Chapter 13 2. Ivory

The owner of Iria in Xichi Village is Lord Hua. Although he has no old house, he owns the richest central area in the old territory.His father, more interested in vineyards and orchards than in disputes with relatives, left him a thriving estate.Lord Hua hired people to manage the farm, winery, cooper workshop, carriage house, etc., and enjoyed the benefits himself.He married the timid daughter of the brother of the lord of Wayforth, and he was satisfied with the thought of her noble blood. It was fashionable among the nobles to employ legitimate wizards trained on the Isle of the Wise, with wands and gray cloaks, and so Lord Iria of Westpool sent a wizard from Roke.He was amazed how easy it was to get a wizard if he could afford it.

This young man named Ivory, who had not yet acquired the staff and cloak, explained that he was about to become a wizard when he returned to Roke, and that his master had ordered him to travel and gain knowledge, because the college courses could not give what he needed to become a wizard. experience.Lord Hua was a little skeptical when he heard that, but Ivory assured him that the training he had received in Roke was enough to equip him with all the magic that Iria of the West Pool Village on Way Island needed.To prove it, he conjures a herd of reindeer across the dining hall, after which a flock of swans gracefully flies in through the south wall, out through the north wall, and finally a silver basin pops up in the middle of the table, with a fountain bouncing in it.The lord and his family carefully imitated the wizard and filled the cup with spring water to taste it, and found that it was sweet golden wine. "Wine from the Andro Islands." The young man said with a humble and gentle smile.At this time, he had already won the favor of the lord's wife and daughter. Master Hua thought that the young man was worth the price, but he still preferred the dry farni red wine from his own vineyard, as long as he drank enough, it was enough to make people drunk. Yellow liquid is just honey water.

If a young sorcerer was looking for experience, what he found in Xichi Village was lackluster.Whenever Birch has guests from Kember Mouth or neighboring territories, reindeer, swans, golden bouquets make appearances, and some very nice fireworks on warm spring evenings.But if the manager of the orchard and the vineyard came to the master to ask whether the wizard could cast a spell on this year's pear trees to increase the yield, or chant a spell on the Fani vines in Nanshan to drive away the black spot disease, Lord Hua would say: "Sorcerer Roke won't demean himself to deal with these things, and call the village warlocks to do the work!" When the young girl contracted a chronic cough, Mrs. Hua didn't bother the wise young man, but humbly went to the old Iria Rose, please come in through the back door, mix a paste, sing a spell, and restore her daughter to health.

Ivory never noticed the girl's illness, nor the pear trees or the vines.He lives alone.That's what a learned man should do.He didn't deny that he hadn't come here from Roke to stagger through the mud and dirt of the country lanes. His employer gave him a beautiful black mare, and he spent his days riding in the woods and fields. When traveling, he sometimes passed an old house on a hill among huge oak logs.Once, he left the small village road to ride up the hillside, but a group of skinny dogs with grinning teeth came running and roaring at him.The mare was afraid of the dogs and might jump up and run away, and after that he kept his distance from the house.But he is fond of beautiful scenery, he likes to look at the old house, and falls asleep in the light and shadow of the early summer afternoon.

He asked Master Hua about the place. "That's Iria," said Hua, "I mean, old Iria. The house was rightfully mine, but after hundreds of years of feud over it, my grandfather gave up the house and settled the dispute. If it wasn't The owner there is too drunk to speak, and he'll keep coming and arguing with me. Haven't seen the old man for years. I think he has a daughter." "Her name is Dragonfly, and she takes care of everything, and I think I saw her once last year. She's tall, and as beautiful as a tree in full bloom," said Maiden Rose, busily filling the few pages with the keen observations of a lifetime. Fourteen years.She stopped abruptly and coughed.Mother cast a mournful, longing look at the wizard.He will always hear the cough this time, right?He smiled at Little Rose, and the mother's heart was relieved.If Rose's cough meant something serious, he wouldn't have smiled at her like that, would he?

"The people from my hometown have nothing to do with us." Master Hua said displeased.The clever Ivory didn't ask any more questions, but wanted to meet the girl who was like a blossoming tree.He rode across the border of old Iria again and again, intending to stop at the village at the foot of the mountain to inquire, but there was no place to stop and no one to ask.A witch with bulging eyes glanced at him and hurried back to the hut.If he rode to the old house, he would have to face a pack of mad dogs and possibly a drunken old man.But it's worth a try, he thought.The boring life in Xichi Village made him flustered, and he was never afraid of taking risks.He rode up the hill until all the dogs were howling around him and biting between the mare's legs.It ducked down and kicked back hard with its hooves, and it was only the Valium spell and the strength of his arms that kept it from fleeing immediately.The dog targeted his legs instead, leaping and snapping.He was about to let the mare run away when someone came up to the dogs, yelled at them, and drove them back with a swing of the leash.After he finally stopped the foaming and panting mare, he saw the girl who was as beautiful as a blossoming tree.She was very tall and sweaty, with big hands, feet, mouth, nose, eyes, and wild dirty hair.She yelled at the whining dogs, "Back off! Go back to the house, you bastards, you sons of bitches!"

