The world no longer believes in Amun God, forgetting all his glory and sacredness, and the statue of Amun lying in the sand dunes silently symbolizes that this god has re-entered the human world. But all this does not prevent Amun's story from continuing to circulate, and people may be interested in this ancient myth out of a sense of curiosity, as a kind of spice for a lonely journey, like listening to all kinds of human anecdotes that have nothing to do with themselves.

Where caravans stopped, most of them were filled with people who took advantage of the opportunity to do business, such as a vendor who sold spring water in a leather bag next to the ruins of the temple. Not far from the peddler, a ragged entertainer played a flute, and in front of him lay a basket in which a snake writhed erect as if to the sound of the flute. The merchant who passed by looked at it interestingly and would drop a few copper coins in a clay bowl at his feet.

Elijah also did as he could, sitting on a scattered stone in the shadow of the idol, with a cane and a clay bowl in front of him, like a folk storyteller. If the passer-by is happy to hear this, I hope that the old man will say a little more, and he will also throw a few copper coins into the bowl. But the ruins were so desolate and remote that although caravans passed by every day, there were very few vendors and entertainers who came here, except for Ilya, who came almost every day.

The sun was particularly hot on this day, and the resting coachmen, guards, and merchants all curled up in the shadow of the idol as much as possible, sweating and panting with their fans, and listening to the old man's story, but few of them would stand up and throw a copper coin into his bowl.

At this time, a young man went to the vendor and bought a bag of water, walked over and handed it to Ilya and said, "This old man, you have been talking for a long time, you should be thirsty, drink saliva to moisten your throat." I see that you don't even have a skin bag for water, so you should live near here, but it's not convenient to walk here, so I'll give you this skin. ”

The old man had told the story for so long in such a dry and hot desert, but his voice was not hoarse at all, and the wrinkles on his forehead were deep, but his eyes were clear and bright, and he did not look like an old man at all. The old man raised his eyes to look at the young man, smiled slightly, took the skin, stood up from the stone, bowed shallowly, and said, "Thank you, the gods have endowed you with the quality of kindness. ”

The young man bowed and saluted, "I should thank you for telling us such a long and wonderful legend on such a hot and dry noon, just like a cool breeze in the desert." ”

The old man smiled and said, "I am talking about the legend of the god Amun, young man, where do you come from and do you believe in the gods?"

The young man replied, "I am a native of Salem, from the plains of Salem, and I worship my god Aroh." ”

The old man then asked, "Do you like to hear the story of the god Amun? ”

The young man laughed: "Of course I like to listen to it, the story you tell is wonderful." There are different legends of gods and spirits in various parts of the continent, expressing people's beliefs or beliefs, and in these legends, they also contain the world's understanding of the god's surname and their own wishes. It helps people think about what they think about their belief in the gods."

The young man was in his early twenties, with thick, slightly curly dark brown hair, a muscular and straight build, and strong hands covered in calluses. His appearance is very handsome, and the outline of his facial features vaguely reveals a resolute temperament, which looks good when he opens his mouth and smiles, and has an invisible infectiousness.

The old man nodded and said, "Are you still willing to continue listening?"

The young man bent down and put down a few copper coins in the clay bowl: "If you are not tired, take a break with your saliva, I want to hear the rest of the story." ”

The old man unplugged the skin, took a few sips of water, and continued to tell the legend of the god Amun. At this moment, a cloud drifted in, obscuring the blazing sun, and a cool wind blew in the distance, and the desert seemed to become extraordinarily quiet, and the voice of the old man was also very clear beside the ruins of this temple.

The old man had just talked about the battle between the gods Amun and the gods of Olympus, and then he talked about Amun's challenge to Artemis on the clouds and being shot down by an arrow. The audience not far away let out an "oh", as if they suddenly realized, and someone couldn't help but interject: "No wonder this temple was abandoned, it turned out that Zeus defeated Amun, and the Olympian gods swallowed Amon's territory on earth." ”

Another person explained: "That's because the rise of the Maro Empire, the conquest of Eju, and the demand that the Eju people convert to the Olympian gods, and then people made up this kind of legend, using the stories of the gods to explain the things of the world, or using the things of the world to symbolize the fate of the gods." ”

The people in the caravan traveled far and wide, and what they said was not unreasonable. The young man asked Elijah with great interest, "According to you, it seems that the god Amun also returned to the world of his own free will. What did he say when he left? Was it really Zeus who defeated him?"

