Pivot of the Sky

Chapter 176: Footsteps make the road

Amon was taken aback. With some embarrassment he replied: They did that? I did appear there with my arm around Mourrin, and they actually carved the statue just like that! If they built it like that so be it, I dont care. It is the consequence of my actions after all, its just a little ridiculous.

He just smiled, after the minor shock, neither concerned nor proud of it. His view on this issue was not the same as the ordinary people. It didnt matter if Lynk didnt make a statue for him, but if he did, even in such a manner, Amon wouldnt blame him either.

Moreover, he had already passed the test of unceasing cycle, and had achieved the ninth level by the power of origin. There was nothing wrong with having a statue of himself in the shrine. The fact that the goddess had not shown up to look for trouble implied that there was no dissatisfaction. As long as the goddess was happy, everything was fine.

When Golier was done laughing, he finally said seriously: Several years ago, I had attempted a divination. It was then that I learnt that the Plains of Duc would become a great fertile land that would attract the contest of nations and gods. You and I both know the origin of that flood. Enlils efforts to turn the Plains of Duc back into fertile land that could allow hundreds of thousands of people to settle there were indeed praised by the nations.

Amon snorted coldly. I am naturally aware of this. If you hadnt led the people to resist the flood back then, the city of Syah would have been destroyed as well.

There was a faint sadness in Goliers eyes. I was the one who was used by Enlil, I had once admired him so much! In the end, I was nothing more than a pawn on the chess board of the gods. Even I could come to this conclusion using divination, so how could the god who started the flood not know? Enlil is bound to let the people who trust in him occupy that fertile field and to fill the Plains of Duc with his shrines.

Amon asked: Do you think he will succeed?

Golier looked up to the heavens. For Enlil, it was only necessary to consider whether or not Marduc would agree to it. Even though I was no longer willing to serve him, I still commanded the army to repel the kingdom of Bablon. The Assyrian kingdom sending legions of giants over the plateau to enter the Plains of Duc should have been a long-prepared plan that no one had thought of beforehand.

The Assyrian Kingdom was going to expand its territory, and the main god they believed in was Enlil, and only now did I understand that the most important pawn in Enlils hand was the Assyrian Kingdom. His moves are so well calculated, all the wise men on the continent are no match for him, this is a true god!

Amon sighed somewhat helplessly. Of course Marduc will intervene, a mage named Ussir joined forces with the highlander tribes and established Marduc City in the southeastern corner of the Plains of Duc. Im afraid that Enlil has already thought of this, so the Assyrian Kingdom in the north has also established Enlil City. From a local point of view, Marduc City is no match for Enlil City. The Assyrian Kingdom will occupy the entire Plains of Duc from north to south, and eventually defeat Marduc City.

Golier laughed bitterly. From the original situation, this should have been a reasonable prediction. But in reality, things didnt turn out as predicted, for even the high and mighty Enlil is unable to control everything. The biggest variable today is the emergence of Salem, you did not have the support of a kingdom like the others, but you established a city in the middle of the Plains of Duc, beyond the expectations of the gods.

Amon smiled coldly. Enlil would not have wanted to see Salem appear there.

Golier shook his head. That may not be so, the hearts of the gods are unpredictable, it all depends on whether you are willing to build shrines that worship him.

Amon asked: Venerable Supreme Mage Golier, you were once the oracle of the Shrine of Enlil and now you are the Honorary Chief of the Elders of the Hittite Academy of Magic, but you dont seem to have any affection for Enlil, the patron of the kingdom?

Golier replied: It is more than that! I know that there are many priests who are not sincere in their devotion to the gods, but merely use the name of the gods to satisfy their own vain and selfish earthly desires. But I was different. I once believed in god with all my heart and had been waiting for his call.

I am not as lucky as you who is able to hug a goddess in public at a young age. In all my years as a priest, I have only had one true communication with a god, and that was when I heard Enlil speak in the shrine during the flood that besieged the city of Syah, and that was the voice I had been waiting for for years! Its funny to say this, but after I actually met him, I started to distance myself from him.

Amon said: Even you, the oracle, gods mouth, have moved away from him, so how could I allow his shrines to be built in Salem? Id rather let Enlil admire my own statue hugging Mourrin!

Golier grinned. Is that statue of you a silent form of mockery to Enlil? You are, after all, a bit childish, and doing so is like throwing a tantrum. Has it ever occurred to you that maybe its not worth it? The cost of stopping Enlils wish could be great.

Amon squinted his eyes in the moonlight. There are things that one cannot give up. However difficult or not worthy, I have to do it. Otherwise, what do I live for?

Golier stared at him. Sometimes I can see Nietzsche in your eyes, but you are not him.

Amon suddenly asked again: What about the relations between the Assyrian kingdom and the Hittite kingdom that believe in the same chief god, Enlil?

