Chapter 363 Pharaoh

……

Hermenu, the human world.

Outside Memphis, on the road built along the Nile.

The setting sun was like blood, and the breeze was blowing. The wheels of the oxcart rolled on the road, attracting the attention of pedestrians on the roadside.

The sound of whips lashing was heard from time to time, and there were also bursts of sobbing.

This is the capital of the Egyptians, and it is also a big city on par with Heliopolis and Thebes.

If the latter two are famous in the world because of their theological sacredness, then Memphis, as the place where the pharaohs lived, is simply a capital in the secular sense.

Located in the core of Upper and Lower Egypt, the later Cairo is not far from here. The dynasty's decrees were conveyed from here and reached all Egyptian city-states.

Of course, in addition to this, this place now has another meaning-according to the will of Shu, the messenger of the god Ra and one of the nine pillars of gods, in the past few years, the sinners throughout Egypt have been driven away and gathered around this city.

Therefore, it took almost no time for this place to become the largest gathering place for the Hebrews and also the largest construction site. Because for some reason, since Shu conveyed the last oracle a few years ago, the connection between the gods who lived in Heliopolis and the human world has become discontinuous.

Some people say that the existence of sinners has angered the gods, and some people say that the huge bronze statue cast by Pharaoh Ramses II for himself is extravagant and displeased by the gods.

In short, as the ruler of Upper and Lower Egypt and the pharaoh, the apostle of God on earth gave orders for this. He ordered people to organize these slaves and build a huge temple to please the gods. In order to achieve this goal, he spared no cost.

So a large amount of stone was transported to Memphis, and countless slaves died of exhaustion under the increasingly bright sun.

On such a day, one day, two ox carts came from afar and headed towards Memphis.

…

Grumble…

Ting——

"Thank my Lord for giving me lunch."

He closed his eyes and knocked on the plate with a silver spoon. Moses knelt in the carriage amid the crisp sound, praying to God in a low voice.

The carriage was a little shaky, but Moses, who was over 80 years old, still sat very steadily.

His body was straight, and beside him, two young boys and girls imitated him, drew complicated patterns on their chests, and prayed with their eyes closed.

"Thank my Lord for giving me lunch."

"...Okay, that's enough. You two are hungry too, so eat quickly."

After a while, Moses opened his eyes.

He looked at the two children who seemed to have their eyes closed, but were actually secretly observing him, and said with a smile.

His wife and family were in the car behind, and only he and the two mixed-race children he rescued on the road were here at the moment.

They were not real Hebrews, but the descendants of Egyptians and their mixed blood. Their mixed blood certainly made them not oppressed like the slaves carrying heavy stones on the roadside, but their rights would not be recognized.

After all, Ra punished them for their Hebrew blood, so these mixed-race children were born sinners. No law would protect them. If they hadn't met Moses, they would have died in the wilderness under the bullying of their peers.

"Thank you, sir."

Although they couldn't stand the tempting aroma of the food, the two children still thanked them first.

Moses waved his hand and signaled that they didn't need to care.

After getting permission, the two children finally started to eat.

"Alas..."

Moses sighed softly and felt helpless watching the two children wolfing down their food.

Even when he was in the car, he could still hear the whip waving outside. They were separated by two worlds, but he couldn't do anything now. Because this was an order issued by Pharaoh himself, and they themselves were recognized as sinners.

If you want to change this situation, you have to change the gods of Egypt and the Pharaoh who ruled the world.

Fortunately, the rumors he heard along the way told Moses that the connection between the Egyptian gods had become increasingly blurred since a few years ago, so he only needed to convince the rulers of the world.

"I want to save them, and I should save them. Because in this world, only I have the ability to do so."

Thinking silently, time passed quickly in Moses's contemplation.

I don't know when the two children finally finished their lunch.

The children, whose hunger was relieved, finally had the courage to raise their heads and looked at the old man who saved their lives with grateful eyes.

"...Mr. Moses."

"Hmm?"

Coming back to his senses from contemplation, Moses looked at the little girl who had just spoken.

The other party seemed to be a little hesitant, so he immediately smiled and encouraged: "Why, do you have anything to ask me?"

"Speak up, as an old man, it is my duty to teach children."

"Thank you, you are such a good person!"

The boy smiled embarrassedly and asked: "Mr. Moser, I want to know... which god is the 'god' you asked us to thank just now?"

"Is it the greatest one who controls the sun?" The girl on the side said with wide eyes: "Or some other god asked you to save us. I heard that we have blood cursed by God. Is the curse finally lifted now?"

"..."

There was some silence, and Moses didn't know what to say for a while. But after a moment, he still shook his head slightly.

"No, you are wrong, kid."

"The Egyptian gods did not withdraw their punishment on us, even though I came here to hope that they would withdraw it. Pharaoh did not restore our rights in the law, even though I came here for this purpose. At least now, the Hebrews are still sinners in their eyes, so the Lord I believe in is not the Egyptian god."

"He is the almighty divine, the beginning and end of all things. I saw the revelation He gave me in the flames, and I came to the earth at His command to save my fellow countrymen who were in distress."

