Chapter 4 Chapter Four

Apart from the fact that Soapy's leg ached for days after the tattooing of the words in the archives, Liberation made no difference in his life.But he is indeed not suitable to continue to be a beggar anymore - a strong young man can no longer beg for many things like a scrawny child.Baslim used to ask Soapy to drop him off at his "stand," to run errands, or to go home and study, but one of them always stayed in Liberty Square.Sometimes Baslim left without saying hello, and sometimes disappeared without saying hello.Soapy would be there all day when Pop was away, watching the comings and goings, keeping an eye out for the slave auctions, and asking the women who didn't wear veils in the hotels around the spaceport to learn about the business.

Once, when Soapy woke up, he found that his father was gone.He left for 18 days, much longer than before.Soapy kept reassuring himself that his father could take care of himself, and at the same time he wondered if the old man would fall into the ditch and drown.Worrying is nothing to worry about, but he continued to pay attention to the things on the square, including the three auctions, and recorded everything he saw and heard. Baslim is finally back.After seeing Soapy, he only said: "Why don't you memorize it with your head, but with a pen?" "Oh, I remember it with my head, but I'm afraid I won't remember it all. There are too many things to remember."

"Hmph!" Baslim seemed dissatisfied. Since then, Baslim has seemed calmer and more reticent than before.Soapy wondered if he had offended him, but from Baslim's reaction it didn't look like that.Finally, one night, the old man said, "Son, we haven't discussed what to do with you after I die." "Huh? But I think we've discussed it, Father. It's my business." "No, it was only your obstinacy that delayed the matter. But I can't wait any longer. I have some orders, and you must do them." "Hey, wait a minute, father! If you think you can drive me away..."

"Shut up! I mean 'after I'm gone', I mean, after I'm dead, you don't go to those short commercial ships, you go to visit a man and give him a letter. You won't Screw it up or forget about it?" "Of course, father. But I don't like hearing you say that. You've got a long, long life to live, maybe longer than me." "It's possible. But don't talk now, listen to me first, and then do as I tell you, okay?" "Okay, Dad." "You're going to find this man - but it will take a while - and give him this letter. Then, I think he'll ask you to do something... If he really has something for you to do, I hope you can Complete the task he entrusted to you without compromise. Can you do this too?"

"Of course, father, if that's what you want." "Take this as the last wish of an old man who has always wanted to do you justice, and better if he could. That is the last thing I beg of you, child. You You don’t need to go to the temple to make offerings for me, I just want you to do two things: send a letter, and the other thing is to do what that person asks you to do.” "I'll do it, father," Thorby promised solemnly. "Okay, then let's get ready to act." The "person" that Dad mentioned originally meant any one of the five people.These five people are all starship captains and irregular cargo ship merchants.None of them are from Nine Stars, but occasionally they will come to Nine Stars Port to ship some goods.Soapy thought carefully about the list, and said, "Father, I remembered that only one of these ships landed here."

"They have all been here one after another." "The ships may not have been here for a long time." "Probably a few years. But, as soon as one of these comes along, be sure to give this letter to its captain." "To any of them, or to all of them?" "Give it to the first captain you meet." The letter was short and difficult to understand because it was written in three different languages ​​spoken by the recipients.Soapy didn't know any of the languages ​​in the letter, but Baslim made him learn it all by heart without explaining what was said.

When Soapy stumbled through the first language of the letter for the seventh time, Baslim put his hands to his ears and said, "No, no! It won't work, boy. You don't have the right accent!" "I've done my best," replied Soapy sullenly. "I know, but I want people to understand what you're saying. Listen, do you remember talking to you after I put you to sleep?" "Huh? I fall asleep by myself every night, and I'm a little sleepy now." "It's better to be sleepy." Baslim took great pains to make him fall into a dazed slumber, because this time he didn't accept his hypnosis all at once like he did when he was a child.But Baslim figured out a way to record the contents of the letter into a hypnosis machine and keep playing that passage for Soapy to listen to over and over again, so that when he woke up, he could say It's exactly the same as in the hypnosis machine.

Thorby finally succeeded.On the second night, he mastered the content of the last two languages ​​of the letter in the same way.Since then, Baslim often tested him. As long as he said the name of a captain and a ship, Soapy could immediately recite the content of the corresponding language in the letter. Baslim never allowed Soapy to go out of the city to handle errands, because there were certain restrictions on a slave going out, and even a freeman would be subject to interrogation when entering and leaving the city.However, Baslim let him go everywhere in this metropolis.Once, about a month after Soapy had memorized the letter, Baslim gave him a note to send to the dock.That place is not under the jurisdiction of this city, it is a special land of Sargon. "Put your freeman badge on and leave your beggar at home. If the police question you, tell him you're looking for work in the docks."

