Xin Hexue had not experienced a scenario requiring natural science knowledge for a long time. Although he had once faced heavy academic workloads every day as the crown prince on his planet, that was now something that had happened across four worlds ago.
During this period, it was clear that the plot directions of his tasks did not offer much opportunity for scientific knowledge to be applied, and this was not his area of expertise either.
So much so that when Xin Hexue saw the straw bales at the edge of the training ground, which seemed about to ignite under the scorching golden sunlight, he suddenly remembered the material that could replace natural soda ash.
In this era of slash-and-burn farming, plant ash was an excellent gift.
Of course, the people who had always relied on the Nile’s annual cyclical flooding to enrich this land had not yet developed the awareness to enhance soil fertility through burning fields. Slash-and-burn farming was still a rather unfamiliar agricultural technique to them.
Xin Hexue turned to explain to the Vizier, ignoring the other two.
From the perspectives of Seto and Anahet, only a small part of the jawline was visible beneath the white robe’s hood. Its lines were not as hard as those of an ordinary male; if Anahet were to describe it, it was as soft as a woman’s.
Anahet had heard Seto repeatedly call him “Mother Goddess”. Perhaps this divine envoy, who had come from nowhere, actually possessed soft organs similar to a woman’s beneath the robe…which was why he was always concealed under the long robe.
The arrogant royal, who had once offended the divine envoy with his reckless words, could not help but lift his chin in this dismissive, contemptuous speculation.
Anahet had seen the other party’s true face the previous night. In his view, the slender jaw and neck, and the white skin lacking the healthy bronze color made him convinced that even any Egyptian female dancer performing in the market could restrain this divine envoy with their wheat-toned, curvaceous arms.
Such a divine envoy was not worth his fear.
As Anahet was thinking this, the Vizier, who heard Xin Hexue’s explanation, showed excessive enthusiasm and was about to joyfully reach for the divine envoy’s hands, as if wanting to hold them to express his excitement.
However, the Vizier obviously forgot that the divine envoy was shrouded in robes.
Anahet saw Xin Hexue instinctively take a step back, and the brim of the white hood swayed with the movement. From his angle, he could see the pink lips revealed in the shadow of the hood.
Anahet couldn’t help but recall the scene he had witnessed the previous night…the wine glistened on the lips, and it seemed that because of that layer of moisture, the light pink lips turned deep red.
The sweltering heat of the weather made him feel irritable and distracted.
When the Vizier was stopped by Seto stepping between them, he came to his senses and awkwardly withdrew his hands, which had rashly attempted to disrespect the divine envoy.
The royal wearing the jackal-headed mask fixed his golden-brown eyes on him, as if seeing a threatening enemy.
The Vizier thought of the many horrifying rumors about this person, and beads of sweat inevitably appeared on his temples. Fortunately, Xin Hexue spoke up, diverting Seto’s attention.
Xin Hexue asked: “Vizier, where are the workshops of Thebes located?”
………
Thebes, which had become the new capital after the new Pharaoh’s accession, was not yet fully developed. Many projects were under construction: the Pharaoh’s pyramid tomb, the new temple for the sun god Ra, the canal system responsible for the city’s irrigation and water storage…
Both the workshops and the royal craftsmen who had migrated from the old capital were settled in the village of Deir el-Medina on the outskirts of Thebes. This was a village specifically established for craftsmen and various artisans responsible for producing royal tombs and temples.
The sandy streets were clean, with two rows of low houses neatly arranged. Corresponding workshops were located in different areas according to the types of handicrafts.
Clangs, bangs, and crackles…the sounds from the workshops were incessant. Apprentices returning from transporting materials stopped on both sides of the road, lowering their heads to the approaching group.
“Lord Anahet, are you also interested in the casting of glass?”
Anahet looked at the questioner with his eyes narrowed slightly. It was the guard who had accompanied the divine envoy last night. From the information he could gather, the other party was a slave from the quarry but had golden eyes.
A prisoner of war from Nubia?
Anahet curled his thin lips, his expression showing unconcealed disdain, but his gaze involuntarily drifted over the white figure walking ahead. “I just want to see if the divine envoy truly has extraordinary skills, as prophesied.”
