Chapter 14 Chapter Six

A coward may be overwhelmed by a sudden attack, but afterwards, he will think about it and come up with a new idea.Such is the case with the historian Eligro.Driven from his room by the prince, and no longer faced with the dreadful scene, he calmed down and learned to be wise.Later that night, as I was getting ready to slip into my sleeping bag and contemplate whether I needed to take sleeping pills, Eligro called me down to his research lab below the building. He sits among the paraphernalia that historians carry with them: reels of tapes and disks, data chips, capsule machines, thinking helmets, four-piece skulls, an array of monitors, a tiny spiral snail ornament, Everything a collector needs.In his hand, he held a crystal ball produced by Cloud Planet to help people relax their tension. The inside was originally milky white, but it became a little black due to absorbing his tension.He put on a condescending and serious face, as if I had never seen his soft bones.

He said: "When you came to Paris with this man, did you know who he was?" "I know." "But you never mentioned it." "No one ever asked me." "We actually harbor a ruler, do you know how much danger you have brought us?" "We are Earthlings," I said, "and don't we still recognize the authority of our rulers?" "None of that has worked since Earth was conquered. The invaders have ordered that all previous government agencies be dismantled and all officials arrested." "But we can disobey." Eligro looked at me wryly. "Do historians get involved in politics? Tomis, we only follow the orders of the government in power, no matter who it is or how it came to power. We don't do resistance here."

"I see." "So we must get rid of this dangerous fugitive immediately. Tomis, I order you to go to the invader's headquarters immediately and tell Commander Seven that we have captured the Roman prince and let him come here to arrest people. " "Let me go?" I blurted out, "Why send an old man to report in the middle of the night? Isn't it enough to just take a thinking helmet and send a message?" "That's too risky. Someone will intercept our message. If the news gets out, it will be bad for our regiment. Someone must go in person."

"But I'm just an insignificant apprentice... This is outrageous." "Only you and I know about it," Eligro said. "I can't go, so you must go." "No one recommends me, Commander No. 7 will not receive me." "Tell his men that you have news of the Prince of Rome. They will listen to you." "Shall I say your name?" "If necessary, you might as well say it. Just say that with the assistance of my wife, the prince has been imprisoned in our room." I almost laughed out loud, but I couldn't hold back, this coward doesn't even have the guts to report on the cuckold.

"Eventually," I said, "the prince will realize that we did it. You think it's right for me to betray the man I've been traveling with for months?" "It's not about betrayal. It's about duty to the government." "I don't feel that I have any obligations to this government. I am only loyal to the rulers, so I helped the Roman prince when he was in trouble." "For that alone," said Eligro, "the Conqueror will kill you. The only way to atone is to admit your mistakes, work together, and capture the prince. Go, go at once."

I have never looked down on anyone in my life, but at this moment, I hate the historian Eligro to the extreme. However, I knew I was facing a new dilemma.Eligro wanted the third party to be severely punished, but he didn't have the courage to report it himself, so I had to go to the invaders and denounce the prince to them, but I used to take care of him so well, because I felt that It is my responsibility.If I don't go, Eligro may turn me over to the invaders to be punished as an accomplice to the fugitive Roman prince, or to take revenge on me on the machines inside the Guild of Historians.If I obey Eligro, my conscience will be stained from now on, and once the rulers will regain the earth in the future, I will suffer retribution.

Weighing the pros and cons, I cursed Omeen, who was unfaithful to her husband, and Eligro, who was spineless. I hesitated.Eligro put pressure on me further, threatening to reveal that I had illegally obtained the secret documents of the League, and to bring a wanted fugitive into the League.He even threatened to permanently delete me from the database.He was hinting at revenge on me. Finally, I said I promised to go to Raider HQ.At this time, I thought about another idea of ​​betrayal, hoping that this could offset the betrayal of the prince that Eligro imposed on me. It was almost dawn when I left the building.The air was soft and sweet, and the streets of Paris were shimmering with low clouds of mist.There is no moon in the sky.Walking on the empty street, I felt a little guilty. I told myself that no one would hurt an elderly historian, but I only brought a small blade, and I was afraid of robbers.