Ivory's hand pressed tightly against the right leg.The dog's teeth tore the calf, blood oozing out. "Is it hurt?" the woman asked, "Those wolf-hearted things!" She stroked the mare's right front leg, her hands stained with blood-stained sweat from the horse's body. "There, there. Brave girl, brave heart." The mare hung her head, trembling with reassurance. "Why do you keep letting it stand among the dogs?" the woman asked angrily.She knelt by the horse's legs, looking up at the ivory, and he looked down from the horse's back, but felt low and small.

She didn't wait for his response. "I'll lead it up the hill." She stood up as she said, reaching out to take the rein.Ivory knew that it was time to dismount, so he dismounted and asked, "Is it serious?" Then he looked down at the horse's legs, only seeing red, blood-stained foam. "Come on, my love," said the woman, not to him.The mare followed with confidence.They walked on a rough path, round the side of the hill, to an old brick stable, where there were no horses, only nesting swallows, chattering and chattering across the roof. "Keep it quiet," said the young woman, leaving him in this desolate place, rein in hand.Presently she returned with a heavy bucket and sponged the mare's wounded leg. "Take the saddle off," she said, impatiently, with a hint: "You fool!" Ivory obeyed her, half irritated and half curious about the rude giantess.He didn't think she looked like a tree in full bloom, but she was beautiful, a robust, fierce beauty.The mare obeyed without hesitation.She said, "Move your feet," and the mare moved her feet.The woman dried it all over, spread the soft blanket on the horse's back, and made sure it was standing in the sun. "It'll be fine," she said. "There's a cut, but if you wash it with warm salt water four or five times a day, it'll heal completely. I'm sorry." Sincere, as if she still wondered how he would let the mare stand there and be attacked, she looked him in the eye for the first time, eyes a clear brown-orange color like dark topaz or amber.Strange eyes, completely level with him.

"I'm sorry, too," he said, trying to speak lightly. "It is Iria's mare in Westpool. Are you the wizard?" He bowed. "Meet the Ivory of Havnor Grand Harbor. May I..." She interrupted, "I thought you came from Roke." "I am," he said, regaining his composure. Her eyes were fixed on him, dark as sheep's eyes, he thought.Then she blurted out: "Have you lived there? Have you studied there? Do you know the Archmage?" "Yes." He said slightly.Then he frowned and bent down, pressing his hands on his ankles for a moment.

"Are you hurt too?" "It's nothing serious," he said.In fact he was rather exasperated, the bleeding from the wound had stopped. The woman's gaze returned to his face. "There...there...Roke, what does it look like?" Ivory limped slightly, walked to the nearest stepping stone for the horse, and sat down.He stretched his legs, inspected the tear carefully, and then looked up at the woman. "It will take me a while to tell you what Roke looks like. But I'm more than happy." "The man is a wizard. Soon to be, at least," said Rose the Witch. "Wizard of Roke! You must not ask him questions!" She was not only indignant, but frightened.

