Chapter 59

When the Nile floodwaters that had submerged the settlements finally receded, the dark, fertile silt shimmered with undulating light under the brilliant sun.

What should have been a scene of all things sprouting and growing was instead a landscape of utter ruin, hollow and deathly still.

Demolished dwellings, livestock pens, rotted and withered vegetable leaves, and clear, parched cracks splitting the earth…

Edith and her group watched the scene with indifferent expressions, never pausing. Having traveled this far, they had grown accustomed to such sights.

As they moved further ahead, the fragmented groans of agonizing pain drifted toward them, and the gentle wind—which ought to have relieved the heat—was instead laden with the unbearable stench of decay.

Ahead appeared to be a temporary settlement for survivors; a few dilapidated houses still standing barely blocked out the poisonous sunlight.

A few people, emaciated beyond recognition with clothes in tatters and hair matted into grimy clumps, saw the strangely dressed group approaching from a distance. They took up crude weapons made of stone or wood, adopting a wary stance.

“Give them some water.”

“Yes.”

General Sal, following Edith’s command, distributed water as a matter of routine and provided additional food. Thanks [read the original at bailiantales.com]to Ye Zhiqing’s earlier reminder, their supplies of food and water far exceeded what was needed for the journey. The dire conditions they had witnessed these past few days also far exceeded their expectations.

Upon seeing the food and water, the people instantly relaxed their vigilance. Their faces, so filthy the skin color was indiscernible, trembled slightly as they moved toward Edith, clearly intending to show gratitude.

Unsurprisingly, they were intercepted by the guards.

Edith’s eyes remained cold, devoid of pity. She took only a few glances before continuing forward.

The ships could not reach the city of Lykaina, and the chariots could not navigate this section of road destroyed by the flood. They had to take a detour, and to save time, the group split into two. Sal followed Edith on foot through the area, while the chariot convoy detoured to meet them in Lykaina.

Sal was filled with worry throughout the journey, following Edith closely.

“King, shall we enter the city directly? People are prepared there to receive us.”

“No. We go to the Augustus Mountains first.”

The Augustus Mountains served as a natural barrier blocking the eastern desert. Many cities like Lykaina, which were far from the Nile, relied on these mountains for survival. The high barriers blocked the hot, dry seasonal winds from the eastern desert, trapping and storing precious drinking water. Various fruits and vegetables could be grown in the alluvial plains beneath the mountains, which unreservedly bestowed nature’s gifts upon the cities below.

The group walked along the mountain ridge toward the midpoint. Edith led the way. Everyone was wrapped from head to toe in long, white linen robes. From a distance, a line of white, unidentified objects appeared against the distinct ridgeline, looking somewhat abrupt and eerie.

Reaching a mountain pass, a scorching gale mixed ​unauthorized copy​with yellow sand blew directly at them. The piercing cry of a hawk echoed from the summit.

General Sal slowed his pace, matching Edith’s rhythm. He saw Edith stop in the center of the pass and take out a dark-gold circular whistle.

Tu~ Tu~ Tu~

With the intermittent whistle, Sal felt the hawk cries from the summit drawing closer. Before long, several majestic goshawks dived from the sky, their powerful talons gripping a protruding rock not far from the group.

Rock fragments fell away. Strange, obscure tones escaped Edith’s lips, and the most magnificent and sturdy goshawk seemed to understand her perfectly. After responding with a strange gu-gu-gu sound, it beat its wings and soared into the clouds, vanishing within moments.

After completing this, Edith sat down on the ground where she was.

General Sal made a hand signal toward the rear; the others scattered to set up a perimeter. Sal silently placed water and food behind Edith and found a spot neither too close nor too far to stand. His gaze, which occasionally swept over Edith, held an extra layer of silent awe and fear.

Sal’s family had always maintained a neutral stance, historically loyal only to the Pharaoh on the throne. Thus, in the turbulent power struggles of Thebes, even though his family had deep historical ties to the Egyptian royalty, their official positions were always mid-level—neither high nor low, neither painful nor significant.

In other words, whether the person on the throne was Edith or Inanhote mattered little to them; they were loyal to whoever successfully held the throne. Sal knew very well that this was precisely why Edith had chosen him for this escape from Thebes—his disappearance would not attract much notice.

However, during this journey, Her Majesty had not hidden a single one of her actions, whether he understood them or not. Sal knew clearly that these actions were not tests, but a naked declaration. From this moment on, he and his family could only be loyal to Edith.

She was a deity on high, fit only for worship, a mix of salvation and sin.

Edith appeared entirely oblivious to her surroundings, retracting her presence until she seemed to merge with the barren, scorched earth. Through her white veil, she gazed eastward. The Red Sea sat adjacent to the eastern desert, its straits connecting to the Mediterranean in the north via the Suez.

“General Sal.”

“King.”

“Which trade route currently carries Punt’s myrrh, gold, ebony, and ivory?”

“King, since you opened the Port of Suez, the northern and eastern nations have all begun transshipping through the Suez Canal.”