"He'll think I'm crazy." "But he'll let you go, because they do hire free folk for cleaners and odd jobs. Now you put this letter in your mouth. Well, I want to test you again: Who are you looking for? ?” "A short guy with red hair," repeated Soapy, "with no beard and a wart on the left side of his nose. He owns a fast-food place across from the main gate of the dock. I'm going to buy one from him." Meatloaf, quietly hand him this letter and the money." "it is good." Soapy likes to be out and about.He didn't suspect that his father told him to travel half a day to deliver the letter without making video calls.Generally speaking, people like them don't use that kind of luxury.As for the expensive postage, Soapy not only never sent or received a letter, but also regarded it as the most insecure way of delivering a message.

He had to go through the factory area first, and then walk along the curved road next to the spaceport to reach his destination.He likes this part of the city very much, because the traffic here is always very busy, there are many people, and it is lively.Soapy dodged the traffic as he walked.The truck driver scolded him, and he just laughed it off.He glanced at every open door he passed to see what the machinery was for, why those people stood in one place all day, doing the same thing over and over again—could they be slave?No, it cannot be a slave.Because slaves are not allowed to touch electrical machinery except on plantations.It was for this reason that riots were caused last year, so Sargon replaced slaves with civilians to work in factories.

Some people say that the man named Sargon never slept, and his eyes could see everything on the nine stars.is this real?But the old man said, that's nonsense, and Sargon is just a person, not superhuman.But if it's what Dad said, how could he turn this city into the metropolis of Sargon that it is now? Soapy left the factory area and walked along the flowered wall by the dock.He had never traveled so far before, and now he saw that several large ships were being repaired inside, and two small boats were still being built.Those boats are all supported by cross steel frames.His heart constricted at the sight of those ships.How he wished he could travel the outside world in a spaceship.Soapy remembered two or three trips in a starship, but that was a long way off.Besides, he didn't mean travel under the supervision of slave traders, which couldn't be called travel at all! Soapy was so excited that he almost walked past the fast food restaurant.Fortunately, the main entrance reminded him.That door was twice as large as the others, and there was a guard standing beside it. A large curved signboard with the Sargon mark was hung on the door.Fast food restaurants are just across the gate.Soapy avoided the flow of people and vehicles entering and exiting the gate and walked towards the fast food restaurant. The man behind the counter was not the man Soapy was looking for, with thinning black hair and no warts around his nose. Soapy retreated to the road, wandered about for half an hour, and then went back to the shop, but still did not see the "red-haired wart."The man at the counter noticed him, so Soapy said, "Do you have any juice?" The man looked Soapy up and down, and said, "Any money?" Soapy was used to being asked if he had money.He took out the coins, and the man took the money and opened him a bottle of juice. "Don't sit by the counter, I need a stool." There were plenty of stools in the shop, but Soapy was not offended, he knew who he was.He took a few steps back, but not very far, so as not to be scolded for trying to escape with the bottle.Then, he stood there, taking small sips and slowly tasting them.In the meantime, customers came in and out, and he observed them one by one, thinking that maybe the redhead would also choose this time to eat something, so he paid attention to everything around him. After a while, the counter attendant raised his head and said, "Haven't finished drinking? Do you want to eat the whole bottle?" "It'll be over soon, sorry," said Thorby, going over to put the empty bottle away. "Last time I was here, it looked like a red-haired guy was running the shop." The man looked at him and asked, "Are you a friend with red hair?" "Well, not exactly a friend. I just see him around here a lot, over a cold drink, or..." "Take out the documents and have a look." "What? I don't have to—" The man stretched out his hand to grab Soapy's wrist, but Soapy's professional reaction had long been able to cope with such actions as kicking, pushing, and hitting with a stick, and the man missed it. The man rushed out of the counter, and Soapy had already scrambled into the crowd, ran to the middle of the street, and was twice almost caught.Only then did Soapy realize that he was running towards the opposite door, and the counter attendant was yelling at the doorman there to arrest someone.Soapy turned and ran down a side road with little traffic.Fortunately, the dock was located in a traffic artery, and the dense crowd played a very good role of shelter and barrier. After three consecutive narrow escapes, he finally escaped from the dangerous place.He found a small street in front of him that did not lead to the main road. He immediately passed between