Chapter 40 chapter Ten

Onan Barr was an old man, too old to fear.Since the last turmoil, he has lived alone in this remote place, with only the books he salvaged from the ruins, and nothing else.Barr never worried about losing anything, let alone his own dying years.So, now facing a stranger who broke into the house, he has no fear at all. "Your door is open," explained the stranger. His accent made it clear that he was not a local, and Barr also noticed that there was a side weapon made of fine steel hanging around his waist.In this rather dim small room, Barr could still see a strange light shining around the stranger, obviously it was a force field shield.

Barr said in a tired voice: "I don't have any reason to close the door, do you want me to help you?" "Yes," the stranger stood in the middle of the room without moving. He was tall and strong.He added: "You are the only family around here." "Yes, this is a very remote place." Barr said, "But there is a town to the east, and I can tell you how to get there." "Tell me later, can I sit down?" "If this chair can hold up." The old man said seriously. "The furniture is also old. They are all outdated antiques."

The stranger added: "My name is Huber Marlowe, and I come from a faraway land." Barr nodded and said with a smile, "Your tongue has already revealed this secret. I am Onan Barr from Sivenir, and I used to be a nobleman of the empire." "Then this is indeed Sivina, I can't be sure, because I only have some old maps for reference." "Those maps must be very old. Even the stars are not in the right place." Baal had been sitting quietly while Marlowe's eyes were averted to one side, as if thinking something on his mind.Baal noticed that the force field around him had disappeared, and understood that this meant that Marlow—friend or foe—was no longer as defensive as before.

Then Barr said: "My house is very dilapidated, and the supplies here are extremely poor, but you are welcome to share everything with me, if you can swallow black bread and dry corn." Marlowe shook his head and said, "Thank you, but I'm already full. I can't stay long, I just want you to point me to the government center." "Although I am so poor and have nothing, it is still very simple for me to do this favor. Are you referring to the capital of this planet, or the capital of this star region?" Marlowe blinked and asked, "Are these two places different? Isn't this Sivina?"

The old nobleman nodded slowly: "It is true that this is Sivina, but Sivina is no longer the capital of the Norman sector. You have been misled by these old maps. The stars may not change for centuries, Yet man-made boundaries are always in flux.” "That would be too bad, in fact, downright bad. Is the new capital far from here?" "On the planet Aoxia 2, there are twenty parsecs away from here. It should be on your map—how ​​old is this map?" "One hundred and fifty years." "So old?" The old man sighed and said, "The history of this period is very lively, do you know a thing or two?"

Marlowe shook his head slowly. Barr said again: "You are very lucky. Here, the past one hundred years has been an evil era, with the exception of the reign of Stanell VI, and it has been fifty years since he passed away. Since then, there have been rebellions and rebellions, burning, killing and looting; burning, killing and looting, rebellion and rebellion." Barr suddenly thought whether he had become too boring, but life here was too lonely, and this opportunity was really rare. Marlowe suddenly asked in a sharp voice: "Burn, kill, loot, huh? Listening to your tone, it seems that this star province has become a barren ruin."

"Maybe it's not that serious. It will take a long time to exhaust the resources of twenty-five first-tier planets. However, compared with the prosperity of the last century, we have come a long way. Downhill—and it's not showing any signs of getting better, at least not yet. Why are you so interested in all this, young man? You look so alive and your eyes shine." These words made Marlowe almost blush.Although the old man's eyes had lost their brilliance, he could still see through the other person's heart, and he was smiling at the fact he had discovered. Marlowe had no choice but to say: "Let me tell you, in our place—it's close to the edge of the Milky Way. The mention of a deserted area naturally makes me uncomfortable. How can I make money in a world without money? What is the current situation in Sivina?"

The old man leaned forward slightly: "I'm not sure, maybe, maybe it's passable. You said you were a merchant? But you look more like a soldier. Your hand is always close to the gun, And there's a scar on the jaw." Marlowe raised his head suddenly: "There are no laws in our place, and fighting and hanging lottery are part of the cost of the merchants. But fighting is meaningful only when it is profitable; if you can make money without using knives or guns Wouldn't it be better if I got money. Can I find something worth fighting for here? I think fighting opportunities are easy to find."

"It's too easy," Barr agreed. "You can join the Wiscar remnants of the Red Star Belt, but I don't know, you will call what they do fighting or robbery. Or you can join our current governor. , he is a very 'kind' guy - with the acquiescence of the young emperor, he can kill and plunder at will, but of course the emperor has also been assassinated now." The thin cheeks of the old nobleman turned red, He closed his eyes, then opened them again, his gaze became as sharp as a falcon. "Noble Baal, it sounds like you are not very friendly to the governor." Marlowe said, "What will you do if I am his spy?"

"If you are really a spy," Barr sarcastically said, "what can you get from me?" After speaking, he pointed to the dilapidated and almost empty house with his skinny hand. "What about your life?" "Life will leave me at any time. In fact, I should have died long ago. I have lived for another five years. But I can be sure that you are not the governor's person. If you are, maybe it is just an intuitive self-preservation that will make you I shut my mouth." "And how do you know?" The old man smiled and said, "You seem suspicious. I bet you think I'm trying to lure you into defaming the government. No, no, I've already left politics."

