This is the last paragraph of a document, and the entire document is made up of these strange letter combinations.A man holds the document in his hand and rereads it intently, then falls into deep thought. There are more than a hundred lines of such text in this document, and there is no gap between each word.The document appears to be several years old, and the thick pages with these indecipherable symbols have begun to yellow with the passage of time. However, according to what rules are these letters combined together?Only this man can read them.In fact, the combination of these code words is as elusive as a modern safe lock, and the two have the same effect.There are billions of ways to combine ciphertext, and an analyst may not be able to decipher them all even if he spends his life.Just as the "keyword" is needed to open a safe, the "key number" is needed to read such a password file.For this reason, as we shall see later, how this cipher file troubled the most intelligent adepts in the hour of gravest danger.

The man who had re-read the document was just an ordinary forest captain. In Brazil, those hired to hunt down fugitive slaves were given the title "Captain of the Forest."This business started in 1772.At this period, only a few philanthropists had the idea of ​​abolition in their minds.More than a century later, civilized people can accept and implement this idea.The right to freedom and self-determination is the most important right of human birth.However, thousands of years passed before a few nations dared to proclaim this grand idea. In 1852 (the year our story takes place), there were still many slaves in Brazil, and therefore the profession of forest captain who hunted down fugitive slaves still existed.Although due to some political and economic reasons, the movement to fully emancipate black slaves was delayed, but at that time, black slaves had the right to redeem themselves, and their children were already free at birth.Soon, there will be no more slaves in this beautiful country with a population of 10 million and an area equivalent to three quarters of Europe.

Therefore, in the near future, the profession of forest captain is also destined to disappear.In fact, the benefits of hunting down fugitive slaves had diminished significantly in that era.However, there have been very few periods in which this profession has produced considerable earnings.These forest captains make up a world of adventurers, often made up of freed slaves and despicable deserters.Therefore, at that time, those who chased fugitive slaves must only be classified as the social scum.And this guy with the file is a perfect fit for a rather unrespectable profession. This guy named Torres was different from his partner: he was neither biracial, nor Indian, nor black.He is a white man of Brazilian origin.His education should make him better off than he is now.We have met many destitute people in the far New World.In fact, this guy is one of them.At that time, Brazilian law still prohibited mulattos and other mixed races from engaging in certain occupations, and for this guy, the reason why he was excluded from some occupations was not because of his origin, but because of his inferior character. Sincerely.

Now, Torres is not in Brazil, he has just crossed the Brazilian border.For several days, he has been wandering in this forest in Peru.It is here that the Upper Amazon River originates. Torres is about 30 years old and strong.If it is said that his bumpy and tiring career did not wear him down, then it is also due to his resolute character and iron body.He was of medium height, with broad shoulders, regular features, and a firm gait.His face was tanned by the tropical sun, his beard was thick and black, and his eyes were shaded by two almost lined eyebrows.His eyes were sharp and cold, just like those brazen people.Even though his face hadn't been tanned by the scorching sun, whenever he had any evil thoughts, he couldn't see that he would blush, at most he just twitched his face.

Torres is dressed in the basic attire of a forest captain.He has worn this suit for a long time.He wore a wide-brimmed fur hat on one side, and a pair of thick woolen trousers tucked into thick boot shafts—the strongest part of his attire.His faded and yellowed "Pancho" poncho covered his undershirt and vest. Although Torres used to be a forest captain, at least in this case, he obviously no longer does this job.Because he didn't have any self-defense or offensive firearms needed to hunt down black slaves.He carried neither rifle nor pistol, but on his belt hung a defensive tool known as a manchetta.If you compare a saber with a hunting knife, this thing is more like a saber.Additionally, Torres was armed with an "ancheta," a hoe designed to hunt down agouti and armadillos, which are commonly found in the upper Amazon forests.The animals that live in this forest are generally not too scary.

On May 4, 1852, the adventurer kept his eyes on the document and read it intently.Because he is used to trekking long distances in this forest in South America.Therefore, the wonderful and strange scenery around him could not move his heart at all.In fact, nothing could distract him now.Whether it is the long cry of a howler monkey (which the French naturalist M. Saint-Hilaire likened to that of a woodcutter cutting wood), or the dry sound of the rings on the tail of a rattlesnake (a rattlesnake is an attacking the less sexual but venomous snake), or the screech of the horned toad (the "ugliest laurels" among reptiles), and even the loud, thick drumming of the frogs (these Frogs, though not as big as cows, but as loud as cows), could not distract our Forest Captain.

Torres did not hear the noise in the forest of the New World at all.He was lying under a tall iron tree.The grainy, dark brown bark of this tree is so hard that it could have substituted for the weapons or tools of the savage Indians.Torres had no intention of admiring the tall crown of the cycad tree, he was lost in thought.He looked over and over at the unusual document in his hand.He deciphered the meaning of each letter with the code numbers he had mastered.He checked the meaning of these lines as he read them. No one else could understand the document except him.After reading it, he laughed wickedly.

Then he muttered a few words in a low voice, which no one could hear and understand in this deserted forest of Peru: "Yes, these hundred or so lines are clearly written. The man I am looking for must not have thought of their importance. The man is rich. To him it was a matter of life and death, for such a thing , no matter where you have to pay a high price!" While staring greedily at the document, he said to himself: "Each word in the last sentence is worth one million, which is a lot of money! It is because this sentence summarizes the meaning of the whole text that it is so valuable! Moreover, this sentence also reveals the true nature of the person involved. name. However, to understand this sentence, you must first figure out how many words this sentence contains, and even if you can do this, you may not necessarily understand its true meaning!"