Speaking softly, according to Moses' original intention, he actually just wanted to separate the god he believed in from all the gods that existed in Egypt in the past. After all, the two children in front of him were just mixed-blood. They had never heard of the legends of the Hebrews since childhood, and it was easy for them to confuse the two, thinking that different gods were just gods from the same pantheon but with different opinions.

However, after hearing his words, the girl's eyes lit up, as if she had misunderstood something.

"So Mr. Moses, the reason why we are regarded as sinners is that the gods in the past were the gods of the Egyptians. They only protected the Egyptians and hated any human beings outside of Egypt. The gods you believe in are our gods. They will only protect us and punish those who harm us on our behalf. Is that right?"

"Of course not... um..."

Subconsciously, he wanted to deny it, because Moses knew very well that the Lord had never seen blood and race in his eyes, nor did he care about the good and evil and conflicts in the world.

Just as He had told him before, He did not care about the Hebrews, let alone their life and death. He only cared about Moses himself.

But that's what he said, but at this moment, when Moses looked at the expectant eyes of the two children, he hesitated for a long time.

If he said that, maybe he would extinguish the hope that had just risen in their hearts... On the contrary, if he admitted it, it would not break their fantasy, and such misunderstanding would also help shape their reverence for the Lord.

For most ignorant mortals, understanding God as "protecting oneself" and "protecting the enemy" can let them know who their faith should be dedicated to as quickly as possible.

'Let's do this for now. In the future... when things settle down, I will tell them the true greatness of the Lord, which is not limited to human race, species, or the greatness of all things. As for now, it's not bad to let them immerse themselves in dreams. '

After thinking about it for a long time, Moses finally nodded.

His smile is like the warm sun in winter. Even though he is very old, his eyes are still bright.

"Well... yes, children, you are right."

"He is the God of everything in the world, but also the God of the Hebrews. Those who bring destruction to us will also be punished by Him."

"This is the covenant He made with me in the revelation of fire."

At least it is true in words... Moses does not think he has deceived them.

Memphis is very close, and he also has to think about how to convince Pharaoh.

Although God said that the road he was going through would be tortuous and that the Hebrews would suffer heavy casualties on their way back to their homeland, Moses still wanted to try.

If Pharaoh was willing to release them directly, it would be great.

…

The brief conversation did not interfere with the progress of the oxcart. As time passed, the carriage finally came close to Memphis.

But compared to the fantasy city of Chaos, Memphis was far behind.

However, the city walls were more than ten meters high and the guards in leather armor... When the oxcart approached the city gate, it immediately attracted the attention of the guards.

Snap——

There was a sound of scattered leather armor colliding. The guards had no intention of checking it, but instead paid respect to the carriage.

Because in today's Upper and Lower Egypt, horses are an extremely rare livestock, and they are often used in military units such as chariots. Camels or oxcarts are really used for transportation.

Of course, it is said that there are more, but in fact, there are not many. Compared with the huge changes in Chaos, the mortal world of Hemenu is the real productivity of the classical era.

Therefore, they were able to avoid the fatigue of traveling all the way, and even avoided the soldiers' interrogation. Even now, even the guards of the Egyptian capital tacitly accepted that they were nobles in the city. Moses really had to thank his wife's family for their extraordinary origins and the respected priests of the Midianites.

Otherwise, even if no one remembered his identity as a fugitive forty years ago, he might have been directly detained as a Hebrew and then arrested to build the temple.

"Please come in, respected adults."

With the courtesy of the captain of the guard, the carriage slowly drove into Memphis.

After more than forty years, Moses once again set foot in the city where he grew up.

"I remember that the place where Pharaoh lived should be there, and I don't know if it has been moved or repaired over the years."

Introducing everything on the road to the two curious children one by one, traveling in this city that is called the 'royal capital' but is not as big as imagined.

Soon, the Egyptian palace was within reach. But when he got here, Moses' carriage could no longer move unimpeded.

"You stay here first, the things that follow will be a little dangerous... I want to go alone to meet the kings of Upper and Lower Egypt."

Reaching out his hand and holding the long staff that had been lying across his knees, Moses gave the two children a word and then got off the carriage.

He looked straight at the place where he grew up, and old memories flashed through his mind.

It was here that he received royal education and everything he did later. So in a sense, Moses still hopes to solve this problem as peacefully as possible.

"Who is coming?"

Qiang——

A question came from in front of him, and two spears were crossed at the intersection.

The approach of Moses' carriage had already attracted the attention of the guards, but no one thought they were coming to attack the palace.

They looked at this strange 'noble' and thought about which city-state he came from.

"I am Moses, the messenger of the Lord on earth; I have come from Midian to pay homage to His Majesty Ramses II."

"By God's will, I will discuss the future of my race with Him."

Holding the scepter in hand, Moses spoke softly.

He was not going to let the Pharaoh grant them equal status with the Egyptians, he just had to take them away.

They will climb over mountains and rivers and return to the place where their ancestors once lived in myths and legends.

And the first step is to start here.