"Out of politics? Can a person be out of politics? How do you describe those words you used to describe the governor? Killing people at will, looting as much as you like, etc., don't sound objective, at least not completely objective, unlike you out of politics." The old man shrugged and said, "It's always painful to have memories of the past resurface suddenly. Listen, and judge for yourself—when Sivina was still the capital of the star region, I was a nobleman, and I was also a star star." Provincial councilor. My family has a long and glorious history, and the great-grandfather's generation once had... no, forget it, the glory of the past does not help now." Marlowe said, "I suppose you mean there was a civil war here, or a revolution?" Barr replied with a gloomy face: "In today's generation of people who are not old-fashioned, civil wars can be said to be commonplace, but Sivina was still able to avoid it by chance. During the reign of King Stallnell VI, it even almost restored the old days. prosperity, but the subsequent emperors were all cowardly and incompetent, which made the governors sit big one by one. And our previous governor—the Wiscar I just mentioned, still led the rest of the party to occupy the In the Red Star Belt, merchants who pass by are often haunted and robbed. Wiskar once coveted the throne of the empire, but he is not the first person with such ambitions. Even if he really succeeded, he would not be the first A usurping governor. "However, he failed in the end, because when the expedition fleet sent by the empire approached the city, the people of Sivina also began to rebel against the rebellious governor." He stopped here, with an extremely sad expression. Marlowe realized that he was about to slip out of the chair with nervousness, he slowly relaxed a bit, and then asked: "Old nobleman, please continue." "Thanks," Barr said feebly, "it's kind of you to be willing to make an old man happy—they started to rebel, or should I say, we started to rebel, because I was one of the leaders. As a result, Wes Ka escaped from Sivenna, and was caught by us only a short distance away. Then, we immediately opened up this planet, and the entire star province, to welcome the commander of the expedition fleet, which fully demonstrated our loyalty to His Majesty the Emperor. As for us Why this is done, I'm not sure myself, maybe even if we don't identify with the emperor - he is a cruel and evil brat, we still want to be loyal to the symbol of the 'Emperor'. But it is also possible that it is because we are afraid of being The imperial army took it." "And then?" Marlowe asked softly. "Later—" the old man replied very sadly: "We still can't satisfy the fleet commander. Because the purpose of his trip is to make a brilliant victory in conquering the rebel star province, and his subordinates, They were all waiting for the conquest to plunder the spoils. Therefore, while many people still gathered in the major cities to cheer the emperor and the commander, the commander took all the armed strongholds, and then ordered the use of Nukes on unarmed civilians." "In what name?" "The name is that they rebelled against the original governor - himself a traitor, but still an appointed official. Then the commander, through a month of massacres, plunder and terror, succeeded himself as the new governor. I had six sons, five of whom died in various ways, and a daughter who I hoped would die in the end. I myself escaped safely only because I was too old and I came Here, the new governor doesn't care about me at all, so I didn't kill them all." He lowered his head, his gray hair facing Marlowe, and continued: "But they confiscated everything from me, because I once Efforts to get rid of the rebellious governor will damage the military exploits of the fleet commander." Marlowe sat silently, and waited quietly for a while, and then asked softly, "How is your last son?" "Well," Barr said with a wry smile, "he's safe. He used an alias to join the commander, and is now a gunner in the governor's private fleet. Oh, I can see what you're thinking from your eyes—no , he is not an unworthy son, who visits me whenever he can, and brings with him all the supplies he can find, and I am now, so to speak, supported by him. One day our great and benevolent The governor died, it must be my son's hands." "And you tell a stranger this kind of thing? This will endanger your son's life." "No, I'm actually helping him. I'm creating a new enemy for the governor. If I were a friend of the governor, I would persuade him to use starships to build a Great Wall in outer space and deploy it to the edge of the galaxy." "Don't you have starships cruising in outer space?" "Have you seen it? When you came, were you ever intercepted by any guard fleet? Due to the shortage of starships, the star provinces on the border are troubled by their own problems of rebellion and crime. No star province can dispatch extra The starship is used to guard the wild starry sky outside. For a long time, the broken world on the edge of the galaxy has never threatened us—until now, you have come.” "Me? I'm not dangerous at all." "But after you have been here, more people will come one after another." Marlowe shook his head slowly: "I'm afraid I didn't understand what you said." "Listen!" The old man's voice was suddenly full of excitement: "I already knew your origin when you came in just now. I noticed that you are surrounded by a force field shield, although it is gone now." Marlowe paused for a moment in hesitant silence before saying, "Yes . . . I do have such a thing." "Very well, that gives you away, and you don't know it yourself. I know a lot of things--in this decaying generation, being a scholar is out of fashion, and all the sudden changes come and go. People who can’t protect themselves with the nuclear guns in their hands will soon be swallowed up by the trend, like me is the best example-I used to be a scholar, I know the history of the development of nuclear energy devices In China, there has never been such a portable shield. We do have a force field shield, but it is very large and consumes a lot of energy. It can protect a city or a starship, but it can never be used on an individual .” "Huh?" Marlowe