Chapter 24 Chapter Twenty-Four

There was an uproar in the big room, everyone gathered around Yermot and Fano.As they took off their outer coats, they tried to answer a barrage of burning questions. Arthur pushed aside the crowd and looked angrily at the two people who had just arrived. "You know this is critical time. Where have you been?" Fano24 sat down and rubbed his hands, his chubby cheeks were flushed red by the cold outside.He smirked inexplicably, as if he had been anesthetized, and looked unusually calm. "I've never seen him like this before," Beanie whispered to Schelling. "He's always been very obedient, an astronomer with a strong sense of inferiority. He's submissive to everyone around him, even to me. , but now..."

"Hush, listen," Schelling said. "Yermott and I just did a crazy little experiment," Fano said. "We've been wondering if we could create a dark and starry environment so we could know in advance what that would look like." There was a murmur of bewilderment from the audience. "A star?" said Theremon. "Do you know what a star is? How do you know it?" Fano said with a smirk, "We read the Book of Revelations. It is clearly written in the book: The stars are like the sun, very bright, but much smaller. When Kargash entered the dark hole, they will appear in the sky."

"What absurdity!" someone said. "impossible!" "Apocalypse! That's what they study! Can you imagine..." "Be quiet," said Arthur, with a sudden look of interest in his eyes, as if he had regained his old energy. "Go on, Fano. What's going on with this 'plan' of yours?" ? How did your experiment work?" "Well," Fano said, "Yermot and I came up with this idea a few months ago, and we spent our spare time on it. A low-rise house...I think it used to be a museum, and in the end, we bought it...' "What did you buy it for?" Arthur interrupted Fano domineeringly, "Where did you get the money?"

"Our bank account," said the thin, slender Yermot70, "it cost 2,000 yuan." Then he said mockingly, "Well, that's nothing? By tomorrow, 2,000 yuan It turned into 2,000 sheets of waste paper." "Yeah," said Fano, "we bought that house and covered it with black velvet from top to bottom to make it as dark as possible, and then we made little holes in the The metal cap is covered. The metal cap is controlled by a switch, and when the switch is turned on, the cap slides to one side at the same time. At least, these things are not done by ourselves. We called a carpenter, an electrician and some other workers.. Money is not a problem The main purpose is to allow light to pass through those small holes to produce the effect of starlight."

"The starlight effect we imagined." Yermot added. Everyone held their breath and said nothing.Arthur said stiffly: "You have no right to do it in private..." Fano looked embarrassed. "Sir, I know...but, frankly, Yermott and I think the experiment is a bit dangerous. If it works, there's a half chance we'll go crazy...according to Schelling, we think that's quite possible. We I feel that I can only take risks. Of course, if we can be safe and sound, then we think we will have a kind of immunity to the disaster that is coming. Then, you can go there to experience it, but unfortunately, the experiment has no results..."

"Why? What happened?" Yermot took over the conversation. "We shut ourselves in and let our eyes get used to the dark, and it was an eerie feeling. Because when it's dark all around you feel like the walls around you and the ceiling above you are pressing down on you. But We made it through anyway, and flipped the switch. The metal cap on the roof slid aside, and the little hole in the roof glistened..." "and then?" "And then... nothing happened. That's the strangest thing. According to our understanding of the Book of Revelations, we experienced firsthand the effect of seeing the stars against the night sky. But nothing happened, only a lot of small Hole, lots of bright light going through the little hole, that's what it looks like. We tried again and again...that's why we were late...but nothing came of it."

Everyone was shocked and fell silent.All eyes turned to Schelling, who sat there with his mouth wide open, motionless. Theremon was the first to break the silence. "Do you know what that does to all your theories, Schelling?" He smiled reassuringly. But Schelling held up a hand. "Wait, Theremon, let me think about it. The so-called stars that the children described...the whole time they were exposed to the dark..." He paused for a moment.Everyone stared at him, and then he snapped his fingers, and when he looked up, there was neither surprise nor confusion in his eyes. "certainly……"

Before he finished speaking, Tierlando rushed in. She had been exposing the camera light panel in the observatory round room just now.As the eclipse draws nearer, it will be taken every 10 seconds.She waved her arms wildly, and Yermot saw it, and was really excited. "Dr. Arthur! Dr. Arthur!" Arthur turned around and asked, "What's going on?" "We just found out...he's in the Roundhouse...you won't believe it, Dr. Arthur..." "Speak slowly, child, what happened? Who came in?" There was a scuffling sound in the hall, and there was a harsh bang.Benny got up and rushed to the door, stopped suddenly, and cried, "Damn it!"

