Blade and Poetry

This is the first time I have taken a life in reality.It seemed like a quick process - I didn't feel too much fear, it was just that my hands were very cold.I pulled a curtain and wiped the blood off the knife.Just when I was about to step out of the glass hole in the balcony again, I heard the girl behind me shout timidly: "Sir."

I looked at the small figure in the corner of the room.She had already roughly put on her dress; it was a very mature dress, and her sleeves and shoulder blades were empty.

"I can't save you." I explained to her as coldly as possible.

"I know," she said, as if she didn't mind at all, "I was just thinking, if you're desperate for a way out, you can go to the west wall. There's a little door at the base of the wall on the right, It's what they normally ship dogs and cats in, and the latch can be unplugged. That's where I was brought in."

She found me standing where I was, and said, "Go away, sir. I won't call for help."

My raised foot retracted.I returned to the interior of the room and crouched in front of her.

"No," I said, "Listen, you gotta call for help. Go out and call someone when I'm gone for 2 minutes. If they ask you who did it, tell them 'Break into Mia Chamara's room Thief,' they won't give you a hard time. Tell the whole story, whatever you want; I can get away with it."

"Yes, sir," she said obediently.

I thought about how many little girls her age had come and gone in this house, and how many are still there, dragged into this bedroom full of wine and meat, alive or dead; and all I knew was, At her age, it should have just sprouted a vague longing for her sweetheart, and all worries are so small.

"What's your name?" I asked her—even if I knew it, it probably wouldn't make any sense.

"My name is Emily," she said.

She bid me farewell and blessed me.I jumped off the second floor and ran towards the west side without stopping.In the other direction, the lights had gradually turned on; but the news of Fankoff Maugham's death had not yet spread, and the servants of the house were only in a hurry for Mia Chamara's scream.I ran swiftly in the darkness, and even my shadow was immersed in such darkness.

I opened the latch of the small door in the west wall with my hands, and the girl's last words to me were still in my ears.

"God bless you, sir."

"I hope he doesn't regret it."

I said in a low voice, and pulled the small wooden door shut with my backhand.

There is no point in going to the agreed upon hotel.I ran a long distance in one breath, and at the end of the run, my consciousness became unclear.I felt that I had come to a familiar place, and suddenly found that I was near the Aling Palace—a few intersections was the narrow alley where I often stayed.I checked again to see if I had left any marks, then took a nap against the wall.At this time, the night had faded, and the sky began to turn pale.

The first day that followed was the most intensive day of inspections.For a while, the streets and alleys were crowded with patrol guards, and I heard newspaper vendors shouting the fresh headlines of "Frequent Prisoner Escapes Prison, Civilian Massacred"-this news burned through the Ninth City like wildfire.

I survived the rough first day by relying on an abandoned sinkhole, one of the wonderful places I found while wandering with Lindsey.I join a pile of leaky casks and melted iron tufts, with the slate lids half-hidden, breathing in the air that smells of rotting wood and rust.I got some cuts on my left hand from breaking the glass, and now some of them are inflamed.

I never got up on the first day, and on the second day I was starving, but my hair was burning and I had no energy to climb up.On the third day, the momentum of the patrol guards' search seemed to subside surprisingly quickly, and the top of my head regained a rare cleanliness.

I fell asleep in a daze, half dreaming and half awake, as if I heard the sound of things moving around me.Someone shook my shoulder and called me "Vi".Something cold touched my forehead.The man grabbed my hand and untied the rings that had bound my wrists for dozens of days, and then the shackles on my feet were also loosened, and the ring of skin was finally able to be exposed to the air for a long time.

I barely opened my eyes and found Linxi's face in front of me.His blond hair has been tied up tightly, and his temperament is a little different from before.

"You are here." He frowned. "It's a good thing you've been able to carry this burden for so long—and kill a man."

I felt the long-lost magic flow into my hands and feet, gradually filling them with strength.I was so burned that I couldn't figure out the purpose of Lin Xi's sudden visit, so I quietly waited for his next words.

"The air here is terrible, I'll take you up there," he said.

"What," I said, "take me away again?"

I was so sleepy that I couldn't wake up, so I closed my eyes again.

"I know you didn't steal the crown," he said, his voice sounding a little jerky. "It's all the Bishop's fault—"

"So you're not here to catch me," I said, "You're here to rescue me?"

"Help you," he said. "I have been inquiring about you since I knew the truth. I just confirmed your location, and the news from the day before yesterday appeared."

He pulled me up, and I hung my arms on his shoulders, and he walked a few steps while supporting me.

There is already an empty space outside the sewer tunnel, the sky is blue, and the ground paved with blue bricks is as clear as washing.He threw me a bag, and I opened it to find food, water and medicine inside.