Nub did not have any favorable impression toward any of Egypt’s royals, especially this aggressive one. Because he was constantly on guard against the other party, Nub did not miss Anahet’s unusual behavior.
His eyes darkened threateningly, and his hand gripping the sword hilt tightened slightly.
The temporarily repurposed workshop dedicated to glassmaking greeted them with a wave of heat as soon as they entered, like a gaping mouth ready to swallow them into the scorching stone furnace.
Xin Hexue raised his hand to shield himself from the heat and was protected by Nub as they retreated outside.
Soon, a craftsman reacted, sweating profusely as he came to the entrance to greet them. It was the craftsman who had been led by the Vizier that morning to learn the glass casting method from Xin Hexue.
Xin Hexue had already given them the papyrus detailing the casting method.
“Honored ones, is there something you require?” The craftsman wiped the sweat from his forehead, looking troubled by their arrival. “The environment inside isn’t suitable for long stay. If there are additional instructions, you can tell me directly.”
In order to melt the raw materials for casting glass into a uniform glass liquid, the temperature of the furnace had been raised to nearly eight hundred degrees. Although they were only standing at the entrance of the workshop, the heat from the high-temperature furnace permeated the air, making the already stifling, windless day even more oppressive.
The Vizier explained to the craftsman that the ash left after burning plants could be used as a substitute for the “natural soda ash” recorded on the papyrus, and the craftsman nodded and diligently took note.
The craftsmen themselves only had a partial understanding of the many material terms recorded on the papyrus, such as silicon dioxide. But the divine envoy had explained to them that this substance existed in sand, and that adding different metal oxides could control the color of the glass, for example adding copper to obtain blue or green glass, iron to obtain yellow or gray glass…
They recorded those unfamiliar terms, growing increasingly convinced that the other person was the embodiment of divine will. Only a god could possess such comprehensive knowledge of creation methods.
“Materials like plant ash are easy to obtain. We can produce the first batch of samples in about three days.”
The craftsman remembered something and had an apprentice go inside to monitor the furnace temperature. He then led the divine envoy, the Vizier, and their group to the pottery workshop across the way.
As they walked, he explained: “Divine Envoy, we have tried making some molds from clay to pour the glass liquid into, allowing the glass bottles to form and cool naturally. But we still have some doubts about these molds.”
Several craftsmen from the pottery workshop came out holding molds. They were all semi-finished products that had not yet been dried or fired, merely hand-shaped.
The semi-finished products were also meticulously made according to the shapes Xin Hexue had drawn on the papyrus.
The craftsman said earnestly: “Divine Envoy, we hope the molds can have some unique markings that represent the divine will, so as to highlight that they are a gift from the gods.”
The Vizier heard his words and expressed agreement. “That’s a good idea. This way, when users enjoy the wine in the glass bottles, they can receive the blessings of the gods.”
Everyone’s burning gazes focused on Xin Hexue.
However, beneath the jackal-headed mask, Seto’s brows unconsciously furrowed, and his thin lips pressed into a tight line.
The divine envoy in white robes nodded.
The wind from the distant northern sea swept over countless sand dunes, causing palm leaves to rustle. In the shade of the workshop building, the divine envoy standing in the center raised a hand through the white robe. The onlookers only saw the wide sleeve brush past the front of the mold.
On the upside-down mold, the bottom was imprinted with a unique, one-of-a-kind pattern…
The craftsmen gathered around exclaiming in wonder: “This is truly an incredible divine miracle…”
Listening to the praises of the craftsmen and the Vizier, the divine envoy, who had only acted on a whim to play a prank, gradually let his gaze wander. The soft, furry tips of his ears twitched beneath the white robe.
If winter in ancient Egypt saw snow, these people might have associated the pattern with something.
For example, on the frosty morning streets, when a cat steps on snow, it leaves behind such plum blossom prints.
However, the natural conditions here destined that such a white-clad world could not be formed. When a cat lightly steps on sandy ground, the prints left behind are always easily disturbed and covered by the wind sweeping over the dunes.
So, when future generations excavated the ancient civilizations along the Nile, they were amazed to discover that as early as over a thousand years BC, people here had already mastered glass casting technology, and every glass artifact had the same mark at the bottom.
