Chapter 16 Chapter 15 Half Palm

He saw thick smoke and fire, and heard the woman's scream mixed with the roar of the monster in the center of the earth. I love you! Roger woke up suddenly with a racing heart.The sun rose over the high walls of Fort Angell, casting soft light through the cracks in the window shutters.Clasping the amulet in his good palm, he waited for his heartbeat to return to normal as the sky grew brighter.The amulet was a small wooden doll with a strand of red hair on top of his head, the only remembrance his mother left him. He couldn't remember her face, it was smoky, and he couldn't remember every detail of that night, but he remembered the last words she said to him.He heard the words again and again in his dream-I love you!

He stroked the wooden doll's hair with his thumb and ring finger.There is now only a jagged scar where the index and middle fingers are, because she saved herself with love and her body. I love you! This amulet is Roger's secret sigil, and even Master Erik doesn't know its existence.It helped him through the night, against the demonic cries that made him tremble with fear. But the light has arrived, and the sun brings security.He kisses the little doll and puts it back in a pocket he has sewed in the belt of his colorful trousers.Just knowing it's in a secret pocket, close like a mother's, gives him confidence; he's ten years old now.

Roger rose from the straw mattress, stretched, and staggered out of the cubicle, yawning as he went.When he saw Eric lying on the table drunk, his heart immediately sank.His teacher is sprawled over an empty wine bottle, clutching the mouth of it as if trying to squeeze out the last drops—they each have their own talismans. Roger walked over and took the bottle from the teacher's hand. "Who? What?" Eric asked, raising his head slightly. "You fell asleep on the table again," said Roger. "Oh, it's you, kid," Eric muttered, "I thought it was that nasty landlord again."

"The rent is late," Roger said. "We're due to perform in the little plaza this morning." "The rent," Eric complained, "has been asking for the rent all day long." "If you don't pay today." Roger reminded, "Mr. Kevin promises to kick us out." "Then let's go to the show." Eric said and got up.He fell suddenly and tried to reach for the back of the chair, only to let the chair fall on him after the fall. Roger goes to help him, but Eric pushes him away. "I'm fine!" he cried, as if trying to stop Roger from talking back, and staggered to his feet. "I can still do a backflip!" he said, looking back to see if there was enough room.His eyes were clearly regretting that he had boasted.

"We should wait until the show," said Roger immediately. Eric turned back to look at him. "You're right." Both of them breathed a sigh of relief at the same time. "I'm thirsty," Eric said. "Need something to drink before I can sing." Roger nodded, and ran to the kettle to pour water from a wooden cup. "No water," Eric said. "Bring me some wine, I need a claw from my demon." "We're out of wine," said Roger. "Then go out and buy." Eric ordered.He stumbled towards the purse, stumbled on the way, but managed to get back on his feet just in time.Roger ran to catch him.

Eric fumbled for a moment at the mouth of the pocket, then lifted the entire purse and slammed it back onto the wooden table.The money bag made no sound as it landed on the table, and Eric flew into a rage. "Not a single carat!" he exclaimed despondently, throwing away the purse.The movement knocked him off balance, and he spun around in a full circle, trying to keep his feet, only to fall hard to the ground. When Roger arrived, he had already put his hands and feet on the ground, but suddenly opened his mouth to vomit, and the ground was full of wine and bile.He clenched his hands into fists and trembled all over. Roger thought he was going to throw up again, but after a moment, he realized that his teacher was crying.

"I was never so broke when I was on the Duke's errand," Eric moaned. "Back then, there was so much money falling out of my pockets." That's because the Duke paid for the drinks for you, Roger thought, but he wasn't stupid enough to say that, and telling Eric he drank too much would surely piss him off. He cleaned up the teacher and helped him back to the mattress.After he fell asleep on the straw mat, Roger picked up a rag and wiped the floor. It seemed that they could not perform today. He wondered if Mr. Kevin would actually throw them out.If it is true, where should we go from here.The magic seal wall of Angels is powerful, but the magic seal net above it is not monolithic, and wind demons enter the city to kill people from time to time.Sleeping on the streets is simply unimaginable.

