Chapter 27 Chapter 22 Let the Anchor Cry

Despite the constant rocking of the boat by the blue waves, Halini Din Togara sat upright beside her sisters, with their squires holding their parasols and the helmsman at the helm behind them.Leno seemed to be staring intently at the twelve men and women who were paddling, as if lost in thought.There were too many things to think about lately, not just the meeting that had summoned Harleenne here, but she just let her mind wander blindly, trying to calm herself down.Ever since arriving in Illian, she had needed to calm herself down before attending the Asan Miyar Twelve.She reached Tire and found Zeida's blue gull still moored by the river bank, a painful mistake in her certainty that the woman must still be in Caemlyn, or at least far behind her.But even with Zaida still a few weeks away, nothing would change, at least not for Harleenne.No, don't think about Zaida.

The sun was just a fistful above the eastern horizon, and several landfolk ships were sailing in front of the long embankment guarding the port of Illian.One of the ships had three masts and a very high hull, and all its mainsails were square, making the whole ship appear bulky and unwieldy, bobbing over low waves instead of cutting them.The rest of the boats were small and low-hulled, with their jib sails almost all out, and some of them going quite fast.But landmen seldom sail out of sight of land, and they always drop anchor at night for fear of being stranded, so the speed of the ship is of little importance to them.The goods that really need to be transported quickly will be carried by the Yasan Miyar sea ship. Of course, the transportation price is also extraordinary.The goods delivered to Yasan Miyar accounted for a small proportion of the total goods, partly because of the price of the goods, and partly because there were not many materials urgently needed to be delivered to the destination.Also, if the Cargo Steward trades the seafolk's own goods, his ship and clan will be more profitable.

On the shore, whether eastward or westward, as far as Halini could see, there were Azan Miyar ships, windshears, skimmers, hangwings, and slender shuttles, and these large ships were often surrounded by small boats. It looked like some kind of holiday party was going on there.These small boats from the cities ashore would sell them everything from dried fruit to chunks of beef and mutton, from iron nails and ingots to swords and daggers, from gaudy Irian trinkets to eye-catching gold and gemstones.But the gold vessels were often just gilded fakes that had only been used for a few months to show the copper inside, and the gems were just stained glass.Lu Min also brought mice, although this was not what they intended to sell.After staying at Lumin's place for such a long time, every ship is now plagued by rats, and the food loss caused by rats and spoilage has opened up a larger market for Lumin traders.

The Seanchan ships were also surrounded by dinghies, dozens of behemoths the trophies of the day of the Great Escape, the Great Escape from Ebou Dar—everyone could just say the word now and understand what it meant.These square-headed ships had more than twice as many masts as windshears, and their large sails supported by many beams may be very suitable for long-distance sailing across the ocean, but they are indeed difficult to control.Many were gathering around those masts to replace the multi-gardened sails with some more practical sails.No one wants to pilot such a lumbering ship, but it will probably take years for all the ships lost by the Sea Folk in Eboud to be fully restored, not to mention the huge sums required to build the ships!And no matter how unmanageable these large ships may be, they are sure to sail the seas for many years.Unless they had no other choice, no navigator would be willing to burden them with the funds lent from the tribal treasury, although their own gold coins had often been looted by the Seanchan in Abundar.Those who lost their ships and failed to get Seanchan ships were the most unfortunate, and had to borrow from the tribal treasury.

