No.12 night

I found Minos the next day and told him I didn't want to play pretend games with him anymore.

"You can find another unlucky ghost to fill the vacancy. If you have a good conscience, you can arrest all the people under your control, but I will not accompany you."

He was sitting on a half-weathered rock, looking at me like he was looking at something funny, with no intention of letting go.

"I have solved your riddle," I continued, "and in return, should you drop the charges against me? Or may I expect you to be ashamed, like the Sphinx, to touch the rock out of shame. "

But the other party is well versed in the art of avoiding the important and neglecting the less important: "You know what -- the Sphinx is an interesting creature. Its prototype is seen in many myths and legends, and it is the source of many strange birds and beasts."

I decided to respond to his topic one last time before attacking: "Like ramasu?"

"And griffins."

I think of the griffins on the murals in the ear chamber of Knossos, with bright red headdresses and orange-yellow paintings curled up on their shoulders, like the spiral staircase at the entrance, which is the symbol of Minos—each judge has his own The exclusive coat of arms, like Sisyphus's is a pair of golden wings.

"Isn't this just right, it really sets an example for you."

He raised one leg: "You mean to say that I should emulate the Sphinx as an archetypal image?"

I was stunned.Minos never speaks clearly. Since he deliberately mentioned the source of his coat of arms, he is confirming to me my previous inference about the prototype of Jabofika.

"I am not your toy, Minos."

He laughed. "It takes a little more ingenuity to be my toy, and a little more stubbornness—and tonight you belong to Eraklion."

I almost forgot what I was about to face.The stone prison of Eraklion is only open to judges and prisoners. Since Minos brought me to the Magic Mountain, it is naturally impossible to let go of this excellent opportunity for punishment.

"You should feel honored, you are the only ordinary person here who enjoys the privilege of entering the core; or are you unwilling to be stingy, and want me to find another partner for you?" He brushed his long hair and stuck it to my neck, "Yesterday's banquet The one you had a good time with, I think is just right—"

I glared at Minos: "Don't try to drag other people into the water; besides, Kaludia and the others are not in your turn."

He turned to playing with a lock of his hair: "Should I remind you that one of the powers of a judge is 'presumption of judgment'? - that is, if a newly appointed judge has no time to take care of his jurisdiction, Other judges have the authority to administer on their behalf."

I have nothing to say.Fortunately, he didn't continue to embarrass me, and soon his subordinates gathered and escorted me to my destination.I noticed it wasn't the same guard as before.

"Why isn't Biak here?"

This time Minos seemed to be in trouble, he looked impatient: "He went ashore to pick up someone."

"I hope this man doesn't entertain you like I do," I said.Before entering the inner core, I raised my head and glanced at the clear sky, and suddenly felt fearless.

The others couldn't follow, and Minos waited until I was completely submerged in the darkness before slowly stepping into the passage.Then he closed the outer door, and after we lingered for a long time, our eyes suddenly opened up.

Contrary to what I expected, the furnishings in the Eraklion Stone Prison are not inferior to the Knossos Palace, except that it is too deserted, and it is even larger than the latter in terms of scale. The light blue veins seen are extremely clear inside the mountain at this moment.I stared at them for a while, and found that these circuits would move slightly with the incoming and outgoing information strings, obviously with some kind of tendency.

"Eraclion hasn't imprisoned serious criminals for a long time, so you have to stay here alone." Minos knocked on the stone wall thoughtfully, "There will be no signs for each compartment. Once you get lost in it, Think about it - fear, loneliness, scratching your head, not knowing what to do, like a termite-eaten bush... all you can do is wait here, in this cell made just for you, don't move around, understand ?"

I met his gaze: "What about you? Without me acting as a staged entertainment prop for you, what would you have fun with?"

"You'd better ask for your own blessing." He got up and left, and quickly disappeared at the end of the aisle.

Minos only verbally restricted my freedom, and of course I wouldn't stay in one place.There are several trails in front of my eyes, and I chose the leftmost one, where the grids are arranged the densest, which means that the most information passes through here.I didn't take his threats, and walked along the planned route; according to the distribution rules of the source and flow, the closer to the center, the more loops should be. I rely on counting to identify the direction.

Soon I got the rules.The network inside the mountain has two colors, dark blue for inflow and light blue for outflow.Assuming that the barrier of the Magic Mountain is controlled by the outgoing information strings, then the incoming information strings are undoubtedly the data sent from the outside to the core.In this way, I have been finding the place where the deep blue □□ domain is the most abundant, and after walking a few steps in, there is a huge warehouse that burns blue light to the extreme.

This seems like a paradox.The court with complete facilities still retains the ancient library, while the Magic Mountain, which rejects all connections in the repository and completely maintains the old life, hides a room purely composed of information flow.However, what surprised me didn't stop there. This is where the judges dismantled the files. Minos actually put the databases of several jurisdictions into this prison.

