Chapter 20 Chapter Nineteen

After a swift and calm voyage, the boat, carrying Judge Pazar, North Wind, Warrior, Kem, Baboon Police, and several other passengers, approached Thebes at last.Everyone looked at the city quietly. On the left bank of the river stand the temples of Karnak and Luxor, two of the most beautiful moxibustion temples.The high wall blocks the prying eyes of the world. Inside the wall are several male and female believers who are sincerely worshiping, asking God to stay in the world.There are several paths leading to the tower gate at the entrance of the temple, and the roadsides are full of acacias and willows.

This time the boat was not stopped by the river police again.Pazar returned to his hometown full of joy.Since he left, he has not only accepted various tests and experienced various trials, but most importantly, he has experienced love. Nefiri was always in his heart.He had no appetite and was increasingly unable to concentrate, and he would keep his eyes open at night, hoping to suddenly see her appear in the dark.He was always lost, as if a sense of emptiness gnawed at his heart, and his whole person gradually sank down.Only the woman he loves can cure him, but can she see what's wrong with him?No god or priest could restore to him the joy of life, no form of success could drive away his pain, no book could soothe his soul, and Thebes, where Neferi was, was his last hope.

Pazar no longer had confidence in his detection.He had awakened and knew that the plot was perfectly planned. No matter how much he doubts, he will never find the truth.Just before leaving Memphis, he learned of the burial of the Chief of the Guard's mummy.Since the return date of General Asher, who was on a mission to Asia, was uncertain, the top military officials believed that there was no need to postpone the funeral any longer.Was it really the retired soldier who was buried?Or another corpse?Is the missing captain of the guard still alive, hiding somewhere?Pazar will never solve this mystery.

The boat docked not far in front of the Luxor Temple. "We're being watched," Cam noticed. "A young man in the stern. He was the last one on board." "After entering the city, walk around and see if he will follow us." Pazar ordered. The man did follow them. "Is it Mengmoxi?" Cam asked. "Very likely." "Do you want me to get rid of him?" Pazar stopped him and said, "I have other plans." Pazar arrived at the police headquarters. The chief was very fat, and the office was full of fruit and snack baskets. "Aren't you from this area?" the chief asked him.

"I am, I am from a certain village in Hexi. I was transferred to Memphis a while ago, and I am honored to meet your chief Meng Moxi." Pazar said deliberately. "Are you back home now?" "Only for a few days." "Is it a vacation or a task?" "I am now dealing with timber tax (wood is a rare material in Egypt, so its value cannot be ignored). My previous judge's documents for timber tax were not detailed, and there are many doubts." The Fat Chief swallowed a few raisins and said, "Will Memphis have a fuel shortage?" "Of course not. The winter there is very warm, and the firewood reserves have not been used up. It's just that I think the distribution of workers who take turns chopping firewood seems unfair: there are too many people in Memphis, and there are very few people in Thebes. So I would like to refer to your list of various villages here to find out the disadvantages. Some people don't want to collect twigs, brambles and palm wood fiber, and don't want to send this wood to the collection and distribution center. We should also intervene Take care of it?"

"Of course, of course." In fact, Meng Moxi had already notified the head of the Thebes police station about Pazar's upcoming visit, and described him as a terrible, fierce and curious judge.But what the fat bureau chief saw was not such a worrying figure, but a judge who was critical and only paid attention to trivial details. "The comparison of firewood supply in the north and south is very strong evidence." Pazar continued, "The dead wood sawed in Thebes did not meet the regulations. Could there be any illegal trade involved?" "possible." "This is the focus of my investigation, please go to the scene and record it on the spot."

"Don't worry." The chief assured him. When the fat chief met the young police officer who was in charge of following Pazar, he recounted the situation of the meeting earlier.They both shared the same opinion: the judge had forgotten his original motives and was now in a routine. Such a sensible attitude has saved them a lot of trouble. The Devourer of Shadows pays special attention to baboons and dogs. He knows how sensitive animals are and can easily detect criminals' criminal intentions.So he just watched Pazar and Kaim from afar.The other officer, who was presumably sent by Mummersey, had a much easier job when he stopped following.As soon as the Judge was close to the target, the Eater of Shadows had to intervene, otherwise he would just have to spy on it.

The order was very clear, and he never disobeyed the order.If he had no other choice, he would not take human life lightly. The death of the chief guard's wife could only be attributed to Pazar's stubbornness. Since the tragedy of the Sphinx, the retired soldier fled back to his hometown in Hexi.After so many years of devotion to the country, I can finally enjoy my old age here.The story of an accident could not have been more appropriate for him.At his age, why would he fight another battle with no chance of winning?After returning to the village, he repaired the oven and became a baker, which was well received by the villagers.After the female workers in the store filter the impurities of the grains with a sieve, they are first ground in a stone mill, and then put into a stone mortar, and pounded finely with a long-handled oak.In this way, the semolina of the first stage is ground, and then it has to be sieved several times before the powder becomes finer.Water is then added to make a paste and thicken the flour, and yeast is added.Then, some people knead the dough in a large clay basin, while others put the dough on a sloping stone slab to drip water.Next is the work of the baker.He baked some of the simpler breads over coals, and put the more complex ones in the oven.

