Egyptian mythology

As night falls, Valentan lights up, twinkling like stars.

The city was under curfew yesterday; there were no pedestrians on the streets, only patrolling soldiers.

Although we won the battle today, the casualties were extremely heavy. Cries could be heard from every household. The intensity of the elven siege was felt by the residents of the city. Fear can destroy one's defenses. Moreover, during the battle, the elven mage's attack magic accidentally hit the city, causing many casualties and chaos.

However, this is not the most critical issue.

The most critical point is that the Dusk Warband's defeat is only temporary. Everyone knows that elves are an extremely proud race, and if they taste defeat, they will definitely retaliate fiercely. Today's victory is just the beginning of tomorrow's bitter battle.

But that's war. Sometimes the outcome has nothing to do with whose sword is sharper, but with who is more ruthless, who can't hold on any longer, and who bleeds out first.

The helpless common people wept softly, the retreating soldiers were exhausted and frightened, and the military and political officials, led by Nick, were bracing themselves and strengthening their defenses, as an attack by the elves could come at any moment.

In this context, the celebratory atmosphere of the Vidal Chamber of Commerce seemed somewhat out of place.

But there was nothing they could do; besides a group of Imperials, other wondrous species also gathered here.

For example, there's the Earth prince who's passing by in a high-profile manner, the Autobots protesting against a shameful name, and the perpetually carefree green skins.

The orcs, in particular, were neither worried about the fate of the city nor afraid of the elves' offensive, nor did they lament the cruelty of war. So they were very happy to see the prophesied Big Mek for the first time and to have their first real big fight. The two joys combined gave them a waaaagh-like amount of time.

So they drank and ate to their hearts' content, and Kang De was able to experience the orc culture up close. A group of greenskins were drinking and bragging, and the scene was completely out of control.

Leona couldn't stand it and ran away long ago. Kang De originally wanted to have a casual chat with her, like asking questions like "Who else is in your family?"—a kind of China -specific conversation—but he couldn't take it anymore either.

"I have high hopes for them."

Kang De said to his Iron Son, "Beat him until he bleeds, beat him; start taking things apart, beat him; let him urinate or defecate anywhere, beat him; throw his excrement everywhere, beat him too... Do you understand?"

The Autobots nodded, then said in a muffled voice, "Father, I want a name."

"... puff."

Kang De turned his head to the side, unable to resist.

Iron Son's electronic eyes began to turn red. "Father, what are you laughing at?"

Although it was a question, it sounded more like an interrogation.

Kang De blinked, his eyes innocent and pure, and said, "I just remembered something happy."

The parts on the Autobots rattled and clicked, clearly indicating its displeasure.

"Hey, being Autobots is all about having fun. A name is just a label," Kang De earnestly advised. "Look, they call me 'Big Mek' too, but so what? It's just a cultural difference, so it sounds a bit strange. I know 'Little Mek' isn't great, but 'Iron Stratocaster' is fine. On Earth, they have a nickname called 'Little Steel Cannon'..."

His voice trailed off at this point.

The fact that Iron Son was just silently watching him made him feel pressured.

It's not that I'm afraid of anything. Let me put it this way: if you were spouting off dirty jokes and Optimus Prime was just standing there watching you without criticizing or interfering... you definitely wouldn't be able to keep going.

The Autobots remained silent for a moment, then transformed in a dazzling display, returning to their vehicle form.

She's sulking.

Kang De patted its hood. "Alright, if you don't like it, I'll think of a nice name for you. I promise it'll be both proper and pleasant-sounding..."

He leaned against the car door, his back against his Iron Son, looking up at the sky, a slow smile spreading across his face, "I have to say, it's been quite a while without you around these past few days. I can't let this happen again next time."

The Humvee jolted, and a voice came from the car's speakers. "Yeah, I'm not used to it either."

Kang De nudged the car door with his elbow. "But you did a great job."

The Autobots remained silent, unsure how to respond to the praise.

After a moment, Kang De said, "Have you looked at all the portable hard drives I gave you?"

"Not yet."

The Autobots responded, "Transmitting them in takes very little time, but understanding and comprehending them takes a long time... However, some of the blueprints are relatively simple."