I walked through a pedestrian slope, the slope was very steep, and I was so tired that I was almost out of breath, but when I got to the flat ground, I felt much better, because this is a patrol area, and there are often patrols, and there are also people who are used to visiting night scenes people.I passed a monster wrapped in white satin, which was an alien: a ghost, a grim-faced inhabitant from the planet Buffalo, which has the rules of reincarnation, and no one will appear in his true colors.As I passed a few women from the Swan, they giggled at me and asked me if I had seen their male companions, because it was their rendezvous time.Two ugly men looked at me, saw nothing of value, and went away, flaccid fat dappled about their throats, skin glowing like a signal light.

At last I reached the low octagonal building occupied by the Parisian trustees. Without strong defenses, the invaders seemed confident that we were incapable of organizing a resistance.Arguably they were right, too, that it is indeed impossible to organize effective resistance on a planet conquered before dawn.The building is surrounded by protective scanners.fresh air.In the large open-air square, merchants were preparing for the morning market; I saw dark-faced servants unloading barrels of spices, and teams of eunuchs carrying sausages.I walked past the scanner and an intruder came and stopped me.

I explained that I had an emergency to report to Commander Seven, and soon, without any extra questioning, I was brought before the custodian, to my surprise. The Raiders' office was simply but characteristically furnished, with earthy materials: woven African-style tapestries, two ancient Egyptian alabaster jars, a marble statuette, possibly an early Roman head, an A black Italian vase containing several withered dead flowers.When I entered, he was preoccupied with busying among several boxes storing information.I had heard that the intruder did most of his work at night, so I wasn't surprised to see him so busy.After a while he looked up, and said, "What's the matter, old man? What's the matter with a fugitive ruler?"