Sal responded cautiously to the Egyptian Queen’s sudden question. He had a protégé named Gwani who was responsible for recording the commercial traffic entering and leaving Thebes.

After waiting a long time with no further sound from ahead, Sal dared to carefully straighten up and look forward. Her Majesty had not moved an inch. He didn’t know if the question was a passing whim or held deeper meaning; he only felt a chill at the back of his head.

Fortunately, it wasn’t long before a sound from ahead broke the eerie silence.

“My King.”

One person in front, two behind—all three wore golden soft armor. Their bronze ​Read on BaiLianTales​skin shimmered brilliantly under the sun. Before they even drew near, a soul-shaking, intense fighting spirit surged toward the group. All three wore golden masks. Their right palms were turned inward against their chests as they bowed to Edith.

“You have arrived.” Edith stepped forward to take the golden mask handed over by the leader. Her white robe fell to the ground, and her ink-black hair spilled down like a waterfall in the wind.

Unlike the other three, the center of Edith’s mask was inlaid with gemstones forming the Eye of Horus.

Sal and his men remained silent, not daring to move.

As if she had planned for this, Edith handed the prepared documents and command tokens to Sal. “General Sal, take these documents to the garrison at Lykaina. As for what to do next, I have specified it in the writings. You only need to follow the orders.”

“Yes, King.” Sal took the documents, wanting to ask about Edith’s subsequent arrangements. They had followed her out of the city to protect her, but her current attitude was a dismissal.

However, catching Edith’s gaze—which brooked no defiance or argument—all of Sal’s words died in his throat. Within moments, Edith and the others vanished without a trace.

His heart pounded violently in his chest. Sal stood there for a long time before he could recover. Inside Thebes, the news that the Queen was gravely injured and difficult to treat was being believed by more people as her absence lengthened. Rebellious movements were stirring everywhere, yet he felt as if there was nothing he could do.

Sal thought of something, gripped the documents tightly, and assumed a determined expression. A while later, there was no longer any movement at the ridge or the pass.

Meanwhile, heading north along the eastern desert, the endless sands were barren of life. Yet, as the field of vision shifted left, the fan-shaped alluvial plains unfolded—a vast, fertile land harboring infinite vitality.

Ye Zhiqing and the delegation stood on high ground, overlooking a landscape entirely different from the narrow terrain of Upper Egypt.

Amun-et. The first step of the Nile survey had begun.

“Miss Ye, this is the newly collected data.” Saul unhurriedly handed the information to Ye Zhiqing.

“Thank you.”

They were distant and detached when interacting, yet extremely natural, never mentioning the previous incident.

Ye Zhiqing plotted the collected data onto parchment. She hadn’t rested for a moment during the past few days of travel. The designers who came with her were all somewhat covered in dust and grime; so was she.

In contrast, Saul remained clean and untainted at all times, like an outsider to the world. The busyness of those around him had no effect on him.

Yet, in the entire delegation, only Saul could instantly grasp the 21st-century architectural surveying methods she described and quickly arrange everyone’s work based on their strengths. This saved Ye Zhiqing a lot of trouble.

At the same time, Saul’s respectful attitude toward Ye Zhiqing forced many designers—who originally disdained being under a Pharaoh’s concubine—to tuck away their rebellious thoughts. Through the past two days of exchange regarding architectural design, many were amazed by the advanced concepts she proposed, which saved them significant labor in their surveying.

The sun shone brightly overhead; every day was exhausting.

Late at night, under the vast starry sky, Ye Zhiqing lay on the grass, quietly watching the sea of stars. Unconsciously, she thought of Edith’s eyes. When facing others, those deep eyes were as [unauthorized copy]still as ancient waters, but when looking at her, they seemed soaked in the tenderness of a thousand stars.

In this solitary alien world, for the first time, someone had made her feel such an intense sense of longing and attachment.

What is Edith doing now? Is she resting? Is everything going smoothly?

These questions ran through her mind uncontrollably.

“Zhiqing…” In a daze, someone actually lay down beside her—familiar body heat, familiar voice.

Ye Zhiqing turned her head in astonishment. “Your Majesty Edith, why are you here?”

“I missed you, so I wanted to see you.” A warm embrace instantly enveloped her, causing Ye Zhiqing to drop all questions without resistance. She allowed that yearning in her heart to drive her body, smoothing out the restlessness caused by the other’s absence.

Behold, the mountains are high and the waters long; the spring tide comes late and fast.

“Miss Ye, Miss Ye!” Lamassu called out anxiously, thinking Miss Ye was simply too tired and had fallen asleep on the grass. She had brought a thin blanket, fearing she would catch a cold.

But when Lamassu looked again, she found Miss Ye’s face was flushed red, and she couldn’t be woken up.

Finally, under Lamassu’s persistent shaking, Ye Zhiqing woke up.

She felt a mix of shame and bewilderment.

It turned out to be nothing but a spring dream.