Chapter 6 Chapter Six

A week passed without even a sign of the messenger.Gilda Tregman said it would not be strange to see Jesus descending from the sky.However, in front of Antiphere, he avoided using the teachings of the "Bible" to express his opinions. As for Enochat and Jewell, they no longer believe that there will be any messenger coming, it is purely a fantasy, only his coming will disturb or even delay their union! ……Will not!The two of them were preparing to pack up and go to Qiong Palace to meet the old man under the moon.Now that the young man has mastered the longitude and the girl knows the latitude, with the combination of longitude and latitude, Penglai Wonderland can still run.The marriage will take place on April 5th, it is certain.

And Antiffel became more and more unapproachable.The date of the wedding is approaching day by day, and in a few weeks, a couple will spend their bridal chamber with festive candles and grow old together.It can be described as a godsend!To be honest, why didn't that uncle dream that this young couple could marry a rich man?But what if he really gets rich?Doesn't that priceless treasure already belong to him!He is worried, is it because he enjoys the luxury for himself, lives in the Qionglou Fairy Pavilion, travels by car, uses gold tableware, wears silk and satin, and adorns jewels and emeralds? ...In heaven, absolutely not!He intended to marry a princess to Jewel, and a prince to Anokat!How to do it?Such was his temper.However, if the messenger does not arrive in time and does not get the longitude that intersects with the latitude in his hand, wouldn't it be that his wish will come to nothing, and it will be too late to come back later and open Governor Kamilk's treasury.

Antiphere no longer tossed about at home, he went out for a walk every day, and everyone felt relaxed.He can only be seen when eating, even when he eats, he devours it very quickly.The kind-hearted Tregoman also took the initiative to visit from time to time, in order to ease the atmosphere and comfort his friends.But he always scolded his neighbors and drove them away.In short, everyone feared that he would fall ill.The only thing he has to do every day is to go to the train station on time; go to the Shillong steamer terminal, trying to find someone who might be the governor's envoy among the foreign tourists.It must have been an Egyptian, perhaps an Armenian.In short, he is a foreigner, and he can be recognized at a glance from his behavior, speech, and clothing.And he might ask his agent for the address of Pierre Servan Marlot Antifel...

No, nothing!The Normans, the Bretons, the English, the Norwegians, you name it...just a tourist from Eastern Europe, and a Maltese, a Levant,...all irrelevant people. On February 9, at lunchtime, he was silent, and after eating and drinking, he took his usual walk and came to Dioriano to wait for the messenger. He walked through the narrow gravel roads in the urban area, and the streets were lined with tall granite houses. He walked along Beiyi Avenue to Digai Truan Park, looked at the big clock of the city hall, and then asked Xia Duo Go to Brian Square, bypass the small pavilion under the leafless maple tree, step through the semi-circular gate, and you will come to Shillong Pier.

He looked left and right, looked east and west, and smoked his pipe continuously, puffing out circles of hot air.Wherever he went, people greeted him.You know, he was also a well-known person in St. Malo, a very admired person.However, because he was absent-minded, he didn't even notice that others greeted him, so naturally he wouldn't return the greeting. There are countless ships moored in the port, there are steamers, brigs, three-masted sailing ships, etc., as well as frigates, schooners and small boats sailing along the coast.At that time, the tide was falling, and it was necessary to wait 2 to 3 hours for the signal machine to send out a signal before the large ship could enter the port.

He thought, the most sensible thing is to go to the station and wait for the express train. This day may be the luckiest day for him in weeks, right? People, after all, are not machines and have limited energy, so they often make mistakes.Antiphere looked around frequently, but he didn't find anyone who really deserved his attention, who had been following him for 20 minutes. It was a foreigner, wearing a light red Turkish cap with black tassels on his head, a long coat buttoned all the way to the neck, and fat trousers, the hems of which fell to his large Arabian shoes. , this gentleman is about 60 years old, with a slightly hunched back, and a pair of long, thin hands spread out on his chest.Is this person the long-awaited Oriental?That's right, he is from a country along the Mediterranean Sea, an Egyptian, an Armenian, a Syrian, or a Turk...

In short, the man followed Antiphere with hesitant steps, sometimes side by side, and sometimes stopped, for fear of identifying the wrong person.Finally, at the corner of the pier, he quickened his pace and overtook the St. Malo man.Then, he turned around and walked back quickly, so that the two bumped into each other. "Reckless ghost!..." Anticipation staggered and shouted. He rubbed his eyes, covered the light with his hands in front of his forehead, and said again and again: "Huh?...Ah!...Oh?...This is probably?...Definitely, this is the messenger of Double K..."

