Chapter 13 Chapter Thirteen

The spaceship landed silently on the edge of a wide clearing, about a hundred yards from the village. It came suddenly, beyond anyone's expectations, but without any needless ostentation.The previous second had been a perfectly normal early fall afternoon - the leaves were just starting to turn red and gold, the river was starting to rise with rain from the northern mountains, and the pica's feathers were starting to thicken and thicken for the coming winter, absolutely normal The beasts may start their earth-shattering plain migration at any time, and the old brush Xiba also began to wander around the village, muttering words: This is his rehearsal in advance, carefully crafting the memorabilia of the past year.Once night fell and everyone had nowhere to go, they had to sit around the fire, listening to him tell these stories, and muttering that they didn't remember it like this-the next second the spaceship was sitting upright. The ground, glistening in the warm autumn sun.

It buzzed for a while, then the sound stopped. This spaceship is not too big.If the villagers were airship experts, they would have recognized it immediately as a playful four-cabin kurandi lightship, with sleek lines and all the accessories available in the sales brochure, except for the high-end vertical drop stabilizer.Of course, only a coward would put this on a boat.With the Advanced VTOL Stabilizer, you'll never want to take a cool sharp turn along the 3D horizontal timeline again.Well, it is indeed slightly safer, but it is suffocating to operate. Of course, the villagers knew nothing about it.The planet Ramla is located in a remote location, and most of the residents have never seen what a spaceship looks like, at least they have certainly not seen a complete one.When the boat glowed warmly in the evening sun, they all had the feeling that they had not seen anything so marvelous since Kolp had caught a fish with two heads on each end.

Everyone fell silent. A second or two ago, there were two or three dozen people hanging around, chatting, chopping firewood, carrying water, teasing the pica or just being good-natured and avoiding the Sheba, and suddenly all activity froze, and everyone They all turned around and looked at the strange object with surprise on their faces. In fact, it is not everyone, and the surprise tendency of the pica is quite different: a normal leaf accidentally falls on the ground, and they can fly away inexplicably in amazement. Every morning, they see the sunrise without any precautions. Then they were taken aback; but the alien spaceship from another world did not interest them in any way.They continued to peck grass seeds on the ground and eat, coughing, licking, bluffing and other sounds while eating; the wide river also continued to bubble quietly.

In addition, the out-of-key singing still rang out from the last thatched hut on the left, undiminished in the slightest. Suddenly, with a slight tick and hum, a door stretched out from the spaceship, and for a minute or two there seemed to be no other movement except the singing of the last hut on the left.The thing just sat there. Some villagers, especially boys, began to move forward bit by bit, trying to get a better view.Old Brush Shiba tried to drive them back.This is exactly the situation that the old brush Shiba doesn't want to see the most-he never predicted that such a thing would happen, not at all, and even if he could find a way to knead this into his coherent story, it would be difficult It's really too big.

He pushed the boys away, strode forward, raised his arms high, and held his ancient, knobby cane in one hand.The warm, long rays of the setting sun fell beautifully on him, and he was ready to welcome any gods there, as if he had been waiting for them all along. Still nothing. Gradually, everyone found that someone in that ship was obviously arguing about something.Time passed by, and Old Shiba's arm ached. Suddenly the gangway retracted again. For Brush Xiba, the problem became very simple now.They were demons, and he succeeded in exorcising them.The reason why he did not predict this event was entirely out of prudence and modesty.

Almost immediately after, another section of the gangway protruded from the side of the spaceship facing away from Sheba, and two figures finally appeared on it. They were still bickering, completely ignoring other people, even ignoring Sheba—— From where they stood they couldn't see him anyway. Old Brush Shiba bit his beard angrily. Keep standing here with your arms raised?Kneel down to them and point your wand at them?Stumbling back a few steps, as if overwhelmed by a great inner struggle?Or just go find a tree in the woods and live for a year without talking to anyone? He finally decided to drop his arms coolly, as if he had accomplished what he wanted to do.They really hurt so badly that he doesn't really have much choice.Shu Xiba gestured a relatively concealed secret gesture towards the closed gangway - which he just invented on the spur of the moment.Then he stepped back three and a half steps, so that at least he could get a good view of the two men, so he could decide what to do next.

