Chapter 13 Chapter 4

Teahouses in Central Asia are dark and dirty.From the ceiling, a swarm of fat flies buzzed around the dim hanging lamp, the shade of which was covered with dirt.We sat around a low table about fifteen centimeters high, on something brightly colored, greasy and shiny, pillows or cushions.It was a very ordinary table, except that the legs were truncated.The table was covered with a tablecloth, very brightly colored, but also greasy. In Russia, such cafes are immediately closed.In Europe, its operators are jailed.In the United States, store owners are subject to huge fines.In Japan, the owner of such a store would commit suicide by caesarean section out of shame.

But in this teahouse, which is not suitable for tourists, I tasted an unheard of delicacy. After getting rid of the stalking, we split up.The Dark Emissary went to find his own people and reported what had happened.Valentina Ilyinichna and Nogil went to summon the lightbringers of the patrol and contacted Tashkent to ask for reinforcements.I took a taxi with Alisher and Alfonki and came to this teahouse on the outskirts of Samarkand, next to the market.I suspect there are no fewer than ten markets in Samarkand, more than museums and cinemas combined. On the way I cast a Transfiguration Charm on myself and took the form of Timur.For some reason young wizards always thought it an ominous omen to take on the appearance of a dead man.There are all kinds of superstitions and legends related to this, such as "you will die soon", "you will catch other people's habits" and so on.Think of Habits as a flock of fleas that scatter around after the death of their master, looking for those who are most like him... I never believed in superstitions, so I changed into Timur without hesitation.In any case, it is necessary to dress like a local.A foreigner with a European appearance would look as odd in this teahouse as a Papuan mowing grass in the Russian countryside.

"The food here is delicious," Alisher said softly after ordering.I don't know a word of Uzbek, so I kept silent in front of the young waiter.Fortunately, Alfonki didn't say a word, he just let out a satisfied cluck from time to time, wiped his bald forehead with his hands, and looked at me proudly.His eyes seemed to imply: "Do you remember how we destroyed the monsters?" I nodded obediently. "I believe," I replied to him.Next to the wall is a huge tape recorder made in China, with small colorful lights flashing non-stop, and the sound from the oversized speaker is hoarse and unpleasant.The tapes were ethnic pieces, which seemed interesting, but the pop-style variations and the poor quality of the recorder completely ruined the piece.Still, the deafening volume was enough for us to speak Russian without worrying about surprising our neighbors. "It smells good. It's just a little dirty."

"It's not dirty," Alisher said. "To be precise, it's not as dirty as we think. You know, Western Europeans will frown when they go to Russia and say, you don't have a clean place here. Actually, it's not clean because you don't pay attention to hygiene. The soil quality in Russia is The other type, the soil is more eroded, so the air is full of dust. In Europe, after you scrub the pavement with soap, as long as there is no wind to blow the paper, it can stay clean for three days. In Russia, even if you use your tongue Lick the road clean and after an hour or so it's dusty again. There's more dust in Asia, so Europeans and Russians say: Dirty, uncivilized, barbaric! That's not true! We are such a region. In Asia, if it smells good, it is not dirty. Here, trust the nose, not the eyes!"

"Very insightful," I said. "It never occurred to me. Perhaps it is true, and that is why Orientals have small eyes and large noses." Alisher looked at me sullenly.Then squeeze out a smile: "Come on, it's ridiculous, isn't it? But I'm telling the truth. It's very different in the East." "Not even the other," I nodded yes. "I'm sorry, Alisher, but I don't believe in monsters." "You know, from your description, it's not the guy who was following me," Alisher said gravely. "That monster is shorter, but quick and has feet. Like a monkey with horns."

"It doesn't matter if these guys don't mention it, they are the scum of all things in the world, and the despicable work of irresponsible magicians!" Afangji echoed. "Anton and I defeated that immoral, lascivious monster! Alisher, it would be great if you could witness this battle! But young people really shouldn't see such a lewd scene..." "Master Alfonchi..." I interrupted him. "Please stop talking!" "Call me big!" Alfonki ordered. "What do you mean by big?" I asked suspiciously. "It's the uncle." The old man patted me on the shoulder. "I defeated the monster together with you, now you are like my own grandson!"

