Chapter 11 Chapter 6 The Long Staff and the Knife

Matt certainly didn't think that Luca would only stay in Zurado for one day.This salt-producing town with stone walls is quite wealthy, and what Luca likes most is seeing coins fall into his palm, so when Luca told him that the Valan Luca Circus and the Miracle When Zhan would stay here for at least two more days, Matt was not particularly disappointed.However, he still hopes that his good luck or the characteristics of the time axis can give him a little surprise. Until now, he has not seen any good things brought to him by the time axis. "The line at the gate yesterday was unprecedentedly long," Luka said, gesticulating exaggeratedly.They were in Lucca's luxurious carriage, and the sun had just emerged from the horizon.Yesterday, Matt killed Li Na.Tall Luca was sitting in his gilt chair at his narrow table, which was a real table, with stools for guests under it; in other carriages it was often only suspended from the roof by ropes. A wooden board served as a table, and people had to sit on the bed fixed to the side wall of the carriage to eat.Luca hasn't put on his ostentatious coat yet, but he makes up for it with big gestures, and his wife, Rattler, is cooking breakfast cereal on a brick iron-top stove in the corner of the car.The windowless compartment was filled with a pungent chili smell.This tough-looking woman put so much chili in whatever she cooked that she couldn't eat anything that passed her hands—at least, according to Mat.But Luka can devour everything Rattler puts in front of him every time, as if it is some kind of delicacy, he must have a leathery tongue. "There will certainly be twice as many people today as there were yesterday. People can't see everything once, and people here can afford to see it twice. We've got word of mouth here, Cawthorne , with word of mouth! And the fireworks of Yaluta can also attract many people to come. I feel like a time axis, everything is revolving around me, my audience is countless, and it is becoming more and more More and more. I still have a certificate of protection from the Maharaja." Luka's voice suddenly dropped, and a bit of embarrassment appeared on his face, as if he had just remembered that Matt's name was also on that certificate of protection. And it was marked that she was not under the protection of the female maharaja.

"If you were really Timeline, maybe you wouldn't be so happy," Mat muttered, which made Luca give him a curious look.Mat put a finger into the black silk handkerchief that covered the strangle marks on his neck and pulled it outward. He suddenly felt that the thing was strangling his neck too tightly.Last night he had been having nightmares of bodies floating down the river in his dreams, and finally he was awakened by the dice spinning in his head, which were now bouncing in his head more than ever more intense. "No matter how many shows you have from here to Lugard, and how many people come to your show, I can pay you the same ticket price immediately, and the money is not counting you taking us to Lugard. Germany’s travel expenses.” If the circus didn’t stop and go like this, the time it took them to reach Lugard could be shortened by at least three-quarters.If he could convince Luka to spend the whole day on the road instead of half the day as he was doing now, they could save even more time.

Luka seemed to be considering Mat's proposal. He nodded thoughtfully, but shook his head quickly, pretending to be distressed, and spread his hands. "But wouldn't that be weird? A traveling circus that never stops to put on a show? It's bound to raise suspicions. I've got a ward, and the Maharaja will protect me, but you still don't want to raise the Seanchan." It's safer for you now." Of course the guy wasn't thinking about the safety of goddamn Matt Cawthorne, he was thinking about how much money his circus made for him needed more money than Matt Cawthorne Tate would give him more, and it would put him in the spotlight, like the performers in his circus—which was almost as valuable to him as gold.Some people in the circus always talked about what they were going to do when they retired, but Luca never said such a thing. He would always lead the circus to perform around the world, even if he died, he would die on the performance field.And, if he could, he would make the show where he died the greatest in history.

"Okay, Walan." Rattler said cordially, holding the tin can on the stove with both hands through the cloth, and placed it on a thick woven mat on the table.There were already two sets of cutlery on the table—white glazed plates and silver spoons.While everyone else was using pewter bowls and spoons, or even horn or wooden cutlery, Luca was using silver spoons.His bear-tamer wife, with piercing eyes and resolute lips, wore a long blue dress with tiny sequins so that she looked grotesque with an apron tied around her waist, as she did now.When she frowned at her bears, who wished they had a tree to climb, she would run timidly around her husband for his comfort. "Would you like to eat a little with us, Mr. Cawthorne?" In fact, there was nothing welcoming in her words, and she didn't look like she had any intention of going to the cupboard to get another set of cutlery.

