Seeing Xin Hexue remain silent, his fair face hidden under the shadow of the wide brim of the robe’s hood, Rahotep smiled gently. “Iah, don’t worry. Since it is your will, of course I will allow him to stay. But to become a guard worthy of remaining by the divine envoy’s side, his ability still needs to be tested by the Sun God.”
The young king of Upper Egypt had a pair of violet eyes identical to his mother’s, which made his dignified features appear even more kind and benevolent when he smiled. The golden sunlight streamed through the gaps of the buildings onto his body, the wheat-colored muscles flowing smoothly, and the gilded light making his bearing even more spirited.
His image indeed matched the Nile people’s imagination of a benevolent monarch who was accomplished both in civil and military matters, and it was no wonder the voices for the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt leaned toward Upper Egypt.
Rahotep: “Seto is the most valiant warrior among the nobles of Upper Egypt. Even the captain of the palace guard cannot defeat him.”
“If this Nubian slave wishes to stay, of course I will strip away his slave status, and also arrange a proper post for him in the palace. Whether he becomes a silent, low-ranking attendant, or a soldier responsible for guarding the divine envoy’s palace, this will be decided by his ability.”
Seeing Xin Hexue did not voice any objection, Rahotep turned his gaze toward the slave who had returned from the border south of Aswan. “Show your strength to the great Sun God Ra, and see if you have the qualifications to guard the divine envoy.”
Nub lowered his head and said,“Yes.”
Rahotep called, “Seto.”
The masked noble silently walked out from behind. At his waist hung a sharp short sword, the front curved and the outer edge sharpened, like a cold crescent moon.
A servant at the side handed both men light armor, and gave Nub a short sword.
The supervisor had prepared a temporary residence for the Pharaoh. The house was no smaller than a small palace, and the courtyard was spacious enough to contain the duel of two warriors.
Nub bent his knees slightly and turned his body sideways, the thin layer of sand and gravel on the ground in the courtyard crunching beneath his soles. He concentrated his weight on his right leg, ready to respond to battle at any time.
At the moment when white clouds in the sky obscured the blazing sun, Seto leaned forward and launched the first attack.
His short sword slashed swiftly toward Nub’s shoulder. His movements were quick and fierce, and the blade carved a dazzling arc in the air with a sharp sound. Nub was not to be outdone. His left foot pushed off and his body shifted sideways, narrowly dodging the sharp edge at the very last instant.
As he dodged, he swiftly lowered his body and counterattacked from the side, his short sword sweeping across Seto’s waist. Seto suddenly tightened his abdomen, bringing his blade down to block the strike. The moment the two blades clashed, a crisp metallic sound rang out, humming and vibrating through the air.
The sun broke free from the clouds again, its scorching rays baking all things, casting shimmering, wavering shadows upon the yellow sands. Their fighting movements were so rapid they almost disrupted the shadows themselves.
Seto’s fighting skills were great, and his greatest advantage was the beast-like instinct honed through natural battle, allowing him to strike sharply at his opponent without conscious thought.
Such instinct was difficult to train into humans afterward. The military schools in the capital only taught soldiers to repeat over and over the techniques of advancing, attacking, controlling, and finally subduing the opponent. They had never taught anyone with the same bloody fighting spirit as Seto, which made even the captain of the palace guard defeated by Seto.
Nub was no different. Although he endured several rounds against Seto, the disadvantage of defeat gradually became apparent.
Beads of sweat rolled down his temples, soaking his hair.
During another clash, their short swords collided. Nub gritted his teeth and suddenly exerted strength, pressing Seto’s blade toward the ground, trying to suppress his opponent with force. But Seto twisted his wrist, skillfully turning the force, flipping the sword, and with the hilt, struck hard at Nub’s wrist, making his grip unsteady for a moment.
Seizing the chance, Seto spun to Nub’s side with a swift movement, and stabbed his sharp blade toward his ribs. Nub abruptly crouched down, and the sword edge passed just above his head. He seized the opportunity to grab Seto’s calf and pulled him down to the ground.
The two men fell to the dust at almost the same time, and the sharp edge of the sword grazed across Seto’s arm. He immediately rolled half a turn, pinning his knee harshly against Nub’s ribs, the sharpened edge of his curved sword pointing directly at Nub’s throat.
Beneath the black mask, his thin lips pressed into a cold line, and Seto looked at the enemy with a gloomy gaze.
For a moment, Nub thought that in this test of battle, this noble truly wanted to kill him.
Egyptian nobles were all cruel, Nub knew this well. Otherwise, his mother, who had sacrificed herself for Nubia in a marriage alliance, would not have died in grief and resentment within the palace. Before her death, she entrusted six-year-old Nub to the care of the maid who had grown up with her, feigning the prince’s early death, and allowed him to escape the palace.
The reason Nub wanted to follow the divine envoy back to the palace was partly because he did not wish to see tragedy repeat itself upon this gentle envoy, nor see him dragged into the swamp of the Egyptian royals. The other reason was to uncover the truth behind his mother’s death.
