bit stealing game

Chapter 57 The covered mural

When I thought about this possibility, I felt a little unsteady and held the platform behind me.

A chill came over my hands.

I turned around and took a closer look. The altar table guarded by the statues of pharaohs and gods under the altar did not seem to be used to place sacrifices. And there was actually a chessboard painted on it. If I am not mistaken, it should be the Senet game.

.

Is it possible to go to another place from here? This is already underground. If we go further, we will go straight to the Palace of Hell.

I sneered and tried to throw the thought away.

The feeling of disharmony I had before entering the temple lingered, and I couldn't help but turn back and look at Horus guiding the way on the mural outside the temple. I had just been focused on looking at the temple under his guidance, and almost ignored it.

I found something wrong with the mural at the feet of the falcon-headed god.

Almost all ancient Egyptian murals are divided into several layers. Generally, the gods and pharaohs dominate the vision and space. In addition, some scenes or characters are painted in the blank spaces outside the main images.

The floor below the huge Horus relief outside the Temple of Set depicts scenes of Egyptians carrying spices, tobacco, alcohol and food. However, one of the murals may have been cracked due to external force. And

The paint peeling is different, and the entire layer of murals has become warped. Therefore, there is a gap between the gap and the wall itself.

I turned on the flashlight on my phone and cautiously approached the gaping hole to look inside.

There is actually a layer of brightly colored intaglios underneath the damaged relief, which was hidden with great effort.

Although I had already made some guesses, after seeing is believing, I felt as if someone had poured a lot of confusion on my head.

No, why is this happening?

I changed several angles and peeked in through the gap, wanting to know what the intaglio paintings hidden underneath were.

But the gap is not big, and it can only be barely seen that the lower part of the image shows a few brown-skinned Egyptians digging or moving something in a space.

My palms are sweaty. The background of the space where these Egyptians are located always feels like I have seen it before somewhere.

Thinking of this, I squatted on the spot and looked at the way I came.

Behind him is an empty corridor.

Looking back now, starting from the entrance of the cave that I accidentally discovered, the corridor has become deeper and wider as I go. The steps at the entrance are probably only about ten meters deep from the ground. By the time I get to the door of the main hall, I am afraid that I am already there.

It must be more than 20 meters underground. The location is estimated to be directly west of the two walls above.

In other words, the path Thutmose III was led by the gods continued underground from here.

And if you guessed it correctly, this double-layered mural should start from the bottom of the stairs. It can be regarded as the honor guard of the Pharaoh and the gods.

If we pry open all the murals on the lowest floor in front, there will probably be another layer of different scenes. But I don’t want to walk into the dark corridor of this evil temple alone.

While there was no one around, I couldn't help but want to use the peeling area to completely open up the outer layer of the mural to see clearly what was hidden underneath.

But I still held back.

As for how much I don’t want to destroy ancient Egyptian cultural relics, and how much I don’t want to face the truth, I can’t tell myself.

But this isn't the only place it's hidden.

Since there may be double-layered murals in the corridor behind, and the murals in the main hall are also continuous with the two walls on the ground, the double-layered murals may not be interrupted at the door, but may also extend in together.

So I re-entered the door with paintings of Osiris and Amun, and followed the wall on the left to verify my guess.

Because I subconsciously didn’t want others to know that there was something else underneath the mural, I didn’t use a flashlight to look at it, but bent over and slowly explored it with my hands.

Sure enough, I found a depression at the end of the south wall.

The fractures were neat, as if someone had done it deliberately. Looking further forward, it turned out that a large piece of the mural had been taken down.

I was secretly happy when I found what I wanted, when suddenly my eyes lit up.

I was startled when I heard the person behind me say, "Why are you picking on the wall here all by yourself?"

It's Lou Shiqi again. Why is he so haunted today?

"You scared me!" I closed my eyes hard and stood up suddenly. Unfortunately, this guy was too tall and I couldn't bring any pressure on him.

