They rejoiced too soon.

Being able to see and being able to reach was very much of the case, and they continued to walk through the dense forest for nearly an hour before finally getting rid of the entanglement of black branches and long grass, and greeted them with a gray-green stone field, some might say, it was much easier to walk here than in the woods, which was wet and slippery, and the soft ground, no, the truth was exactly the opposite of what one might think—the crevices of the stones were covered with thin vegetation, yellow and white, only finger-sized flowers swaying in the wind, and the low leaves were emerald green, The stems between the leaves are densely intertwined, like hands pulled up, intertwined into a dangerous net – for those thick and clumsy boots.

The sharp faces of the stones that stood among the grass and flowers were like knives or the teeth of wild beasts, and the wind and abundant precipitation in the mountains did not round them up, but sharpened them.

"Go slower," shouted the regimental commander, "be careful not to fall!" ”

"I'd rather go faster." A member of Beelzebub's team complained, "I'm draining the last bit of strength out of my body. In five minutes, I'll be on my stomach, and even if the ground cracks and the devil jumps out, I won't move. ”

Charlie's extra backpack had been transferred to the regimental leader, and the instructor carried the backpack to another pale child, and the two adults had two bags on them, one on their backs and one on their backs, Beelzebub and Sasha took the heavier part of the team's luggage, more weight was nothing to them, but it looked a little ridiculous when you carried six small pots of boiling milk and a large iron pot.

At least Boa. Douglas was constantly laughing at them, and on the surface, Douglas's team was in the best condition, they didn't sweat frequently, their steps were not sluggish, and they were even a little energetic, a child rubbing the leaves in his hands. Kneaded it into a ball and swallowed it directly, and his blood began to flow rapidly again.

This herb, Boa's uncle Osien. Dr. Douglas used to use it. Raw material of herbal tea.

It took them half an hour to get a stone field, and then, to the surprise of the first-time visitors, there was a dark black asphalt floor behind the stone field.

The vast asphalt floor, at the center of which was the stone-gray monastery that resembled a small medieval castle, would have felt like a black forest cake if a man in a helicopter looked down at the ground from above, and the stone floor was like a paper tray for the cake, and the asphalt floor was melted chocolate. And the castle is the moldy cherry that adorns the cake. 、

The last rays of the sun shrouded them.

"Why are they laying asphalt here?" Beelzebub wondered, "Will anyone still park here?"

"It is said that the abbot of the monastery heard the call of the Holy Spirit more than ten years ago," said the instructor. "He did the will of the Lord."

That is, "Boa. Douglas said unceremoniously: "More than ten years ago, when a lonely old man slept in his own bed. The Holy Spirit shouted into his ear: 'You are going to spread asphalt around your monastery!' Instead of fixing the so-called road that is so narrow that only the record can pass through," he added, "Oh, I forgot, I was talking about the sideways record." ”

"It's not just asphalt," said the instructor, "but also concrete, and there are suspicions that something is wrong with the foundation of the monastery." ”

"Alright." One of the members of Beelzebub's squad shouted, "Isn't it a good thing to have asphalt for you to walk?" Or do you still want to walk in the woods, or in the rocky ground? ”

Douglas threw him a venomous glance that was so fierce that he wanted to draw a mark on his chest to ward off evil spirits.

"I think the kids still have a bit of strength," the instructor said to the leader, sighing.

"Go ahead!" The regiment commander estimated the distance: "Just walk for another five minutes!" ”

The asphalt floor is indeed much easier to walk on and softer. Solid again, they almost had to step back when they stepped onto the hard stone floor of the monastery.

They were greeted at the door by the abbot of the abbey, who, as Douglas said, was an old man with silver hair. He wore no hat, a black robe with a round neckline, an ivory cord tied around his waist, a snow-white shirt collar turned out from the round neck of the robe, and a pair of suede low-tops that looked a little old, but certainly very soft, on his feet.

He first brought the Boy Scouts into the dining room, which was always very large, because the monks had to gather together to eat, and now was not the time for the monks to eat, the dining room was empty.

The two monks carried two white iron kettles with cold honey water, and Beelzebub took a sip and found that there was salt in them.

