"Do you know why I'm showing you this?" asked Norberg.

"I don't know. ”

"This is the world, the real world. Right there, in that cupboard. ”

They walked through a blood-red room filled with the organs and huge organ pipes of the old theater, which looked like huge brass barrels brought from the distillery.

"Where are we going?" asked Ashu.

"Carousel room. Norberg said.

"The signpost leading to the carousel has long since passed, and I have walked many times. ”

"They go their way, we go around. Sometimes, it's the quickest way to take a long detour. ”

Ah Xiu's feet began to hurt when he walked, and he was very unimpressed by Norberg's words.

Upstairs in a room, an automatic machine is playing "Octopus Garden". In the center of the room was a replica of a huge black whale-like animal, and in that huge fiberglass mouth was a model of a ship, as large as a real ship. They bypassed the side and walked to the "travel hall". There are tiled cars, a model of a black pearl designed by Jack Sparrow, and a yellowed unknown advertisement on the wall.

Life is full of hardships,

Gather ye rosebuds while ye may

Obey your desires,

It's the real winner.

Cigarette advertising.

There is also an advertising slogan:

Relentless pursuit of perfection,

We lead and others follow suit.

Enjoy the excitement of this kind of fun!

Typewriter advertising.

Ah Xiu couldn't help but read a few more articles, but Drinkward turned a blind eye and just moved forward.

They came to the bottom of a ramp with a small shop selling ice cream in front of them. The ice cream parlor hadn't closed yet, but the girl who was scrubbing the table inside had a "closed" expression on her face, so they had to go to the pizza café next door. The coffee shop was empty, and there was only an elderly black man in a bright plaid suit with pale gold gloves. The old man was very thin, the kind of little old man who seemed to have been shrunk by the passage of time. He's eating a huge, snowball-heavy sundae ice cream and drinking an oversized cup of coffee. In the ashtray in front of him, there was also a small black cigar that was burning.

"Three cups of coffee. Drinkward told Ah Xiu to buy coffee and went into the bathroom himself.

Ashu bought coffee and returned to Norberg. Norberg had sat down beside the old negro, smoking a cigarette as if he were afraid of being caught. The old black man was so happy as he plucked his sundae with ice cream and almost forgot about his cigarillo. But as soon as Ah Xiu appeared, he immediately picked up his cigar, took a hard breath, and then spat out two smoke rings. The first ring is larger, the other is smaller, and it passes right through the first one. Then he laughed, smug to the core.

"Axiu, this is Mr. Nancy. Norberg said.

The old man stood up and stretched out his right hand, which was wearing a pale golden glove. "Nice to meet you," his smile was cheerful, "I know you must be that person." You're doing things for that one-eyed old bastard, aren't you?" he spoke with a slight nasal voice, probably a West Indies accent.

"I work for Mr. Drinkward," said Asho, "and you may be seated." ”

Norberg continued to smoke.

"I think," he finally spoke, his voice frustrated, "that the only reason we are so obsessed with cigarettes is because they remind us of the sacrifices they used to burn for us." In the past, whenever they wanted our approval and our favor, smoke would rise. ”

"They never gave me anything like that. "At most, it's just a bunch of fresh fruit, or lamb curry, a cold drink, and a big ** woman to keep me company." He smiled and showed a mouthful of white teeth, and squeezed his eyes at Ah Xiu.

"It's all gone," Norberg continued, still so frustrated, "nothing." ”

"Well, the fruit I can get now is completely incomparable to the past," said Mr. Nancy, his eyes flashing and bright, "but as long as there is money, the big ** woman can still get it." There's nothing better than a big ** woman. Some people will say that there are no good things about women bought with money. But let me tell you, on a cold morning, only the big ** can start my machine. Nancy burst out laughing, the kind of snorting and wheezing laugh, but laughing very happily. Intellectually speaking, Ah Xiu should hate this person, but he found that he unconsciously liked this old man.

Drinkward came out of the bathroom and shook Nancy's hand. "Ashu, do you want to eat something? a pizza or a sandwich?"

"I'm not hungry. Ah Xiu said.

"Let me teach you something. "There can be a long gap between meals. If someone offers you food, remember to say yes. I'm not young anymore, but I can tell you this: never say 'no' to the chance of going to the bathroom, eating, or dozing off for half an hour with your eyes closed. See what I mean?"

"I know, but I'm not really hungry right now. ”

"You're a big tall man," Nancy said, a pair of old reddish-brown eyes staring into Ashu's light gray eyes, "a big guy." But I have to tell you, you don't look very smart. I once had a son who was as stupid as he was when he bought a bunch of them at the buy one, get two free, stupid sale. You remind me of him. ”

"If you don't mind, I'll take your words as a compliment. Ah Xiu said politely.

"When God was brainstorming everyone, you overslept and didn't catch up. I said you were stupid, and you actually took it as a compliment?"

"As a compliment, because you compare me to your family. ”

Mr. Nancy snuffed out his cigar and patted the non-existent soot from his gloves. "In that case, you may not be the worst choice Old One-Eye has ever made. He looked up at Drinkward, "How many of our people will be coming tonight, do you know a rough idea?"

"I sent letters to everyone I could find. "Obviously, not everybody can come. And some," he said, glancing at Norberg, "perhaps not at all." But I think we can be sure that at least a few dozen people will be there. After meeting, the conversation will be passed on through them. ”

They continue on their way, passing a set of armor on display, a Victorian forgery. As he walked past the armor in a glass case, Drinkward said, "Fakes, 17th-century replicas of 12th-century helmets, 15th-century armguards......" Drinkward pushed open the exit door and led them around the outside of the building.