Lou Shiqi ignored my anger and leaned over to see the situation. I pushed his hand away and let the beam of light shine on Osiris in the middle of the wall.

"There may be something wrong with this mural. Don't let those foreigners see it." I whispered to him in Chinese. "Please help me shine elsewhere and don't let the flashlight shine down."

Lou Shiqi didn't know why, but he still protected me. It's just that his disguise was too poor, and he was so guilty that he could barely sing.

Fortunately, Meng Weiqing, Li Yuan, and the others were not around at this time, and the focus of Karl and others' surveillance was not on us. The Egyptologists were also immersed in the inscriptions behind the statue, and no one noticed us.

While I was chatting nonsense with Lou Shiqi, I used the light to peek at the bottom of the mural where the true face was revealed.

When I saw it, I was immediately shocked.

If it weren't for the bright light in the main hall, and if the area in front of you didn't walk over, your view would be blocked by the statues under the altar, then these intaglio carvings would have been discovered long ago.

Because the entire bottom layer was completely lifted, revealing the more delicate and labor-intensive incised murals on the bottom layer.

Who could have done it? The French archaeological team more than seventy years ago, Old Black and others sixty years ago, or Lord Black twelve years ago. They are all possible.

I didn't have time to think about whose handiwork it was, so I quietly took a closer look at these murals.

Now I am sure that what is painted in this mural is where we are now.

It turns out that workers in ancient Egypt moved things here, and finally used them to sacrifice to the gods. However, they were not trophies from overseas battles, but more like they were dug out of the ground. The first picture in front of you shows countless stones being transported.

Going out scene.

So is this a quarry of Thutmose III?

It is true that many temple building materials were transported from Aswan to Luxor. Could this be the origin of the stone? Using excavated stones to build temples is logically in line with the ancient Egyptians' belief in the gods.

sacrifice.

But I can't understand what follows.

As the mural deepened towards the end, these ancient Egyptian workers wanted to crawl on the ground. Their limbs were twisted and they crawled towards a cave, with many stones scattered around.

I seem to have seen these rocks somewhere.

I really want to find someone to ask about the current situation. But in addition to the people from 279, there are also two groups of people, Morgan and Carl, in the hall. I am afraid that if I make an announcement, others will discover the double-layered mural.

Lou Shiqi dutifully raised his head and looked at the wall, only occasionally lowering his eyes curiously to take a look at the mural at the bottom.

Different from our situation, if Old Black and the others had discovered the doorway in the mural when they came sixty years ago, they must have studied it carefully. If this is really the case, then Meng Weiqing who read the notes is

Maybe he knows it well.

But he has remained calm, and I don't know if I should bring it up now.

So I glanced at Meng Weiqing, and he happened to look over silently.

The light from the handheld light source was very gloomy. I saw that there was no malice in Meng Weiqing's eyes, but I couldn't see anything else. I really wish I was watching a movie now, so that there would be slow motion or background music prompts.

Unfortunately, time passed as usual, and I couldn't understand Meng Weiqing's look.

But this person should know that there is something here. Even if he doesn't know, Teacher Bai heard what I whispered to Lou Shiqi just now. They didn't come over, and they were still focused on studying the mural in front of them. They probably didn't want others to know.

.And it’s still helping me attract attention.

I just don’t know who I’m guarding against.

I suppressed my confusion and pulled Lou Shiqi away from the wall.

I don't know what was painted on the other wall.

But the last scene of the mural just now has not been finished, and it seems to continue to extend to the end of the wall. Where are those prostrate ancient Egyptians going, and what are they going to do?

If we go back to the entrance of the cave and follow the corridor all the way down, combined with the murals, it seems like we are going to find something deeper on the ground.

It seems that the huge murals of Thutmose III and the gods Osiris and Amun are not the only series. Under the feet of the pharaoh and the gods, the Egyptian workers who are looking for something are also continuing their stories.