He was thinking about liquidating what was left of their property, thinking about how to sell it for a good price.When money was tight before, Eric had sold Jieruo's horse and magic shield, but the messenger's portable magic circle was still there.It could sell for a lot of money, but Roger couldn't bear it.Eric would use the money to drink and gamble. After they were kicked out, they might have to beg for a living. Roger, too, missed his days on the Duke's errand.Eric was very fond of Lynbeck's prostitutes, and they treated Roger as if they were their own children.Every day he was hugged by a dozen pairs of perfumed breasts, and they would give him sweets and ask him to put on their makeup.At that time, he didn't have much time to get along with his teacher. Eric often left him alone in the brothel, and went to remote villages to work by himself, spreading the Duke's mana to remote areas with his sweet voice.

But one day when the Duke was in love, he walked into the room of his favorite mistress drunk, but when he found a kid on the bed, he was furious and drove away Roger and Eric.Roger knew that it was his fault that they had fallen to this point.Eric is like his own father, giving everything to take care of him.But unlike his parents, Roger still has the opportunity to repay Eric's kindness. Roger ran like hell, hoping the audience hadn't left.Even though it was a long time late at this time, many people still wanted to enjoy the performance of Sweet Song, but no one wanted to wait forever.

He carries Eric's "surprise bag" on his shoulder.Just like their clothes, this bag is stitched with colored patches specially designed for bards. Unfortunately, not only has the color faded, but many threads are also exposed.The bag is full of bard props.Roger is proficient in everything except juggling colored balls. His callused bare feet hit the plank floor.Roger had shoes and gloves to go with the costume, but he didn't have time to wear them.In fact, he prefers the tight toes to the ground to colorful show shoes with bells on the tips, and he hates gloves. Eric tucked cotton into two fingers of his right glove to conceal Roger's severed finger.He attached the stuffed finger to the intact finger with a thin thread so they could bend together.It was a neat skill, but Roger felt ashamed every time he slipped the palm of his severed finger into a glove.Eric insisted that he wear gloves, but his teacher couldn't beat him for something he didn't know.

