Chapter 4 Chapter Four

Of course the people at the Palace Hotel didn't believe us. The inn for the prince's guests was in a small garden in the harem where frost flowers and various flowering ferns grew.Usually, eunuchs live here, and occasionally there are people from the ruler's group, or particularly important historians who travel to Rome for research, and then very high-level Earth Guardians visit to study strategic plans.It was unusual enough to host a flying man here, it was simply impossible to host a lookout, and it was simply unreasonable to host a no-man like Gorman.So, when we showed up at the inn, the squires who greeted us said we were joking, then got angry, and finally reprimanded: "Go away!" they shouted, "Scum! Scoundrel!"

Afluela said solemnly: "The prince gave us permission to live here, and you can't drive us out." "Go away! Go away!" A Brokentooth attendant took out a nerve baton and threw it down on Gorman's face, cursing at him uncleanly.Gorman knocked the baton away with a wave of his hand, ignoring the pain, and struck at his lower abdomen, causing him to bend over, fall to the ground with a plop, and vomit.Immediately, a group of eunuchs ran out of the hotel.Gorman grabbed another squire and threw him into the crowd, scaring them off their feet.At this moment some shouting, some swearing, caught the attention of an old recorder, who strolled up to the door, motioned for silence, and asked what was the matter with us."That's easy," said Afluela, after hearing what had happened. He turned again, and said to one of his attendants with contempt: "Consult the indexer, quick!"

Soon, things were sorted out and they allowed us to stay.We each have a room but are all connected together.I have never seen such a luxurious and luxurious house, and I am afraid I will never see it again.The room is high and wide, and the diameter is very long.To ensure the privacy of the guest, the guest enters the room through a door that expands and contracts according to his body temperature.Guests only need to nod their heads, and the lights are turned on, because the needle lights hanging on the ceiling spheres and inlaid on the top of the wall are creatures from the planet of light, which can be turned on or off according to the guests' requirements after hard training.The windows also appear or disappear according to the guests' thoughts. When not in use, they are hidden behind the perceptual tulle banners from outer space. They not only play a decorative role, but also serve as a monitor to adjust the aroma at any time according to requirements.The room is equipped with a thinking helmet and memory bank master controller.There is also a pager, which can call attendants, recorders, indexers or musicians at any time.Of course, a humble group like me would not dare to use others like this, lest it arouse their anger, but I don't need them either.

I didn't ask Afluela what happened in the palanquin to get us treated so well, but I could imagine Gorman doing the same, and his pent-up anger made it clear , he loved my pale, petite and slender flying man in his heart. We settled in.I put the van next to the window, covered with tulle, ready for the next lookout.I clean myself of the grime and relax with the music playing on the wall.After dinner, Afluela came in, looking refreshed and relaxed.She sat next to me and we chatted together.Gorman hadn't shown up for several hours, perhaps because he felt that this place was too unsuitable for him, and had already gone elsewhere to find a companion.At dawn, Afluela and I walked through the cloister in the courtyard and climbed a slope to see the stars in the sky at dawn, only to find Gorman there, beside a thin man, surrounded by The historian's shawl, the two were whispering something.

Gorman nodded at me and said, "Watch people, meet new friends who know me." The thin man fingered the shawl. "I'm Basil the Historian," his voice was thin, like a mural peeling off a wall. "I'm from Paris, and I'm here to study the history of Rome, and I'm going to stay for several years." "He's a storyteller," Gorman said, "and he's the most famous guy in the club. When you came, he was telling me the techniques of studying the past.They drilled holes in Tertiary epoch layers, then used vacuum machines to extract soil molecules to study the ancient surface. "

"We have found," said Basil, "catacombs from the time of the Roman Empire, rubble from the era of the Sweeping, and books carved on white metal strips from the end of the Second Era. These are to be shipped to Paris Examine, classify, decipher, and return to its place. Are you interested in things from the past, Watcher?" "One thing," I said with a smile, "is that the ugly man has a higher interest. Sometimes I doubt his real identity. Can you spot a historian masquerading as a member of another regiment?" Basil carefully looked at Gorman, looking at his strange appearance and strong physique.