No matter how you think about it, the corridor and the mural at the bottom don't quite match the Temple of Set. It can be seen that this passage was not built for this temple at least initially, but for other purposes.

I turned back and looked at the mural behind the altar.

The plate of black sesame candy that Thutmose III was holding in his hand now looks like iron ore.

I asked why the stones scattered around the ancient Egyptian workers looked familiar. Could it be that the gray-white stones that were moved out were iron ore? Is there iron ore under the Temple of Set?

But even so, why should the intaglio carvings recording the mining process be covered up?

I don’t know who added another layer to the original mural, and what purpose that person had for doing so.

In addition to the double-layered murals, I am also puzzled by the Senet offering table under the altar.

Logically speaking, if there is a table under the altar, it must be an offering table, but this is also a game board. What is it used for?

I couldn't help but touch the notches on the chessboard on the table.

The familiar feeling of suffocation overwhelmed me again. But this time, before I could finish watching the advertisement before the short movie, I was pulled away.

Li Yuan enthusiastically circled my shoulders and pulled me to the side.

I took a look and saw that it was Hassan and Laila who had also come down. The brother and sister were walking towards the altar, and we happened to meet each other.

"Thank you." I whispered to Li Yuan.

He smiled at me, put down his arms, and walked up the steps.

I looked at the Senet offering table.

It seems that the game of Senet on the ground is also solved in this way. I accidentally touched the pillar when I was looking at the mural, and then I acted according to the rules of the game that I didn't know.

Originally, they only showed me a small theater in the multi-column hall of Karnak Temple, but when they arrived at the Temple of Set, they also evolved the skill of possession.

I suddenly thought of what Grandpa Li mentioned about the cousin of the Yin family. Maybe the cousin of the Yin family was right. The disease in the Yin family seemed to be prepared for something. Li Yuan also said that his body

The sovereignty is not in his own hands.

The experience just now made me clearly realize that if I was in it, I would be at the mercy of the magnetic field. It seems that this transformation was really unexpected. And Li Yuan was probably aware of this, so he pulled me out in time.

.

What about himself?

I couldn't help but look at Li Yuan.

At this time, Li Yuan had already walked up the steps. He did not approach the altar like Hassan Leila, but looked at the images of the Pharaoh and the gods in the mural. Alex stood beside him and pointed at the picture first.

With the sacrifice in his hand, Temos III looked at Apep in front of the Golden Sun Ship. He seemed to be asking why these two scenes appeared at the same time. Li Yuan shook his head, probably unable to answer.

In fact, this is one of the issues I didn't understand.

Under normal circumstances, depictions of rebirth after death such as the Sun Golden Boat will not appear in temples, but in tomb murals. But it is even more unreasonable to say that this is not a temple but a tomb. Let alone the altar.

, the statue of the god and the image of Thutmose III offering sacrifices to the gods are consistent with the elements of a temple. If it is a tomb, where are the deceased and the coffin?

I looked at the Senet chessboard that I didn't know what it was for.

This thing has been unearthed among funerary objects, serving as a gateway for the dead to lead to the underworld. However, those found in the past were relatively small, and they were not displayed openly.

Coupled with the double-layered mural that seems to be unfinished and wants to go deeper, it is full of disharmony, as if different spaces are forcibly stitched together.

Boswell found an occasion for his performance and took the initiative to explain it to Li Yuan and Alex. At first, his dazzling narration also attracted Arnold and the priest brother and sister, but soon his audience showed their embarrassment without losing sight of it.

A polite smile.

As soon as I saw this situation, I gave up my intention of joining in the fun, so as not to have to listen to wild archaeologists' nonsense.

Hassan quietly left the class without Bouswell noticing him. He walked to the altar again, got closer and looked carefully at the line of Arabic that read "Your blood as a sacrifice".

Then suddenly he pulled out his dagger.