the two trucks, quickly got into the small street, turned into the first alley, ran straight ahead, and saw a Hut, hide behind the house. The sound of pursuit was lost. He has been chased countless times, so he is not panicked at all.The chase always consists of two parts, the first is to escape and disengage, and the second is to hide and eliminate the relationship.He's done the first part, and now, he has to get out of the lot without being seen.So he walked forward slowly and generously, walked out of the hiding place in one breath, turned left into the alley, and then turned left into the side street.Now he's almost at the fast-food restaurant again—back to where it happened, a knee-jerk ploy.Because he thought that those who chased him would usually leave the scene of the incident, and that fast food restaurant was a place where they would not expect the chased person to go back.Thorby estimated at the time that after 5 or 10 minutes, the counter clerk would go back to work again, and the doorman would go back to the gate, and it was impossible for them to leave their posts for too long.In a little while he would be able to go home through this street. Soapy looked around, there were no factories around, it was a commercial area, full of miscellaneous small shops, street stalls, dilapidated houses and small companies that were not doing well.He figured he was behind a small hand laundromat, where there were bamboo poles, wire, barrels, and pipes belching steam constantly.Now that he knew where he was, just two doors down from the fast food restaurant, he remembered the name of the homemade sign at the door: "Elegant Home Laundry - Lowest Prices." All he had to do was turn the corner—better to look first.So he lay down on the ground, and looked around the corner of the yard with one eye, and then looked to see if anyone was moving in the alley behind him. Oh no!Two policemen came from the back alley... Soapy's wishful thinking was wrong now.Big mistake!It turned out that they didn't stop there and called the police.Soapy stood up immediately and looked around.Escape to the laundromat?no.Then sneak into the yard?But the police will come and search the yard.Just rush out?In that case, it will only fall into the hands of another group of policemen.Thorby knew how quickly the police cordoned off.If it was near Liberty Square, Soapy could have escaped the police pursuit, but here, he was not familiar with the terrain and could not escape. His eyes suddenly fell on a broken laundry bucket. He got under the upside-down bucket, with his knees touching his chin, and the glass shards pierced his back. His body rests.What he was worried about was his apron, would it be exposed?But there was no time to worry about it, because he heard someone coming... Soapy heard footsteps approaching the cask, and held his breath.At this time, someone stepped onto the barrel and stood motionless on it. "Hey, ma'am!" It was a man's voice, "How long have you been here?" "It's been a long time. Watch out for that bamboo pole, don't knock your clothes over." "Ever seen a boy?" "What boy?" "A young man, as tall as a man, with a beard on his mouth, a cloth around his waist, and no shoes on his feet." "There's a man, running so fast, it looks like a ghost is chasing him." The woman's voice above him answered casually, "Running from here. I didn't see it clearly, and he was messing around with these nasty wires. .” "He's the man we're looking for! Where has he gone?" "jumped over the fence and ran into the house over there." "Thank you ma'am. Jubai, come with me!" Soapy stayed inside and listened quietly.The woman continued to do her old work.Her feet moved, and the barrel creaked.Then she jumped down from the top, sat down on the barrel, patted the side of the barrel, and said softly, "Stay still." After a while, Soapy heard her go away. Soapy curled up in the barrel, aching all over, but there was nothing he could do except to come out when it was dark.But it is dangerous to do so, because after the night curfew, the police will question every passerby except the nobles.But in broad daylight, it was impossible to leave this place.Soapy didn't understand why he had attracted the attention of a large number of guards.At this moment he only heard someone—was it the woman? —Walking around the yard from time to time. After waiting for an hour, he finally heard the sound of wheels creaking because they were not oiled, and then the sound of someone knocking on a wooden barrel: "When I uncover the barrel, you jump into the car immediately. The car is on the road." in front of you." Soapy didn't answer.Suddenly, in a flash, Soapy saw a wheelbarrow beside him, and jumped into it, curling up in a ball.Then, unwashed clothes fell on him.Before his eyes were covered by his clothes, he saw that the wooden barrel was no longer there, and had been put behind the sheet hanging on the wire. Soapy felt stacks of clothes pressing on him, and at the same time heard a voice: "Don't move, come out when I call you." "Okay...thank you! I will repay you someday." "Don't talk like that," she gasped. "I had a man once who was sent to work in the mines. I don't care what happened to you, I don't want to turn anyone over to the police anyway. " "Oh, sorry." "Do not talk." The cart