This, of course, would not be considered an ordinary cat paw print. When these ancient glass bottles were displayed on museum platforms, no one would think it was a cat’s prank.
This unique mark must certainly signify some mysterious code of an ancient civilization.
A magnificent civilization led by the cat god!
K praised sincerely.
Xin Hexue was completely unaware of K’s thoughts. He was trying hard to retract his cat features. Since obtaining [Bastet’s Blessing] drawn at the beginning of entering this world, Xin Hexue could clearly feel certain changes occurring in his body…
For example, his thinking became more active at night, and when walking on flat ground, he would inexplicably want to climb high. He had even broken a clay bowl during breakfast before the Vizier arrived.
Of course, it wasn’t entirely his fault.
The main reason was that the clay bowl was placed on the edge of the table, and Xin Hexue had merely walked past it normally.
But Xin Hexue still had to admit that he occasionally couldn’t control his cat-like tendencies.
Just now, he had only wanted to change his claws, but his ears had popped out as well.
Fortunately, he could control whether his ears were erect or in airplane mode. Otherwise, the sudden appearance of pointed ears under the white robe hood would look very strange.
As Xin Hexue pondered, he didn’t notice the abnormality behind him.
Seto stared fixedly at the paw print on the clay mold, his golden-brown eyes narrowing into slits like those of a wolf.
Branding…
Prisoners of war brought back to ancient Egypt were usually branded as slaves. Copper was heated to a high temperature and pressed onto the slave’s skin, leaving a permanent mark. This was to clarify the slave’s identity and to show that they belonged to a specific master.
For non-prisoner slaves, branding was also a form of punishment in certain situations, especially for those who attempted to escape or who overstepped their bounds.
Seto clenched his jaw. He was growing somewhat restless. The excessive force caused a faint taste of blood to spread in his mouth and he repeatedly rubbed the spot on his arm where he often wore a gold ring with his fingertip.
He kept rubbing until the bronze skin showed signs of redness.
Nephthys…
Nephthys…
Who granted him new life.
Who bestowed upon him an eternal punishment from which he could never escape.
Nephthys…
His.
Seto’s gaze followed the white figure like a shadow.
………
Xin Hexue and the others had been away from the palace for too long. After instructing the craftsmen in Deir el-Medina, they had no other arrangements.
But on the way back, Xin Hexue saw many people driving cattle and sheep, their direction likely toward the temple.
Anahet mentioned as if casually, “The Apis Bull Festival is coming soon.”
His eyes fixed directly on Xin Hexue, as if hoping he would say something.
What should he say?
Beneath the white robe, Xin Hexue slightly raised an eyebrow.
He wasn’t very familiar with the customs here yet, and he didn’t know that due to his arrival, the new Pharaoh would certainly have him perform the ritual as the high priest, replacing the work of the former priestly group of the fertility god Osiris.
That is, he would replace Anahet’s uncle to carry out the Apis Bull Festival ceremony in front of everyone.
The Vizier explained to Xin Hexue, “The Apis Bull Festival is one of our most important religious festivals, held during the Akhet season of the Nile each year. After the previous year’s festival, the priests select a healthy water buffalo to serve as the sacred bull Apis. It is brought to the temple to be housed.”
“The temple feeds it for a year, offers sacrifices to it the following year, and holds a special funeral ceremony for it during the festival after the offerings. The sacred bull Apis symbolizes the power of the sun, harvest, and the continuation of life. It will bless the fields, rivers, and livestock in the new year.”
That’s why the Apis Bull Festival is held during the Akhet season, when the fields along the Nile cannot be cultivated due to the accumulated fertilizer from the flooding.
The new sacred bull has been fed in the temple for nearly a year.
“Those…”
Xin Hexue looked thoughtfully at the people driving cattle and sheep on the sandy road not far away.
“There is only one sacred bull, but other livestock offerings are still needed.”
Anahet seemed to have found an opportunity and snorted.
Those were all livestock being sent as sacrifices, different from the plough oxen belonging to farmers coming from the opposite direction.
The plough ox had not yet had its plough removed. It was a rather primitive single-ox plough, with only a copper blade at the front for cutting the soil and a longer wooden pole at the back for operation.
Xin Hexue: “It seems it can only plough in straight lines, and the tillage depth is generally shallow, only loosening the topsoil.”