When Roger arrived, there was already a noisy crowd in the small square; nearly twenty adults, some with children.Roger remembered that the mere presence of "Eric Sweet Song" might have been enough to attract hundreds of spectators, even from nearby towns.At that time he could sing to the Creator in the temple, or perform in the Duke's amphitheatre.Now the small square is the best venue the guild is willing to provide for him to perform, and the audience can't even sit here. But it is better to have money than to have no money.As long as there are a dozen people who pay a carat each, Mr. Kevin may be willing to keep them for another night, provided that the bard guild does not find out that he is performing without the company of a teacher.If they find out, the rent arrears can only be regarded as a trivial trouble. With a "hoo", he danced past the audience and threw handfuls of colorful winged pods from his bag.The pods turned and danced, forming streaks of bright colors behind him. "Eric's Apprentice!" cried someone in the audience. "Sweet Song will be performing today!" The audience began to applaud and applaud, and Roger's stomach kept throbbing.He wanted to tell the truth, but Eric's number one rule was to never do or say anything that would affect the audience's good mood. The stage in the small square is divided into three levels, the last level is a wooden partition designed to increase the volume or protect the performers from the rain.There are runes on these boards, but they are incomplete and old.Roger wondered if this could be used as a temporary hotel for him and his teacher to spend the night if he was kicked out. He ran up the steps quickly, somersaulted onto the stage, flicked his wrist, and accurately threw the cash cap right in front of the audience. Roger usually helps the teacher warm up the scene, so at this time, he is performing his routine performance, turning around, telling jokes, doing magic tricks, imitating small movements, shouts, and applause of famous people.Slowly, the audience gathered more and more, thirty people, fifty people, but more and more people began to whisper, feeling impatient that "Eric Sweet Song" had not appeared for a long time.Roger's stomach became tighter and tighter, and he had to tap the amulet in the secret pocket for strength. He delays the time as much as possible, and invites the children to come forward and tell them a story about the great return era.The story was told very wonderfully, and many people nodded approvingly, but many people showed disappointment on their faces—isn't this story usually sung by Eric?Isn't that why they came here? "Where is the sweet song?" someone called from behind.The audience near him taught him to shut up, but the question lingered in the air.After Roger finished telling the story to the children, the dissatisfaction on the faces of the audience grew stronger. "I'm here to listen to the song!" the man before shouted.Others also nodded in agreement. Roger knew he could never agree to this request.His voice is not bright enough, and it breaks every time he stretches it out.Had he opened his mouth to sing, he would have instantly angered the crowd. He turns to the surprise bag for an alternative, jumping over juggling balls in shame.He can toss and catch the ball with his missing right hand, but without a middle finger to spin the ball and only half of one hand to catch the ball, he can't achieve the dizzying effect of two-handed toss and catch. "Where is there a bard who can't sing or juggle balls?" Sometimes Eric would curse loudly.Roger knew that there was no such bard. He is relatively sure about throwing knives in his bag, but he needs a special license issued by the guild to select the audience to stand in front of the wall and let him shoot knives.Eric would always choose plump girls on stage to cooperate with, and usually after the performance, girls sometimes couldn't help but go to bed with him. "I don't think he's coming," he heard the man before him say, and Roger cursed him silently. Many spectators left one after another, and some of them threw a few carats into their hats out of sympathy, but if Roger didn't act quickly, he would definitely not receive enough money to satisfy Mr. Kevin.His eyes stayed on the violin box, and seeing that there were only a few spectators left, he immediately took out the violin.He pulled out the bow, and as usual, the bow fit naturally into his missing hand, without the need for his absent fingers. The moment the bow touched the strings, the moving melody immediately echoed in the square.Some of the departing people stopped to listen, but Roger was completely absorbed in playing the violin. Roger didn't have much memory of his father, but he vaguely remembered Jassan clapping his hands when Eric clapped the violin.Roger could feel his father's love when he played the violin, as he could feel his mother's love when he clutched a talisman.In this love his fear vanishes, and he sinks into the gentle spring of the strings. Usually he only plays with Eric, but this time Roger goes beyond the accompaniment, allowing his own music to fill the space where the sweet songs are absent.The intact left hand was flying on the fretboard, and before long the audience was slapping along to his music.As the beat got louder and louder, he also pulled faster and faster, and danced on the stage to match the melody.The crowd cheered when he stepped onto one of the steps of the stage, pushed hard, and performed a backflip without disrupting his playing. The cheers brought him back to his senses, and he realized that the square