The oven for baking bread was made by laying a flat stone slab on top of three upright stone slabs, and then heating the fire under the flat stone slabs.In addition, bakers will also use molds to make pierced pastries, or pour batter into stone dishes to make round loaves, oval breads or biscuits.Sometimes, at the request of the children, he drew a lying calf on the bread, and then watched them bite it happily.During the celebration of Minshen, the God of Harvest, he would also bake a phallic-shaped bread with a golden skin and a white and soft center for the villagers to enjoy among the golden ears of rice everywhere.

The old master has forgotten the cries of battle and the wailing of the wounded, how sweet the crackling of the flames sounds now, and how soft the hot bread is!The only thing left over from his former military career was his authoritarian nature.When putting the baking tray into the oven, he will dismiss all the women and only allow one assistant to stay. This assistant is his adopted son and his future heir. He is about fifteen years old and looks tall and strong. This morning, the kid was late.When the veteran was angry, he heard footsteps on the stone floor in the workshop. He turned around and scolded: "I want you..." Seeing the person coming, he quickly stopped talking and asked, "Who are you?"

"I'll take your assistant's place. He has a headache today." The person replied. "You are not from the village." "I work in another bakery, about half an hour away, and the village chief called me." "Help me." The veteran ordered immediately without doubting him. Because the oven was very deep, the veteran had to stick his head and upper body inside to fill the oven with molds and bread. At this time, the assistant was going to pull his thigh. In case of any accident, he could be pulled back at any time. The veteran thought everything was safe.But today.Judge Pazar was coming to his village, and he was going to learn who the old soldier really was, and to question him.The Devourer of Shadows has no choice.So he grabbed the veteran's heels, pushed the veteran up hard, and pushed the veteran into the oven. There was no one at the entrance of the village.There were no women standing in front of their houses, no men sleeping under trees, and no children playing with wooden dolls.Pazar knew that something unusual must have happened, and he told Kaim not to move.Baboons and dogs looked around. Pazar walked quickly down the street lined with low houses. All the inhabitants gathered around the hearth, screaming, jostling, and praying to God.One teen repeatedly explained that he was knocked unconscious as he was about to go out to help his adoptive father at the bakery.He blamed himself for the horrific accident and wept. Pazar pushed his way into the crowd and asked, "What's going on?" "Our baker has just died, and a terrible death," explained the mayor. "He must have slipped and fell into the oven. Usually, his assistants would pull his feet , is to prevent similar accidents from happening.” "Is he a retired soldier who came back from Memphis?" Pazar already had a different premonition. "Yes" "Are there any witnesses to this... accident?" "No, why are you asking these questions?" "I am Judge Pazar, and I am here to interrogate the victim this time." "For what?" "nothing." Suddenly a woman grabbed Pazar's left arm hysterically, "He was killed by the night demon because he promised to send the bread, our bread, to Hattusha, to that alien Muslim woman." Pazar didn't say a word, but gently took her hand away.The woman continued: "Since you are the one who enforces the law, avenge our baker and catch this devil." Pazar and Kem dined by a well in the countryside.The baboon was peeling the sweet onion gracefully, and he had come to accept the judge without being skeptical.The Warrior ate his fresh bread and cucumbers to his heart's content, while North Wind munched on the clover. Pazar's mood was still not calm, he held the sheepskin bag containing water tightly in his arms and said: "An accident, five people died! Cam, the military is lying.That report is fake. ""Just an administrative error. " "This is murder, another murder," Pazar said firmly. "We have no evidence. The baker's death was an accident, and the facts are obvious." Pazar could not accept this statement, nor could he hide his excitement. "The killer knew we had reached the village, so he found the soldier before we did. No one else will know the whereabouts of the fourth veteran, and no one else will meddle in the matter. ""Don't look any further.You have exposed the inside story of the military liquidation. "Cam advised him kindly. "If justice is abandoned at this point, it will no longer be the pharaoh who will rule, but violence." "Is not your life more important than the law?" "Yes, Cam." "You really are the most persistent person I've ever met." But Cam was wrong!Pazar couldn't get Nefiri out of his mind, even in such a life-threatening moment. After this incident, it proved that his suspicion was indeed not groundless, and he should concentrate more on the investigation. But love, like a strong south wind, blew away his determination.He stood up, leaned against the side, and closed his eyes. "Are you sick?" Cam asked. "It will be fine in a while." "The fourth veteran is alive, so is the fifth?" Cam said suddenly. "If you can ask him, all the