The taller one was a beautiful woman with soft, wrinkled clothes.Old Sheba didn't know it, but they were made of a new synthetic material perfect for space travel, because they looked best when they were wrinkled and sweaty. The shorter one was a girl, clumsy and unhappy, her clothes looked at their worst when they were wrinkled and sweaty, and she almost certainly knew it herself. All eyes were on them both except the picas, who had something to see of their own. The woman stood there and looked around.With a determined application on her face, she clearly knew what she wanted, but wasn't quite sure where to find it.Her eyes swept across the crowd of villagers watching the excitement, looking at one face after another, but she didn't seem to find what she was looking for.

Brush Xiba didn't know how to play this scene at all, so he decided to pin his hopes on singing.He threw back his head and started howling, but was interrupted immediately by a new melody erupting from the last Sandwich Master's hut to his left.The woman turned her head suddenly, a smile gradually appearing on her face.She started walking towards the hut without even looking at Old Sheba. There is an art in the sandwich business that reveals itself only to the very few who have the leisure to explore it in depth.The production itself is not complicated, but the opportunities for satisfaction are many and deep: such as choosing the right bread.The sandwich guru spent months discussing and experimenting daily with the baker, Graalp, before the pair finally created a bread that fit perfectly — dense enough to slice cleanly, while still being crisp, Soft, yet with a subtle nutty aroma that best enhances the roasted beast.

The geometry of the bread slices also needs to be refined: the width and height of each slice must have a precise relationship, and its thickness must give the sandwich the correct sense of volume and weight.Plus, softness is still a virtue, but just as important is firm, full body, and that desire for juicy, lingering flavor that is the hallmark of the best sandwiches. Of course, the right tools are absolutely critical.Many days, when the Sandwich Master wasn't at the oven with the baker, he spent with Slinder the Toolmaker.The two work together to determine the weight and balance of the pocket knives, take them to the forge and back again.Flexibility, strength, sharpness, length and balance, all of which have been discussed enthusiastically. They put forward various theories, tests, and scrutiny. How many evenings can people see the figures of sandwich masters and tool masters in the sunset; And in the tool master's forging room, they hold small knives and slowly cut through the air, one after another, to see the weight of one and the balance of the other, as well as the flexibility of the third and the balance of the fourth. handle.

A total of three knives are required.The first was the bread-knife: firm, majestic and razor-sharp, capable of imposing a clear, definite will upon the bread, and then the butter-knife, a springy little thing, but as straight as a spine.The first few releases put too much emphasis on bouncy, but now, the combination of flexibility and a strong core has just the right smoothness and elegance that belong to the highest state of smudge art. Of course, the best of all knives is the butcher's knife.Not only must the knife impose its will on the medium it passes through, like a bread knife, but it must also cooperate with it, allowing the texture of the meat to guide itself in cutting soft, thin slices from the meat to achieve the ultimate. Beautiful density and transparency.Then, the sandwich master will flick his wrist with smooth movements, place the slices of meat on the base of perfectly proportioned bread slices, quickly rise and fall four times to put the toppings on, and finally start to rise so that all the children in the village can gather and wait eagerly. The magic of hope; just need to shake the knife up and down flexibly, he can gather all the ingredients into a few large pieces of canine teeth and arrange them seamlessly.For each sandwich, the size and shape of the ingredients are different, but the sandwich master can always easily assemble them into mutually matching graphics without hesitation.Another layer of meat, another layer of toppings, and the feat of creation is complete.