"He doesn't mind." Dragonfly assured her, "It's just that he rarely answers positively." "Of course he won't!" "Why of course not?" "Because he is a wizard! Because you are a woman with no skills, no knowledge, no learning!" "You could have taught me! You just wouldn't!" Rose took everything she had taught, or could teach, with a wave of her finger, and discarded it like a bag of dust. "Okay, so I have to learn from him," said Dragonfly. "Wizards don't teach women. You're out of your wits." "Aren't you exchanging spells with Blue!" "Bru is a village warlock, this man is a wise man, he is learning advanced skills in Roke Hongxuan Hall!" "He told me what it looked like," Dragonfly said. "You have to go through the town first, Syl. There's a door that opens into the street, but it's closed. It looks like a normal door." The witch listens, unable to resist the temptation of secret disclosure and the infection of eager desire. "After knocking on the door, a man will answer the door. He looks ordinary. He will test. You have to say a word, a pass phrase, and he will let you in. If you don't know it, you will never get in, but If he lets you in, you will see, from the inside, that the door looks quite different, carved from horns, with a tree carved on it, and the frame carved from a dragon's tooth, in Eriah Dragons existed long, long before worship, before Morad, and before humans appeared in Earthsea. In the beginning, there were only dragons in the world. They found this tooth on Mount Owen in Havnor, the center of the world. The leaves were carved very lightly, Even light can see through, but the door is so strong that once the gatekeeper closes it, no spell can open it. Then the gatekeeper will lead you through the halls until you are lost and lost, Then it will suddenly come under the sky, that is Yongquan Court, the deepest and deepest place in Hongxuan Pavilion. If the Archmage is there, that is where he is..." "Go on," the witch murmured. "That's all he told me so far." Dragonfly said, returning to the mild and cloudy spring morning, the very familiar village path, and the front yard of Rose's house.Her own seven lactating rams chewed green grass and oak blossoms on Mount Iria. "He was very cautious when talking about those masters." Rose nodded. "But he told me about some students." "I suppose there's no harm in that." "I don't know." Dragonfly said: "It's wonderful to hear about the Hongxuan Pavilion, but I thought the people there should... I don't know. Of course, when they go, they are mostly just children, but I thought they would ..." She turned her gaze to the flock of sheep on the mountain, with a confused expression. "Some people are really bad and stupid," she whispered. "They have money, so they go to the academy. And they study there to get richer, or to have power." "Of course," said the Rose, "that's what they're there for!" "But power—the kind you told me—is not the same as asking someone to do what you want or pay you..." "Is it different?" "no the same!" "A word that can heal can also hurt; a hand that can kill can also heal. A cart that only goes in one direction is a poor cart," said the witch. "But in Roke, they learned to use the power rightly, not to hurt another, nor for selfish desires." "I feel like everything is selfish in some way, and one has to live. But what do I know? I live off what I can do, but I don't mess with great arts, dangerous skills , such as summoning the dead." Rose gestured to drive away the danger mentioned in the speech. "Everything is dangerous." Dragonfly said, looking through sheep, hills, and trees, looking straight into the still depths, a colorless and vast emptiness, like the clear sky before sunrise. Rose looked at her, knowing that she didn't know who Irian was or would be.A tall, strong, awkward, ignorant, innocent, angry woman, yes.But ever since Irian was a child, Rose had seen something richer in her, beyond her own being.When Irian looked away from the world in this way, it seemed to enter into places, or times, or beings beyond herself, beyond Rose's knowledge.At this time, Rose was afraid of her and worried about her. "Be careful." The witch said sternly, "everything is dangerous, it is true, it is especially dangerous to mess with wizards." Out of love, respect, and trust, Dragonfly never ignores Rose's warning, but she cannot regard Ivory as a dangerous person.She didn't know him well, but the thought of being afraid of him was always in her mind for a while.She thought he was clever and handsome, but she didn't think of him much except what he could tell her.Ivory knows what she wants to know, so she tells her bit by bit, although it is not what she really wants to know, but she wants to know more.He