[Infrastructure] After being mistaken for a god

On the night that Yinan and Dumuzi met for the first time, what exactly did they discuss?

Looking at Dumuzi's beautiful eyes, Yinan slowly recalled it bit by bit.

She's accused witches and priests of not sharing the calendar with the common people - but now it looks like the problem isn't just the calendar:

The complex but practical sexagesimal numbers and calculations of the Sumerians are rarely understood except by priests and apprentice priests;

Whenever there is an advanced farming technique or tool, the priests think of it first, not to quickly spread it to every village, but to thank the gods first...

The class of witches and priests has monopolized important knowledge and technology, and they themselves are stagnant and stagnant.

What she needs to reverse is essentially this problem.This is fundamental.

What she wants to do is actually have a team that can continuously develop various technologies, and at the same time selflessly spread this technology to various places under the jurisdiction of Uruk.

In the various villages, the people of Uruk, the sacrifices they offer to the temple every year should in fact be the consideration paid to this team for acquiring knowledge and technology.

The more she thought about it, the more she felt that she had figured it out, and said excitedly to Dumuzi: "Yes, I think I can improve the temple into a college."

"College?" This name was very new to Dumuzi, but he probably guessed what it meant.

"Yes," Yinan said more and more excitedly, "A trainee priest like Kuxin has too many things to teach ordinary people in Uruk."

Cushing alone can teach others to write numbers, perform simple calculations, bookkeeping, accounting and so on.

And young students help in Cousin's warehouse, which can greatly reduce Cousin's workload.

"Yes," Dumuzi clapped his hands, "I went to the sheepfold in the temple, and the trainee priests there are very good at taking care of the flock. They know how to take care of ewes and lambs, and what kind of sheep they are. If you are sick, you must be locked in a separate column..."

"In addition to raising sheep and grazing, I see those shepherds are still making delicious cheese. Cheese can keep fresh goat milk for a long time without spoiling..."

Yinan and Dumuzi sat opposite each other, and you and I really picked up a lot of special features of the trainee priests——Inan’s view, all of these are worthy of being shared with the entire Uruk region. Shared knowledge points.

"Nan, do you know that ox cart that was dragged out to you at the New Year's ceremony... no, it was the bullock cart that was sacrificed to the goddess, and who made it?"

Yinan turned his face away for a while, pretending to look at Dumuzi in disbelief: "Is he also a trainee priest?"

Du Muzi clapped his hands: "Yes, it's them! Their carpentry skills, I was amazed when I saw them, and I am willing to bow down."

On the way here, Dumuzi has been cooperating with little Ake to repair the two-wheeled cart that was finally "disposed of". He has a little experience in carpentry, but when he came to the apprentice priests, he realized that their craftsmanship was nothing at all. None of them count.

"Do you know what Little Hamti and the others have been doing these past two days?" Dumuzi asked Yinan.

Yi Nan rolled his eyes: "Could it be... that you are also... learning from the apprentice priests?"

Dumuzi nodded and clapped his hands: "Yes!"

"They were curious about everything they saw, so they pestered the trainee priests to teach them... It just so happened that the trainee priests were more than happy to help."

Yi Nan couldn't help but looked up to the sky, and laughed happily: I never thought that what she brought out from Bad Tibila Village was such a group of young people who love to learn——

But it is also at this age that the curiosity is the strongest and the learning ability is the strongest.

In other words, she can let those young people who come to Uruk every year to visit the "holy marriage" ceremony first enter the "academy" of the temple, pay the "sacrifice" as a tuition fee, and then learn from the apprentice priests Two months later, the New Year's celebration is equivalent to a simple "graduation ceremony".

After these young people returned to their hometowns, they could naturally spread the calendar, arithmetic, technology, and crafts back.

Apprentice priests can also put down their work during this process, take it easy, and guide others—maybe the apprentice priests will become very good teachers, and perhaps the temple will gradually evolve into a normal college...

Of course, among the young people who come to Uruk, those who are the most creative and willing to stay in Uruk can stay in Uruk for a long time, continue to study various new technologies, and embrace the new things that are about to emerge.

This is equivalent to the emergence of a complete educational institution in Uruk—undertaking the exploration and research and development of science and technology, as well as a series of important functions such as teaching and educating people, sharing and disseminating knowledge.

——This is extremely important for civilization.

It was the first time Dumuzi saw Yinan so happy. The shepherd was cautious by nature, and cautiously reminded: "Nan, don't forget, this is in Uruk, and the witch has the final say on most things."

Indeed, the power in Uruk is still in the hands of witches and priests. If Yinan wants to make such drastic reforms, he must regain power from the witches.

