Yin Hong

The breeze blowing from the direction of the sea rustled the leaves, and at some point a layer of obscure mist rose up, faintly floating in the air, half covering people's sight.

Yawen stared intently at the judge and priest who were slowly walking up to the high platform. They looked solemn and upright, as if they were preparing to deal with an extremely solemn event, and the few people standing in front of them were not at all Not a pirate, but a hero who has made great contributions and has just returned from victory.

Holding the holy book in his hands, the priest walked slowly to the edge of the high platform, looking at everyone's eyes one by one with compassionate eyes.

"Children of God! O people of pure hearts!" he began to chant. "Standing here today, some lost souls are lost. They are in a jungle full of mist and swamps. Contaminated by evil filth, they fell deep into temptation and committed mistakes that should not have been committed. They are the sins that the great Lord did not take away on the cross, and they are lost ghosts wandering in the world! I ask the merciful God Father have mercy, release and rescue these poor lambs, wash away their dirt, forgive their sins, and lead them step by step to the endless world of bliss!"

The godfather turned around and stretched out his hands to the pirates. His voice was slow and melodious, like a mother comforting a crying baby, dedicating all his care and love, "May Almighty God bless you, may Your sins are finally forgiven, may you feel the mercy and grace of the Heavenly Father, and may you be with God!"

"The so-called God's forgiveness can't keep them alive, so what's the meaning of this prayer?" Yawen turned his head and asked Andre softly, his eyes revealed a bit of doubt and incomprehension, as if that sacred and A witty play is being staged on the bloody high platform.

"In the eyes of the church, death is rebirth, and it is the only way to heaven." Andre said slowly. He always kept his indifferent gaze on the high platform, as if he was looking at a distant mountain.

"The Garden of Eden, which represents bliss, is generally not barren?" Yawen smiled and shook his head, "But for these prisoners, death may really be the best relief."

Holding the holy book, the priest tapped the foreheads of the pirates in order to purify their souls that were trapped in the quagmire.The pirates kept their mouths tightly shut, and looked blankly or ironically at the priest. They stood so calmly in front of the rack that they had given up their fear of death and their longing for life.

When the first person stepped on the wooden plank, he looked around in a lofty manner, and ruined his last emotions and thoughts here. He even put the rope around his neck and kicked over the wooden plank on his own initiative.

The priest clasped his hands together and closed his eyelids.

The pirate's face gradually turned black, his body twitched uncontrollably a few times, and finally stopped all movement.

The guards standing on the side of the platform went straight forward and untied the ropes hanging from the pirates' necks. Their armor-clad bodies and the pirate's emaciated and pathetic corpses were backlit together, forming a majestic and cruel scene in the morning sun. phantom.

Yawen indifferently witnessed this unbearable punishment.At the moment of death, the pirate seemed to give up, losing to the arrangement of fate and his own choice.He didn't shout, curse, or express emotions. He didn't act like a pirate who was always rampant, cruel, and invincible, but a poor man who succumbed to the law's despotic power, and slammed the banner of the end of his life. Inserted below the execution ground.

Yawen turned his head to look at the pirate standing on the edge of the crowd.

Sancerre was still standing on the abandoned car, with his hands hanging on his sides, standing motionless on the spot, too far apart, his expression and complexion appeared obscure and fuzzy, and it was impossible to judge his emotions.

There was a period of silence around the execution ground, everyone was silent, even those who harbored grievances forgot to curse, their eyes followed the figure of the soldier dragging the corpse until the soldier disappeared into the depths of the fortress , and then looked at the next criminal who was about to board the execution platform.

Andre patted Yawen on the shoulder, turned and left the field.

Yawen took one last look at the pirate who was being forced to put on the rope, and followed his captain out of the crowd.

"Are you going to continue to talk to the warden?" Yawen and Andre asked as they walked side by side, "For example, after being stimulated by this kind of stimulation, would the rest of the pirates be willing to spend more time?" Say something."

"You think it's possible?"

"Impossible." Yawen said decisively.He thought for a while, and then said, "I mean, your previous performance tells me that you seem to be very interested in these pirates."

