No.12 night

I want to write the whole story of Jabofika.This is not only out of sympathy and curiosity for him, or Minos' weird attitude when he mentioned him, but also because I really have nothing to do here.Biack had obviously never heard of the name, and it was even more difficult to get a clue from Minos—he left me after that and went to the lobby, where he stayed until we set off.

In the morning I refused to eat, and at the same time protested again the unfair treatment I had received; I refused to go to the magic mountain that Minos said, but to no avail, I was tied up three times and stuffed into a boat.At dusk, we arrived at the Magic Mountain.

Everyone calls it that, but technically it's not just a mountain, you can call it Crete, Minotaur, ... whatever, it's a real labyrinth.This big island is surrounded by the sea on all sides, and the outermost periphery is warm gray houses lined up like dominoes. Nine arterial roads are laid inwards, connecting to the main venue in the center of the Magic Mountain, where a huge building complex stands against the rocks, white pillars and gold The top is brightly lit at night.For the first time, I learned that it was a social place under Minos, where celebrities from all walks of life would gather, and where every new justice would be appointed; more than that, the palace of Knossos - its official name ——Possessing the top protection system in the world, they penetrated deeply into the rocks behind them, emitting radiation continuously, and built a semicircular barrier for the entire Crete.Standing on the edge of the island and looking back from a distance, the blue mountain is like a demon, so that the outside world can never pry into the secret inside.

Magic Mountain, when they say this word, they often add a little vibrato at the end, causing a wonderful sense of dizziness, as if there is really an incomprehensible spiritual power spreading around.In the evening, Knossos opens its gates to welcome guests from all over the world. Glasses and fine wines are used for people to sing songs all night; The existence of the mountain is tight-lipped.

But few have ever gotten to its true core.Mount Eraklion, hidden behind Knossos, is the center of Crete. The narrow passages are in sharp contrast to the magnificent main entrance of the palace-this entrance only accepts official judges and all those who have been convicted by judges. prisoner.

There is no doubt that I am currently the only person on the island other than the judge who is entitled to visit this stone prison.Upon learning this, a feeble sense of irony surged through me.I asked Minos what crime I was convicted of.

"You don't need to know the crime. All you need to know is that you are now my prisoner—knowing this, this is enough." Minos has been in a good mood since he landed on the island. On the court, it's more like an excellent place for him to show his skills.

My stomach was so sick from the long empty stomach that I covered my mouth against the stone wall, and Minos' answer made my discomfort worse.As long as you are found guilty by the judge, you can enter the core of the Magic Mountain even without going through the confession process. It is precisely because of this loose management mechanism that it encourages the arrogance of people like Minos.

But to my surprise, he allowed me to attend this evening's rally.

"This meeting is very important." He said so; and told me that there is a big dinner at the dinner party, which will allow me to eat back what I lack during the day.

"Don't try to disturb the venue, and don't plan to use the knowledge base to report to other people." At the end, Minos reminded me deliberately, showing half a white canine tooth, "Because the Magic Mountain is an isolated island that is completely isolated from the outside world. .”

***

The next story was told to me by a young man named Kaludia.

Generally speaking, there is only one judge in each area. In addition to extracting information in the jurisdiction, they also have to prevent malicious data from intruding-the knowledge base needs to be updated from time to time, and one more person to manage it also means more chaos; but there are There may be exceptions from time to time, such as this time.

The chief judge of Athens, Sage, had a twin brother. At the beginning, Bai Li, who was the elder brother, was in office, but something unexpected happened, and someone wanted to assassinate the judge.At that time, the court system was far less perfect than it is now, and the same appearance was used to provide insurance, so the two brothers jointly enforced the law.Not long ago, Sai Qi passed away, and according to the regulations, the quasi-judge selected by the Divine Consciousness Bank should fill the vacancy, so Bai Li's control would be meaningless.The gathering tonight is not only to welcome the new judge, everyone is discussing whether to transfer Baili's authority to others, or to recycle this redundant connection.

When Kaludia spoke, his hands were lying on the railing of the entrance stairs, looking down from a high place; I went up to say hello, but found myself staggering with him unconsciously——there was still a gap between us. down the aisle.

This is an exquisite double-decker spiral staircase. Two corridors parallel to each other wind up, creating the illusion that they are connected together; the warm yellow lights under the top of the snowy day decorate the walls of the staircase, like two intertwined in a porcelain plate thick honey.A ruse played by architects.

"Interesting design, isn't it?" He smiled brightly and purely, as if he was very happy to see another new visitor being cheated; then he took a few steps down, stretched out his hand, and met me through the spiral staircase below Shake it.In order to reach him, I stood on tiptoe and tried to climb up to him, in a rather awkward posture.

