Chapter 24 Chapter Twenty-Three

"Stand up." The soldier shouted. Suti finally left the prison where he was imprisoned.He was filthy and hungry, but he kept singing obscene songs, remembering the good times when he was snuggled in the arms of beautiful women in Memphis. "Walk!" The soldier shouting the password is a foreign mercenary.He was originally a pirate (some pirates in the Mediterranean would give up their plundering life at sea and join the Egyptian army as a mercenary). Later, he chose to join the Egyptian army because of the generous benefits that Egypt gave to retired soldiers.Wearing a triangular helmet and a dagger, the soldier showed no emotional ups and downs on his face.

"Are you the one named Suti?" Su Ti didn't reply right away, and the soldier punched him in the stomach.Su Ti bent down in pain, but did not kneel on the ground. "You are very proud and strong. I heard that you fought against the Bedouin. I don't believe it. Because usually when we kill the enemy, we will chop off a hand and present it to the superior. In my opinion, you probably escaped As fast as a rabbit. " "If I want to run away, will I still take the shaft of my chariot?" Su Ti asked him back. "You snatched that. Mi said you can shoot arrows, so let's prove it."

"I'm hungry." "Let's talk about it later. A strong fighter can fight even if he has no strength." The soldier took Suti to the edge of the woods and gave him a heavy bow.The front of the bow is solid wood covered with a sheath of cuticle and the back is a layer of bark.Bowstrings are made of beef tendon wrapped with flax fibers and knotted at both ends. "The target is the oak tree 60 meters directly in front of you. You have two shots." When Su drew a bow, the muscles on his back seemed to be torn apart, and the golden stars danced in front of his eyes.Now, he must draw the bow, draw the arrow, aim at the target, forget the bet, unite his mind and mind, let himself be one with the bow and arrow, and fly out to hit the target.

So he closed his eyes, bent his bow and shot. The soldier took a few steps forward. "Nearly hit the heart." Suti picked up the second arrow and drew the bow again, this time aiming at the soldier. "You are too careless." The soldier let go of his short sword. "I'm telling the truth." Su Ti said solemnly. "Of course! Of course!" The soldier's soul was half scared away, but only echoed. Su Ti shot the arrow.Still hit the oak trunk, just to the right of the previous arrow.The soldier breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "Who taught you archery?"

"It was born." "Go to the river, soldier. Take a bath, get dressed, and prepare to eat." Suti carried his most beloved gold-heavy wooden bow, boots, a wool coat, and a dagger. After a full meal, he went to meet the officer in charge of the hundred or so infantry with a clean scent.This time, the officer listened to him carefully and wrote the report in detail. "We've been cut off from the base and from General Asher. The General's camp is three days away, and he leads an elite unit. I've sent two orderlies south to help The main force is moving faster," said the officer.

"Is it a rebellion?" Su Ti asked. "It was two small Asian countries, an Iranian tribe, and some Bedouins colluding with each other. At the head was a Libyan who was expelled from the country, Eddafi. He claimed to be the messenger of the god of revenge, and decided to destroy Egypt. The throne of the Great Emperor. Some say he is just a puppet, others think he is terribly crazy. He often disregards the agreement and does not play the cards according to the rules. If we continue to stay here, the entire army will be wiped out. Between General Asher and our There is a small fortress that is heavily guarded between them, and we are going to take it by surprise."

"Do we have chariots?" "No, but there are some ladders and a movable siege tower, and now only a good archer is missing." Pazar made up his mind to tell her ten times and a hundred times, but in the end all he could do was help the old man, carry him under a palm tree to protect him from the wind and sun, and then help Nefiri clean up the old man. house.He watched Nefiri's every move for accusation, watched her eyes for accusation, but she was so absorbed in her work that she didn't seem to care. Pazar had been to Carney's garden the day before, and his investigations were still fruitless.Carney carefully visited most of the villages and talked to dozens of villagers and craftsmen, but no one knew of such a veteran returning from Memphis.If he really lived in Hexi, he would have done a great job of keeping it secret.

"In ten days, Kani will bring you the first ingredients," he said to Nefiri. "The village chief gave me an abandoned house on the edge of the desert, which can just be used as a clinic." Nefeli's tone was very excited. "Where's the water?" "The villagers will help me open a canal as soon as possible." "Can I live here?" “The place is small, but clean and comfortable.” Thinking of her situation, Pazar sighed and said, "Yesterday I was in Memphis, but today I am living in this wasteland." Nefiri was more optimistic. "At least there are no enemies here. Every day there is a fight over there."

"The doctor's group cannot be dominated by Nebamon forever." "God only knows." "You will go back." "What's the relationship?" Nefiri asked with a look of nothing to do, suddenly thought of something, and asked, "By the way, I forgot to ask you, is your cold better?" "The spring wind makes me sick." "You're going to have another inhalation therapy." Pazar did not refuse.He loved hearing her prepare the antiseptic paste, make the recipe, spread the paste on the stone slab and cover the bowl with the hole drilled in the bottom.No matter what she does.He loves to watch them all.

The whole of Pazar's room was searched.Even his mosquito net had been torn off, crumpled and thrown on the plank floor. The duffel bag was emptied, the boards and papyrus scrolls were strewn about, the straw mats were trampled, and the loincloths, tunics, and overcoats were torn to shreds. Pazar knelt down, trying to find some clues. But the intruders left no trace. Pazar told the fat chief about the situation, and the chief was surprised and angry: "Is there anything suspicious?" "I dare not say." "Please tell me." Due to the director's insistence, Pazar told the truth: "Someone is following me."