mysteries will be revealed." "The village where he lives should not be far away." "We're not going." Cam smiled and said, "You've finally come to your senses!" "We're not going because we're being followed and moving faster than we are. The baker died because we came. If the fifth veteran were alive, we'd have to kill him too if we went after him so rashly." .” "what's your plan?" "I don't know yet. Let's go back to Thebes now. Those who follow will think we are far away from the clues." Pazar asked for the previous year's timber tax return.Director Ning opened the factory files and thought to himself while drinking carob juice: This little judge really has no brains at all.While Pazar was looking through the piles of account books, the director wrote a letter to Moxie, reassuring him that nothing would happen to the judge. Although the police station helped Pazar arrange a comfortable room, but he——was sleepless at night.He wanted to see Nefiri again, but he had to continue to pursue the case.I want to see her, but she is indifferent. I want to continue the investigation, but the case is stuck in a stalemate. What should I do?Seeing that his master was restless, the warrior followed him sadly, hoping to transfer the heat from his body to him and make him more energetic.Pazar lovingly touched the warrior, remembering the days when he was walking and walking the dog by the Nile River. At that time, he was so carefree. Come winter. However, the change of fate was so cruel and unpredictable.Now as long as you give up those crazy dreams, give up Nefiri, give up the truth, won't you be able to return to the peaceful life of the past?But it is no use deceiving yourself.Nefiri would be the only love of his life. Dawn brought him a glimmer of hope.There is someone who can help him.So he set off to the river embankment of Thebes, where there was a big market every day. After the food was unloaded from the boat, some small merchants immediately set up vendors to buy it.There are many large and small open-air shops in this area, selling all kinds of food, cloth, clothes and various items. Under a rush shed, a few crew members drank beer and gazed bewitched at the beautiful women who asked about the goods.Aside, a fisherman sat in front of a reed creel and traded Nile perch for a small bottle of balsamic; a baker traded pastries for a necklace and a pair of sandals, and a spicer traded fava beans for a broom. In every transaction, buyers and sellers always come to an agreement after heated debate and bargaining.If there is any dispute over the measurement of goods, we will go to the clerk together to borrow a scale to settle the matter. Pazar saw him at last.As he expected, Carney was selling chickpeas, cucumbers and garlic at the market. Suddenly, unexpectedly, the baboon yanks on the leash and lunges at a thief who is unnoticed. The man planted two large salad trees and was about to slip away when the baboon bit his thigh.With a cry of pain, he struggled to free himself from the gigantic beast, but failed.Before Fu Fu could tear off the flesh on his leg, Kai quickly stopped him and handed him over to two police officers. "You are really my guardian." The vegetable farmer said gratefully. "Carney, I need your help." "It will be sold out in two hours. I'll take you to my house." Carney has planted cornflowers, mandrakes and chrysanthemums at the edge of the garden.He used neatly arranged flower beds to divide small plots of land, and each plot grew a variety of vegetables, as well as broad beans, chickpeas, lentils, cucumbers, onions, garlic, salads, mustard ruba.Behind the vegetable garden, there is a palm tree forest for wind protection; on the left side is a vineyard and orchard.Kani's crops were mainly sent to the temple after harvest, and the rest were shipped to the market for sale. "Is life going well?" "It's still the same amount of work, but I earn a little more. The steward of the temple is very pleased with me." "Did you grow herbs too?" "follow me." Carney gave Pazar a tour of his proudest work.A square of land is planted with various herbs and herbal plants required for medicinal formulas, quinces, mustard, feverfew, flea mint, and chamomile are just a few of them. "Did you know Nefiri lives in Thebes now?" "You are mistaken, Judge. She holds a very important position in Mengs." "Nebamon drove her away." Carney's eyes became extremely excited, "How dare he... how dare this crocodile do this!" "Nefeli is no longer a member of the official doctor, and she can no longer use a large laboratory. She can only see a doctor in a small village, and severe patients must be sent to qualified doctors." Carney stomped his feet angrily: "It's too shameless, it's so unfair!" "Let's help her." Carney looked at Pazar in puzzlement and said, "How can I help?" "If you can supply her with some rare and precious medicinal plants, she will be able to make her own prescriptions to treat patients. Together we can work to rebuild her reputation. ""where is she? " "I have no idea." "I'll find her," Carney said confidently, and then asked, "Is that what you want me to do?" "no." "Then tell me." "I am looking for a retired soldier who guards the Sphinx. He has returned to his hometown in Hexi and is ready to enjoy his old age. But he hid. ""why? " "Because he knew a secret. If he told me, he might die. He had a companion who retired