Chapter 657: Chapter 226 Pharaoh
“`
…
Henu, Mortal World.
Outside the City of mphis, on the road built along the Nile River.
The setting sun was blood-red, and a gentle breeze blew in gusts. The wheels of the ox cart rolled on the road, attracting the gazes of passersby.
The sound of whips cracking could be heard from ti to ti, accompanied by bouts of whimpering.
This was the royal capital of the Egyptians, as well as a great city that stood alongside Heliopolis and Thebes in fa.
If the latter two were renowned for their theological sanctity, mphis, as the dwelling place of the Pharaoh, represented the secular sense of a capital.
Located at the heart of Upper and Lower Egypt, it wasn’t far from what would later be Cairo. The dynasty’s decrees emanated from here, reaching all the city-states of Egypt.
Of course, there was an additional significance to this place now—under the orders of the ssenger of Ra, one of the Nine Pillars Spirit, Shu, the Sin People from all over Egypt had been driven here in the last few years, then gathered around this city.
Thus, in almost no ti, this place had beco the largest gathering spot for the Hebrews, as well as the largest construction site. For so unknown reason, ever since several years ago when Shu delivered the last divine decree, the continuous contact between the gods who resided in Heliopolis and the Mortal Realm had beco intermittent.
So said it was the presence of the Sin People that angered the heavens, while others argued it was the gigantic bronze statue cast for himself by Pharaoh Ramses II in his extravagant desires that displeased All Gods.
In any case, as the ruler of Upper and Lower Egypt, the Pharaoh, the Divine Envoy on earth, hereby issued a command. He ordered the slaves to be organized and to erect a massive temple to please the heavens, sparing no expense for this purpose.
So, vast amounts of stone material were transported to mphis, and countless slaves perished under the increasingly fierce sun.
During such days, one day, two ox carts arrived from afar, heading toward mphis.
…
Rumbling…
Clink—
“Thank you, my Lord, for granting this lunch.”
With eyes slightly closed, he tapped the plate with a silver spoon. Amidst the ringing sound, sse knelt in the carriage, praying softly to God.
The carriage shook a bit, but sse, who was eighty years old, still sat very steadily.
His back was as straight as a rod, and beside him, two young children, a boy and a girl, imitated his movents, tracing intricate patterns across their chests and closing their eyes in prayer.
“Thank you, my Lord, for granting this lunch.”
“…All right, that’s enough. You two must be hungry too, so go ahead and eat,” he said.
After a short while, sse opened his eyes.
He looked at the two children who appeared to be praying with closed eyes but were in fact covertly watching him and smiled.
His wife and family were on the cart behind; at this point, it was just him and the two half-blood children they’d rescued on the road.
They weren’t true Hebrews but rather offspring of mixed blood between Egyptians and Hebrews. Their mixed lineage ensured they weren’t oppressed like the slaves carrying heavy stones on the roadside, but their rights weren’t acknowledged either.
After all, it was because of the Hebrew bloodline that Ra had punished them, which made these half-bloods sinners by birth. No law would protect them, and if they hadn’t fortuitously encountered sse, they likely would have already perished in the Wilderness under the tornt of their peers.
“Thank you, sir,” the children said.
Although they couldn’t resist the tempting aroma of food, the kids still thanked sse first.
Seeing this, sse waved his hand, indicating they need not worry about formalities.
With permission granted, the two children finally began their al.
“Sigh…”
He sighed softly, watching the children’s ravenous eating with so helplessness in his heart.
Even sitting in the cart, he could still hear the sound of whips outside. Separated by just a partition, it seed like two different worlds, yet he was powerless to do anything for the mont. The command ca from Pharaoh himself, and they were considered sinners even by the Egyptian gods.
To change this situation, he would have to change the gods of Egypt, change the Pharaoh ruling the Mortal World.
Fortunately, the rumors he had heard along the way told sse that the contact between the Egyptian people and their gods had grown increasingly vague since a few years back, so he needed only to convince the ruler of the Mortal Realm.
“I should save them, and I am the only one with the power to do so in this world,” he contemplated silently.
As sse reflected, ti passed quickly.
Before he knew it, the two children had finished their lunch.
The hunger now alleviated, the children gathered the courage to look up, their eyes filled with gratitude towards the old man who had saved their lives.
“… Mr. sse?”
“Mhm?”
Snapping out of his contemplation, sse turned to the little girl who had just spoken.
She seed a bit hesitant, so he imdiately encouraged her with a smile, “What’s wrong? Do you have sothing to ask ?”
“Thank you! You really are a good person!”
With a shy smile, the boy then asked, “Mr. sse, I want to know… which ‘God’ did you just make us thank for lunch?”
“Is it the one in charge of the sun, the greatest one?” The girl’s eyes widened as she chid in, “Or is it so other Deity who has co to save us? I’ve heard our blood carries a curse from the God; has the curse finally been lifted now?”
“…”
“`
There was silence, and sse was at a loss for words for a mont. However, after a brief pause, he shook his head slightly.
“No, children, you are mistaken.”