"Great Alfonky," I begged. "Please don't talk about it again. I regret not being able to defeat that monster immediately." "It's the monsters!" Alfonchi said decisively. "Is there only one?" I corrected him naively. "More than that! There are two of them! The big monster holds the little monster in his hand, swings back and forth, swings back and forth!" Alphonse stood up and described the monster's actions vividly. "There, great Afonki fighter," said Alisher hastily. "There are two of them. Anton didn't notice the other for fear. Sit down and serve us tea."

We drank tea with dessert for about ten minutes.I tasted halwa halwa, a savory pastry that tastes like a torte.I don't know anything about other fantastic dim sum.But that didn't stop us from enjoying the delicious food.We also tasted colorful candies (I think it's best not to think about what they are dyed with) and had white preserved fruit wrapped in sweet silk, which also tasted a bit like halwa.It is very important to us that all food tastes good and is sweet.We desperately need sweets after our energy runs out.Now even if we can use the energy of others, we can only control it and cannot transform it into our own, and even this is not easy.There is too much glucose in the blood, and coma caused by hypoglycemia is prone to occur.If this happens in the Twilight Realm, it will take a miracle to survive.

"Mutton soup and hand pilaf will be served soon," Alisher poured himself the fifth bowl of green tea. “The food here is average, but it’s solid.” He fell silent suddenly.I understand what he is thinking. "They deserved to die as scouts," I said. "This is our fight," Alisher whispered. "This is our common battle. Even the Dark Emissary. We should find Rustam, and no one can stop us. I feel sorry for Murat...he killed the enemy, but he didn't survive." "I could do it instead," said Alisher darkly. "Me too," I admit.Alisher and I looked at each other sympathetically.

"Ordinary people against others." Alisher sighed. "I can't believe it! It's like a nightmare! They all wear amulets, which is something only a senior magician can do." "At least three wizards," I said. "Darkbringers, Lightbringers, and Inquisitors. Vampires, Witch Doctors, and Battle Magicians." "The end of the world is here." Alfonki shook his head. "Never thought that the forces of light, darkness and fear would unite." I glanced at him.For a brief moment I realized that Alfonky wasn't really stupid. "Alfonky, you're playing dumb, you're not that stupid," I said in a low voice. "Why are you acting like a madman?"

Alfonky laughed for a few seconds, then said solemnly: "Anton, it's better for the weak to look like fools. Only the strong can make themselves wise." "You are not weak, Afangji. You entered the second layer of the Twilight Realm and stayed there for five minutes. Is there any magic formula?" "Rustum has many secrets, Anton." I kept watching Alfonky, but the old man wasn't angry at all.Then I turned my gaze to Alisher.He looked thoughtful. I wondered if Alisher and I were thinking of getting together. should be. Alfonky—is he Rustam?This silly old man has worked hard for decades to manage the inspection teams in other provinces without complaint or regret. Is he the oldest magician in the world? Everything is possible.Each Other, it is said, gradually changes its character, simplifies itself: only a certain main characteristic stands out.The resourceful Gesar has always been scheming, and he is still playing various tricks to this day.Foma Lemont, who had hoped to live a life of ease and comfort, now tended the garden every day and became a businessman.As for Rustam, if his city is extremely deep, it is entirely possible to hide in the world almost paranoidly, turning into a weak person with limited intelligence. If this is the case, even if I express my guess, he will not expose it.Surely he'd smirk and sing an old song about his master... Actually, Alfonki never said that it was Rustam who inspired his potential!He tells the story as a third person: Rustam, the stupid old man, the motivator.It was us who positioned Alfonky as the silly old man in the story! I looked again at Alfonky.Now I'm actively mobilizing my imagination, ready to catch sly, almost morbidly disguised, even sinister in his gaze at any time. "Alfonky, I should speak to Rustam," I said, choosing my words carefully. "This is very important. Gesar sent me to Samarkand to look for Rustam, hoping to get his advice for the sake of their many years of friendship. It's just a