If this person is really the messenger, it can be seen that he is not very handsome. This person has no beard on his face, his cheeks are full of wrinkles, his chin is pointed, his lips are thin, his ears are driving, and his complexion is like a ripe lemon. Not to be trusted. "A good man told me just now that you are Monsieur Antiphere. Excuse me?" He spoke broken and ungrammatical French, but he could understand it, even a Brienne. "Antiphen Pierre Servan Marlot!" he replied: "You are..." "Bob Omar..." "Egyptian?……" "A notary public in Alexandria, and staying at the Union Hotel on Fishmarket Street."

A notary, with the seal in hand, is not an ordinary person!It seems that in these countries, notaries are not the same as in France.French notaries usually wear black clothes, white ties, and golden mirrors.Official notaries were few and far between among the subjects of ancient Egyptian kings. Antiphere is convinced that the mysterious figure at the moment is the messenger with the longitude, the savior told in the governor's letter. Antifeel, who has been looking forward to it for 20 years, is not what people feared. He talked endlessly, and he was not in a hurry to ask people about this or that. At this time, his neighbor Gilda could hardly believe that his friend with a cannonball could have such a city.

"So, Mr. Bo Omar, what can you do?" he asked, watching the sly Egyptian. "I want to talk to you." "Do you want to talk with me?" "No, better find a place where no one can hear us." "So, it's a secret?" "That's right, it's not... It should be said, it's a deal...." Hearing these words, Antiphere couldn't help shuddering.The mysterious figure must have brought the longitude, but he would not hand it over for nothing.However, the letter signed by the double K did not mention any deal! "Take advantage of the wind," he thought to himself, "whatever you say, don't let him get the upper hand!"