Harleenne's boat sailed past the breakwater, and under the thick gray wall was covered with black mud and long hair-like seaweed that couldn't be pushed away by big waves.At this time, the wide gray-green Illian Harbor opened up before her eyes. On both sides of the harbor were large swampy wetlands, where the gray-brown color of winter had just faded and was covered by patches of green. Long-legged waders paced back and forth among them. .A mist drifted across the boat with the breeze, wet Harleenne's hair, and floated ashore.There are quite a few small fishing boats near the wetlands fishing with their nets. More than a dozen species of seagulls and terns hover over the fishing boats, looking for gaps to steal the fish and shrimp from the nets.The city hidden behind this port and the noisy market there did not arouse Halini's interest, only this port... This wide, almost circular open water surface is the largest known anchorage water surface.Now it is crowded with all kinds of ships sailing on the sea or in the river, most of them are waiting to enter the port.Among the hundreds of ships of various shapes and sizes, there were of course sea folk ships, but the sea folk ships here now include Windshears and three heavy Seanchan ships.These three-masted, slender, dolphin-racing Windsnippers, and the Seanchan beside them, were the ships of the Wavemasters and Pilotmasters who made up the twelve heads of each tribe.There is no room in the waters to moor other Sea Folk ships.If the sea people occupy too many places here, the Council of Nine and the Reincarnated True Dragon Agent Yili Security Chief will inevitably make trouble for them.

Suddenly, a strong icy wind came from the north, or rather it did not come, but suddenly appeared with the most violent force, raising countless white breaking waves in the harbor, and carrying with it a stream of pine trees and... …the smell of earth.She knew very little about trees, and only wood for ships, but she believed that there could never be a large pine forest near Illian.Then she noticed the fog line, which was still slowly swimming north, even though the ships were being driven south by the strong wind.It took Halini a lot of effort to keep her hands firmly on her knees, she really wanted to reach out and wipe the moisture from her hair.After Shadarrogos, she thought nothing would shake her nerves, but she has seen too many... strange phenomena recently, and they all show that the world is beginning to twist.

As suddenly as it appeared, the wind suddenly disappeared again.There were various murmurs among the oarsmen, their movements were no longer uniform, and a fourth oarsman lost his hand, throwing a lot of water into the skiff, and they all knew that was not the way the wind should be. "Calm down." Halini said firmly, "Calm down!" "Move neatly, you bastards who can't leave the shore," her deck master called from the bow.Jedine was lanky and had tough skin, and she must have lungs that were equally tough. "Am I going to wait for the wind to blow this boat over?" These two insulting words made some oarsmen look angry, others looked aggrieved, but the oars quickly resumed their smooth and smooth movements.

Sara was examining the fog, and Harini knew that it was not appropriate to ask her what she saw or what she was thinking now, and she didn't really want to hear the subordinate's answer.They have seen too many chilling phenomena. The helmsman steered the twelve-oared skiff toward a tall Seanchan ship, and the Lumin's skiff would be driven away if it came too close.This is also the tallest and widest ship controlled by the sea people. The towering poop fort is three stories high, and there are two towers at the entire stern!However, Halini doesn't care about what such a giant ship will look like when it encounters the furious sea driven by Kimo or the raging in the Iris Ocean.At this time, there were already other twelve-oar or eight-oar boats parked beside this ship, and the people on them were waiting to board in order.

Jedine stood at the bow, and shouted, "Saudine!" Her voice was carried far away, and one of the twelve-oared boats that was heading for the giant ship turned aside, and the other boats stayed where they were. It wasn't until the oarsmen put their oars up on the side that Haleni stood up.Jedine grabbed a rope thrown from the ship and brought the skiff to a halt.Sara sighed. "Courage, sister." Halini said to her, "Shadarogos failed to defeat us. But, blessed by the light, I don't know if we can survive here." She gave a dry laugh. "It doesn't matter, even Katsuan Melaidin couldn't kill us, and they certainly couldn't."

Sara smiled weakly.Anyway, she at least smiled. Harini easily climbed up the rope ladder as she did twenty years ago, and the deck master helped her onto the deck.This is a man of strong stature. On his rough face, a scar slanted across the right eye socket covered by a leather mask. The Great Escape left scars on many people, and many people died that day.Harleenne's bare feet touched the deck of this ship, and she also felt a little weird, and her eyes couldn't adapt to the layout of the deck here.However, the order here is well-arranged.Twelve bare-chested men stood to her left, and twelve women in bright linen gowns to her right, bowed deeply and looked straight at the deck as soon as she stepped onto the deck.She waited for Leno and the attendant with the parasol to come behind her before stepping forward.The ship's pilot and windfinder stood at the end of the welcoming line. When Harini walked by, they reached out and touched their chest, lips and forehead respectively, but they bowed slightly.Like Halini and Sara, they were all draped in waist-length white mourning veils, which also concealed the numerous necklaces that hung around their necks.