Golier replied: Relations between the two countries are strained, many conflicts are taking place in the dark. The hostility precisely comes from the common belief in the same god. Both kings claim to be the true earthly embodiment of Enlil, and if it werent for the fact that the Hittite Kingdoms strategic focus over the past few decades has been to rid itself of the control of the Ejyptian Empire, it would have been at war with Assyria long ago.

Amon frowned. Both kingdoms believe in Enlil, yet they both insist that they are the real chosen one. What would the gods think if they got into a war and started killing each other?

Golier looked out over the dark, swampy jungle. Is the Enlil in their eyes the real Enlil? At least theres another Enlil in my eyes! I once wrote secret letters to both Gilgamesh and Rod Drick, hoping to establish a city where everyone can coexist in peace before I foresaw the changes that would take place in the Plains of Duc, but it did not work, in fact, it was destined to fail. Now, you have done more than I have and what I could, and have established the city of Salem, but it always has become the center of conflict.

Amon: Even if I hadnt built the city of Salem, wouldnt there still have been bloodshed and strife in the Plains of Duc?

Golier shook his head. Certainly. Even if there were no gods, the kingdoms on the continent would not give up without a fight. Amon, youve once hugged a goddess, and your own achievements are already equal to many deities in the legend. How do you think the gods would see a strife like the one in Plains of Duc in their eyes?

After a long silence in thought, the young man answered: How people live together is decided by the people themselves. Maybe not by one persons will, but by the sum of everyones will. If we look at the people as one person, then the strife on earth is like an inner struggle. Different desires, emotions, ideas But one person cannot handle thousands of thoughts. This might be something only the gods are capable of, so I can only give my best guess, but I cannot confirm it, because I am not a god after all.

Golier nodded. We are all giving guesses If the conflicts in the world can be solved by personal practice, that must be some achievement that even most gods dont have Amon, Im willing to help Salem City against the Assyrian invasion, but Id like to ask you for a favor.

Amon: If you have something to say please just say it, theres no need to mention any favor.

Golier: Im going to send my student Raphael to follow you and assist you in opening a path through the swamp, and it will be an experience for him as well.

Amon: As long as he doesnt mind the hardships himself, then let him follow me.

Throughout all this, Golier did not open his mouth to ask Amon what was the power of origin that gods held? It seemed that there were very few things in the world that could shake Goliers heart. Golier had his own beliefs and path, and temptation is not just about status and wealth.

A large number of the workers organized by the city of Syah arrived on the eastern shore of the inland lake, at the southern end of the Charcoal Marsh. After Amon had departed, a path appeared within the swamp, winding through impassable sections, cutting through thorns and filling in low spots, and extending deep into the swamp, just wide enough for two men to travel in parallel.

No maps were needed, no men were needed to explore the path, the roadbed was laid with gravel and dried earth, the trees and thorns on either side were uprooted and the swamp filled in, and the earth was baked to a semi-dry state with fires made from trees cut on the spot, pushing forward to build a solid road that could accommodate two chariots.

The workers were rushing to build the road, and Amon was moving forward in the depths of the Charcoal Marsh, standing on the shoulders of El Mar the Ironback. El Mars massive body was more than ten feet long, and compared to the average Ironback, its body was slimmer, and where its belly moved past, a path just wide enough for two people appeared. Regardless of the terrain in front of it, wherever El Mar crawled, a path would be left behind.

Looking ahead, Amon was holding a very special weapon, the fang of Humbaba. He stood on the Ironback and wielded the fang gently like a sword, and a faint golden light would sweep past, turning the strange rocks that blocked the path into crumbs. When it encountered a low spot, strange power surged forth, and the distant earth would roll in to fill the spot.

The advancing El Mar waved its front claws from time to time, the sharp shadows of its claws revealing a chilling glint, and the bushes would be uprooted and thrown to the sides. Its long tail continued to thrash down, flattening and stabilizing the path behind it. Raphael walked behind with his staff in hand, the impassable Charcoal Marsh now passable beneath his feet.

Raphael had volunteered to follow Amon to open the way, and he too wanted to see how the continents legend could work another miracle, but he didnt find anything out of the ordinary at first. Amon wielding his fang like a blade was nothing but a simple martial technique performed by a ninth level supreme warrior, and the mud surging up to fill in the swampy lowlands encountered on the way was done with the simplest of low-level earth elemental magic, which almost every great warrior who had undergone a second awakening of power could do. Amons power was incredibly vast of course, but these were mere ordinary means for him.

But one day passed and Raphael began to feel amazed. The next day passed and that amazement turned into shock, and by the third day, that shock finally became deep admiration!

What Amon was doing seemed simple at first, but then it became not so simple. Pulling out shrubs, knocking down random rocks, filling up low-lying spots, these werent amazing, and even ordinary people could do it, the only difference was the speed at which these tasks were done. But the mighty Supreme General Amon, a ninth level supreme warrior and the continents top expert was doing such trivial things, and once he started, he didnt stop. Not to mention taking a moments rest after several days and nights had passed, their speed of advance didnt even change one bit.