Mat bowed to her, but the gesture only made her look more gloomy.Matt had never been less polite to women, but Rattler just didn't like him. "Thank you for your kind invitation, Mrs. Luca, but I won't bother you." Rattler snorted in return.Mat put on his wide-brimmed hat and turned away, the dice still spinning in his head. Luca's great carriage glowed red and blue in the sun's rays, depicting golden stars and comets, and the silvery moon's progression from first quarter to last quarter.It was in the very center of the circus, as far away as possible from the smelly animal cages and stables, surrounded by many small carriages.Those too were little houses on wheels, mostly windowless, painted one color, and not as dazzling as Luca's carriage.Between the wagons stood many walled tents, the size of small houses, in red, blue, green, or colored stripes.The sun has almost completely risen above the horizon, and only a few scattered white clouds are slowly floating in the sky.Children rolled hoops and played with balls; actors were warming up for their morning performance, men and women writhing in various positions.Their tunics and long skirts will have little sparkles, and four gymnasts, wearing ankle-length leggings and tunics so flimsy that they no longer have much to imagine, are performing on a blanket outside their red tent. with acrobatic moves.Mat shuddered from the movement—two of them were sitting on their own heads, and the bodies of the other two were knotted into knots that seemed impossible to untie.Their spines must be made of springs!Paita the Hercules stood bare-chested beside his and his wife's green carriage, holding a pair of heavy dumbbells, and Mat doubted that he could lift either of them with two hands.The man's arms were thicker than Mat's legs, and there wasn't even a drop of sweat on his body.Claryn's puppies stood in a row before the steps of the green carriage, wagging their tails, eagerly awaiting their master.Unlike Rattler's bear, Matt felt that the reason why the fat lady's dog was serious was to make her laugh.

Mat always wanted somewhere to sit quietly and wait for the dice to settle in his head—somewhere where nothing unexpected would happen.And he also likes to look at those acrobats, some of them are dressed as attractively as those gymnasts, but he still walked over to Zurado half a mile away, and carefully observed the wide area. Everyone on the rammed earth road.He hoped to be able to buy one thing in that town. People kept coming to the entrance of the circus's high canvas enclosure, and lined up along the thick roped corridors.There were only a handful of men and women, with fine floral embroidery on their tunics and skirts, and a few high-wheeled carts drawn by oxen and horses.Next to the small jungle formed by the salt well windmill and the long evaporation pond, some figures can be seen working to and fro.As Mat approached the town, a caravan of twenty six-horse canvas wagons, led by the mistress of the caravan in a bright green cloak, was rumbling out of the town gates. Next to the driver of the first car.A flock of crows croaked and flew over Mat's head, making him shudder, but no one disappeared from his sight, and everyone he had seen so far had cast long, long shadows on the ground. shadow.No dead people walked this road today, but Mat absolutely did not doubt that the strange scene that appeared in front of him before was his hallucination.

Dead people walking around are certainly not a good omen, and it's likely something to do with Doom War and Rand.Swirling colors appeared in his mind, and for a moment, Rand and Ming appeared in his consciousness.They were standing next to a large bed, kissing.Mat staggered, nearly falling to the ground.Those two people are all naked!He should have been careful thinking about Rand... The colors swirled again, congealing into images.He staggered again - now he saw something worse than a kiss.Be very careful, Light! The two guards at Iron Gate both leaned on their axes, eyeing Mat suspiciously.They wore white breastplates and white conical helmets with horsetail helms, probably thinking Mat was drunk.Mat nodded at them, but that didn't change their expressions in the slightest.Mat would really like to drink a glass of strong wine now.However, the guards just stared at him as he walked into the town gate, and did not stop him.A drunk can cause all kinds of trouble, especially a man drunk early in the morning, but a drunk in good clothes is a whole other story But the workmanship is quite elegant, and it is silk).