was already packed, and even outside the arena were crowded with many people listening to his performance.Even with Eric there, it's been a long time since they've drawn such crowds!Roger almost missed a syllable in shock, then gritted his teeth and continued to play until he sank into the world of music again. "Great show," a voice congratulated Roger as he counted the shiny wooden coins in his hat.Nearly three hundred carats!Enough to last Kevin for a whole month. "Thank you..." Roger began, but when he looked up, his voice immediately went hoarse.Standing in front of him were Master Jie Xin and Master Yi Dun, who were members of the guild. "Where's your teacher, Roger?" Eaton snapped.He is a top stage and mime actor, and it is said that his plays can attract the enemies of Somborg to come and enjoy them. Roger swallowed hard, blushing with anxiety.He bowed his head, hoping they would mistake his fear and guilt for shame. "I... I don't know," he said. "He was here just now." "I dare say I'm drunk again." Jassin snorted.This person is nicknamed "Golden Voice". It is said that this nickname is self-proclaimed. He is a capable singer, but more importantly, he is the nephew of the Duke of Lindbergh, the minister in charge of Jansen, and he has tried his best to let the world Everyone knows this identity. "Old Sweet Song has become a beggar." "He should have had his license suspended," Eaton said. "I even heard he took a shit on himself at a show last month." "That's not true!" said Roger. "If I were you, I'd be more worried about myself, kid." Jessin said, pointing his slender fingers at Roger's face, "Do you know what punishment you get for performing without a license?" Roger was pale.Eric will have his license revoked for this incident.If the guild reported the matter to law enforcement authorities, both of them could be reduced to watching a log in chains. Eaton laughed. "Don't worry, kid," he said. "As long as the guild gets a share of the money," he took the initiative to take out a handful of wooden coins from Roger's hat—"I'll pretend it didn't happen." Roger was very sensible and did not raise any objections when the other party grabbed more than half of the coins and put them into his own pocket, although only a small amount of these money would flow into the public treasury of the Bard Guild. "You're very talented, kid." Jassin said as he turned to leave, "Maybe you should consider changing to a more promising teacher. If you don't want to continue helping Old Smelly Sour to collect the corpse, come to me." Roger's disappointment only lasted until he shook the money cap again. Even though there was only a small half left, there was still a lot more money in it than he had imagined.He hurried back to the hotel, stopping only in one place on the way.He went to find Mr. Kevin, and when the other party saw him, his face was immediately clouded. "You better not come here to intercede for your teacher, son," he said. Roger shook his head and handed him a small purse. "My teacher said that the money here is enough to pay ten days' rent," he said. Kevin weighed the purse, and when he heard the satisfactory sound of wooden coins colliding inside, he showed a very surprised expression.He hesitated for a moment, grunted, shrugged, and put the purse in his pocket. When he returned, Eric was still asleep.Roger knew that the teacher would never know that the rent had been paid.He would go out of his way to avoid the landlord, then get complacent about not paying for ten days. He puts the few remaining coins in Eric's purse, and he will tell the teacher that these coins were found in the surprise bag.This had rarely happened since money had gotten tighter, but once Eric saw what Roger had bought him, he didn't question his good luck. Roger placed the newly bought bottle next to the sleeping Eric. The next morning, Eric got up earlier than Roger to check his makeup with a broken mirror.He's no longer young, but he's not old enough to use the props in the bard's makeup kit to make himself look younger.The long hair that has been exposed to the sun is still more blond than gray, and the dark brown beard dyed with dye conceals the growing fat on the chin.Makeup and dark skin blend evenly, and the wrinkles around the blue eyes are completely invisible. "We got lucky last night, boy," he said, winking, "but we can't keep hiding from Kevin. That old furry badger will catch us sooner or later, and when he comes, I hope I have There is..." He reached into the purse to fumble, took out the coin, and threw it into the air. "...a property of more than six carats." His hands moved at a fast speed, he took the coins from mid-air, and threw them repeatedly on his head briskly. "Did you practice color ball tossing today, boy?" he asked. Before Roger could answer, Eric had thrown him a coin.Roger knew he was going to do this, but whether he was ready or not, a wave of fear rose in him as he caught the coin with his left hand and tossed it into the air.Erik tossed more coins in quick succession, trying to control them, catching them with the broken palm, dropping them into the other hand, and tossing them into the air again. By the time it was up to four coins, he was sweating profusely.When Eric tossed the fifth coin, Roger was already in a hurry.Eric knew he couldn't throw the sixth coin to him, so he waited patiently.After a while, Roger fell to the ground with the sound of a coin crashing. Roger timidly waited for the teacher to scold him, but Eric just let out a long sigh. "Put on your gloves," he said. "We have to go out and make money." The sigh hurt Roger