Chapter 43 Chapter Six

The smuggler's spice factory—the mother plane surrounded by humming orthoplanes—suspended above the dunes like a queen surrounded by insects.Ahead of the group of planes, a low rocky ridge rose from the desert like an artificial shielding wall, its dry sides blown clean by the latest storm. In the working cabin made of polyfoam, Gurney Halleck leaned forward, adjusted the focus of the binoculars, and looked at the desert scenery in the distance.On the other side of the ridge, all he could see was a patch of black that might have been the Spice of Decay.He signaled to the circling plane, sending it out for reconnaissance.

The plane fluttered its wings, indicating that it had received a signal.It flew out of the fleet and quickly flew towards the black sand surface.It started the detector, hovered over the black sand surface, and hovered close to the sand surface. Suddenly, its protruding wings rose rapidly after falling rapidly, and then hovered in the air, indicating that it had found the Spice of Decay. Gurney put away the binoculars.He liked it here, the ridge would give the plant good concealment and protection.Although this is deep in the desert and it is impossible to encounter an ambush, Gurney still sent a group of planes to fly over the ridge for reconnaissance, and at the same time ordered the escort fleet to occupy a favorable position in battle formation-not too high, because that would be dangerous. Spotted by Harkonnen's detectors.

However, Gurney did not believe that the Harkonnen would penetrate this far southern desert, which was still the domain of the Fremen. Gurney checked his weapon, the shielding was useless because its magnetic field would attract sand lizards.He touched the scar on his jaw, looked at the desert, and judged whether it was safe to go through the ridge to the place where the decaying spices grew, and exploring on foot was the best way.Everyone needs to be careful as the Fremen and Harkonnen are killing each other. The Fremen made him uneasy.They don't mind you spending money on all their spices of decay, but if you go where they forbid you, they turn into war-loving demons.These days, their tactics are much better than ever.

These natives are cunning in battle and know the terrain well.They were the most seasoned fighters Gurney had ever encountered.Gurney himself is the best warrior in the universe who has been trained and survived the most brutal wars. Gurney scanned the desert again, wondering what was making him uneasy.Maybe it was the sand lizard they saw...but that was on the other side of the ridge. Suddenly, a head popped out of the polyfoam working cabin—it was the commander of the factory, a one-eyed robber.He had a full beard, blue eyes from a long diet of decaying spices, and milky white teeth. "Looks like a place rich in spices," said the Manufacture Commander. "Shall I send someone to look there?"

"Go down over the ridge," ordered Gurney, "and I'll land my men, and you may follow from there to the spice fields. Let's see the rocks now." "yes." "In case of danger," Gurney said, "save the factory first, and we can leave by plane." The factory commander saluted him. "Yes." He retreated into the cabin immediately. Gurney scanned the desert again, and he had to consider the possibility that there were Fremen here and that he was encroaching on their territory.Fremen are wild and elusive.Many aspects of the deal made him uneasy, but the offer was too good to refuse.He was also disturbed by the fact that the aircraft could not be reconnaissance at high altitudes.In addition, the outage of the radio added to his uneasiness.

The factory machine turned around and began to descend.It slid gently down to the sand at the foot of the ridge, lowered its landing gear, and landed on the sand. As soon as the factory machine came to a complete stop, Gurney unbuckled his seat belt, opened the foam dome of the front hatch, and stepped out.As soon as he stepped out of the cabin, the foam top slammed shut behind him.He climbed onto the supports and jumped onto the sand beyond the emergency net.Five of his guards stepped out of the cabin with him, and others emerged from under the wings of the factory mother plane.The mother plane of the factory left the ground and rose to a low altitude to fly in a circular arc.

The huge factory mother plane immediately tilted, left the ridge, and wobbled towards the black spice field in the desert. An orptopter swooped down, stopped abruptly, and one after the other, they spit out Gurney's platoon and rose into the air, circling. Gurney flexed his muscles in the dialysis suit, stretching his limbs.He took the filter hood off his face, having to lose some moisture for greater need - which would give his voice more force if he was to give orders.He began to climb up the rock pile, surveying the terrain—rock and sand beneath his feet, and the wafting smell of decaying spices.