"My ship welcomes you, Master Waves," said the Pilot Master, sniffing at the snuffbox. "The mercies of the light envelop you until you leave his deck, where others are waiting for you in the great cabin." "The benevolence of the light envelops you too," replied Harleenne.This navigator's name is Tulian. She is wearing blue silk trousers and a red silk shirt. She has a stout figure, which makes the windseeker Seril next to her look quite slender, although in reality, Seril should be of medium stature. .Tulaine also has a pair of awl-like eyes and a mouth with drooping corners, but these and her sniffing of the snuff box are not intended to offend Harleenne, she is not so bold, and now she treats everyone This is what it looks like.Her ship had sunk to the bottom of Ebouda Harbour, and not even the salty sea breeze could wash away the stench that filled the harbor. The great cabin, which took up the whole of the upper deck of the poopfort, was unfurnished save for thirteen chairs and a table against the bulkhead, on which stood a yellow china flagon and a tall foot cup.Twenty-four women are not crowded in this cabin at all.Halini was the last one to arrive among the twelve poems of Yasan Miyar, and the reactions of the other bosses when they saw her did not exceed her expectations at all. She; the round-faced Niole frowned at her, strode to the table, and refilled her goblet; because the waist was too slender, and the bust was extraordinarily plump, Lessine shook her head , as if surprised by Harleenne's appearance.Everyone else went on chatting as if she didn't even exist.Of course, all wore mourning scarves. Perlana strode towards her, looking horrified by the long pink scar on the right side of her square face, her thick curly hair almost grey, and the honor hanging over her left cheek. From the chain hung heavy gold badges that recorded her victories, one of which was the Order of the Great Escape.The cuts from Seanchan's shackles could still be seen on her wrists and ankles, though she covered them with silk now. "By the light, I hope you've recovered, Harleenne." She turned her head and clasped her chubby hands with tattoos, as if expressing sympathy, but she didn't hide her irony. "Is it inconvenient to sit down? So I put a cushion in your place." She laughed wantonly, and turned to look at her Windseeker, but Kairi just looked back at her expressionlessly, as if she didn't hear what she was saying, and then smiled softly Twice.Perlana frowned. She always believed that when she was laughing, her subordinates should also laugh with her. It's just that this solemn looking wind-seeker had her own concerns. One of her daughters disappeared among the land people. Yes, being abducted by an Aes Sedai, the Aes Sedai has to pay for it - even people who don't like Kairi and Perlanna will understand that this must be done. Halini cast a tense smile at the two of them, and then quickly walked past Perlana, forcing the woman to take a step back, and her expression became completely annoyed.Shasha's daughter, Ha Linni murmured in her heart with disdain. No matter what, Mariel still had a sincere smile on her face. This tall and slender woman had shoulder-length hair in black and white. They had become close friends since they were deck sailors.At that time they served together on an old wind shears, and the pilot at that time was a guy who was used to ruling with an iron fist, and because he couldn't see the prospect of promotion, he became especially harsh on his subordinates.When she learned that Mariel had escaped from Ebodar safely, Halini was very happy from the bottom of her heart.At this time, Mariel frowned at Perlana and Kairi again, and her wind-seeking hand, Terili, also looked at them coldly, but unlike Kairi, she did not do this to cater to her own waves long.Terry and Kairi are sisters who care deeply about Kairi's missing daughter, Talaan, but other than that, they're both willing to slit each other's