"I can't stand the doors," complained Mr. Nancy, "I'm not as young as I used to be, but I'm from the tropics." They walked down a walkway with a canopy on top and into another door. They came to the carousel.

The whistle organ is playing music, a Strauss waltz, with a light-hearted and lively tune, with the occasional note or two out of tune. On the wall they came in hung hundreds of old wooden horses, some in need of repaint, some in need of scrubbing. Above the wooden horse were dozens of winged angels, looking like dummies in shop windows, some naked with their breasts that made it impossible to distinguish gender, and some with wigs gone, staring down in the darkness.

Then they saw the merry-go-round.

A sign says that this is the largest carousel in the world: what is the total weight, how many bulbs are hung on Gothic decorative lights, thousands, it is forbidden for anyone to climb on the base of the merry-go-round, it is forbidden for animals to ride on the merry-go-round.

What a strange animal it was! Ah Xiu looked at it in amazement, and couldn't help but be fascinated. Hundreds of life-size animals are spinning on the carousel's turntable. There are animals that exist in the real world, animals that only appear in fantasy, and animals that combine both. Every animal is different.

He saw mermaids and mermaids, centaurs and unicorns, elephants, a large one, and a baby elephant, bulldogs, frogs, and phoenixes, and zebras, tigers, sphinxes, and basilisks, swans pulling carriages, white bulls, foxes, twin walruses, and even sea serpents. All the animals are brightly colored and look just like the real thing. Every time one waltz is finished, another is played again, and the merry-go-round spins without stopping, without slowing down.

"What is this for?" Ashu asked, "I mean, well, this is the largest merry-go-round in the world, with hundreds of animals, thousands of light bulbs, spinning on and on, and no one has ever ridden it. Since you won't be allowed to ride, what is it for?"

"It's not for rides, it's not for humans. "It's here to praise it and worship it." It has magical powers. ”

"It's like a prayer wheel, going on and on," Mr. Nancy added, "to build strength." ”

"So, where are we going to meet the others?" Ashu then asked, "I remember you said you could meet them here. But now it's empty. ”

Drinkward flashed his intimidating smile again. "Ah Xiu," he warned, "you have too many questions. I'm not paying you to ask questions. ”

"I'm sorry. ”

"Alright, stand up and help us up. Drinkward said, walking to the side of the merry-go-round's pedestal, next to the merry-go-round's signboard and warning signs prohibiting boarding the merry-go-round.

Ah Xiu wanted to say something, but he helped them one by one to the edge of the wooden horse's pedestal. Drinkward's movements were so heavy that Norberg climbed up on his own, holding only Asho's shoulders to keep his balance, while Mr. Nancy was so light that he didn't seem to have any weight. The three old men climbed onto the edge of the carousel, took a step forward, jumped on one foot, and jumped onto the carousel's turntable.

"Hey!" Delinward yelled at him, "why haven't you come up yet?"

Ah Xiu hesitated for a moment, he hurriedly glanced outside to see if any of the staff of the cliff stone house noticed them, and then he gently propped his hand on the base plate and climbed the steps of the world's largest merry-go-round. Ah Xiu felt pleasant, but also a little confused, for he realized that he didn't care about breaking the ban and boarding the Trojan Horse, just as he felt about helping Drinkward rob a bank in the afternoon.

Each old man picked a monster. Drinkward rode on the back of a golden wolf, and Norberg rode a armored centaur with its face hidden behind a metal helmet. Nancy giggled and stepped onto the back of a huge, leaping lion that the carver had shaped into a roaring stance. He patted the lion's body. Strauss's waltz whirls majestically with them.

Drinkward was smiling, and Nancy was laughing happily, the kind of old man's laughter, and even Norberg, who always had a gloomy face, looked quite happy. Ah Xiu felt as if he had suddenly let go of a heavy burden. Three old men rode on the world's largest merry-go-round and had a great time. But what if they're kicked out of here? Is it worth it? Is it worth the price to be able to ride the world's largest merry-go-round and ride through these magnificent and beautiful monsters?

Ah Xiu looked at a pit bull, a mermaid monster, and an elephant carrying a golden sedan chair. Finally, he climbed onto the back of a monster with the head of an eagle and the body of a tiger and clung to it.

The waltz of the "Blue Danube" echoes in his mind, and the chandeliers are illuminated by thousands of lights, which refract each other in a dazzling way. In a short split second of a heartbeat, Ah Xiu turned back into a child again, and as long as he could ride the merry-go-round, he was extremely happy. He sat motionless, riding his Hippogriff, feeling like he was in the middle of the world, and the whole world revolved around him.

Ah Xiu heard himself laughing, and the laughter drowned out the music. He felt very alive. It was as if nothing had happened in the past 36 hours, as if it had never happened in the past three years, as if his whole life had disappeared into a child's daydream.

He seemed to be riding on a Ferris wheel on the Thames, and that was his first trip, when he first arrived in England, before it was a marathon long journey, cars, ships, and countless means of transportation. His friend stood beside him, and while he sucked on the melted popsicle, clutched the handrail, and began to fly off the horizon, he began to be a little scared, but soon he wished that he would never stop, that the Ferris wheel would never stop, that the journey would never end. Fly and fly and fly like this......

Then, all of a sudden, the lights went out, and Ah Xiu saw the demon god.