This was a good place for an emergency base, he thought, and it might be right to bury some supplies here. He looked back to see his men fan out behind him.Excellent fighter!Even those recruits who haven't been tested are excellent, and there is no need to tell them how to act every time.None of them can see the shimmer of shielding, and none of them is a coward.Shielding, if used, will cause sand lizards to sense its magnetic field and come here to plunder whatever decaying spice they find. From a little higher among the rocks, Gurney could see the decaying spice field about half a kilometer away.He looked up at the low-flying planes and noticed their altitude—not too high.He nodded, turned and continued to climb towards the ridge.

At this moment, flames suddenly erupted from the ridge! Twelve roaring fire dragons sprayed on the wings of the hovering orthopters and factory mother planes. The factory machine made the sound of metal explosions, and the rocks around Gurney were filled with hooded fighters. Gurney had only time to think: Great Madonna!Rocket!How dare they use rockets! Standing in front of him was a man wearing a mask, who was half squatting, holding a Xiao Dao knife, ready to attack.On the rocks on either side stood two other men, waiting.Gurney saw only the hood and eyes of the warrior in front of him.The man's crouching posture and readiness to attack told him that this was a well-trained warrior.Those blue-tinged eyes belonged to the Fremen of the desert.

While Gurney drew the knife, he stared at the Xiaoren knife.Now that they dare to use rockets, they probably have other weapons.At this time, you need to be especially cautious.He could also tell from the sound alone that at least some of the planes had been shot down.And the humming of several people fighting behind him. The eyes of the soldier in front of Gurney followed Gurney's hand, looked at the knife, then looked back at Gurney's eyes. "Keep the knife in the sheath, Gurney Halleck," said the man. Gurney hesitated, the voice sounded familiar even with the filter blocking it.

"You know my name?" he said. "You don't need to use a knife on me," said the man.He straightened up and inserted the Xiaoren knife into the scabbard under his robe: "Tell your people, stop the useless resistance." The man tossed the hood back and pulled the filter aside. He was stunned when he saw the man's face.At first he thought he saw Leido. Atrez's ghost, slowly, he came to his senses. "Paul," he whispered, "are you really Paul?" "Don't you believe your own eyes?" Paul asked. "They said you were dead." Gasping heavily, Gurney took half a step forward. "Tell your men, surrender!" Paul ordered, waving his hand toward the sand below the ridge. Gurney turned away, reluctantly taking his eyes from Paul.He saw only a few groups of fighting men, and there seemed to be hooded desert men everywhere.The factory aircraft was lying quietly on the ground, with Freemen standing on top of it, and there were no planes in the sky. "Stop fighting!" Gurney yelled.He took a deep breath, folded his hands together as a loudspeaker: "I am Gurney Halleck! Listen to my orders and stop fighting!" Slowly, the fighters separated and looked at him suspiciously. "These people are friends," said Gurney loudly. "Friend?" someone yelled. "Half of us were killed." "It was a misunderstanding," Gurney said. "Don't add to the casualties." He turned and stared into the blue Fremen eyes of the young man beside him. There was a smile on the corner of Paul's mouth, and Gurney recalled the strong tone in the words of the old Duke, Paul's grandfather.Gurney saw that Paul was strong and powerful, which he had not seen in the Atrez before-the skin was like leather, and he seemed to be able to measure the weight of a thing with a glance. "They say you're dead." Gurney repeated what he had just said. "Getting them to think that way is the best protection," Paul said. Gurney realized that of all the hopes he had abandoned, the young duke