“The gods of Egypt have not withdrawn their punishnt from us, although that is my hope for this journey. The Pharaoh has not restored our rights under the law, even though that is my purpose for coming. At least for now, the Hebrews are still seen as sinners in their eyes, so the Lord I believe in is not the god of the Egyptians.”
“He is the Almighty and Holy, the beginning and the end of all things. I saw Him in the flas and received His revelation, and it is by His command that I have co to the earth, to save my kindred who are suffering.”
Speaking softly, sse’s intention was simply to distinguish the god he believed in from all the gods that had existed in Egypt. After all, the two children before him were of mixed blood. Having never heard the legends of the Hebrews from their youth, they could easily confuse the two, thinking that different deities were just gods of the sa divine system, holding opposing views.
However, upon hearing his words, the girl’s eyes lit up, as if she had misunderstood sothing.
“So, Mr. sse, are we considered sinners because the gods of the past belonged to the Egyptians, who protect only the Egyptians and despise anyone not Egyptian? And the deities you worship are our gods, who will also only protect us and punish those who harm us, is that right?”
“That’s certainly not… well…”
He instinctively wanted to deny it because sse knew very well that the Lord does not care about lineage or race, nor does He concern Himself with the goodness or conflict of the mortal realm.
As He had told him, it was not the Hebrews He cared about, nor their fate, but only sse himself.
However, as he was about to speak, he hesitated for a long ti when looking into the eyes of the two children filled with hope.
If he told them now, perhaps he would extinguish the hope that had just ignited in their hearts… on the other hand, agreeing with them wouldn’t break their illusion, and such a misunderstanding could serve to build their reverence for the Lord.
For most of the ignorant mortals, understanding God as one ‘who protects their own’ versus ‘one who protects their enemies’ could quickly inform them as to whom their faith should be dedicated.
‘Let it be for now, until the future… when things settle down, then I’ll tell them of the Lord’s true greatness. His greatness that is not bound by race, species, or anything at all. For now, let them indulge in their dreams.’
After much contemplation, sse finally nodded.
His smile was like the warm sun on a winter day; although his age was advanced, his eyes were still full of spirit.
“Well… yes, children, you are right.”
“He is the god of everything in the world, but also the god of the Hebrews. Whoever brings destruction upon us will also be punished by Him.”
“This is the covenant He made with in the revelation of the fla.”
At least in words, it was indeed so… sse didn’t feel he had deceived them.
mphis was near, and he also had to think about how to persuade the Pharaoh.
Although God said the road he would travel would be tortuous, and the journey for the Hebrews to return to their land would be full of death and injury, sse still wanted to try.
If the Pharaoh would willingly let them go, nothing could be better.
…
The brief conversation did not interfere with the progress of the ox cart, and as ti passed, the cart finally arrived near mphis.
In comparison to the fantastical version of the big city referred to as Chaos in the mortal world, mphis was far less impressive.
With city walls only over ten ters high, and guards dressed in leather armor… As the ox cart approached the city gate, it imdiately attracted the attention of the soldiers.
Clack—
The sound of leather armor colliding, the guards showed no intent to inspect, instead, they expressed their respect towards the cart.
In the current Upper and Lower Egypt, horses were an exceedingly rare beast of burden, often employed in military units like chariots. For transportation, cals or ox carts were used instead.
Of course, even saying ‘more used’ is a bit of a stretch. In contrast with the dramatically transford Chaos, Henu’s world in the mortal realm truly possessed the productivity of a classical era.
Thus, to be able to avoid the weariness of travel, and even escape the scrutiny of soldiers, to the point that now even the guards of the Egyptian capital acknowledged them as aristocrats of the city, sse truly had to thank his wife’s distinguished family, who were respected priests among the Midianites.
Otherwise, even if his status as a fugitive from forty years ago was forgotten, he might still be directly detained as a Hebrew and be taken to work on building the Temple.
“Please enter, honorable lords,” said the captain of the guard, as the cart slowly made its way into mphis.
After more than forty years, sse was stepping foot into the city where he had grown up once again.
“I rember, the Pharaoh’s residence should be there. I wonder if it has been relocated or renovated over the years.”
Giving the two curious children a rundown of all the sights they passed, he traveled through the city—called a Royal Capital, yet not as large as one would imagine.
Soon, the Royal Palace of Egypt was but a stone’s throw away. However, here sse’s cart could no longer pass through unhindered.
“Stay here, I must go and et with the King of Upper and Lower Egypt alone.”
Reaching for the staff that had been lying across his knees all this ti, sse instructed the two children before stepping down from the cart.
He looked levelly at the place of his upbringing, as old mories flashed through his mind.
“Who goes there?”
The inquiry ca from ahead, with two long spears crossed, blocking the path.
sse’s cart had already caught the attention of the guards, who scrutinized this unfamiliar ‘aristocrat,’ pondering which city-state he might have co from.
“I am sse, from Midian, co to pay my respects to His Majesty Ramses II.”
“By the command of God, I have co to discuss the future of a race.”
Clutching his staff, sse spoke softly.
Let the first step begin here.
Reviews
All reviews (0)