Andre didn't immediately deny it. He turned to look at Yawen and asked, "Do you know why they kept silent?"

"I don't know. But apart from preventing them from attacking our caravan at any time, we don't seem to need to continue to investigate." After Yawen finished speaking, he glanced at Andre with interest, "After so many jobs I really admire you for being able to have such leisurely questions and ideas under such pressure. Are you going to check it out? Or are you waiting for the next move of the escaped pirates?"

"There's no need to do anything." Andre turned his gaze forward again, "They will find out sooner or later."

"They? Those soldiers? The Spanish army?" The smile on Yawen's face became thicker, "Oh, of course, they will indeed find out, but they will not conduct any unfounded investigations. These At most, the pirates are just children playing around. They have not burned down any houses or even killed anyone. Without affecting the city, it is impossible for the army to expend energy to clear a group of pirates in their It seems like a very low-level bandit—if you don’t plan to do anything, we’ll have to wait.”

"We're going to England in a fortnight," said Andre, "and we don't have time to take care of these things at the moment."

"England?" Yawen repeated the word and nodded, "It's true that we haven't been there for a long time, and the head of the chamber of commerce in England who is getting older but still alone is probably getting impatient. "

"He wrote me a few letters. If he doesn't go this time, the trading bridge between us may be broken. We will set off on the weekend after two weeks." Andre explained, looking at Ya again. Wen, "Before then, you have to go to Merrill Manor for me."

"That winery?" Yawen remembered the manor full of grapes and extremely comfortable, "What do I need to do?"

"The contract between us will end soon. I sent a letter to them as an explanation, but there has been no reply. Go and help me check the situation. I will write you a document and bring it to them. But if they want to continue to cooperate with us, you can ask them to write a new letter to me." After Andre finished speaking, he added, "Come back in two weeks."

"Shouldn't this kind of thing be done by Catherine?" Yawen asked helplessly, "I don't know anything about money. If I misread the value, wouldn't it cause losses for the entire chamber of commerce?"

"Catherine will go with me to arrange the entry and exit of the goods, there is no extra time."

"Okay, okay, for the sake of your client, I will make this trip for you." Yawen said while thinking, "According to the speed of the carriage, it will take about two days to reach the manor , if they are still hesitating, maybe I can stay there for a few more days?"

"If you want, you can." Andrea nodded slightly, "but if they don't want to, don't waste extra time."

"I know that." Yawen raised his eyebrows and said, "You are a well-known merchant in the city of Jerez, and of course there is no shortage of this small partner."

"It's business."

"I understand." During this conversation, Yawen smiled for the last time, "My job is to lead the way for you. As for these matters of negotiating with people, it is all your task."

As agreed, Yawen rushed home under the rising sun.

Charlotte had stewed a pot of vegetables and diced meat early, served with a few finely processed breads, and the table was surrounded by bursts of strong aroma.And his father, Albert Bernardi Duran, was leaning against the big chair in the corner and taking a nap, with an indescribably comfortable expression.

"It's time to get up, Dad." Yawen walked over and gently squeezed the shoulder of the stubbled middle-aged man, "I understand that you have been very tired recently, but you can't just waste a good noon like this, right? ?"

"Oh... oh! My son! Yawen!" Abt raised his hands to cover his face, still a little drowsy, "Welcome back...but why are you bothering you An aging father's dream? Did you know I'm dreaming of your mother's young beauty?"

"Mom is still young and beautiful," Yawen helped him up, squatted beside him and said with a smile, "You can go to the kitchen and see how she wields a knife."

"When she was able to cut and draw maps with a knife, she almost punctured my skin." Abt laughed a few times, "That kind of grace is really thrilling! Haha!"

"Drawings are such an easy thing to deal with from time to time. I have a deep understanding of this," Yawen said with the corner of his mouth raised. "After all, these papers have been the things I have been in contact with the most since I was a child."

"You're right, son." Abbott patted his right shoulder twice, "Let's go, go and taste your mother's pot of food that you can't even name."

☆、Chapter 012