pouted, "So what conclusion did you draw?" "There are many stories circulating in the vast space. These stories permeate and spread through various strange channels, and they will be distorted every second. However, when I was young, I once met a group of aliens. They drove a They don't know our customs, and they can't tell where they come from. They once mentioned the magicians on the edge of the galaxy, and said that the bodies of those magicians can glow in the dark. They can fly in the air out of thin air, and they cannot be harmed by any weapon. "When we heard this, we couldn't help laughing, and of course I laughed with everyone. I forgot about it a long time ago, and I didn't think about it until today. You can indeed shine in the dark, if Now that I have a nuclear gun in my hand, I don't think it will hurt you. Tell me, can you fly anytime, anywhere?" Marlowe replied calmly, "I can't do anything you say." Barr smiled and said: "I accept your answer, don't worry, I will not search the body of the guests. However, if those magicians really exist, and if you are one of them, then one day, they—or should Talk about you—maybe there will be a flock of people. However, it may be good, and maybe we really need some new blood here." Then, Barr muttered a few words to himself, but Marlowe didn't hear him at all, and then he heard the old man say slowly: "But this will also have another effect, our new governor also has a dream, Just like ex-Governor Wiscar." "Is he also coveting the throne?" Barr nodded: "My son has heard many rumors. Since he is by the governor's side, it is impossible for him not to want to hear them. He told me everything he heard. Our new governor's wishful thinking is that if It is of course best to be able to successfully obtain the throne, but he has also arranged a way out - if he fails to usurp the throne, it is said that he intends to establish a new empire in the wild interior. There is also a rumor, but I can't guarantee it, that the governor has already One of his daughters was married to the monarch of an unknown small country on the outer edge." "If these rumors are true..." "I know, there are many, many rumors. I'm old, and I keep talking nonsense, but what do you think?" The old man's sharp eyes seemed to be able to penetrate Marlowe's heart. Marlowe thought for a moment before saying, "I can't say anything, but I want to ask one more thing - does Sivina have nuclear power at all? No, wait a minute, I know you guys make nuclear stuff, my Meaning, are there any intact nuclear power generators here? Were those generators damaged by the recent looting?" "Destroyed? Oh, of course not. Even if half the planet was leveled, the smallest power plants wouldn't be affected. They're the world's most important facility and the power source for the fleet." And then he was almost proud Said, "We have the biggest and best power plant here all the way from Trantor." "So, if I want to look at these generators, what's the first step?" "It's useless to do anything!" Barr replied decisively: "Once you approach any military stronghold, you will be shot dead immediately. It is impossible for anyone to do it. Sivina is still a place without citizenship rights." "You mean that all power plants are supervised by the military?" "This is not necessarily the case, like some small-scale municipal power plants. They are used to supply energy for household lighting and heating, as well as power for vehicles, etc. However, these power plants are still strictly guarded, and a group of 'technical officers' ' is in charge of management." "Who is that?" "It is a group of technicians who supervise and manage power plants. This glorious profession is hereditary, and their apprentices are their own children. They have received full-time training since childhood, instilling a strong sense of responsibility, honor, etc. in them. Except for technicians , no one has access to those power plants." "I see." "However," Baer added: "I didn't say that every technician is clean. In the past fifty years, there have been nine emperors in a row—seven of them were assassinated. In this kind of years, The captain of every starship wants to be a governor, and every governor wants to usurp the throne. I guess even a small technician can buy it with money. But it costs a lot of money, myself Penniless, how about you?" "Money? I don't have any either. Does bribery have to be done with money?" "In this age where money is everything, what alternatives can you think of?" "There are many things that money can't buy. Please tell me the nearest city with such a power plant, and how to get there the fastest. I will be very grateful to you." "Wait a minute!" Barr stretched out his skinny hands: "Why are you in a hurry? I didn't question you at all when you came here. However, once you enter the city, the residents there are still regarded as traitors. Any soldier Or the guards, as soon as they see your clothes, or hear your accent, they can't stop you immediately." The old man stood up, took out a small book from the corner of an old cabinet, and said to Marlowe, "This is my passport—forged, and that's how I got out." He put the passport in Marlowe's hand, and closed Marlowe's fingers together: "Of course the photos and information don't match yours, but if you just show it off, you have a great chance of passing the customs." "But what about you? You gave it to me and you lost it." The old man shrugged his shoulders, seemingly indifferent: "What's the use of it? Let me warn you one last thing, you'd better keep your mouth shut. Your accent is very rude, your diction is very strange, and you will spit out surprising old sayings from time to time. The less you talk, the less likely people will doubt you. Now let me tell you how to get to that city..." Five minutes later, Marlowe left. But he returned a short time later, this time only lingering at the door for a moment.Early the next morning, when Onan Baer walked into the small courtyard, he found a box at his feet.Inside the box was food—it seemed to be the enriched rations carried by the spaceship, no matter the taste or cooking method was unfamiliar to him. However, these foods are nutritious and delicious, and they can be kept for a long time.