The Law of the Silent Gentleman

The cell was dark and stinky. A group of men who hadn't showered in months huddled together, and the air was filled with the disgusting smell of sweat, wine and vomit. Fleas crawled out of one person's hair and onto another's arm. Rats squeaked, swaggered past people's legs, and gnawed people's nails, as if they were the masters here.

The jailer walked by the door of each cell, and the iron rod in his hand slid over the iron railing of the cell, making a loud "crackling" sound. Prisoners awoke, and murmurs of disbelief swirled like a gust of wind through the closed dungeon. It was impossible for the guards to be merciful and give out food before meal time, so there was only one possibility—one of them would be taken away.

What will be his fate? Send to the gallows? Exiled to an isolated island where no one cares? Or is it just luck to be free again?

The jailer stopped in front of a cell and slammed on the railing with an iron rod in his hand. The prisoner in the cell backed away in horror, wishing he could retreat into the wall. The jailer was satisfied to see the fear in their eyes. He unfastened a bunch of keys from his belt, triumphantly opened the cell door, and flaunted his power. Then he went into the cell and kicked someone who was crammed in the outermost corner because he had no time to back away.

"Get up, bug!"

The man held his head and said inarticulately, "I...I didn't..."

"Bastard! I wake you up!"

The jailer picked up the iron rod and threw it at the man. He strikes with discretion and will not kill people. After a few sticks, the man immediately became honest. The jailer picked up his hair, dragged him out of the cell, handed him over to a passing colleague, and closed the door behind him.

"Go!" He kicked the prisoner.

"Where are we going...I...I didn't do anything..."

"You're lucky, Timon! Someone wants to release you!" The jailer grinned, and deliberately beat Timon's arm with an iron rod. The prisoner stumbled like a blind mouse.

"Bail me?"

"How did you know that rich man? Tsk tsk, why did I not have such a good life to meet such a noble man!"

The jailer escorts the prisoner out of the dungeon. Timon was imprisoned penniless, so he had nothing to comprehend. The jailer handed him over directly to the "bailer," a young man with colorful hair.

The young man thanked the jailers, turned around and gestured to Timon, asking him to go with him. Timon was completely stunned. He didn't know this person at all, but he had no choice. This person paid him to protect him. What else could he do except obey his orders?

The young man led Timon out of the prison. Timon was apprehensive, and when they entered the dock area of ​​Xanodia, he finally couldn't help it.

"Who the **** are you? Why did you save me?"

The young man pulled up his hood to hide his exaggerated hair color. "You don't need to know my name. Just think of me as a nice guy passing by."

"I do not understand what you were saying…"

"Your name is Timon, right? You used to be the helmsman of the Pansy, and later worked on the Chickweed."

Timon's face darkened: "Yes, but I have already been expelled from the Chickweed."

"Why were you fired?"

"They said I was crazy."

"But I think you're pretty normal—why don't we sit down and talk?"

The young man turned and went into a cheap tavern. Timon swallowed, and quickly followed. The tavern was dilapidated, with dim lights hanging from the low ceiling, and the rustling of rats could be heard from the dimly lit corners. The waitress was listless, wearing gaudy make-up to hide the pockmarks. After the two sat down, the young man ordered two glasses of date wine. Timon hoped he'd better pay the bill.

"I'll pay the bill." The young man smiled, seeing what Timon was thinking.

Timon grabbed his glass and drank it down. The young man silently pushed his own glass in front of him. Timon was rude and drank up the young man's wine, so he had to order two more glasses.

"Drinking was a mistake, did you drink too much and went crazy on the 'Chickweed'?"

"Damn it! No! I never used to drink! Diego Gombet that son of a bitch! He says I'm crazy, and who's going to believe a madman?" cried Timon, annoyed.

"Why did he slander you?"

Timon raised his cloudy eyes: "His ship, the Chickweed, is the Pansy. I know, oh I know! The outside can change, but the inside remains the same! I am the helmsman, I've been aboard the Pansy for ten years and I'll know it when I touch the wheel! The feel of the wheel can't be deceiving!"

"But I remember the Pansy was taken by pirates."

"Don't you understand? Diego Gombet is with the pirates!"

"To be honest, I don't really understand..."