breasts for a penny throat; or hoping to get the other side relegated to the bilge to scrub the deck.There is no hatred deeper than the hatred between brothers and sisters. "Don't let those ducks in the mud disturb your mood, Harleenne." Mariel's voice was too thick for a woman, but it was very beautiful.She handed one of the two goblets in her hand to Harleenne. "You did what you thought had to be done, and as the light wishes, everything will be fine." Although Harleenne was unwilling, her eyes moved to the ring-head nail on the beam above her head. It should have been removed by now. She believed that this big nail was left only to further stimulate her.The eccentric girl named "Ming" was right, her pact with Kramer was considered a major failure, and Asan Miyar had given too much for so little in return.It was in this cabin, under the watchful eyes of the rest of the Twelve Heads and Captain Shinmo, that she was stripped naked, bound by her ankles, and hung upside down from the ring nail, with her hands bound and fastened to Another ring was nailed to the deck, the body was pulled straight, and she was whipped so hard that she nearly howled her lungs out of her mouth.Those welts are gone now, but the memory is still seared on her mind.Fortunately, she was just howling at that time and didn't beg for mercy. If it weren't for this, she would only be content to be an ordinary pilot now, and the Sodain tribe would definitely elect their own new wave captain.Although most people in this room believed that after receiving such a punishment, she should have automatically resigned, perhaps even Mariel was no exception.But Min's another prophecy to her is still giving her courage, that one day, she will become the captain of the captains of Asan Miyar.According to the law, Yasan Miyar Twelve Heads can choose any pilot captain as the captain, but in the history of more than three thousand years, only five non-Twelve Head Pilot Captains have this honor.The Aes Sedai explained that the vision she had seen would definitely come true, but she was not too willing to gamble everything on the girl's words. "Everything will be all right, Mariel, as the light will," she said.The moment has finally arrived, and she must have the courage to accept all the consequences she has caused. As usual, there was no ceremony when Zaida arrived, striding into the cabin, followed by her slender, reserved Windseeker Sherin, and Emilia.The buxom, light-haired Aes Sedai whom Zaida had brought back from Caemlyn had a look of perpetual panic on her ageless face, and her blue eyes were always wide open.Now, for some reason, the Aes Sedai was breathing heavily.Everyone bowed to Zaida, but she paid no attention.She wore a green brocade dress and a white mourning shawl, and she was short, with short gray curly hair, but she looked as tall as Sherin.Halini had to admit that she had an unusually aggressive air, and Halini felt that Zaida's coolness would not waver even if she were caught between the Kimo and the rocky shore.Because of using the Wind Bowl, she got rich rewards from the Aes Sedai and signed a contract that was beneficial to Azan Miyar. Afterwards, she won a piece of land in Andor that practiced the law of Azan Miyar .When the contract brought back by Halini aroused public outrage, Zaida had established a great achievement. In addition, her Windfinder was able to perform the so-called magic movement, allowing her to reach Yili in the blink of an eye. Ann, these are not all the reasons why she can become the captain of the captains, but they are indeed of great help to her promotion.Harinni felt that the effect of divine movement was overestimated. Leno could also open the channel now, but if it were to be done on the deck of a ship without causing any damage, it would be quite difficult even in such still water. Especially when the person weaving the passage is on another ship.At the same time, no one has been able to open a passage