Yi Nan smiled and shook his head: "Don't worry, we'll deal with Wu's side slowly—"

"I have something very important to tell you, a personal matter about you..."

Yi Nan hadn't finished speaking when he suddenly heard a peck or two on the door.

"Saint, saint... Didn't bother you?" It was the voice of the innkeeper.

The voice was obviously terrified, so terrified that Yinan had to give up the conversation with Dumuzi, and turned to the door and said, "Come in."

The innkeeper came in and sniffled, obviously dissatisfied with the smell in the room.

But as soon as he saw Yi Nan, he didn't care about the smell at all.The innkeeper said nervously to Yinan: "Saint, have you heard? Eli will make things difficult for us in Uruk. The priests said that those shell coins given by the merchants in Eridu... those shell coins Ellie No one will admit it now."

The innkeeper stretched out his hand, revealing several small but complete shells in his palm.

At the beginning, he said that these few shells can be exchanged for a whole sheep.

Yi Nan frowned suddenly: Beibi...isn't recognized?Why?

"Do you know why?"

The innkeeper snorted and said, "It's not because the main god they believe in is not you... Well, the main god they believe in is different from us."

——There is such a thing?

Because everyone doesn't believe in the same god, so they refuse to recognize the currency that was originally recognized by each other?

Yinan held his head and said to the innkeeper, "Wait, let me think about it—"

To put it bluntly, currency is a contract of mutual trust—you believe it is worth so much, and I believe it too. Our cognition is the same, and currency can only be used as an intermediary for commodities to assist transactions.

Belief in God mainly lies in one's own belief; while currency mainly lies in "others' belief".

Although the small handful of shell coins in the innkeeper's hand is light and beautiful, it has no real value in Uruk.It must have taken quite a long time for Beicoin to establish the current currency value trust before the two parties formed a mutual trust.Now Eridu actually says that he won't admit it, he won't admit it—what absurd behavior is this?

But I have to say that if Eridu really wants to go to war with Uruk, then the act of directly breaking the contract is indeed the most effective—this will make ordinary people in Uruk, such as the innkeeper in front of me, suffer quite severely. losses, and may seriously affect Uruk's popular support and morale.

So, has the situation between the two city-states reached such a critical point?

Why was Uruk still holding the "Holy Wedding Ceremony" in a place of singing and dancing before, and why she didn't hear the slightest rumor of her falling out with Eridu...

Yi Nan got up suddenly: "I'm going to see the witch!"

She knew why Wu was so silent.

I know why Wu let her mess up the holy wedding ceremony.

Knowing why Wu sat and watched her make appointments with various guests these days, she remained silent all the time.

Ganqing has already thought about it, and if there is a dispute with Eridu, let her, the "saint", take the top of the tank.

This is probably what is said in the legend - "When a person sits in the house, the tank comes from the sky".

But at this moment, she didn't bother to blame the witch at all, and went to investigate what role the witch and the priests played in the whole thing.What she needs to do now is to quickly find out where the conflict between Uruk and Eridu is, and what stage the conflict between the two parties has reached.

Yi Nan got up to go out, and Dumuzi immediately said, "Nan, I'm with you!"

The poor innkeeper was left in the room, holding a small handful of shell coins, wanting to cry: "Obviously these were once worth a sheep, now, now..."

As soon as he raised his hand, he wanted to throw these beautiful and fragile shells on the ground and step on his feet.But even with his hands raised, he was still reluctant, and finally took everything back and carefully carried it in his arms.

When Yi Nan left the inn, the news that the shell coins had expired seemed to have spread throughout Uruk.

Groups of people gathered on the street, discussing this matter——

"What... what should I do? I still have a lot of shells in my hand, and I'm ready to buy them the day after tomorrow. Now... are the shells really worthless?"

"It's so risky, I originally had a shell in my hand, but I just gave it to the aunt in the bakery yesterday, and she gave me a lot of flour..."

"What is good risk?" A woman jumped out with a rolling pin in her hand, "I dare you to give me a worthless shell yesterday, so hurry up and return all my flour..."

The rolling pin swung out with a "swish", and hit the person who stepped forward to try to persuade him——

"Oh, it hurts!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry - I called the wrong person."

"Boy, don't run away, I'm not finished with you..."

For a while, the street was in chaos.

Yinan walked with his head down, and Dumuzi was beside her to protect her, watching her tightly pursed her lips and frowning——

Yinan thought: It seems that there are not a few people in Uruk who hold shell coins, but the sudden "depreciation" of shell coins has directly disturbed the social order and brought quite a negative impact on the city.