Anahet looked at him as if he were some strange creature, saying incredulously, “Were you listening to me?”
Did he not speak aloud?
Why could this person always ignore him directly?
Anahet had never received such openly cold treatment.
Xin Hexue finally glanced at him, a faint doubt in his tone. “What did you just… say?”
Anahet choked, feeling as frustrated as if he had punched cotton.
But the Vizier shrewdly grasped the meaning in Xin Hexue’s words. “Divine Envoy, do you have any ideas for improving the plough?”
The soil of the fields along the Nile, irrigated by the river, was relatively fertile and generally did not require deep tillage. However, these lands could only be cultivated from November to June of the following year, following the rhythm of the Nile’s flood and ebb.
On the other hand, the dry fields at higher elevations could be farmed year-round, but due to the lack of river irrigation, such ploughs could only loosen the topsoil. The poor soil fertility made harvests less than optimistic.
The people of this land placed all their hopes for a good harvest on the Nile banks. But whenever there was a flood or disaster, the harvest would suffer. In severe situations, famine could spread, leading to unrest among the farmers.
Xin Hexue subconsciously thought of the kind of plough he had once touched during the spring ploughing ceremony in the ancient Central Plains dynasty.
“I would like to see the farming conditions in the dry fields first.”
He said to the Vizier.
………
They left the craftsmen’s village and headed toward the higher dry fields.
The slope of the field wasn’t steep, tending toward gentle, but the golden sun hung high in the center of the sky.
Xin Hexue had overestimated his physical condition, and his vision swam with flickering darkness, mixed with golden sand refracting sunlight. Xin Hexue swayed, and his chest felt tight, unable to breathe in fresh air.
It was Nub, who was closest, who first noticed his abnormality.
The weather was scorching, but he was immediately covered in cold sweat.
Nub quickly helped Xin Huexue to rest in the shade of a few palm trees.
The group’s arrival disturbed the hawk originally in the tree. The hawk spread its golden-black wings wide and circled twice in the air, its sharp eyes surveying the humans on the ground, then flew back toward the depths of Thebes.
Leaning against the tree trunk, the pale-faced Xin Hexue gasped lightly. His head was dizzy and heavy, with frequent slight nausea in his chest that was hard to ignore. He was probably suffering from heatstroke.
Nub untied the water pouch he carried to give him water.
Just as he undid the waist rope tying the water pouch, Xin Hexue lowered his head and placed his hand on the belt outside his white robe.
His fingers trembled uncontrollably, yet he moved deftly, giving a pull.
The intricate long robe spread open on the ground, allowing the cool wind to reach his limbs and torso.
This way, Xin Hexue felt much better.
The silver-white hair on his forehead was already damp with cold sweat. When he looked up again, he saw that everyone around had turned their backs to him at some point.
There were even marks on the sandy ground from their swift turns.
Xin Hexue: ?
Xin Hexue was slightly surprised. “Do you have to stand like that? You’re blocking the wind.”
Nub lowered his eyes and fed him water.
Seto picked up the white robe from the ground, silently clenching it in his hand.
Anahet stammered a few words, finally snorting as he moved aside. Although he still refused to turn around, his earlobes were so red they seemed about to drip blood.
The scene that had flashed before his eyes earlier lingered.
A pure white body, yet tinged with a seductive pink hue, with some cold sweat dampening the neck and making the stickiness of the golden sand tangible. It looked like a stunning silver-haired water ghost emerging from the Nile.
One that would drag a man’s will down and pull him into the river’s weeds and whirlpools.
Anahet felt an unprecedented dizziness and fascination.
But Seto stepped forward, knelt beside Xin Hexue on one knee, and placed the other’s hand in his own palm.
Xin Hexue’s body temperature was cool, but his palm was slightly sticky with sweat from the heat, like a cat dissipating heat through its pink paw pads in hot weather.
Seto suddenly scooped Xin Hexue up horizontally. The long white robe was draped over him, and powerful arms firmly held the young man. He began to run swiftly like a wolf.
“Seto?!” Xin Hexue scolded subconsciously. “What are you doing?”
Cool wind rushed in from below.
Seto’s voice came out in a low voice as he ran. “Go back to the Palace. Quickly.”