was patient, and she was grateful for that, knowing that his mind was much sharper than hers.Sometimes he smiled at her ignorance, but never sneered or blamed it.Like the witch, he answers questions with questions, but the answer to Rose's question is always something she already knows, while the answer to his question is something she has never imagined, surprised, disliked, or even painful, and will change her beliefs. Day by day, the two gradually got used to meeting and talking in the old stable of Iria. She asked him questions, and he told more, but he was reluctant and always kept secrets.She thought he was protecting the master, trying to protect Roke's bright image, until one day he finally gave in to her insistence and said without hesitation: "There are good people there, the great and wise archmage is of course, but he is gone. Those masters... some live in solitude, follow obscure knowledge, seek more forms and meanings, more real names, but use knowledge where nothing exists. Others Men hide their ambitions under the gray robe of wisdom. Roke is no longer the power of Earthsea, but now the court of Havnor is. Roke survives by the glory of the past, and resists the present by a thousand spells, but in that What else is there in the wall of spells? Disputing ambitions, fear of the new, fear of the young who challenge the power of the old. And there is nothing in the center. The empty atrium. The Archmage will never return." "How do you know?" she whispered. He looked stern. "The dragon carried him away." "Did you see that? Did you see that?" She clasped her hands, imagining the flight, without even hearing him answer. It was a long while before she returned to the sunshine, the stables, the questions and the puzzles. "But even if he's gone," she said, "there are always some masters who are really wise?" He looked up and spoke with hesitation and a melancholy smile. "You know what? The mysteries and the wisdom of the masters are all laid out in the sun, and there's not much left. It's all the tricks, the miraculous illusions, but people don't want to know that. They want the illusions, the mysteries. Who can blame them? There are so few things in life that are beautiful or worthwhile." As if to illustrate what he was saying, he picked up a small brick from the broken ground and threw it into the air.As he spoke, it flapped its slender blue wings and flew above the two of them.It's a butterfly.When he stretched out his finger, the butterfly landed; with a flick of his finger, the butterfly fell to the ground and became a broken brick. "Not much in my life is worthwhile," she said, staring down at the road. "I'll just manage the farm and find a way to stand up and tell the truth, but if I think even Roke Isle is full of tricks and lies, I'll hate the people who tease me and everybody. It can't be a lie. It can't be all Yes. The archmage did enter the labyrinth of Shirafaban and brought back the ring of peace. He did enter the death zone with the young king, defeated the spider mage, and returned to the human world. The king himself promised us this matter. Even here, There are also musicians who come to sing the ballad, and storytellers who come to tell the story." Ivory nods. "But the Archmage lost all power in the Land of the Dead. Maybe all magic was curtailed then." "Rose's spell is still working as usual," she said stubbornly. Ivory smile.He didn't say a word, but she saw how little the village witch's actions seemed to him, because he had seen great friendship and power.She sighed, and said from the bottom of her heart: "It would be great if I wasn't a woman!" He smiles again. "You are a beautiful woman," he said, but in a flattering tone than in the initial flattery, which she later revealed she hated. "Why do you want to be a man?" "Go to Roke! See and learn! Why? Why only men?" "Hundreds of years ago, the first great mage said so." Ivory said, "But... I don't understand it myself." "Nor do you?" "Often, for in the Great Hall and all the schools, day after day, only boys and men are seen; for knowing that all the townspeople are so enchanted that it is impossible to even set foot on the fields around Roke Knoll. After a few years, perhaps a distinguished lady can temporarily step into the outer court... Why is this? Don't women have the ability to understand? Or is the master afraid of them and afraid of falling because of it... No, it's because he is afraid that admitting women may change their prison The rules that can't be let go make them unable to maintain the purity of the rules..." "Women can live as chaste as men." Dragonfly Lu Zhi said.She knew that she was straightforward and rough, while he was subtle, but she could only be herself like this. "Of