Water droplets slide over the delicate strawberries. Each one is similar in size and must have been carefully selected. They are cut into goldfish shapes by the hands of chefs with superb knife skills. Lying on the white porcelain plate, the next moment it seems to be wagging its tail and leaping onto the plate. The crystal gooseberries can be popped by blowing, like bubbles spit out by fish. All the stems and pedicles of the fruit were removed, leaving no trace of green at all.
How are those round gooseberries fixed on the plate? From the time the waiters bring in several fruit plates to the time they are placed on the table, any small movement is enough to cause the fruits to shift. She suspected it was honey at first, but when she opened them with her fingernails, there was no obstruction, and there was no smell that did not belong to fruit until she entered her mouth.
Shigetsuki-kun raised his head again, and Kuchugetsu-kun opposite him had put strawberry slices into his mouth.
"Aren't you going to eat?"
"..."
"I'm not going to be polite to you anymore, let's go straight to the point, right? I heard that you attacked Bai Skeleton Master's men just to force him to put pressure on the young couple - so that your chosen new partner can use nothing to defeat the white wolf. ? After so many years, should I say that you have not changed at all, or have you...become more and more crazy like him? Although you have the same soul, it is too sad. "
"After so many years, you have changed a lot."
"The sun, moon, and stars are also subject to change. The world is so big and the universe is so long. Is there anything in the world that remains unchanged?"
Kuchtsuki-kun crossed his legs leisurely, revealing ankles as white as strawberry cores.
This was not the only table where the fruit plate was presented. Rather, the room separated by a wall is today's home ground.
Staring at the round gooseberries, Adler had a better understanding of the waiters' steady hands. He had no doubt that at any necessary moment, they would pull out their guns from anywhere and accurately hit any uninvited guest doing evil—even a fly.
Therefore, every previous turmoil in Feiye Bay seemed intriguing.
"Most of the fruits in your hometown are delicate. To be able to sift out such perfect fruits is a sign of your determination."
This is a language that does not belong to this land. Qu Luosheng, who was sitting nearby, glanced at her and then looked back calmly. An empty chair was placed on the other side of him, and there was an equally exquisite fruit plate on the table. Until now, no one has taken a seat here.
"Of course I cannot be disrespectful when sitting together with you." Adler said with a smile in his native language, "This feeling has traveled across the ocean, and I hope it can reach your heart. They are produced in my own manor. There will be more in the future. If you have the chance, I would also like to invite you to be our guest.”
"Compared to ours, your fruits are produced very early. The native strawberries will not come out for another month or two. Not to mention the gooseberries, we have never had such a variety here."
It can probably be heard as praise. Qu Luosheng spoke his native language, and he believed that their distinguished guests could understand.
Adler did not disappoint. He responded in the same calm, even tone.
"Of course, even in my hometown, they are the earliest to mature and are not in season. After a while, they will be their mature season. By then, their yield will be greater, the fruits will be fuller, and the taste will be better. Sweeter. But please forgive me, after I learned that such a batch of fruits ripened first, I couldn't wait to share it with my new friends. After a while, the cherries and raspberries on the estate will also be ripe."
"Oh, what you said really makes people feel itchy." Yin Hong also switched back to her native language, "I am really lucky to have a friend like you."
"Our businesses are so close, so we should take care of each other. What's more, according to your words... it should be regarded as a close relationship. For this reason, I specially brought the gooseberry wine from the manor. I hope you can I like it. It uses another variety of gooseberry. Maybe people here are more accustomed to calling it gooseberry."
There were many varieties of gooseberries, so round and bright that they had never seen them before. Each one is like a small, delicate fruit candy or a glass handicraft, with a full sense of transparency. In fact, it's quite delicate.
"The part about kissing and kissing..."
"It should be said that you are indeed a bit of a crazy gambler. With no money and no courage to enter the market, you are bound to take the first chip away from other players. I am a little worried about the future. One day, the challenge will eventually fall to the dealer.”
Yin Hong pinched Qu Luosheng's words. Adler tucked a strand of long hair behind his ears, his expression unchanged.
"You may be overly worried. I don't deny that you are worried about being far away, but the benefits that are close at hand are real. You know me. Since a long time ago, I have no intention of competing with you. I only want to do It's the business I should do. Maybe many times, I have to reach out to your territory, and that's because my actions are ultimately controlled by my country, and everyone has their own destiny. We should have reconciled all this a long time ago That's right. I don't deny that you call me a gambler. Businessmen always need the courage to make a desperate move. However, I have always acted steadily. If you are not sure of winning, you should never sit on the gambling table empty-handed."
"That's right." Qu Luosheng cut off the fins of the strawberry goldfish and said quietly, "Then you have to be prepared to leave flesh and blood. But then again... even a dead person can be worth a bucket of gold in the eyes of a knowledgeable person. "
"Flesh and blood are also resources, but they can only be regarded as disposable. I am a businessman, and I still prefer money that is fluid, hard, and can make a crisp sound." Adler responded lightly.
