mastered the fifth level of the power of two sides, and today, he already possessed the ninth level of the power of origin. In terms of power, he could be said to have reached the peak of the realm. Currently, the divine emissaries of the various divine clans were not stronger than him, and even a warrior like Enkidu was weaker than him.
Amon had fought with Gabriel, who had been using the Edge of Order, and understood the characteristics of this battle axe. It was already a deitifact, and the material had been thoroughly refined to change with the body and mind. This was Gabriel’s weapon which she personally refined, and had bonded with her soul. It was naturally best if she used it personally, but due to her current status, she was unable to utilize it to its full potential.
Gabriel did not fully understand what a deitifact was, but she inadvertently created this weapon, which had the power to cut through space, and Amon even sensed that the Edge of Order could cut through the sensing range of detection magic. If something went wrong in the Underworld, he should be able to use this deitifact to get out of it.
Gabriel immediately understood Amon’s intention and handed over the Edge of Order in exchange for the Eye of Sealing. She was about to say goodbye when she suddenly turned around and waved her sword as she shouted: “You bird, you’ve been snooping around for over a month! Why are you coming over again?”
The sword’s lightless aura carried a swirling force that cut away the surrounding light images like illusions, and a lurking figure was revealed. This person floated down from mid-air, standing at the edge of the waves as he looked this way curiously. His clothing was a bit strange, and he wore a white floral robe with spots of grey and blue. He looked about thirty years old, had a handsome face and a slightly high forehead. His cheeks were slightly thin, and the front teeth he revealed when he smiled were not small.
Amon secretly said to Gabriel: “Don’t scare him, he is the one who originally lived on this island, I discovered him long ago, his origin should be very similar to El Mar back then, a beast that activated its spiritual wisdom. His talents are very good and his powers are also very magical, it’s just that he is a little timid.”
Gabriel also secretly laughed: “It is not timid, it is the nature of birds to be so. It looks like he had been living in the sea for years and had not seen too many people, and does not understand how powerful he is. A while ago he had been hanging around not daring to approach, I wonder why he has taken the initiative to come over today? It looks like there is something.”
As they spoke the man had come over and greeted Amon. “Are you a god? It looks like you are about to leave, and I couldn’t resist coming over after so many days. There are some questions I can’t find anyone to ask, and you don’t look scary, so I wonder if I can ask you for advice?”
Amon smiled and said: “No need to be afraid, you live on this island, right? We came here and you were so scared that you hid. I wanted to say hello to you long ago. …As for whether I am a god or not, it depends on how you interpret it, so ask any questions you have.”
The man blinked his eyes and said: “How do I interpret it? I don’t know either! Just now, I saw a man take a step out of the void, like a god coming to earth, and then you waved your sword and he retreated back into the void. I had a stomach full of questions, but I was afraid you would capture me, and I held back for a long time. But in the end, I couldn’t hold back any longer, because I have been waiting for many years.”
Amon was surprised and asked: “What is your name?”
The man replied honestly: “My name is Seagull.”
Gabriel said in a solemn voice: “We are asking for your name, not your species!”
The man replied with some bewilderment: “My name is indeed Seagull, is there something wrong with that?”
Amon couldn’t help but laugh. “Of course there is nothing wrong with that. It is an honest name. The clothes you are wearing are unique. It is transformed from your feathers, right? Who taught you the magic of transformation, and why did you become this way?”
The seagull blinked and recalled: “It was many years ago, decades anyway, when a god-like old man flew over the sea, landed on this island to rest, and found me by accident. At that time I had already learned to think, and I thought of all kinds of nonsense the whole time every day, and this old man taught me a lot of things. Until many years after he left, I learned bit by bit what he had taught me, but there are still a lot of things that I don’t understand. Unfortunately, that old man never came again.”
Amon asked with some surprise: “Do you know who that old man is?”
Seagull replied: “His name is Nietzsche, and I heard that he is from a place called Duc. I had asked the old man to take me away, but the old man said he had to travel far to the other side of the continent, and said that Duc is not suitable for me to stay. …What’s wrong with you, did I say something wrong?”
This island was visited by someone many years ago, and the wooden hut on the island was proof of that, but who would have thought that the person who had stayed here decades ago was Crazy’Ole!
Amon’s hands that were holding the battle axe were slightly shaking, and he looked very agitated as he involuntarily stepped towards Seagull. Seagull was frightened by his behavior and did not dare to speak again as he stood there. Amon realized what he was doing, and he put away the battle axe before asking softly with a sigh: “What else did this old man say to you?”
Seagull: “Before the old man left, he told me that I am still very weak, and the beings that could fly here were all as powerful as the gods, so I must be careful when I see them. He also said that the distant continent is dangerous for beings like me. Some people might kill me as a demon, while powerful summoners might brand my soul and make me serve as a summoned beast! I was so scared when I heard about it that I didn’t dare to leave here for many years.”
Amon said with a realization: “So that’s how it is, no wonder you hid away when you saw us! Back then, you were indeed very weak and just activated your spiritual wisdom. If you had inadvertently ventured into the cities on the continent in ignorance, it was indeed very dangerous, the old gentleman’s reminder was right. But so many years have passed, you have managed to obtain your present achievements all by yourself, and you are now very powerful. I would like to ask you, are you a student of the old gentleman?”
Seagull’s eyes blinked again. “Student? I am not! The old gentleman won’t let me call him teacher, and he said that he’s exploring a path of power that might be better suited to use my talent. He was unlikely to succeed, but his students may be able to continue to guide me if they could succeed, so I just waited and waited for so many years…”
Amon was now completely clear. When Crazy’Ole traveled to the States of Hellas, he had crossed the sea. When he got tired from flying in the vast sea, he landed on this lonely island to rest, but happened to find a seagull that had activated its spiritual wisdom. Just like Amon taught El Mar, Crazy’Ole taught Seagull and gave him some advice before leaving.
Seagull had been waiting for Nietzsche or Nietzsche’s students on this island for decades, such a simple creature! However, Crazy’Ole did not mention Seagull to Amon, as the old man had experienced too many things in his life, and a short period of stay on the island may be just an insignificant episode. He probably did not expect that the seagull would have today’s achievements.
Perhaps Nietzsche had long forgotten Seagull, and even if he still remembered, too many things had happened in his later years for him to care. Crazy’Ole had left many messages to Amon in a Terroculus, the contents of which included the various people he befriended, such as the ancestors of Metatro as well as Idu, who later became the high priest of the Shrine of Isis.
When Amon read the messages in the Terroculus at the cavemen tribes, there was a small part of the content that he did not read. Crazy’Ole may or may not have mentioned Seagull, but Amon could no longer know.
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