In the silence of the café, a faint roar could be heard in the distance.

The guests in the seats looked up uneasily in the distance, but they could see nothing, and the street was quiet.

The guards who passed by on patrol politely told those who asked for help that just a small thing had happened and that it would be resolved soon, and asked everyone to stand still and not panic and run.

Soon, a waiter with a plate politely handed out a verification bracelet and a map of the nearest evacuation shelter to each customer, and the unhurried and prepared appearance succeeded in calming some of the people's uneasiness.

"Sir, your bracelet and map. ”

When the waiter came to the corner, he saw the man sitting in the chair.

The wizened man turned his back to the door and looked down at the chessboard in front of him.

It's a pity that no one came to play against him.

Only the broken pieces on the chessboard gradually cracked, and just as the waiter approached, the last two pieces fell apart.

Bizarrely, the glass pieces on the chessboard appear to have only one side, and all of them are chariots and bishops.

Only the lonely king is still in the hands of the chess player.

When the chess player is focused, there seems to be some strange magic that makes the surroundings quiet and unbearable.

The waiter hesitated to stand beside him, not knowing whether to speak or not, so he raised his head.

The two blue eyes in the sunken eye sockets moved flexibly, making the waiter couldn't help but take a step back.

Being looked at by this thin man, as if he was being targeted by something bad, makes people hairy. But his language is low, magnetic, and feels close and trustworthy.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked.

The waiter hesitated for a moment and handed over the contents on the plate: "This is your verification bracelet, and a map of the nearest shelter, if anything happens, you can go quickly." ”

"I will. ”

He smiled at the waiter and whispered again, "I will." ”

His smile is kind and kind, and it is reassuring. The waiter couldn't help but smile and turned away happily.

Leave him alone to face the silent chessboard, contemplative.

Until in his hand, the chess piece representing the king also showed a tragic trace.

In a trance, there seemed to be some wailing in the distance.

"The mourning of the rulers?"

He muttered softly, "It seems to be no different from the voice of the ruled." ”

"Don't you feel sorry? Mr. Morando. ”

Opposite him, above the empty seats, came a low, elegant voice with a reserved Roman accent.

The phantom-like middle-aged man was holding a delicate cane, dressed in a gown, his faintly white sideburns resting neatly and solemnly, and his long hair combed back his head.

He asked curiously: "Or, the superior you believe in has ushered in a tragic end, don't you feel a little guilty when you stand by and watch?"

"Guilty?

Morando asked rhetorically, "Because of what I once believed?"

"Exactly. "Elegant man bows his head.

"I think you've mistaken something, Mr. Mathers. ”

Morando shook his head slightly, smiling and mocking: "From the very beginning, faith was a treacherous exchange for human beings, not equivalent to it, nor can it be called fair. ”

"Isn't it ridiculous to want peace with just a few words of praise, to live a long life with just a little money, and to get the blessing of going to heaven with just a little pious giving?"

"Whether the object of faith comes from heaven or the abyss, whether the promise is a paradise or hell, there is no need to even inquire into whether those promises are possible to be fulfilled, whether they are truth or lies. ”

He said categorically: "The so-called faith is the shameless greed of the weak, a kind of begging, and a kind of luck in the face of fear. ”

Expressing his opinion so calmly, he seriously asked, "Why should I be ashamed when I am no longer ashamed?"

Mathers' eyebrows raised slightly, "So, do you hate faith?"

"No, on the contrary, I thirst for faith more than anyone else, because I know my own weakness and impotence, and I know my limitations. ”

Morando told him earnestly and seriously: "I want faith, I want to have a powerful faith." So, who gives me strength, who I believe. It's that simple. ”

Mathers seemed stunned.

Slightly stunned, he looked at the collaborator in front of him, and for a long time, he sighed admiringly: "Regardless of whether your words are reasonable or not, but for so many years, it is really rare to meet someone who is so open to you. ”

"Isn't that bad?" Morando asked, "or is it too disgusting to be so blatantly shameless?"

"No, I think it's more pleasant. ”

Mathers leaned in on his cane, and chuckled softly, "Once upon a time, the priests who preached would have said—Once upon a time, mankind lived in the good kingdom of heaven, obeyed the commands of the gods, and lived a carefree life, but was not allowed to eat the fruit of the tree, do you know why?"

"I want to hear about it. ”

"For shame is known only to the guilty who eat the apple. ”

"Shame is something that is reserved for those who harbor original sin—and those who have true faith will only dismiss and scoff at it." ”

Morando laughed, "Do you think I'm innocent, Mr. Mathers?"

"No, it's better to say that you and I are among those who are the most sinful people, right?" Mathers shook his head, "Where can a pure and righteous man fall into the abyss with bloody hands like you and me?"