who had believed in him was most regrettable...his friend was dead.He wondered if there was anything left now of the boy he knew, trained in a fighter's way. Paul took a step forward, getting closer to Gurney, seeing the sadness in his eyes. "Gurney..." Out of inner excitement, they hugged each other, patted each other's backs, and stroked each other's reliable and solid backs. "You young boy! You young boy!" said Gurney incessantly. Paul said, "Gurney, man! Gurney, man!" After a while, they separated and looked at each other.Gurney took a breath and said, "So, you're the one who made the Fremen so tactically clever. I should have known. They keep using the tactics I devised. If I knew..." He shook his head: "If only you would send me a message, boy. Nothing can stop me, I will follow you, and..." Paul's expression made him stop, staring at him sternly and forcefully. Gurney sighed. "Of course, there are people who want to know why Gurney Halleck is after you, and there are people who ask why, and they're always looking for answers." Paul nodded, looking at the strange expressions on the faces of the Fremen around them—the Fremen death squads.He turned his gaze back to Gurney, and found that the former master of swordsmanship was triumphant.He took this as a good sign that his future path would be smooth sailing. With Gurney by my side... Paul looked past the Freemans and down the ridge, eyeing the smugglers who had come with Halleck. "Which side are your men on, Gurney?" he asked. "They're all smugglers," Gurney said, "and they're on the side where it's profitable." "There's not much money to be made in our business," Paul said.He noticed the slight finger signal from Gurney's right hand—the familiar gesture from the past, indicating that there were terrible, unbelievable ones among the smugglers. Paul pursed his lips, indicating that he already knew.Looking up at the guard standing on the rock above them, he saw Stilgar there.When he thought of the unresolved matters between him and Stilger, he couldn't feel complacent. "Stilger," he said, "this is Gurney Halleck, the man I have often told you about. He was my father's military commander, a master swordsman, and an old friend of mine. In any You can always rely on him.” "I've heard of him," said Stilgar. "You're his duke." Paul stared at his swarthy face, startled at Stilgar's words: his duke.There was always a strange tone to Stilger's words, as if he would rather say something else than this.That's not like Stilgar, Freeman's leader, a straight-talking man. my duke!Gurney thought.He looked at Paul again.Yes, after the death of Duke Ledo, the title of Duke fell to Paul. In Gurney's mind, the fighting patterns of the Fremen of Arrakis took on new forms.my duke!What was dead in him began to revive.He was only partially focused on Paul's order: that the smugglers be disarmed until their trial. Gurney's mind returned to the order, and he heard his men protest.He shook his head, turned around, and shouted: "Are you all deaf? He is the legitimate Duke of Arrakis, follow his orders." The smugglers grumbled, surrendered and disarmed. Paul walked up to Gurney and said in a low voice, "I didn't expect you to get to this point, Gurney." "I'm to blame," Gurney said, "I'll bet there isn't a grain of sand in that spice field that's the bait that lures us." "You won that bet," Paul said.He looked at the disarmed people below, "Are there any of my father's people in your team?" "No. We all parted ways, a few among the free traders, and most spent their money and left the place." "But you stayed." "I stayed." "Because Rabin is here," Paul said. "I thought I had nothing but revenge," Gurney said. There was a gong-like cry from the ridge, and Gurney looked up to see a Fremen waving a handkerchief. "The sand lizard is coming," Paul said.He came to the top of a rock, Gurney following him.They looked to the southwest and saw a sand lizard rushing across the dunes to the ridge with piles of sandbags arched and dust