course," he said, with a wider smile. "But witches aren't necessarily chaste, are they? Maybe that's what the masters were afraid of. Maybe abstinence isn't as necessary as Roke's Law teaches. Maybe it's not a way to keep power pure, but a way to monopolize power. Exclude women, Exclude everyone who doesn't want to be a eunuch to get that kind of power... Who knew? The female mage! That would change everything, change all norms!" She could see his thoughts flying before hers, picking up thoughts, transforming them like bricks into butterflies.She couldn't dance with him, couldn't play with him, but she looked at him with wonder. "You can go to Roke," he said, his eyes bright with excitement and mischief and adventure.Faced with her begging, disbelieving silence, he insisted, "You can do it. You are a woman, but there are many ways to change your appearance. You have the heart, courage, and will of a man. You can enter the Hongxuan Pavilion. I know you can." "Then what am I going to do there?" "Same as the rest of the students. Living alone in the stone room, learning to be wise! It may not be what you dream of, but that's what you have to learn." "I can't. They'll find out. I can't even get in. There's a gatekeeper, you say. I don't know what to say to him." "By the way, there are customs clearance codes. But I can teach you." "Can you? Are they accurate?" "I don't care if it's right or not," he said, frowning, something she had never seen before. "The Archmage himself said, 'Rules are made to be broken.' Injustice creates them. Courage breaks them. If you have the courage, so do I!" She looked at him, speechless.She stood up, and then she walked out of the stable, across the hill, and stepped on the trail that climbed around the hill halfway.Her favorite dog, a huge, ugly, big-headed hound, followed behind.There was a slope above the swampy spring, and there she stopped at last.Ten years ago, the rose named her in this spring.The dog sat behind her, looking up into her face.Her mind was in turmoil, and she just kept repeating: I can go to Roke and find out who I am. She looked west, past the reeds, the weeping willows, and the hills beyond.The entire western sky is empty and clear.She stood still, her soul seemed to float up to that sky, fly away, fly away from her body. There was a small sound coming down the path, the soft wah-wah of a mare's hooves.The dragonfly regained consciousness, called Xiang Fang loudly, and ran down the mountain to him. "I'm going." He hadn't deliberately planned such an adventure, but the absurdity of it made him like the idea more and more.The thought of spending a long, gray winter in Xichi made his heart feel like a sinking stone.There is nothing here, only the girl Dragonfly gradually fills up her thoughts.So far, he has completely bowed to her powerful and innocent power, but he did what he liked, so that she could do what he liked in the end, he thought, this competition is worth fighting, and if she really goes away with him , he also won.As for the fun of the whole thing, although she was not sure about letting her infiltrate Roke Academy pretending to be a man, but considering the sanctimonious and pompous attitude of the master and those sycophants, this kind of blasphemous idea made him proud.If he happened to succeed, he could actually get a woman through that door, even for a moment, what sweet revenge it would be! Money is an issue.Of course, the girl would think that since he is a great wizard, he can put the two of them on a magic boat with a flick of a finger and sail across the sea with the magic wind, but when he told her that she must book a seat on the boat, she just said: "I have money for the trip." .” He cherished her country slang.Sometimes she frightened him and taught him resentment.Her dreams were never of her submitting to him, but of him submitting himself to some fierce, destructive sweetness, into an embrace of extinction, of her beyond the limits of comprehension, and of him insignificant.He awoke from the dream in shock and shame.In the daylight, he saw her huge, dirty hands, and heard her talk like a bumpkin, an idiot, and he regained his sense of superiority. He only hoped that someone could hear him repeat her slang, if it was him in Dagang before. Absolutely wow my friend. "I have the travel expenses." He murmured and repeated, rode back to Xichi, and said with a smile, "That's right!" He said out loud.The black mare flicked her ears. He told Lord Hua that he had received a biography from Master Rokeshou, asking him to leave immediately, so of course he couldn't say what happened, but once he got there, it shouldn't take much time, half a month to go, half a month to return, Will be back before the