Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Ocean Dream

Near noon, Sparrowhawk stopped the spell wind and let the ship sail with the natural breeze from the southwest.Far to the right, the mountains to the south of Vasso Island fell far behind the ship, slowly turning blue and getting smaller, becoming hazy ripples on the waves. Arren woke up.The sea is exposed to the scorching hot noon sun, and at a glance, the endless sea is spread out under the endless sunlight.Sparrowhawk sat in the stern wearing only a loincloth and a hood that looked like canvas.He hummed softly, using the beam of the ship as a drum, and tapped his palms lightly to create a simple rhythm.The song he hummed was not a witchcraft skill, nor a tribute to a heroic king, but a brisk combination of some meaningless sounds, much like a little boy who was shepherding sheep alone on the high mountains of Gont Island, in order to clear the mill. A tune sung in the long summer afternoons.

A fish jumped out of the water, looking like the wings of a dragonfly as it glided digitally through the air, flying over the gleaming turbine blades. "We've arrived at the South Frontier." Sparrowhawk said after finishing singing, "People say that this is a strange place in the world, where fish can fly and dolphins can sing. But the sea is mild and suitable for swimming. And I think we can understand each other with sharks .Wash off the slaver's touch here." Arren's muscles were still aching all over, and at first he didn't want to move.Moreover, he is not a skilled swimmer, because the ocean on Enlad Island is relatively harsh. When he enters the water, he is usually fighting with the sea water instead of swimming, so he will be exhausted after a long time.But the azure blue ocean here is cold when you first enter the water, but soon you feel quite pleasant, and the aches and pains on your body are wiped away.He drummed forward beside the "Zhanyuan" boat, like a young sea snake, and the waves flew up like a fountain.Sparrowhawk joined in the swim, but his lapping of the water was much calmer. "Zhanyuan" is like a docile guard, spreading its white wings on the sparkling sea, waiting for them to board at any time.A fish jumped out of the water into the air, and when Arren chased him, the fish dived first, then jumped out of the water, swam in the air, and galloped in the sea, and in turn chased Arren.

The boy played and kept warm in the sea and in the sun. His whole body was golden, agile and flexible, and he played until the sun touched the sea.As for the other dark and thin adult man, not only did his movements be lean when swimming, but he also always showed the simplicity unique to his age when he swam the water vigorously.That day, apart from swimming, he was also distracted from controlling the course of the boat, and made a temporary awning out of canvas, and sat under the awning, holding an unbiased tenderness, watching the swimming boy and the leaping fish calmly. "Where are we going?" asked Arren in the evening, when he was sleepy again after a good meal of bacon and hard bread.

"Lobanari," Sparrowhawk replied. These meaningless sounds of "Lobanari" were the last words that Arren heard that night, so that at night his dreams revolved around "Lobanari".He dreamed that he was walking on soft light-colored floating objects, which were a combination of broken threads or rags in pink, golden yellow, and blue. Walking on them gave him a kind of playful pleasure and satisfaction.He was told, "This is Lovanari's silk field, and the silk field never gets dark." But then, as the night drew to a close and the autumn constellations shone in the spring sky, he dreamed instead that he was in a dry Broken house, everything in the house is covered not only with dust, but also with broken cobwebs of dirt.The cobwebs not only entangled Arren's legs, but floated into his mouth and nose, choking his breath.The most frightening thing was that he recognized that magnificent dilapidated house—it was the place where he had breakfast with all the masters of Roke Academy in Hongxuan Pavilion.

He awoke with unaccountable terror, his heart beating violently, and his legs convulsed from bumping into the rower's seat.He sat up, trying desperately to forget that strange dream.The eastern sky has no light yet, only a faded black.The masts creaked and the sails, still taut by the northeast wind, hung vaguely high above his head.His companion was sleeping quietly in the stern.Arren lay down again, drowsy, and did not wake until full daylight. On this day, the ocean was bluer and calmer than he had imagined.The sea is soft and clear, swimming in it is a bit like sliding or floating in the air, and the strange feeling is like a dream.

At noon, he asked, "Can wizards interpret dreams?" Sparrowhawks are fishing.He concentrated on the fishing line, and after a long time he responded, "What's the matter?" "I really want to know, is the dream real?" "Of course it is true." "Is the dream a real forecast?" Just then a fish took the bait, and ten minutes later they had a beautiful silver-blue sea bass for lunch, and Arren's problems were forgotten. In the afternoon, the two lazily passed the time under the makeshift awning to avoid the scorching sun.Arren asked: "What shall we seek in Lobanari?"