Although it was just dawn, the cobbled streets of Zurado were already very lively.Vendors hold trays, or stand behind carts, hawking their wares.The shop owners set up narrow tables in front of the shop, displaying all kinds of goods, and shouting loudly.The coopers beat iron hoops onto the barrels to be filled with salt, the clack of the rugmaker's loom almost drowned out the occasional sound of hammering, and the sound of flutes, drums and xylophones was constantly wafting from the inns and taverns. music.Zurador is a chaotic town, with shops, houses, inns, taverns and stables all crowded together.All these houses have stone walls and red tiled roofs.It was also a rich and burglary city, with strong bars on the lower windows of the houses, and bars on the upper windows of the wealthy houses, undoubtedly the houses of the salt merchants.The music wafting from hotels and taverns kept tempting Mat, there must be someone playing dice there.Mat could almost feel the dice spinning on the table.For a long time, the dice had been spinning in his head, but never in his palm.But he didn't come here today to gamble.

Matt realized that he hadn't had breakfast yet, so he walked up to a meat pie vendor.The peddler hangs the tray around his neck with a belt, holds it in front of him, and is yelling vigorously: "The meatloaf is made of the best beef in Altera!" The price was paid to her in copper coins.On the farm near Zurado, Matt saw only sheep and goats, not a single cow.It's not good practice, though, to inquire about pies sold on town streets, and there might still be cattle on nearby farms, possibly.Anyway, the pie in Matt's hand tasted good, and to his surprise, it was still warm.Mat chewed on the pie and continued down the crowded street, wiping the gravy from his chin with his hand.

He was careful not to bump into anyone, and Atla people are not very good-tempered.In this small town, people's status can be easily distinguished. You only need to look at the amount of embroidery on their clothes, which is much easier than distinguishing whether the cloth is wool or silk.Wealthy women here use ornate combs to fasten sheer veils over their tightly coiled braids to hide their olive-skinned faces.Regardless of men and women, whether salt merchants or peddlers, they would stick a long, curved dagger in their waists, and fiddle with the handle of the dagger from time to time, as if they wanted to find someone to fight.Mat has been trying to avoid fights, but his luck has rarely pleased him in this regard, and the time axis always seems to be against him in this matter. And stopped.Either way, he definitely didn't want a riot breaking out in the street because of him right now, which certainly wouldn't help what he was going to do today.When the dice will stop is beyond his control, and he doesn't want to try anything about it.He hated taking risks, except, of course, when he gambled, and it was much less worth taking to make the dice stop.

In front of a shop displaying swords and daggers, Matt saw a vat full of long sticks and canes, and there was a big man standing in front of the shop.He has a pair of fists with thick joints and a nose that has been broken more than once, and there is a heavy club hanging beside the dagger at his waist.The man shouted loudly, claiming that all the swords and swords in the store were from Ando, ​​but as long as there are weapons dealers who make their own weapons, they will say that they sell weapons from Andor or border countries, and sometimes they will say It's from Tyre, and Tyre is where good steel comes from. To Mat's surprise and delight, there was a slender black stick in the barrel that seemed to be made of yew, and was more than a foot longer than Mat's height.Mat pulled out the long stick and carefully inspected the delicate interwoven textures on its surface like braids.Yes, it's yew, and this arch produces twice as much spring as any other wood.It is not easy to carve a good yew bow, it is often a matter of luck, and