Daunet and Hicconen, who had been staying in the round house with Tierlando just now, also came out at this time.Two astronomers are wrestling with another.A man in his late forties, with blue eyes, curly red hair, a thin, resolute face, as light as a swallow, he looked like an athlete.They dragged him into the room. The stranger wore the black garb of the Firemen. "Flemish 66!" cried Arthur. Theremon yelled at the same time, "Fleming! What are you doing sneaking here?" Believers are very calm.In a commanding tone, he said coldly: "I am here tonight not to represent darkness, I am here in the name of light."

Arthur looked at Tierlando. "Where did you find him?" "Dr. Arthur, I'll tell you. We were busy getting plates, and then we heard his voice. He came in, stood behind us, and said, 'Where's Arthur? I must see him.' " "Call the security," said Arthur, his face turning blue with anger. "The observatory is blocked tonight. I want to see how this man evades the security." "It's obvious that you have one or two members of the Flame sect." Theremon said lightly, "When the followers of Fleming appear and ask them to open the gate, they will naturally be happy to do so."

Arthur gave him a hard look, but the look on his face showed that the old astronomer knew that Theremon's guess was pretty close. Everyone in the room now surrounded Freemont in the middle, staring angrily at him... Severa, Theremon, Beanie, Arthur, and others. Fleming said calmly: "I am the special assistant of Fleming 66 and Mondial 71. I am here tonight, not to commit crimes as you imagined. I am the special envoy sent by the bishop. Arthur, Can you persuade these two zealots to untie me?". Arthur gestured impatiently. "Let him go." "Thank you!" said Fleming.He rubbed his arms with his hands and straightened his clothes.Then, a grateful bow...or was it just a teasing bow? ... The air around the believer seemed to be shocked by a special electric current, and it trembled. "Well, now," said Arthur, "what are you doing? What do you want?" "I guess you won't give me anything at will." "You're right." "Arthur," said Fleming, "when you and I met a few months ago, I daresay it was a very tense meeting. The two parties who met each other looked down upon each other as if they were princes of hostile powers. In your view, I Is a dangerous fanatic; in my eyes you are the leader of a group of atheists. However, we can reach a certain consensus, you recall, this is the night of September 19th, darkness will fall on Kargash , and continued for several hours." Arthur frowned, turned his face and said, "Let's get down to business, Fleming, the darkness is coming, and we don't have much time left." Fleming replied: "To me, the coming darkness is sent to us specially by the will of the gods; to you, the darkness represents only the lifeless movement of the celestial bodies. Well, we agree that there are Disagreement. I will provide you with information that has been in the hands of the Flames since the last Repentant Year, as well as charts of the movement of the suns in the sky, and even more esoteric and complicated information. In return, you must agree to prove The fundamental truths of the tenets of our faith, and to make known to all throughout Kalgesh." Arthur looked at his watch and said, "I really did that. What does your master want me to do now? I have completed the last thing in the agreement." Fleming smiled slightly, but said nothing. A wave of uneasiness stirred in the room. "I asked him for the astronomical data, didn't I?" Arthur looked around. "It's only available to the Flames, and I got it. For that, I thank you. In return, I really agree to get the Mathematical proof of the basic teaching of Pyroism, which is the view that darkness will come on September 19th, and make this proof public." "We don't need to give you anything more," he retorted proudly. "Our doctrine, as you call it, needs no proof. The Book of Revelation has already confirmed it." "Proven for you believers, yes." Arthur said sharply. "Don't misunderstand my kindness. I want to provide scientific basis for your beliefs, and I have done that." The believer's eyes narrowed into a line, showing a look of pain. "Yes, you did...but you are like a cunning fox. Because your so-called explanations support our beliefs, but at the same time make our beliefs seem meaningless. You speak of darkness and stars as a kind of Natural phenomena, thereby depriving our teachings of their true meaning. This is blasphemy." "If that's the case, it's not my fault, it's just the way it is. What else can I do but tell the truth?" "Your so-called fact is nothing but a deception, your fallacy!" Arthur blushed and turned white with anger. "how do you know?" The answer is full of absolute devotion to one's beliefs. "Of course I know." The headmaster's face turned livid.Beanie came up to him and Arthur waved him away. "So, what does Mondial 71 want from us? I think he still thinks that we can't warn the world and get people to take steps to prevent madness, which in a way prevents him from preparing for the An attempt to take control of power after the eclipse. We have not been successful, though, and I hope this