"Thank you," I casually grabbed a silver medicine bottle, "Can I drink this?"

"This is trauma medicine." He didn't reach out, just watched me approach the bottle and sniff it, "If you have a fever, drink the green bottle."

I took the green clothes as I said, and I really felt a lot of ironing.Hunger, which had taken a backseat, now came to the fore; I ate a few mouthfuls of the pastry he had brought me.The sky is so bright, and the pastries are so sweet, it makes me feel like a lifetime away.

"How are you doing," I said to him with a sigh of relief, "do you like coming home?"

“I spent some time at home,” Lindsey said. “My father was very happy that I suddenly wanted to do serious things. It was disgusting to talk to some people, but it was useful.”

He sat down next to me on the floor, regardless of the fact that the clothes he was wearing were already quite different from when he was a wanderer.We sat side by side just like we did a month ago.

"Nothing would have happened, but I suddenly heard that they decided to execute prisoners in batches, no matter how big or small they were, whether they were convicted or not—there was going to be a war. I almost thought you were dead."

I thought of the empty rows of cells in Dormition.

"But I didn't," I said, "what a pity—and I've disturbed your peace a bit. Won't you arrest me again for the murder of Fankoff, Mr. Lindsey?"

"Fankov should have died a long time ago," Linxi lowered her eyes, "I hate people like him—it's people like him who ruined Puguo. He also has a woman who confessed to you in court Everything. She faltered at first, saying that she rang the bell because you broke into her room to steal; when she heard that Fankoff was dead, she began to cry and talk incoherently—she said she didn’t know anything, It seemed that her younger brother was also mentioned. But when the presiding judge questioned her, she refused to say anything more. They saw that she was behaving suspiciously, and her confession was inconsistent, so she was still imprisoned.”

"I feel that there are suddenly fewer patrol guards today."

"Your instincts were right," Lindsey said. "Case closed. There's a scapegoat for you."

Gian Chamara's face flashed before my eyes at that moment.Lin Xi also mentioned the woman's brother just now—I went to see Lin Xi's expression, not sure if he knew the connection between her brother and my young guard.

"Who is the scapegoat?" I asked him.

"Anyone." Lin Xi replied nonchalantly, "I know quite a few people keep such a group of scapegoats. After all, the value of a wish can always exceed people's imagination, and sometimes it can be equal to the price of a life—— Even if its value can no longer be reflected in themselves."

"Who is paying for this life," I said, looking at him, "is it you?"

"It's me," he said.His expression at that moment was a bit cunning.At that moment, I felt inexplicably that I could no longer see the shadow of the cowardly boy hiding behind me from this face.

"I've done you another favor," said Lindsay, "that scapegoat, he's been lured into taking everything—his, not his. I want him to cover your original wanted charge, It was said that he was originally disguised as the one in the portrait, and he also recognized it."

"That—the person who took my place, what crime did he get?"

"Originally, killing Fankov was the death penalty, and it would be the same if adding a felony." Lin Xi said, "Tomorrow the execution will be public."

It seems that some vague sighs flowed into my heart.I imagined the face of that person I had never met, and realized that such a face would be erased from the world tomorrow.

"The bishop is willing to approve his death sentence," I said. "I thought it was time to find out what happened to his lost things."

"It turns out that Galenno really lost something?" Lin Xi said, "If this is the case, then I am also very puzzled. He signed the signature quickly, and as soon as the news of the capture of the murderer came out, he agreed to execute the man gone."

"It's really strange." I couldn't figure out the bishop's intentions, and at the same time, I still couldn't let go of what happened to the young guard, so I asked Linxi tentatively, "Speaking of which, have you heard of Gian Chamara?"

"Who's that?" he said. "Somewhat familiar."

"The jailer who was guarding me the night of the breakout," I said, "I want to know how he is."

"I don't know, I didn't ask about that side." Lin Xi tilted her head and smiled at me, "I heard that the jailers there have the same caliber, no one has any serious problems, and all of them are still on duty. Then he should be fine, right?"

My heart slowly relaxed.Although this street is desolate, its sunlight, air, and unimpeded paths are so different from those in the prison.I thought, maybe these dozens of days of life made me suspicious, I should relax and have a good chat with Linxi.

"What does the guilty man want?" I said. "I can hardly imagine—"

"I promise to help him realize his wish," Linxi lowered her head and folded her fingers, "You may not understand, Wei, people always have something they desire—it is a very silly wish."

He sat with me for a long time, and I drank all the water he brought me.He fumbled for something in his pocket and handed me a thin book.I opened it, and inside was the format of the certificate, and there was a seal on the paper that I didn't recognize.

"Red leather cars don't sell tickets now." Lin Xi said, "You can get on the bus you want with it."