"It's the Prince of Rome," I said, "and I know where he is." There was a flash of interest in his indifferent eyes.His hand has many fingers, and it rests on the table. On the table are marked objects of several associations, such as porters, historians, guardians of the earth, clowns and other associations. "Go on," he said. "The prince is in the city. He's somewhere right now, and he can't get out." "Are you here to tell us where he hides?" "No," I said, "I'm here to buy him his freedom." Commander Seven was at a loss. "Sometimes I really don't understand you people on Earth. You said you caught this fugitive. I thought you would betray him, but you wanted to ransom him. Then why are you still here? Are you kidding me? " "Would you like to hear me explain?" He leaned against the mirror-like table and listened quietly to my story.I briefly related my journey from Rome to Paris with the blind prince, the entry into the Historian's building, the scandal with the prince and Homaine, and the revenge plan of the petty Heligro.I made it clear to him that I had been compelled to come here, and that I would not betray the prince and deliver him to the invaders.I said: "I know that all rulers should be sent to you, but this man has paid dearly for his escape. I beg you to inform the Council of Historians that you pardon the Prince of Rome and allow him to Go on to Jerusalem as a pilgrim. Then Eligro will have nothing to do with him." "We have pardoned the Prince of Rome," said the Seventh, "what will you give us in return?" "I did research in the memory bank of the Society of Historians." "So what?" "I found what you've been looking for." Commander Seven stared straight at me. "How do you know what we're looking for?" "That thing is in the deepest part of the Historians' Association building," I said calmly, "it records in detail how your ancestors were kidnapped and imprisoned in concentration camps. They lived a miserable life. It can fully prove that H362 occupied the earth legality." "Impossible! There is no such file!" The intruder's violent reaction told me that I had stabbed him in the vitals. He continued: "We have searched your files thoroughly and only found a documentary about life in the concentration camp, and there is no one of us in it, just a pyramid-shaped species, not really a person, maybe a person from the anchor planet .” "I saw that film too," I told him. "And there are others that have taken me a long time to find, and I'm eager to learn about our inhumane past." "The index..." "Sometimes the index is not comprehensive. I found the material by accident. The historians themselves don't know it. I can lead you there—if you spare the Prince of Rome." The custodian was silent for a while, and finally said: "You really confuse me. I don't know whether you are a shameless person or a person of integrity." "I know what true loyalty is." "But you revealed the secret of your regiment—" "I'm not a historian, I'm just an apprentice. I used to be a lookout. I don't want the prince to be harmed by you, so I fulfilled the wish of a fool who was cuckolded. The prince is in his hands, and now only you can rescue him. If If you agree, I will tell you where the file is." "That file was deliberately deleted from the index by historians, and it could not have fallen into our hands." "That's when they accidentally misplaced it and then forgot about it." "I don't believe it," said Commander Seven. "They are not careless people. They hid the file, and now you sell it to us, doesn't it mean that you have betrayed the entire earth? Wouldn't it be hateful?" An accomplice of the enemy?" I shrugged. "I am only interested in setting the prince free, nothing else concerns me. As long as you promise to pardon him, the file will be yours. " The expression of the intruder is probably their smile. "It's not going to do you any good to let a fugitive ruler go unpunished. You're in danger too, you know? I can force you to reveal the location of the file and still capture the prince." "Of course you can," I said, "I'm going to take the risk. I think it is an honor to atone for the crimes committed by the ancients. I am in your hands now, but the location of the file is in my head, waiting for you Come get it." This time he smiled and was clearly in a good mood. "Wait a minute," he said, and spoke into an amber communicator in their own language, before one of his compatriots entered.Although the man had now shed his vivid disguise, I recognized him at once as Gorman the Ugly, who had traveled with me.His smile was still ambiguous and confusing, and he said, "Hello, Watchman." "Hello, Gorman." "My name is Victorias Thirteen now." "My name is Tomis of the Society of Historians," I said. Commander Seven asked, "When did you become old friends?" "When we conquered Earth," said Victorias Thirteen, "I was an advance scout. I met this old man in Italy and went to Rome with him. But we were traveling companions, not friends." I shuddered. "Where's Afluela the Flying Man?" "In Paris, I think," he said without thinking. "She said she was going back to India, to their trapeze." "Then you only loved her for a while?" "We're just traveling companions, not lovers," said the intruder. "These things are passing things to us." "Maybe for you," I said. "To us." "Just because of this fleeting moment, you don't hesitate to blind a person's eyes?" The old Gorman shrugged. "I did that only to teach that proud fellow a lesson." "At that time you said you were jealous," I reminded him, "you said it was for love." Victorias Thirteen seemed to have no interest in me. He said to Commander Seven, "Why is this man here? What did you ask me to do?" "The Prince of Rome is in Paris," said the Grandmaster Seven. Victoria Thirteen was very surprised. Commander No. 7 continued: "He is being detained by historians now. This man has made us a strange condition. You know the Roman prince better than we do, please tell us your opinion." The custodian briefly explained the situation, and the former Gorman was silent and thoughtful. Finally, Dominant Seven said, "The question is, can we pardon a wanted ruler?" "He's blind," said Victorias Thirteen, "and has no power. His retinue has fled in all directions. Although he still refuses to admit defeat, he is no threat to us. I think this condition is acceptable. " "A pardon for a wanted ruler would cause trouble for our administration," pointed Seven, "but I agree. We made the deal." He said to me, "Tell us where the files are. " "First arrange the action to rescue the prince," I said calmly. Both intruders looked happy. "That's fair," said Commander Seven, "but why should we believe that you will keep your promise? You may change your mind when we rescue the prince next time." "I have an idea," Victorias Thirteen interjected, "it's just a matter of time, there's no mutual distrust. Tomis, why don't you record the location of the file in a six-hour time-delay device?" In the casket? We have the casket ready, and it will tell us only if we free the prince within six hours, and no one can approach it except us. If we don't find and rescue the prince, the casket will self-destruct . If we're free, it sends us the message, even if... uh... you change your mind in the meantime. " "You're very thoughtful," I said. "No objection?" Commander Seven said. "No objection," I said. They gave me a box and left me alone in front of a monitor, typing in the number of the shelf where the files I found were located.After a while, the box flipped over, and the information I had entered disappeared into the darkness.I hand them the box. In this way, out of loyalty to a blind prince who seduced other people's wives, I betrayed the traditions of the people of Earth and did something for our conquerors.