Soon I understood the meaning of Minos' words.

I don't feel any information field around Kaludia.Minoan's shielding is still working on me, but other people's connections are not cut as well.I wiped the dead skin off my lips and thanked him curtly.It is impossible for me to narrate my experience without knowing the details of the other party. Once entering the magic mountain, the old connection will lose its effect.

I followed him into the hall on the top floor, where a large crowd had gathered early, and I could barely recognize a few familiar faces, Minos was not among them.Without the usual lengthy speeches, Lieutenant Luni sensibly ensured the appetite of the guests first. The gold-rimmed fruit plate was covered with grapes, and the slices of snail meat were as white as fresh milk. When the waiters came and went, a few drops of olive juice inspired the excitement of the barbecue. All aroma.My heart went into cardiac arrest, hunger mingled with yesterday's humiliation and fermented wildly - fuck his manners.I found a seat nearby and sat down, picked up a lamb chop and stuffed it into my mouth, the excessive satisfaction almost made me vomit.

Everything is the same, the cheese is melting between the shortbread, the ice cubes are colliding in the goblet, and Kaludia is shuttled quickly, protesting to the waiter about today's dinner: "...Sir, this is the fifth time, Manny Gott says he doesn't eat crabs..." He tapped his nails like he'd tapped the shell of a boiled crab. ——Crabs, there are always only crabs in front of me.I can almost hear the hapless fellow complaining.

However, I don't know when it started, the noisy noise was replaced by a sound.

Sisyphus.Sisyphus.

People hold back excitement, and the word comes up over and over in conversations, although what they're talking about varies.

It appears that this is the focus of the evening, the successor Lord Chancellor of Athens.

The handsome blond young man squeezed hard into the front desk, "Sorry, please step aside, sorry." He whispered all the way, dodging others not very skillfully, which made him look elegant; , leave a passage for him as much as possible.It seems that not all judges are as arrogant as Minos, so it is difficult to communicate. A sense of trust arises spontaneously, and I decide to find an opportunity to go to him to express my grievances.

The 29-year-old Sisyphus has been in charge of Athens for many years, and he is the most trusted young talent in front of Sai Qi. No one is surprised by this result.The question is what to do with Bailey's judicial authority -- he filed to step down almost the day Sage died.If Sisyphus can properly resolve this matter on his first day in office, his prestige will undoubtedly be even higher in the future.

Sisyphus is not a formal person, he drives the atmosphere in his own unique way.He told us that Judge Sage had left several important private wills, which would be opened in three days according to the custom, "... until then, I think it is inappropriate to act rashly. The Palace of Knossos is not the place where the ruling So, let's put this matter aside for the time being and see who can get the Rose of Rugnes tonight."

A commotion erupted below, and the problem Bai Li left behind was quickly forgotten.

"'Rugnese Rose', like 'Aphrodite's Kiss' kind of thing, flirtatious and erotic, a regular event at Knossos nights." Kaludia once again acted as narrator for me , his eyes were full of cynicism, "But they just like this, maybe it's because there are no records left in the Magic Mountain, so they are extra presumptuous,—who would have expected it?"

The so-called prizes are just ordinary roses, the price is not in the flowers, but in the teasing meaning behind it.The person who wins the game will be the best guest of the day, wear a rose and walk around the hall, then pick off a petal and put it on the back of his hand to receive a hand kiss from the judge.My jaw dropped when I learned about this rule: "Minos did this too?"

"No," Kaludia blinked. "He's a guy who doesn't like physical contact with people. He seems extravagant. He wants to travel the world with Knossos on his head, but he's actually quite frigid."

Judge Sisyphus naturally acted as today's host. He put the newly picked roses into a box, and wrote a random number on it, and then the waiter distributed number plates to the guests.The person with the odd-numbered card adds seven to his number, finds the closest prime number, and then passes it to the person with the even-numbered card around him, subtracts the two to get another number, and then the person with the odd-numbered card adds up, and so on. The number found is consistent with that given by Sisyphus.Waiters scurry through the crowd, ready to hand the boxes to the winners.After several rounds, El Cid stood up, shaking the rose in his hand around.

The guests immediately started booing, mixed with sparse boos.Everyone knows that El Cid is unsmiling and has always been a loner. It is very exciting to think about such a person being kissed on the back of his hand in public; Cid accepts the Rose of Rugnes, and that person must be Sisyphus.

"If you really feel embarrassed, you don't have to force yourself to go on stage." Suddenly someone said this.

It was too abrupt for this sentence to be caught in the middle. There was still a lot of discussion a moment ago, but now it gradually calmed down, looking around to find the source of the voice.