Next, the sandwich master hands over his finished portion to his assistant, who adds slices of vegetables and a splash of Spritz strawberry jam, covers the top layer of bread, and ends with a fourth knife—the In comparison, it seems a relatively ordinary handful-cut the sandwich.It's not that these operations don't require skill, but they're low-level skills that deserve a dedicated apprentice.One day, when the sandwich master finally lays down his tools, the apprentice will inherit his mantle.It was a position of respect, and Drinker, the apprentice, was the envy of his companions.Some people in the village are content to chop firewood, and some people are happy to carry water, but if you become a sandwich master, it is simply heaven. So the Sandwich Master is always singing while he works. He's making sandwiches with the last bit of bacon left over from the year.It's slightly past its most delicious season, but the rich taste of the absolute normal beast is still there, stronger than any meat that the sandwich master has tasted before.It was predicted that the absolutely normal beasts would begin their customary migration next week, when the whole village would once again be in a frenzy: everyone hunted, killing perhaps half a dozen or even seven of the thousands of beasts rumbling past.Then they had to be cut and washed quickly; most of the meat had to be salted so that they could last through the winter, and it was absolutely normal for the beasts to come back in the spring to replenish the villagers' reserves. The best meat is grilled right away for a feast celebrating the passing of autumn.The event will last for three days. Everyone eats, drinks and dances to their heart's content, and listens to the story of the hunt told by Lao Shiba.Everyone else in the village was out hunting, but old Sheba was busy sitting in his hut thinking, and that's how the hunting story was made. The best meat will be saved from the banquet, and when it is cold, it will be sent to the house of the Sandwich Master, who will use the skills he brought from the gods to make a wonderful third season sandwich.The whole village would share and then, the next day, prepare for the coming harsh winter. Today he's making just plain sandwiches—if "normal" can be used for such a lovely delicacy.Today his assistant was away, so the Sandwich Master himself did the grooming, which he did with pleasure.In fact, he seemed delighted with everything. He cut, he sang.He tossed each slice of bacon deftly on top of the bread, trimming it neatly, filling the vacant spots with scraps.A little salad, a little sauce, another piece of bread, a sandwich, and another "Yellow Submarine". "Hello, Arthur." The sandwich guru almost cut off his own thumb. The woman had already boldly strode into the Sandwich Master's hut, and all the villagers looked at her in astonishment.The Sandwich Master came among them in a fiery chariot, a gift from the Almighty Bob.At least that's what Old Brush Shiba said, and Old Brush Shiba is an authority on the subject.Yes, at least Sheba claims to be an authority on the subject, and Sheba is... blah blah blah.There's really nothing to argue about these things. Some villagers also wondered why the almighty Bob would let his only son Sandwich Master go down to the mortal world in a flaming chariot, why didn't he choose another means of transportation, such as the one with less noise, and finally Better not destroy half the forest, fill it with ghosts, and save Sandwich Master from getting seriously injured.To which old Sheba replied that it was Bob's ineffable will; and when they asked him what he meant by ineffable, he replied that if he wanted to know he would look it up himself. This is a little difficult, because the only dictionary is in the hands of the old brush Shiba, and he refuses to lend it to them.They asked him why he didn't borrow it, and he replied that they could not know the will of Almighty Bob; they asked him why he couldn't, and he replied that it was because I said so.Anyway, in the end someone sneaked into the old Sheba's hut while he was out swimming, and looked it up in the dictionary for "unspeakable".It turns out that "unspeakable" means "no way to know, no way to describe, no way to say, impossible to know or talk about".Now it's clear. At least they have sandwiches. Old Sheeba said the other day that Bob the Almighty ordered him to be the first to eat the sandwiches, the Sheeba.The villagers asked him when this happened, and Shushiba replied that it was yesterday when they were not watching. "Have faith," said old Sheba, "or you'll go to hell!" They let him eat the sandwich first.This seems to be easier to understand. But now, a woman appeared out of nowhere, and headed straight for Sandwich Master's hut in a daze.Though his fame had spread far and wide, though it was hard to know where it had spread, because according to Old Shahiba, there was nowhere but here at all.Anyway, no matter where she came from, it was probably an unspeakable place.The point is that she has come, and entered the Sandwich Master's hut.Who is she?And who was that sullen girl hanging around outside the hut, kicking stones, with a look of reluctance on her face who clearly didn't want to be here?Isn't this a bit strange?If she didn't want to be here at all, why would she be in a chariot - obviously a huge improvement over the chariot of fire that brought the sandwich master - all the way from an unspeakable place come here? They all turned their gazes to Shashiba, but he was kneeling on the ground muttering words, his eyes fixed on the sky, determined not to meet anyone's gaze until he figured out something. "Cui Lien!" The