People in the world no longer believe in God Amon, and have forgotten all his brilliance and holiness. The statue of God Amon lying on the sand dune just silently symbolizes that this god has returned to the human world. But all this does not prevent the story of Amon from continuing to spread. People may be very interested in this kind of ancient myth out of a curiosity. Anecdote of the world.
Where there are caravans resting, there will be people who take advantage of the opportunity to do business. For example, next to the ruins of this temple, there is a peddler who packed spring water in leather bags for sale. Not far from the peddler, there was another artist in ragged clothes playing the flute. In front of him was a basket, in which a snake standing upright was writhing, as if dancing to the sound of the flute. Passing merchants found it interesting and would drop a few copper coins in a clay bowl at his feet.
Ilya also did as the Romans did, sitting on a scattered stone in the shadow of the statue, leaning on a cane, with a pottery bowl in front of him, like a folk storyteller. If passers-by are happy to hear it, I hope the old man will throw a few copper coins into the bowl if he talks a little longer. But this ruin is too desolate and remote. Although there are caravans passing by every day, there are very few hawkers and buskers who come here, and only Ilya comes here almost every day.
The sun was so hot that day, the resting coachmen, guards and merchants all curled up in the shadow of the statue as much as possible, kept waving their fans, sweating and panting, and listened to the old man telling stories, but there were not many people Ken stood up and dropped a copper coin into his bowl.
At this time, a young man went to the peddler to buy a bag of water, walked over and handed it to Ilya and said, "Old man, you have been talking for a long time, and you should be thirsty. Drink some water to moisten your throat. I didn’t bring any skin bag to hold the water, so I probably live near here, but it’s inconvenient to walk here, so I’ll give you this skin bag.”
The old man told the story for such a long time in such a dry and hot desert, but his voice was not hoarse at all. The wrinkles on his forehead were deep, but his eyes were clear and bright, not at all like an old man. The old man raised his eyes to look at the young man, took the skin bag with a slight smile, stood up from the stone and bowed lightly: "Thank you, the gods have endowed you with kindness."
The young man bowed back and said, "I should be the one thanking you for telling us such a long and wonderful legend on such a scorching noon, just like a cool wind blowing from the desert."
The old man smiled and said, "I'm talking about the legend of God Amon, young man, where are you from and do you believe in gods?"
The young man replied: "I am from Salem, from the Plain of Salem, and I believe in my god Arhat."
The old man asked again: "Then do you like to hear the story of God Amon? He is a god that the Eju people once believed in."
The young man smiled: "When people like to listen, the stories you tell are wonderful. There are different gods and legends all over the mainland, expressing people's beliefs or past beliefs. understanding and their own desires. It can help people think, how to look at the belief in the gods in their minds?"
The young man was in his early twenties, with thick dark brown hair that was slightly frizzy, a muscular build, and strong, callused hands. His appearance is very handsome, and the contours of his facial features vaguely reveal a resolute temperament. When he smiles, he is very good-looking and has an invisible appeal.
The old man nodded and said, "Are you willing to continue listening?"
The young man bent down and put a few copper coins in the pottery bowl: "If you are not tired, drink some water and take a rest, I still want to hear the next story."
The old man opened the plug of the leather bag, drank a few sips of water, and continued to tell the legend of God Amon. At this time, a cloud floated over, covering the blazing sun, and a cool wind blew in the distance. The desert seemed to become extraordinarily quiet, and the voice of the old man's narration was also extraordinarily clear beside the ruins of the temple.
The old man just talked about the battle between Amon and the gods of Olympus, and then he talked about Amon accepting the challenge of Artemis on the cloud and being shot down into the world by an arrow. The audience not far away let out an "oh", as if suddenly realizing it, someone couldn't help interjecting: "No wonder this temple is abandoned. It turned out that Zeus defeated Amon, and the gods of Olympus annexed Amon." A place hidden in the world."
Another person explained: "That's because of the rise of the Maro Empire, conquered Eju, and asked the Eju people to convert to the gods of Olympus. things, or use human things to symbolize the encounters of gods.”
The people in the caravan traveled far and wide, were well-informed, and what they said was not without reason. But the young man asked Ilya with great interest: "According to what you said, God Amon seems to have returned to the human world voluntarily. What did he say when he left? Did Zeus really defeat him?"