"So what's the point of this story?"

If there is a search for meaning, then it may only say one thing. ”

Mathers laughed mockingly:

From the very beginning, the so-called faith was a lie. ”

Rumble!

A loud and low noise was heard in the distance.

In Morando's hands, the crystal king's pawn cracked a crack again, and a faint inky color emerged from it, flowing from the king's face.

Like blood.

"The king will die. ”

Mathers raised his hand, spread his palm, and between his five fingers, a blood-red chess piece slowly emerged—a chess piece wearing a sacred crown, a pure white robe, and a rose rosary, and its face was impressively Morando.

"I guess it's your turn next. ”

He slowly got up, put the chess piece into Morando's hand, bent down, and whispered in his ear, "Your Excellency the Last 'Bishop'." ”

"I will. ”

Morando calmly closed his fingers and asked again, "What about you?"

"Huh?" The middle-aged gentleman who was about to leave stopped and looked back in confusion.

"Aren't you going to appear on the board?"

Mathers laughed, took off the bowler hat from his coat hanger, and put it on his graying hair: "For those who play chess, there is no need to put any more representations on the board, do you?"

Morando didn't speak again.

Mathers bowed and turned to leave.

As he passed by the window seat, he paused slightly, and glanced down as if unintentionally.

In the seat was a haggard-looking man, with thick dark circles under his eyes, wearing an inconspicuous gray suit, frowning and drinking unsweetened black coffee.

He glanced up at Mathers, and Mathers looked at him.

The two calmly withdrew their gaze and continued to go their separate ways.

Just like it was back then.

.

.

Twenty minutes ago, above the sea beyond the Atellos, the wind was calm, and an eerie dead silence enveloped everything.

In the distant border of London, the headquarters of the Astronomical Society, which is heavily guarded, has passed the double verification of identity and password after the sixteenth floor of the basement, and then transfers to a special elevator, and after another essentia comparison, the old elevator begins to sink with passengers again.

Straight down, down again.

Overhead floor· L8。

The iron fence at the elevator entrance slowly opened, and a middle-aged man in a gray overhaul suit stepped out and heard the sound of a song and dance drama on an old TV set.

There was a cold pizza on the long table at the door, but the chairs were empty.

It wasn't until the muffled sound of the toilet flushing came from the cubicle that an old security guard with a belly came out of it, shook his legs, and returned to his place.

"Request a report?"

He flipped through the documents handed over by the middle-aged man, checked the signatures on them, took out a register and handed it over, signed, and finally grabbed the pen and ticked a check, opened the drawer, took out a bunch of keys, got up and said, "Follow me." ”

The door to the warehouse was opened.

There is no smell of dust in the air, and a good ventilation system maintains a constant temperature without even any musty smell.

It's just pure, nothing tastes like anything.

I couldn't hear anything.

Only the crisp sound of leather boots stepping on the floor gradually deepened.

Eventually, stopping in front of a large square cabinet, the guard checked the number on the dust cloth and nodded.

"[Item TS-7767], that's it. He turned back and asked, "Do you need to use it here?" ”

The middle-aged worker in a gray overhaul suit replied, "No." ”

"Who's going to use it?" the guard asked, "do you need my help?"

"Yes. ”

"Then wait a minute. ”

The fat guard reached out and ripped off the dust cloth, revealing a huge well-kept globe underneath - about the height of a normal person, fixed between the four brass tracks, but in addition to the latitude and longitude and the common meridians, there was a new layer of scale, which was incomprehensible.

Next to the globe is a small stove and crucible, as well as a sealed jar of animal fat.

Soon, the fire was burned from the stove, and the grease in the crucible was melted by the heat and turned into a clear liquid state.

After another three minutes, the grease boiled and took on a flame-like color.

The fat guard picked up the pliers, set up the crucible full of boiling grease, and walked to the ladder next to the globe, and climbed up with some difficulty.

"Coordinates?"

"Eastern Asia, south of West Polys. ”

The middle-aged worker looked down at the data on the signed board and reported: "Longitude 124.35946...... Latitude 2.7653475...... Depth 1.95. ”

"What about time?"

"Three seconds later. ”

So, three seconds later, the boiling grease poured over the coordinates of the globe, and the illusion disappeared without a trace.

That's it.

The fat guard climbed down with difficulty, shook hands with the middle-aged worker, and after signing two more words, he packed everything up, and the ladder returned to its place, covered with a dust cloth.

Finally leaving the storeroom, closing the door, and watching the visitor leave, the fat guard returned to his chair and continued to eat the cold pizza.

Melodious music came from the TV.

A new show is about to start.

.

.

At the same time, on the endless sea.

The sky is broken.