I tentatively opened a small drawer, which was not encrypted, presumably because Minos was too lazy to lock them because no one came over.A stack of booklets composed of strings records the relocation of people in a certain area, bearing the name of Kaludia.On a whim, I put it back in its place, followed the alphabetical number of the warehouse to the "R", and found a row of small print above my head.

Rosarium Regiae: Rugonis

Royal Rose Garden: Rugnes.

I'm lucky, the files in the database are not arranged strictly according to the names, if the two consecutive R's in front of Lugenis, for me who is not familiar with the specific search method, getting the correct file is no different Find the needle.

It listed a brief biography of Rugenis. He grew up in the Rose Garden in the Athens area in his early years. He began to work for Judge Baili at the age of 19 and was deeply trusted. He went out to perform a mission at the age of 36 and died of drug poisoning.

Nothing special, I closed the page slightly disappointed.

But there was an identical document at the bottom, I opened it casually, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw a name:

—Abofika.

This man is now my nightmare, with the power to speed up my breathing at any moment.According to records, Rugunis once adopted an abandoned baby, which is also known as Abafica in the mouth of Minos, and put a lot of effort into cultivating it, but he lost contact with Athens after Rugenis died.

The dossier will not lie, provided it is the real copy.It seems that this is just a copy of the previous document, so there are some discrepancies in the content.For a moment, I couldn’t help laughing out loud—it’s really embarrassing for Minos, in order to make the virtual image in his heart a little more real, he did not hesitate to copy the original file and tamper with it, so as to leave a solidified image in his mind. image.

The question is why he just took a fancy to Lugenis, who was an era behind him.

I made gestures with my palm a few times, and gradually realized something was wrong.

If Rugunis had become Bai Li's subordinate as early as 50 years ago, then Bai Li must have become a judge before this time; but Bai Li officially took office after Aspros assassinated Sage, which means that Ah Stud was born before Sage became a judge.As is the twin brother of Deftolos, his age cannot be more than 30 years old, so there is a conflict with the previous description.I guess that Kaludia's assassination case was probably just hearsay. He provided me with a wrong timeline, making me think that Rugones and Minos were not contemporaries, but the actual situation is far more than I thought. complex.

But I can't figure out the real age of the Baili brothers.I should check Sage's files again; if nothing comes up, it would be best to visit Sisyphus directly after he gets out of prison.

The database is vast, and I couldn't find Bai Li's file, but there happened to be a list of some celebrities in Athens next to Kaludia's drawer, and Sage was among them.I quickly opened it, only to find that Saiqi's page had been completely closed, showing a dead silence.The data was transferred, perhaps representing the person's death, but Rugenis's remained...

Suddenly I stopped, and a strange feeling spread all over my body.

Starting from the courthouse, then last night's assembly, all the way to the core of the Magic Mountain, Minos took advantage of my curiosity and induced me step by step to investigate Rugnis, even Sage, Bai Li, and the rest of the judges and the area they are in.He created opportunities, actively prompted, and manipulated me to do all this in the dark.This is not a good sign, rather than thinking that he kindly asked me to explain it for him, it is better to say that he enjoys the feeling of holding others in the hand.

I finally understand why none of the previous people made Minos' crimes public.He is an extremely superb psychologist, who regards people's most instinctive desire for knowledge as nourishment; a new concept is a seed, he implants it in people's bodies, watches it slowly sprout, and blooms gorgeous evils from it flower.When your words and deeds are calculated by this person, and all you can do is follow his preset route, you become a puppet in his hands; gradually you make this a habit, and you can only give up Struggling, and finally drowning in his arms.

I will never follow in their footsteps.I clenched my fist and swore secretly.

***

However, I couldn't pursue it any further.Minos did not know how to locate me, and ended my groping in the database.

"Something happened." He said, not caring that I flipped through the files, and my previous suspicions were confirmed.

Soon he took me out of the core, and we returned to Knossos, standing on a terrace backed by Mount Eraklion; it was still dark at this time, and various guests were parked on the distant coast Waiting for the ship.Minos changed into the red robe he wore when he first met me, and walked back and forth along the inner wall several times with his hands behind his back.He was a little annoyed: "Congratulations, you are released from prison, but don't even think about getting released. As long as I am a justice, as long as I——, I will never let you sneak away."

I've never seen him lose his temper like that, and while it's one of the great pleasures I've had these days to see him pissed off, his last words undoubtedly made me very angry.Just as I was wondering who caused Minos such trouble, a dark shadow fell on my face—it was the Radamandes I met in the court last time.He was bigger than Minos in size, just enough to completely cover the entrance light.

He looked at me, at Minos: "You keep doing stupid things."

This sentence was obviously not meant for me.Minos regained his composure immediately after seeing Rada, and kept his polite smile towards the latter.

"You continue to do stupid things." Rada repeated, and Minos' expression undoubtedly meant casual sarcasm to him.

"I asked Biak to pick you up, not for you to come and preach to me."