The old man raised his cane and pointed at the lying god beside him, saying: "Yes, it seems that Zeus defeated him, or the Maro Empire conquered Eju and ordered to change the beliefs of the people. But when God Amon left, he It has been said that the faith he guides will be accompanied by the temples in people’s hearts all over the so-called gods of Zeus. At that time, he will return to his heaven. It is also said that Amon will guide people to build a new kingdom in the world , completely defeated Zeus."
Hearing this, the young man frowned slightly and said: "There are always similarities in myths everywhere. In my hometown, I have heard another version. The protagonist in the story is not a god like Amon, but a god who appears Messiah on earth."
The old man's eyes lit up, he looked at Amon and said, "What you are talking about is the prophecy of the prophet Elijah, right? I have also heard it mentioned by the merchants in Salem. But I don't know how it is spread in your hometown. , if you want, can you tell me? I can also tell this legend to people passing by."
The young man replied: "Of course I can tell you. Ilya's prophecy has been circulated in my hometown for hundreds of years, and it has become a kind of expectation for people. The Messiah will come and lead people who sincerely believe in Arhat to reach the land that belongs to them. home country."
The old man nodded and said, "This is the true face of Ilya's prophecy. It is more like a fable. In your hometown, how do people understand it?"
The young man then replied: "In my hometown, people in Salem believe that someone will come. He is not only a prophet like Elijah, but also a savior appointed by the gods. He will lead the people of Salem to get rid of being ruled. Just like Moses, the ancestor of the Salemites, who led the people to get rid of the enslavement of the Ejus, 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 demolition of the Temple of Amun and the construction of the Temple of Arhat, and the history that the young people heard became like this. Since there were other people beside him, the young man was very careful in his wording, and did not directly express the desire of the Salemites to overthrow the Maro Empire, or even conquer and replace the Maro Empire to rule the Tianshu Continent.
In fact, it doesn’t matter much what I said here. This is a caravan from Salem, and the horsemen and guards of Ecu are also employed. There are no Maro soldiers and officials here.
The old man narrowed his eyes, and asked calmly: "I have been telling the stories of 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 are not yet understood by people. Yes. Young man, have you ever thought of another possibility, that the prophecy left by Elijah has another meaning? What the Messiah guided people to build was not a great empire like Maro, but A home country in another sense?"
The young man also narrowed his eyes: "Oh? This is the first time I've heard such a statement! What do you mean?"
The old man said unhurriedly: "The people of Salem believe in Aroha as the only god, just like the Eju people once believed in Amon as their god, and the Maro people believed in the gods of Olympus. I want to ask What do you mean by the so-called only god? How is this god different from that god? Could it be that people think that they are noble, so they think that the gods they believe in are also nobler? Is this just a kind of arrogant sense of superiority, self-suggestion Do you deserve to have a status above others?"
The young man was slightly startled, as if thinking, but did not answer immediately. At this time, someone in the caravan shouted angrily: "Joseph, don't listen to that old man's nonsense anymore, that's the voice of Satan! The only God is the only God. God once made a promise with Moses—'except me , you shall have no other gods.' Do not let the voice of Satan shake your will and destroy our hopes."
The young man named Josu turned around and said, "This is the border of Eju, and it is also under the rule of the Maro Empire. This old gentleman has not received the glory of Arhat, so it is completely normal for him to ask such questions. But the brilliance of God lies in the guidance. People are not born with this kind of belief, so why should you be angry? When you see regret, you should also see hope, which shows that the brilliance of God can shine on more souls.”
Another voice shouted: "Josuke, your kind and ignorant child, Aluoha, is the god of the people of Salem. The people of Salem are a people who have made a covenant with God. How could this old man of a foreign race understand?"
The old man shook his head in the direction of the voice and said, "This businessman trekking in the desert, you are looking for your wealth. It is a gift from the gods and a result of hard work. This is the same for the world. Could it be that In your understanding, does the light of the gods only shine on the people of Salem? Then I ask you, if other people also believe in Arhat, will the light of the gods shine on him, and will God give him the same light as the people of Salem? Blessing and agreement?"