billowing. "It's so big!" said Paul. The mother machine below made a crackling sound of machinery, and it turned on the bracket like a huge insect, rumbling towards the rock. "Too bad we can't keep the transport," Paul said.Gurney glanced at him, then looked back at the large transport planes and orpters shot down by the Fremen, and the places in the desert where smoke and steel fragments were scattered here and there.He grieved for the loss of people there — his own — and said, “Your father cared more about those who couldn’t be saved.” Paul glared at him and looked down.After a while he said, "They're your friends, Gurney, I understand. But to us, they're invaders. You've got to understand that they see things they shouldn't see." "I was fully aware of that," Gurney said, "and now, I regret seeing something I shouldn't have seen." Paul looked up to see the old sly smile on Halleck's face, highlighted by the wavy purple scar on his jaw. Gurney nodded to the men below them.The Fremen seemed to be doing what they were supposed to do there, and to his surprise they didn't seem to care about the sand lizard's presence. A blow came from the sand dunes of the baited spice field.The muffled sound of drumsticks seemed to be heard through the feet.Gurney saw that in the desert, the Fremen were scattered on the road that the sand lizard was going to pass. The sand lizard, like some kind of gigantic shark, came galloping.Its huge body bulges.The link bends, pushing up the sand like a hill.After a while, from the top of the rock where he was standing, Gurney saw the scene of the sand lizard being caught - a man with a barb in his hand jumped bravely and climbed onto the sand lizard's back.The creature writhed.Then the whole procession jumped on top of the scaled creature.One side of the sand lizard flashed in an arc. "That's another thing you shouldn't see," Paul said. "It's been a rumor," Gurney said, "it's unbelievable if you don't see it with your own eyes." He shook his head: "This is a creature that all Arakisians fear, but you use it as a mount use." "You once heard my father talk about the power of the desert, that no storm, no creature, and nothing can stop us." us.Gurney thought he meant the Fremen, and he already considered himself a Fremen!Gurney looked again into Paul's faded spice blue eyes.He knew his eyes were that color too.But smugglers can also get other food, so the color of the eyes indicates their subtle identity.What they call "decay spice brushed" means too indigenous, suggesting mistrust. "One time during the day, on these high grounds, we didn't ride sand lizards," Paul said, "but Rabin didn't have enough planes left behind for him to be able to look for our tracks in the desert without losing them again," Paul said. He looked at Gurney. "Your plane shocked us." we...we... Gurney shook his head away from that thought. "We didn't shock you, you shocked us," he said. "What did the people in the hollow and the village say about Rabin?" Paul asked. "They said they built fortifications in the villages in the trenches and you couldn't hurt them. They said they just had to sit in the fortifications and you would consume yourself in an attack you couldn't do anything about." "In a word," said Paul, "they're stuck." "And you can go wherever you want," Gurney said. "That's the tactic you taught me," Paul said. "When they lose the initiative, that means they lose the war." Gurney smiled, consciously easing the atmosphere. "Our enemies are exactly where I want them to be," Paul said.He looked at Gurney: "Okay, Gurney. Will you support me to finish this battle?" "Support?" Gurney looked at him, "Your Excellency, I never gave up serving you. You are the only one who made me... thinking of you dead, I have been drifting, doing the confession I can, waiting The moment when I gave my life for a worthy cause - Rabin's death." Embarrassed, Paul was silent. A woman scrambled up the rock toward them, eyes between the hood and visor of the filtration