large enough to accommodate a ship. This skill is definitely overrated. "That person hasn't arrived yet." Zaida said loudly, while sitting in the chair with her back facing the large stern window, she adjusted the red belt with long silk tassels and the emerald inlaid dagger on the belt.She is a very special person.Keeping everything in order was a necessary habit on a ship, and Zaida was uncharacteristically strict about it.The other chairs in the cabin were lined up in two opposite rows in front of Zaida, but they were not anchored to the floor.The wave leaders sat down one after another, and the wind seekers all stood behind their own wave leaders. "It seems that he intends to make us wait for him, Emilia, for the wine." It seems that the Aes Sedai made another mistake. Emilia shivered, and hurriedly raised the bronze skirt to her knees, and ran to the table where the wine jug was placed. It seemed that she must have made a serious mistake.Halini wondered how much longer Zaida would allow her to wear skirts.Of course, trousers are much more convenient than skirts on board.The Aes Sedai would surely have been even more shocked when they took off their shirts, away from land.Emilia belongs to the Brown sect. She really wants to study Asan Miyar, but she really doesn't have much time to do research now. The meaning of her here is to work, and Zaida will ensure this.She was here to teach the Windseeker everything the Aes Sedai knew, and now she was terrified every time she gave a lesson, and although Lumin tutors were extremely rare, her status was not much higher than that of a deckhand.At first, she seemed to believe that she was equal to Zaida, if not higher!It wasn't until the deck master's whip kept whipping her buttocks that she gradually understood her situation.After that, Emilia tried to escape three times!Strangely, she didn't know how to perform the divine movement.The Wind Seeker was ordered to prevent her from learning this kind of skill, and she now knows that the sea people are closely monitoring her and will never give her a chance to escape to the land merchant's boat. In any case, she should never ran away.It was reported that she had been warned that if she attempted to escape a fourth time, she would be publicly flogged, and continued to be hanged upside down from the ring after the flogging, a shame no one would risk.After this punishment, even the pilot, and even the master of the waves, will voluntarily demote to the rank of deck hand, hoping to hide himself and his shame from the busy crowd. Harleenne went to the last chair on the left, picked up the cushion on it, threw it on the deck in disgust, and sat down.Sara stood behind her.Apart from Mariel, Harleenne has the lowest seniority among the twelve.Now Mariel is sitting opposite her, but if Zaida hadn't worn the sixth pair of gold earrings, she would only be one step ahead of Harleenne, and her newly pierced ears may still hurt It's great.The thought made Halini feel better.Zaida was waving the anxious Aes Sedai to back down, and instead of accepting the glass she offered, she said, "Since he made us wait, maybe we should make him wait when he appears. Let's go for a while." Emilia picked up the jug again, and walked quickly to Mariel's side.Didn't she know, stupid woman, that after serving the captains, she should serve the captains of the waves in order of seniority? Zaida played with the openwork snuffbox that hung from a heavy gold chain around her neck, where she wore a broad gold choker, a gift from Elayne of Andor. "He was sent by Kramer," she said coldly. "You should have clung to Kramer like a barnacle." Her voice was never harsh, but every word was cut on Harleen. Ni. "And now, unless there is an extreme emergency, I can only communicate with Cramer through this person, because you agreed that he only needs to see me three times in every two years. Because of you, I must accept this person's freedom. Lily, even if he's a rough