Miss Heber is fighting her way out of the Lostbelt!

"This line represents the water level of the Nile River. This line represents the frequency and range of the 'Breath of Set'. This line represents the size of the oasis. This line represents the frequency of monsters and spirits causing trouble... This is data from a year ago."

Heber reached out and brushed his hand across the papyrus, and the symbols began to dance and change.

Those numbers are shocking!

"And now you see what's happening a year later, which is what's happening now."

"Do you understand?" Heber said softly, "The water level of the Nile is steadily decreasing. The flood season will not occur again in two years at most. In fact, you should have noticed that this year's flood season is later than last year, and the fertile land that is flooded is one-third smaller than last year. I think in five years at most, the ever-flowing Nile will enter a long dry season."

"Next, the oasis. The area of the oasis is rapidly decreasing, and our settlements are gradually disappearing. This year alone, twenty-nine villages have been submerged in the yellow sand—the breath of Set has shattered the protective shield, destroying the roads and settlements, and of course, burying the oasis."

The situation is not only not optimistic, the future is bleak.

Under such circumstances, how could Hebe have the heart to participate in the festival parade.

"But what will the people of Memphis think if even the King of the Ibis doesn't attend the festival?" Nitocris narrowed her eyes and spoke abruptly.

Hebe froze for a long time, then nodded slowly.

"What you said does make sense. Okay, I'll go."

The people's hearts are like water, and their movements are like smoke. If the King of Cranes, who is the pinnacle of priests, does not show up during major festivals, it will easily cause unnecessary trouble.

However, this wasn't feasible. She didn't have much time for fun, and the more she appeared in public, the more likely she was to be exposed to Ozymandias's attention.

Heber frowned, realizing that he had to prepare for what was next.

The girl was thinking quietly, and she didn't notice the joy that flashed across the female pharaoh's face after she agreed to participate in the festival parade.

......

Soon, April in the Egyptian calendar arrived. On the day in spring when the day and night are equal in length every year, it is the most solemn festival of the year in ancient Egypt, "Shamu".

This festival has appeared since the Third Dynasty. Initially, the ancient Egyptians celebrated the arrival of spring, so it was also regarded as the "Spring Festival" of the ancient Egyptians.

The preparations for the Shamu Festival began a month in advance. Both priests and civilians were immersed in anticipation before the festival. They began to pickle salted fish, dry wild vegetables, make wine and bread, and prepare spices and wreaths to be used in the festival.

A week ago, Heber began to receive wreaths, baskets of fresh green onions, and even eggs painted with colorful paints from members of the Temple of Silence.

Egyptians believe that eating raw green onions and salted fish during Shamu will bring blessings and good health throughout the year.

As for eggs, the Egyptians would paint patterns on them with colored pigments and then hang them on beams or bedside, waiting for the appearance of the sun god.

During festivals, Egyptians would hold these painted eggs and knock them against each other to pray for good luck. If someone's egg was not broken, it meant that they would be favored by good luck.

Heber believes that this custom may have evolved into the Easter eggs of later generations. As for the custom of "touching eggs", she does not think it has any connection with the "Summer Solstice Egg-touching" custom in Zhendan. After all, the world is so big, it is reasonable for similar folk customs to evolve.

On the eve of Shamu, before Hebe went to bed, Nitocris came with a basket of eggs and salt fish.

Heber took the basket and looked at it. Each of the eggs was plump, but there was no painting on them.

"From selecting the eggs to painting them, every step requires patience, which is not possible with ready-made eggs."

Nitocris naturally sat down on the low bed, next to Heber.

She came here every day for a year, and Heber had gotten used to it.

The female pharaoh picked up an egg and smiled with her eyes curved. She stretched out her finger, dipped it in paint, and painted on the surface of the eggshell, outlining a circle-like outline.

Heber glanced at her movements, followed her example, and dipped her hand in paint to smear on the egg. She wanted to draw a nice pattern, but her mind was full of preparatory ideas, which resulted in the pattern on her hand not being well drawn, and instead it turned out to be a dark mass.

"Uh......"

Hebe looked at the egg with the Ankh painted on it in Nitocris's hand, then looked at the chaotic egg in his own hand, gently pushed it into the basket, and picked up another egg.

He raised his fingers, but was hesitant about what to paint. While hesitating, the paint dripped onto the surface of the egg again.

Heber sighed and casually painted a few blocks of color on the surface of the egg, which could barely be considered an Easter egg.