this one looks perfect.In the light, how did this yew tree end up in South Atla?Matt believed that this kind of wood could only be found in Two Rivers. The owner of the shop came out of the shop, a fresh-faced woman with a long dress embroidered with brightly colored birds below her breasts, when she began to praise Mat how good her weapon was , Matt just asked: "How much is this black stick, ma'am?" The shop owner blinked, surprised that a man in satin and lace would want such a thin stick.She really thought it was just an ordinary stick!Then, she said a price, and Matt paid without haggling.It made her blink again and frown, as if thinking she'd set the price too low.For such a Two Rivers longbow, Matt was absolutely willing to pay more.He hunched over Yew and walked on, swallowing the last patty and wiping his palms on his coat.But he didn't come here for breakfast, or to buy a longbow, or to gamble, he was interested in the stables in the town. A normal stable always has one to three horses ready for sale, and if the price is right, horses that are not intended for sale can also be bought there, at least until the Seanchan control begins.Fortunately, the Seanchan had just arrived here.Mat wandered from one stable to the next, looking at the bay horses, piebald horses, blue zebras, piebald horses, brown horses, sorrel horses, black horses, white horses, gray horses, and dappled horses, all he looked for were mares. And geldings, stallions were not his goal, and not all the poor horses he found were narrow-chested and long-legged, but none of them met his standards.He didn't go in until he saw a small stable between a tall stone-walled inn with the sign "Twelve Salt Wells" and a carpet workshop. He had expected the horses to be disturbed by the noise from the rug workshop, but they were all calm and apparently accustomed to the noise.The stables were deeper than he had expected, and the light from oil lamps hung on high posts in front of each stable door allowed Mat to see the horses clearly.The air smelled of dust, hay, and oats from the attic above, and horse manure, though not old manure.Three men were using shovels to clean up the horse manure in the corral. It seemed that the owner of the stable paid attention to the cleanliness here, which would reduce the possibility of the horses getting sick.In some of the stables Mat had been to before, he would take a deep breath as soon as he stepped out. The black and white motley horse was tied outside its stable, where the groom was putting fresh hay.Its four legs were stretched out, its ears were pricked forward, and it looked quite alert.He was about fifteen hands high, with long front legs and a broad chest, indicating good stamina, and his legs were well proportioned, with short shinbones, well angulated balls, and perfectly presented shoulders The slope is perfect, the croup and withers are perfectly level, and the overall line is as graceful as a nut, if not better.Not only that, but it also belonged to a bloodline that Matt had only heard about, but had never seen with his own eyes—Sharp Blade, a breed from Aladoman. Apart from them, no other horse breed had such distinct black and white coat colors, and black and white The boundaries between colors are as straight as a sharp knife, which is why they get their names.Why is it here?It was as puzzling as the yew tree, and Mat had never heard of the Aladomans selling their blades to foreigners.His eyes just swept across the sharp blade, but stayed on the other horses.Did the dice slow down in his head?No, it was just his imagination, Mat believed, and they turned just as fast as they did in Luca's carriage. A thin man with only a strand of gray hair left on his head came over. He clasped his hands together, bowed, and introduced himself in a hoarse tone: "I'm Toc Ferney, my lord." Seeing the arched back on Matt's shoulders, there was a suspicious look in his eyes.A man in a silk coat and a gold signet ring would not hold such a thing in his