The old man raised his cane and pointed to the lying idol beside him and said, "Yes, it seems that Zeus defeated him, or that the Maro Empire conquered Eju and ordered the conversion of the people's beliefs. But when the god Amun departed, he said that the faith he guided would accompany the temples in the hearts of the people all over the so-called divine realm of Zeus, and that he would return to his heavenly kingdom at that time. It is also said that Amun will guide people on earth to establish a new kingdom and completely defeat Zeus. ”

Hearing this, the young man frowned slightly and said: "There are always similarities in mythology in various places, in my hometown, I have heard another version, but the protagonist of the story is not a god like Amun, but a Messiah who appears in the world. ”

The old man's eyes lit up, and he looked at the young man and said, "What you are talking about is the prophecy of the prophet Elijah? But I don't know how it is passed down in your hometown, but if you will, can you tell me about it? ”

The young man replied, "Of course, I can tell you that Ilya's prophecy has been passed down in my hometown for hundreds of years, and has become a kind of anticipation. The Messiah will come and lead those who truly believe in Aroha to their homeland. ”

The old man nodded and said, "This is the true nature of Elijah's prophecy, it is more like a fable. How do people understand it in your hometown?"

The young man then replied: "In my homeland, the people of Salem believe that there will be a man who will come, who is not only a prophet like Elijah, but also a savior appointed by the gods. He will lead the people of Salem out of the fate of domination and establish the kingdom of their dreams. Just like Moses, the ancestor of our Salem people, led his people to free themselves from the slavery of the Aejutes and established the city of Salem on the plain of Duk. ”

The city of Salem was not founded by Moses, but by Link and Aesop. But later, David ordered the temple of Amun to be demolished and the temple of Aroha to be built, and the history that the young people heard about became like this. Since there were other people next to him, the young man was very careful in his wording, and did not directly say that the people of Salem wanted to overthrow the Maro Empire, and even conquer and replace the Maro Empire to rule the Tianshu Continent.

Actually, it doesn't matter much to say that here, this is a caravan of Salemes, and it is also employed by grooms and guards from Eju, and there are no Maro soldiers and officials here.

The old man narrowed his eyes and asked quietly, "I have been telling the stories of the gods to passers-by here for a long time, and I have heard too many legends, some of which are known to people and some of which are not yet understood. Young man, have you ever thought about another possibility, that the prophecy left by Elijah is a different meaning, that the Messiah guided the people to build not a great empire like Marlowe, but a homeland kingdom in another sense?"

The young man's eyes narrowed, too: "Oh, this is the first time I've heard that! What do you mean?"

The old man said unhurriedly, "The people of Salem believe in Aroha as the only god, just as the Ejuites once believed in Amun as their god, and the Maro people believed in the Olympian gods. I would like to ask you, what does it mean to be the only God, how is this God different from another? Is it because people themselves think that the gods they believe in are also noble? Is it possible that this is just an arrogant sense of superiority, an autosuggestion that they deserve a place above others?"

The young man was slightly stunned, as if he was thinking, and did not answer immediately. Then one of the people in the caravan shouted angrily: "Josus, don't listen to that old man's nonsense, it's Satan's voice! The only God is the only God, and God made a pact with Moses, 'You must have no gods but me.'" Don't let Satan's voice shake your will and destroy our hopes. ”

The young man named Josus turned back and said, "This is the border of Eju, and it is also under the rule of the Maro Empire. The old gentleman had not received the radiance of Arroha, and it was perfectly normal for him to ask such doubts. But God's brilliance is to guide, and people are not born with this kind of belief, so why should you be angry? Regret should also see hope, which shows that God's brilliance can shine on more souls. ”

Another voice shouted, "How can this old man of a foreign race understand, you good and ignorant child, Joshua, that Areem is the god of the people of Salem, and that the people of Salem are a covenant people with God?"

The old man shook his head in the direction from which the voice came and said, "This merchant who is trekking in the desert, you are seeking your wealth, which is given by the gods and the result of labor, and it is the same for all people. Do you understand that the light of the gods shines only on the people of Salem? I ask you, then, if other people also believe in Arhat, will the light of the gods shine on him, and will God give him the same blessings and covenants as the people of Salem?"

(To be continued)