"Go find what we're looking for," Sparrowhawk replied. After a while Arren said: "In Enlad we have a story about a boy whose teacher was a stone." "Huh?...Then what did he learn?" "He learned: Don't ask questions." Sparrowhawk snorted as if trying to stifle a laugh, but he sat up straight and said, "Okay! I like to keep quiet, though, until I know what I have to say. But since you keep asking, let's talk about it." Why are there no more spells in Holt and Naviden?—or maybe all of the Frontier, why? That's what we're going to find out, isn't it?" Yes. "

"Do you know that there is an old saying: 'The rules change in every border region'? This sentence is often said by sailors, but it is actually a wizard's term, which means that the wizardry itself varies from place to place. Rou A real spell in Ke Island may become nothing more than a few common words in Yifei Market. Today is not the era when people everywhere still remember the "Creation Language", so using a certain word in a certain place The words are correct, but you have to use other words when you go to another place. The composition of the spell itself is a combination of earth, water, wind, and the light of the place where the spell is cast. I have sailed to the East, because The place I visited was very remote, and the wind, water, etc. there did not listen to me. Maybe they didn't know their real names, but it was more likely that I didn't know their real names at all.

"The world is very large, and the open sea stretches beyond all knowledge, but there are many other worlds beyond this world. Of all the dimensions of space and length of time, I doubt that any Is there any language that can carry its original meaning and power forever without time division—unless it is the "Language of the Beginning" spoken by the people of Xiguoyi when they created all things, or no one has spoken it yet? , and will never be said by anyone, the "final word" that is enough to destroy all things... Therefore, even in our world of Earth Sea, we have seen so many differences, mysteries and changes among the islands we know, And the area that everyone knows the least but has the most mysteries is the South Frontier area. Wizards from the inner ring islands rarely come to the South Frontier to communicate with the people here. It is generally believed that the South Frontier people have their own magic, so those from the north are not welcome Wizard. However, such rumors are vague. The fact may be that the people here have never had the opportunity to know the magic skills, resulting in a lack of understanding. If this is the case, then it is very easy for people who intend to destroy magic to come here to destroy. The weakening of spells here will also come faster than in our inner islands. In this case, we may of course hear rumors of magic failures in the southern region.

"'Training' is a channel to strengthen and deepen the actions of wizards. If there is no direction, people's actions tend to be superficial, chaotic, and then wasted. Therefore, like the fat woman wearing a mirror we met, it is lost. skills, but thought she had never had skills. And therefore, Hor chewed the psychedelia, thinking he could go farther than the most advanced mages, but in fact, he was lost almost before he entered the dreamland ...but where did he think he was? What was he seeking? What had consumed his art? I thought we had explored enough in Holt, so we continued further south, to Lobara. Ray, go and see what's going on with the wizards there, find out what we have to find out—did I answer your question by saying so?"