"That's it." Heber put the eggs in the basket with a helpless smile.

Nitocris shook her head. She reached out and took out another egg. She leaned slightly to the side, and her right arm naturally wrapped around Heber's petite body.

The female pharaoh grabbed Hebe's hands, which were a little uneasy, and pressed them on the egg. She had a cool fragrance on her body, like the scent of fruit covered by frost, which was not pungent but very pleasant.

"Don't poke with your index finger, use your ring and middle fingers to apply... here, and here... um, be careful."

She placed her hand on Hebe's fingers and smeared the paint on the eggshell as desired. The pharaoh's voice grew softer and softer, with a hint of a secret tremor.

Heber was somewhat excited. She successfully painted a human figure, which was commonly seen in murals, on the surface of the egg.

The only flaw was that she used too much force at the end and couldn't control herself, so the head of the painted human figure on the egg was a little pointy.

Heber looked at the egg and couldn't help laughing.

When she moved, Nitocris had to let go of her hand somewhat angrily and let Hebe out of her arms.

Hebe took the egg and walked a few steps into the inner room, leaving the girl's slender footprints on the carpet.

She seemed to be in a good mood, but soon, the smile gradually disappeared.

"Tomorrow is the Shamu Festival, so we must be fully prepared..." Heber placed the egg in the net bag beside the bed. "Your Highness Nitocris, is your 'merit' functioning normally?"

Hebe initially worried that Nitocris might find it disrespectful, so she always used respectful titles to address her.

"No problem." Nitocris washed her hands in clean water. "You can use it anytime."

"Then I'm relieved." Heber nodded slightly. "Next, let's look forward to what surprises our Majesty will bring tomorrow."

Volume 35: Mutiny

Memphis was bustling with activity at three in the morning.

Although the actual festival does not begin until the evening, the excited people are already so enthusiastic that they begin to parade along the long street.

The atmosphere in the Temple of Thoth was tense at this time.

Hebe sat on the edge of the low bed, flipping through the papyrus in her hand. Nitocris stood in the shadows by the window, unnoticed.

However, Nitocris was not in a good mood at the moment, because the events predicted by Hebe were happening once again.

"Rebellion?" Heber wanted to laugh out loud when he heard it. "You mean, six Timurid nobles are rebellious at this time, trying to eradicate me, the treacherous minister who holds all the power for Your Majesty..."

What a great move that transcends time to purge the imperial court, but who instigated this?

Heber raised his head, looked at the patterns on the dome, and smiled meaningfully.

"anything else?"

"Some time ago, you asked us to look for newly emerged associations, sects and temples. Now we have some clues on this matter." Seno replied.

Heliopolis is a city where the worship of many gods gathers, and just a few months ago, several new temples were built there.

The faith of these temples is called "Hermes Triple Great", or "Hermes" for short.

In later legends, he was a wise man who was well versed in alchemy and many hidden wisdoms, and was also regarded as the intersection and overlap of multiple divinities.

His divinity comes from three gods: Hermes of ancient Greece, Mercury of ancient Rome, and Thoth of ancient Egypt... or the King of Ibis.

This is a god that did not originally appear in this era.

This Hermes must be closely connected with the March Reign.

"I see." Heber nodded noncommittally. "Go outside first. I have something important to tell you later."

After Seno left, Heber turned his head and looked at Nitocris who appeared from the window, with a smile that said "as expected".

"A rare festival..." Nitocris frowned, her eyes falling on the prepared Easter eggs, her heart filled with unspeakable disappointment.

You have to know that since she met Heber, the girl in front of her has never participated in any activities except necessary appearances, let alone festival celebrations and parades.

After much difficulty, he persuaded her, but all these things came up again... Thinking of this, Nitocris felt inexplicably resentful.

As soon as Hebe saw Nitocris's expression, she knew that she was not calm inside, but at this time Hebe had no time to comfort her. She stood up and walked in front of Nitocris, speaking in a low voice and at a fast speed.

"Your Highness Nitocris, please head to Abydos immediately and as quickly as possible without exposing yourself."

"There, please use your own merit, the Book of the Dark Mirror, to capture the entire city of Abydos within the mirror. After that, please follow Pepe's route eastward without stopping."

Heber smiled regretfully, "I wanted to enjoy the festive atmosphere with you, but unfortunately, Your Majesty is not in favor."