suit flicking between Paul and his companion.She stopped in front of Paul.Gurney noticed her poise, standing very close to Paul. "Cheney," Paul said, "this is Gurney Halleck, you've heard me talk about him." She looked at Halleck and back at Paul. "I heard it before." "Where did those people go in the sand lizard?" Paul asked. "They just drove it away so we could have time to get the equipment out." "So..." Paul stopped talking, sniffing the air. "The wind is coming," Cheney said. From the ridge above them a voice cried out, "Ah, the storm—here it comes!" Gurney saw the Fremen moving rapidly—running around so quickly that they gave the impression of being in a hurry.What the sand lizard did not cause happened because of the fear of the storm.The huge factory mother machine was moved onto the dry sand below them and pushed into the rock along a road that emerged in the rock... and the rock closed again behind it.So subtly that he couldn't see the passage. "Do you have many hiding places like this?" Gurney asked. "We have tons and tons of places like this," Paul said.He looked at Cheney. "Go to Koba and tell him that Gurney told me that there are some people among these smugglers who cannot be trusted." She took one more look at Gurney, looked back at Paul, nodded, and turned away, jumping off the rock like a gazelle. "She's your woman," Gurney said. "Mother of my first child," Paul said, "has another Raido in Atrez." Gurney opened his eyes wide and had to accept the fact. Paul watched the movement around him critically.At this time, the sky in the south was a curry color, and the gust of erratic wind whipped the dust on their heads. "Seal your filtration suit," Paul said, fastening his mask and hood. Gurney obeyed his orders and thanked him for the filter. Paul said, "You don't trust the guys on your team, Gurney?" His voice was muffled by the filter. "There are some new recruits," Gurney said, "from alien planets..." He hesitated for a moment, suddenly surprised at his own words, extraterrestrial, he said the word easily. "Really?" Paul said. "They weren't the usual fortune-seekers we recruited," Gurney said. "They were rough and tough." "Harkonnen's spy?" Paul asked. "I suppose, my lord, they do not report to the Harkonnen. I suspect they serve the Empire, and they show signs of being from Sarrus Secundus." Paul gave him a hard look. "Sadoka?" Gurney shrugged and replied, "Probably. But they're well disguised." Paul nodded, thinking: How easy it is for Gurney to return to the state of Atrez's retainer...but a little reserved...Unlike before, Arrakis also changed him. Two hooded Fremen emerged from the rocks below them and began to climb.One of them carried a large black package over his shoulder. "Where are my men now?" Gurney asked. "They're locked in the rocks below," Paul said. "We've got a cave here—a bird cave. We'll decide what to do with them after the storm." Someone on the ridge shouted to him: "Moyadi!" Paul turned toward the caller and saw a Fremen guard beckoning them to the cave below.Paul signaled that he had heard. Gurney looked at Paul with new eyes. "Are you Muadhi?" he asked. "Are you the will of the desert?" "That's my Freeman name," Paul said. Gurney felt oppressed, with a sense of foreboding, turned and walked away.Half of his men lay dead in the desert, and the rest were captured.He didn't care about the new recruits, they were suspect, but among the others were good people, friends, and he had a responsibility to them. "We'll decide what to do with them after the storm." That's what Paul said, Moaddi said.Gurney remembered the legend about Moyadi, Lisan al-Ghab: how he skinned a Harkonnen officer to make drumheads, how he led his death squads—the death squads who sang the songs of death. Chant rushed to the battlefield. he!it's him! The two Fremen who climbed to the top of the rock jumped briskly onto a stone ledge in front of Paul. The man with the black face said, "All the prisoners are locked up, Moaddi. We'd better go