Under the sky

Chapter 273 Catastrophe is imminent

Kunlun January 91 Spring

Where is the public opinion of Nabu Batu best reflected?The mud walls in dark alleys, especially the outer walls of poor people's houses, are most visible.People in Nabu Batu like to graffiti on the walls. In addition to the common indecent things, eroticism and foul language that are not even crude, they will use chalk or charcoal to describe their dissatisfaction with current affairs and their admiration for someone. Or various little things about sesame and mung beans, including Zhang San stealing people and Li Si touching dogs, all painted on the wall.

Maier walked around the dark alley holding an oil lamp, passing one mud wall after another.It is already midnight, and unless the ban is lifted, it is illegal to walk around here at this time. After all, many illegal activities are carried out after dark.Homeless tramps just stay in the sheep dung pile, there is still light there.

Subtle firelight reflected on the wall, most of which were pictures. A man was pressing a woman, a smelly piece of shit was pressing an official, a green-faced, fanged official holding a knife was carrying a treasure box, obviously accusing the official of corruption or corruption. Taxes are too heavy.

There are a few words, such as the death of the tax collector, the person who assassinated the Son of God is a certain prince or a certain high priest, and there is also an image of Yang Yan lying on the ice spike and being pierced, which means that Yang Yan will be killed after his death. Suffering in the ice prison, it is obvious that he does not believe the accusation that Yang Yan is the son of Sa Shen.As for how to distinguish Yang Yan from such a crude picture, of course it was the blazing eyes.

There are also portraits of respect, but very few. The Nabu Badu people will not put the Sa god or the figures they respect on this graffiti wall. It is too blasphemous.Maier found a portrait of Yang Yan sitting on a sedan chair in the corner of the wall, receiving worship from passers-by. There was text that read: Son of Sa God, have mercy on me.

It seems that the Son of God is still loved, Maier thought. After searching for a long time, he finally found a clean wall. Perhaps it had only been washed in the past two days.Poor homeowner, wall washing is a laborious job. The newly cleaned wall will be covered with graffiti in a few days, maybe tonight.

Maier took out two pens and a piece of paper from his sleeves, a white chalk and a black charcoal pencil.He handed the chalk to the left hand holding the lantern and held it with his fingers. He spread out the paper in his right hand with a portrait on it.He looked at the portrait with the oil lamp, then looked up at the clean wall, feeling a little hesitant.

This kind of thing should be done by Gao Leqi, but Gao Leqi said that he was too good at painting and could be easily discovered, or that Gao Leqi didn't work at night.

Maier took out a dagger and nailed the paper to the wall, illuminated it with an oil lamp, and drew a huge picture, as tall as a person, of Yang Yan riding a sedan chair, with flames in his eyes.Poor painting skills caused the proportions to be a bit out of balance. Maier was not sure that others would recognize this as the son of the god Sa. He thought for a moment, wrote the four words "son of the god Sa" and drew an arrow pointing to the image.

That was all set, and he shook the dust off his hands.

"What are you doing!" A loud shout rang out, and the owner of the house noticed it. Maier turned around and ran around, bypassing several alleys and using Qing Kung Fu to cross the roof.The patrol team of the Prison Department happened to bump into him, and they immediately pointed their bows and arrows at him and shouted: "Who is it?" Maier walked out from the darkness holding an oil lamp. The team of the Prison Department immediately saluted respectfully: "Commander Maier !”

Maier pointed to the distance and said: "There is a figure there, go and take a look." The team of the Prison Department left quickly, and Maier returned to Arien Palace with a steady and slow pace.

■

A large stone stood in front of the Arien Palace. God knows how much money it cost to buy this stone and to invite this carver who stood in front of the stone with a pale beard and hair like an old scholar.That was definitely enough money for Wang Hong's family and Huck to drink wine for ten lifetimes. Yang Yan did not despise craftsmen. Yang Zhengde was a carpenter. Sometimes he felt that the money his father received was too little. In comparison, The Sa people are indeed generous to craftsmen.

But the old man had been sitting in front of the stone for a month.He sat so upright, sometimes so stiff that he couldn't tell which stone was which. Huck said several times that if he hadn't seen the old man eating on time, he would have believed that the old man was dead, and even the body was hard.

Tucker urged the old man to start work several times, but the old man did not move.The master named Singla said: "A great predecessor from the Western barbarians said that carving is not to carve the stone, but to find the statue hidden in the stone and take it out."

"I'm looking for the statue inside," Singla said.

