The voice of the woman in the black robe was not loud, yet it was clear to everyone.
Suppressive gasps echoed around the altar. The young priest carrying the spice jar trembled, the jar shattered on the ground, and the dark red powder spread like blood. The embryo seemed to sense the disturbance, its surface abruptly cracked open, revealing a molten gold-like liquid inside, from which a sound emanated, something between a baby's cry and a beast's roar.
The face of the Scepter Priest turned ghostly pale. He staggered back two steps, the scepter scratching out a piercing noise on the ground.
"Monster? Without reviving Ra, when the true disaster arrives, who will protect this city? Who will resist the Netherworld's erosion? Who will maintain the order of faith? At that time, it won't be only three who die, but the entire city of Memphis!" The Scepter Priest felt dissatisfied, but due to the noble identity of the other party, he could only grit his teeth, attempting to respect and adapt.
He stepped forward, pointing the scepter at the woman: "If due to your obstruction the new god cannot awaken in time, resulting in the arrival of disaster, the blood debt will fall entirely on you."
The woman was silent for a moment, her gaze unwavering.
"I understand the consequences," she said slowly.
"But I understand even more that if we revive the gods through evil means, what resurrects is not a god, but a demon cloaked in the guise of a god. If faith is built upon fear and slaughter, it will ultimately collapse." She surveyed the priests around, her tone stern, "Today's offerings are sufficient. Stop the hunt."
Her command was like an invisible decree, the priests each halted their actions, not daring to defy. The Scepter Priest's face turned ashen, gritting his teeth, and eventually could only snort coldly.
"Fine... fine... we'll do as you say."
He ferociously stared at the other priests, "Are you all deaf? Clean up the altar!"
After speaking, the Scepter Priest turned and left, leaving a whisper before leaving: "You may save today, but you won't save tomorrow. Disaster is approaching, and you will ultimately understand, mercy is the greatest sin."
The woman in the black robe quietly watched the priests' frantic actions. When the last servant exited the inner hall, she suddenly pressed her entire palm against the crack in the embryo.
"Are we reviving... really Ra?" she murmured, as if questioning herself, or as if interrogating that unborn existence. As a servant of the Sun God Ra, even in her voice, there lay a trace of hesitation that even she herself hadn't noticed. After all, the embryo's pulsation was intense.
But that willpower undulation reverberated in her mind, carrying a twisted desire. The molten gold-like substance inside the embryonic membrane suddenly solidified. After a momentary silence, a brittle sound akin to glass shattering emanated from the depths of the embryo, and all the golden patterns simultaneously turned dark red. The woman withdrew her hand like lightning, only to see symbols on her palm being reversely corroded by some black substance.
It was as if the other meant to transform the woman in the black robe into its servant, to replace the strength bestowed upon her by the Sun God Ra, it even emitted a beguiling voice.
Yet the woman in the black robe remained unmoved.
Faith unwavering.
She swiftly severed the portion of the energy that was corroding her.
Outside.
In the shadow of the eaves, the raven's pupils shrunk to pinpoints.
Ian could see what the woman in the black robe could not, so he believed her concern was not unfounded, he saw that the image reflected on the embryo's surface was not the solar disc at all.
But a kind of multi-pupil composite structure—just like the compound eye of an insect. Even more frightening, those pupils were all currently turning towards the woman in the black robe.
Gazing at her bleeding palm with hunger. As a raven, Ian completely witnessed this scene's dialogue, he began gradually sorting through some startling facts, indeed, these people are crafting divine life through Magic, the reason being that he hadn't heard any whisper of Ra possibly being already dead?
The eerie behavior of these people actually arises from the demise of Sun God Ra, preparing to produce a replacement Sun God Ra to face some disaster.
What kind of disaster will that be?