to the cave .” "it is good!" Gurney recognized the tone of the man's voice—part order, part request.This is the man named Stilger, another character in the Freeman Legion. Paul looked at the package carried by another man and said, "Koba, what's in the package?" Stilger replied, "It was found on the mother machine at the factory with this friend's name in capital letters. Inside was a nine-stringed lyre, and I've heard you tell about Gurney Halleck playing it many times." story." Gurney looked at the speaker and saw the black beard and hooked nose protruding from the mask of the filtration suit. "You have someone who can be considered your companion," Gurney said. "Thank you, Stilgar." Stilger signaled his companion to hand the package to Gurney, and said, "Thank you, Your Excellency the Duke, he will let you join our team." Gurney took the package and was puzzled by the tone of the speech, and Stilger's words clearly carried a challenging tone.Gurney wondered if the Fremen were jealous of him. Gurney Halleck knew Paul even before Arrakis and had an intimacy with Paul that Stilger could never match. "You're both good friends of mine," Paul said. "Stilgar is a prestigious name," Gurney said, "Anyone who kills a Harkonnen is a friend of mine." "Would you like to meet our friend Gurney Halleck?" Paul asked. Stilger reached out slowly and took Gurney's thick, callused sword hand. "Anyone who knows the world around him knows the name Gurney Halleck," he said.He let go of Gurney's hand, turned to Paul, and said, "The storm is coming very fiercely." "Leave the ground and enter the cave immediately," Paul said. Stilger turned and walked down to the top of the rock, and they followed him through the rock pile and by a winding path to the bottom of a hidden tor, where there was a small, low opening.They walked into the cave, and the people behind hurriedly closed the sealed door at the entrance of the cave.A large circular chamber was illuminated by spherical lamps.On one side of the chamber there is a ledge of rock, from which a passage leads into the inner cave. Gurney walked to Paul's right, and Paul jumped onto the ledge to lead the passage, while the others headed for another passage across the opening.Paul led Gurney through an antechamber and into an inner room.The walls of the inner chamber were hung with tapestries the color of purple grapes. "We can take shelter from the storm here," said Paul, "and the others will respect me..." Sirens blared outside, followed by shouts and the sound of weapons clashing.Paul immediately turned and ran outside. He ran through the front hall and back to the atrium door above the outer hall.Gurney followed, weapon in hand. At the bottom of the cave below them, a group of people huddled together and fought.Paul stood watching for a moment, distinguishing those in Freemen's robes and cloaks from those in different attire.His mother had trained him, so he could pick out subtle clues in the jumble of fight scenes—the Fremen battling those in smuggler's attire.The smugglers huddled together in groups of three, forming a triangle and struggling to support themselves. When one of the daredevils saw Moyadi, he raised his voice and called: "Moyadi! Moyadi!" The voice echoed in the cave. Another person also saw Paul.A black knife flew towards Paul, Paul turned sideways, and with a snap, the knife slashed on the rock behind him.Gurney picked up the knife casually. The triangle formation is squeezed smaller and smaller. Gurney raised the knife and brought it in front of Paul's eyes, pointing to the hair-thin yellow lines that symbolize the royal family, the head of a golden lion with faceted eyes. Undoubtedly a Sadoka. Paul walked to the edge of the tor and saw the bloody corpses of Fremen and Sadoka lying on the floor of the cavern.Only three of the Sadokar remained alive. "Wait a minute," Paul shouted, "Paul 1 Duke of Atrez orders you to stop fighting!" The fighters hesitated. "You Sadokas!" Paul yelled at the few remaining