suggestion." "The friendship of many years is nostalgic!" Alfonki nodded. "If the friendship still exists, it is indeed missed! I heard that Rustam and Gesar had a quarrel. They quarreled so violently that Rustam spat behind Gesar and said no more I don’t want to see him on the land of Uzbekistan. But Gesar said with a smile that Narustam should poke his own eyes blind. A good old wine will have a bitter precipitation at the bottom of the bottle. The more bitter the precipitation. Years of friendship can also cause deep-seated resentment!" "You're right, Alfonky," I said. "You're absolutely right. But Gesar told me one thing. He saved Rustam's life. Seven times. Rustam saved his life. Six times." Our mutton soup came, so we stopped talking.But after the waiter left, Alfonki sat still with his lips tightly shut.From the expression on his face, one could guess what he was thinking. My eyes met Alisher's and he nodded slightly. "Anton, tell me," Alfonki finally said. "If your friend's beloved woman leaves him...he is in great pain and decides to leave this world...but you live with him for a month, let him accompany you as a guest from morning to night, what else do you say? There are so many beautiful women around... Is this saving his life?" "I think it depends on whether your friend is really prepared to end his life because of the loss of love," I said cautiously. "Every man who goes through something like this seems to think he can't live anymore. But only a very few end his life. Don't everyone want to be like a hairless dumb kid." Alfonky was silent again. During this interval my cell phone rang. I picked up the phone, sure that it was either Gesar, who had heard about the situation, or Svetlana, who felt that something was wrong.But no number or name is displayed on the screen.Only a peaceful gray light shone. "Hello, who?" I asked. "Anton?" A familiar voice with a slight Baltic accent came from the microphone. "Edgar?" I said aloud.An Other is not usually happy about a call from the Inquisitor.What's more, this Inquisitor is a former magician of dark power.But these are extraordinary times.Edgar was better than strangers who pretended to be calm, hung head to toe with talismans, and thought everyone was guilty of a crime. "Anton, you are in Samarkand." Of course, Edgar was not asking, but confirming. "What's going on there? Our men are locating the tunnel from Amsterdam to Tashkent!" "Why go to Tashkent?" I didn't understand. "Simply put, we've used this line once," Edgar explained. "What happened to you?" "Do you know anything about Edinburgh?" Edgar laughed out loud.Look at this question I asked.Even the interns at the Inquisition had heard about the attempted theft of Merlin's magic weapon, let alone experienced inquisitors. "By all indications, that's what the guys did. It's just that there they ordered mercenaries. Here they fooled the local army and police. Everyone wore talismans and amulets, and the bullets were loaded. under a spell..." "It seems my vacation is over," Edgar said hopelessly. "I wish you hadn't been there! I'm about to be dragged back from the beach! Because I have experience working with you!" "Thanks for taking care of me." I said sarcastically. "Is the situation serious?" Edgar asked after a moment's pause. "Hundreds of people chased two local scouts. Two Lightbringers were sacrificed while retreating. Then we were attacked by monsters. One Darkbringer was torn in two. It took me three minutes to subdue it." Edgar cursed and asked again: "How did you subdue it?" "Use the Charm 'Turn to Ashes'. Fortunately I learned of this spell by accident." "Definitely!" Edgar said sarcastically. "A young Moscow magician occasionally remembers a spell against monsters that hasn't been used for almost a hundred years!" "Are you going to write a paper?" I sneered. "Come on, you will like it. By the way, sharpen your gun and memorize some spells to deal with monsters. It is said that there is still a monster at large." "It's terrible..." Edgar muttered. "I'm in Crete. I'm standing on the beach in swimming trunks. My wife is putting sunscreen on my back. They let me arrive in Amsterdam in 3 hours and go to Uzbekistan immediately! What is this? ?” "That's called globalization, sir," I said. Edgar hummed into the microphone.Then he said: "My wife is going to kill me. We're on our honeymoon. She's a witch! Why do I have to go to Uzbekistan!" "Edgar, you shouldn't have said that," I couldn't help but sarcasm him again. "We've all lived in the same country anyway. Consider