"Do you know who it is?" "have no idea." "Can you describe it?" "no way." The director pretended to sigh regretfully: "It's a pity. This makes the investigation very difficult." "I see." The director suddenly changed the subject: "I have news for you from here and other police units in the district. Your clerk has been looking for you." "why?" "I don't know. He wants you to get back to Memphis as soon as possible. When are you leaving?" "Uh...tomorrow." Pazar felt reluctant, but now he had to leave. Seeing that this hot potato was about to be released, the director was very happy, and asked eagerly, "Do you need me to send someone to escort you?" "Cam is enough for me." "Do as you like, but be careful." "Who dares to offend the judge?" Kemper carried a bow and arrows, a sword, a stubby stick, a spear, and a wooden shield covered with cowhide, in short, the full equipment of a constable when he is ready for important duties.As for the baboon, all it needs are its teeth. "Who paid for this set of equipment?" Pazar asked curiously. "Merchants at the market. Because my baboons have been catching members of a gang of thieves one by one, and they've been rampant for over a year. So the merchants insist on thanking me." Seeing Kaim's proud look, Pazar reminded him: "Have you got permission from the Thebes police?" Kaim knew that he had this question: "My weapons are all registered and numbered, and they are completely in compliance with the regulations." "There's something wrong with Memphis and we have to go back. Any word on the fifth veteran?" "There is no rumor at all in the market. What about you?" "No." Pazar really felt discouraged. "He died like everyone else." Kem was sure, but Pazar didn't think so. "Then why are they still searching my room? " "From now on, I will never leave you half a step." "Don't forget, you are under my orders." "It's my duty to protect you." For his stubbornness, Pazar had no choice but to say perfunctorily: "I will see the situation, you wait for me here, and you should be ready to go by the way." "You can always tell me where you are going." "I'll be right back." Nefeli became queen in a remote village west of the Thebes River. For this small community, it is a great blessing to have a doctor living here for a long time.There seems to be a magical power in the gentle majesty of this young female doctor.Both adults and children are willing to listen to her, and they are no longer afraid of getting sick. Nefiri has set some hygiene rules for the villagers and strictly requires them to abide by them, but everyone still forgets them occasionally.Wash your hands frequently, especially before meals, take a bath every day, wash your feet before entering the house, rinse your mouth and brush your teeth frequently, shave and cut your hair regularly, use carob fruit balm, cosmetics and Deodorant.Rich and poor, everyone cleanses and sanitizes their skin with a lotion that's a mixture of sand and oil mixed with natural water soda. Unable to resist Pazar's repeated demands, Nefiri agreed to walk with him on the banks of the Nile. "are you happy?" "I feel like being here can help people." "I really admire you." "Other doctors deserve your admiration." Nefeli dared not take credit. Pazar hesitated for a while, and then reluctantly said: "I have to leave Thebes. I have something to do in Memphis, and I have to go back to deal with it." "Is it related to this strange case?" "My clerk didn't say that." "Is there any progress so far?" "I still can't find the fifth veteran. If he has a regular job in Hexi, it shouldn't be impossible to find out. My investigation has reached a dead end. "The wind has changed, and the spring has become warmer and milder. Soon, the wind and sand will start blowing, and the Egyptians will have to hide at home for a few days. Now, everywhere is full of vitality. "Are you coming back?" Nefiri asked. "I'll be back as soon as possible." "I think you have something on your mind." "Someone broke into my room sister-in-law." "To dissuade you?" "They thought I had an important document in my hand. Now, we all know it's fake." "Aren't you taking too much risk?" "It's because of my lack of ability that I made so many mistakes." Pazar looked distressed and discouraged. "Don't be too hard on yourself, you have nothing to blame," Nefiri reassured him. "I want to vindicate you for the wrong you have suffered." Thinking of Nefiri, Pazar became ambitious again. "You'll forget me." "Never!" Pazar vowed. She was moved and smiled. "The vows of youth will always dissipate with the evening wind." "I won't." Pazar didn't move, just turned around, took her hand and said, "I love you, Nefiri. You don't know how much I love you..." Her eyes clouded. "My future is here, and yours is in Memphis. Our fate is sealed. ""I don't care about my future.As long as you love me, nothing else matters. " "you are too naive." "You are my happiness, Nefiri. Without you, my life is meaningless." She gently broke away from his hand and said, "I want to think about it, Pazar." At this moment, he really wanted to stretch out his arms, hold her tightly in his arms, and not let anyone separate them.However, the little hope she expressed in her reply must not be crushed by arbitrariness now. The Devourer of Shadows watched Pazar leave.He just left Thebes without speaking to the fifth veteran or taking any papers that would implicate anyone.A search of his room turned up nothing. As for his own gains, he only found out that the fifth veteran had stayed in a small town in the south of Thebes. He originally planned to settle there and repair cars for a living. Later, when the news of the tragic death of his fellow baker came, he was terrified and disappeared. Neither the Judge nor the Eater of Shadows could find him. The veteran knew his life was in danger, so he would keep his mouth shut.Thinking of this, the Devourer of Shadow felt a little more at ease, boarded the next boat, and returned to Memphis.