Nub took a step forward, positioning himself between Anahet and Xin Hexue. He had been stationed outside the central courtyard during the banquet. As a guard, he was not permitted to enter the formal banquet venue and thus was unaware of the events inside. Naturally, he did not know what had transpired between Anahet and Xin Hexue.
But this did not prevent him from sensing Anahet’s hostility towards Xin Hexue from his rash and rude behavior when he rushed forward.
He placed his hand on the sword at his waist, as if ready to draw it should the prince across from him make any further reckless moves.
But then, a cool, gentle hand covered his own on the hilt. “Don’t worry, Nub.”
Nub’s body stiffened instantly, becoming as motionless as a granite statue. Xin Hexue thought he was slow to react, so he pressed down a little more firmly on the back of Nub’s hand. “Alright.”
Nub relaxed his strength, silently lowering his hand from the sword hilt. He then took a step aside, creating space for Xin Hexue and Anahet to face each other.
“Lord Anahet, is there something you need?”
The young man’s face showed little emotion, and there seemed to be no intention of reprimanding the royal for his sudden action. His voice was clear and cold, yet not harsh.
“If there is nothing, the night is already deep, and I need to return to my chambers to rest.”
On that extraordinarily beautiful face, the pink lips parted and closed, and for some reason, Anahet was reminded of the glistening traces of wine left on those lips after drinking…
Compared to the current aloof expression, it had seemed even more vivid then.
Even the color of the lips appeared deeper and more crimson.
Anahet felt his head heat up abruptly. His entire face flushed red, and he covered his burning ears.
Xin Hexue did not receive a response, because Anahet suddenly looked at him as if he were a monster, like some mythical creature from a foreign land that could turn people to stone with a single glance…and fled as if escaping for his life.
Xin Hexue: ?
This Egyptian royal family didn’t seem quite normal.
K’s voice drifted in, ethereal and announcing like a game narrator, [The little cat god’s majesty intimidated the enemy, followers +1, prestige +10.]
The oil lamps and torches lining the corridor were bright, illuminating the pillars adorned with blue lotus patterns.
Xin Hexue waved his sleeve and said to Nub, “Let’s go back.”
………
What K had said about prestige earlier wasn’t entirely a joke.
Xin Hexue learned from him that part of the previously accumulated 321 points actually came from the reverence of the native inhabitants of the small world. This kind of emotion could be converted into a value similar to prestige, which could then be transformed into points, though the conversion rate was not high.
“You’re saying that the dilapidated temple has become a prayer temple, and my statue…is still there receiving incense offerings?”
Xin Hexue’s expression was somewhat strange; he found it a bit hard to imagine such a scene.
Now he had truly become a Little Fish Bodhisattva protecting scholars on their way to exams. Xin Hexue didn’t want to guess what image he might have in folk legends.
Additionally, in the previous Sentinel-Guide small world, he had used his mental power in a suicidal manner to eliminate the Folded Zone of the strangling tree. By purifying it, he expanded the safe zone for humans. Within the next ten years, humans would likely be able to completely eradicate all Folded zones, and his name was probably recorded in various commemorative materials.
K reminded him: [Due to the level of religious belief in this small world, the conversion efficiency of prestige points will be higher than before.]
K: [It is recommended that the host consciously work to increase prestige.]
After all, no one would complain about the number of points piling up in the mall, even though Xin Hexue mostly had no use for them.
The Vizier indeed waited until Xin Hexue had rested for two days before eagerly bringing senior craftsmen to learn the method of making glass.
He was not particularly enthusiastic about the improvement of wine, but showed an exceptional preference for this special non-metallic material.
He had specifically selected a few clever and capable craftsmen from those who served the royal family.
Many professions and trades in ancient Egypt were often hereditary, with skills and experience passed down to the next generation through family bloodlines.
Xin Hexue handed them the papyrus documenting the glassmaking method. The formula exchanged from the mall could only be understood by the people here after he had copied and translated it into ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. Additionally, some chemical terms and concepts that could not appear in this time period had to be rephrased.
