Chapter 9 Chapter 9 Eves

Ged spent three days in the small village of Saitama, regaining his strength and getting a ship ready.The ship was not built of spells and driftwood from the sea, but of solid wood firmly nailed, the gaps filled with hemp, poured with pitch, and a solid mast and sail, so that he could easily sail. , so you can sleep peacefully when you need sleep.Like most of the ships in the north and border areas, this ship has a scale-like structure, and is nailed together with cloud planks, so that it is strong enough to sail the open sea.Every part of the ship was fine and solid, and Ged cast several deeply woven spells to strengthen the planks, for he thought he might sail far in this ship.The owner of the ship said that when the ship was built, it was intended to accommodate two or three men. After the ship was built, the owner and his brothers had driven her through the trials of open seas and harsh weather, and she was able to bravely survive.

The old captain was different from the shrewd fishermen of Gont Island. He actually gave the boat to Ged out of awe and admiration for witchcraft.But Ged returned his gift with the magic of earth, and cured his near-blind cataract.The old man happily told Ged, "The name we named this boat was 'Three-toed Sandpiper'. Would you like to call her 'Zhan Yuan' and draw eyes on both sides of the bow? Then my gratitude will be great." Through those eyes, I will keep an eye on the rocks and reefs under the sea for you. Because I forgot how bright the world was until you made me see again. "

The village is located beneath the steep forest of Teshima.When Ged regained his strength, he did other work.The villagers here are almost the same as the Mianbei Valley villagers he knew in childhood, even poorer.Ged felt at home with these villagers, which he never felt in a luxurious palace.And Ged understood the bitter needs of the villagers without expressing them.Therefore, in those few days, he was busy performing clog healing for lame or sick children, increasing production for the scrawny sheep in the village; setting Sim symbols for spinning reels and looms; Set runes such as oars, copper tools and non-tools so that these tools can work smoothly; and write ear symbols on the roofs of cottages to protect houses and residents from fire, wind and madness.

When his ship, the Far Away, was ready and loaded with fire and dried fish, he stayed another day in the village, teaching the young chant the "Friendship of Morred" and the "Song of Havnor."Few ships from the archipelago come all the way to Hand Island, so the villagers don't hear even centuries-old songs, so they're eager to hear stories of heroes.Had Ged not had a mission to do, he would have stayed a week or a month, and sang to them all he knew, so that the inhabitants of the new island might know the majestic songs.But Ged's mission was over, so the next day he hoisted his sails, sailed across the vast ocean of the Territory, and sailed directly south--for that was the southward direction where the shadow escaped.He didn't need to use the search technique to find out, he was absolutely sure, like a rope tied him to the shadow, no matter how far apart the land and sea were, it would not be a problem.Therefore, he did not hold out hope for the journey he should go on, and proceeded confidently and calmly.The winter wind sent him southward.

He sailed on the lonely sea for a day and a night, and the next day he came to a small island, and the islanders told him that the place was called "Fat Rice Market".The people in the small port looked at Ged suspiciously, and soon the magicians from the island came.The sorcerer looked at Ged carefully before bowing, and his voice seemed airy and ingratiating: "My lord wizard! Forgive my recklessness, what food, drink, canvas, rope, etc. do you need for your voyage? It is an honor to offer you this. My little girl is bringing a pair of freshly roasted hens to your boat at this moment. However, I think it is wiser for you to set off as soon as possible and continue sailing if it is convenient, because these villagers are a little panicked: not long ago, that is, The day before yesterday, a villager saw a man walking from north to south across our remote village, but he was not seen coming or leaving in any boat, and he seemed to have no shadow. Those villagers who saw him told me , that person's appearance is somewhat similar to yours."

After hearing these words, Ged bowed, turned around immediately, and walked to the pier of Feimixu without looking back, and set sail for the sea. It would do no good to frighten the islanders, or to make an enemy of the sorcerer, and he would rather sleep at sea again, and think over what the sorcerer had just told him, which bewildered him so much. The day is over.That whole night, there was a drizzle on the sea, and it was still gray when dawn came.The gentle north wind still pushes "Zhan Yuan" forward.After noon, the rain and fog dissipated, and the sun appeared and disappeared.Later that day Ged saw a great red land, diagonally across from his course, and the blue low hills on it, shining brightly in the looming winter sun.There are several small towns scattered on the low hills, and the chimneys above the slate roofs of the small towns are full of smoke. It is really gratifying to see this scene in the vast sea.

