late at night.
The city of Heliopolis was shrouded in silence, and the sounds of stones being moved and struck completely disappeared.
There was only the "zillazilla" sound of the burning torches.
The firelight reflected on the broken stone walls, lengthening the shadows of the patrolling Holy Egyptian soldiers.
The Egyptians who worked during the day, hammering and moving stones, were now lying in the open space outside the Temple of the Sun.
Some of them huddled in the corners, while others lay directly on the stone road, simply covered with some worn linen.
The patrolling soldiers of Holy Egypt would lower their steps slightly when passing by them.
The soldiers would also look at the magnificent Temple of the Sun, and even they themselves could not understand how these people managed to repair the temple in such a short time.
They looked at the Egyptians lying on the ground. Their faces were covered with dust and their palms were covered with cracks and bloody scabs.
Occasionally one of them would turn over and mumble something in his sleep.
"Great Ra!"
"Oh, great, God Ra..."
However, the air was still filled with a burnt smell.
That's because the fire burning corpses in the distance was still burning fiercely, with no signs of abating.
The fire lit up half the sky red, and black ashes slowly fell like snowflakes, landing on people's faces and bodies.
But no one woke up and brushed them away.
Lin Ke stood in the center of the Temple of the Sun. He looked here and there, admiring the Temple of the Sun.
The restoration work of the temple has been basically completed.
The murals on the walls have been restored to look brand new, and the stone statues on the altar have also been remodeled.
But just by looking at it, one can seem to imagine the majestic appearance of the sun god in the past.
Renault stood behind him, bowed and lowered his voice as he introduced to Lin Ke the origins of these murals and stone statues.
"Your Majesty, these stone statues were carved by the old slaves who were lucky enough to survive."
"Some of them used to be stonemasons, and some were priests and workers who specialized in maintaining the Temple of the Sun."
“It’s just that they had to hide their identities after the Hebrews conquered this place.”
"It wasn't until today that they finally had the opportunity to pick up their tools again and contribute their part to the temple."
After hearing what the other party said, Lin Ke smiled and nodded.
At this time, he walked out of the Temple of the Sun and saw a place next to it.
There are nine huge pillars there. These pillars are so thick and tall that it takes seven or eight people holding hands to surround them.
Moreover, each pillar is carved with complex and various patterns.
The description seems to be about the pharaoh and the priests, as well as the gods and their worshippers.
One of them depicts the god Ra driving the solar boat, while another depicts the strange ritual of the Egyptians dancing with their gods.
There were some scenes that Lin Ke had never seen even in the Holy King's Palace in Cairo.
“Pah.”
At this moment, Lin Ke felt as if he had stepped on something sticky. He lowered his head and saw that it was a pool of blood under the pillar.
He looked at the sticky blood that had not yet dried, turned around and asked Renault behind him: "What's with this blood?"
Renault immediately knelt on the ground, his voice sounding somewhat helpless: "Your Majesty the Holy Pharaoh! This old slave deserves death!"
"That was from the workers who were finishing the stone painting today. They accidentally cut their hands and it dripped down."
"They were in such a hurry that they ignored their own injuries and just wanted to finish the work as quickly as possible. In the end, they broke their hands and spilled blood all over the floor."
"The people of Holy Egypt can't wait to see that moment, when the ceremony begins and the Temple of the Sun is illuminated by the sun again."
"I beg Your Majesty the Holy Pharaoh not to blame them. If you want to blame someone, blame me instead."
Lin Ke didn't say anything, but just continued to look at the pool of blood on the ground.
Just then, a few pieces of black debris floated down gently and landed on the back of his hand.
He raised his head and looked into the distance.
The fire burning the corpses was still burning fiercely, and large pieces of black dust sometimes fell slowly.
Renault followed Lin Ke's gaze and leaned forward again: "Your Majesty, many Egyptians are already old. After the last battle, they were injured or sick."
"But they work harder for you than they ever did under the Hebrews."
"It's just that they couldn't hold on, so their bodies collapsed and they died."
"It's a pity for me that they won't be able to see the Temple of the Sun illuminated by the sun again."
When Renault said this, he suddenly knelt on the ground, and his voice sounded very guilty: "Your Majesty, the death of these people is inseparable from me!"
"Although I had planned the repairs, they ignored their own health and just kept working without any rest."
"I, I bear an unshirkable responsibility for this."
"But I beg Your Majesty the Holy Pharaoh to allow me to complete this final ceremony!"
Lin Ke did not answer immediately, he just continued to look at the fire in the distance.
After a moment, he slowly spoke: "You are not guilty."
Renault raised his head, his eyes full of confusion: "Your Majesty... Holy Pharaoh?"
Lin Ke turned around and looked at him directly: "They didn't die because of you. If you don't let them build, they will only feel more pain."
"I'm afraid their bodies couldn't hold on any longer."
"It was the faith that gave them new meaning, the faith that was as unshakable as a mountain, that gave them hope to live again."
"They sacrificed themselves not for others but for the sacred faith in their hearts."
"So, their death is not your fault. It is their loyalty to their faith and their own glory."
Renault put his forehead to the ground with a trembling voice, "Ah! Your Majesty the Holy Pharaoh, Your Majesty the Merciful Holy Pharaoh!"
At this time, Lin Ke just stroked the stone pillar and looked at the patterns on it.
At this moment, Renault suddenly coughed a few times.
He quickly covered his mouth with his sleeve, and then hid the blood-stained sleeve behind his back.
Then, Renault took a deep breath and continued, "Your Majesty the Holy Pharaoh, I think we can start preparing for the ceremony now."
"We have to have everything ready before sunrise."
Lin Ke nodded, then turned her head and looked at him: "Okay, tell me what items you need now, so I can ask the soldiers to prepare them."
"I'll leave the rest of the work to you."
Renault bowed again at this time: "Don't worry, Your Majesty the Holy Pharaoh."
"The light of the sun god Ra will surely reappear here."
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