sandwich master sucked his bright red finger, "how... who... when... where..." "These are exactly the questions I want to ask you." Trillian said while looking at Arthur's hut.His kitchen utensils are neatly arranged in the room, as well as some basic closets and shelves, and there is a simple small bed in the corner.There is another door opposite the main entrance, which is currently closed, and it is not known where it leads. "Fine," she said, but in a questioning tone, not quite understanding what it all meant. "Very good," said Arthur, "just wonderful. I can't believe I've been anywhere better. I'm happy here. They like me, I make them sandwiches, and... well, just So much more actually. They like me and I make them sandwiches." "Sounds like, uh..." "Like an idyll," said Arthur firmly. "It is. Exactly. I guess you might not like it, but for me, well, it's perfect for me. Listen, sit down, please, Take it easy. Want something to eat? Uh, how about a sandwich?" Trillian picked up a sandwich, looked at it, and carefully sniffed it. "Try it," said Arthur. "It's delicious." Trillian took a small bite, then a big one, and then chewed thoughtfully. "It's delicious." She looked at it. "The masterpiece of my life." Arthur tried to convey pride, and hoped he didn't sound like a complete fool.He was used to being admired a little bit by others, but now he needed to change gears in his mental state. This change came a bit suddenly. "What kind of meat is in here?" Trillian asked. "Ah yes, that's, uh, that's an absolutely normal beast." "What is it?" "Absolutely normal beast. Looks a bit like a cow, or more like a bull. Kind of like a buffalo actually. Big, likes to sprint." "Then what's weird about him?" "Nothing. Super normal." "I see." "It's just that its origin is a bit strange." Tricia frowned and stopped chewing. "Where did you come from?" She squeezed the words out of her overstuffed mouth.She didn't want to swallow this thing until the truth came out. "Well, it's not just where it came from, it's where it goes. It's ok, you can swallow it, it's perfectly safe. I've had it a lot. It's delicious, juicy, delicate, slightly Slightly sweet with an intense and lingering finish.” Cui Lien still didn't swallow it. "What the hell," she asked, "where did it come from and where did it go?" "They come from Mount Hondo a little bit east. It's the big ones behind us—you must have seen that when you came in, and then they're thousands and thousands of them rushing across the plains of Anhondo, and then, basically, that's it. That's where they come from and where they go." Cui Lien frowned.There was something here that she didn't quite understand. "Maybe I didn't make it too clear," said Arthur, "they're coming from Mount Horndo a little bit east, I mean they popped up all of a sudden. And then they just burst across the plains of Enhondow and just, uh, disappeared I should say yes. We have about six days to hunt before they disappear. They come back in the spring, lo and behold, just in a different direction." Trillian swallowed the sandwich hesitantly.The problem was, she had to swallow it or spit it out, and it actually tasted really good. "Understood." She confirmed that she didn't have any adverse reactions, "Then why do you still call them absolutely normal beasts?" "Well, I think it's because people think they're kind of weird if they don't. I think old Sheba started calling them that. He said they come from where they come from and go where they go and this is Bob The will of the uncle is nothing else." "Who……" "You don't want to know." "Well, you look good." "I feel fine. You look fine, too." "Yes, excellent." "Well, that's good." "That's right." "right." "right." "Glad you stopped by." "thanks." After being separated for so long, it's really hard for you to find anything to say anymore. "I guess you're wondering how I found you," Trillian said. "That's right!" said Arthur. "That's what I thought. How did you find me?" "Well, I don't know if you've heard, I'm working for that Asia-Ethernet Media Network—" "I do know," Arthur suddenly remembered, "yes, you did a great job. Very exciting. Beautiful job. Must be very interesting." "Tired as hell." "Rushing all over the place, I guess it must be very tiring, yes." "We have access to almost any resource. I found your name on that crashed ship." Arthur was stunned. "You mean they knew the ship had crashed?" "Of course they know, I said. A whole flight is gone, someone will find out." "But you mean they know where the ship fell? Know that I'm still alive?" "That's right." "But I don't see any search or rescue or anything. Nothing." "No way, there are very complex insurance issues involved. They just buried the whole thing and pretended it didn't happen. The insurance industry is totally nuts right now. You know what, they're back to using the death penalty for insurance The boss of the company." "Really?" asked Arthur. "No, I haven't heard of it. What's the charge?" Cui Lien frowned. "What do you mean. Charge?" "Understood." Trillian looked at Arthur for a while, and then said in a new tone, "It's time for you to take responsibility, Arthur." Arthur tried to understand the sentence.He often found it took him a while to figure out what the other person was trying to say, so he let the time pass at his leisure.Today's life is so comfortable and so relaxed, there is plenty of time to wait for things to come to light.He waited for a while. But he still didn't quite understand what she meant, so he finally had to tell the truth. Cui Lien gave him a cool smile, then turned to face the small door of the hut. "Langdon?" she called. "Come in, come in and meet your father!"