You have to find a way to solve this problem.

Yinan and his party met the witch and a large group of priests in the temple.

This meeting did not take place in the witch's hut in the back garden of the temple, but in the middle of the temple hall.Inan sat cross-legged, with his back facing an alabaster statue representing the goddess Inanna in the temple, and facing the tall pillars outside the temple.

The witch and high priests sat across from her.

It seemed that Wu was a little dissatisfied with Yinan's choice of such an "anti-client-oriented" posture.But the witch has no choice. Inan has the status of a "saint" and is suspected of being "the goddess of Inanna". No matter whether she is a saint or a goddess, the witch can't get past her.

And Dumuzi sat obliquely behind Yinan, concentrating on it, making a posture that could protect Yi Nan at any time.

Wu, on the other hand, showed a look of contempt for the shepherds, reaching out her hand from time to time, lifting the purple linen robe she was wearing to cover her nose, as if she felt that the smell of the sheepfolds from the working people bothered her.

Obviously, Wu Nai couldn't help Yinan, so he had to vent his anger on Du Muzi.

Yi Nan turned his face away, pointed at the witch solemnly, and said to Dumuzi: "Remember this flavor: cinnamon, cumin, and cumin...don't forget to add these spices when roasting lamb in the future to ensure the aroma. It's tangy, without any fishy smell."

Dumuzi nodded repeatedly to show that he had made a note of it.

The face of the witch facing him suddenly turned bright, colorful as if he had opened a dyeing workshop.

"Let's not talk about these digressions," Yinan brought the topic back in a timely manner: it's really meaningless to really piss off the other party at this time. She complimented Wu casually, "I know Uruk and Elidu best. Yours is yours. I would like to hear your opinion on the current situation between the two city-states."

The word "city-state" used by Yinan was very new, and it was the first time for the witches and priests to hear it.But if you think about it carefully, it is indeed very appropriate.These two places are dominated by the main cities of Uruk and Eridu, and they are independent, like two small states.

Wu held back his temper, cleared his throat, and slowly explained to Yinan and Dumuzi.

"The main god that the Eridu people serve is Keen. They always believe that Eridu was the first city built by the Sumerians. We have repeatedly emphasized to them that the wizard Dan first established Uruk, but they have always refused believe."

"Moreover, the high priest of Eridu received a famous prophecy from their main god—the king who can rule the entire Sumer will descend from the sky and land in Eridu."

Yi Nan nodded, indicating that she had heard of something similar.After all, there was a sentence in the Sumerian King List: "The power of kingship descended from the sky, and first fell on Eridu."②

"But the High Priest has the final say in Eridu, right?" Yinan asked: She needs to know whether it is kingship or theocracy that dominates Eridu.

Wu nodded, and replied, "This...is not very clear."

Yi Nan: "Okay."

She thought for a while and then asked: "What is going on with the shell coin? Why did the Eridu people suddenly destroy the shell's credit, and they don't want to have any contact with Uruk anymore?"

Wu suddenly heard about the concept of "credibility", he was stunned for a moment, thought about it, and felt very appropriate, so he continued:

"Actually...before the new year, the people of Eridu informed us that they will no longer recognize the shell coins in the hands of Uruk residents."

Yi Nan: ...before the New Year?

"However, I think that the goddess' holy wedding ceremony is coming soon. Such bad news must not spread in the city and interfere with the sacred ceremony of offering sacrifices to the goddess." Wu Li said confidently.

Yi Nan propped his chin, frowning slightly and looking at Wu.She was thinking in her heart: It turned out that the incident had happened before the New Year, but the witch used some means to cover it up, and it didn't happen temporarily.It wasn't until he was pushed to the position of "Holy Maiden" that the trouble became serious.Wu's scheming seemed more obvious at this moment.

But looking at it from another angle, when the Eridu people just proposed to terminate the credit and abolish the shell currency, if Uruk sent people to communicate with the Eridu people frankly at that time, to understand the pros and cons, and let the people of Uruk If the residents heard the news in advance and took measures, then things might not be so passive.

——To put it bluntly, it’s still the witch’s fault.

Yi Nan smiled at Wu, she didn't look angry at all: After all, it's useless to be angry now.

"You are the witch of Uruk, so it is up to you to decide on this matter. Tell me what to do!"

Yi Nan gave Wu a high hat first.

Wu seemed to have already figured out that Yi Nan, a little girl who encountered such a thing, would definitely back down, with a flash of pride in her eyes, she lowered her head and said, "This matter involves two... the battle for the main god between the city-states, you must come forward to solve the problem." solve."

