Ozymandias was no fool. He would surely know that Hebe intended to go to Heliopolis, but what could she possibly change by going to the City of Obsidian? Abydos, on the other hand, housed the Temple of Kings and stood beneath the protection of God Horus. Naturally, it was the best place to establish a refuge.
In the Red King's eyes, even if the Egyptians were allowed to flee, not many would get far. Compared to some fanciful exile plan, building oases capable of withstanding natural disasters was clearly more realistic.
The sun had risen above the horizon, and Hebe's gaze turned distant.
She knew that Ozymandias was an utter tyrant. Thus, once the Red King confirmed that she truly intended to go to Abydos, he would certainly unleash a natural disaster there, perhaps even destroy the city itself.
Hebe had used Abydos to draw fire away from Heliopolis and buy herself time, but she would not simply watch Abydos be destroyed for that reason.
So, she had requested Nitocris's aid, asking her to first establish her great deed there and draw Abydos into a mirror. That way, it could avoid destruction by the disaster.
Ozymandias's condition cannot be called good. He is currently doing everything he can to advance further and cannot spare much strength for destruction. He can only choose between Heliopolis and Abydos, and brewing a natural disaster takes time and comes with many signs. Hebe chuckled softly.
The sun climbed high. She began using the Lion School's secret teachings, stomping down hard. The force instantly shattered her strapped sandals, yet the footprints she left in the sand were remarkably shallow.
The girl shook her legs, kicked off the broken sandals that hindered her, then leaped high into the air like a nimble lioness chasing the sun's light.
The sand was gradually heating up, yet it did not hinder Hebe. On the contrary, her speed continued to increase.
Under the cover of this secret march, she smoothly reached the outskirts of Heliopolis. Here, the sunlight carried the scent of pine resin, and the obelisks outside the city always gleamed brightly.
The Red King had abolished all faith in the gods, but people's habits were not easily changed.
For thousands of years, the ancient Egyptians had lived alongside gods. Sacrifice and faith had long been woven into their daily lives, especially in Heliopolis. Even now, the place remained steeped in rich incense, with cats everywhere in the streets and temples.
The Lion School was stationed here. Knowing their guard rotations and shift changes, Hebe passed through several layers of defenses without obstruction and entered the city.
Resting briefly in the shade of a palm tree, Hebe watched the passing pedestrians. Combining the information she possessed with what she inferred from their conversations, she determined the location of the Temple of Thrice Great Hermes.
—The city's northwest corner.
It was a small temple shaded by date palms, fig trees, and plane trees. Eye symbols were carved into its outer walls, while its main gate was forged from pure metal and inscribed with profound aphorisms.
This temple did not have many believers. Compared with the Temple of Bestet across the diagonal street, it was especially deserted.
The temple's priest also seemed rather unorthodox. When Hebe arrived, there was no one inside besides the altar bearing an emerald tablet, along with Papyrus Scrolls and clay tablets recording aphorisms.
Hebe said nothing. She merely looked through the Papyrus Scrolls and clay tablets. They contained nothing regarding secret teachings, only details to mind in daily life, boundaries in married life, and rules to follow in work and study.
Just as Hebe returned the clay tablets and Papyrus Scrolls to their places, the pattering sound of footsteps came from afar. A little boy about her height hurried in with a bulging pouch of dates, then poured them before the emerald tablet.
He picked out two enormous dates, rinsed them in clear water, and held them out to Hebe.
"There is not much here with which to entertain you, so I went behind the temple to pick some dates. Please, have a taste."
Hebe accepted the date. Sure enough, it was large, juicy, and perfectly sweet.
Seeing that Hebe had no reservations, the little boy narrowed his eyes and smiled. "Ah, our dates are delicious, aren't they? You cannot get these in Memphis. Perhaps even the dates are afraid of His Majesty Ozymandias's radiance."
"You are the priest of the Temple of Hermes, aren't you?" Hebe was not surprised that the priest before her had called her by name at once.
After all, March Archon Raven had come from the future. There would inevitably be some displays of divine power.
"Yes, as you can see, I am indeed the priest of this temple." The little boy bowed humbly. "My name is Tutankhamun. I have been waiting here for you for quite some time, Your Highness Hermes."
"Tutankhamun?"
Hebe froze. This young pharaoh, who had ascended the throne at nine and died suddenly at nineteen, had left behind no achievements worthy of praise in history. Yet the mysteries uncovered after his death had brought Egyptology to its height.
It could be said that in Hebe's previous life, not everyone knew Ramesses II, but whenever Egypt was mentioned, Tutankhamun and the name of his mysterious curse could not be avoided.
However, that had been in Hebe's previous life. In this world, even Egyptian civilization itself had vanished silently into the yellow sands, let alone the young pharaoh Tutankhamun.
"You know me?" Tutankhamun smiled in surprise. "Hm, I thought this would take more effort. Please, sit... Do not mind the Papyrus Scrolls and clay tablets. They are merely imitations without any mystical effect."
He adjusted his clothes, sat before the desk, and reached out to stir the candle flame on it.