"Yes, but..." "Now that you have answered, let the stone be quiet!" After the archmage finished speaking, he went to sit on the side of the ship's mast, in the shade of the yellow and dazzling shade under the awning, and looked westward at the sea.All that afternoon the ship sailed steadily southward.He sat upright and still, and as the hours passed, Arren swam twice, slipping into the water each time over the stern of the boat, for he did not like to cross the dark gaze of the mage.Although the mage's gaze seems to be only overlooking the sea to the west, it seems to see through everything he sees, beyond the bright sea level, beyond the blue of the sky, and beyond the boundaries of light. Finally Sparrowhawk came out of the silence and spoke—only he said, not more than one word at a time.Arren's upbringing had made him quick to sense emotions masked by politeness or understatement, so he knew his companion's heart was heavy, and he stopped asking questions.In the evening, he said: "If I sing, will it disturb your thinking?" Sparrowhawk reluctantly replied with a joke: "It depends on what you sing." Arren sat down with his back against the mast, and began to sing.Years before, Berilla's palace musicians had trained him to sing, and he was still singing, playing harmonies on the high harp.Today, his voice is not as sharp and sweet as it used to be. Now the treble has become magnetic, and the bass has the resonance effect of a six-string guqin, which sounds deep and vivid.This time, he sang "Master White's Elegy", which was the song that Ye Furuan composed when she learned that Murray had died in battle and began to wait for her own death.This song is seldom sung by ordinary people, and even if it is sung, it is seldom sung casually.Now, Sparrowhawk listened to this young voice, which reverberated powerfully and firmly between the sky and the sea reddened by the sunset, his eyes were wet with tears and his vision was blurred. Arren was silent for a long while after the song.Then I sang smaller and lighter tunes, and passed the time in the monotony of the calm sky, the regular fluctuation of the waves, the fading light, and the night gradually covering. When he stops singing, everything is still.The wind is quiet, the waves are small, and the planks and ropes hardly creak any more.The sea is silent, and above the sea, the stars show their faces one by one.A bright yellow light appeared in the south, and intermittent golden meteor showers were sent across the sea. "Look, the lighthouse!" But he said at once: "Could it be a star?" Sparrowhawk stared at it for a while, then said: "I guess it must be the star of Gorbaden, which can only be seen in the southern border. 'Gorbaden' means 'crown'. Kerrikamer Rico once taught us that if we continue to sail south, we can find eight more stars clearly near the sea level under Gobaden. Nine stars form a large constellation. Some people say that it is a running man , Some people say that it is the "Agnam Talisman", that is, the "Terminal Rune". They watched the star above the turbulent sea level, clearing the sky and shining steadily. "You just sang the song of Ye Furuan," Sparrowhawk said, "singing very well, as if you understood her pain and let me understand her pain... In the historical story of Quandihai, This one always shakes my heart the most. Morad fought despair with incomparable courage; beyond despair was born the son of Morid, Seril, the noble king; and Yephruan. Looking back on those days, I The most evil thing I've ever done in my life—I thought I was calling for her beauty, and then, for a moment, I really saw her—" A chill ran down Arren's spine, and he swallowed, and sat quietly, gazing at the magnificent but ominous bright yellow star. "Who is your hero?" the mage asked.Arren replied slightly hesitantly, "Ariabai." "Because he's the greatest?" "Because he could actually rule the whole sea, but he didn't. He chose to fight Omron on the coast of Keledo Island, and died alone." The mage didn't answer.After a while, Arren continued to look at the Gorbaden star and asked, "So it is really possible for the souls of the dead to be brought back to the world by magic and speak to the living?" "We have this ability through the conjuration spell. But that spell is seldom used, and I doubt it is used wisely. The Summoner agrees with me on that point. That spell is recorded in the of the Wisdom of Parn, but the Summoner does not teach that spell, nor does he use it. One of the greatest spells of all was created a thousand years ago by the Gray Mage of the Isle of Parn. He summoned heroes and mages of old to life— —Including Eriyabai. He summoned those heroes, hoping that they would provide advice on the war and political situation to the lords of Parn Island. But the advice of the dead is of no benefit to the living. The island of Parn continued to experience danger. The gray mage finally went mad and was nameless And finally." "Then, is this something evil?" "It's rather a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding of life. Death and life are actually the same thing—like the two sides of a hand, the palm and the back. The palm and the back of the hand are different...but the two can neither be separated nor confused." "So no one uses that spell nowadays?" "I know of only one person today who uses that spell at will without weighing the risks. It is risky to practice, more dangerous than any other spell. I said that death and life are like two sides of a hand, but in fact we You don't know enough about death. It's not wise to try to manipulate forces you don't understand, even if the results are likely to be good." "Who is it that wields the spell?" Arren asked.For the first time, he found that Sparrowhawk was so willing to answer questions, and he was calm and thoughtful.The two find solace in this conversation, even though the subject is dark. "He lived in Havnor. The natives thought he was just a sorcerer, but in terms of natural strength, he was a mage of great power. He made money from his craft, and for anyone who paid him he manifested them. Any dead soul you want to see. Dead wife, dead husband, dead son, beauties in the age of kings, etc., his whole house is filled with those disturbing shadows of ancient times. I have seen him put one of my former masters, the great mage Nemo, summoned back from the "Dry Land", just to play tricks and entertain those idlers. As a result, that noble undead really came, like an obedient puppy. I watched it a lot Angry, I challenged him. I was not an archmage at the time, but I said, "Since you forced the dead into your house, would you follow me to their house?" Although he resisted with all his will, and even changed his body, When he was at his wit's end, he still cried loudly in the dark, but I still forced him to follow." "You killed him afterwards?" Arren whispered, fascinated. "No! I told him to come with me, and to come back with me. He was terrified. A man who summoned the dead at will, and was more afraid of death than anyone I ever knew--of his own death. On that stone By the wall... What I have said is really more than a trainee sorcerer should understand, and you are not even a trainee sorcerer at all." The sharp eyes pierced the darkness, looking directly at Arren's gaze, making him Arren squirmed. "It doesn't matter at all." The archmage continued: "Somewhere in the boundary area, there is a stone wall. If you cross that wall, your soul will go to the "dead state". Only a mage can cross it and return... I just said The man in front of me was prostrate on the side of the "habitat" of the stone wall, trying to resist my will but in vain. He desperately grabbed the stone with both hands, cursed and screamed, that kind of fear was the only thing I had ever seen in my life, and made me contemptuous and angry. Actually, looking at the scene, I should have known that I was wrong. But I was filled with anger and vanity. He was powerful, and I wanted to prove that I was stronger than him." "How did he behave when he came back?" "He knelt down and swore he would never use parn folk magic again. He kissed my hand and would have killed me if he had dared. Then he left Havnor, and probably went west Go to Parn Isle, years later I heard he was dead. When I knew him, he was gray, but with long hands and feet, like a wrestler. Why am I talking about him again? I can't even think of him name." "His real name?" "No! As far as I can remember—" He paused for three heartbeats, and there was complete silence. "The people of Havnor call him Kabu." His voice was different from usual, cautious.At this time, the sky was too dark to see the other person's expression, and Arren saw him turn his head and stare at the yellow star.The yellow star had risen a little higher, was hanging above the waves, and was throwing intermittent, cobweb-thin golden rays towards the waves.After a moment he said again: "We shall find, Arren, that we face things that are not to come in the long-forgotten past, and speak gibberish because we have no way of knowing what they mean. It is not only in dreams. That's all."