Gao Leqi understood this, and even Yang Yan might understand a little bit. After all, he was the son of a carpenter, but Tucker definitely didn't understand. He only asked when it would be completed.

"About three to ten years," Singla said, "from the time I made the first cut."

Tucker was going crazy.Three years?He can't wait that long!In order to strengthen the majesty of the Son of God, he planned to erect a stone sculpture of Yang Yan in the square in front of Arien Palace, so he specially sent someone to invite this craftsman.It is said that two of the temples that house the statues of Sasi in the priesthood of Getatabad were made by him, including the current statue of Sasi Nur al-Din.

He had long heard that Singela had an eccentric temper and was also a famous fast player, but he didn't expect that it would take three years.

"Carving the Son of God is no small matter." Singela said, "I am old, I hope this is my last work."

Following past practice, whenever Tucker couldn't think of a way, he would look for Gao Leqi. "Let the old man do it!" Tucker said, "Ten years, maybe he will die in the middle of the carving, he is already so old!"

Gao Leqi had no choice but to come to Singela and said: "Respected master, I heard that you have ideas about this statue?"

Singla nodded: "I hope it will be my last masterpiece to be handed down from generation to generation."

"I believe it can be done." Gao Leqi listed several famous contemporary sculptors and praised Singela, "None of them can compare with you." Singla felt guilty after being flattered by this flattery. There are many people better than him, and he has this self-knowledge.

"I sincerely hope you can complete it as soon as possible. If it can be completed within six months, this will be the first gold statue of Yang Yanha in history. I don't want the title of the first gold statue of Yang Yanha to fall into the hands of others. You know , there are many shoddy and inferior products out there, if they become the number one, what kind of blasphemy would it be to the Son of God."

Singla immediately stood up.

If it is completed within six months, he will be the first sculptor in history to carve a golden statue of Yang Yanha. If it is completed after three years, he will be "one" of the many carvers who carved the statue of the Son of God.

"Master Singela, who is so ingenious that I won't disturb your hands that have been blessed by God Sa."

After Gao Leqi left gracefully, Singela immediately called all his disciples to prepare to start construction.

"But teacher, didn't you say you wanted to 'find' the statue hidden in the stone?" The disciple asked in confusion, "Have you found it?"

"I don't care where it is hidden," Singla shouted, "let's go in and 'catch it out'!"

Holding a book in his left hand and a knife in his right hand, this is the image of the Son of God set by Singela. This Son of God will inherit the wisdom of Yanavata and the bravery of Tenges.

■

After four months of recuperation, Yang Yan finally recovered.The doctor said that although he almost bled to death, his injuries were harmless.He tried to get up and play the EMI Fist, but the long-term recuperation made him weak. On the hospital bed, he often exercised the internal energy of the Yi Jin Jing. Although he only had a small success, he was refreshed every time he ran it. He believed that it was Brother Ming who taught him His martial arts skills saved his life again.

After a set of EMI punches, Yang Yan was out of breath. Huck, who came in with a soup, quickly stepped forward to help him, but Yang Yan stopped him.

"I want to take a walk." Yang Yan said, "It's suffocating me to death."

In the past few months, except for the winter solstice when he endured the pain to crown Tucker, he had not left the room.His waist didn't hurt, but the muscles and bones that hadn't been exercised for a long time were very tangled.

In the past three months, the Priesthood has made no further moves, and seems to be in no rush to invade Arien Palace. Gao Leqi really can't figure out Gulthas's thoughts.Maybe Gulthas wants to focus more on unifying the five major cities, and Arien Palace is just an object he can deal with?
Yang Yan came to the garden, where Monduk was teaching Balder Kung Fu.The mark of slavery on their family and the mark of refugee on Huck's face have been removed.Monduk's scimitar was quite sharp, knocking Balder to the ground again and again.

They occasionally go to Batu to buy things, and of course they are always accompanied by guards.Because the mark on Huck's face was so obvious, many shops knew that he was a refugee blessed by the Son of God, and treated him politely. Huck had never received such polite hospitality. He especially liked going out on the street and would drag Balder out every time. .

Yang Yan saw that Meng Duke was very good at martial arts and asked, "Meng Duke, who did you learn your martial arts from?"

"It's been handed down from our ancestors," Monduque said, "I'm a descendant of the Ming Cult blind man. My father is much more powerful than me, and I heard that my grandfather is much more powerful than my father."

"Mingjiao?" Yang Yan recalled the story he heard from Peng Xiaogai in Kunlun Palace, "Why don't you join the slave camp? I heard that this is a way for slaves to become civilians."