Ged entered the harbor with a fishing fleet, and climbed up the streets of the town in the golden winter twilight, and found an inn called "Herilizard", where the firelight, ale, and roast sheep warmed his body and mind. soul.At the small table in the inn, there were a few travelers and merchants from the eastern frontier, and most of the others were local townspeople.These townspeople come to the store for the good wine, the news, and the small talk. They are not like the fishermen of Teshima, who are simple and shy villagers and wild husbands, but the townspeople here are authentic townspeople, alert and calm.Of course they could see that Ged was a wizard, but they didn't mention it at all.Only the talkative innkeeper mentioned "Ismay" in his conversation , he was given the wizard staff by the archmage himself. Although he is out of the town, he lives in the old tomb of Ismy, so this town does not need other wizard masters. "As the saying goes, 'Two wands in a town fight to the death.' Don't you, sir?" said the innkeeper, smiling cheerfully.It was from the words of the innkeeper that Ged learned that a wandering wizard who made his living by witchcraft was not welcome here.In this way, he was dismissed unceremoniously at Feimixu, and politely rejected at Esmee; he couldn't help but wonder what he had heard about the kind deeds of the Dongjun people before.This island is Yi Feixu Island, the birthplace of his friend Fei Que, but this place does not seem to be as hospitable as Fei Que said.

But the faces here were friendly enough; only the islanders felt what Ged knew well: he was separated from them, doomed to follow a dark thing.He was like a cold wind blowing through a lighted room, and he was like a black bird drifting here from a different place in a storm.Therefore, the sooner he leaves with a bad fate, the better for these townspeople. Ged said to the innkeeper, "I have a quest, so I shall only be here a night or two." His tone was bleak.The innkeeper glanced at the big yew cane in the corner, and said nothing for a while, just filled the Ged cup with brown wort until it overflowed.

Ged knew that he ought to spend the night in Isme.He was not welcome here, nor elsewhere; he must go where he was destined to go, but he was weary of the cold empty sea and the silence of no one to talk to.He told himself that he only stayed in Esme for one day and left at dawn. He went to bed very late, and when he woke up, it was snowing.He walked across the town trails, watching the townspeople go about their business.He saw children wrapped in fur shawls and playing with snowmen beside the snow castle.He heard people gossiping about their daily affairs with the door open, saw a coppersmith at work, and a child with red eyes was vigorously filling the blast furnace sleeve by the furnace.The day was short and the sky was getting dark quickly. The windows of the houses on the street had faint yellow-red lights. He saw the women inside the house busy at the loom, sometimes turning their heads to smile or talk to their children and husbands.Ged watched all this from the outside alone, and his heart was very heavy, but he refused to admit that he was sad.When night fell, he was still wandering the streets, unwilling to go back to the inn.At this moment he heard a man and a woman coming down the uphill street, talking happily as they passed him, and walking towards the town square.Ged turned quickly, for he recognized the man's voice.

He chased the man and woman from behind, and when he came to the side of the two, only the distant lanterns were slightly illuminated in the hazy night. The girl took a step back, and the man stared at him, raising the wooden stick he carried with him between the two of them, guarding against threats or low-level evil deeds.The gesture was almost unbearable to Ged, and he said with a little trembling, "Fetch, I thought you'd know me." Even after hearing this, Fei Qu still hesitated for a moment. "Of course I know you," he said, putting down his cane, taking Ged's hand, and throwing his arms around Ged. "Of course I know you! Welcome, my friend, welcome! I'm so rude, I thought you were a ghost coming from behind. In fact, I have been waiting for you and looking for you..."