"Why did you give it to me?" I tossed it over, confused, "You found someone to take the blame for me, outwitted the bishop, and saved me from the patrols—you do, most people You won’t be happy about it. Regardless of whether I’ve ever stolen anything from Pu Country—you clearly said that I’ve lied to you many times..."

Suddenly some thin anger appeared on his face, like shortness of breath-but I didn't know who he was angry with.

"I don't care what you are! I don't care if you're a spy, a trickster, a thief, or an executioner like those guys from the Redemption Society," he said rather childishly. You block it one time."

He stood up and stared at me, and I stood up too.

"I see." I said softly to him, holding out my hand. "When we meet next time, just call me Vicente."

When I was parting from him, I asked him to take a look at the little Emily of the Vankoff family for me, and then found the place where the black box was buried, and dug it out from the depths.On the next day, I took the ID given to me by Linxi, successfully passed the inspection of the guards and ticket inspectors, and boarded the red leather car heading for the direction of Columbus.

This red leather car has a total of two trips, front and back. When I got on the car, the red leather car on the opposite side was slowly pulling into the station.It seemed to be the first time I saw so many people in the desolate outskirts of the city. They were all gathered a few steps away, standing in a large area in darkness, as if they were surrounding a tall pillar farther away.The pillar passed far above the heads of those people, and a huge and bright fire was burning on the pillar.

The red leather car I was in closed the door, and there was a "squeak", and I could feel the wheels of the red leather car rolling slowly underneath.The other car's occupants had probably all disembarked.Through the window, I suddenly saw the back of a man—a head of blond hair pressed under a gray hat, but I couldn't be sure if it was him.Among all the passengers carrying suitcases and walking forward slowly, that man seemed so out of place.He took nothing and ran like flying, the corners of his coat were blown behind him by the wind.

My red leather car was still slowly starting, and I saw that person plunge into the black crowd, push away one after another, and squeeze towards the center.But the people there were densely packed, and he moved very slowly.I saw him wave his hand, as if he wanted to do something, but in the end he just grabbed the hat and raised his head in the direction of the fire.

At that moment, he suddenly stopped moving, and his whole body froze in place.

The speed of the red leather train finally rose at this moment, and its start this time brought a strong wind.I glanced inside the city walls of Pu for the last time—many people's hats were carried off their heads by the gust of wind, and the rest simply took off their hats and threw them into the sky with cheers.In this chaotic jubilation, only a piece of golden red hair fluttering back is the most conspicuous.Its owner was motionless, the gray hat was held in his hand, as if he was about to lift it, and it was frozen in the time of that square inch.

I listened to the ringing car bell and closed my eyes on the seat, intending to take a nap during the long journey.I probably slept for four or five hours until it looked like evening outside.I cast my eyes out the window, trying to make out where the car had gone.The people sitting behind me were also awake at this time, and their conversations came to me clearly.

"Finally caught the spy," said the man with a gruff laugh, "I can sleep peacefully this time. If I ask you, it's time to teach Columbus a lesson—they always Thinking that I can sneakily steal anything like I was back then!"

The man seemed to be shaking the newspaper in his hand.A voice behind said: "But the report didn't specify which country committed the crime?"

"Why, what," cried the first man, "you are so ill-informed, man! It is said that a medal was found on the poor brunette the day before his execution, It's pinned in the clothes openly - and it has the coat of arms of the 'cooker's toast' college printed on it, which is exclusive to Columbus. It's a pity that it's worthless, the executioner didn't want it, it's in everyone's hands It was passed around, and it was probably picked up by scavengers in the end. The poor ghost's initials are also on it. Can't be wrong!"

My hand unconsciously touched the surface of the empty cuff, and the golden red in the crowd flashed in my mind——I suddenly thought of something, and rushed to the closed door of the red leather car.My forehead and hands were pressed against the yellowed glass of the car door, and beyond the glass in front of my eyes was a strange scene that flew past.

I turned a corner with messy steps, leading me to the two people who had talked with me before.

"Gentlemen," I said in a low voice, "may I read your papers?"

In fact, I don't have to watch it anymore.The newspaper lay flat on their laps; at the top were two bold headlines, with the portrait of me on the original warrant next to the text below.

"The spies sent by other countries to steal our secrets have been brought to justice, and today they will be burned at the stake in the wasteland on the outskirts of the city."

I realized that I had made a big mistake: not only did my actions indirectly cause Mia Chamara to go to prison, not only did I fail Gian Chamara, but also made him willingly carry me again to save his eldest sister. all charges.I wouldn't have realized Lindsay had lied to me, but I'd dropped my medal on the shirt I exchanged with Jian—

I clenched my hands and slid back into my seat.

I'm already so far away from Puguo—and the Vicente Shaw that Karajan saw had died at the stake.