hands. "What can I do for you? Would your lord want to rent a horse? Or buy one?" He was wearing a shirt that might have been white, and a waistcoat with a few bright flowers embroidered on the shoulders.Mat tried not to look at the flower embroidery.This guy also had a curved dagger in his belt, and there were two long white scars on his tough, leathery face—two very old scars, and there were no signs of recent fighting on his body. "Buy a horse, Master Ferney, and I can find another decent one if you'll sell it. I've seen a lot of crappy ones, and some stable owners boast that their horses are only six years old, but those The eighteen-year-old horse is as thin as this stick." He smiled and lifted the arched shoulder slightly.His father said that if you can make the other person smile, it will be easier for you to bargain. "I have three horses for sale, my lord, and they are fine horses," said the thin man, bowing again, but there was no smile on his face.He pointed casually: "Here is one of them, a good five-year-old horse, my lord, ten crowns, gold crowns." He said courteously. Matt let his jaw drop deliberately. "I know the Seanchan people have raised the price of horses a lot, but this price is too outrageous!" "Oh, she is no ordinary piebald horse as you know, my lord, she is a blade, the famous thoroughbred blade of Aladoman." damn it!This makes it much more difficult to bargain. "Yes, yes." Matt murmured, leaning his back on the ground to support his body.His butt rarely hurts as much as it did in a while, but he's just walked a lot, so the cut there is starting to ache again.Well, he started the game.Buying and selling horses has its own rules, and breaking these rules will cost you your wallet. "I've never heard of a horse called a 'Sword.' What horses do you have? All I want is a gelding or a mare." "Except for this sharp blade, I only have a gelding to sell, my lord." Ferney especially emphasized the name "Sharp Blade", and then he turned to the stable and shouted: "Edra , Bring out that big bay red horse." A young woman, also thin and pimpled, ran out of the stables, wearing breeches and a dark brown waistcoat without any decoration.Ferney asked Edla to lead a bay horse and a spotted gray horse to a well-lit place near the door, and Mat had to inspect the two horses first.Both horses were all right, but the bay one was too big, well over seventeen hands tall, and the gray one kept half-closed its ears, and twice tried to bite Adora.Edra is very experienced in dealing with these beasts, and easily escaped the sneak attack of the grumpy gray horse.He wouldn't have had those two horses if he hadn't had the blade. A thin gray-striped cat the size of a shrunken lynx came out of the stable, sat down at Ferney's feet, and began to lick a bleeding wound on his shoulder. "I've never seen a mouse as crazy as this year." The stable owner frowned at the cat and muttered, "They are getting less and less afraid of cats. I have to buy another cat, or Buy two more." Then he came back to his senses and said to Mat, "Does your lord think these two are not suitable? Would you like to see my best horse again?" "Then I'll take a look at the fancy horse again, Master Ferney." Mat said hesitantly, "but ten crowns won't do." "It's gold coins I want," said Ferney. "Hood, show your lord the sword." He emphasized the horse's blood again.It's not easy to lower the price on this man, unless Timeline can give him some help.Matt's luck never played a role in his bargaining. Hood was the groom who put new grass in the Knife's stable, a squat man with only three white hairs on top of his head and not a single tooth in his mouth.With a palpable grin on his face as he leads the mare around the circle, he clearly adores the mare, who certainly deserves anyone's affection. The gait of the blade was beautiful, but Mat examined it carefully.Its teeth show that Ferney wasn't lying when he said his age.Only a fool would lie about a horse's age, but it's amazing how many horse sellers