it a patriotic duty overdue." But Edgar evidently had no taste for cynicism or mutual sarcasm.He sighed heavily, and asked: "How did I find you?" "Call," I replied curtly, then hung up. "The Inquisition," Alisher nodded knowingly. "They've come to their senses. That's enough for them." "The insiders should be cleared first," I said. "Someone is having fun in their office right now." "Not necessarily," Alisher tried to defend the Inquisition. "Perhaps the retired Inquisitor did it." "Really? Then how did humans know that Gesar sent us to Samarkand? He only told the Inquisition!" "There may be Light Force witch doctors among the traitors," Alisher reminded me. "You mean the high-level magician of the Light Force in our night watchman patrol team? The witch doctor of the Light Force? He will also serve the enemy?" "Perhaps it is!" said Alisher stubbornly. "There is only one senior witch doctor from the Light Force in our inspection team," I calmly reminded. "To be precise, there is only one witch doctor. She is my wife." Alisher stopped talking, shook his head and said: "Sorry, Anton! I didn't mean your wife." "That's enough, stop arguing!" Alfonki shouted as stupidly as before. "The mutton soup is cold! What's worse than cold mutton soup? Drink it while it's hot!" He carefully looked around, and then waved his hand over the soup bowl, and the cold soup in the bowl was steaming again. "Alfonky, how can we talk to Rustam?" I repeated. "Drink the soup." He muttered vaguely, and drank it himself first. I tore off a piece of pie and ate it with the mutton soup.What can I do, the East is the East.Don't like straight answers here.Perhaps the best diplomats in the world are those of the East.They don't say "yes" and they don't say "no", but that doesn't mean they don't have opinions... It wasn't until Alisher and I finished our mutton soup that Alfonky sighed and said: "Maybe Gesar is right. Maybe he can ask Rustam to answer. Just one question." It seems my words have paid off. "Go now." I nodded.Of course, you should ask the right questions and never get ambiguous answers. "wait a moment……" "Why are you in such a hurry?" Alfonki asked in surprise. "Whether it's for a while, or for an hour, or for a day...you think about it carefully." "I'm almost ready," I said. "So what? Who are you going to ask, Anton Gorodecki?" Alfonki sneered. "Rustum isn't here. You can ask questions after we find him." "Rustum isn't here?" I almost couldn't speak. "No," Alfonky said firmly. "I'm sorry if my words have misled you. But we must go to the Devil's Plateau to find him." After thinking about it for a while, I began to understand why Gesar and Rustam had a falling out.I also began to understand Merlin. Although he has many crimes, he is a very kind Other with amazing endurance.Because Alfonky is Rustam.No need to guess! "I'll go out for a while..." Afangji got up and walked towards a small door in the corner of the teahouse.There is a masculine sign printed on the door that needs no translation.Interesting to see no wickets with women's logos on them.It seems that women in Samarkand are not used to spending time in teahouses. "That Rustam guy," I took the opportunity to mutter. "It's just an old fried dough stick, old Jianghu." "Anton, Alfonky is not Rustam," said Alisher. "You believe it too?" "Anton, my father recognized Rustam ten years ago. I didn't care much about it at the time... What if an old high magician is still alive? Many of them are already golden Wash your hands in the basin, hide your identity, and live your own life in the world..." "yes?" "My father has known Alphonse for almost fifty years." "What did your father say about Rustam?" Alisher frowned.Then he said very clearly, as scripted: "Today I met the Archmage, whom no one has seen for seventy years. I met the Archmage Rustam. He was Gesar's friend and then his enemy. I learned from him We both recognized each other, but pretended not to see. Fortunately, a low-level other like me has never had a dispute with him." "So what?" It was my turn to retort. "Your father may have recognized Rustam disguised as Alfonki. Please tell me your opinion on this." Alisher pondered for a moment, then admitted it was a possibility.But he still believed that his father was not talking about Alfonki. "It won't help us much anyway." I waved my hand. "You saw it too, he was too stubborn. We had to follow him to the devil's plateau...By the way, what is this thing? Don't tell me that there are devils on the plateau in the eastern country." Alisher