drunk, even if he runs to the rails and spits the contents of his stomach into the sea every time he says a word. My messenger to Cramer should have been someone who knew how to The one who carries out the orders." Perlana let out a shrill laugh, and she must have expected the others to have the same reaction. Shaluo pressed Halini's shoulder to show her support, but she didn't need it.Sticking to Kramer?She couldn't explain it to anyone, not even Sara.Cadsuane's brutality and disrespect for her was too much to handle, and she was the ambassador of Asan Miyar, but she had to dance to the tune played by the Aes Sedai.Admittedly, she almost wept with relief when the hideous Aes Sedai agreed she could leave.Also, the girl's prophecies always come true, that's what the Aes Sedai said, and Aes Sedai can't lie, that's enough. Tulaine walked softly into the cabin and bowed to Zaida. "Kramo's envoy has arrived, the captain, he...he used the magic skill to go directly to the deck." There was a whisper in Xunfeng's hands.Emilia shuddered, as if feeling the deck master's whip again. "Hope he hasn't wrecked your deck too much, Tulaion," Zaida said.Harleenne took a sip of her wine to hide her smile, it was clear that Kramer's emissary would be waiting at least a little longer. "Not at all, Captain." Tulaen looked a little surprised, "The channel is opened one foot above the deck, opposite to the city's pier." "That's right," Sara whispered, "I can think of how to do that." She always felt that everything related to the Supreme Power was amazing. "It must be a shock to see a stone pier above your deck," Zaida said. "Very well, I'll see if Cramer sent some drunken brat. Let him in, Tulane, but take it easy. Am I to wait till sundown, Emilia, before I can take a sip of wine?" The Aes Sedai exclaimed, and then let out a low whimper, as if about to burst into tears.She ran as fast as she could to the table as Tulaion bowed to leave.Light, what did Emilia do wrong?A long time after Zhai Da got the wine glass, a tall man with shoulder-length black curly hair walked into the cabin.He was certainly not a boorish man, and he was not drunk either. On the high collar of his black coat, he had a silver sword badge and a gold and red monster badge - that was the monster coiled around Kramer's arm. , one train.Yes, that was the name of that monster, and a blue round badge pinned to his left shoulder had three golden crowns on it, perhaps representing a kind of title.Is he a nobleman of Lumin?Did Kramer send such a person because of Zaida's status?Based on what she knew about Rand Arthur, Harleenne suspected that he would not have such considerations. Kramer would not intentionally despise anyone, but he rarely thought of other people's sense of honor. The man bowed to Zaida, one hand perfectly controlling the sword at the side of his waist. Obviously, he was a man familiar with etiquette, but he did not touch his chest, lips, or forehead.Of course, it is unnecessary to be too demanding on Lu Min. "Apologies if I'm late, Captain," said the man, "but it doesn't seem necessary to come before you're all assembled." Observe the situation on this ship. Zaida frowned, looked him up and down, and took a sip of her wine. "Do you have a name?" "My name is Logan," he said simply. Half of the women in the room took a deep breath, and the rest of the people opened their mouths too. More than one person spilled their wine out of the glass, and only Zaida and Halini seemed indifferent.Logan, this is a name that every Asan Miyar knows. "Can I talk, Captain?" Emilia asked pantingly. She was holding the flagon so hard that Harleenne was a little worried that she might crush the porcelain flagon.But she finally learned that if she wanted to speak, she had to wait for Zaida to nod first.Afterwards, words gushed out of her mouth incessantly, without even a chance to breathe: "This man is a pseudo-dragon, he was tamed because of this, how could he channel