He was too young at the time, but he remembered his mother as a cheerful and optimistic woman who baked sweet bread for him with honey and date paste, and would softly sing Nubian songs. When he grew up and recalled, he always felt her death was suspicious.
Seto stood up without a word.
He looked at Rahotep, then finally fixed his gaze on Xin Hexue. “I won.”
The voice had no fluctuation at all, but Xin Hexue seemed to see faint hope in those golden-brown eyes.
Rahotep clapped his hands. “That was truly a splendid duel. What is your name?”
As he rose to his feet, the fine sand on Nub’s bare back slid down from the lines of his muscles. He saluted and said, “Nub.”
Rahotep: You are quite good. To last several dozen rounds under Seto’s hand…when the time comes, I will have the captain of the guards arrange for you to be placed in the team responsible for protecting the safety of the Divine Envoy’s palace.”
One duel had allowed Nub to legitimately enter the palace of Thebes.
Rahotep did not recall anything upon hearing that name. His father had left him with dozens of brothers and sisters. An insignificant prince of Nubian blood who had died young would not occupy even a corner of his memory.
Only one thing caught Rahotep’s attention for a moment.
When the two of them fell to the ground at the same time, with Seto’s strength, he could have easily avoided Nub’s strike and defeated him unscathed.
However, the red sword wound on Seto’s arm revealed this royal’s carelessness in battle.
Was it because of underestimating the enemy?
Rahotep’s gaze swept in Seto’s direction.
Seto lowered his head, showing the red sword wound on his arm to Xin Hexue. “Nephthys, I am injured.”
………
Rahotep assigned Seto to take two guards and row a small boat ahead back to the capital.
If they traveled on the Pharaoh’s boat, it would take seven days and nights to return from Aswan to Thebes. The Pharaoh needed someone who could represent his will to first return to the capital and spread the joyful news that Upper Egypt had welcomed the Divine Envoy.
Seto’s arm had already been treated with herbs, and a bandage was tightly wrapped around the bronze skin of his forearm.
He was somewhat restless, looking at Xin Hexue as if he had separation anxiety. “Nephthys.”
A soft laugh escaped between Rahotep’s lips and teeth. “You should learn to wean yourself, Seto.”
If one listened carefully, it sounded mocking. But Rahotep’s face still had its usual gentle expression, as though what had just left his mouth was nothing but a thoughtless joke.
Seto turned back and locked eyes with Rahotep for a moment.
He had to act like a normal human being before he could step out of the bronze cage.
This was the condition he had agreed upon with Rahotep. Only then could he step into the world outside the cage after his father’s death.
Seto did not want to die in a cage like the leopards and lions of the menagerie.
When he stepped onto the small boat by the Nile, Seto said to the young man on the bank who had not yet boarded the Pharaoh’s boat, “I have begun to miss you, Nephthys.”
Missing Nephthys at every moment when he could not see him.
But fortunately, they would soon meet again in the palace of Thebes.
Under the sunlight, the young man on the bank raised a hand to lightly lift the brim of his hat. The light illuminated the back of his thin, pale hand, making it appear slightly red. Against the sun, Seto saw those light pink lips part and close. Xin Hexue said, “Be safe, beware of the crocodiles in the Nile.”
It was like a mother’s reminder to a child going on a long journey.
[Seto–Anubis love value +5]
………
“Seto is one of my twenty brothers.”
Rahotep spoke to Xin Hexue with a calm expression.
The previous Pharaoh clearly had extraordinary vigor. In his prime years of temple construction and military conquest, he still did not forget to take dozens of concubines, some princesses of neighboring kingdoms in marriage alliances, some daughters of nobles, ultimately leaving his heir with twenty brothers and sixteen sisters.
“Seto’s situation is rather special. His birth mother was a slave girl in my mother’s palace.” Rahotep was only six or seven years old at the time. He recalled, “When Seto was born, a red moon rose and shrouded the entire palace. The Nile on the east bank of Abydos suddenly flowed backward for a moment. Far away in the Anubis temple of Cynopolis on the Sinai Peninsula, the sacred statue split apart down the middle.”
“The priests panicked. They explained this vision as Anubis pouring his soul into the mortal world, and that soul was the newborn Seto.”
Rahotep: “His mother passed into the Reed Fields after childbirth, and her soul went to its final resting place. So from birth, Seto was kept at our father’s side, without a mother’s care.”
Xin Hexue’s eyelashes drooped, falling together with the shadow of his hood.
Rahotep could not see his face, and only said, “Therefore, he may do some unusual things. If he offends you…”
In fact, after stepping out of the cage, Seto had received strict noble education and had never shown signs of losing control.
Even so, Rahotep still advised, “If he offends you, please rebuke him loudly, and let the guards restrain him.”
The Divine Envoy in the white robe stood on the deck of the boat, seemingly not troubled by this young royal Rahotep spoke of.
Seeing this, Rahotep did not continue with the original topic, but instead asked, “What are the kudzu root and huanglian you mentioned before?”