laughed and said: "The devil is the image of the magician of the dark power in the twilight world. Their human characteristics are distorted by the energy, the twilight world and the dark power. This is what we learned in the first class. Humans call it the devil plateau because there It's a mountainous place, with weirdly shaped volcanoes that look like petrified devils. No one likes to go there. Only tourists..." "Yes, only tourists go there," I agreed. "So, is it a common superstitious legend?" "No, it's not superstition." Alisher said seriously. "There was a battle there. It was a fierce battle between the dark messengers and the light messengers more than 2,000 years ago. The dark messengers had the upper hand, and they won the victory...then the great magician of the light force Lu Stam cast a terrible spell... a spell called 'White Fog' that no one has ever used in battle. The Darkbringers turned to stone. They failed to disappear in the Dusk, so fell to the ordinary The world, turned into petrified devils. Although people don't know these things, they are right." I felt a spasm in my heart.Disgusting flashes of the past made me shudder.I seemed to be standing before Kostya Shoshkin again.Gesar's whispers came from afar... "White mirage," I said. "This spell is called 'White Mirage'. Only advanced magicians can manipulate this spell. It requires the utmost concentration and sends energy to a radius of three thousand kilometers..." Alisher's words seemed to open the floodgates of my memory.The creaking cabinet door opened in front of my eyes, and an ancient skeleton was hidden in the cabinet, grinning grinningly at me... Gesar gave me more than just knowledge.He also transferred his entire memory to me.It was a generous gift...like a gift from Danai Carpenter. ...the rocks burned through the moccasins, for the rocks were reddened with heat, and the amulets worn on the clothes were useless.The body of the guy in front is smoking, and half of his body has melted into the softened rock.Many of the amulets of comrades-in-arms failed to withstand the attack of the spell "Hammer of Fate". "Gesar!" A tall and burly man shouted in my ear.His black beard was curly from the heat wave, and a thin layer of black ash fell on his red and white clothes.A lace-like off-white floc fell from the top of the head, and a lot of powder was scattered from it. "Gesar, it's time to make a decision!" I am silent.Looking at the smoking body, I tried to recognize him.But at this time his amulet completely failed, and flames burst out of his body in an instant, turning into a thick column of smoke, rising to the sky.The scattered energy stirred up the soot, which immediately turned into a transparent human form.I understood what was falling from the top of my head, and my throat immediately choked. "Gesar, they want to awaken the 'master's soul'!" The magician dressed in red and white was panicked and full of fear. "Gesar!" "I'm ready, Rustam," I said.I give him my hand.It's not often that magicians create spells together, but we've been through many trials together.Besides, it's easier for the two of you to make a decision.Because there are hundreds of dark emissaries and tens of thousands of ordinary people ahead. And behind us are only more than a hundred ordinary people we trust and ten low-level magicians. It's hard to convince yourself that tens and hundreds are worth more than hundreds and thousands. Looking at the gray-black soot, I suddenly felt a lot easier.I said to myself, in another hundred years, one thousand years, two thousand years we will be heroes again.That's what strong and kind people usually say in situations like this. There are no ordinary people ahead! Ahead is a wild beast! Energy flowed through my body, swelling energy filled my veins, and bloody sweat oozes from my skin.There is so much energy around.They come from the dead Other, from the spell uttered, from the common man who attacks.The Dark Messenger did not attract a huge army for no reason.Others are not afraid of the weapons of ordinary people, but their hands wielding sabers, mouths baring their teeth, and eyes longing for death are all manipulated by energy, and they become puppets of energy.The more hateful and fearful this gang of filthy scum, who were driven to the command of the dark power by the persecution of the cruel rulers or because of their greed for wealth, the stronger the energy of the dark power magicians who marched among them. But we also have a spell that has never been uttered on earth.Brought