more than a scold or a whip.Angry means looking forward, sighing means giving up. "No," he said.The word had blurted out before he had time to stop himself, but after a moment of silence, Roger felt it was very appropriate, like a bow and a severed finger fit perfectly. Eric let out a low growl through his beard, furious at the kid's disobedience. "I mean gloves," Roger explained, and then saw the teacher's expression change from anger to curiosity. "I don't want to keep wearing gloves. I hate gloves." Eric sighed, uncorked the new bottle, and poured out a glass of wine. "Didn't we discuss it," he said, pointing the bottle at Roger, "if people know you have a disability, who will want to hire you?" "We didn't discuss it," Roger said. "You just ordered me to wear them out of the blue one day." Eric chuckled. "I wanted you to come to terms with yourself, boy, no one would hire a crippled bard." "So that's what I am?" Roger asked. "A cripple?" "Of course not," Eric said, "I wouldn't trade you for any of Angels' apprentices, but not everyone can see through your demonic scars and see who's behind them. They'll give you a mocking Nicknames, you'll find them laughing at you instead of laughing with you." "I don't care," said Roger. "Gloves make me feel like a liar, and my hands are clumsy enough, and fake fingers are worse. As long as they pay to have a good laugh, why should I?" Care if they laugh?" Eric stared at him for a long time, tapping his glass. "Show me your gloves," he said at last. The gloves are black and reach up to half the length of the forearm.Brightly colored triangular panels are wrapped around the ends, and bells hang from the panels.Roger frowned and tossed them to the teacher. Eric took the gloves and stared at them for a moment, then threw them out the window, and clapped his hands as if the gloves had stained his hands. "Put on your shoes, let's go." He said as he drank the wine in his glass. "I don't like my shoes very much either," said Roger boldly. Eric smiled at the boy. "Don't push yourself too far." He blinked warningly. Guild rules allow licensed bards to perform on any street corner, as long as they do not impede traffic or obstruct trade.Some vendors even employ them to lure customers to their stalls or vacant rooms in hotels. Eric's alcoholism drives out business in the tavern, so they can only perform in the street.Eric got up late, and the best performance position had already been taken by other bards.They found a less-than-ideal location, somewhere off a side alley away from the main street. "It's fine here." Eric muttered, "Attract the audience, kid, I'll prepare." Roger nodded and ran out into the street.As long as he sees people gathering, he immediately turns over or walks upside down, and the bell sewn on the costume immediately rings to attract the audience. "The Minstrel Show!" he called. "Come to the Eric Sweet Song Show." With his stunts and the remaining reputation of his teacher, he attracted the attention of many people.Some even walked behind him, applauding his antics. One of the men elbowed his wife. "Look, that's the crippled kid in the small square!" "Are you sure?" she asked. "Just look at his hands!" the man said. Roger pretended not to hear and continued to look for more spectators.He quickly led the people behind him to the teacher, and saw Eric throwing butcher knives, meat cleavers, hand axes, small benches, and bows and arrows at the same time in a relaxed rhythm, while telling jokes to please the crowd that gradually gathered. "Here comes my assistant," Eric called to the audience, "Roger Half Palm!" Luo Jie was halfway through the stage, only then did he realize that the name was wrong.What is Eric doing? It was too late to stop, though, so he spread his arms and sprinted forward, doing a wheel flip, then three more backflips, and finally stopped a few yards away from his teacher.Eric drew the butcher knife from the pile of deadly props he was juggling, and threw it at Roger.This was a well-rehearsed move, Roger immediately turned around, and easily caught the heavy sharp knife flying straight with his intact left hand.After turning around, he stretched out his limbs, waved out the knife, and the butcher knife whirled towards Eric's head. Eric also turned around quickly, and when he turned back, he had already bit his back in his mouth.The audience applauded and applauded. When the butcher knife joined other non-stop throwing props again, people had already thrown a lot of coins into the hat. "Roger Half Palm!" Erik yelled, "Even though he's only ten years old and has eight fingers, he's still better at wielding a knife than any adult!" The audience applauds.Roger held up his mutilated palm for everyone to see clearly, and the audience let out a burst of admiration.Eric's tone of voice made most people think that he just caught the thrown knife with his crippled palm.They will rush to tell, and exaggerate.In order to prevent Roger from being nicknamed randomly by the audience, Eric felt that he should give him a nickname first. "Roger Half Palm." He whispered, savoring the name in his own mouth. "Watch out!" Eric called, and Roger turned, seeing the teacher throwing a bow and arrow at him.He clashed his palms in front of him, pinching the bow and arrow before it pierced his face.He turned again, turned his back to the audience, and threw the arrow back to his teacher with his good palm between his legs, but when he finished the action and turned back to face the audience, he held up his missing right palm. "Watch out!" he cried. Erik feigned fear and dropped the object he was throwing, but