"So, you are Luo, the Ismei wizard they bragged about? I'm still thinking..." "Oh, yes, I'm their wizard. But let me tell you why I didn't recognize you just now. Maybe it's because I was looking forward to you too much. Three days ago... three days ago, you were in Yi Feixu ?" "I came yesterday." "Three days ago, I saw you on the street in a village called Kuoer in the mountains. That is to say, I saw your appearance, a person pretending to be you, or someone who might just look like you. He walked in Ahead of me, going out of town. When I saw him, he made a sharp turn. I called him, but he didn't answer. I rushed to the turn, but the man was gone, not even a footprint, but the ground was frozen , this is really strange. I saw you emerging from the shadows just now, and I thought I had been tricked again. I'm sorry, Ged." He whispered Ged's real name, and the girl who was standing not far behind him waited for him. will not hear. Ged whispered his friend's real name too, and said, "It's all right, Estero. But it's really me this time, and I'm so glad to see you..." Fetch might also have heard that Ged's voice was not just cheerful.He hadn't let go of Ged's shoulders when he said in truth: "Ged, you come from misery and darkness, but I'm glad you came." He said: "Come on, come home with us, we are going home now. It's getting dark, and it's time to go home! This is my sister, the youngest child in our family, and you can tell that she is more than I'm much better looking, but not as smart. Her name is Yarou. Yarou, this is Sparrowhawk, the best of our house, and my friend." "Master Wizard." The girl welcomed him. Apart from bowing dignifiedly, she also covered her eyes with her hands to show respect, just like the women in the East.When girls are uncovered, their eyes are bright, shy and curious.She was about fourteen years old, with the same dark complexion as her brother, but very light and slender; a small dragon with brave claws was also attached to her clothes, the size of which was shorter than her hand. The three walked down the dark street together, and Ged said, "In Gont, it is said that the women of Gont are brave, but I have never seen a maiden with a dragon bracelet." Yarou laughed when she heard this, and replied bluntly: "It's just a Herrey lizard. Don't you have Herrey lizards on Gont Island?" After speaking, she felt embarrassed and covered her eyes with her hands. "No. We don't have dragons either. Isn't this animal a dragon?" "It's a small dragon, living in oak trees, eating wasps, gnats, and sparrow eggs, as big as it is now, and never growing. By the way, sir, my brother often tells me about your domesticated pet, the wild dragon. Ou Tarong—do you still keep it?" "No, there's nothing to raise." Fetch turned to look at Ged, suspiciously, but he refrained from asking, until the two of them, friends, were alone by the stone firepit at Fetch's house. Although Fei Que is the chief wizard of the whole island of Yi Feixu, he lives in the little Zhenyisimei where he was born, and lives with his younger brother and younger sister.His father was a well-to-do sea trader during his lifetime, so the house was spacious, with strong rafters, and in the several recessed shelves and cabinets in the house, there were many simple pottery, fine fabrics, bronzes and brass.In one corner of the main hall stood a tall toni harp, and in the other corner was Yarou's tapestry loom, its tall skeleton inlaid with ivory.Although Fei Qu is simple and quiet, he is both an authoritative wizard and the head of the family.Following the house to live smoothly are two old servants, a lively younger brother, and Yarou.Yarou, as quick and quiet as a small fish, delivered meals to these two old friends, ate with them, listened to their conversations, and slipped back to her room after the meal.Everything was orderly and peaceful in this house, and Ged sat by the firepit, looked around the room, and said, "This is how a man ought to live," and sighed. "Well, this is a good way." Fei Que said, "But there are other ways. Well, brother, if you can, tell me what you have experienced since we said goodbye two years ago Tell me the purpose of your trip, for I can see that you will not be with us long." Ged told Fei Que everything, and after he finished speaking, Fei Qu thought for a long time before saying, "Ged, I'll go with you." "No." "I would like to go with you." "No, Estero, this is neither your task nor your cause of disaster. I have gone astray myself, and I will finish it myself. I don't want anyone to suffer from it, especially you, sir. Tello. Because back then, you kept me from doing this kind of evil from the beginning..." "Pride used to be the master of your head," his friend said with a smile, as if discussing something that was insignificant to each other. "But now think about it: this is your quest, yes, but if the quest fails, will no one else be able to warn the islanders? For the shadow