by Rustam from the far northern islands, a resourceful Lightbringer named Merlin conceived of it, but it terrifies even Merlin, who is too close to the forces of darkness... … It is "white mirage". Rustam uttered a foreign language with a vulgar pronunciation.I recounted them after him without even attempting to figure out what they meant.These words are important, but they are only the hand of the potter who shapes the clay, the clay model infused with the metal solution, the brass shackles which bind the hands—nothing more.We say these words over and over again, with proper posture and eyes, but in the end it is only energy that determines everything. energy and will. I can no longer resist the powerful force fighting inside my body. With every beat of my heart, it almost tears my fragile flesh apart.Rustam and I opened our mouths at the same time.I yelled aloud, but could not express my thoughts in words. The words are finished. The white mist rose from our mouths like a turbid wave to the air, and at the same time to the approaching armies, to the magicians of dark power, and our spells wove a web all the more impressive. Shocked, but a little slow.The souls that had begun to rise from the rock were blown away by the white mist. Then, our "white mirage" overtook the other, overtook the army of ordinary people. The world has lost its color before our eyes, but nothing like what happened in the Twilight Realm.The world becomes white, the white of death, a mixture of several colors ineffectively, as if they were not used at all.The twilight world is trembling, wrinkling, and sticking together layer by layer. Ordinary people and others are pressed under the huge ice mill, and invisible whips beat them. People cry out in pain, and others cry out in fear. Aphasia. The world froze. The white mist gradually dissipated.What is left is the dust that falls from the sky, the scorching earth under the feet, and the petrified body of others.Their shapes are novel and unique, and they are completely different from those rough and ugly human bodies turned into granite and sandstone.Among these petrified bodies are shapeshifters who turned into tigers, vampires lying on the ground, and magicians who raised their hands in vain in an attempt to defend themselves... Ordinary people have nothing left.The Twilight devoured them, digested them, reduced them to nothing. Rustam and I kept shaking.Then we scratched each other's skin with our fingernails to bleed.What can we do, we've been wanting to have a fight for a long time. "Merlin said that the Other will ascend to the deepest layer of the Twilight Realm, the seventh layer..." Rustam said softly. "He was wrong. But such a result... is not bad... This fierce battle will be recorded in the annals of history forever." "Look," I said to him. "Look, buddy." Rustam gazes—not with eyes, but with the way we are other.Suddenly, he turned pale with fright. This fierce battle will not go down in the history books forever.We will never show it off again. To kill an enemy - is a heroic feat.To make him suffer—that is despicable. They are still alive.They were turned into rocks, unable to move, deprived of energy, sense of touch, sight and hearing, and all senses possessed by humans and others. Until the rock turns to gravel, they are still alive and will continue to be.Maybe they can live longer. We see the looming signs of their life.See their surprise, fear and anger. We are not proud of such a fierce battle. We will not speak of this fierce battle again. We will no longer speak the vicious words of foreign lands, which caused the terrible "white mirage"... How could I look at Alisher from the bottom up?How did the ceiling appear behind his head? "Are you awake, Anton?" I stood up on my elbows and looked around. Things in the East are extremely obscure.Orientals are good at making everything very subtle.Everyone in the teahouse pretended not to see me pass out.Let Alisher alone restore my consciousness. "White mirage." I repeated. "Got it, got it," Alisher nodded.He was indeed very frightened: "I was wrong, it wasn't fog, it was mirage. I'm sorry. Why did you faint suddenly?" "Rustum cast the spell 'White Mirage' with Gesar," I said. "It was three years ago... In short, it was Gesar who taught me to chant this spell. He taught me very seriously. He told me about the past. Generally... I now remember everything at that time." "Is it really scary?" Alisher asked. "Very scary. Never want to see that scene again." "Well, that was a long time ago," Alisher