month off at the latest.He had to ask Lord Hua to let him advance his salary, pay for the boat and accommodation, after all Wizard Roke couldn't use other people's kindness to supply what he needed, but should pay for the travel expenses like ordinary people.Lord Hua agreed to this, so I had to give Ivory a purse, which was the first real money Ivory had in his pocket for many years: ten ivory coins, engraved with the river otter of Xu Lisi on one side, and the peace rune on the other, to King Lebanon pays homage. "Everyone with the same name? How are you?" he said when he was alone with the currency. "You will get along with the money." He didn't reveal many plans to Dragonfly, because he didn't plan much, and wanted to rely on luck and cleverness. In the past, whenever he had the opportunity to display his cleverness, he was rarely disappointed.The girl hardly asks a word. "Am I going to be a man all the way?" Yes one asked. "Yes," he said, "but only in disguise. I will put the Disguise Charm on you when we are on Roke." "I thought it was a transformation spell," she said. "That would be unwise," he said, mimicking the succinct seriousness of the Transformation Master. "If necessary, I will use it naturally, but you will find that wizards use grand and profound spells with deep meaning." "All in one," she said, accepting what he said in the simplest sense, as always. "Perhaps the power of this craft is not what it used to be," he said, not understanding why he was trying to weaken her belief in witchcraft. Perhaps it would be to his advantage to diminish her strength, her wholeness.At first, he was just trying to lure her into bed, a game he loved, but the game had become a competition he hadn't expected and couldn't stop.Now, he was determined not to win her, but to beat her.He had to prove to her and to himself that his past dreams meant nothing. Earlier, impatient with courting her great outward indifference, he had prepared a sorcerer's seduction spell—a spell he despised, though he knew it would work.He cast spells on her while she was mending the bridle (as she would do), but it didn't spark the urgency of the girls from Havnor and Syl.Dragonfly gradually became silent and gloomy, and stopped asking about Roke again and again, and no longer responded to his words.He approached extremely tentatively, took her hand, and she punched him on the head, making him dizzy.He watched her stand up, without saying a word, and stride out of the stable, followed briskly by her beloved ugly dog, who turned her head and grinned at him. She walked to the old house.After the buzzing in his ears stopped, Thieves followed, hoping the spell would work, it was just her particularly rough way of leading him to the bed after all.As he approached the house, he heard the sound of broken vessels.The drunken father staggered out of the house, appearing to be in a state of fear and bewilderment. Behind him, Dragonfly scolded loudly and severely: "Get out, you drunken, rotten traitor! You dirty and shameless pervert!" "She took my cup," the Lord of Iria murmured to the stranger like a puppy, and the rest of the dogs surrounded him, clamoring. "She broke it." Ivory left and did not return for two days.On the third day he rode tentatively through Old Iria, and she came striding up the hills to meet him. "Ivory, I'm sorry," she said, looking at him with smoky orange eyes. "What happened to me that day, I was angry, but not to you. I apologize to you." He was magnanimous, forgave her, and tried no love spells on her again. Soon, he thought now, he would gain the power to control her without reciting mantras.He finally found out how to get this power, and she voluntarily handed it into his hands.Her strength and will are amazing, but fortunately, she is stupid, and he is not stupid. Lord Birch will send a coachman to carry six barrels of ten-year Farney wine ordered by the wine merchant to the port of Kember Mouth.He was happy to send his fellow wizards as bodyguards, because this kind of wine is very precious, even though the young king has rectified the world as soon as possible, there are still bandits on the road.Therefore, Ivory rode in a large carriage drawn by four large horses, bumping slowly, with wobbly legs.At the foot of Donkey's Egg Mountain, a rough-looking figure appeared from the side of the road and asked the coachman to give him a ride. "I don't know you," said the coachman, lashing his whip to frighten strangers, but Ivory came round the end of the cart and said, "Good man, give that boy a ride. He can do no harm with me by your side." .” "Then please watch him, sir," said the coachman. "It will," said Ivory, winking at Dragonfly.She didn't respond, under her clever attire of