"Deftelos." The speaker stood up and introduced himself. "It's just a joke." He added, indifferently weighing the glass in his hand, and took a sip of the mead.

"Our Mr. Trouble is here." Kaludia patted me on the shoulder, raised the wine glass with her little finger, and greeted me.

Deftolos responded with a smile: "There's no need to make such a fuss, right?" He gestured to come over to clink glasses, but Kaludia avoided him at the last moment; so he let go of his hand and let the glasses shatter on the ground.

A waiter trotted over to clean up the debris, and Deftolos raised his hand to stop him: "Listen to what your lord judge has arranged—sometimes I envy Judge Sisyphus' good life and resigned once, but there are some things that should It's yours, it has to be yours."

At this moment, other people could hardly sit still, and many people even wanted Deftolos to leave immediately. "That's none of your business," they shot back.

"Of course I don't worry about it. I'm just curious about a question." He didn't care at all that he was about to become the target of public criticism, and his tone was unhurried, "—why didn't Judge Sage reserve the seat for his own disciple."

"I said, you don't want me to rush to let me play, do you?" Someone echoed his words in the uproar.I recognized the man who didn't eat crabs.

"Yeah, I think about it every day, because I didn't cherish it enough when I was a neighbor."

Manigot jumped up to him a few times, "Then let's talk about the old days?" He deftly hooked Deftolos's arm, whispered in his ear, "If you want to quarrel, I can go out to accompany you."

The other party didn't mean to evade: "What is there to say, my dear Mani? The master destroyed the letters in recent years, so that later people couldn't know what he was thinking at ordinary times. Maybe he cultivated you with all his heart. I also hope that one day you can take over smoothly.”

"It's rare for us to be so united. It's only because the Divine Consciousness Bank didn't choose me. It would be great if every judge could designate a successor. After all——I really want to be a judge." Manigot revealed A big smile.

"Of course, of course," laughed Deftolos, "but Mr. Elias is the elder brother of Judge Sisyphus, and the younger brother is probably obliged to continue his career."

Manigot spread his hands: "But Aspros is also your brother."

The name obviously had a great impact on Deftolos, and his face immediately darkened.

"It's a pity that Judge Sage doesn't have a younger brother who can call him elder brother." Who knows who answered this sentence, which immediately caused a burst of laughter.Sisyphus' face changed slightly, and he was about to speak up, when Elcid walked up to him silently, and put the rose in his hand on the table beside him: "I don't need roses."

"You have to take it," Magnigot yelled at him, "or I'll be a sinner, and I don't want someone to mention the grand occasion of tonight in the future, and say something about me that will make Rugnes Rose dare not stand in it. Bloom in front of the master."

Calludia had already slipped back to me, and I asked him, "Dever hates mentioning that guy?"

"That's his weakness." Kaludia glanced over there contemptuously. "It's not a glorious thing to have an older brother who assassinated a judge, so he has to bow his head and be a man from then on."

Another piece of useful news.

I am not passively accepting all this. In fact, I have been collecting information around me and checking the information provided by everyone. I want to find out the purpose of Minos to capture me; when the rally is over, I will go to Sisyphus, tell him the whole story.

And, of course, there's Jabofika, the only one I'm interested in really getting to know.

But Deftolos continued to vent his dissatisfaction: "Don't talk too much, Mani,—and what about Judge Bailey? Who can take his place? Don't forget that he also has a personal disciple, who is still there?" Shion who stayed in Camille."

"You are not allowed to implicate Shion, Deftolos." Justice Sisyphus finally began to exercise his legitimate power, "He didn't do anything to wrong you."

Sisyphus had an invisible majesty, and hidden under his gentle appearance was undoubted decisiveness, so as soon as he spoke, the hall became quite quiet.

At this time, I wanted to know whether Minos would be able to deal with the chaotic scene. Although I saw how respectful his subordinates were to him in the court, those people were his first-hand confidants who had followed him for many years. I may not be able to eat a thorn like Deftolos.

Kaludia was still sneering at the farce just now: "The pair of twin brothers have always wanted the seat of the chief justice. After all, Bai Li and Sai Qi are twin brothers. Naturally, some people want to follow suit. But it's very funny, not A Sprouse took the lead in carrying out such an assassination, and Athens will not come up with a double-judge system."

I'm curious as to why two judges are connected to the Divine Consciousness Bank in one area at the same time, why there is no line conflict: "Do they usually take turns to do things?"

"How should I say it?" Kaludia continued to throw pomegranate seeds into his mouth, "The two justices, Sage stayed in the courtroom to maintain order; Bai Li hid behind the scenes, and encountered problems that Sage could not solve come out.—they don't change shifts."

Strange customs.The Athens area is really different.

