Chapter 13 Chapter Twelve

The Shadow Eater (the Egyptian word for "killer") marched through the night, nimble as a cat.He made his way around the barrier without a sound, and walked along the wall, barely visible in the darkness. The residents of the Memphis slums are all asleep, and they don't have porters and guards in front of their gates like those mansions. Wearing a carved wooden jackal mask with movable jaws (a mask worn by priests who impersonate gods during religious ceremonies), the mysterious killer sneaked into the residence of the wife of the Sphinx chief guard.He has always only obeyed orders, and he has long since lost any feeling in his heart.This eagle man (this is also what the Egyptians say, which is equivalent to what we call a "werewolf"), whose power increases greatly at night, jumped out of the darkness.

The old woman in her sleep suddenly woke up, and was petrified by the terrible scene in front of her.After she uttered a shrill scream, she died and fell to the ground.Killers don't have to use weapons at all, and they don't need to cover up their crimes.The talkative woman couldn't speak anymore. General Asher gave the soldier a hard push, and the soldier fell into the dusty atrium of the camp. "A languid man like you is not worthy of promotion." At this time, an archer came out and said: "Report the general, he did not make a mistake." "You talk too much. You will be fined for fifteen days of confinement if you leave the drill right now, and then you will be transferred to the southern castle for long-term defense, so that you will understand what discipline is."

The general ordered the whole squad to run for an hour with bows, arrows, quiveres, shields, and grain bags.Because when you go to the countryside, you will encounter more difficult situations.As soon as a soldier was too tired to stop, he stepped forward and grabbed his subordinate's hair, forcing him to continue running. If someone dares to commit the crime again, he will be punished and put in confinement. Asher has a lot of experience, he knows that only ruthless training can win.Every time a soldier endures a little more hardship and acts more skillfully, they have an extra chance of survival.Asher, who had made great achievements in the war in Asia, was appointed as the horse officer and recruit director, and was responsible for the training of the main camp in Memphis.He was overjoyed to make one last sacrifice to his current position, since he had been formally appointed the day before to be released from this drudgery.He will become the pharaoh's envoy to foreign countries, convey the imperial order to the elite troops stationed on the front line, and will also be the fan holder on the pharaoh's right side, becoming an important official in the court.

Asher was short in stature and unattractive in appearance.He had a crew cut, a broad chest, short and thick legs, and a scar from his shoulder to his navel. The knife almost killed him at the time, but after a burst of wild laughter, he beat his attacker with his bare hands. strangled alive.His face looked like a rock formation that had been eroded, with deep wrinkles engraved on it. After spending the last morning of his military career at his favorite camp, Asher's thoughts were on the celebratory feast he was throwing in his honor.As he made his way to the shower, a liaison officer reported respectfully, "I'm sorry, General. A judge wants to see you."

"who is it?" "never seen it." "Send him away." "He said it was urgent." "What's the reason?" "Secret, I can only tell you." "Bring him here." Pazar was brought to the atrium, and he saw the general with his hands behind his back, looking proud.To his left some recruits are doing muscle training, and to his right are archery drills. "What's your name?" "Pazar." "I've always hated judges." "What is your dissatisfaction with them?" "They're nosy everywhere."

Pazar was noncommittal and cut to the point, "I'm investigating a case of missing persons." "This has nothing to do with the Legion I command." "Isn't the honor guard of the Sphinx irrelevant?" the general said proudly: "The army is the army, even the arrangements for the ex-soldiers. The ex-soldiers who serve as the guards of the Sphinx have always stood by their posts and never moved away"" According to my wife, the former head of the guard may be dead, but the superior asked me to approve his transfer." "Then approve it! The order of the superior cannot be denied."

"Not so in this case." Pazar's insistence angered the general, who growled: "You are too young and inexperienced. Step down." "I don't have to take orders from you, General. I want to know the truth about the Chief of Guards. You really appointed him?" "Pay attention to your sense of proportion, young judge, no one has ever dared to harass General Asher like this!" "Your status is not above the law." "I'm afraid you don't know what I'm capable of. No matter how presumptuous you are, I can tear you to pieces with my little finger."