people, "Who told you to threaten a duke who has the right to rule?" His men quickly pressed down on the Sadokas from all around. . "I say, wait a minute!" cried one of the triangles. "Who says we're Sadoka?" Paul took the knife from Gurney, raised it over his head and said, "This knife says you are Sadocah." "Then who said you were a sovereign duke?" asked the man again. Paul pointed to the death squads around him and said: "These people say that I am a duke with the right to rule. Your emperor gave Arrakis to the Atrez family, and I am the eldest son of the Atrez family. .” The Sadaka stood silently, hesitating. Paul studied the man—tall, with a flat, expressionless face and a pale scar running across his left cheek.At this moment, his face showed anger and bewilderment, but there was always a hint of arrogance.Without that arrogance, he'd be a Sadoka without clothes -- and with that arrogance, he might look clothed even when he was naked. Paul glanced at one of the lieutenant death squads and said, "Koba, how did they get the weapons?" "They keep their weapons in secret pockets in their filtration suits," said the lieutenant. Paul glanced at the dead and wounded on the ground, and looked at the lieutenant again.The lieutenant bowed his head, Paul thought: there is no need to scold him. Paul suddenly remembered something and asked, "Where's Cheney?" He held his breath, waiting for an answer. "Stilger asked her to go there," the lieutenant looked towards the other passage, and glanced at the dead and wounded, "I should be responsible for this mistake, Moyadi." "How many of these Sadokas are there, Gurney?" Paul asked. "Ten." Paul jumped nimbly off the tor and strode close to the Sadoka, within easy reach of him. The atmosphere suddenly became tense, and the Fremen didn't want Paul to take risks. Without looking back, Paul asked the lieutenant, "How are our casualties?" "Four wounded, two dead, Moadhi." Paul saw movement behind the Sadokas, and Stilger and Cheney were standing in that other passage.He looked at the Sadoka again, staring into the eyes of the man who had spoken, and asked, "What's your name?" The man stood stiffly, looking left and right. "Don't think about it," Paul said. "I know you're sent after Moaddi. I'll bet you're not the ones looking for decaying spices in the depths of the desert." Gurney behind him sighed, which made Paul smile a little. Blood welled up the Sadaka's face. "In front of you, you see more than Moyadi," said Paul, "You have seven dead, and we have only two dead, three to one. It is too good to compare with the Sadoka , isn't it?" The Sadoka man stood up, and the death squads immediately pressed forward, and he immediately crouched down again. "I'm asking for your name," he ordered, with authority in his voice, "tell me your name." "Captain Alam Sham, the Emperor's Sadoka." The Sadoka couldn't help replying.Panting, his head drooping, he looked at Paul in bewilderment.Gone was his attitude of seeing the cave as a barbaric place. "Good! Captain Aram Sham, the Harkonnen will pay a heavy price to learn what you now know. The Emperor—whether he is treacherous or not, before he learns about an Atrez What do you think when you're alive?" The captain looked left and right at the two people who stayed beside him, and Paul could almost see what the man was thinking.The Sadokar would not surrender, but the Emperor could not fail to see the threat. Still with the same majestic voice, Paul said, "Surrender, Captain!" The man to the captain's left suddenly lunged at Paul, but the captain stabbed him in the chest, and the attacker fell limply to the ground, still clutching the knife. The captain turned to his only remaining companion and said, "I know what the best service to the Emperor is, do you understand?" The shoulders of the remaining Sadoka slumped. The captain turned to Paul and said, "I've killed a friend for you, let us remember it forever." "You are my captive, you must surrender to me, your life or death is