must then become a terrifying the power of. Also, if you beat that thing, wouldn't there be someone else in the Archipelago who could tell the story and make the deed known and celebrated?I know I can't help you much, but I still think I should go with you. " Ged could not deny his friend's sincerity, but said, "I should not be here today. I knew it, but I stayed." "Brother, wizards don't meet by chance," Fei Que said, "After all, you just said that I've been with you since the beginning of your journey, so it's okay for me to follow you to the end." .” Fei Qu added a new piece of wood to the fire, and the two of them sat and stared at the flames for a while. "I haven't heard from anyone since that night at Roke Knoll, and I have no intention of asking the House--I mean Jasper." "He has never obtained the Zhou Staff. In the summer of the same year, he left Roke Academy and went to Ou Tokne Town on Ou Island to serve as the island owner's queen warlock. I don't know what happened afterwards." The two fell silent again.They gazed at the firelight, enjoying the warmth of their legs and cheeks (especially on this bitterly cold night), and they sat on the wide canopy of the fire pit with their feet almost in the coals. Ged whispered at last: "I have one thing to worry about, Estero. If you come with me when I go, I'll be more worried. On the Isle of Hands, just at the end of the channel, I turned and saw the The shadow is within arm's reach, I reach out and try to catch it, but I can't catch anything. I can't beat it. It runs away and I chase it. This could happen again and again, It happens again and again, and I really have no power over it. I am afraid that at the end of the quest, there will be no death and no victory, no praise, no end. A futile adventure, a quest for shadows." "Nonsense!" Fei Qu said while waving his left hand, which was a gesture to push away the bad luck mentioned.Ged, whose mind was full of dark thoughts, could not help grinning, for it was just a child's move to avoid evil, not a wizard's spell.Fei Qu has always been as innocent as a villager, but he is also smart and quick-witted, and can often point directly to the core.Now he said: "That kind of dark thinking, I don't believe it is correct. Instead, I guess that if I see the beginning, I may see the end. You must have a way to understand its nature, existence, essence, and then according to To grasp, bind, destroy; but 'its essence' is a problem...but I worry about another point: I don't understand it. As far as they saw in Feimi Market, and I saw in Yi Fei Market, that black shadow Now it seems to be walking in your form—or at least a resemblance to it. But how on earth does it do it, why does it do it, and why does it never behave like this in the Archipelago?" "People say 'the rules change every border area'." "Well, that proverb is quite true. Some of the orthodox spells I learned at Roke, some are either invalid or distorted here, and some native spells I never learned at Roke .Each piece of land has its own power, and the more advanced power is launched from the inland, and the more common power has to guess which power it governs. However, I think the transformation of the shadow is not only for this reason." "I agree. I think it must have been my will to turn and face it when I decided to stop dodging and turn to face it, giving it shape and stature, even though it was the very act that kept it from taking my power ...all my actions resonate in it, it is my creation." "It calls your name on the Isle of Ossk, and freezes your witchcraft in this way, so that you can't use witchcraft against it. Then why can't it be concocted illegally on Hand Island?" "I don't know why. It may be only from my weakness that it draws strength to speak. It speaks almost with my tongue: otherwise, how does it know my name? How does it know my name? Since leaving Gont Islands, I have been racking my brains on this question while sailing these seas, but I can't figure out why. Maybe, in its own shape or invisible, it can't speak at all, but can only use tongues like a corpse puppet. Speak. I don't know." "Then you have to watch out for it to meet you in the form of a corpse puppet." "I think," replied Ged, as if feeling chills in his heart, and stretching out his hands to the glowing coals, "I don't think that will happen again. It is bounded by me now, as I am bounded by it. It There is no way to get rid of me, to capture other people on my own, and then empty out that person's will and existence like I did with Schiewo. But if I become weak again and try to escape, it will break the relationship between us. It will take me. The problem is, the last time I tried my best to catch it, it turned into smoke and escaped from my hand... So it will do the same, but it can't really escape, because I must It can be found. I am bound now, forever, to this vile and cruel thing—unless I learn the word that governs it: its name." His