Then the sunlight shining through the window lattice and doorway flickered. The distant scenery turned illusory, then became real again. This space was isolated, hidden within the cracks between time and secrets.
"What we are about to discuss concerns history, gods, and the future, so we must pray for the protection of the Lord of Secret Arts." The young pharaoh smiled humbly. "I hope you will forgive me."
Hebe frowned. Tutankhamun's attitude was excessively humble. Leaving Ozymandias aside, even by Nitocris and Pepe's standards, Tutankhamun fell far short.
She gave the boy a heavy look. "How much do you know about Ozymandias's situation?"
Tutankhamun smiled easily.
"Hmm... Going straight to the greatest pharaoh. Not bad, not bad."
He sighed.
"Ozymandias holds the key capable of opening the gates of the wilderness. Back when he still acted under the name Ramesses II, he already drove the masses as one drove oxen and horses, making his own will the will of everyone beneath heaven.
It could be said that the one-eyed Father Lord liked tyrants like him the most.
If Ozymandias had continued along the Authority Path, he would certainly have gained the Father Lord's favor and might even have become one of the Father Lord's four faces."
Hebe nodded lightly. She knew that Father Lord referred to February Archon Scarred Father, the god who governed the Authority Path.
After the first Calamity of the Ennead, Ramesses II had abandoned Scarred Father's path and established himself as the Red King. What exactly had happened during that process?
Tutankhamun smiled kindly.
"It is normal that you do not know, because this concerns the foundation of Ascendants."
He dipped his fingers into a basin of water and drew a straight line in the air. The watery line trembled lightly and divided itself into four sections.
"The Path of Ascension, also called the Path of Great Deeds, originated from the creation of September Archon, the Lord of Great Deeds. It is divided into four ranks: Dawn, Daylight, Dusk, and Crimson Dawn, corresponding to the black, white, yellow, and red stages of alchemy.
"To rise from Dawn to Daylight, one must establish one's own tenets and condense a unique mark.
"To rise from Daylight to Dusk, one must combine those marks and, through a secret ritual, achieve a great deed."
Hebe nodded. She could understand everything up to this point. During The Rose War, she had advanced into Dusk. In Egypt, she had accepted Ozymandias's investiture. When wielding authority, she was Dusk, but ordinarily she was only Daylight.
In truth, among the Nine Sages, apart from Ozymandias himself, only the Three Kings were of the Dusk rank. Benu, Shesepenhe, Hermanubis, and Apep were merely at the peak of Daylight.
"The reason Dusk-rank demigods can remain in the world for so long is because the great deeds they achieved are still remembered by the world."
Tutankhamun raised a bowl and took a sip of water, narrowing his eyes. "Great deeds have varying strengths. The weakest may become precarious after merely two hundred years, while the strongest have been carved into the foundations of the world since before the First History, renewing themselves every day with the turning of the world."
Dusk-rank demigods achieved great deeds, and those great deeds in turn ensured their continued existence. That was the principle of inner and outer, surface and substance.
Recalling her own advancement from Daylight to Dusk, Hebe could not help sighing at the complexity of the process, the hardship of the experience, and the absurdity of the ritual.
Advancing from Daylight to Dusk was already like this. Then what about advancing from Dusk to Crimson Dawn...
Tutankhamun's voice remained calm. "No, none of that is needed. Great deeds are the summit of the Path of Ascension. In other words, Dusk is the most stable rank. As for Crimson Dawn, calling it a separate stage is rather forced."
He raised his hand and pointed at the watery line in the air. It instantly turned scorching hot, saturated with the color of flame.
Water became fire.
"Dawn, Daylight, Dusk—just as the sun rises, reaches noon, then falls below the horizon.
"That is a complete process, while Crimson Dawn reverses that process and rises again. Apart from great deeds, nothing else can provide the power.
"Do you understand?
"To rise from Dusk to Crimson Dawn, besides the necessary ritual, a demigod must burn away the great deeds they possess. Destroy with fire, recreate with fire, burn away the great deeds together with one's own mortal nature, and forge a truth called Golden Truth.
"Great deeds can be disproven, overturned, or forgotten, but Golden Truth cannot. Once declared, it exists forever."
Hebe shuddered.
And in her wordless silence, Tutankhamun continued.
"Therefore, looking into the past and toward the future, those who rise from Dusk to Crimson Dawn either ascend further, becoming eternal alongside the world, or become a pile of ash scarcely worthy of being called noble, utterly forgotten by the world.
"This process does not take long. At shortest, an instant; at longest, seven days. But it never exceeds twelve days."
From Tutankhamun's tone, Hebe understood what he meant: these were rules established by the Archons.
Only then did Tutankhamun sigh.
"And Ozymandias has remained at the Crimson Dawn rank for several hundred years. What price has he paid?"
As he said this, several traces of indistinct chill finally entered the boy's voice.
"You know it well yourself. The Three Kings, the Four Sages, and all the people of Egypt are merely fuel. Yet Ozymandias did not divide the seats of the Nine Sages until more than a hundred years later.
"When he had just become the Red King, his gaze was fixed upon the pharaohs of every age enshrined in Abydos's Temple of Kings.