Meng Weiqing was looking carefully along the north wall with Teacher Bai and did not notice what was happening on the altar. Although Buswell was right next to Hassan, he had no intention of stopping him.

I subconsciously shouted: "Stop!"

But Hassan had already grasped the dagger, and blood flowed into the altar.

The altar lit up before my eyes for the third time.

The dazzling golden light danced and licked the people surrounding the altar.

In addition to Hassan and Laila, Alex and Li Yuan, who were standing on the side looking at the mural, were also enveloped in the light.

Laila then completed the sacrifice.

The golden light rose again, this time softer and brighter.

Alex glanced at Laila disapprovingly and frowned at the dagger in her hand that was stained with the blood of her and Hassan.

Meng Weiqing had a serious look on his face and stepped onto the altar in two or two steps. I also ran up.

Meng Weiqing first looked at the center of the altar. There was no trace of blood there. I guess no matter what this god is, he has a good appetite.

Then he glanced at Hassan and Laila, making the two brothers tremble. Then Meng Weiqing said to Boswell: "Mr. Boswell, please take a step to speak."

Nabusiweil changed his appearance as a fringe archaeologist and nodded calmly despite Meng Weiqing's anger.

Seeing them leaving, I didn't care about the attention of the people. First I walked around the altar, then bent down to look at the lotus petals that served as the base. I almost tore the entire altar apart without even looking at it.

Understand where the blood went.

If I had been lucky the first two times, I would have thought that someone might have tampered with the altar and created a scam. But in this isolated desert, no one should be able to make any arrangements in advance.

Arno squatted next to me and asked me what I was looking at.

I was so distraught that I managed to keep my voice steady and said, "I want to see where the blood went."

Is it possible that Lou Shiqi really said that the blood of those "ancient bloodlines" was used by this god for resurrection?

I stood up and walked around to the altar. From this angle, Thutmose III in the mural really seemed to be putting the sacrifice in his hand into the altar, and the Eye of Horus was watching from above.

These.

Now almost everyone is attracted to the altar by Hassan and Laila's operations.

"What is written here?" I asked Patrick, who was looking at the original inscription covered on the altar.

Just now, Hassan read the Arabic text carefully before committing the blood sacrifice. And the Boswell who helped us translate at the beginning was very suspicious, and I couldn't believe what he said.

"This is written as [Sacrifice of your blood]." Patrick read out these words without any suspense.

"Why is this sentence again?" Lou Shiqi muttered next to me. "I have seen this ancient Egyptian inscription so many times, and the Arabs still have to translate it. Isn't it purely unnecessary?"

Isn't it? If it is simply translated, are you afraid that future generations will not be able to understand the ancient Egyptian language? Or is there something hidden in it?

When I tried to look for Hassan again, I found that Karl had already called him aside.

Carefully hidden murals, chaotic compositions and statues in fighting postures. This hall is full of factors that make me uneasy. Plus, the Senet who allows me to watch short movies and may even control me

The chessboard makes my hair stand on end.

I stood at the foot of the steps and looked up at the sculptures of Seth and Thutmose III, as well as the protected altars and murals.

What kind of enemy would make the gods and pharaohs feel like enemies? Is it death? Or is it time? Or is it the life that needs to be resurrected through ancient blood?

The inspiration here comes from Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes.

Such a scene was staged in Cave No. 220 of the Mogao Grottoes. Under the murals from the Song Dynasty, there was actually a layer of murals from the early Tang Dynasty. After the murals from the Song Dynasty peeled off, the inner layer was intact, which shows that it was intentional.

for it.

The double-layered murals in the Mogao Grottoes were created by the descendants of the Zhai family in order to protect the Sutra paintings that had been passed down for hundreds of years in their own caves. They had no choice but to draw Thousands of Buddhas and Thousands of Faces on them as required by those in power.

You can guess the reason for the double-layered murals in the Temple of Set.

(End of chapter)