So, he pointed to the remote corner with his finger and said, "Go there, you can tell any secret there. But it's so cold and the wind is biting, tell me quickly!" The corner was only 20 meters away, and the boats moored on the pier were empty.Customs agents paced up and down 100 meters away. After a while they were in an unoccupied corner, and sat on a mast-log. "Is this place all right, Mr. Bo Omar?" asked Pierre Servan Marlowe. "Okay... oh! Very good!" "Now, tell me! Please cut to the chase and don't go around in circles." "Well, Mr. Antiffel, I'll be straight," replied Bo Omar, in a strange tone. He coughed two or three times, and said: "You have a father?" "Yes...everyone, and what else?" "I heard he passed away?" "It's been 8 years since I passed away, what else?" "Has he ever sailed at sea?" "Needless to say, he is a sailor, and what else?" "What seas has he sailed on?" "In all the seas, and?" "So he's been to the Near East?" "I've been to the Near East, and I've been to the West! And?" These "more?" hit the notary like a cannonball, and his face became very embarrassed. Antiphere thought to himself: "My brother, you are playing tricks and tricks with me. Well, come on! I will guide you!" The notary understands that he has to go straight to the point. "Did you know," he said, "that your father did a great favor to someone... off the coast of Syria..." "Know nothing, and?" "Ah!" Bob Omar was extremely surprised by this answer! "You didn't know that your father had received a letter from Governor Kamilk?" "A governor?" "right!" "How big is that official!" "It doesn't matter, Monsieur Antiphere. The point is whether your father ever received that letter..." "I don't know anything, what else?" "That letter mentioned a very important matter... I repeat, did he receive it? The letter will not be destroyed. Didn't you go through his papers? . . . " "Is this important to you, Mr. Omar?" "It's equally important to you, Monsieur Antiphere. Because... anyway... I've been asked to read that letter... that's what we're trading for." In an instant it became clear to Pierre that someone had the longitude, but he lacked the latitude, so he could not ascertain where the great wealth was hidden, for which the notary had been entrusted. "These bastards!" he murmured, "they're going to cheat my secrets, buy my letters...and then dig out my treasury!" This guess is probably not wrong! While they were talking, both Antifel and Omar heard a person's footsteps.The man turned the corner of the pier and walked past them towards the station. Neither of them, at least the notary, stopped talking.He seemed to cast a sidelong glance at the passerby, signaling that the person should not pass by.The pedestrian looked very displeased, quickened his pace angrily, and disappeared after a while. It was a foreigner, in his 30s, dressed like an Egyptian, with dark gray skin, sly eyebrows, middle height, strong body, decisive mind, ugly face, rough, the notary seemed to know him, Very likely!They pretended not to know each other?It must be so. In any case, in this trick, Maester Antiphere did not notice anything, a look, a gesture, that's all. "Now, Mr. Boo Omar," he said, "please explain to me why you want that letter and what it is about? If I have it, would you like to buy it?" "Monsieur Antiffel," replied the notary, in great embarrassment, "among my clients there is one named Camille, and I have come here in charge of his interests..." "You said, you have a..." "Yes... I am his estate agent..." "His estate?" exclaimed Antiphere, which did not surprise the notary. "So he's dead?" "Yes, he is dead." "Be careful!" Pierre Servan Marlowe cursed with a pebble in his mouth. "Governor Kamilk is dead,...be more cautious, lest he try to play tricks..." "It appears, Monsieur Antifield," asked Bo Omar, rolling his eyes slyly, "that you have not the letter?" "No." "It's a pity, because the governor's heir wants to collect all the objects that can commemorate his loved ones..." "Ah! In remembrance? . . . What kindness! . . . " "Monsieur Antiphere, for these reasons, just as you said, you are very kind, and will not hesitate to give you a sum of money in order to redeem that letter. . . . " "How much?" "Since you don't have the letter, it's no use talking about it." "Just tell me!" "Alas! . . . a few hundred francs . . . " "Bah!..." Master Antiphere dismissed it. "Even a few thousand francs..." "Okay!" Antifeel couldn't hold back any longer, grabbed Bo Omar by the neck, pulled him over, and shouted into his ear as if he was about to bite him, "Okay." Well, I have that letter!" "You have?" "A letter signed by Double K!" "Yes!...Double K!...My client signed it like that!" "I have that letter, and I've read it over and over again, and I know, just tell me! I know why you want that letter!" "gentlemen……" "Don't even think about it!..." "You refuse?" "Yes, man, unless you'll pay for--" "How much?" asked the notary, reaching into his pocket for his wallet. "How much? . . . fifty million francs! . . . " Bo Omar jumped to his feet, while Antifel looked at him with his mouth wide open, his lips curled up, showing all his teeth.Omar had never been stared at like this. Then, he added coldly, in the tone of a commander: "Do it or not, it's up to you." "Fifty million francs!" repeated the notary foolishly. "Stop haggling, Mr. Omar...you can't do it for less than 50!" "Five thousand francs!" "It's still worth it, ... cash, gold or bank notes ... of course, a check from the Banque de France!" The notary was at a loss for a while, but gradually regained his composure.No doubt the accursed sailor knew the importance of that letter, especially to the Governor's heir, for it contained the latitude which matched the longitude mentioned in the will.Now that the accursed Saint-Malo is so vigilant, and the attempt to get the letter appears to have been thwarted, it can only be obtained by buying it, by buying it back from Antiffire. But, one might ask, how did Bo Omar know that Maester Antifel had the letter?And how did he, the notary of the richest man in Egypt, be entrusted to send that longitude? ... Whatever Omar's motives, instigated or not, it was clear to him that he would have to pay a high price for that letter. But fifty million francs... So, he said coquettishly and slyly: "Monsieur Antiphere, you say fifty million francs!" "I said that." "Hey! This is the biggest joke I've ever heard in my life..." "Mr. Omar, do you want to hear a bigger joke?" "Willing to hear." "Well! You are an old pickpocket in Egypt, an old rascal, an old crocodile on the Nile..." "gentlemen……" "Come on... I have a novel... You fish in troubled waters guy, you want to dig out my secrets, but don't tell me yours... Tell me quickly, that's your mission..." "Are you assuming?" "My assumption is actual!" "No! That's your imagination!" "That's enough, you damn liar!" "gentlemen……" "Out of politeness, I can take back the word 'hateful'! Let me say, there is something in the letter you've been thinking about, okay? . . . " The notary may think that after Pierre has finished speaking, he will tell the secret!You see, his little eyes sparkle like rubies. No!The Saint-Malo man was furious, and he turned purple with rage, but kept his mouth shut: "Yes, man, it's not what you worry about in the letter, that my father was a great help to the governor, no! It's four numbers... Do you hear? Four numbers..." "Four numbers?" Boo Omar murmured. "Yes! There are four figures in the letter, each word is worth 12.5 million francs, and I will leave it to you! That's all, I've talked a lot! . . . Goodbye . . . " Antiphere put his hands in his pockets, whistled and left.He didn't even know what he was blowing, anyway, it didn't sound like Chopin's music, but a bit like the barking of wild dogs. Bo Omar was stunned, as if nailed there, like a mountain god, a boundary stone, and he could have played tricks on sailors as easily as he could have played on an Egyptian peasant.God knows, did He ever carry out such blackmails on those unfortunate peasants? His firm was first class in Alexandria. Omar was at a loss and glared at the St. Malo man leaving. He dragged his heavy steps, his lower body swayed, shrugged his left shoulder for a while, shrugged his right shoulder for a while, and gesticulated, as if his friend was there As if receiving a storm of rage from him. Suddenly, Antiphere stopped, what blocked his way? ... This obstacle is a thought that just came into his mind, he forgot something, ... Then he approached the notary again, who remained as motionless as a tree that Daphne had been turned into by falling out of favor. "Mr. Bo Omar?" he said. "What are you going to do?" "One more thing to pour into your eardrums!" "What's up?" "It's the number..." "Ah! Number?..." "My house number... No. 3 Gaofang Street...you know it, maybe you need it when you want to come to my house..." "The day I went to your house?" "Fifty million francs in my pocket!" After speaking, he left again, and the notary's legs were weak and he couldn't hold on, so he had to pray for reconciliation.