With that said, Torres began to think in his mind: "There are 58 words in the last paragraph, that is to say, 58 million Reiss! With this money, I can go to Brazil, America, or wherever I want without working. If this Every word in the document is worth that price, and that's a lot of money! That's hundreds of millions of races! Ah! That's great! I'm going to be rich! Otherwise, I'm the biggest fool! " At this moment, Torres seems to have a lot of money in his hands and is in a pile of gold. Suddenly, his thoughts returned to reality, and he exclaimed: "I'm finally getting there! I've traveled a long way from the Atlantic coast to the upper Amazon, and I've gone through a lot of hardships, but I don't regret it at all! This man may have left America to live on the other side of the ocean, so I But how will I find him? Oh no! He must still be here. Just climb to the top of this tree and I can see the roof of the house where he lives with his family."

With that said, Torres held the document tightly and waved it excitedly: "Today I can find him! Today he will know that his reputation and destiny rest in these few lines! If he wants to know the password to read this document, he will have to pay the price! If I want to If he wants all his property, he must give it to me! Otherwise he will only die! Great! It was my good friend in the guard who gave me this precious document, and he not only told me how to decipher it Password, and also told me how to find this former colleague of his, and the pseudonym that this colleague has been hiding for many years! Of course, my good friend would never think that he would make me rich!"

Torres took one last look at the yellowed document, then carefully folded it and placed it in a sturdy copper box that he used as a money box. All of Torres' fortune was contained in this cigar case-sized box.However, in any country in the world, his little property is not enough to make him a rich man.He had some coins from the surrounding countries: two eagles from the United States of Colombia, worth about a hundred francs each, several Venezuelan bolivars of the same value, some Peruvian sols worth about two hundred francs each, a few A piece of Chilean currency escudo worth fifty francs at most, and some small change.The total sum of the money was only about five hundred francs, and Torres could not tell where and by what means the money was obtained. But one thing is certain, in the months since Torres abruptly relinquished his role as forest captain in the province of Pará, he has reached the Amazon and crossed the Brazilian border into Peru. This adventurer has a strong ability to survive, and the expenses for accommodation and clothing are not necessary for him.Moreover, the forest provided him with food for free, and he could eat it as long as he processed it like a hunter.All he needed was a few races to go to the mission station or buy some tobacco or pot liquor in the village.He can go a long way with very little money. After folding the papers and stuffing them into his tightly-closed metal box, Torres did not put the box in the pocket of his coat (which was still covered by his "Pancho" coat), and lay in a tree down, and put the box beside him, that is to say, in the hole at the base of the tree.He thought it would be safer and more reliable. But this negligence almost cost him dearly! It was so hot that if the nearest town church had a bell tower, it would be two o'clock in the afternoon.Since Torres was less than two miles from town, he should be able to hear the bell if it came on the wind. However, the bell was of little importance to Torres.Because he has been accustomed to determine his work and rest time by calculating the approximate height of the sun from the ground level.An adventurer does not need to strictly abide by the practice system like a soldier.He can have lunch or dinner whenever he wants or has food to eat.As long as he was sleepy, he could sleep no matter it was day or night or anywhere.Although it is impossible to find a dining table at any time in the forest, it does not take any trouble to find a bed: under a big tree, for example, or in a thick and low bush.Besides, Torres is not the type to be very particular about comfort.Having been walking almost all morning and having just eaten something, Torres felt the need to get some sleep.Two or three hours of sleep can make him relieve fatigue, restore energy, and continue on his way.So, he lay comfortably on the grass and waited for the sleepy bugs to come. However, Torres is not the kind of person who can sleep with his head covered without any pre-bed preparations.It was his habit to take a few sips of strong liquor and smoke a pipe before falling asleep.Shochu gave the brain a high, and the smoke helped sleep, or so he thought. So, Torres took the wine jug he carried with him to his mouth and took a few sips.The wine in the jug is called "Manga" in Peru, and in the upper Amazon River area, this wine is named "Kexuma".It is made by distilling fermented sweet cassava roots.For the forest captain, who is a little numb to his sense of taste, a certain amount of "Tafia" wine must be mixed in this wine to be enjoyable. Torres took a few sips of wine and shook the jug—unfortunately, he found that the jug was almost empty, so he said: "It's time to pour again!" Then he pulls out a short pipe made of tree roots and stuffs it with some choking tobacco, roughly processed in Brazil.This kind of tobacco belongs to an ancient nightshade plant, which was brought back to France by Nico to grow.Today, the French are able to popularize and plant this kind of Solanaceae with the highest yield and widest distribution, thanks to Nicole. Although this tobacco was not at all comparable to the fine tobacco produced in France, Torres was not too picky about it.He struck a flint and ignited a tiny bit of a sticky substance called "anthorse velvet," which is secreted by insects of the order Hymenoptera.Then he lit his pipe. On the tenth puff, his eyes closed and the pipe slipped from his fingers.It was not so much that he fell asleep as that he fell into a kind of drowsy, half-asleep state.

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