not important to me." Paul signaled the guards to take the two Sadoka away, and signaled for the lieutenant to search the prisoner's body carefully . The guards took the captive away. Paul leaned over the lieutenant. "I have failed you, Muadhi." "It was my fault, Koba," said Paul, "and I should have reminded you where to search. When searching the bodies of Sadokas in the future, keep this in mind: every Sadoka has a fake or two. Toenails, connected to some other hidden weapon on their body, could be fired effectively and lethally. They have more than one false tooth, and they may have strangulation circles hidden in their hair - well hidden, you It's almost impossible to spot it. But it's powerful enough to strangle a man and cut off his head. They must be dealt with carefully, both by reflecting light and using hard light - shaving off their body every hair of your body, and make sure nothing dangerous is left behind." He looked up at Gurney.Gurney moved closer to him, listening to him. "In that case we'd better kill them," said the lieutenant. Paul shook his head, still looking at Gurney, and said, "No. I'm going to let them escape." Gurney stared at him wide-eyed. "Your Excellency..." he said breathlessly. "what?" "The lieutenant is right. Kill these captives immediately and destroy all evidence. You have humiliated the Sadokas of the Empire, and the Emperor will be disturbed to know that until you are dried over a lukewarm fire." "It is impossible for the emperor to have such great strength to defeat me." Paul said.He spoke slowly and indifferently.When he faced the Sadoka, something changed inside him.A series of decisions had taken place in his consciousness. "Gurney, are there many Gilders around Rabin?" Gurney straightened up, his eyes narrowed. "Your question didn't..." "Is there?" Paul growled. "Argis has agents of Gilder all over the place, and they buy the Spice of Decline as if it were the most precious thing in the universe. Why do you think we should venture so deep into..." "The spice of decay is the most precious thing in the universe," Paul said, "and that's only for them." He saw Stilger and Cheney walking towards him. "We've got it under control, Gurney." "The Harkonnen control it," Gurney retorted. "He who can destroy something, really controls it," Paul said.He waved his hand to stop Gurney from talking.他朝斯第尔格点点头，让斯第尔格在他身前停下，契尼站在他身旁。 保罗左手拿着萨多卡人的那把刀，然后把它交给斯第尔格。他说：“你为部落的利益而活着，你能用这把刀把我生命的血液放掉吗？” “为了部落的利益！”斯第尔格坚定地说。 “那么就用那把刀吧，”保罗说，“如果我向你挑战，我将站在这里，不带任何武器，让你将我杀死。” “你在向我挑战？”斯第尔格倒吸了一口气。 契尼说：“友索。”她看了哥尼一眼，然后看着保罗。 斯第尔格还在掂量着保罗的话，保罗继续说：“斯第尔格，你是一个斗士。但是萨多卡人在这里行凶时，你却不在战斗的前面，你首先想到的是保护契尼。” “她是我的侄女。如果我对你的敢死队员对付这些猪猡的能力有怀疑的话……” “为什么你首先想到的是契尼？”保罗问。 "no!" "what?" “我首先想到的是你。”斯第尔格承认说。 “你认为你能举起手来与我决斗？”保罗问。斯第尔格开始发抖，他小声说：“这是惯例。” “杀死在沙漠中发现的外来者，夺走他们来自夏修露德作为礼物的水，这才是惯例。可是在一天晚上你却允许这样的人活着，那就是我母亲和我。” 斯第尔格仍然沉默着，浑身颤抖，凝视着保罗。保罗接着说：“惯例已被改变，斯第尔格，是你自己改变了它。” 斯第尔格低着头，看着他手里拿着的刀和刀上发出黄色光芒的徽记。 “我是阿拉凯恩的公爵，契尼和我在一起，难道你认为我还有时间去关心我对泰布营地的统治吗？”保罗问，“难道你会关心每一个家庭的内部问题吗？” 斯第尔格继续看着手里的刀。 “你认为我会砍掉我的右臂吗？”保罗问。 斯第尔格慢慢地抬起头来，望着保罗。 “你！你以为我愿意使我或整个部落失去你的聪明才智和力量吗？”保罗继续说。 斯第尔格低声说：“我部落中的那个年轻人，我熟知他的名字，在决斗场上我能杀死这个年轻人，这是夏修露德的意愿。李桑·阿·盖布，我却不能伤害他。在你把刀交给我的时候，你就明白这一点。” “我知道。”保罗表示赞同。 斯第尔格摊开手，刀砰的一声掉到石头地上。“惯例改变了。” He said. “契尼，”保罗说，“到我母亲那里去，叫她到这里来，她的法律顾问可以在……找到。” “可是，你说过要去南方。”她抗议说。 “我错了。哈可宁人不在那里，战争也不在那里。” 她深深地吸了一口气，接受了这一命令，就像一个沙漠女人在有关生死的生活中接受所有的命令一样。 “你给我母亲捎个口信，只让她一人知道。告诉她斯第尔格已承认我是阿拉吉斯的公爵，但是必须找到一种能让年轻人接受而又不会发生流血的办法。” 契尼看着斯第尔格。 “照他说的去做，”斯第尔格吼道，“我们两人都知道他可以战胜我……我不能与他决斗……为了部落的利益。” “我将与你母亲一道来这里。” “让她一个人来，”保罗说，“斯第尔格的本质是好的，你安全，我就会更强大。你要留在营地。” 她准备抗议，但把要说的话咽了下去。 “塞哈亚。”保罗说，使用了对她极亲密的称呼。他向右转身，碰到哥尼发光的眼睛。 保罗和那个年长的弗雷曼人的交易结束了。自保罗提到他母亲以来，哥尼就好像一直处于云雾之中。 “你的母亲。”哥尼说。 “在受到攻击的那天晚上，伊达荷救了我们，”保罗说。因与契尼告别，话被岔开了：“现在我们……” “邓肯·伊达荷怎么样了，阁下？”哥尼问。 “他死了，给我们赢得了逃跑的时间。” 那个女巫还活着！哥尼想。那个我发誓要向她复仇的女巫！很明显，保罗公爵还不知道生他的那个女人是个什么样的东西。她是把他父亲出卖给哈可宁人的恶魔。 保罗从他面前挤过去，跳上突岩。他回头看了看，那些伤者和死尸都被搬走了。他努力思索着：在保罗·摩亚迪的传说中，这里发生的事又增添了新的一章。我甚至连刀都没有拔过，但是人们会说，这一天我亲手杀死了二十个萨多卡人。 哥尼跟在斯第尔格后面，走在使他没有感觉的地上，球形灯的黄色灯光照着洞穴，这一切都因愤怒而被他忘却。那个女巫还活着，而那些被她出卖的人却成了孤寂坟墓中的白骨。我一定设法在杀死她之前让保罗了解她的真实面目。