"Life in the slave barracks is not better than that of slaves." Monduk said, "They are responsible for the lowest and heavy labor in the team, and they have to stand at the front during battles. They need a lot of military exploits to be promoted. In fact, they are still slaves, but they are just slaves. The master is changed to Batu, and it’s just a tribe from a human. Mira doesn’t want me to take risks, and I have children to take care of.”

"Also, joining the slave barracks requires the consent of the master. Some masters will sell slaves to the slave barracks, telling them that this is a chance for them to become civilians and take away the money from the slave sale. The slaves who will be sold are not in good health. The slave barracks will not last long."

"Despite this, there are still many slaves willing to join the slave barracks." Monduke said, "After all, after changing from slaves to civilian status, some slave soldiers who are well-off can buy houses in Batu instead of sleeping in the military camp."

Yang Yan nodded: "I see. Where is the slave camp?"

"The place where slave soldiers are trained is just outside Batu. You can see it by walking one mile north of Batu. It is the most difficult place. Most of the slave soldiers are trained there. Some of them will be assigned when they get tasks. Holy There are slave soldiers in the guards, the palace guards, and the prison department. If you want to tell who is a slave soldier, just look at the ones who walk beside people on horseback, those who are responsible for serving food when eating, and those who do not wear leather armor when fighting. It’s the one who stands in front.”

"If you join the slave camp, you must be an excellent warrior." Yang Yan said, "Meng Duke, can we make a few gestures?"

Monduk said hurriedly: "I don't dare to fight against the Son of God."

Yang Yan smiled and said, "It's just two moves." He took the wooden scimitar from Balder and asked, "Do you want to learn kung fu well to help your sister?"

Balder nodded, and Yang Yan smiled and said: "Then you still have a lot to learn." He waved his scimitar and shouted to Monduk: "Come on!" Seeing that the Son of God insisted on fighting, Monduk asked Said: "The Son of God doesn't carry a shield?"

Yang Yan shook his head: "I'm not used to it."

"That offends you, Son of God, be careful." Monduk waved his knife and slowly stepped forward with a shield in his left hand.His steps were nimble, moving forward and back, left and right, and suddenly grabbed a knife and struck out.

Yang Yan waved his sword to resist, and the two wooden knives collided. Yang Yan's hand was shaken, and he knew that his strength had not recovered, but he was not good at dodging, and slashed back with his backhand. Meng Duque blocked it with his shield and counterattacked with his sword.The two of them rolled and rolled for seven or eight moves. Yang Yan was more aggressive than defensive. Meng Duque made a feint and used a shield with his left hand to block Yang Yan's offensive. He stumbled and swept his legs to trip Yang Yan down, and slashed with his scimitar with his right hand. Down.Yang Yan rolled and managed to get up. Meng Duke caught up with him. Yang Yan jumped up and struck down with his sword. Meng Duke quickly used his shield to block.

I just felt a strong knock, "Dangdang Dang" three times, Montec's arms were soft, kneeled on the ground softly, Yang Yan kicked the shield in his hand, Montec widered Yang Yan's calf, Yang Yan He slashed his neck with his backhand. If the knife went down, Yang Yan would lose his legs at most, but Meng Duke would be beheaded.

"The Son of God is very good at Kung Fu. I lost." Monduke stood up, "But the Son of God cannot fight like this."

"Oh?" Yang Yan asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's too easy to get hurt," Monduk said.

"I have always played like this." Yang Yan said, although he did suffer a lot of injuries and there were scars all over his body, "As long as I am faster than my opponent."

"That was before." Monduk shook his head, "Now the Son of God's body is precious, and the enemy is very willing to leave scars on you. You are the Son of God, and it is important to save your life. This kind of desperate fighting style is the most important thing for those who protect you. Learned."

Yang Yan said: "I'm not used to having people fight for me."

"You have to get used to it." Monduk said respectfully, "We are all willing to sacrifice for the Son of God."

Yang Yan smiled and said: "No, Wang Hong has to fight with me."

Although no one in the Sa tribe calls her Wang Hong anymore, Yang Yan is still used to calling Nadia Wang Hong.

Monduk said sternly: "This is our mission."

"My mission is to protect you, not to let you protect me." Yang Yan said seriously, "You must remember that saving your own life is the most important thing."

After he finished speaking, he waved to Balder: "It's your turn to try."

A maid came forward and said: "Son of God, Arien and the Archon are looking for you."