"After all, you represent the goddess Inan..." Wu said while carefully observing Inan's expression.

Yi Nan stretched his hand to his ear, stroked his long, smooth hair casually, and said two words while smiling:

"...No way!"

Wu stared at her: At the critical moment, was it so easy to push things out?

Yinan said softly: "You watched the whole New Year's Holy Wedding Ceremony. Do you remember when I mentioned that I am a goddess?"

Indeed, Yi Nan never mentioned his identity in a single word during the holy wedding ceremony.All the connections between her and the goddess Inanna were speculated and believed by the people who came to watch the ceremony.

When Wu thought about it, that was indeed the case, and he was immediately blocked and couldn't speak a word.

A high-ranking priest spoke sincerely beside the witch: "Dear saint, although you may not want to admit your identity, but now you are the only representative of Goddess Inanna in the world. Now Uruk is facing a problem, you He is the only person who is suitable to come forward. Wu means..."

Wu quickly followed the rhythm and nodded repeatedly.

"This matter urgently requires you to come forward to resolve it yourself. Otherwise, the residents of Uruk will not be able to feel at ease for a day..."

Wu spoke very earnestly.

Yi Nan frowned, resting his cheeks, with an expression of reluctance: "I must come forward—"

Wu and several high-ranking priests nodded again and again: "Yes, you must come forward. You'd better meet the people from Eridu in person and listen to their requirements. We will help you make suggestions and see how this matter should be done." response."

——Just push Yinan to come forward in person.

Yinan: "But in fact, it's not complicated to solve the shell coin matter."

"Not complicated?" Both the witch and the high-ranking priests showed surprised expressions.

Wu's expression was well managed, and he immediately turned into joy: "That's great, we will do what you say!"

Yi Nan: That's what you said.

She immediately said: "Give me the authority to manage the warehouse of the temple, and I will solve this problem now."

Wu Hung: ... Dare to seize power!

Who knew that Yinan just opened his mouth and tilted his head. Dumuzi understood, got up immediately, and hurried outside the temple: "I'll go and inform the temple's storehouse. From now on, they will obey the orders of the saint."

Wu felt frightened: Where did this come from talking to himself!

Yi Nan stared at her: "Who said it just now, what I said, how did you do it?"

Wu Zhen wanted to stretch out his hand to slap himself on the mouth, but now, he could only hope that the low-level priests and apprentice priests who managed the treasury in the temple would not accept the shepherd's account.

Unexpectedly, among the group of middle-level priests sitting behind the high-ranking priest, a man jumped up, caught up with Dumuzi and said, "I'll go with you!"

It is none other than Guda.

"The saint has spoken. She can solve this problem. What else can we say? Listen to the saint! The witch just nodded."

Guda, an intermediate priest wearing a royal blue robe, quickly caught up with Dumuzi, and the two hurried down the steps in front of the temple together.

Wu stretched out his hand and slapped himself on the face, and there was a soft "slap". She really didn't expect that Yinan's influence had long since extended to the priests under her command.The middle priest who went out just now seemed to have no doubts about Yinan.

With the presence of middle priests, Dumuzi could indeed directly control the warehouse of the temple in a short period of time.

Wu actually handed over the warehouse and the goods in the warehouse so easily?

But having said that, Yi Nan got the warehouse of the temple, so she had to solve the shell coin problem immediately as she said.If not, Wu Ze could justifiably take back this power, and the public's trust in Yinan would soon be greatly reduced.

At that time, won't Yi Nan have to obediently listen to witches and priests?

Wu suddenly felt woken up by his palm, and bowed to Yinan humbly on the surface: "The power to manage the warehouse is entrusted to you. Please show me what to do next."

At this moment, Yinan finally put her hands together, got up from the ground, clapped her hands, and said, "Okay, priests of God, come and solve the problems for the people under your rule!"

"Please go and call all the residents of Uruk who hold shell coins to the temple. I have something to say to them."

The priests hesitated and looked at Wu.

After all, Wu has been bossy for many years, and her own authority is still there.

Yi Nan also raised his head in Wu's direction, and asked with a smile on his face, "Are you going too?"

Wu slightly tilted her head, and the trainee priestess who had been standing in the corner behind her responded in a low voice: "Yes—"

The high priests understood immediately.Gashti is Wu's confidant, and to a certain extent, Wu's substitute. Wu's statement like this means that she has also succumbed to Yinan's request.

A group of high-ranking priests hastily followed Qashti out of the temple and flocked to all directions of Uruk, sending the request from the saint to the entire city at once.