friend asked thoughtfully, "Do things in the dark world have names?" "Mage Genther said no, my master Ogion said yes." "'A mage's debate is never-ending.'" When Fei Qu quoted this sentence, he showed a stern smile. "The lady who served the Primordial Force on Ossk Isle swore that the Primordial Stone would tell me Sombra's name. I didn't quite believe her. A dragon also offered to tell me Sombra's name in exchange for it. own name, so as to get rid of me. I thought that dragons might be wise, although the mages disagreed on this point." "Dragon is wise, but malicious. But what kind of dragon is this? You haven't told me that you have talked to the dragon since the last time you left." They talked late that day, but they always came back to the same distressing thing: what was ahead of Ged.Even so, the joy of their reunion outweighed the first, for their friendship was unwavering, unshakable by time or chance.Next day Ged awoke under the roof of his friend's house, and when the drowsiness had faded away, he felt happy, as if he were in a place where evil and harm were completely removed.All that day, this dreamlike tranquility clung to his mind, and he accepted it not as a good omen, but as a gift.It seemed to him that by leaving the house he was leaving his last refuge; and that, so long as this fleeting dream lasted, he would be happy in the dream. Before leaving Yifei Market, Fei Que still had important things to do, so he went to another village on the island with his young apprentice warlock. Ged stayed at home with Yarou and Yarou's brother Moer.Mu'er's age is between Yarou and Fei Que, but she doesn't seem to be much older than the child.He doesn't have the talent and tribulations of a mage, so far he has never been to places other than Yifeixu, Toku, and Monkey Garden, and he has lived a carefree life.Ged looked at Muer with wonder and a little jealousy - and Muer looked at Ged the same way.In each other's eyes, they seem to be very strange people, so different, but they are the same age as themselves, both are nineteen years old.It amazed Ged that a man who had lived to be nineteen could be so free from care.Muer's handsome and cheerful face made Ged envious, and it also made him feel that he was really thin and severe, but he couldn't guess that Muer was even jealous of the scar on Ged's face.Not only that, he even thought that the scar was the scratch of a dragon's claw, a genuine rune, and a mark of a hero. The two young men felt a little shy about each other.But Yarou quickly swept away her awe of Ged, for she was in her own home and was the mistress.Ged was pleasant to Yarou, and Yarou asked him many questions one after another, because she said Fei Que would tell her nothing.During those two days, she was also busy making wheat biscuits for two people who were going out to take.She also packed dried fish and meat and all kinds of provisions, and kept them on board until Ged told her to stop, for he had no intention of sailing all the way to Galdor. "Where's Celadon?" "Far in the West End. Dragons are as common as rats there." "Then it's best to stay in the east, our dragon is as small as a mouse. Now, these are the meat for you to bring, are you sure this is enough? There is one thing I don't understand; you and my brother are both strong Wizards, you wave your hands and chant the spell, and it will be done. In this case, how can you be hungry? When you are at sea, when it is meal time, why don't you shout 'Meatloaf!' Meatloaf appears and you eat it Where's the meatloaf?" "Well, we can do that too, but like they say, we're not too willing to live up to our word. 'Meatloaf!' is just a mantra after all...we can make meatloaf fragrant and delicious, even filling, but that's still It's just a spell that tricks the belly and doesn't give strength to the hungry." "So wizards are not cooks," said Mu'er, who was sitting by the stove opposite Ged, carving a good wooden lid.He was a carpenter, but not very enthusiastic. "The cook is not a wizard." Yarou was kneeling to see if the last batch of cookies on the stove brick had turned brown. "But, Sparrowhawk, I still don't get it. I've seen my brother, and even his apprentices, and they can make light in a dark place with just one word, and the light that shines is quite bright, in my opinion, That's not a word, but a light for the road." "Ah," answered Ged, "light is a power, a great power by which we live, independent of our need. Sunlight and starlight are time, and time is light. Life is in the sun and the years .In a dark place, life may call out to the light and its name. However, usually when you see a wizard call out something by its name, a certain object will appear, which is different from calling out to light. Because it Not calling something greater than one's power, and what appears is only an illusion. Summoning something that doesn't exist, calling it by saying its real name, is a high-level witchcraft and should not