the bench landed right on his feet, with the bow and arrow right in the middle.Eric looked at the bench in shock, as if he couldn't believe his good luck.He draws his bow and arrow, flicks his wrist, and the bow and arrow suddenly becomes a bouquet of flowers, which he then presents to the most beautiful woman present; more coins fall into the hat. Watching the teacher start to perform magic tricks, Roger ran to the surprise bag to get Eric's magic props.As he did so, someone in the audience shouted. "Play your violin!" cried a man.After he finished calling, many people immediately echoed.Roger looked up and saw the man who had yelled for Sweet Song to be on stage last night. "Everyone wants to hear music, don't they?" Eric asked the audience, fully grasping the situation.The audience cheered in response to the question, and Eric went to the surprise bag, took out the violin, put it under his chin, and turned to face the audience.But before the bow was on the strings, the man just now spoke again. "Not you, but that child!" he roared, "Let 'Half Palm' play!" Eric glanced at Roger, and a hint of impatience appeared amidst the shouts of the crowd. "Half palm! Half palm!" Finally he shrugged and handed the instrument to his apprentice. Roger took the violin with trembling hands. "Never overshadow the teacher's demeanor on stage" is what all apprentices must bear in mind when they get started.But the audience was asking him to play, and the bow fit so well in his hand without those damned gloves.He closed his eyes, felt the silence of the strings through his fingertips, and then drew the bow to emit a low resonance.The audience listened quietly to his playing for a while, stroking the strings as if they were the back of a cat, making the cat purr lazily. Then, the violin seemed to come to life, like a coil on a fishing rod released, swinging into a whirlwind of music.He forgot about the audience and Eric, immersed himself in the fountain of music alone, tried new tunes while continuing to play a certain melody, improvised with the rhythm of applause, and entered a state of ecstasy. He didn't know how long he played.He could have stayed in that world forever, but suddenly there was a sharp string, followed by a tingling in his palm.He shook his head, came back to reality, and looked up at the stunned, silent audience. "The string is broken," he said timidly.He took a peek at the teacher and found that he was just as dumbfounded as the rest of the audience.Eric slowly raised his hands and started clapping. The audience applauded immediately, and the applause was thunderous. "You can make us a lot of money with that violin, boy." Erik said as he counted the money. "A lot of money!" "Will it be enough to pay dues owed to the Guild?" asked a voice. They turned to see Master Jessin leaning against a wall.Two of his apprentices, Sally and Eberron, stood by his side.Sally is good at soprano, her voice is clear and pleasant, and her beauty is in sharp contrast to her ugly appearance.Erik would joke that audiences would mistake her for a stone demon if she wore a horned helmet.Eberron is good at bass, singing deep and deep enough to make the boardwalk vibrate.He is tall and thin, with big hands and feet.If Sally was a stone devil, he must be a wood devil. Like Eric, Master Jessin is an alto singer with a high-pitched and pure voice.He was dressed in expensive costumes of the finest blue wool and gold thread, unlike the multicolored performance costumes worn by most of his peers, with long, finely trimmed black hair and a glossy mustache. Jessin was of average build, but that didn't mean he wasn't as dangerous as the two apprentices.He once stabbed another bard in the eye while competing for a performance.Law enforcement authorities ruled it to be justifiable self-defense, but that's not how it was preached in the guild's apprentice rooms. "My membership fee has nothing to do with you, Jassin." Eric said and quickly threw the coin into the surprise bag. "Your apprentice may have helped you replace the absent performance last night, but his violin can't help you get away forever." While he was speaking, Eberron snatched the violin from Roger's hand and placed it on his lap. Broken into two paragraphs, "Sooner or later the guild will revoke your license." "The guild will never give up Eric Sweet Song." Eric said, "Even if they revoke my license, Jasin is still just a 'second-class song' in people's mouth." Jassin frowned, because quite a few people in the guild had already started calling him this nickname, and every time the master heard this nickname, he would lose his temper.He and Sally approached Eric, and Eric immediately hugged the surprise bag tightly.Eberron cornered Roger against a wall, preventing him from going to help his teacher. It's not the first time they've had to get their hands dirty to protect the money they've earned.Roger's body slid down the wall, springing up, and kicking up hard.Eberron screamed, and his deep voice changed in an instant. "I thought your apprentice could only sing low notes, not high notes," Eric said.When Jessin and Sally turned their eyes to their partner, his nimble hands immediately reached into the surprise bag and threw a swirling winged pod at them. Jassin charged past the winged pod, but Erik stepped aside, tripped him easily, then swung the Surprise Bag at Sally, hitting the burly woman hard in the chest.He probably wouldn't have fallen, but Roger was on his feet, crouching low behind him to assist the teacher.She fell hard, and Eric and Roger were gone before the three of them had a chance to get up.