Rome, a city built on seven hills, is said to have been the capital of early humans. In the past, I didn't know anything about it, because I belonged to the watchmen group, and I was only responsible for watching the vast space. Knowing the history of Rome is a matter for the historian group.However, when I first saw the city of Rome from the south at dusk today, I was convinced that Rome has a glorious history, and even now it is still a big city with tens of thousands of people. The tall iron towers stand out prominently in the twilight, and the city is shining with charming lights.To my left, the sun had set and the sky was red.Flowing bands of sky blue, blue-purple, and crimson clouds rolled, twisted, danced the night dance, and overlapped each other, making the sky darker and darker.To my right, darkness has fallen.I tried my best to find the seven hills, but failed, but I know that this is the great Rome that was accessible by all the roads.Thinking of the great achievements of my ancestors, I can't help being in awe.

We stopped by the side of the straight road.Looking at Rome, I said, "It's a nice city. We can get jobs there." Next to her, Afluela patted her frilled wings. "Anything to eat?" she asked in a crisp voice. "Anything to stay and drink?" "Of course," I said, "there will be." "How long have we been walking, Watcher?" she asked. "Two days and three nights." "Maybe a lot faster if I've been flying all the time." "It seems so to you," I said, "that you'd probably have thrown us away long ago, and never talked to us again. Wouldn't you like it?"

She came up to me, rubbed my rough sleeves, and leaned against me like a slimy cat.Her wings spread out into two thin sheets, through which she could even faintly see the setting sun and the lights of the city, but they were all deformed, giving people a strange feeling. Her black hair was fragrant, and I stretched my arms around her long, boyishly thin body. She said, "You know, Watchman, how I wish I could stay with you forever, forever!" "I understand, Afluela." "Will we be happy in Rome?" "Yes," I said, letting her go. "Then shall we go into Rome now?"

"We'll have to wait for Gorman," I said, shaking my head. "He's out to scout, and he'll be back." I don't want to say I'm tired.She is only a child, only seventeen years old, how can she feel the fatigue of getting older?I am old, not as good as Rome, but old enough. "While waiting for him," she said, "may I fly?" "Of course, fly." I hunkered down next to my lookout vehicle, warming my hands on the vibrating generator, while Afluela prepared to take off.First, she took off her robe, for her wings were not strong enough to bear the extra burden.She easily removed the transparent glass bubbles on her little feet, and took off her crimson coat and soft leather leggings.The peripheral light of the western sun flickered around her slender figure.Like other flyers, she has no excess tissue: her breasts have only two slight bumps, her hips are flat, her thighs are thin, and there are several inches of space between them when she stands.Does she weigh a hundred pounds?I'm a little bit worried.As usual, when I saw her, I felt extra bloated and clumsy, just a horrible pile of fat, even though I didn't really weigh much.

Afluela crouched by the side of the road, her fingers on the ground, her head on her knees, and said the flying man's prayer.With her back to me, her wings are delicate and vibrant, and when they flap, they wrap around her like a cape blown by the breeze.I don't understand how such wings can carry her into the air.They were not powerful like the wings of an eagle, but like those of a butterfly, light, transparent, finely textured, and speckled with black, light blue, and bright red.A strong ligament connected them to two smooth muscles beneath Afluela's protruding shoulder blades, but she didn't have the large breastbone of a flying animal, nor the muscle groups needed to fly.Oh, and I know trapeze people don't just rely on their muscles to get into the air, and there's a mysterious discipline in their regiment about that.Even so, as a member of the Observation Society, I don't think there will be a more bizarre group meeting than this.

After Afluela finished her prayers, her wings rose on the wind.She flew only a few feet before stopping, hanging in the air, flapping her wings vigorously.It is not yet night, her wings are nightwings, and she cannot take off during the day, because the strong pressure of the solar wind will throw her to the ground.Now is the time when dusk and night alternate, and it is not the best time for her to take off.I saw her suddenly pushed to the east by the peripheral vision of the sky.Her arms and wings were beating desperately, her expression was very focused, her thin face was extremely serious, and her thin lips were muttering.She arched her body, rushed out again, and suddenly she was circling parallel again, her face facing the ground, her wings flapping in the air.Fly, Afluela, fly!

Finally, she flew up and defeated the afterglow of the day with her own will. I am also happy for her.She is naked and flies through the night.I could see clearly, for a watcher's eyesight is excellent.Now she was five times her height, her wings fully spread, blocking part of the city of Rome.She waved to me, and I blew her back a kiss, and love.Lookouts don't marry and don't have children, but Afluela is like my daughter, and I'm proud of her for flying.We've been traveling together for a year since we met in Egypt, but I feel like I've known her all my life.She refreshes me, and I don't know what she's getting from me: security, a wealth of knowledge, time with her life?I just hope she loves me as much as I love her.