dirt, old tenant farmer's smock, leggings, and dirty bonnet.Even when they were sitting side by side, legs dangling at the end of the carriage, with six vats of wine bobbing between them and the drowsy driver, she still played her part.Lazy summer hills and fields pass slowly, slowly, and Ivory tries to tease her, and she just shakes her head.Perhaps now that she was leaving, she was afraid of this crazy scheme.No way of knowing.She was strangely quiet and serious.Once this woman gives in to me, I might be bored, Ivory thought.The thought almost overwhelmed him, but when he looked at her, the desire died away before her massive, physical presence. The road traversed the once-entire territory of Iria without even a single inn.As the sun approached the western plains, they stopped at a farm that provided stables for the horses and a garage for the carriages, with a straw stack on the top of the stables for the coachman.The stables were dark and stuffy, and the straw was musty.Although the dragonfly was lying within three feet, the ivory had no desire at all.She played the role of a man thoroughly all day, which made him dubious.Maybe she could really fool the old man!he thinks.The thought made him fall asleep grinning. The next day, bumping through a summer thunderstorm or two, they arrived at dusk at Kember Mouth, a thriving walled port city.The two let the coachman go to deal with the master's affairs, and found a hotel by the port to stay.Dragonfly quietly looked at the cityscape, maybe in awe, or condemnation, or just indifferent. "It's a nice town," said Ivory, "but the only city in the world is Havnor." Unmoved, she said only, "Ships don't trade with Roke very often, do they? Look, does it take a long time to find a ship to take us?" "As long as I have a wand," he said. She stopped looking around and strode thoughtfully for a moment.She moves beautifully, boldly and gracefully, with her head held high. "You mean they buy wizards? But you're not a wizard." "That's just a formality. A senior warlock can carry a wizard's staff when he handles Roke's business. I'm one now." "Take me to count?" "Bring students to them, forget it. It's still a student with outstanding talents!" She stopped asking.She never argues, which is one of her virtues. That night, when she was having dinner at the Dock Hotel, she asked with rare shyness: "Do I have any outstanding talents?" "According to my judgment, you have." She meditates—talking to her is often very slow—and then says: "Rose says I have power, but she doesn't know what kind of power, and I... I know I have, but I don't know what." "You're going to dig on Roke," he said, raising his glass to her.For a moment, she raised her glass and smiled at him, so softly and brilliantly that he couldn't help but say, "May you find what you're looking for!" "If you can find it, it's because of you," she said.In that moment he fell in love with her true heart, and was willing to give up all thought of her as a partner in a daring adventure, a great joke. The hotel was crowded and they had to share a room with two other travelers.Ivory thought purely that night, and made fun of herself a little for it. The next day, he plucked a sprig of herbs from the inn's vegetable garden and turned it into a wonderful witch's staff, as tall as his body, covered with copper at the head and tail. "What kind of wood is this?" Dragonfly asked fascinatedly when she saw it, and when he answered "rosemary" with a smile, she also smiled. The two proceeded along the pier, asking if there was a ship going south that would take a wizard and his apprentice to the Isle of the Wise.It didn't take long to find a heavy merchant ship and headed to Vasuo. The captain was willing to take the wizard for free, and the apprentice half price.Even half the price would cost half the running money, but they could have a cabin, because the "Sea Otter" was a decked two-masted ship. While speaking with the captain, a carriage pulled up to the pier and began unloading six large barrels of familiar wine. "That's our wine," said Ivory.The captain said: "It will be sent to Huot Town." The dragonfly said softly: "Iria is born." She glanced back to land.It was the only time he saw her look back. The ship's weatherman came aboard shortly before departure, not a wizard of Roke, but a weather-beaten man in a tattered sailing cloak.Ivory shows off her wand a little to meet him.The sorcerer looked him up and down, and said, "This boat allows one person to control the weather. If it wasn't for me, I would get off the boat." "Master Wind Bag, I'm just a passenger, and I'm happy to entrust the wind to you." Warlock looked at the dragonfly standing upright like a tree without saying a word. "Okay," he