again, I don't know, but he did He channeled the yang force, it is the yang force, he is a man with the dark emperor's pollution, the great ship owner. If you deal with him, you will definitely incur the wrath of the White Tower, I know..." "That's enough," Zaida interrupted her, "You should know very well that I am somewhat afraid of the White Tower's wrath." "But..." Zaida held up a finger, and the Aes Sedai closed her mouth immediately, her lips trembling weakly, the last word she had just uttered might make her kiss the deck master's sister again, she understand this. "Part of what she said is true." Logan said calmly, "I am a martyr, but the Anodic has no pollution, and the Anodic has been purified. It seems that the Creator has finally decided to have mercy on us But I have one question for her, Aes Sedai, who is your allegiance to, Egwene Ewell, or Elaida Evelyn?" Emilia wisely kept silent. "She will serve me for the next year, Logan," Zaida said in an unquestionable tone.The Aes Sedai squeezed her pale eyes shut, and when she opened them again they seemed larger than before, filled with fear.Did she think Zhai Da would release her early? "If you have any questions, just ask me." The captains continued: "But first, I want to ask you two questions. Where is Kramer? According to the contract, I must send an ambassador by his side. You Remind him of this. Also, what message did you bring from him? I think it should be a request to us." "I can't tell you where he is." The man smiled slightly, as if telling a joke! "I demand to know," Zaida began, but he held out his hand to stop her from continuing.There was an angry murmur from the Asan Miyars, and many eyes glared fiercely at Logan.This idiot seems to think that he has the same status as the captains! "At the moment he wishes to keep his location a secret, the Great Captain, the Forsaken attempted to kill him not long ago. However, I will take Halini Din Togara with me, according to what I have heard For news, he should think Harleenne is an acceptable messenger." Harini's body trembled violently, the wine spilled on the back of her hand, and then she took a sip of the wine.No, no, even if Zaida divorced Yamai and married a ballast stone, she would not make Halini Din Togara her emissary.Thinking of going back to Kramer, Harleenne felt that her tongue was firmly stuck to the palate. Even if she could become the captain, she would not want to endure Cadsuane's oppression anymore. Zaida stared at Logan expressionlessly, and waved for Emilia to pour him wine.The Aes Sedai flinched, and as she poured her hands shook so violently that the water spilled over the rim of her glass, leaving almost as much wine on the table as it poured into the glass.The strange thing is that Logan walked over and held her hands, as if to help her. Didn't he understand the principle of not interfering in other people's work casually? "Don't be afraid of me, Aes Sedai Emilia," he told her. "I've stopped taking other people as snacks." The Aes Sedai stared up at him, jaw dropped, as if unsure. Is he kidding. "What did he ask us to do?" Zida asked. "This is not a request, Captain." Logan had to straighten the flagon vigorously to prevent the excess wine from overflowing, then he picked up the goblet and walked away from Emilia.Emilia just froze in place, looking at his back.Light, this Aes Sedai really knows how to make trouble for herself. "According to the contract you signed with Kramer, you promised to provide him with ships. He needs ships to carry food from Ilian and Tire to Bandar Eban." "Okay," Zaida said, not even trying to hide her relief, but she frowned at Harleenne anyway.Of course, Perlana was also staring at her, and Lessian, Niole, and a few others responded in the same way. Harleenne could only suppress the urge to sigh. She had to admit that some of the details of the contract were quite troubling, such as requiring the captains to visit Cramer no more than three times