Now she has soared very high. In the air, she hovered for a while, rushed into the sky for a while, swooped down for a while, and spun on one foot like a ballet dance. Her long black hair was as smooth as running water, and her body looked like Just an appendage to the wings.Her wings glowed slightly in the night and fluttered regularly.She flew high into the sky and was proud of being free from the constraints of gravity. At this time, I felt that my feet were as heavy as lead. Like a little rocket, she whized off in the direction of Rome.First I saw the soles of her feet, the tops of Nightwing, and then she was gone.

I sighed and reached into my armpits to warm myself.Why is it that I am so chilled and this little girl is so happy to fly naked in the night sky?It is already twelve o'clock (there are only twenty hours in a day), and it's time for me to watch again.I went to the car, opened the box, and set up the instrument. The covers of some of the dials on it were yellow and blurred, and the luminous coating of the pointer had also peeled off.These instruments survived the pirate attack on the ocean, and the packaging has been a little tattered due to the erosion of sea water.I start the program, and those old joysticks and buttons are reasonably responsive.The watchman must pray first, and then integrate with the instrument after reaching an ethereal state of mind, and then look out, searching for traces of human enemies in the vast night sky.This is my craft.I hold the joystick, turn the knob, and put aside all distractions, ready to melt into my instrument.

As soon as I entered the state, a deep and loud voice sounded behind me: "Hey, watchman, how are you doing?" I was hitchhiked on the car all of a sudden, feeling very uncomfortable all over.Being suddenly interrupted while working is torture.I felt as if claws were scratching my heart, my face was hot, my eyes were blurry, and my throat was dry. I quickly took anti-drying measures and left the instrument together.I turned around, trying to hide my trembling. Our traveling companion, Gorman, stood beside me, looking very bright.He smiled, amused by my pain, but I couldn't be angry with him.In any case, we're not going to get mad at someone who doesn't know anything.