The Vizier examined the young man’s handwriting.
The brushstrokes on the papyrus were as smooth as the flow of the Nile River. The sunlight coming through the palace’s blinds made the outlines of the ink seem to glow faintly.
After several craftsmen gathered to discuss, the Vizier listened to their questions and then inquired of Xin Hexue: “I think they roughly understand the casting method you described…mixing silica sand, alkali, and lime in the recorded proportions…”
The mixture was to be placed in a ceramic crucible and heated in a high-temperature kiln until it formed a fluid glass melt, which would then be poured into ceramic molds to cool and shape before polishing and carving.
The Egyptians already had their own efficient methods for obtaining and utilizing lime, so Xin Hexue did not need to record extra details.
As for silica sand, it could be obtained from the sand around the Nile.
But…
The Vizier asked: “What is this natural soda ash you have written?”
Xin Hexue turned his head and asked: “Is there a salt lake near Thebes?”
The Vizier was slightly taken aback.
………
The golden sun scorched all things, with only occasional palm trees offering some shade. The Nile during the Akhet season pushed the water level higher, flooding the farmlands on both banks of the river. Golden sands stretched boundlessly in all directions beyond the blue ribbon of water.
With each step, soft sand grains wrapped tightly around their feet. The rustling of papyrus clumps in the wind was enough to cover the sound of their footsteps, and the sand grains underfoot reflected spots of light under the sun.
Since the distance wasn’t too far, the Vizier and Xin Hexue did not choose to travel by chariot.
They were accompanied only by a few guards and attendants.
After leaving the palace of Thebes and heading east, the huge outline of a temple came into view.
Xin Hexue raised his hand, and Nub raised the sun-shading umbrella higher. The golden tassels hanging from the umbrella’s edge finally cleared from their line of sight, revealing the towering temple gate and the two symmetrical towers at the outermost part.
Although this temple, which had been under construction since the new Pharaoh’s accession, was not yet fully completed, one could already glimpse the grandeur that even millennia of sand would not be able to obscure.
The temple was surrounded by high walls, separating the sacred space from the mundane world. On either side of the first pylon were rows of sphinxes, their bodies powerful and limbs crouched as if ready to leap at any moment, full of majesty and solemnity.
Along the way, people kept recognizing the Vizier and the divine envoy in white robes beside him, and they all lowered their heads, bent their waists, and addressed them respectfully.
“Perhaps, Divine Envoy, the salt lake you are looking for…” The Vizier brought Xin Hexue to the other side of the temple, where high walls blocked the sun, creating a large shaded area, “…is the temple’s sacred lake?”
Xin Hexue lifted his gaze, and the sacred lake mentioned by the Vizier came into view.
The water was vast and calm, like a mirror, reflecting the stone decorations along the shore and the blue sky. Sunlight filtered through the gaps between the columns, sprinkling onto the lake’s surface, making it shimmer.
The reflected light spots made Xin Hexue narrow his eyes slightly.
Small boats floated in the center of the lake, decorated with ornate sails and paintings, adorned with gems and gold ornaments. They were clearly sacred vessels used for ceremonies and festivals.
It seemed somewhat inappropriate to treat such a lake with sacred symbolism as a salt lake for extracting natural soda ash.
Xin Hexue was considering how to phrase his explanation to the Vizier when, simultaneously, the loud, unified shouts of soldiers echoed across the clear sky in the distance.
The Vizier noticed Xin Hexue’s gaze and explained: “It’s the Golden Chariot Guard conducting training.”
The chariot formations were orderly, the clanging of shining metal and the hoofbeats of horses mingling on the training ground.
The commander kept shouting orders, and the soldiers quickly adjusted their formations, simulating charges and counterattacks on the battlefield. The horses strained to run, the wheels spun, and the entire team moved like a golden streamline across the scorching desert.
The Golden Chariot Guard was the most powerful troop of soldiers in the capital, drawing almost the finest military men from all of Upper Egypt.