every two years.True Tai prophesied that Asan Miyar would serve Kramer, but did not say how they would serve, and whether the captains should obey Kramer.But in that negotiation, Asan Miyar was the only one on Halene's side, and the game with the Aes Sedai left her with little choice.In the light of the day, it is a miracle that she was able to make such a contract! "To provide supplies for more than a million people, big ship owner." Logan's tone seemed to want another glass of wine, "I don't know exactly how much more, but Banda Eban itself is in a famine, and the supply ships Must arrive as soon as possible." Shocking emotions spread in the cabin.Harleenne wasn't the only one to take a long sip of wine, even Zaida's eyes widened in surprise.Finally, she said: "Our wind scissors are not enough for such a task." Judging from her tone, it seemed that she still didn't believe it. Logan shrugged, as if Zaida's words didn't matter. "This is his order to you, call other ships if necessary." Zaida's body in the chair froze.Order—regardless of how the contract was made, the word was clearly disrespectful when applied to her. Tulaine entered the cabin again, but this time she ran straight for Zaida, her bare feet slapping the planks.She bent down and whispered something in the captains' ears, and Zaida's face slowly revealed a look of fear.She raised the snuffbox a little, but with another shudder, the snuffbox fell back to her chest. "Let her in," she said, "let her in at once, that's enough news to make Anchor weep." Tulaion ran out of the cabin.Zhai Da continued: "I will let the messenger announce this personally. You must wait a moment." She turned to Logan who had just opened her mouth and said, "You must wait a moment." Logan finally had some brains to know Keep silent on this matter.But he didn't hide his impatience at all. He strode to the side of the cabin, shut his mouth tightly, and frowned. The young woman who walked into the cabin bowed deeply to Zhai Da. She was tall and thin, and if she didn't have a haggard face, she would definitely be a lovely girl.She was wearing a blue linen blouse and green trousers, which looked as if she had been wearing them for days.Because of exhaustion, she kept shaking slightly while walking.她荣誉链上的徽章屈指可数，这也与她的年龄相符，不过哈琳妮能看到，她有不止三枚徽章是为了表彰她的非凡勇气。 “我是瑟梅勒·丁·塞拉安·长目，大船主。”她的嗓音沙哑，“逐风号细梭的领航长，我以最快的速度赶来，但恐怕现在依然已经太晚了。我去了从索马金到这里的每一座岛屿，却总是迟到一步。”泪水从她的脸颊滑落，她却仿佛毫无所觉。 “将你带来的悲痛讯息向十二首告知，以你的方式，你的步调。”翟妲温和地说，然后她转过头，换成了不带半点温情的声音：“艾米丽娅，给她斟酒！”两仪师立刻跑了起来。 “差不多是在三个星期之前，”瑟梅勒说道，“索马金岛上的埃玛雅人开始请求我们帮他们前往其他各岛屿，他们向所有的岛屿都派去了一个男人和一个女人，那些要前往艾桑玛诸岛的人在被告知霄辰人已经占据艾桑玛全境之后，只是要求让他们乘上小艇，然后就远远地离开了陆地。”她从艾米丽娅手中接过倒满酒的杯子，向两仪师点头致谢，然后长长地喝了一口。 哈琳妮和玛芮尔交换着疑问的眼神，后者轻轻摇着头。在哈琳妮的记忆中，埃玛雅人从不曾提过这样的要求，当然，要这样做，他们必须得到亚桑米亚尔的帮助，不过亚桑米亚尔并不会为此向他们索取任何报酬。他们一直在尽量避开咸水，他们的小渔舟也只会在紧靠岸边的地带活动，所以，乘上小艇远离陆地就更让人觉得奇怪。但这又会与什么悲痛的事情有关系？ “港口附近的所有埃玛雅人都离开了，就连那些在船坞和制绳厂领取工资的人也不例外，但在随后的两三天时间里，并没有人意识到这有什么不同寻常。”酒水并没有润湿瑟梅勒的喉咙，消除她的沙哑，她用手背抹去脸颊的泪水。“直到我们发现他们也没有回来，政府派人去了埃玛雅人的村庄，却发现……”她紧闭上双眼，“埃玛雅人全都死了，男人，女人……”她的声音停滞了一下，“……还有孩子。” 哀恸的哭声在舱室中响起。哈琳妮惊讶地发现，这哭声同样来自她的口中。让锚哭泣的哀伤讯息？这讯息足以让天空为之落泪，怪不得这名领航长的声音如此嘶哑，自从得知这场灾难以后，她哭泣了多少个小时？多少天？ “这是为什么？”佩兰娜哭问道。她在椅子里向前倾过身子，表情几近于疯狂，她将鼻烟匣顶在鼻子上，仿佛这样能遮住一些这个讯息的苦难意味。“是某种瘟疫吗？快说！” “是毒药，波涛长。”瑟梅勒答道。她努力想让自己镇定下来，但泪水还是不停地从脸上落下。“我去的所有地方都是一样。成年人给孩子服下毒药，让他们陷入永不醒来的沉睡，可能是他们拥有的毒药数量不够多，一些成年人服毒的剂量不足以立刻致死。有些人活到了被我们找到的时候，向我们讲述了事情的起因。索马金的巨手融化了，它所在的山丘现在变成了一个深坑，似乎是埃玛雅的预言中有提及这只手，他们相信，巨手的毁灭是时间走向终结的预兆。他们称此为'幻影时代的结束'，并深信，这正是他们离开……离开这个幻影的时刻。”瑟梅勒苦笑了一下，“也就是我们所谓的这个世界。” “没有人得救吗？”翟妲问，“一个也没有？”泪水同样在她的脸颊上闪烁着。哈琳妮不觉得这位诸船长表现失态，她的面庞早已经湿了。 “没有，大船主。” 翟妲站起身，无论脸上是否有泪水，她都保持着统治者的威严，声音也稳定如常：“必须派遣最快的船前往各个岛屿，即使是艾桑玛诸岛也不例外，必须想办法到达那里。在世界崩毁之后，当咸水归于平静的时候，埃玛雅人请求我们保护，为他们抵挡盗匪和入侵的敌人，我们至今仍然负有保护他们的责任，即使他们只有一个人活下来，我们也依然担负这个责任。” “我很少会听到如此哀伤的讯息。”洛根的声音显得有些刺耳，他走回翟妲面前，“但你们的船还是要及时赶往班达艾班。如果你们没有足够的风剪子，就必须使用其他快船；如果有必要，就使用你们所有的船只。” “你疯了？还是没有心肝？”翟妲问道。她的双拳抵在腰间，仿佛是站在甲板上一样，目光如利剑一样刺向洛根。“我们必须哀悼，我们必须抢救幸存者，并为千千万万我们不能挽救的生命哀悼。” 她也许可以为她瞪视洛根的效果感到自豪。哈琳妮觉得仿佛周围变冷了，光线也暗淡下来，舱室中因为感到寒冷而抱起双臂的并非只有她一个人。“如果必须如此，那就哀悼吧。”洛根说，“但你们只能在朝向末日战争的进军中哀悼了。”