I reluctantly asked: "Is there any gain?" "What a reward, where's Afluela?" I pointed to the sky and he nodded. "What did you find?" I asked him. "This is Rome." "of course." "But I didn't quite believe it before, but now I have proof." "yes?" "In my pocket. Look!" He took out a pocket from his knee-length short-sleeved jacket, unfolded it on the sidewalk next to me, reached into the pocket with both hands, and dragged out a heavy white stone-like thing from it... Now I can see clearly, it was a It was a large marble column, fluted and pitted by the passage of time. "Taken from the temples of the Roman Empire," Gorman told me with glee. "You shouldn't have taken it." "There's more!" He called out, took out a handful of metal pieces from his pocket, and threw them at my feet with a tinkling sound. "This is a coin! It's money! Look, lookouts, there are heads of the Caesars on it!" "Whose profile picture?" "The rulers of ancient Rome? You don't understand history?" I looked at him curiously, "You say you're an amateur, but you're not a historian in disguise, are you?" "Look at my face, look at people, which one might I be? Who would accept an ugly person?" "That's true," I said, looking at him in golden yellow, with thick waxy skin, red pupils, and a missing mouth.Gorman got what he was after being exposed to deforming drugs.He is a monster in our eyes, but he feels good about himself.But according to the practice of our third era, this ugly monster is not bound by the law, and they ugly people do not participate in any group meetings. "There's more," Gorman said.This bag is really big enough to hold, if need be, the whole world could fit into this crumpled gray bottomless pit, but it only needs to be held in one hand.Gorman pulled out some scraps of machinery, a couple of scanners, a pointy thing of brown metal that might have been an ancient tool, three shiny squares of glass, five sheets of paper—wow !paper! — and many other antiques. "Did you see it?" he said, "I really didn't go in vain this trip. Watchers, these things were not picked at random. Everything is recorded and labeled, indicating which layer it was unearthed from. About How many years of history, where was the original location. From here, you can see that Rome has a history of tens of thousands of years!" "Are you going to take them all?" I was quite puzzled. "Of course! Who cares about these things? Who cares about the past now?" "Historians care." "They don't need these hard things for research." "But why do you want these things?" "I'm very interested in the past, no one can do some learning, what's wrong? Can't a monster learn knowledge?" "That's not true, that's not true. You can learn as much as you want, and it's good to enrich yourself. Here is Rome, and we will enter the city at dawn.I hope to find a job there. " "I'm afraid it will be difficult." "What's the matter?" "There are already plenty of watchmen in town. Nobody needs you." "I'm going to ask the Prince of Rome for help," I said. "He was cold, cruel and difficult to approach." "Have you heard of him?" Gorman shrugged. "Knows a little bit." He started stuffing his treasure back into his pocket. "Go and try your luck, watchman, do you have any other ideas?" "No," I said.Gorman laughed, but I didn't. He was busy packing up the antiques he had looted.His words made me feel very depressed.Before entering Rome, he already knew it like the back of his hand.How could this unhuman, alien monster be so cold and arrogant, so careless?He has no fear of disaster befalling him, and he taunts those who fear it.Gorman joined us after meeting us nine days ago in the ancient city below the crater by the sea to the south.I didn't mean it, but he offered it, and at Afluela's request, I agreed.At this time of year the roads were dark and cold and full of dangerous animals, and an old man traveling with a little girl might do well with a sturdy companion like Gorman.However, sometimes, I still wish I could walk without him, and now I have this idea again. I slowly returned to my instrument. As if he suddenly remembered something, Gorman said, "Did I interrupt your lookout?" I said lightly: "Yes." "I'm sorry. Go do your business, I won't bother you," he grinned at me brightly, very nice, without the usual arrogance at all. I fumbled for the buttons, wired the jacks, and watched the dials.But I couldn't get into the mood, because I kept thinking about Gorman next to me, and I was afraid that he would interrupt my work again and make me miserable, although he had promised not to disturb me again.Finally, I look away from the instrument.Gorman was standing far away on the other side of the road, craning his neck for Afluela.As soon as I saw him, he realized it. "Is something wrong, Watcher?" "It's nothing, it's not a good time for me to work. Wait." "Tell me," he said, "if the enemy of Earth does come to Earth, will your machine let you know?" "I think so." "and then?" "Then I notify the Earth Guardian." "Then your life's work is over?" "Maybe," I said. "But why take your whole lookouts with you? Why not just have a lookout center? Why have a whole bunch of lookouts wandering from place to place?" "The more lookout points," I said, "the more chances of early detection of the enemy." "It's also very possible that someone turned on the machine and saw nothing, even if the enemy has already arrived here." "Maybe there will be a situation, so we have lots and lots of people." "Sometimes I think you are stubborn," Gorman smiled, "Do you really believe there will be an alien invasion?" "I believe," I said firmly, "otherwise, my life will be wasted." "Why do aliens come to Earth? Here, what do we have but the ruins of ancient empires? What will they do to poor Rome? And Paris, Jerusalem? Nothing more than rotten cities, in charge In the hands of stupid princes and nobles! Forget it, watchman, be realistic: the so-called alien invasion is just a made-up myth, and you repeat nonsense four times a day, don't you?" "Lookout is my profession and my education. You know how to mock people. Each of us has our own specialties, Gorman." "Forgive me," he apologized with a hint of sarcasm, "then go, go, lookout." "Of course I'm going." I went back to the instrument angrily, determined to ignore his interruption for now, no matter how rude he thought I was.The stars have come out, I gaze at the shining constellations, and my brain habitually distinguishes various worlds in space.I'll keep watch, I thought, and I'll keep watch, despite his sneer. I'm totally in the mood. I gripped the handle of the instrument, let the torrent flow through my body, and focused on space, searching for hostile stars.My heart burst into ecstasy!It's incredible!I, who had never left the earth, wandered in the dark of space, gliding from ordinary stars to burning stars, seeing planets spinning like tops.There were many faces staring at me, some without eyes, and some with many eyes, all of them were all kinds of planetary beings living in the Milky Way that I could see.I noticed that some of the military bases didn't seem quite right, so I checked out the training bases and barracks there.So I searched, four times a day, day after day, year after year, for the aliens who had sworn to invade Earth, who were destined to conquer a shattered Earth. I found nothing.As I was sweating and exhausted coming out of lookout mode, I saw Afluela come down. She landed as softly as a feather.Gorman greeted her, and she ran up naked, her breasts trembling slightly.Gorman took her petite in his strong arms, and they embraced each other, not very warmly, but happily.After Gorman let go of her, she turned to me. "Rome," she gasped, "Rome!" "you saw it?" "Saw everything! Thousands of people! Lights! Streets! Markets! Ruined old buildings! Oh lookout, Rome is wonderful!" "So are you flying well?" I said. "What a miracle!" "Tomorrow we will settle down in Rome." "No. I will go tonight, let's go tonight!" She was as impatient as a little girl, her face full of excitement. "It's not far! Look, it's there!" "We've got to rest," I said, "or we'll all be exhausted in Rome." "You can rest there," Afluela replied. "Let's go! Pack your things! Your lookout is over, isn't it?" "right." "Then let's go. To Rome! To Rome!" I looked at Gorman for help.Night had fallen, and it was time for us to pitch our tents and rest for a few hours. Gorman was finally on my side this time.He told Afluela: "He's right. We're all going to rest. We'll go to Rome at dawn." Afluela pursed her lips, looking more like a child.Her wings drooped and she was suddenly deflated.Playing her petty temper, she folded her wings, and finally became two fist-sized small round bags on her back, and then picked up the robe that was thrown on the road earlier.I passed out the food to everyone; we went into our cubicles to rest; I didn't sleep well, dreaming of Afluela's figure under the crescent moon, Gorman flying beside her.Two hours before dawn, while they were still asleep, I got up, made the first lookout, then woke them up, and walked together towards the legendary imperial city, towards Rome.