and became a baker. I was going to talk to him, but unfortunately he died too." "what do you want me to do?" "Find him for me. Then I'll be very careful when I get another chance. Someone's following me, and if I investigate myself, he'll be dead before I get a chance to speak to him." Carney was shocked: "Murdered!" Pazar's tone became heavy and serious: "I can't hide it from you, the current situation is indeed serious and dangerous." "You are a judge, don't you..." "I have no evidence, and the military has closed the case on what I want to investigate." "What if you made a mistake?" "Assuming this veteran is still alive, just let me hear his testimony and everything will become clear." "I am familiar with all the villages and towns in Hexi, so there is no problem." Seeing Carney patted his chest to reassure, Pazar was a little uneasy. "Carney, it's very risky, because at any time someone will kill regardless of anything." "Let me help this time, Judge." Every weekend, Dennis would entertain guests to thank the captain of his transport ship and several high-ranking officials. Most of these officials were quite straightforward when issuing permission for transportation, loading and unloading.The guests were full of praise for the large garden, pool and cages with tropical birds in the host's house.Dennis shuttled through the crowd, talking to this person, saying a few words of praise to that person, asking about the recent situation of his family, and so on.And Mrs. Ninofa is shining everywhere like a beautiful peacock. The atmosphere of the night was a little more dignified.The decree of Ramses the Great made the top leadership panic, and each other suspected that the other knew certain secret information and refused to disclose it.Dennis was talking with two of his colleagues. He had bought their ships and planned to buy the company.Suddenly, he saw a rare visitor: Chemist Xie Qi stepped forward to greet him.Xie Qijue spent most of his time in the most secret laboratory in the palace, and rarely interacted with nobles. He was extremely small in stature, and though his face was sullen and repulsive, he was said to be of great ability and modesty. "Dear friend, your presence really makes the humble house look brighter!" Xie Qi only smiled slightly.Dennis then asked again: "How is your recent experiment going? It's natural to keep your mouth shut, but everyone in the city is talking about it! You should have researched a special alloy that can create an alloy that cannot be controlled by any external force." Broken swords and spears." Xie Qi shook his head suspiciously.Dennis still kept saying, "Military secret, that's right! Come on. Look at what we are about to face..." "Be clear." One of the guests demanded. "Pharaoh's decree said, fight a beautiful victory! King Ramses wants to defeat the Hittites and get rid of those small countries in Asia that have rebellious intentions." Dennis explained to everyone. "Rameses has always been peace-loving." A merchant captain retorted. "Official words are one thing, and actual actions are another." "This is terrible." "How could it be? Egypt doesn't fear anyone, doesn't it?" "Isn't there a rumor that this decree reveals that the king's power has weakened?" Dennis laughed loudly: "Ramesses is the most powerful and will always be! Don't call a small accident a catastrophe." "It is still necessary to ensure that there is enough grain in the warehouse..." Mrs. Ninofa interjected, "All the procedures are very clear, and we are preparing to impose new taxes and tax law reforms." "Because we need money to buy new weapons." Dennis added jealousy, "If Xieqi is willing, tell us what Pharaoh's plan is." All eyes were on Xie Qi.He still didn't say a word.In order to divert attention, the dexterous Mrs. Ninofa led the guests to a small booth, where refreshing fruits and drinks had been prepared. Police Chief Meng Moxi grabbed Dennis's hand and pulled him aside. "Have all your legal problems been settled?" "Pazar didn't pursue it any further. He was much more sensible than I imagined. Young judges inevitably have ambitions, which is also commendable, isn't it? We all went through his stage before we achieved what we have now. " Meng Moxi disagreed. "His whole personality..." "It will gradually improve." "You are optimistic." "I am practical. Pazar is a good judge." "Is he clean? What do you think?" Meng Moxi asked after thinking for a while. "He is clean, smart, and knows how to respect law-abiding people. Thanks to people like him, business can prosper and the country can be stable. What more can we ask for? Friends, believe me, help Pazar." "Precious opinion." Meng Moxi pouted and said. "With him, there will be no corruption and fraud." "That cannot be ignored." "You still feel hesitant." "His aggressiveness scares me a little. He really doesn't know how to measure it." Meng Moxi admitted frankly. "Because he is young and inexperienced." Dennis explained to Pazar, and asked, "What did the elders of the gate hall say?" "He thinks the same as you." "Just wait and see." The news delivered by Thebes to the chief of police coincided with Dainis' evaluation.Yu Moxi has been worrying for nothing these days.Didn't Pazar also deal with the issue of timber taxes and taxpayer integrity?Maybe he shouldn't have alerted the Prime Minister so quickly.It's always good to be careful though, isn't it?