wobbled and jolted forward, and after a while it seemed to Soapy that the cart had been pushed onto a level surface.There was an occasional stop in the middle, and the woman took a bag of clothes away, and when she came back a few minutes later, she put some other dirty clothes in the car.Soapy could stand this long toss because of the hardships of begging. After a long, long time, the car left the flat road and stopped.The woman said softly: "When I tell you to come out, you come down from the right side and go straight ahead, don't look back, go quickly." "Okay, thank you again." "Do not talk." The car bumped for a short distance, going very slowly, but didn't stop, when she said, "Get out of the car!" Soapy tossed off his clothes, jumped out of the car, and stood on the ground. The whole action was completed in an instant.After standing still, he saw a road leading from an alley to a street in front of him, with buildings on both sides.Soapy walked quickly on, looking back. The trolley was almost out of sight, but he hadn't been able to see the woman's face clearly. Two hours later, Soapy was returning to his part of the country, and happened to meet Baslim on the road. "Oh no." "why?" "A lot of people chased me there." When the old man saw someone approaching, he immediately said, "Good job, sir! I wish you a safe house!" Then he asked Soapy, "Did you escape?" "of course." "Here's the bowl." Baslim stood up, ready to leave the place. "Father! Don't you want me to help you back?" "You stay here." Soapy stayed alone, but he was very angry in his heart. Why didn't his father leave without waiting for him to finish speaking?As soon as it got dark, he hurried home and saw Baslim playing with a tape recorder and a book projector in the kitchen and bathroom, with a lot of things piled up in a mess around him.Soapy went over and glanced at the open pages, but found that he did not know a single word on them.He thought, what word is this?Strange, these words are seven letters, no more and no less. "Hey, Dad, do I want to make dinner?" "There's no place...and no time. Let's have some bread. What happened today?" Soapy, chewing his bread, gave a detailed account of what had happened to him.Baslim just nodded and said, "Lie down, I'll hypnotize you so we can have a good night's sleep." In this hypnosis, what Baslim wanted him to remember were some numbers, statistics and many meaningless words consisting of three syllables.Under the trance candlelight, listening to Baslim's bass on the tape recorder, Soapy felt very comfortable. There were a few breaks in between when Baslim would stop the recorder and wake him up.During a break, Soapy asked, "Who do you take this message to, Father?" "If there is a chance to take the letter, you will know later, and then everything will be clear. If you still can't remember, just tell him and let him put you to sleep, and everything will come out naturally. .” "Tell who?" "He—don't worry about it, go to sleep. You fell asleep." Baslim snapped his fingers. At one point during the playback of the recording, Soapy had a vague sense that Baslim was walking home on a prosthetic leg.He found it very strange, because his father usually walks with artificial legs at home.After a while Soapy smelled some smoke and thought something must have burned in the kitchen.He wanted to go and have a look, but he just couldn't move, because the nonsense was still pouring into his ears. After a while, he realized that he was repeating what he had learned to his father, so he asked, "I can recite it well, right?" "Yes, you can sleep now, and sleep well for the rest of the night." When he woke up in the morning, Baslim had gone out.Soapy didn't find it strange, because Dad's whereabouts had become more and more elusive recently.Soapy had his breakfast, took his bowl, and went to Liberty Square.He can't ask for food anymore - what the old man said is right, Soapy is now fat and healthy, and he is very unsuitable for the job of begging.Maybe he should change where he begs, or get a pair of contact lenses that can pass off cataracts. At about three o'clock in the afternoon, a tramp landed at the spaceport.Soapy inquired about it as usual, and it turned out that it was called the Sisu Free Trade Ship, and its registered home port was New Finlandi on the planet Khiva III. It is usually a small thing to encounter such a thing, and it is nothing more than talking to the old man after seeing him, but this time, the captain of the spaceship, Klausar, is that Soapy may send a letter to them in the future. One of the five people, so this matter cannot be taken lightly. Soapy found it difficult.He knew that he should not contact Captain Clauser. Even if he met him later, it would be very far away, because his father was still alive and in good health.But maybe Uncle would love to know that the ship was here.When those tramp cargo ships will come and go, no one will know.Sometimes, they only stay in port for a few hours before leaving. Soapy thought he could be home in five minutes.Dad may thank him when he hears the news.If Papa was upset, at most he would scold him for leaving the square.But what's the big deal?Even if something happened in the square while he was away, he could still find out through gossip. So Soapy left the