Yang Yan saw that this girl was pretty and had never seen her before, so he asked, "Who are you? Why have I never seen you before?"

The girl said: "My name is Zhao Ying. The consul sent me to take care of Mr. Monduke and Mrs. Mira."

"Is Nadia here too?" Yang Yan asked.

"Yes, Miss Nadia is here too."

"I'll be there right away." Yang Yan handed the wooden knife to Balder and touched his head, "Be careful not to get hurt."

He came to the corridor outside Tucker's room and asked the guard to report. As soon as he opened the door, he heard Tucker asking Gao Leqi: "Didn't you say you wanted to deal with Hillidegg?"

Gao Leqi caught a glimpse of Yang Yan, touched his heart with his left hand and saluted respectfully: "See the Son of God."

Tucker was very happy to see Yang Yan: "Are your injuries all healed?"

Yang Yan nodded: "I'm tired from rest too." He found a chair to sit down and asked, "What are you talking about?"

Wang Hong said: "Tucker hopes to deal with Hillidger quickly."

"How to deal with it?" Yang Yan asked. He did not attend the meeting while he was injured and knew nothing about the current situation. "What is the Priesthood doing recently?"

"He was busy discussing the liberation of the Holy Mountain with other Badu." Gao Leqi said, "Gulthas doesn't seem to care about losing the Prison Department."

"Pretending." Tucker scolded, "They are at a disadvantage now. The sheep are just pretending. As long as Hillidger is removed, Gulthas will have to jump on it."

"We need the support of all the princes and the majority of the people to deal with Hilidegg." Gao Leqi said, "This takes time."

"Most of those princes didn't express their opinions." Tucker hesitated, "As for the Son of God, isn't Batuu not fanatical enough now?"

"There are many voices of opposition, and Hilidegg knows how to make good use of the noise of insects." Gao Leqi said, "Nebula has a population of 10,000+. As long as 10 people believe in or oppose the Son of God, they can be packed to the brim. , we need to judge more carefully."

Tucker was pacing back and forth to show his anxiety: "How about increasing the number of times the Son of God goes on tour? I see that he is very popular every time he goes out."

Gao Leqi said: "This method cannot be used again and again. If the Son of God appears too many times, he will lose his authority."

"At least it can be used again." Wang Hong said, "After the Son of God was stabbed, the people were very worried. They had not seen the Son of God for more than two months."

Gao Leqi immediately set about arranging for the Son of God to go on tour again.

■

Maier came to the wall where graffiti had been painted a few days ago. This time it was daytime, and he walked slowly to the wall as if taking a walk.The picture I drew of the life-size Son of God on his patrol was covered with other graffiti. Underneath, someone wrote "Death to those who pretend to be gods." The unlucky owner of the house was carrying a bucket and was preparing to wash the wall.

"That's a portrait of the Son of God." When the owner of the house was about to splash water, Maier shouted to stop, "It's too disrespectful."

"It's disrespectful to paint the Son of God on this wall, and it's very ugly!" the owner scolded, "Look at how the Son of God's face has been painted?"

After the owner of the house finished speaking, he looked Maier up and down: "What does it have to do with you?"

"I am a devout believer," Meyer said, "I just admire the portrait of the Son of God."

"There's another big one over there." The owner pointed to the corner at the end of the alley, "The painting is better than this one."

Maier walked away without comment and looked back at the statue of the Son of God he had painted. The owner of the house had already poured water on it and used a broom to brush it.

Yang Yan's second tour still caused a great sensation.People finally felt at ease that the Son of God was safe.Yang Yan gave a speech, saying that he was murdered by a heretic, but he believed that God the Father would protect him, and all heretics would fall into the ice prison.

On the night of Yang Yan's tour, Maier visited the poor house owner again, and this time he painted a portrait of the Holy Son with Yang Yan holding a book in his left hand and a sword in his right.He painted slowly and seriously, much better than the first time. After finishing the painting, he held up the oil lamp and nodded with satisfaction.

A few days later, Maier came to the portrait. There were much less graffiti on the portrait of the Son of God.The owner of the house walked out with a bucket, while Maier hid on the corner of the street and watched from a distance.

The owner of the house stood in front of the statue of the Son of God and looked at it for a long time. Then he poured water on both sides to wash away other graffiti. He also used a rag dipped in water to wash away the indecent graffiti on the Son of God, leaving the statue of the Son of God itself intact.

Mel turned and left.

"It's time to take action." Maier said to Colachi. "The Son of God is quite popular among the people, at least for now."

(End of this chapter)