think the buyer is stupid enough to believe such a lie.When Mat stroked its nose and inspected its eyes, its ears immediately moved forward, and those eyes were clear and bright, without any secretion in the eye sockets.Matt felt all four of its legs, but found no heat or swelling, nor any lesions, sores, or mange all over its body.Mat could easily get his fist between its ribs and leg bones.This shows that it has a long stride when running.It barely fit Mat's outstretched hand between the end of its ribs and its hip, and it must have been strong enough not to strain its tendons while sprinting. "It seems that my lord knows horses very well." "Yes, Master Ferney, ten crowns is too much, especially for a piebald horse. You know, some people say that a piebald horse brings bad luck, and of course I don't really believe that, otherwise I wouldn't have Would buy the horse." "Misfortune? I've never heard of it, my lord. What's your offer?" "You can buy a Tier thoroughbred for ten gold crowns. You shouldn't be able to buy the best ones, but you can buy a Tier horse. I can buy ten crowns, but it's silver." Ferney threw his head up and let out a laugh, and then they began to haggle in earnest.Finally, Matt produced five gold crowns and four gold marks, plus three silver crowns, all Ebouda currency.The box under Matt's bed contained coins from many countries, but using foreign currency often meant going to a banker or money changer to weigh the coins and estimate their value.It would attract the attention of others, and Mat would probably have to shell out more money, possibly even ten kronor indeed.The money changer's pin always hurt the person who paid the money.Matt didn't expect to be able to cut such a high price, but judging by the smile Ferney finally showed, he certainly didn't expect to be able to sell this horse for such a high price.This is the best result in horse trading, and both sides think they have taken advantage of it.With or without those damn dice, the day had started off pretty good, but Mat wasn't expecting it to last forever. He rode back to the circus in the middle of the day on a bare-backed blade, the pain in his hip and the dice in his head making it hard for him to walk back.The line in front of the circus was longer than when he had left, people eagerly waiting to walk past the long banner with red letters on a blue background that hung between two tall poles.A stout groom in a rough woolen coat held a transparent glass jar, took the coins poured into it like a stream, and poured them into a hooped-iron box under the watchful eye of another sturdier groom.And every moment more people join the queue waiting to get in, so the line shows no sign of shortening.The tail of the team had already passed the range of the aisle circled by the rope, and circled around the corner of the tent.To Mat's slight surprise, there was no jostling by anyone in the line.There were peasants in sackcloth and muddy hands, but the children and peasant wives were well-washed.Luca got the audience he expected, which can only be said to be bad luck, and it is now impossible to persuade him to leave the place tomorrow.The dice told Mat that something must happen, something that could decide the fate of the damned Mat.But what is it?He had encountered this situation before - the dice stopped, but he still didn't know what happened. Matt followed the excited crowd into the canvas enclosure of the circus.Both sides of the main street of the circus are full of performers performing various shows and enthusiastic audiences. At this moment, Aluta leads two carriages and walks over from behind Mat. The carriages are full of large and small circles. The bucket, of course, was supposed to be full of something only she knew what it was. "Come with me, and I'll show you where the carriage is parked." The slender woman said to the slender, protruding-jawed coachman in the first carriage, and then she turned her head sharply to stare at Mat, waist-high Her long, thin, beaded