Some sections were complicated and difficult to open a path, while others were relatively much easier, but Amon commanded El Mar to advance at the same speed, neither fast nor slow. This wasnt fighting on a battlefield, there was neither the advance of the enemy nor the shouts of encouragement from the generals. In the forested swamps where the end could not be seen, such an endeavour was so lonely and boring. The endless repetition of the simplest tasks, using a power which could shock the continent, was almost unbearably dull.

Raphael had never seen anyone who could be in such a boring situation and still do an extremely boring job with such ease and without tiring, as if they would never stop. Another three days passed without Amon even saying a word.

Raphael simply couldnt describe his feelings, and he saw in Amons body a faint shadow of his teacher Golier. Thinking back to the time when the floods besieged the city of Surya, Golier also walked around the city for many days without a word, holding a staff and presiding over a protective array, constantly casting his magic to strengthen the walls to block the floods. When the floods receded, he nearly could not stand steadily.

But Amons situation was different from that of Golier, there was no crisis that forced him to do so, nor was there anyones eagerness to do so, or even the very necessity to do so. He was doing so on his own in the uninhabited swamp. The road stretched and curved for an unknown length, and the eerie Charcoal Marsh seemed to be an abyss of unseen hope. Amon used martial arts and magic arts continuously, and this long-lasting endurance and steadfastness was beyond the reach of any average supreme warrior.

Raphael was not idle as he followed, and since he had volunteered to help, before setting out Amon gave Raphael a task: he was in charge of dealing with any accidents that might occur at any time in the swamp. Amon wanted to focus on the road and did not want to be disturbed, but now the Charcoal Marsh was infested with monsters, so if there was a sudden attack, Raphael would be the one to deal with it.

Normal beasts would have been scared away when they heard the noise, but some very aggressive monsters would occasionally attack, all of which Raphael dispatched casually. The most troublesome beasts encountered along the way was the giant boa that inhabited the area, some of which were thicker than a bowl, and would become very aggressive when disturbed.

This kind of boa could swallow a full grown man, and its powerful body was capable of stalking a strong bull. It also lurked in the swamp while remaining undetected. Raphael had to deploy his detection magic at all times, and met more than a dozen fierce giant boas within six days. Although they were no match for a supreme magician, Raphael began to feel tired after walking for six days and six nights.

Seeing that Amon still had no intention of stopping, the young supreme mage finally spoke: Supreme General, I suggest that you take a short break. Resting will help you to go further, and efficiency will be higher than if you exhaust all your strength at once.

Amon smiled. Youre right, that is why I havent been doing my best. Although the speed now is much slower than driving at full strength, it is the highest efficiency in terms of continuous effect.

Raphael exclaimed: Supreme General, you have exceeded my expectations, and you are powerful in more ways than just strength! You didnt do your best, but Im worried that El Mar cant take it.

Amon: El Mar is not an ordinary Ironback, its naturally strong and incomparable to humans.

Raphael still advised: It depends on who its compared to, it cant be compared to you, Supreme General, and it will never be able to persist with opening the path completely at this rate.

Amon said without turning his head. Youre right, I had no intention of letting El Mar help me open up the entire path. My plan was to walk to the other end for a month, at the same speed, and El Mar would get tired by the time I was halfway through. I just wanted it to be completely exhausted and take the opportunity to experience a test.

Raphael: If El Mar is exhausted and unable to move forward, it is very dangerous to stay in the Charcoal Marsh with all its strength drained from it.

Amon smiled. Thats why I promised Golier to bring you, with the protection of a supreme mage like you, El Mar should have no problem recuperating and recovering in the swamp. You stay in the swamp to protect it, and Ill continue to open the road by myself.

Raphael was astonished. So your plan is to open the later half of the path by yourself and only let me and El Mar help with the first half?

Amon said with a deep meaning: No, no, no, this path is one in my eyes, there is no such thing as one half or the other, the both of you are helping me with opening the entire path. Supreme mage Raphael, would it be beneath your noble status to leave you in the middle of the Charcoal Marsh, just to provide protection for an Ironback?

Raphael quickly explained: No, if thats what you need help with, Im happy to do it.

Amon looked down at El Mar who was still swinging its claws and flailing its tail, and for some reason he suddenly changed his mind and said: Then lets take a day off, youre tired. Well just continue at this speed, walk for six days and then rest for a day, and we should be able to make it to the other end in a month.

Raphael said: I can still hold on.

Amon laughed. Youre really tired, El Mar has already reminded me about it, so well rest for one day.

They found a dry island in the swamp and rested for the day, while El Mar foraged nearby and Amon set up a cozy tent, took out the wine and made some delicious broth himself. After one days rest, he continued on his way, and after another six days rested for another day, and after the third six days had passed, El Mar was finally exhausted, unable to move any further. Not only was it physically exhausted, but the mana it had developed was also completely exhausted.