"He's not a historian," he said at last, "but he's really interested in archaeology, and has asked me a lot of esoteric questions." "For example?" "He wants to know the origin of each regiment, who performed genetic surgery and created the first batch of pure-bred flying people? Why are there ugly people? Are they really cursed by the Holy Will?" "Have you answered all of them?" I asked. "I answered some," said Basil, "and only some." "What is the origin of the League?" "It was about rebuilding a society that had suffered defeat and disintegration, and making it meaningful again," said the historian. "At the end of the Second Era, everything was in turmoil, and no one knew his place and purpose in society. At that time, the aliens who were showing their power on the earth looked down on the earthlings, thinking that they were all useless things. It was necessary to establish a reference system to determine the value of each person. Therefore, the first groups appeared: rulers Group associations, eunuch associations, merchant associations, landlord associations, hawker associations, and attendants associations, and later there were recorders, musicians, clowns, and porters associations, and later, indexers and lookouts were also needed. And the Guardians of the Earth. In the magical age, flying people and ugly people appeared, and these two groups were added, and later, there were the group of no-members and the group of eunuchs, so..."

"But ugly people are obviously clueless!" said Afluela. The historian looked at her for the first time now: "Who are you, child?" "Afluela of the Flying Society. I came with the lookout and the ugly." Basil said: "I have been telling him just now that in the early days, the ugly people were an independent group. However, a thousand years ago, this group was dissolved by the council of the Ruler's group because there was a A group of notorious ugly people actually tried to control the holy city of Jerusalem, and since then, the ugly people have been reduced to no people, and the level is only above the eunuchs."

"I've never heard of any of this," I said. "You are not a historian," Basil said reservedly, "representing history is our art." "Of course, of course." Gorman said, "How many regiments do we have now?" Basil hesitated a bit, and said perfunctorily: "There are at least a hundred of them, my friends, some are small, and some are only local. I only care about the groups that appeared at the beginning and later. It's the business of other historians. May I ask you?" "Okay," Gorman said, "it's just small talk anyway."

"Your curiosity is strong," said the historian. "I think everything in this world is very interesting. Is it a crime?" "I just find it odd," Basil said, "that so few of the uninitiated think about it." A servant appeared with a strange expression, both fearful and disdainful.He fell before Afluela and said: "The prince has returned, and I want you to go to the palace to accompany him at once." Afluela looked terrified, but the prince's orders were irresistible. "Shall I go with you?" she asked. "Come on. You'll have to wear a robe and perfume, and he wants you to spread your wings to meet him."