braids were also tossed, but she turned quickly back to the coachman and said, "Then you take the horses to the stables, will you?" What did Aluta buy?It must be the raw material used to make fireworks.Now, every day as soon as the sun goes down, Aluta will use dazzling fireworks to attract everyone who is not asleep.In a town the size of Zurado, or where several villages come together, she sets off two or three fireworks every night.Mat seemed to be able to think of why she wanted to find the bellsmith, but he felt that the only possible reason was really meaningless. Mat hid the newly acquired horses in the herd in the stables, in reality the blade couldn't really be hidden, but at least one of the horses in the herd wouldn't be so conspicuous and not yet in use its timing.Mat left the bow back in the carriage where he lived with Aegnin and Domun, but he did not see them both in the carriage, and then he walked towards the old purple carriage where Tuon lived , the wagon was parked not far from Luca's wagon now, but Mat would have preferred it to be still next to the wagons.Only Luka and his wife in the circus knew that Tuon was the Seanchan Maharaja, not the handmaid who was going to tell on Aegnin's fictional husband about her affair with Mat.But many people in the circus have begun to wonder why Mat spends more time with Tuon than with Aegnin—they doubt it, and they don't take it seriously.These people have a weird conservative attitude towards love, even the gymnasts are no exception.Running away with the wife of a cruel lord is romantic, but flirting with that lady's servant is meanness.The place where Tuon's carriage now stood should have belonged to the oldest and most valuable performer in the circus, which would only lead to more gossip for Mat. In fact, Mat was hesitant to go to Tuon while the dice were still spinning in his head; No idea why, at least not exactly.Thinking of the feeling when the spinning dice stopped when he first met Tuon, the hair on the back of Mat's head couldn't help but stand on end.When dealing with women, you can never be 100% sure; when dealing with Tuon, Mat has to take ten times the usual risk, and often only when everything is irreversible. Know what happened to you.Matt often wondered why his good luck never played out with women, who were as unpredictable as all dice that didn't cheat. There was no Red Arm guard outside Tuon's carriage, and now Mat no longer needed to arrange such guarding measures.He ran up a few steps behind the carriage, knocked on the door, and then pushed the door and walked in. After all, he was the one who paid the rent for the carriage, and it was impossible for the woman in the carriage to be naked at this time.If they didn't want outsiders to come in, they could have bolted the door. Mrs. Annan wasn't in the car, but it still looked pretty crowded.The narrow table in the center of the carriage had been lowered from the roof and was suspended by four ropes. On the table were various forms of food dishes, containing bread, olives and cheese, the most conspicuous of which was Lucca. One of the silver tall wine jugs.There is also a low red striped ewer and a floral cup.A month's worth of thick black curls had grown on Tuon's head, where she sat on a carriage stool at the far end of the table.Selucia sat on the bed at her side against the side of the car, and Noal and Ofer sat on the other, their elbows resting on the table.Today, Selucia's head was wrapped in a floral turban, and she was wearing a dark blue Abodar dress, which exposed a large part of her plump breasts, while Tuon wore a red dress full of fine pleats. long skirt.Brightness, the red silk satin that made this long dress was bought for her just yesterday!How did she convince the circus tailors to make the dress in such a short time?Matt believes that such workmanship is usually impossible to make in one day.He suspected that Tuon's conditions to those tailors might have something to do with his gold coins. Of course, if you