Kang De nodded. "Good that you can understand... Tonight might be busy. The elves are actually very powerful. Although you achieved great success during the day, firstly, you caught them off guard. They had never seen this kind of warfare before. Secondly, most of their forces were tied down by the city walls, which allowed you to advance so quickly. Ultimately, our forces are still too weak. There will be more fighting tomorrow."

The Autobots calmly replied, "Yes, Father, I will help."

At this point, the father and son fell silent. The clamor of the green-skinned soldiers was merely background music; on many nights, they too had gazed up at the sky in this manner.

Suddenly, Iron Son said, "Father, I want to choose the name myself."

Kang De paused for a moment, somewhat disappointed, but still respected its wishes. "Okay."

"But..." he asked again, "What name do you want to give yourself?"

The Autobots replied, "I don't know... I haven't thought about it yet, but I can think about it slowly. There are many stories in this world, and there are many stories in my father's world. I can look at them little by little and think about them little by little."

Just as Kang De was about to speak, he saw figures moving in the distance. Hong San was standing in the lamplight. A thought struck him, and he said, "You stay here and watch over them. I'll be back in a bit."

The Autobots responded, then said, "Oh, right, Father, there were some other things on the portable hard drive you gave me, which I copied over earlier."

Kang De was initially puzzled, then his expression turned wary. "... What is it?"

Iron Son said, "I didn't look closely, but it seems to be a collection of myths."

Kang De breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, he hadn't taken the wrong one.

He thought about it for a while and then remembered the origin of those things. For a period of time, he was interested in myths and legends from all over the world, so he collected a lot of illustrated materials and planned to study them carefully.

Unfortunately, while those ancient myths and legends are very exciting to play and the character illustrations look impressive, reading the original myths feels a bit boring.

He waved his hand and said, "It's nothing, just some Earth myths and legends. You can read them when you're bored, just to relax... but don't have too high expectations."

Then Kang De walked over to Hong San.

The Autobots stood there quietly, its mind immersed in the world of data in a way that humans couldn't comprehend, deciphering complete information.

Suddenly, Kang De rushed back and patted the hood of the car. "Hey!"

Iron Son was startled. "Father?"

"Just asking, that collection shouldn't include ancient Greek mythology, right?"

No, what's wrong?

Kang De waved his hand with a strange expression and said, "That's good, it's nothing."

Ancient Greek culture can be considered the origin of Western culture. In that era, mythology reflected the thoughts and wisdom of the ancient Greeks, their challenge to authority, their innovation and reform, and their skepticism. This was specifically manifested in mythology as "parricide," "father killing," and "killing one's father."

The entire history of Western culture is almost like a vast history of patricide.

This thing will set a bad example for children.

Only after confirming that nothing was wrong did he turn and leave, relieved.

Iron Son was puzzled, but he also inherited one of his father's fine qualities: when faced with something he couldn't understand or figure out, he would temporarily stop thinking about it and do what he could.

So it opened the collection, randomly selected one, analyzed the information, and read it.

Egypt mythology...

Kang De had already put the matter out of his mind and went up to Hong San: "Where have you been again?"

As the elves retreated and Kang De was surrounded by cheering soldiers, Hong San hid to the side. When Kant left the city wall with Iron Son and Greenskins and inquired about the cause and effect, Hong San did not follow. Instead, he signaled to Kang De that he would stay behind for the time being. Then, he represented Kang De in contacting the Valentan side to prevent misunderstandings and to secure Kang De's share of the spoils and credit.

After everything was settled and he met with the mayor, he returned to the Chamber of Commerce alone.

During the meal, Kang De tried to keep him company, but after a while, he disappeared again.

In response to Kang De's question, Hong San smiled and said, "I'll leave after I've eaten. You know, I'm not feeling very comfortable."

Kang De glared at him, annoyed.

Some things are truly ingrained in one's bones. Even before, when I tried to sit down to eat with him, Hong San would feel uncomfortable all over and couldn't sit still. Sometimes he would even do things unconsciously—for example, if Kang De's napkin was crooked, a plate was placed a little too far away, or some crumbs fell on the table, Hong San would quickly fix these things in the blink of an eye, completely unable to control himself.