Asher turned and left, leaving Pazar alone in the courtyard.Pazar was surprised by his reaction: If he wasn't a guilty conscience, why should he be so excited?When Pazar walked to the gate of the camp, the archer who was fined and confinement stopped him, "Judge Pazar..." "What's the matter?" "I might be able to help you, what do you want to know?" Someone offered to provide clues, so Pazar naturally wanted it. "About the former captain of the Sphinx's guard." "His service information is stored in the archives of the camp. Come with me."

"Why are you doing this?" "If you found specific evidence against Asher, would you prosecute him?" "Of course it will." "That's all right, come on. The Archivist knows me very well, and he hates the General, too." Arriving at the archives room, the archer and the administrator had a secret conversation for a while, and the administrator said: "If you want to consult the archives of the camp, you must have an official document from the Prime Minister's Office. Now I have to leave for fifteen minutes and go to the restaurant for dinner.

If you were still around when I got back, I'd have to call the guards. " It took them five minutes to figure out how to file, and another three minutes to find the file they wanted, and then they read the file, took notes, put it back, and left the file room before the time was up. The head of the guard is a typical model soldier, and his military career can be said to be flawless.There is one piece of information that Pazar is very interested in. The ex-soldier has four people under his command. The outer wall of the Great Slope of the Pyramid.Now that we know the names of these people, we may be able to solve the mystery after asking them.

