(I am really not sure how to transliterate Thoth, the god in charge of wisdom and knowledge, I have seen many translations of "Thoth", "Thoth", "Tuth", "Shouth", etc., and "Tuth" is used in this article for the time being.) Pen × fun × Pavilion www. ｂｉｑｕｇｅ。 ｉｎｆｏ)

"Captain's logbook, June 19, 352 Continental Gregorian calendar. Today we finally arrived in the famous Alexandria, and for me and the students, the long voyage was coming to an end. Thanks to our excellent first mate, the ship was able to reach its destination safely. I am about to step down from this temporary captaincy and hand over my responsibilities to true connoisseurs. ”

Three days after leaving Arland, Parcel 2 encountered the Tiger Shark, which had been searching for them, and the two ships sailed in formation towards Efini. By the time they reached the coast of Alexandria, it was already June 19. The Tiger Shark has fulfilled its mission, and it is inconvenient for it to get too close to the port. While the Tiger Shark is not wanted in the Ihl Sea, the Efini Navy will never see them.

Bidding farewell to the pirates, Package Two entered the port. For the first time, the people on board were able to see the lighthouse of the port of the sun, which is known as the "wonder of the world", and although it was daytime, the 35-year-high statue-like structure still made a deep impression on everyone.

The Awe-inspiring and Parcel One had been waiting for them in harbor for several days, and when Parcel Two arrived, Thorgrande was summoned by the other two captains.

"Lord Luce, we're waiting for you."

"You don't have to wait for me, you can present your credentials to Pharaoh Epheni first, and meet you. I was not originally a member of the Mission. ”

"But I'm afraid the situation here is a little bad right now." The captain of the Awe said.

"Please tell me in detail."

"The result of my inquiry was that Pharaoh Cecios VII, who had just succeeded to the throne, was still in his young age, and that several of his uncles were dissatisfied with his succession and the coming of his mother, the Empress Dowager Neferti, who had recently threatened a coup d'état. We're here now, and I'm afraid the timing is not right, so I'd like to hear from you. ”

"This is indeed a problem, anyway, Captain, please gather our soldiers and keep them on their toes. The young people on both ships are the elite carefully selected by the state, and we cannot afford to lose anything. We also need more intelligence to support our correct judgment, and you can pick a few clever people for me. ”

The next morning, suddenly a man came to visit the Falensi, and Sogrend met him as a representative.

"Hello, guests from afar, and welcome to Efini." "My name is Abinas, and I am a lowly servant who serves the sun god Amun, and I would like to speak with your leader. ”

"Hello, Your Excellency Priest, we are a mission from Pharansy and are preparing to meet your Pharaoh." Thorgrande also courtesed the priest politely.

"I wonder what I can do for you?"

"We sailed here from the far north in search of some of the most important treasures of the Efini."

"Oh, dare I ask what treasure has brought you here beyond the distance of thousands of Fali Courtyards?"

"Knowledge, all kinds of knowledge, of course this time I want to ask for knowledge about medicine. We have brought many humble and studious young people, and we hope that the pharaohs of your country will arrange for them to learn that knowledge here. ”

"With all due respect, there is no more effective and useful way to seek knowledge than to seek it from the Thoth Order, which holds the Great Library. But......" Abinaston paused, looking at Saugland.

"But what?"

"The oracle will teach only those who are wise enough."

"Don't worry about this, the young people sent by the country are all carefully selected and talented."

"Well, if you are willing, I can introduce you below."

"That's great, please lead the way."

Abinas nodded and left, and Semmelweis, who had been by Sogland's side, spoke, "Lord Leus, I'm afraid they're going to have some problems to test us. ”

"Yes, my wise squire, but the Efinians apparently like to sell their favors before they ask for help. I wonder who this means? I hope the questions don't get too difficult. Thorgrande smiled and comforted his squire.

Afterwards, the Falunsi and the others brought all the gifts that had been prepared long ago, and the caravan, guided by Abinas, marched through the streets near the port to the great library, which was built alone on a small peninsula. The Great Library of Alexandria has historically been a treasure trove of human cultural knowledge, a place that concentrates the oldest and most valuable documents from all of the Western world. People who value culture are often willing to spend a lot of money to buy new manuscripts of important documents from here. During the time of Narcibis, Fran II sent someone to bring back 300 precious manuscripts from here at the cost of 10,000 solaries. The Efini royal family had always attached great importance to the area, and the Tut Order, which was in charge of the Great Library, was given the privilege of collecting papyrus in a large area along the Nile. Before the art of papermaking came from the East, papyrus was the most important medium for writing on Anvaras.

