15 Chips

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The night was deep and silent, the evening breeze gently stirring the sheer curtains. Soft footsteps gradually approached and finally stopped beside the couch. Boyi kept his eyes closed until the hand reached out to nudge him; then he suddenly opened his eyes and, his voice hoarse, asked, “Who is it?”

“It’s me,” Bar’s voice was low, as if not wanting others to overhear. “The High Priest wishes to see you.”

Boyi closed his eyes briefly, concealing the clarity behind them, and said wearily, “Alright, let me change clothes.”

He tidied himself simply and noticed that the others in the side chambers were all sleeping deeply as he left. Under the cover of night, the two of them made their way to the temple.

Though it should have been a time of rest, the temple was brightly lit. The vast palace was illuminated by candlelight, with many priests moving about within.

Boyi followed Bar along a detour, avoiding the crowd as they entered the palace where the High Priest Nophis resided.

Unlike the last visit, this time the High Priest’s palace was full of people—at a glance, about eleven or twelve.

Apart from High Priest Nophis seated at the head, Boyi recognized only two others: Priest Taiyi and Priest Akris.

They seemed to be in the midst of a heated debate, completely unaware of Boyi standing at the door.

“Knock, knock, knock”—Bar tapped on the door to signal their arrival.

Akris, sitting closest to the door, turned upon hearing the sound and immediately stood up, “Ai.”

The noisy chatter inside abruptly stopped; all eyes turned toward them.

Boyi calmly scanned the room before looking at Nophis, who sat at the head, and asked, “High Priest, is there something urgent at this late hour that you summoned me for?”

Working overtime at such a time—and it has to be you—this was like a chain enterprise.

Nophis raised his eyelids slightly; his deep-set eyes were sharp as an eagle’s gaze. He lifted his chin toward the seat beside him. “Sit.”

Boyi glanced at the people present. Their expressions varied; their gazes fell on him but quickly averted before meeting his eyes.

He sat down where Nophis indicated.

To be honest, this seat was somewhat hot—not in temperature, but due to the burning gazes of those present.

As the temple’s figurehead, those who sat beside Nophis were usually his closest aides. Now, a slave sat there—a slave from Queen Meret’s harem.

How could this not provoke suspicion?

“Since Ai has arrived, let’s get to the point,” Taiyi spoke.

Perhaps this topic had been raised before, because though many eyes studied Ai, no one questioned the legitimacy of his seat.

Akris bowed and then stood straight. “Although His Majesty’s tour was not our initial intention, now that it has come to this, I ask all of you to take great care of His Majesty’s daily needs.”

Boyi paused, realizing that those present were the priests accompanying Lahris on the upcoming tour—a core group the temple intended to establish.

“During the journey, His Majesty’s safety is paramount,” Akris scanned the room, emphasizing, “Should anything happen to His Majesty, we would be criminals before all Egypt, unable to escape death, destined in the afterlife to serve as slaves to Akhu.”

Each word from Akris struck the hall with weight, reverberating throughout the palace.

Everyone straightened their backs, solemnly watching the high priests at the head, their emotions silently swirling.

“All of you are the temple’s backbone, outstanding in capability; surely you will care for His Majesty well,” Damanhur, the senior high priest, spoke grimly. “But what worries me most is the Queen.”

His words added fuel to the already tense atmosphere. Several high priests, led by Taiyi, showed the same concern.

“His Majesty is too conspicuous on this trip,” Taiyi sighed deeply. “I fear the Queen has already harbored murderous intent.”

He had initially opposed using a commoner to make the Queen submit, deeming it too risky, but the temple now urgently needed a breakthrough and reluctantly agreed—on the condition that the Pharaoh remained within the Temples of the Gods, residing in Thebes.

Here, surrounded by the most devout followers, the Queen dared not harm the Pharaoh.

“His Majesty’s journey will be long and arduous, fraught with danger.” The deep furrows on his face seemed to deepen further.

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The current situation was like being roasted on a spit by Meret—trapped on all sides.

“How dare she?” A younger priest raised his voice, filled with anger. “This is regicide; how could she dare?”

Though the Pharaoh had declined in power, he was still the god of Egypt. If anyone harmed the god of their faith, all of Egypt would tremble.

“Kaminos, you are young and don’t understand many things,” Akris shook his head heavily. “The death of the previous Pharaoh seven years ago is inseparable from the Queen.”

Kaminos, the young priest, suddenly widened his eyes.

Seven years prior, when Nubia invaded the border, the previous Pharaoh led a victorious campaign like the god of war Set himself. Yet, at the peak of his fame, he was ambushed and brutally killed. Everyone, including Kaminos, had believed it was an accident.

“High Priest, do you mean the Queen killed...” He dared not finish, shocked at the audacity and cruelty of such a woman. “That was her own child!”

“This matter remains unresolved; do not spread rumors,” Damanhur interrupted sharply, addressing the younger priests. “Do not gossip.”

After a pause, he added, “There are certainly many suspicious points pointing to the Queen, but we must not dwell on that. The most important thing now is His Majesty.”

Everyone fell silent in fear. The Queen’s power was already immense; if she truly meant to harm His Majesty...

“This trip will last years—how can we possibly defend against that?” Kaminos voiced his concern. “No wonder the Queen agreed so readily.”

“Indeed,” another priest said anxiously, “One General Miver could take us down.”

“Not necessarily,” Taiyi, who had been silent for a while, spoke up, responding to the young priest. “The Noden family are absolute devotees of Amon. Moreover, Miver is the Queen’s man. She won’t so blatantly hand us such a weapon.”