He shook his head, no longer wanting to say anything, or rather, seeing no need to say anything at all.

Because Glittering Sand Hong San is no longer the same person he was back then.

And so did Kang De.

Hong San had already prepared himself for another scolding and beating, but he didn't. He looked up, surprised, and asked, "Sir... aren't you going to say something?"

Kang De reached out and patted him on the shoulder. "In my hometown, there's a saying—some people may have cut off their queues, but not their hearts; such people are beyond redemption."

"And you, Hong San..."

He smiled and said, "Although you're used to kneeling right now, you're slowly standing up in your heart, so things will get better and better. There's no need to rush. Just like the Leaning Pagoda of Kaibao Temple, it was crooked when it was first built, but with a hundred years of wind and daily support, it will eventually be straightened one day."

Hong San stared blankly, then subconsciously asked, "The Leaning Pagoda of Kaibao Temple... what's that?"

"A pagoda in Bianjing during the Song Dynasty, the story recorded by Ouyang Xiu." Kang De smiled and moved on. "But that's not important. What's important is, Hong San, you must remember one thing... You are human."

"I think that as long as you remember that you are a human being, then how to make choices and how to act will become clear. You said your master taught you to follow your heart, but you ended up becoming this kind of freak. That's because he didn't think things through and forgot to tell you that before following your heart, you must remember that you are a human being. What do you think?"

He had a few drinks today, not enough to get drunk, but just a little tipsy, because he was in the mood.

That's why he slurred those words to Hong San.

Hong San smiled and nodded in agreement, but it was unclear whether he had taken it to heart.

He pulled a letter from his sleeve, a custom common in the East: "Someone from the city hall just came by, bringing two truckloads of things, saying they were for you, along with a letter from the mayor."

Upon hearing Nick, the drunkenness in Kang De's eyes vanished, and his expression cleared.

He took the letter, opened it, and stared intently at it, reading quickly and rapidly.

After a while, he let out a cold laugh filled with mockery and disdain.

Hong San was surprised to see this. Just as he was about to ask what was written inside, Kang De handed him the letter, saying calmly, "I can't read. Can you read what it says?"

Hong San accepted the gifts with a wry smile, reading them over and over. "Polite words of gratitude, the manner of aristocrats, the official business, and the promised spoils of war have all been delivered, along with some valuables and food as a reward... Judging by the carriage outside, the gifts are quite substantial."

Kang De nodded, which was quite sensible; after all, it was good that someone was giving him money.

Hong San then said, "He also said that the enchanted arrows you provided played a significant role in today's siege battle. He thanked us for our contributions and help, and hopes you can provide more..."

Kang De frowned, but nodded nonetheless. It was obvious what he meant; that thing was made to support the other side, and it was his own idea.

But the next moment, Hong San exclaimed in surprise, his face showing astonishment, and then he became uneasy.

Kang De noticed the change in his expression and asked, "What did he say now?"

Hong San didn't answer, but looked at the envelope several times, even reaching out to take it from Kang De's hand to compare it. His expression grew increasingly suspicious. "Something's not right... this..."

Kang De said impatiently, "Then tell me, what does it say?"

Hong San hesitated, then said, "I just wrote it, hoping you can continue to help, protect this city, and work with your friends... It seems fine, but I feel the tone is a bit strange, like something's not quite right..."

Kang De had Hong San read the letter aloud from beginning to end.

Hong San did as instructed, but Kang De still couldn't detect anything amiss.

Hong San suggested, "Perhaps I am of lowly status and cannot understand the nobles' phrasing and subtext. Why don't we let Miss Leona take a look?"

Kang De shook his head and said, "He's probably upset today... It doesn't matter, I'm wary of him anyway, and I'm not afraid of him. Right now, let's focus on defending the city. If you want, I'll give the letter to Leona later so she can see it. But wait, let's talk about defending the city. What methods do you think we should use next time the elves attack?"

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PS1: I'm experiencing writer's block, it's getting late, I have a headache, time for bed.