Afluela nodded, and the attendant led her away. We stayed on the slope for a while longer.The historian Basil told us the story of ancient Rome, I listened quietly, and Gorman stared at the darkening front.Finally, Basil felt that his throat was dry, took the opportunity to leave, and left solemnly.A moment later, in the courtyard below us, a door opened and Afluela stepped out, walking not at all like a flying man but like a sleepwalking wizard.She was wearing a transparent robe with nothing underneath, and her frail body glowed terrifyingly white under the starlight.Her wings have spread, beating slowly in the darkness, like the beating of a heart.A page grabs her by the elbows: it looks like they're pushing her toward the palace, as if it wasn't herself at all but just a clone of sleepwalking Afluela. "Fly, Afluela, fly!" cried Gorman. "Get away while you still have the chance!" She entered a side door in the palace. The ugly man looked at me: "In order to find us a place to live, she sold herself to the prince." "seems like it." "I'm going to smash that palace!" "You love her?" "You can see that." "Don't think about it," I warned him. "You are a special person, but flying people don't belong to you, especially flying people who have slept in the prince's bed." "She ran from my arms to him." I was taken aback: "Have you slept with her?" "More than once," he said, with a melancholy smile, "her wings fluttered like leaves in a storm when she was excited." I clung to the railing on the slope so as not to fall into the yard.Overhead the stars were spinning, and the ancient moon and its two pale satellites were bouncing up and down.I was stunned, but I didn't know why I was so excited.Is it angry that Gorman dared to break the law?Or was my fatherly affection for Afluela fake?Or was it jealous that Gorman had more guts than I did to break the law, which I, too, had never dared to do?I said, "They're going to burn your brains and shred your soul for this. Well now, I'm your accomplice." "What are you talking about? The prince can do whatever he wants? Doesn't matter if there is someone before him? I have to say it." "Enough, enough." "Will we see her again?" "The prince will soon tire of his woman. In a few days, perhaps just one night, he'll throw her back at us. Then we'll have to get out of here." I sighed. "But At least we can stay here for a few nights." "Where are you going then?" "Stay in Rome for a while." "Even if you sleep on the street? It seems that there is really not much need for watchmen here." "I'll figure it out," I said, "and then I might go to Paris." "To learn from historians?" "To see Paris. What about you? What do you want in Rome?" "Afluela." "Shut up!" "Okay," he said, with a bitter smile, "but I'm going to wait for her here until the prince gets tired of playing. Then she'll be mine, and we'll figure out how to live. No one is resourceful, they It has to survive. Maybe we'll find a place in Rome for a while, and then follow you to Paris, if you're willing to travel with a monster and a treacherous flying man." I shrugged: "Let's talk about it later." "Have you ever traveled with an ugly man before?" "Not much, and not for long." "It's my pleasure," he rapped on the railing, "don't leave me, Watcher. I have reasons to want to be with you." "What reason?" "I want to see what your face looks like when your machine tells you that aliens are starting to invade Earth." I bent forward and dropped my shoulders. "Then you will stay with me for a long, long time." "You don't believe there will be an invasion?" "There will be a day like this, but not anytime soon." Gorman chuckled. "You are wrong. In fact, someone has already invaded here." "Don't make fun of me." "What's the matter, watchman? Have you lost your faith? For a thousand years, everyone has known that there is a race of aliens who have coveted the earth; according to the terms of the treaty, the earth is theirs, and one day they will will come to take over Earth. It was decided at the end of the Second Era." "I know all this, but I'm not a historian." I turned to Gorman and said something I never expected to say: "I've been listening to the stars for twice your age, ugly man .It often feels very boring. A person's name will become hollow if you say it ten thousand times. I watch every day, and I do it very well. Sometimes, in the dark night, I think My lookouts are really useless, I'm just wasting my time. Lookouts are fun, but maybe not very useful." He takes my wrist. "This is what you said from the bottom of your heart. I really didn't expect it. But you will also be surprised by what I say. Stick to your beliefs. Watch out, the invasion is coming!" "how do you know?" "No one has their own craft like everyone else." I felt very disturbed and said, "Does Zuwu make people suffer?" "Everyone becomes obedient. And no one is free despite his low status. I can talk to anyone I want. " "I noticed." "I can travel around without worrying about food and lodging, even if I eat rotten food and live in a dirty place. I can approach women casually and let those prohibitions go to hell. Maybe, because of this, I don't suffer from ambition. trouble." "Don't want to get rid of your current low status?" "Never thought of that." "Perhaps you would be happier if you were a historian." "I'm happy now. I can enjoy the fun of historians without their responsibilities." "You are so proud!" I yelled, "Taking advantage of Wuhui." "Otherwise, how can a person bear the weight of the holy will?" He looked at the palace. "The lowly shall stand erect, and the mighty shall fall. Take my words as a prophecy, Watcher: Before this summer comes, there will be a good time for the lewd prince. He took Avrou Ella, I'm going to gouge out his eyeballs!" "You're serious. You're fantasizing about rebellion tonight." "This is a prophecy." "You can't get close to him," I said.On second thought, I was angry with myself again for taking his stupidity seriously.I continued: "Besides, why blame him? Princes do this. The girl went by herself. She should be blamed. She can refuse." "In that case, she will either die or lose her wings. No, she has no choice. But I have!" The ugly man suddenly made a frightening gesture, and he stretched out his thumb and forefinger with thick joints and long nails, Poke towards the imaginary eye ahead. "Just wait and see," he said, "you'll see the day!" At this time, two observers appeared in the yard. They set up their instruments, lit candles, and checked tomorrow's situation.An unpleasant smell of white smoke rushed into my nostrils.I don't want to talk to this ugly man anymore. "It's getting late," I said, "and I need to rest and look out at once." "Look carefully," Gorman told me.