be used at will. You can't just because you are hungry. Use. Yarou, your little dragon stole a cookie." Yarou listened attentively, and Ged was only watching him when he spoke, so he didn't see the Herrey lizard crawl across the stove from the spout of its warm habitat, grabbing a piece of wheat cake larger than itself.Yarou grabbed the scaly creature and put it on her lap, peeling biscuit crumbs and feeding it, musing on what Ged had just told her. "So you're not going to call for the real meatloaf, so as not to disturb my brother's constant mention of... I forgot the name..." "'One is in balance'." Because Yarou was very serious, Ged replied cautiously. "Yes. However, when your ship hit the rocks, the ship you drove away from that place was mostly made of spells, but it didn't seep water. Is that an illusion?" "Well, part of it is illusion. At that time, I saw the sea water flowing into the ship from those big holes in the ship. I felt very disturbed, so I repaired it based on the appearance of the ship. But the power of the ship is not illusion, nor is it summoning, but Another technique is called the Binding Curse. The planks are then joined together to form a whole, a complete thing, a boat. Isn’t a boat an impermeable thing?” "But I once pumped water for a seepage boat." Mu'er said. "Oh, and my boat seeps, too, unless I keep an eye out for spells." Ged stooped from the corner seat, and took a piece of pie from the hearth-brick, and began to play with it in his hands. "I stole a pie too." "Then you'll burn your fingers. When you're hungry in the vast sea far from the island, you'll think of this biscuit and say: Ah, if I hadn't stolen that biscuit, I could eat it now, alas! I Just eat my brother's share, so that he can starve with me..." "In this way, the 'balance of one body' is maintained." Ged said, when Yarou took a piece of warm half-cooked biscuit and gnawed on it, she choked with giggles when she heard this sentence.But soon she looked serious again, and said, "I wish I could understand what you're telling me, I'm so stupid." "Little sister," said Ged, "I don't have the skill to explain, if only we had a little more time . . . " "We will have more time," Yarou said, "When my brother comes back, you will come back with him, at least for a while, okay?" "It's fine." He replied gently. After being silent for a while, Yarou watched the Herrey lizard crawl back to its habitat, and asked, "If it's not a secret, just tell me this: besides light, is there any great power?" "That is no secret. I think that all powers have the same origin and end. Years and distances, stars and candlelight, water and wind and witchcraft, human craft and root wisdom, all came together. My name, your name, the true name of the sun, or the spring, or the unborn child, are all syllables in one long word, spoken very slowly by twinkling starlight. There is no other power, no other name." Mu'er held the wood carving knife and asked, "What about death?" The girl listened, her black head drooping. "Before a word is spoken," Ged answered slowly, "there must be silence. There must be silence before and after." Then he stood up suddenly, and said, "I have no right to speak of such things. I just said the wrong words. So, I'd better keep quiet, and I won't say it again. Perhaps, only the darkness is its positive force." He left the fire and the warmth of the kitchen, took his cloak, and went out alone into the street in the drizzle of winter. "He is cursed," said Muer, watching Ged leave with fear. "I guess the voyage led him to his death," said the girl, "and he went on, though he was afraid. She looked up and saw, as if in the red flames of the fire, a boat crossing the sea alone in winter and sailing into empty waters. When she finished speaking, her eyes filled with tears, but she said nothing. Fei Qu returned home the next day.He had already asked for leave from the nobles of Ismey, who were of course unwilling to let him risk his life in the middle of winter to go to sea for a quest that had nothing to do with him.But although they could blame him, they couldn't stop Fei Que at all.Tired of listening to the old man's nagging, Fei Que said: "In terms of status, habits, and my responsibilities to you, I am your wizard. However, you just take this opportunity to recall: Although I am a servant , but not your servants. When I finish my work and come back, I shall come back. So farewell." At dawn, when the gray light shone across the sea to the east, two young men set out from the port of Ismay on the Vision, hoisting a strong tan sail to the north wind.Yarou stood at the pier to send each other off: Like all the wives and sisters who stood on the shore of the earth and sent the man out to sea, she didn't wave or shout, but just stood quietly with the hood of a gray or new-color cloak.Seen from the boat, the coast is getting smaller and smaller, but the water between the boat and the coast is getting wider.