Xin Hexue finally looked at him.
As expected, from the very beginning, this seemingly gentle king had arranged for people to monitor him.
He had mentioned these two things only once, when treating the claw wound on Seto’s jaw. At that time, Seto was completely absorbed in wanting to leave Nephthys’ mark on him. There were also several servants present as well. It seemed they had not been arranged by the supervisor of the quarry, but were sent by Rahotep.
Xin Hexue did not expose it, only calmly replied, “These two are herbs from the distant East.”
Rahotep asked perceptively, “Is that where you came from?”
Clearly, the Pharaoh of Upper Egypt was not like the common people and officials, who were lost in the sacred prophecy of the giant stone.
Rahotep did not believe in gods, or rather, he did not fully believe. He thought that gods did not possess such overwhelming power.
Even his father, who claimed himself to be the incarnation of Osiris, the god of fertility, in the mortal world, not only loved killing, but when another so-called god’s incarnation was born, could not tolerate it and locked him inside a cage. The priests in the Temple of Anubis in Cynopolis were punished by the Pharaoh for failing to maintain the sacred statue.
Rahotep could see through his father’s thoughts.
The Pharaoh’s power was supreme above all else. How could he allow the existence of a second god’s incarnation in the mortal world, threatening his rule?
He lowered his eyes and discussed the herbs from the Far East with the divine envoy who did not belong to this land.
Rahotep remembered something. “Last year, envoys from Canaan offered rare plants to Upper Egypt as tribute. They were said to be acquired through trade with the East. Their number was scarce, and after they were planted in the palace courtyard, they withered quickly.”
The servant in charge of planting had reported to him in fear.
“Perhaps the land’s temperature and humidity are not suitable for those plants to grow. A greenhouse is needed.”
Xin Hexue said slowly.
“Greenhouse?”
Rahotep had never heard such a word.
………
There was no such concept as a greenhouse in Ancient Egypt. Xin Hexue could only try to explain that it was a type of house that could protect plants from harsh sunlight and desert storms. Using mudbrick or stone walls for insulation, the temperature inside could be kept stable. Combined with the land’s existing conditions, a small pool could be built inside the greenhouse to raise humidity through evaporation. With a clay pot irrigation system, water could seep evenly into the soil, keeping it moist.
Considering the habits of different plants, there would certainly be many problems in practice.
Xin Hexue was only offering Rahotep a possible idea. Including improvements to Upper Egypt’s canals and dikes. These complicated matters could not be explained clearly in a short while, and Xin Hexue said he would need to conduct field studies in Upper Egypt before making targeted improvements.
Even with only a few words, terms like concrete, floating valves, and multi-layer dikes already left Rahotep amazed.
He lost track of time while talking with Xin Hexue, even at the dining table.
It wasn’t until the evening of the seventh day that the boat slowly reached the west bank of Thebes. The distant silhouette of the palace complex looked grand and vast under the setting sun.
Rahotep introduced the city to Xin Hexue extensively, and as they talked, he felt thirsty.
A servant presented wine. “Great Pharaoh, esteemed divine envoy, this is newly brewed grape wine.”
Ancient Egypt had achieved certain success in grape winemaking technology. However, the wine was usually neither filtered nor clarified, leaving it turbid with yeast residues, pulp, and impurities. Its taste was coarse and lacked crispness. With a short fermentation, the sugar was not fully converted, making the alcohol content low and the sweetness too strong.
Xin Hexue had already learned about this in the past days, so he only took two small sips before stopping.
Rahotep: “Is it not to your taste?”
Xin Hexue thought for a moment. Although his points were not enough to conjure up an entire dike, letting the other party taste wine from the future was not a problem.
Spending one point, he took out a deep blue glass bottle from his robe and poured the wine into Rahotep’s cup.
A rich fragrance rose from the cup. Beyond the grapes, one could even smell hints of mint and clove.
Xin Hexue: “Please, taste it.”
………
When the boat arrived at the west bank, Rahotep dismissed the guards behind them as they disembarked, keeping the rest of the entourage three meters away. He walked side by side with Xin Hexue.
“What is yeast?”
Rahotep repeated the word from the envoy’s mouth in confusion.
Xin Hexue was just about to explain, when he suddenly felt a sharp gaze lock onto his back. He subconsciously turned his head to search.
He did not see the owner of the gaze.
But as he turned back, a copper-yellow light flashed from the reeds by the riverbank, and a snake suddenly jumped out!
The light came from its scales. It stood upright and its neck flared with a flat hood. The copper-colored expanded scales spread like an open fan, and its body slithered forward while letting out a low hiss.
Xin Hexue’s face went pale, the pupils in his cat-like eyes contracting into vertical slits.
The cobra lunged at them!
The guards quickly moved forward. From the opposite side of the riverbank, one could only see the cobra pounce forward, and the figure in white robes swayed and fell to the ground.
Rahotep shouted with worry. “Iah!
“Divine Envoy!
“Divine Envoy!”
The crowd rushed forward to surround him.