The Falencians walked straight through the vast courtyard to the main gate of the Great Library. Abinas had the high priest Tuamos informed of the Pharises' visit, but he himself seemed a little nervous.

"Lord Abinath, take it easy, we are not here to stand trial." Thorgrande smiled and comforted the leader, and the young priest reluctantly smiled when he heard this.

Sogrend, of course, had inquired yesterday about the Tut Cult and its leader, the High Priest Tuam. It is said that he was an old man with a strange temper and a very stubborn man, and that neither wealth nor power could bring him to his knees. Although the nobles were somewhat respectful of him, no one did not recognize him as the most knowledgeable and scholarly of the high priests of all ages.

Soon, the high priest Tuamos appeared before the Pharisens. This is an old man of low stature, with gray hair and beard, and a somewhat hunched back, but he is in good spirits and sharp-eyed. The Pharians hurriedly laid out the various gifts in front of him, but the old man did not even glance at them. He walked straight down the steps and took a closer look at Sogrande. Everyone thought he would say something to Sogrande, but the High Priest didn't say anything, just snorted softly. Then he turned and beckoned to a young priest behind him.

Thorgrande saw the priest carefully carrying a lacquer plate with an earthenware bowl on it. It wasn't until he got closer that Saugland realized the reason why the other man was so careful, because the bowl was full of liquid, so full that it seemed to spill out of the bowl at the slightest instability.

"What's in there?" Sogrend asked.

"It's milk."

"Milk?" Confused, Thorgrande dipped his finger in a little and put it in his mouth to taste. There is only a faint milky taste, and it seems that nothing has been added to pure milk.

"What does that mean?" The Pharians were there to talk earnestly, what does a bowl of milk mean? Because they had heard about the oddities of Tuamos before, they didn't think that the other party was just inviting them to milk.

Sogre stood there too, thinking with his fingers in his eyes, and then he smiled.

"Semelweis!"

"Here I am, my lord."

Thorgrande whispered a few words in the squire's ear, then shoved him a few silver coins and patted him on the back to let him run errands. Semmelwes ran away as fast as he could, and the tension that had enveloped the Falencians melted away, and they all felt that Thorgrande had understood what was going on.

Abinas, who had been beside him, couldn't help but ask, "My lord, I think you already understand what is going on, can you reveal a thing or two to you?" ”

"Priest, please be patient, I'll reveal the answer to you shortly."

Less than ten minutes later, Semmelwes ran back and handed Thorgrande a vial. Thorgrande poured a little from the vial and tasted it, and after making sure it was what he needed, he walked over to the priest with the milk. He sprinkled the vial evenly into the bowl of milk, and then asked the priest to bring it back to Tuamos.

When the high priest saw that the milk had been brought back, he stretched out his finger and dipped some of it into it. The priests, who were familiar with him, were amazed to see that the old man, who had always been serious, was actually giggling with his fingers in his mouth, and Tuamos walked up to the Pharians with a smile on his face, and announced in a loud voice: "As the messenger of the god Tut in charge of knowledge, I now declare that we are willing to pass on the knowledge of the great god to the seekers from Pharynsi, and those who want to learn here should go with my priests." You will be subject to the strictest requirements and the best guidance here. ”

The Falencians cheered, and then stepped forward to thank the old man.

"Wise man from afar, can I ask your name?" Tuamos asked.

"Down there is Thorgrande. Leus. Thorgrande bowed to the High Priest.

"Sure enough, it lives up to its name." Tuamos laughed heartily, "Please, please, the old man would love to talk to you more." ”

"Then it's better to be respectful than to obey."

"Hey, Lord Tuamos, Lord Luce, tell me first, this stupid man, what kind of dumb riddle were you just playing?" Abinas became anxious.

"Servant of Amun, come in with you, and we can tell you slowly." Tuamos said.

"Then thank you for the hospitality." Abinas happily jumped up the steps.

That night, Abinas rushed to the Efini royal palace in Alexandria. The lady, who knew the priest well, led him into a room as she had been told.

The house has a large balcony facing the Sun Lighthouse, just in time to overlook the entire harbor at night. There weren't many candles lit in the room, and the light of the lighthouse reflected into the room, leaving the room in a dim light. Abinas looked up and saw a slender figure sitting on a chaise longue behind the beaded curtain.

"I'm back, my mistress." Abinas humbly knelt at the foot of the steps.

"Get up and speak, my faithful Abinas." This is a very attractive female voice.

When Abinas stood up, the man behind the beaded curtain continued to ask, "What do you see with the Pharisees today?" ”

"A brilliant wise man, a legend that I have personally confirmed to be appropriate."