She reached out and picked up the Easter egg that she had spent so much time making, held it in her hand, and shook it towards Nitocris.

Nitocris silently picked up the egg, and Heber walked over and gently bumped into it.

Click.

Heber looked at the cracked egg in his palm, first surprised, then speechless.

The egg in Nitocris's hand was intact.

As she said something, the female pharaoh suddenly took a step forward.

Hebe was held in her arms.

"Is this necessary?" Nitocris whispered.

"Yes," Hebe replied, "I hope you're not angry with me."

How could I be angry with you? I still have so much to say to you, and so much to do... Nitocris thought.

The female pharaoh almost wanted to cry out of grievance.

But she couldn't say anything in the end. She just sighed softly, and then her figure merged into the shadow. The shadow suddenly raised its head, spread out its four hooves, and patrolled the inner room like a huge dark cloud.

The dark cloud rolled in the sky, and the jackal's head broke free. Anubis looked at Hebe with moist eyes, and then without looking back, he ran towards the wilderness where dawn had not yet arrived.

Heber sat on the edge of the low bed and smiled to himself.

The words on the papyrus in front of the desk twisted silently, forming words that only she could understand.

[Current progress: 65%]

When Heber made the decision, the progress of the strategy in the Lostbelt instantly increased by 20%, which proved that this was a crucial node and the real game began at this moment.

——The Red King instructed the military nobles to launch a mutiny against Hebe, and Hebe sent Nitocris to Abydos.

Ozymandias wanted to keep Hebe trapped in Memphis and unable to leave without permission.

Hebe's purpose was to go to Heliopolis and visit the temple dedicated to Hermes the Thrice Great.

She sent Nitocris to Abydos to divert the Red King's attention, and used her merits to prevent Abydos from being actually destroyed by the Red King.

Around four o'clock, a commotion was heard outside the Temple of Thoth. Hebe walked out slowly and saw the armored warriors glaring at him.

They held shields, spears and swords, and their weapons were all inscribed with holy texts that could counter spiritual influences. As they walked side by side, a heavy pressure was whistling in the early morning wind, causing Heber's fingertips to ache slightly.

"You treacherous minister!" a voice cursed from the rear of the formation. "Your soul should be ripped out and stuffed into a scarab. You have received the grace of His Majesty the Scarlet King, but you are usurping power that does not belong to you!"

Heber smiled noncommittally. Not far away, Sekanahat saw Heber's smile and his scalp tingled.

"These are the governors who have recently come to Memphis from all over to report on their work..." Sekanahat hurried over and whispered to Heber to explain the identities of these nobles who rebelled.

But Hebe stopped him.

"I'm not interested in knowing this." Heber shrugged. "Your Excellency the Sheep King, you should be watching, right?"

In the chilly early morning wind, two burning flames suddenly appeared, and then the King of Sheep, dressed in black, appeared from the wind.

The moment he appeared, the crowd who were attempting to mutiny in front of the Temple of Thoth suddenly broke into even greater chaos.

Because compared to the newly appointed King of Cranes, the King of Sheep, who has been notorious for hundreds of years, is naturally more terrifying.

"Your Excellency, Sheep King!" one of the nobles shouted, "We come at the command of His Majesty the Red King to slay the corrupt officials who have usurped the thrones of Thoth and Hermanubis. Please lend us a hand!"

"Absolutely ridiculous."

The tall sheep head uttered cold words, breaking the deathly silence.

"If Your Majesty wishes to deprive the Ibis King of his authority, he can do it with just a word. Why would you need to 'do it for him'?"

The King of Sheep raised his hand, and light flickered on his sharp claws, flickering like floating fireflies. However, the people gathered in front of the Temple of Thoth felt frightened, as if something was about to jump out of their chests.

Boom boom, boom boom!

The heartbeats of these people were getting louder and louder, their eyeballs were gradually becoming stiff as if they were not oiled, and they were showing a metallic color, while a hairy, filmy thing was poking out of their throats.

Accompanied by suppressed dry heaves, they all vomited out their own hearts. The heart rolled on the ground, grew four pairs of small limbs, and gradually grew lines on the surface that looked like burning flames.

The heart that turned into a scarab suddenly crawled away, and the mutinous nobles fell to the ground one after another.

P.S. The next update will be a little later, mainly because I forgot the time while playing Darkest Dungeon

Volume 36: Tutankhamun and Hermes (Please collect and read)