"Ozymandias swallowed the authority of every famous pharaoh... except for the few whose paths did not align with his, such as Her Majesty Nitocris and Her Majesty Junapekape. Of course, pharaohs like me, who never truly held great power, were even less likely to catch his eye."
Tutankhamun lowered his eyes meaningfully. "So, do you understand Ozymandias's present state? Having maintained the Crimson Dawn rank for centuries, he has long gone thoroughly mad.
"He cannot retreat, so he can only climb upward. But Father Lord will not accept a traitor... and Ozymandias is even less willing to bow beneath another, not even God Horus."
"It seems that mentioning March Archon gave him unrealistic ambitions."
Hebe meant that she had mentioned March Archon Raven. Since Ozymandias had no intention of submitting to the Ennead, he would surely seek to ascend in a single step—for instance... becoming an Archon.
"It is not unrealistic." Sitting within the secret light, Tutankhamun spoke softly. "It is not unrealistic."
"When the first Calamity of the Ennead descended, Ozymandias was shaken by it. Only then did he realize that there were powers in the world far greater than royal authority, and so he sought a path that submitted to no god...
"Heh, that is indeed true. Even true Eternals possess Golden Truths that are but the remaining places of Archons.
"But you must surely wonder why the first Calamity of the Ennead appeared. The answer is actually very simple."
Tutankhamun smiled with warmth in his eyes, his tone gentle.
"The answer is simple. The nine Archons were discussing whether a new Archon should be born."
A look of realization appeared on Hebe's face. She nodded neither humbly nor arrogantly. "So that was it!"
Every mystery now had an answer.
The nine Archons had discussed the birth of a new Archon in the wilderness. Their opinions certainly could not have been entirely the same, so the conflict between them affected the present world from the wilderness, forming the first Calamity of the Ennead.
Ozymandias had realized that even greater powers existed in the world, learned that other paths existed, and was thus forced to take a crucial step—yet he could not rise any higher.
He first devoured the pharaohs of every age, then divided the seats of the Nine Sages. Afterward, he brought down natural disasters, seizing countless lives as firewood to maintain himself.
Yet even so, Ozymandias could not keep supporting himself. At most seven years later, he would make one desperate gamble and drag all of Egypt down into the abyss with him.
Hebe had spoken the honorific name of March Archon Raven, bringing this young Archon from the future and creating a new turn in events. Ozymandias had realized that he might even become an Archon—the flames of ambition would not allow him to let go.
For that, he would not hesitate to sacrifice all of Egypt to accomplish his unprecedented great deed.
If Ozymandias had been here, he would surely have laughed loudly. "I am the sun, sovereign of the Great Red Sand Sea, all oases, and the god-king of the entire realm. If all Egypt dies for me, is that not only proper?!"
Hebe's heart gradually sank. She carefully stared at the smiling Tutankhamun before her.
Bright sunlight poured in from outside the window, but the seat was empty. There was no Tutankhamun at all, only an empty carpet.
Hebe's expression remained composed as she quietly stared at that spot. Then her brow suddenly swelled with pain, and faint ripples emerged in the air, like layer upon layer of feathers.
Those overlapping feathers vanished in an instant, as though they had been nothing more than an illusion. Tutankhamun was still seated properly in his place, eating fresh dates.
Was the Tutankhamun before her truly that pharaoh from history who died young? The thought flashed through Hebe's mind. Was he an incarnation of March Archon Raven, or...
The thought quickly vanished again. Hebe suppressed her emotions. "In other words, if I do not stop him, Ozymandias truly might become an Archon?"
Hebe recalled the terrifying skeleton that descended from the clouds at the end of every seventh year, treading upon deserts and oases, scooping up flesh and blood to satisfy itself. If it had to correspond to an Archon, then it could only be December Archon Duke of Sighs.
Could Ozymandias be the future Duke of Sighs?
Once Hebe formed that conjecture, the Lostbelt strategy progress surged violently upward.
The sunlight twisted, forming words visible only to her.
The truth of history has finally been revealed. Between natural disasters and ambition, Ozymandias found the road to the Archon's throne, and he now holds the key to opening the ultimate gate. Ozymandias is touching a taboo, yet taboo things possess power of their own. The Red King will use everything in Egypt as the foundation of his ascension. Amid the rise and fall of civilization, he will seize the authority of natural disasters, despair, and death.
The truth of history could not be altered, and neither could the fate of December Archon Duke of Sighs's birth.
Hebe raised her head and met Tutankhamun's gaze.
The young pharaoh was happily chewing dates. Noticing Hebe's gaze, he smiled awkwardly.
"I imagine the gods would not like a violent, arbitrary, and reckless peer," Hebe said to Tutankhamun with a smile. "In terms of arbitrary rule, February Archon Scarred Father came first; in terms of boundless brutality, August Archon · Remnant Wolf came later."
"Besides, I think a god governing a subordinate path of Winter's Tenets should maintain silence and respect toward death—at the very least, toward proper death."
Hebe's smile grew brighter, yet the chill around her grew ever heavier.
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