"Oh?" The man behind the beaded curtain was obviously interested, "I heard that you visited that strange old man in Tuamos, what is the situation?" ”

Speaking of this, Abinas's interest soared, "My mistress, you got to the point at once, and that's the best part of the day. Listen to me. The Pharians wanted to enter the Great Library and the Temple of Tut to learn the knowledge that had been passed down from time to time, so Lord Tuamos devised a puzzle to test them. ”

"What kind of puzzle is it?"

"Ah, Lord Tuamos ordered a bowl full of milk to be served, and his implication was that we already have a lot of people here, and there is no room for outsiders to join us."

"And what did the Pharians say to him?"

Lord Luce ordered some sugar to be bought, and sprinkled it into the bowl of milk, and of course the milk became sweet. His implication is that our addition will be like granulated sugar dissolving in milk, which will only make things better. ”

"Hehehe, that's a wonderful answer." The woman behind the beaded curtain got up from the chaise longue, lifted the curtain and walked down, so that we could see her true face.

"Yes, my Queen Mother."

Yes, this woman is Efini's current queen mother, Neferti. She has beautiful long black hair, long, curly eyelashes that adorn dark green eyes, a straight and small nose, full and moist lips, smooth skin, and a well-proportioned figure. She must have been about the same age as Sigrani, but she was only twenty-seven or eight years old. Whether at that time or from a modern point of view, she should be regarded as a peerless beauty.

"So it seems, that Thorgrande. Does Lord Leus really seem as good as the troubadours praised? Neferti gracefully walked to the balcony of her room.

"That's true." Abinas leaned down and followed.

"I'd like to meet him." Neferty chuckled.

"How about inviting him here tomorrow, then?"

"No, summoning him right now will only give someone else a talking point, Empress Marstar has already created enough for him. For the time being, I don't want to become what those troubadours call obscene poetry. Since the Falencians have come as regular missions, let them be arranged to meet Your Majesty as soon as possible. This is the first foreign mission to visit since His Majesty succeeded to the throne, and we should do things in a proper manner from such a distant place. The Queen Mother said with her right hand on her well-shaped chin.

"Do as you wish, my Queen Mother."

On June 21, the Phariseans were informed that they could officially meet Pharaoh tomorrow. Originally, there was a head of the mission, but this gentleman was willing to take up the position of deputy after Sogrande's arrival. Who would dare to take on the task before Marshal Leus in Farensi? For this reason, the crowd, including the head of the mission, thought it was only right for Sogrand to formally represent the mission tomorrow before the pharaoh.

However, Sogrend rejected the arrangement, and he had his own reasons: "I am here to do something small and obligatory as a Pharian. Her Majesty has duly appointed the head of the Mission prior to its departure, and I have no right or reason to alter Her Majesty's decision in the absence of further orders from her or in the event of irreparable circumstances. Therefore, it is not appropriate for the presence of the members of the mission to appear at the ceremony of tomorrow's audience. ”

"But didn't you also act as captain and solve the puzzle of the high priest of the god Tut?" Semelwes asked, which also represented the puzzlement of others.

"This is not to be confused, gentlemen." Sogrerd went on to explain, "The position of acting captain is naturally due to a temporary irreparable change, and it is not incompatible with the principle. As for answering the riddle, it is because the high priest's riddle is open to all Pharians, so it is not wrong for me to solve it. However, since I am not a member of Her Majesty's mission, and you are not given the power to change the crew of the mission, it makes no sense for me to attend the audience. ”

The crowd tried to persuade them further, but Sogrend insisted on his point of view, and said: "If you insist on doing so, I will leave Efini at once, in order not to violate your majesty's authority and not to disobey your good intentions." ”

The Farencians did not want to lose this supernumerary crew, so they had to compromise on this issue. As a result, neither the young pharaoh nor his mother were able to see Saugland at the audience. This disappointed many Efini nobles who came to see what was going on. However, when they later learned that Sogrand had no reason for not attending the audience, they became more curious about the legendary Farencian.

Queen Mother Neferti was going to entertain the Farensi to a dinner in a few days, and in order to prevent Sogrend from being absent again, she sent an invitation to Sogrend in the name of the Pharaoh, so that he could not refuse such a formal occasion. For the Queen Mother, the arrival of the Farensi mission could not have been the best opportunity to trumpet the legitimacy of her son's throne. If you can make Sograndra, whose reputation has spread throughout the continent, into a signboard, I am afraid that the effect will be even better, and it can even deter those stupid princes. Unexpectedly, however, her enemies decided to strike her a fatal blow before she could ally with the Pharisens.