Kem rushed into Pazar's office excitedly, "She's dead." "Who died?" Pazar was a little confused by him. "The last wish of the captain of the guard. I went to inspect the area this morning, and the killer suddenly noticed something was wrong. The door of that house was half closed. I opened the door and went in, and I saw the corpse at a glance." Is there any trace of a fight? ""Absolutely not.She died because of old age and excessive sorrow. " Pazar asked the clerk to confirm whether the military would arrange a funeral for her, and if not, he was willing to pay for the funeral himself.Although he wasn't responsible for the old woman's death, didn't he disturb her a lot in the last few days? "Is there any progress on your side?" Cam asked. "I hope there is, but General Asher didn't help a little. I have the names of four soldiers under the head of the guard. You go and check their addresses." Cam was about to leave when Arlo, the clerk, just walked through the door. "One day I'll be tortured to death by my wife. She didn't cook dinner again yesterday." He was angry and complained, and suddenly, he thought of something, "By the way, I almost forgot, I have checked those craftsmen who wanted to work in the armory. Only one is suspected." "Has he committed a crime?" "He has been involved in the illegal trade in amulets." "What kind of experience do you have?" Yaluo showed a smug expression when he heard the judge's question, "You must be interested in hearing this. He is a temporary joiner and once worked as the farm manager of Kadashi." After finally entering the waiting room of Kadashi Clinic, Pazar sat down beside a short man. The man's black hair and beard were carefully trimmed, and his long, stern face was dotted with moles, giving it a sullen and hideous look.The judge greeted him, "It's hard, isn't it?" The other party nodded.Pazar asked again, "Are you in pain?" The other party just waved his hand and prevaricated.Pazar confessed to him: "It was my first toothache. Have you been to a dentist before? "At this time, Kadashi appeared." Judge Pazar, do you also have a toothache? " "Yes!" "Do you know Xie Qi?" He glanced at the short man. "I haven't had the honor yet." Kadashi then introduced: "Xie Qi is one of the most outstanding scientists in the palace. In terms of chemistry, no one is his opponent. So I ordered some ointments and dental filling materials from Chi. Today he just wanted Introduce me to a new product. Just wait patiently, I will be ready soon." Although Kadashi is usually not good at words, this time he behaved extraordinarily attentively, as if he had been receiving friends for many years. But if the man named Xie Qi was still so taciturn, the conversation between the two of them might not have been too long.Sure enough, ten minutes later, the dentist came and told Pazar to go in. "Sit on the folding chair and lie back." "That chemist doesn't seem to like talking." "He's a bit of a closed personality, but he's honest and trustworthy. What's the matter with you?" "It hurts everywhere in the mouth." "Open your mouth, let me see." Using a mirror and the reflection of light, Kadashi examined Pazar's teeth and asked, "Have you been to a dentist before?" "I saw it once when I was in the village. It was a visiting dentist." "You have a bit of tooth decay, and I help with a mixture of balsam (a species of pistachio whose resin is used in medicine and religious objects), Nubian soil, honey, stone mill fragments, green eye drops, and a little copper. You fill it up, and if it's loose, you can connect this tooth to the molar next to it with gold wire... I don't think it's necessary. Your teeth are healthy and strong. Be careful with your gums, though.I will give you a bottle of mouthwash containing watermelon, gum, fenugreek, and divided figs, and you will leave the potion out overnight so that it can absorb the dew.You also anoint the gums with a salve made from camphor plants, honey, gums, and oils.Usually remember to chew more celery, this vegetable is not only nutritious and appetizing, but also strengthens teeth.Well, in all seriousness, your condition isn't serious enough to call a doctor.Why did you take the time to meet me? "Pazar stood up, glad he didn't need to use those horrible instruments. He said, "Because of your steward." "I've fired that incompetent man." "I'm talking about the predecessor." While washing his hands, Kadashi said, "I don't remember." "Think carefully." "I really don't remember." "Do you collect amulets (little statuettes shaped like gods, holy crosses or hearts, usually made of clay, that Egyptians always carried around to ward off evil)?" Although he washed it carefully, the dentist's hands were still red. "I've got a few around, like everybody else, but I've never paid much attention to it." "Beautiful amulets are very valuable." Pazar said tentatively. "I guess so……" "Your former steward was very interested in amulets, and he even stole them. That's why I'm worried. I don't know if you are also a victim?" Kadashi didn't seem to understand what Pazar said, but said angrily: "Now there are more and more thieves, all because there are more and more foreigners in Memphis. This place will soon no longer be Egypt. The city is gone. The culprit is the Prime Minister Baji who wanted to be upright and honest. Pharaoh trusted him so much, so no one can criticize him, and of course you are even more impossible. Who told him to be your immediate boss? But, fortunately Your class is too low, so you don't have to worry about meeting him." "Is he scary?" "It's hard to deal with. All the judges who forgot he existed were all removed from office, but they all made mistakes. A Prime Minister who uses justice as an excuse to refuse to deport foreigners will sooner or later bring the country down.Did you arrest my former steward? "He would have liked to work in the Armory, but a routine verification process brought his past to light.Tragic, really.He took stolen amulets to sell in a factory, was reported, and the successor you picked fired him. " "Who did he steal it for?" "I don't know. If I had time, I'd look it up, but I don't have a clue at hand, and there's so much to do! What matters is that you are not one of the owners, and that's fine.Thank you for looking after my teeth, Kadash. "The Chief of Police has convened several key staff at his residence, and no official record will be taken of this meeting. Meng Moxi was furious after carefully studying their report to Judge Pazar: "There is no unknown evil, no bad habits, no mistress, no human relationship... Are you talking about God? The results of the investigation are useless No." "There is a man named Blarney who is his spiritual support and lives in Memphis. Pazar often goes to his house." One of them said. "He's a retired old doctor, not threatening or powerful," another added. But one police officer retorted: "He has spies in the palace." "The eyeliner is long gone." Meng Moxi said disdainfully, "Anyone will have a clue, and Pazar is the same!" "He is very dedicated to his career, and he doesn't back down in front of Dainis and Kadashi." Another policeman said affirmatively. Meng Moxi still didn't believe it, so he scolded: "A fair, honest and brave judge, who would believe such nonsense? Be more serious and find more reliable information to report back." After the meeting, Meng Moxi went to the pool where he usually fished and meditated.He really felt uneasy, this time the situation was so elusive, and all related factors were so uncertain, if he was not careful, the reputation of years of business would be ruined. Is this Pazar temporarily lost in the great maze of Memphis because of his simple nature, or is he born with an extraordinary character, no matter what dangers or enemies block him, he will go on firmly?Either way, he was doomed to fail. But there is a third possibility that is very worrying.Maybe the little judge was someone's emissary, maybe some scheming courtier was plotting a conspiracy, and Pazar was just one of the moves.Meng Moxi couldn't help being furious when he thought that someone was so bold as to break ground on Tai Sui's head. He called the manager and ordered him to prepare the carriage. He got to hunt hares in the desert and kill a few panicked prey to relieve his tense nerves.