"The best honey beer is here," the instructor said, "but unfortunately you're not old enough to legally consume alcohol." ”

The monks welcomed them with honey water, and brought them jerky, cheese, and bread, and when they were full, some of them could not help but take a nap, "You can go to bed early," said the head of the regiment, "because tomorrow is the day of the monks, and you will spend the whole day here as monks, which is a very rare experience, and I wish you a great pleasure." ”

"I think he smacks of schadenfreude when he speaks." Beelzebub said.

"You're right." Sasha said, "Do you think they'll have a shower?" ”

"I hope so," Beelzebub sniffed his arm, "I have been bad for three or four days." ”

Thankfully, they weren't in a medieval monastery, and the monks had a place to bathe, but it was very primitive – a small, naturally formed bath, perhaps because of the water flowing out of the mountain wall, very cool, and only big enough for one person to stand underneath and rinse. "It cleanses the body and clears the mind," said the monk who led them here, "even in winter it does not freeze or dry up." "The water they drink, the water they knead the dough, the water they wash their clothes, they also come from here.

The head of the regiment had wanted to sleep in the barn with the children, but now there were only seven people in the monastery, and together with the abbot, only a few sheep were raised, and the huge barn was empty (people in the neighborhood had a habit of raising livestock in the barn). But the abbot insisted that they sleep in the monk's room: "Since tomorrow they will also sleep in the monk's room." The dean said.

So the instructor went to ask the children for their opinions, and that sleeping bags could be used in the barn, but that the monk's room had only a wooden bed and a thin bedding, and that the door could not be locked.

In addition, their mobile phones must be given to the abbot, because the friars forbid the use of telephones and the Internet, "Attention, children," said the abbot kindly, "I am not keeping the telephone for you, but I ask you to voluntarily hand over ownership of the mobile phone to me for two nights and one day." Therefore, your mobile phone belongs to me during this time, and anyone who takes the phone without my consent will not be taking back 'their' things, but committing the crime of theft. He pointed to the dining room cabinet, the door of the cabinet was mottled, there was no lock, not even a latch: "Don't worry, your head and instructor will carry their phones with them to ensure that they can be reached anytime and anywhere, if you need to use the phone, you can contact them, I don't think they will refuse." ”

"When are we going to wake up tomorrow morning?" Charlie said: "Without an alarm clock set on my phone, I was afraid I wouldn't wake up. ”

"We wake up at 3:45 every day, and our schedule is right next to your bed." The dean said, "Someone will come and wake you up." ”

- A monk stood in the corridor at three forty-five and rang the little bell in his hand with precision, and the bell pierced the thin wooden door and the solid stone wall without a little effort.

The Crusaders jumped up with their eyes closed, they had gone to bed early yesterday, but the biological clock of more than ten years was not so easy to adjust, the room was still black and hollow, they groped their way to get dressed, and went to the hallway to line up.

Furrizzly one by one, they took turns rinsing their mouths with salt water at an abandoned manger, wiping their faces with water from a bucket, and following the monks into the prayer hall.

Four o'clock night prayers, including a hymn, hymn, Bible reading. I don't know how many children fell asleep standing up, but not counting Beelzebub and Sasha, and perhaps adding a treasure who repeatedly took the opportunity to kick the shin of a boy in front of him who belonged to Beelzebub's squad while the monk read the Bible.

Sasha saw it, he stared at Bao'er at first, and when Bao'er noticed that he was looking back at him, he silently pronounced a word, "Fergus", and Bao'er's forehead immediately reflexively ached, and he retracted his foot.

Five o'clock: They were finally able to sit down for breakfast, which had no honey water, no cheese and jerky, only dry wheat bread and water, and two monks who were not in the dining room, when someone questioned suspiciously (needless to say, it was still Bao'er. Douglas), the dean told him that they were going to do fasting prayers.

From half past five to six forty-five: it is time for morning prayer. Includes hymns, chants and prayers. About half an hour, the rest of the time is free, you can read, you can also take a walk.

The children would prefer to go back to their rooms to sleep if they could, but this was not allowed, so they came up with a good idea, they borrowed books from the monks and dozed off on their chairs with them in their hands.

As a result, only one child is willing to go out for a walk, and that is Sasha. Hopkins.

The sun illuminated the spires of the abbey chapel, and the monsters protruding from the eaves with bodies and heads, and the morning light enveloped them like gold leaf with a layer of fine sand.

"That's a drip nozzle."

The dean said.

(To be continued)