"Last spring, the Pansy sailed with pirates, and they... ah... the most savage bandits, with blood in their veins as cold as winter sea. We've surrendered, but they won't stop. They Capture the ship, take the cargo, and force the captain and all crew to jump into the sea to fend for themselves. It would be nice if there were islands nearby, but in the middle of the ocean! We just drifted in the sea, and then there was a storm, and the others Dead or dead, missing or missing, only I survived..."

"And you were hired by Chickweed after that?"

"Not so fast. At that time, pirates were rampant, and many ships were afraid to sail far. The dock area was crowded with unemployed sailors. I couldn't find a job. It wasn't until this summer that General Suweita led the army to wipe out the pirates, and the shipping gradually slowed down. Recovery. I was hired by Gombet at that time. He ran the same route as the Pansy, and no one knew the route better than I. But as soon as I touched the steering wheel, something was wrong. The steering wheel It feels exactly the same as the 'Pansy'. Do you understand? There are no two identical people in the world, and it is impossible to have two identical boats. Even if the same craftsmen in the same shipyard use the same materials to build Yes, there will be a difference. I'm sure the 'Chickweed' is the 'Pansy'. Diego Gombet must be in collusion with the pirates. You think, how can the pirates take so many ships? Use them all? What to do with the extra ships? They can only be sold. Some people specialize in this kind of business. They buy ships at a low price from pirates, remodel them, and they become a new ship. Gombet It's this kind of dirty work!"

"But I heard that Gombet's merchant ships came out of a regular local shipyard. You only need to go to the shipyard for inspection to find out about this kind of thing. How can you hide it from the eyes of the world?"

"Then...then...that is, the people in the shipyard colluded with the pirates! Thinking about it carefully, the shipyard is even more suspicious! They couldn't do anything more conveniently. They bought ships from pirates, sent them to their own docks, and secretly remodeled them...no one would Discover their crimes!"

"Speak with evidence, you can't just accuse someone based on your own feelings."

"My feelings can never be wrong!"

"Well, even if you can't be wrong, who will believe that you are right? You are a drunken sailor who was imprisoned for rioting; the shipyard is a well-known and old name in Zanodia. Tell me Look, who will the world believe?"

Timon fell silent. The young man took out two coins and put them on the table: "It seems that my trip today was in vain."

He stood up to leave. "Wait!" Timon called to stop him.

"There is a proof, but I can't get it."

"Why can't I get it?"

"That evidence is on the Chickweed, you can see it at a glance, but to get it, you have to remove the steering wheel. I can't remove the steering wheel, so I can't get the evidence. But I can guarantee that it Absolutely unique, enough to prove what I say. If you take the wheel apart and find that it doesn't exist, then I'm a fool, and you could put me in jail, or even hang me. But I believe it must..."

rain again.

Not the majestic autumn storms from the ocean, but fine autumn rains. The rainfall in autumn and winter in the Yoder region is more abundant than in summer, and the climate is quite different from other countries.

In the attic of the Golden Trout Tavern, the bard Resch was carefully wiping the strings of his instrument to keep it from getting wet. Enzo sat in front of him and played the mandolin, the sound was unbearable and could only be called "noise".

The sound of "thumping" footsteps on the stairs interrupted Enzo's practice. Lei Xi breathed a long sigh of relief, with the words "Finally stopped" written on his face, without any regard for other people's feelings.

"Did you find anything?" Enzo asked. He didn't make a move this time, and let Giuliano complete the task alone, which was a test of his level.

Giuliano smiled: "The sailor told me an interesting thing."

He told the two of the "evidence" that Timon said. After listening, Enzo praised Giuliano with satisfaction, and Giuliano was so happy that his whole body was shining.

"Good job. This is our hole card, and it may come in handy in the end."

Then he changed the subject: "You missed a big thing."

"What happened while I was away?"

"Diego Gombet and a congressman's wife just came to visit. He put us on the line. The lady invited us to perform in her private salon."

"Is she a celebrity?"

"One of the most famous people in Zenodia's social circle. Entering her salon is like getting a passport to high society-even if it's just a song. The invitations will continue to flow, and our daily schedule will The lineup is full, and we can’t justify Fernando’s invitation.”

Giuliano clapped his hands and laughed happily: "It seems that Diego Gombet is still useful! There is not much time left before the masquerade, we must hurry up."

"Don't worry." Reich plucked the strings of the lute, eyes slightly lowered, "We'll be very famous soon...very soon."