Noden was the family of Sebek; as Sebek’s son, Miver, despite his disrespect toward His Majesty, would neither dare nor want to harm the Pharaoh.

At first, Taiyi too had been blinded by Miver’s conduct and failed to realize this.

“There are probably too many opportunities for action...” Kaminos was troubled, unable to conceive a solution.

Not only he, but the temple’s entire atmosphere was gloomy.

“Ai, what do you think?” Nophis suddenly asked, reminding everyone of Boyi’s silence since their arrival.

Boyi had been listening intently and was caught off guard by the question. After a moment’s hesitation and furrowing his brows, he slowly replied, “Indeed, one cannot guard against a thief every day.”

Everyone was stunned, then secretly nodded—what a fitting proverb, they were precisely preparing for a long watch!

Boyi considered further. “If only we knew when and where the Queen would strike.”

Kaminos scoffed, “Isn’t that obvious? If we knew that, why would we worry?”

“Exactly,” Akris shrugged helplessly. “Do you have access to such information?”

At this, all eyes quickly turned to Boyi. Indeed, he was the one closest to Queen Meret!

Boyi smiled politely and gracefully. “If the Queen were that foolish, she wouldn’t be a match for the temple.”

Everyone sighed in unison—indeed, they had been naive.

This was an assassination attempt on the Pharaoh, a colossal scandal. If Ai really had such knowledge and trust, he wouldn’t need to rely on the temple for advancement.

“You just said if we knew when and where the Queen would strike...” Damanhur interrupted the murmurs, a thoughtful glint in his eyes.

Boyi blinked, not understanding why he repeated the words, but nodded. “Yes, then we could prepare.”

He suddenly smiled—a youthful radiance that attracted several glances.

“What are you smiling at?” Taiyi asked.

Boyi smiled awkwardly, “I just thought, if only the Queen acted before we set out. Last time we left the palace, we met many devout followers. If they knew the Queen planned to harm His Majesty, they would surely protect him.”

“Foolish,” Akris sneered, disdain in his eyes as if wasting breath to speak further was pointless. “The Queen controls where and how she acts, not us.”

Boyi lowered his head slightly, a faint smile flashing in his eyes.

Some hid their amusement, others openly laughed, all believing this man naive, oversimplifying politics.

Yet Taiyi suddenly looked up, and Nophis’s eyebrows subtly lifted as well.

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“Let’s end today’s discussion here,” Taiyi raised his hand to halt the meeting. “You all depart in two days; please take care and rest well.”

No one understood the abrupt conclusion but rose and bowed to the high priests before taking their leave.

Boyi also stood and mingled with the crowd as they exited. The high priests evidently had matters to discuss and paid him no mind, except Nophis, who glanced at him twice, his gaze profound.

The excess people left the palace, leaving only the temple’s core elders.

“High Priest, I suddenly have an idea,” Taiyi’s expression showed restrained excitement. “Why don’t we set a trap and act before the Queen does? In front of everyone, let the people of Egypt know the Queen’s treachery toward His Majesty.”

“If anything happens to His Majesty, all blame will fall on the Queen,” Damanhur added. “This fear will deter her.”

Nophis’s eagle eyes narrowed slightly. “The Queen will still have Miver protect His Majesty.”

Those who wished to overthrow the Queen were far beyond the temple. Such an opportunity would not be wasted.

The Queen might dare commit regicide but would never face the wrath of the people directly.

This way, not only would they prevent the Queen’s secret attacks but also use her own power to shield the Pharaoh thoroughly.

“This plan is brilliant!” Akris, who had been confused, finally understood and applauded. “Priest Taiyi is truly remarkable.”

Taiyi’s joy faded slightly as he sighed, “Pure luck—I only got inspired while Ai was speaking.”

“That boy is just a fool,” Akris sneered, dismissive of the high priests’ regard for the slave. “Every idea he brings up is useless.”

Nophis raised an eyelid and shot him a silent glance.

Taiyi sensed something.

Akris, seeing their silence, stopped and changed the subject. “Grandfather, who will you appoint as High Priest for this tour?”

Nophis said nothing, closing his eyes once more.

Taiyi hesitated to speak.

After Akris left, Taiyi finally voiced his thoughts. “High Priest, why not tell him?”

By their plan, Akris, Nophis’s grandson, was to lead the tour and gain prestige, an opportunity to ultimately inherit the High Priest position.

Having him lead the temple’s crucial priest group was also the safest choice.

Nophis sighed quietly, his voice low. “He’s too immature, unfit for such responsibility.”

Damanhur was startled. “Are you planning to replace him?”

Nophis looked out the window. The priests had not fully dispersed, standing in small groups in the garden, but the seemingly immature youth was nowhere to be seen—gone faster than anyone, indifferent to the temple’s final decision.

After a long silence, he said, “Replace him with Ai.”

Damanhur and Taiyi exchanged surprised glances. Damanhur knew better than to question the High Priest’s decision but couldn’t help asking, “Can Ai really be trusted?”

Ai had agreed to join them, his reasons plausible, but he was still from Meret’s side—how could anyone trust him without reservation?

Nophis looked at him, eyes deep. “He is not trustworthy.”

“Then you...” Damanhur was puzzled.

The aged hand of Nophis traced the staff he had held for fifty years. He was the supreme high priest for half a century; he could recount every pattern on the staff without looking—each corresponding to a decision he had made.

“Give him the right incentive, and he will become trustworthy,” he said.

That incentive now was—the position and power of High Priest.