bought satin for women, you must be prepared to pay another garment fee.Mat had heard it when he was a boy and never imagined he could afford silk, but it was the bright truth. "...In those villages, only women would go out of the village." This is Noah speaking.Seeing Matt walk in and close the door of the carriage, the white-haired old man covered in muscles immediately shut his mouth.The lace trim on Noel's cuffs, like the well-tailored gray wool coat he wore, must have been gorgeous once, but they were too tattered now, but at least they were clean.Combined with Noah's fingers and face full of scars, this suit is even more weird; it looks like Noah has experienced a lot of battles when he was young, but he just hangs out in the tavern when he is old. An old man lingering on his last breath.Ofer, in the fine blue tunic Mat had made for him, was grinning wide like an Ogierman.Light, Ofer is a good boy, but his big mouth and big ears will never make him a handsome man; Attitude has to improve dramatically.Matt has been trying to spend as much time as possible with Ofer, keeping him away from the influence of those "uncles", but the boy seems to like Manning, Hanan and other Red Arms.图昂玩“蛇与狐狸”，同时用力盯着赛露西娅的胸脯。那些男人教奥佛尔射箭挥刀倒是不错，但如果麦特知道是谁教他这样盯着女人…… “注意礼貌，玩具。”图昂悠缓的声音如同蜂蜜滑出瓷盘，当然，是硬得扎手的蜂蜜。在麦特面前，除了下棋以外，图昂的表情和语气通常都如同宣判死刑的法官一样冰冷。“你敲门之后，要得到许可才能进来，只有我的财产和仆人才不需要我的许可就能走进来，当然，他们也不需要敲门。除此之外，你的外衣还有油渍，你应当保持自身的整洁。”听到麦特遭受训诫，奥佛尔的笑容消失了。诺奥用弯曲的手指抚了一下长头发，叹了口气，目光只是盯在面前的绿色碟子上，仿佛是要在那些橄榄中找出翡翠一样。 无论图昂的语气有多么严厉，麦特还是很喜欢看到这个将成为他妻子的黑皮肤小女人，实际上，她应该已经是他的半个妻子了。光明啊，现在她只要说出三句话，这件事就再也无可挽回了！让光明烧了他吧，但这个女人真的很漂亮。他曾经误以为她还只是个孩子，这都是因为她实在太瘦小了，而且那时她的面孔一直被遮在面纱后面。没有了面纱的遮挡，麦特能清楚地看到这张女人才会有的心形脸蛋。她的大眼睛如同一对黑色的深潭，足以让一个男人在其中游荡一生。她罕有一现的微笑也许很神秘，也许充满了恶意，却让麦特不由自主地喜欢。麦特很想看到她笑，至少在她取笑的对象不是自己的时候。确实，她的身材比起麦特中意的类型要瘦一点，不过，如果能在赛露西娅不在的时候用手搂住她的腰，那种感觉一定会很不错；最好能再说服她，让他能吻一吻那双丰满的嘴唇。光明啊，有时候他做梦都在干这件事！他不介意她像他的老婆一样对他呼来喝去，几乎全不在意，但如果衣服上的一点油渍真的那么可怕，那就让光明烧死他好了。他接纳的两名仆人——罗平和尼瑞姆一直在为谁该清洁他的外衣而争斗不休，如果他不说明谁该来完成这个任务，他们可能真的会打起来。但他当然不会为一块油渍和她纠缠不休，女人最喜欢的事莫过于看到你抵抗她们咄咄逼人的攻势，而一旦你这样做，她就赢了。 “我尽量记住，宝贝儿。”他露出自己最灿烂的微笑，坐到了赛露西娅旁边，并把自己的帽子放在身子的另一边。他们两个之间隔着皱起的毯子，彼此的距离至少还有一尺远，不过看来还是很像麦特正紧贴着赛露西娅的大腿。这个女人有一双蓝色的眼睛，但她赤灼的目光让麦特觉得自己的衣服都要被烤焦了。“希望奥佛尔的杯子里水比葡萄酒要多。” “那里面只有山羊奶。”那个男孩气愤地说。啊，是啊，奥佛尔毕竟还是太小了，即使是掺水的酒也不应该喝。 图昂在凳子上坐得笔直，但她还是要比赛露西娅矮一些，实际上，赛露西娅的身材也不算高。“你叫我什么？”她的音调已经高亢到极限。 “宝贝儿。既然你对我用昵称，我想我也应该为你取一个，宝贝儿。”他觉得赛露西娅的眼睛就要从眼眶里蹦出来了。 “明白了。”图昂喃喃地说着，若有所思地咬住嘴唇。她右手的手指仿佛无聊一样晃了晃，赛露西娅立刻从床边站起身，走到一座壁橱前面，同时越过图昂的头顶瞪着他。“很好，”过了一会儿，图昂说道，“看看谁能赢得这场游戏吧，这一定很有趣。” 麦特的微笑消失了。游戏？他只不过想争取到一点平衡而已。不管怎样，图昂将此视为一场游戏，就是说，他有可能得到一个失败的结局，但他还不知道这是怎样的一场游戏。为什么女人总是要让事情变得这么……复杂？ 赛露西娅坐回床边，将一只有缺口的杯子放到麦特面前，再加上一个放了半条焦皮面包、六颗形状各异的腌橄榄和三种干酪的蓝釉盘子。这让麦特的精神又振作起来，他一直希望能得到这些，却对此并没有很大信心，一旦女人愿意喂养你，那么她就很难再阻止你把脚放到她的桌子下面了。 “更离奇的是，”诺奥又开始讲他的故事了，“在那些阿亚德村子里，你能看到各种年纪的女人，却从来都看不见超过二十岁很多的男人，一个都没有。”奥佛尔的眼睛睁得更大了，这个男孩相信诺奥讲得每一个故事，无论诺奥把那些艾伊尔荒漠另一边的国家描述得多么稀奇古怪，他都毫不怀疑地照单全收。 “你和简·卡灵有什么关系吗，诺奥？”麦特嚼着一颗橄榄，把核吐进手掌里。这颗橄榄尝起来很像是坏掉了，第二颗也是一样，但他实在是饿了，所以一口就把它们咽了下去，然后又啃了一口干硬的白色山羊奶酪，同时故意对图昂紧皱的眉头视而不见。 那名老者的面孔突然变得如同石头一样僵硬。麦特撕下一块面包，把它塞进嘴里，同时等待着诺奥的回答。“亲戚。”诺奥终于不情愿地开口道，“他是我的亲戚。” “你是简·法斯崔德的亲戚？”奥佛尔兴奋地喊道。他最喜欢的书就是《简·法斯崔德游记》，只要泽凌和瑟拉允许，他会一直在灯光下读那本书，直到深夜。而且他总是说，他要去看看法斯崔德——远步者曾经见证过的所有那些奇景，等他长大以后，他会走得比这位远步者还要远。 “这位有两个名字的人物到底是谁？”图昂问，“只有伟大的人才会有超过一个的名字，听你们的口气，似乎所有人都应该知道他。” “他是个傻瓜。”诺奥抢在麦特和奥佛尔前面阴沉着脸说，丝毫不在意奥佛尔惊讶的表情。“他只知道在这个世界上乱跑，却丢下了自己心爱的妻子，甚至当她因为热病去世时，他都没有能握住她的手。他让自己成为了一件工具，任由……”诺奥的眼神突然变得一片空白，他盯着麦特身后某个遥远的地方，揉搓着额角，仿佛在努力回忆某些事情。 “简·法斯崔德是一位伟人。”奥佛尔激动地说，小手握成了拳头，仿佛要为了守护他的英雄而战斗。“他与兽魔人和魔达奥作战，他冒过的险比世界上的任何人都要多！比麦特还要多！在克芬·葛马兰投向暗影，出卖了马吉尔之后，是他抓住了葛马兰！” 诺奥打了个愣怔，恢复了神智，他拍拍奥佛尔的肩膀。“是他干的，孩子，这应该归功于他，但有什么样的冒险值得你抛弃自己的妻子，让她孤独地死去？”听口气，他倒很像是在为自己哀悼。 奥佛尔没有回答这个问题，但他的脸阴沉了下来。如果诺奥因此让这个男孩远离了他喜爱的书籍，那麦特一定要责怪这个老头了。阅读很重要——麦特自己也会读书的，真的，他有时候真的会读书。不管怎样，他总是会确保奥佛尔一直都能读到他喜爱的书。 图昂站起身，伸手按住诺奥的手臂，她眼睛里冰冷的神情完全消失了，取而代之的是温柔的慰藉。她的腰间系着一条深黄色的鞣皮宽腰带，更加突出她纤柔的曲线，这当然也是要用他的金币换来的。好吧，钱对于他来说总是很容易搞到的，如果不被她花掉，也很可能会被他扔在另外某个女人身上。“你有一颗善良的心，卡灵先生。”她对每个人都会称呼他们的姓，只有麦特·考索恩除外！ “真的吗，女士？”诺奥问。听起来，他仿佛真的想要一个答案。“有时候，我觉得……”无论有时候他觉得怎样，现在可不是听他唠叨这些事的时候。 车厢门猛然被打开，泽凌探进头来，这名提尔捕贼人的红色圆锥小帽像往常一样被他歪戴在头上，但他黝黑的面孔上充满了忧虑。“霄辰士兵到了大路对面，我要去找瑟拉，如果她从别人口中听到这个讯息，一定会被吓坏的。”然后，他就退了出去，甚至连车厢门都没有关上。