"I just came here to advise you not to be stupid again." He didn't mind arguing with Minos in front of me at all, which made me think he was more or less after me.

Minos raised his eyebrows: "Yeah, you persuaded me many times, and once almost strangled me, did it work?"

These words had an immediate effect on Rada. He was almost crazy at once, and he rushed forward and grabbed Minos by the collar. "Then I don't mind pinching you again—"

"Don't think that since you are my younger brother, I can pamper you without limit. There is no kinship in the land covered by the law." Minos spoke mercilessly, but Radha did not want to give up. "Before teaching me, you'd better learn to tell yourself what to do." He grabbed one of Rada's wrists and pressed down inch by inch, "I think it's over."

Radamandis went limp.Although he was half a head taller than Minos, he looked like he was hanging on the opponent's robe at this moment.

"Minos, no, my brother...I implore you—you don't have to be a judge, if you can, let me come, don't forget that I am also a candidate judge—" He completely lost his previous His tone was almost begging; his lips trembled slightly, and his nose fluttered, showing an expression on the verge of collapse.

"Thank you for your kindness." Minos easily broke free from the shackles, "It's a pity that things didn't go as planned. I have to say sorry to you, and this will probably make you feel better."

He watched his own brother lose the battle and walked back to the door step by step.

"Rada, sometimes I really don't understand you. You know it's impossible to do something, so why bother to attack me one after another. You must remember that no one will pity you even if you toss yourself scarred stubbornness."

Radamandis said no more.He was extremely tired at the moment, as if he had just been salvaged from a wine tank, and his whole body was falling wet. I doubt that he could even walk down the stairs steadily.

Once he was gone, Minos was leaning against a stone wall, not much better than Radha. "Help me in." He said, closing his eyes gently.

***

We walked to the top of the tower, and I clung to the masonry, scraping a lot of sand along the way.

Minos had just quarreled with someone, and now he is extremely tired, but he still wants to maintain his dignity in front of me.I pointed him coldly and said: "It seems that the position of Chief Justice is very hot. Not only Brother Asi wants to do it, but your brother is also eager to get a share of it." He didn't say anything, but I helped him into a storage room.For the first time, I felt that he was terribly light, and the figure hidden under the robe might not be considered strong.

"So what happened, why did Rada find you, and was it because of him that I was released early?"

He pointed at me; at first I was still guessing his intentions, until I realized that he was asking me to wipe my face clean - the action just now made my face covered with dust, mixed with sweat , I'm afraid it's not elegant.

"You still have the leisure to let me wipe my face——you lied to me and let me run around like a fly, but you waited outside to watch my jokes."

Minos took a little breath, and after a while, he said, "Why do you think you are qualified to let me lie to you?"

I really wanted to punch him a few more times while he was weak.

"I saw Sage's file," I told him, "but you moved the information somewhere else, and I interrupted the thread."

He simply rested his head on his arm, which made his speech a little nasal, like a well-rounded magnet: "Judges in the Old World have a tradition-their red robes are not replaced by the king's death. black."

I don't understand why he brings up this topic: "There has been no king here for a long time, not even a prime minister, you can calculate how many years ago the last consul in this land died."

He ignored my interruption, and continued on his own: "—According to their custom, the king's funeral is presided over by the four highest-ranking justices. These people wear gorgeous robes and lead the coffin. At the front of the line, the less sad, the more the meaning behind it can be revealed... All the mourners are dressed in black, except for the judges in red, 'exempt from mourning', it tells us that the dead king has died with his own The political body becomes one, the law is living justice, and the king will live as a symbol in the continuation of the regime."

I never thought about this implication, but I quickly caught up with his train of thought: "In other words, they stripped the concept of political power from reality and created a spiritual community?"

Minos showed rare patience: "After all, people are born in a short time, and people always have to rely on something that can last forever to keep hope. The etiquette that used to belong to the world of theology was later taken over by the world of law, and gradually became Congregation,—and earlier religious sacrifices were nothing more than invocations of constant truths. Now no one has the right to claim to be the agent of the earth, and our world has intensified, retaining all forms of the metaphor of the judge."

"Rada doesn't want you to continue as a judge."

"Yeah, once we become a judge, the death of an individual has nothing to do with us. Black just represents the death of a natural body, and the red color constructed by the system is something that should be immortal. Dead judges are not allowed under the Divine Consciousness Library, Sai Qi's authority can be transferred to others, but he himself has never been judged dead."

It was too exhausting to talk so much all at once, so he leaned against the window, staring at the dark blue sea in a daze.I still can't fully grasp his overtones, but it's enough to explain some phenomena.

At the rally, Manigot was wrapped in a black robe, which was his direct disciple mourning his teacher; but Sisyphus could not do this, he had to wear the iconic red robe, just like many As his predecessors did many centuries ago, he took over the scepter bestowed by the world of ideas.

Under the double reflection of the moonlight and the light, Minos' robes are extraordinarily bright.

Sage is dead.

And the judge never dies.