said.These were his last words to Ivory. However, during the trip, the weatherman had a few conversations with Dragonfly, which made Ivory a little uneasy.Her ignorance could put her in danger and implicate him.What the hell was she talking about with the windbag master?He asked, and she replied, "Talk about our future." He stared blankly. "All of us, the Isle of Way, and the Isle of Fekway, and Havnor, and Vasor, and Roke. All the people of the Isles. He said that last autumn when King Lepinan was to be crowned, he sent to Gont, Wanted to ask the previous archmage to crown him, but the archmage refused, and there was no new archmage, so the king put the crown on himself. Some people said that was wrong, he was not orthodox to the throne, but others said that the king himself was the new archmage A mage. But he is not a wizard, but a king, and so it is said that the dark age will come again, when justice will not rule, and witchcraft will be used for evil." After a while of silence, Ivory asked: "That old weatherman said this?" "I think it's a folk rumor." Dragonfly said with earnest simplicity. A weatherman is at least better than a craft. River Otter scrambled southward, encountering summer squalls and swells, but never storms or treacherous winds.They loaded and unloaded on the north shore of the Isle of Ile, Irian, the Isle of Ray, Comery, and the Port of O, and then went west, carrying passengers to Roke.Ivory faced west, anxious, he knew too well how well protected Roke was.If the Ruoke wind blows in the opposite direction, he knows that neither he nor the weather master can survive. If this is the case, Dragonfly will definitely ask, why?Why does the wind blow in the opposite direction? He was glad to see that the sorcerer was also worried, standing beside the helmsman, staring straight at the top of the mast, ready to reef the sail if the wind was even slightly to the west, but the wind was blowing steadily from the north.The wind blew with thunder, and the ivory went down to the cabin, but the dragonfly stayed on the deck.She was afraid of water, she had told him.She can't swim.She had said, "It must be terrible to drown...not to be able to breathe..." She shuddered at the thought.It was the only time she had ever shown any fear of anything.但她不喜欢低矮局促的舱房，因此白天都待在甲板上，温暖的夜晚也睡在那儿。象牙未试图劝她入船舱，如今他知道诱劝毫无用处，要拥有她就必须征服她，只要能来到柔克，他就会成功。 他再度爬上甲板。天气逐渐放晴，随着太阳渐落，西方云堆拨散，高耸深黑的山陵后显露金色天际。 象牙带着一种渴望的恨意望着那座山丘。 “小伙子，那是柔克圆丘。”天候师对一旁站在栏杆边的蜻蜒说道。“我们现在要驶入绥尔湾。那里只有他们要的风向。” 船深入海湾、下锚时，天色已黑，象牙对船长说道：“我天亮时上岸。” 在两人狭小船舱中，蜻蜓坐着等他，神情严肃如昔，但眼中散发兴奋光芒。“我们天亮时上岸。”他对她重复，她点头，毫无异议。 她说：“我看起来还好吗？” 他坐在自己狭窄铺位，看着她坐在她狭窄的铺位。两人不能面对面，因为膝盖无处可放。在偶港时，她依照他的建议，为自己买件体面衬衫与长裤，好看起来更像学院新生。她的脸因风伤脱皮，脂粉末施，头发编成棍棒状，和象牙的发式一样。她也把手洗个干净，那双手平躺在她大腿上，长而强劲的双手，像男人的手。 “妳看起来不像男人。”他说，她脸沉了下来。“我看来不像。妳在我眼中永远不像男人。不过别担心。他们看妳会像的。” 她点点头，一脸忧心。 “蜻蜓，第一桩考试是很大的试炼。”他说道。他每晚独自躺在船舱时，都在盘算这段对话。“通过后方能进入宏轩馆，方能通过那扇门。” “我想过这件事。”她说，语气急切诚恳。“我难道不能直接告诉他们我是谁吗？有你在那里为我担保，说我即使是女子，也有某些天赋，我答应会发誓，设下守贞咒，如果他们希望，我也可以离群独居……” 他不停摇头。“不行，不行，不行，不行。无望。无用。死路一条！” “即使你……” “即使我为妳抗辩。他们不会听的。柔克律条禁止教导女性任何高深技艺、任一创生真语。从古至今，一向如此。他们不会听的，所以要让他们亲眼看到！我们会让他们看到，妳跟我。我们会教训他们。妳必须勇敢，蜻蜓，妳不能软弱，不能想：『如果我恳求他们，他们一定无法拒绝我。』他们可以拒绝妳，也一定会拒绝妳。如果妳暴露自己的身分，他们就会惩罚妳。还有我。”他最后一字以沉重语气加强，且内心暗道：“消灾。” 她凝视他，眼神难解，终于问道：“我该怎么办？” “妳相信我吗，蜻蜒？” "believe." “妳是否完全、全然信任我，明白我为妳冒的险比妳冒的险更严重？” "yes." “那妳必须告诉我，妳会对守门师傅说的词。” 她瞠目而视：“但我以为你要告诉我……密语。” “他向妳要求的密语，就是妳的真名。” 他让这句话沉淀片刻，然后柔声续道：“为了在妳身上施加易容咒，让咒语完整深刻到柔克师傅只会看到男身的妳，我也必须知道妳的真名。”他再度停顿。他说，似乎觉得自己句句实言，因此话音温柔，令人动容：“我很久以前就能得知妳的真名，但我不用那些技艺。我要妳信任我，能够亲口说出。” 她正低头看双手，紧抱膝头。在船舱灯笼投射的暗淡红光下，睫毛在她双颊投射出纤细秀长的影子。她抬起头，直视他，“我的真名是伊芮安。”她说。 he smiles.她没有微笑。 He said nothing.其实他无话可说。如果他早知会如此轻易，数天前、数周前，就能获得她的真名，获得随心所欲操控她的力量，只要假装进行这疯狂计策——不用放弃薪俸与岌岌可危的声望、不用经历这段航程、不用老远跑来柔克以达目的！如今他觉得整个计划愚蠢无比。他绝无法将她伪装到能够骗过守门师傅。他想如师傅羞辱他般羞辱他们的计划，尽是镜花水月。他执迷于欺瞒这女孩，才会掉入为她铺设的陷阱。他苦涩地了悟，他总是相信自己的谎言，缠入自己辛苦织就的罘网。他一度在柔克丢人现眼，如今又回到此处，走回头路。一阵强大凄凉的愤怒汹涌而上。没有用，什么都没有用。 "What's wrong?" she asked.她深沉沙哑的温柔嗓音瓦解他的男性自尊，他将脸埋在手里，抗拒耻辱的泪水。 她将手放在他膝头，这是她首次碰触他。他已浪费太多光阴渴求她的碰触，而今他承受这碰触的温暖及重量。 他想伤害她，把她从可怖无知的善良中撞击出来，但他终于开口时，说的却是：“我原本只想和妳做爱。” "do you want?" “妳以为我是他们那些太监吗？我会用咒法将自己阉割成圣人吗？妳以为我为什么没有巫杖？妳以为我为什么不在学院？妳相信我说的一切吗？” “相信。”她说：“对不起。”她的手依然放在他膝上。她说：“你要的话，我们可以做爱。” 他直起身，静静端坐。 “妳到底是什么？”他终于对她说道。 “我不知道。这就是我想来柔克的理由。来发掘。” 他摆脱她，站起来，弓着身，两人在低矮船舱中，无法站直。他的拳头一紧一放，尽可能站远离她，背对她。 “妳什么都发掘不到。那都是谎言、骗局。老头子玩弄文字游戏。我不愿意玩他们的游戏，所以我离开。妳知道我做了什么吗？”他转身，摆出龇牙咧嘴的胜利嘴脸。“我找个女孩，镇上的女孩，到我房间，我的石室。我的小禁欲石室。那里有扇窗面对一条暗巷。没有咒语——四周环绕的魔法让人不能用咒语。但她想来，也来了，我从窗户垂下一道绳梯，她爬了上来。那些老头子进来时，我们正在办事！我可让他们好看了！如果我能把妳弄进去，我可以再让他们好看，我可以给他们一次教训！” “我会试试。”她说道。 他瞠目而视。 “我跟你的理由不同，”她说道：“但我还是想试。我们都大老远来了。你也知道我的真名。” This is a fact.他知道她的真名：伊芮安。它像一块炭火，像脑海中燃烧的余烬。他的思维盛不下，他的智识用不动，口舌说不出。 她抬头看他，锐利刚毅的脸庞，在朦胧灯笼光下显得柔和。“象牙，如果你带我来这里，只是为了做爱，我们可以做。如果你还想要。” 起先他为之语塞，只是摇头，一晌后，他才能笑道：“我想，那种可能……我们已经讨论完毕……” 她看着他，不带一丝遗憾、责怪或羞愧。 “伊芮安，”他说，此时她的名字脱口而出，在他干燥口中，如泉水般甜美沁凉。“伊芮安，要进宏轩馆，妳就必须这么做……”