Yin Hong smiled darkly.
"Human beings will never be reduced to the point where they have nothing. When their blood dries up and their bones and flesh dries up, isn't there still a soul left?"
There was cheerful laughter in the private room.
Wei continued to smile, and Adler continued: "While talking about this, I can't help but think of... At the beginning, many people were quite resistant to the existence of cameras. They thought that what we brought would permanently imprison the person being photographed. soul."
"So it doesn't happen?"
Qu Luosheng's question was clearly a joke, but Yin Hong suddenly said it seriously.
"It's not nonsense. My master once spent time on this kind of research. Of course, there was already such a thing as a camera at that time. According to his assumption at that time, the nature of the soul is similar to that of light. If a device can By emitting strong light in an instant and producing a resonance-like effect with the soul, you can influence it and oscillate it...or at least leave an image to prove what happened at that moment. His team gradually studied the effects of light and reagents The ingredients are constantly being improved.”
Qu Luosheng showed strong interest.
"So, did he succeed? I mean, a machine that can capture human souls."
"Maybe, maybe not. You have to understand, I don't pay attention to this. At that time, I was already busy taking over Yin She's business. I didn't have direct contact with his projects, nor did I directly participate in capital injection, but he needed to be relatively independent financial activities.”
As he spoke, a trace of nostalgia appeared in Adler's eyes.
"Your master... can be said to be one of the few people I respect in my life."
Yin Hong seemed to know the cause and effect clearly, but Qu Luosheng's curiosity was written on his face. Fortunately, Adler didn't mind chewing on this memory that had long been etched in his mind.
"My parents are Orthodox Christians, and I also follow the church. But after my mother died of illness, for the first time as a child, I had doubts about the doctrines I deeply believed in. As I grow older, I have more questions about the soul and existence. , magic...I had all kinds of wild ideas. My father couldn't restrain me, so he put me in a lunatic asylum. At that time, I was even an adult."
It is not difficult to leave here, as long as you keep the teachings in mind and sincerely agree and praise their gods. Perhaps out of rebellion, Adler would rather endure all the mental and even physical torture in the asylum rather than obey their will. They threatened him, and for heretics and heretics, there were thousands of punishments waiting for him according to the canon. But he retorted forcefully, if this is the case, why does the law exist? Who should be better between the state and the religion? How can the royal power and the divine power be justified?
In times like these, of course they can't impose real punishment. But Adler still had no chance of freedom.
Until a man from the East heard about his deeds and came to visit him in this uncharted place. Momo from the lunatic asylum was also very surprised. After just one night of talking, Adler seemed to have undergone some kind of exorcism ritual - the evil spirit that questioned God disappeared, leaving only a piety to God.
He was quickly released. This was not difficult, because even his father had already passed away at that time, so no one should be able to control him. For a long time, the only shackles that trapped him in this absurd place were himself.
Of course, this is all just a show. It was never the eloquent Oriental scholar who cut off the shackles. He just pulled away the heavy chains and showed their mottled rust in front of Adler's eyes. They never really reached a consensus on the issue of God and the soul.
After that, Adler won people's hearts as a reformed and devout believer, and participated in ocean trade, officially becoming a businessman. Afterwards, the state also devoted more and more resources and attention to their projects. He learned the name and influence of the Oriental scholar, and easily reunited with him - and provided many facilities as a friend.
"However, after his death, the situation became turbulent. I was liquidated and was charged with many crimes and was imprisoned. With my connections and power, it was not difficult to get myself out. This was only given by my motherland. My little test. But I am very sad because after his death, I no longer have like-minded friends. Although we are not as deep and close as masters and apprentices, father and son, or superiors and subordinates, I feel very sorry for it. I was very sad to have one less close friend in the world. It wasn't until...another friend from the East 'bailed' me that I saw the light of day again and set foot on a ship."
"Is this why you want to complete the formation of the astrolabe as soon as possible? At the risk of being personally involved?" Qu Luosheng asked confused, "For the sake of my boss's master - your late friend?"
Yin Hong showed a plain smile.
"It doesn't matter. Our principle only needs to be as pure as ever - just be happy. Mr. Adler intends to participate in this masterpiece, so there is no reason for us not to follow suit. Now that all the actors have arrived, we should also be there early Be prepared.”
She crushed a gooseberry with the back of her fork. A small piece of red liquid spewed out between the fork tines, leaving traces on the white plate that looked like insects pressed to death on the wall.
Adler nodded slightly and continued to respond to Qu Luosheng's question.
"I'm not entirely for him, for others, and for myself. In fact, different cultural backgrounds create an insurmountable gap in our cognition, but there is no doubt that we all have a common identity. .”
"What is it?"
"Slaves to knowledge."