reassures me. "Everything is over, everything has long passed, disappeared without a trace..." "What if," I said, but I cut back without being more specific.If Alisher was unlucky, he would see what happened himself, and he would understand then.Because we still have to go to Devil's Plateau.Looking back, I see that Rustam and Alfonky have nothing in common. Just then Alfonky came back from the toilet.After sitting down, he looked at me and asked kindly: "You want to rest, don't you? It's still early, we'll rest after eating the pilaf." "Who can tell." I muttered and sat down. "Civilization is a wonderful thing!" Alfonchi went on, seemingly not hearing my answer. "You are still young, you do not know how many beautiful things civilization has brought to the world." "Is there a light on in the toilet too?" I muttered. "Alisher, urge the waiter to serve the pilaf, will you?" "Really..." Alisher stood up, but just then a man appeared in front of us with a large plate of food.There is no doubt that this plate should be shared by the three of us... There are crunchy red rice, orange carrots, excessive meat, and a whole head of garlic on top. "Let me tell you, the food here is very good." Alisher said with satisfaction. I looked at the man who brought the pilaf.Strange, where is the young guy who served us just now?Why is the new waiter looking so uneasy? I grabbed a handful of rice with my hands and brought it to my mouth, and looked at the waiter.He nodded and smiled unnaturally. "The garlic on the lamb is just a cover," I said. "What pretense?" Alisher said in surprise. "I'm... reminded of the wise Sherlock Holmes and the naive Watson," I said, no longer worried that my Russian would be out of place. "Garlic is to get rid of the smell of arsenic. Didn't you say that in the East you have to trust the nose, not the eyes... Honey, eat with us!" The waiter shook his head and stepped back slowly.Out of curiosity I looked at him through the twilight—I saw signs of dominance in green and yellow.This is a sign of fear.He is not a professional killer.The poisoned pilaf was delivered by himself instead of his brother, because he was worried about his brother.Sadly, out of love and concern for their loved ones, human beings can do all kinds of nasty things. Overall, this is pure improvisation.There was such a thing as arsenic and rat poison in the teahouse, so we were ordered to eat poisoned pilaf.It is impossible to kill others in this way, but it can easily weaken his power and disturb his thoughts. "I'll turn you into a meatloaf right now," I said to the waiter. "Feed it to your brother. Is anyone watching the teahouse?" "No... I don't know..." The waiter immediately understood that although I looked like an oriental, he had to speak Russian to me. "I don't know, I was ordered to do this!" "Get out!" I yelled as I stood up. "Don't expect a tip." The waiter immediately rushed to the kitchen.The tea drinkers were also planning to take advantage of the chaos and leave the teahouse at this time, they wanted to take this opportunity to eat for nothing.What made them feel so scared, my words or the tone of voice? "Anton, don't burn your pants," Alisher said. I looked down and saw a fireball spinning in the palm of my right hand, making a slight sound.I was so enraged that the spell was already gathering strength at my fingertips. "I really want to set fire to this damn teahouse...so they can learn their lesson," I said through gritted teeth. Alisher said nothing.He smiled unnaturally for a while, and frowned for a while.I knew very well what he was trying to say.He wanted to say that these people were innocent.They were forced to be helpless and powerless to resist.The teahouse is not rich either, the teahouse is all they have.三个有孩子和老人的大家庭就指望这个茶馆过活。但他什么也没说，因为在这种情形下，我完全有权引发一场小小的火灾。有人居然企图毒死三个光明力量的魔法师，他理应受到惩罚。这是给他自己，同时也是给别人的一个教训。我们是光明使者，但远非圣贤…… “羊肉汤很不错。”阿利舍尔小声地说。 “我们穿过黄昏界去魔鬼高原，”我说着把火球变成了一缕流动的火焰，注入盛手抓饭的盘子里。盘里的米和肉变成了木块和砒霜。“我也不想这里闪出火光。只是他们下手也太快了，这帮畜生。” 阿利舍尔感激地点点头，站起身，为了表示对我的支持，他用脚踩碎了一只盘子，还打翻了两个茶壶。 “绿茶也不错，”我赞同地说。“不过茶叶似乎很一般。说实话，是很差。但口感很好！” “关键是要煮到家，”阿利舍尔终于松了口气，赶紧接过我的话茬。“如果茶壶用了五十年，而且一次也没洗过……”他支吾起来，但看到我脸上没有表现出明显的反感，又继续说：“奥妙就在于此！茶壶的内壁形成了一层神奇的茶垢，它是由香精油、黄酮还有一些不知名的神秘物质构成的。” “茶里还有黄酮？”我很惊讶。我把挎包重新背到肩上。差点就把它给忘了。内衣当然不会少，但包里还有格谢尔给的一整套作战避邪物以及五沓厚厚的美金！ “哦，也许我弄错了……”阿利舍尔承认。“但关键就在于这层茶垢，这样我们就能在茶叶所形成的硬壳当中煮茶……” 我们驾轻就熟地架起阿方基进入了黄昏界。狡猾的老头很顺从，他盘起腿，悬坐在我们中间，令人憎恶地窃笑着，还不时地发出“哦！哦！”的叫嚷声。我想，如果格谢尔的回忆有误，阿方基真的就是鲁斯塔姆——尽管他们的年龄相差甚远。那我肯定要把他骂个狗血喷头，让他无地自容。

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Notes: 一书的第三部中描述过。——作者注