Suddenly, at the edge of the training ground, a tall figure emerged from the dust stirred up by the chariots.
A black mask covered the upper half of his face, and his golden-brown eyes stared at the chief charioteer at the front of the formation. “Anahet, the Pharaoh has already stated that you are stripped of your position as chief charioteer. Go oversee the construction of the obelisk outside the temple.”
Anahet tugged on the reins, the wheels of his chariot skidding to a stop.
Standing on his chariot, his features were obscured against the light, his voice cold and hard. “As long as my elder brother’s written order hasn’t been issued, I am still the chief charioteer now.”
Anahet knew nothing about construction projects. Transferring him to the role of construction official was just a way to sideline him, reducing him to an empty figurehead who could only follow the orders of the scribes beneath him.
Rahotep had been away on a tour boat and had just returned to Thebes. The administrative hall of the palace was piled with affairs waiting to be handled; how could the papyrus order be issued so quickly?
Seto looked at him coldly.
Anahet knew he was Rahotep’s right-hand man, practically half a vizier of the kingdom, with an authority that even surpassed that of the vizier in scope. Whatever he said today would definitely be relayed to Rahotep by Seto later.
“Is tattling to my elder brother all you can do, Seto?” Anahet narrowed his brown eyes slightly. “Do you dare to settle this with me in a contest?”
Rahotep was the eldest son born of the queen, of the purest royal bloodline. Since there were grounds for his succession to the throne, that was one thing. But why should a beast born of a slave woman, who until recently ate raw meat and drank animal blood, have authority that surpasses his own?
Seto had no interest in engaging in a pointless struggle with him.
Anahet curled his lips into a cold smile. “Are you scared?”
Suddenly, Seto’s gaze paused slightly, shifting away from the neatly arrayed soldiers to see a long white figure approaching.
Seto turned his head and met Anahet’s eyes.
“…Okay.”
………
Straw bales painted with red bullseyes were stacked at the edge of the training ground to form targets. A light breeze stirred bits of straw. Two golden chariots raced across the flat wilderness, horse hooves meeting the wind, churning up clouds of dust.
Light spilled over the wheels and armor, reflecting a dazzling brilliance.
Seto stood steadily on the jolting chariot, raising his arm to draw the bowstring. The end of the arrow rested just two inches from his black mask. The eerie patterns drawn in lapis lazuli powder on the mask flashed under the sun. The bow was drawn to its limit, and the string emitted a crisp buzz!
The arrow shot out like a meteor from its chamber, cutting through the whistling wind.
Seto immediately turned his gaze to Xin Hexue without even checking whether the well-aimed arrow had hit the bullseye.
Anahet, who was about to draw his bow, also noticed Seto’s unusual behavior. The periphery of his vision suddenly caught the slender figure in white robes, and his arm drawing the bow trembled abruptly, his muscles spasming slightly.
The horses neighed, and the chariot axles emitted a low rumble.
Anahet closed his eyes for a moment to regain his focus. Amid the jolting of the chariot, he placed the arrow, and narrowed his eyes at the sunlight dancing on the arrowhead.
The arrow shot out with a loud whistle, heading straight for the distant straw target!
The spinning wheels of the chariot seemed to slice through the air. When they finally came to a stop, Anahet and Seto both jumped down from their chariots.
Inexplicably, they both walked up to Xin Hexue with a somewhat competitive air.
“Is the Divine Envoy unable to look directly at the radiance of the sun god?”
Anahet lifted his chin and said rather provokingly.
Seto had beads of glistening sweat on the side of his neck. He looked at Xin Hexue. “Nephthys…”
But Xin Hexue’s eyes were fixed on the distant straw bales.
Anahet thought he was looking at the targets and let out an arrogant snort from his nose. “No need to look. It definitely hit the bullseye.”
The golden-red sun blazed as if it could set the distant straw bales alight.
“Plant ash.” Xin Hexue turned to the Vizier. “I’ve thought of something that can replace natural soda ash.”