square and walked home. The area of ​​the ruins of the old arena has recently expanded by about one-third. More than a dozen underground holes can lead to the labyrinth that used to be a temporary workshop for slaves. Countless paths can lead directly from the ground to Baslim's home. place.Soapy and he often change their walking routes at will, so as not to be discovered by others when entering and leaving. Desperate to go home, Soapy took the shortest road this time—just as he was about to go, he suddenly saw a policeman there.So he walked on, as if pretending to go to the fruit shop in the street next to the ruins.When he got there, he stopped and said to the proprietress, "Hello, Inga, how about a ripe melon that you're going to throw away?" "no." Soapy took out his money and said, "How about the big one? It's half off, and I don't care about the bad parts." He bent down and whispered, "What's the matter?" The landlady glanced at the policeman, and then said to Soapy, "Go away." "Surprise inspection?" "I said, go away." Without saying a word, Soapy threw a coin on the counter, picked up a trumpet-shaped melon, and sipped the juice of the melon as he walked, showing a calm and unhurried look. A hidden card has been set up here, and Soapy understands that the police are monitoring the entire ruins.At one entrance, a group of ragged beggars huddled pitifully on the ground, with a policeman watching them.Baslim once said that at least 500 people lived under the ruins.But Soapy didn't quite believe it, he rarely saw or heard anyone coming and going here.However, among the beggars in custody, he only knew two faces. After more than half an hour of worry and fear, Soapy came to an entrance that the police seemed to be unaware of.He hid behind a clump of weeds, watched it carefully for a few minutes, and then darted into the hole.It was pitch black inside, and he groped forward cautiously, while listening for any movement around him.It is generally believed that the police wear night-vision goggles when they search the caves, so that they can see the target clearly in the dark.Soapy had never believed it, but this time he dared not take the risk. The cave is indeed patrolled by the police.He heard two men talking, and saw the torches they were holding.If there were night vision goggles for night vision, neither of these men was wearing them.They were obviously searching the place, stun guns drawn and in hand.But they were strangers here, and to Soapy it was his family's territory.This particular "cave expert" knows the passages here as well as a tongue knows its teeth.Over the years, he has passed through these invisible passages twice a day. At this time, Soapy could no longer move freely. He could only rush ahead of them, keep a certain distance, avoid the light of their torches, and then go around behind a hole leading to the lower floor, slip into an entrance, and wait. They went into the hole first. When the police arrived at the opening, they examined the narrow and pointed stone walls carefully—Thorby could have slipped down easily without a lamp—only to hear one of them say, "You have to have a ladder to go down." "Well, let's find a wooden staircase or an unloading ladder." After finishing speaking, they went back.Soapy waited a little longer, returned to the hole, and went down. In a few minutes Thorby was nearly at his own door.He saw with his eyes, heard with his ears, and smelled with his nose, until he was sure that no one was around, then he tiptoed to the door and reached out to feel for the latch.As soon as he stretched out his hand, he knew something had happened here. The door was gone, and there was only an empty space in front of him. He froze for a moment, every nerve tensed.There is a strange smell here, the smell is not just left, and there is no sound of other people's breathing.Except for the faint tick-tick of a leak in the kitchen, there was no sound in there. Soapy decided that he must see what happened.He turned his head first and saw that there was no light from the torch behind him, so he reached out to touch the switch in the room and turned the switch to the "dimmed" position. But the light didn't come on.He turned the switch to various other positions, and the light still didn't come on.He had to go into the room, trying not to clutter Baslim's tidy living room, and then into the kitchen, reaching for the candle.But the candle was no longer in its old place.Fortunately, he found one nearby, found a match, and lit the candle. Ah, it's over, what a mess! Most of the damage is the result of a quick and thorough search.Every cupboard, every shelf was emptied, and food was scattered all over the floor.Both mattresses in the large room were torn and their fillings had been poured out.However, there are also things that look like utterly purposeless vandalism. Soapy looked around, with tears in his eyes and a trembling jaw.It was only when he found his father's artificial leg lying on the ground by the door, and the mechanical structure had been trampled to pieces by the boots, that he burst into tears.He put down the candle, carefully picked up the broken artificial leg and hugged it in his arms, sat down on the ground, supported the artificial leg, shook his body back and forth, and moaned in pain.