cheers him up." "But this attempt of yours has done great harm in itself, and what you are trying to achieve here tonight will make it worse." "How much do you know what we're trying to achieve tonight?" Arthur asked. Fleming said lukewarmly: "We know that you want to make a certain impact on the people, and you will never give up doing so. Before the darkness and fire came, you couldn't do it; As the day fades into the darkness of those photographs, you still work hard to finish, you come up with a rational explanation for the survivors... put the supposed proof of your beliefs in a safe place, so that in the next confessional year At the end, your followers in the sciences will be able to lead humanity to stop the darkness from happening." "Somebody's been talking nonstop," Beanie whispered. Fleming continued: "Obviously all of this has had a bad effect on interest in Mondial 71, a seer appointed by the gods to lead mankind through the coming that period." "Time to get down to business!" said Arthur, with a touch of indifference in his tone. Freeman nodded. "That's the business. Your ill-conceived and blasphemous attempt to use those hideous devices to obtain information must stop. My only regret is that I didn't destroy that damn device with my own hands." "That's all you've got in your head? It's not going to do you any good. All of our data, except for the direct data we're collecting right now, is securely hidden and impossible to destroy. .” "Get it out, ruin it." "what?" "Destroy all your work, destroy your equipment. In return, in the confusion that comes when day falls, You and your men will have my protection. " There was a burst of laughter in the room. "Crazy," someone said, "absolutely crazy" "Not mad at all," said Fleming. "It's just piety, a devotion to a cause you don't understand, but not madness. I assure you, I'm quite sane. I think the man here . . . He pointed at Theremon. "He's not a gullible man, as he can testify. My cause is above all else. Tonight is a momentous night in the history of the world. My next ultimatum is tomorrow. When the dawn comes, the gods will win. You people try to provide a rational explanation for the darkness that comes tonight. This is the blasphemy of the gods. It must stop and take Bishop Mondial71 as the will of the gods Speakers to accept. When morning comes, you go among the people and do what you have to do, no one cares about eclipses, orbits, the law of gravitation, and your folly." "But what if we don't?" asked Arthur, looking amused by Fleming's insolence. "Then," Fleming said coldly, "led by the Flames, an angry crowd will ascend this hill and destroy your observatory and everything here." "Enough," said Arthur. "Call the security and throw this man out." "You still have a whole hour," said Fleming calmly, "and then the army of God will attack here." "He's bluffing," said Schelling suddenly. As if he hadn't heard Schelling, Arthur added, "Call the police. I'll let him out." "Damn it, Arthur, what's the matter with you?" Sherin yelled. "If you let him go, he'll go out and stir things up, don't you see? The Believers can't live without making some trouble, but he Master of chaos." "What can you do?" "Lock him up," said Schelling, "in a closet and put a lock on him. Keep him there all the time of darkness. That's the worst we can do to him." One way. If he is locked up like this, he can't see the darkness, and he can't see the stars either. Anyone who knows a little about the basic teachings of the Flame sect will understand that for him, when the stars appear, if he To hide means that he loses his immortal soul. Locking him up, Arthur, is not only the safest way for us, but also the punishment he deserves." "Then," said Freemont, breathing heavily, "you've all lost your minds, and no one's going to let me out. It's like a death sentence. You and I know what it means when the stars appear... I Knows more than you do! You're all crazy to think of letting me out, then I'll either suffocate in there or starve to death, right? That's how scientists treat me!" He said, " Scientist" is an obscene word. "But it's not going to work at all! I've taken precautions beforehand. My men know that a full hour from now, if I haven't come out, they're going to attack the observatory unless I go out and order the attack to stop. Put I'll do you no good if I lock you up, and an hour later, you'll burn yourselves, and that's it. Then my men will let me go, and then we'll all be together...ecstatic...to see the stars come out." Liman's temples burst into blue veins, "Then, you, because of what you did today, will be damned forever, and tomorrow you will be babbling lunatics, but we will recreate a shocking new world. " Schelling looked at Arthur suspiciously, and Arthur looked hesitant. Benny, standing beside Theremon, muttered softly, "What do you think? Is he trying to scare people?" The reporter didn't answer, his lips turned white. "Look!" His finger pointing to the window was trembling, and his voice was hoarse and dry. Everyone looked towards the sky along his fingers, and couldn't help taking a breath. For a while, everyone was stunned. There was a deficit on Dovim's side!