"...Moreover," he finished eating the pomegranate, and started to carve on the shell with his nails, "Bai Li once planned a mission that failed, which eventually resulted in the death of a subordinate. He felt guilty about it, so he seldom came out to socialize. .You know it, don't you?" He let go, and I saw the pomegranate rind unfold into the shape of a flower in his hand.

"—'Rugnese Rose,' you and I call it that. Rugnese isn't some rare variety of rose, that's the man's original name. I don't know why he was named after him in the first place. of……"

A shock exploded around my body, and I grabbed his arm suddenly, almost knocking him to the ground.

"Abfika—do you know Abfika?"

He was taken aback by me, but he's used to the wind and waves, and recovered quickly; he asked if I could spell the word.

"Alba-fica." I tried to pronounce it with Minoan intonation.Kaludia shook her head, looking dazed for the first time.

How could I be willing to ask him one after another: "Where did this Lugenis go? Or, did he use an alias before? For example——"

"You have to know that Bai Li and Sai Qi are both elderly people. Those who perform tasks under their hands are at most one round younger than them, so Rugenis is no exception. Where are the people now? Still caring about what happened in the past, just go up 50 years, just 50 years—not many people know.”

If I recall correctly, Minos was exactly half that age this year.

Kaludia was afraid that I would be disappointed, so she put her hand on my shoulder to express comfort, while resting her chin on the other hand, she gave a nonchalant expression to the broken glass in the distance.

The venue was still arguing about something, but Deftolos managed to create a commotion, but he himself left quietly at some point.Sisyphus was blocked by the flow of people in front of him, while Manigott was still insisting that El Cid should accept the rose and complete the hand-kissing ceremony.

I couldn't think about it anymore, and ran towards the stairs.Caldia looked back at me, but didn't chase after me.

***

In front of me is a piece of table paper that I found by hand, and I am dipping my finger in some wine and drawing back and forth on it.

Biac, Minos, and today's guests gave me three different versions.

Biak is unlikely to be lying, and there is no need for the people at the rally to collude just to put on a play for me, and it will only be Minos who lied to me - just assume Minos Deceive yourself, and other doubts will be easily solved.

To put it bluntly, the spiritual library is the product of the extreme development of line connections, a huge consciousness network that gathers the nerve impulses of the people under its control, and uses it to allocate social resources and provide us with our daily needs.In the past, the world always needed leaders, as "kings", "religious leaders", and "consuls", who combined with the "country" or formed a certain political community. In the end, people still make up the head; now this The head is cut off by a high degree of informatization. In the world we live in, the highest decision-making power is not given to people, but to an alternative place that gathers the consciousness of all people.

The meaning of the existence of judges is to act as its daily regulators. They strengthen the connection to prevent information leakage and prevent secret thieves from taking advantage of it. Under special circumstances, they can investigate criminal files and obtain corresponding carrier copies for decryption, but they cannot interfere with the operation of the entire system.If Minos has any regrets, it must be that he cannot personally hold the thread of destiny in his hands.

Biak firmly believes that he is still alone, while Kaludia describes him as unreasonable. To a certain extent, they are both right, but the key lies in how Minos sees himself.Stacks of paper books, inefficient working methods, and Magic Mountain, a sea paradise independent of the world, distinguishes him from others with his retro lifestyle. I can vaguely feel his resistance to the spiritual system .

——But after all, he still couldn't get out of his own power.

With all the threads so far tied together, I feel a shudder that the truth is within reach.

Minos will not be willing to be just a maintenance worker. He and Sisyphus are not on the same side. A judge like him who holds judicial power wants to confirm his power. of people establish strict identity relationships to satisfy their insatiable desire for control.And the most straightforward twist is the relationship between the judge and the prisoner—this is why he must arrest me, and because of this, he keeps others in jail time and time again. "It is enough to know that." I seem to hear him say to me again.

But he is not indestructible.Conceive a person who does not exist, let him bear the accusation of being a prisoner with himself, or share joys and sorrows like all lovers in the world-Yabofeika, this node that plays a relieving role, is only in Minos The imaginary character in his mind, and Lugonis, who was active 50 years ago, is likely to be the prototype of Abafica, so the reserved entertainment items of Knossos are named after him.I don't regret changing my mind temporarily, so that I missed the opportunity to interview with Sisyphus. Since Minos let me attend the dinner at ease, it shows that he must have prepared a perfect plan and is not afraid of me suing everywhere.He stood far away, looking at me, watching the crops of passers-by, perhaps still waiting for a bosom friend to decipher it for him, so that he could pick the reflection of the rose in his heart.

You see, with a little simple reasoning, I was able to determine Yabofika's true identity by the way.