The two sentries at the gate raised their eyelids and saw the arrival of the chief officer, and immediately drove away and stood up and saluted: "Lieutenant Colonel Jonah!"

"I'll go out on patrol and continue on duty. Soldier. Jonah waved his hand and disappeared into the morning mist-filled street.

One of the sentries rubbed his eyes and asked the other, "Did Lieutenant Colonel Jonah just go out?" or did I fall asleep?"

Another sentry yawned: "We can't understand what he says anyway, what's ...... him"

Jonah walked alone thirty yards down the street, and out of the blurred fog appeared a black steam carriage, without any number, coat of arms, or words indicating identity, and several people stood in front of it. "Ugly Face" Liche stood at the front, and behind him was the tall Zuta, the ordinary-looking Zha and a very slender young man in black—presumably what they called the Star Picker—and a withered and emaciated figure.

The boy was taken aback. As he approached, he recognized it as the elder monk of the Mahuraka Da Pranya Monastery, who had come to Punjab in the midnight star steam carriage and was admired by countless Buddhist devotees. "You...... You're also the ghost's left hand......" he asked, a little incredulous.

"Venerable Gao Wusha is the highest combat force deployed by the left hand of the ghost in the southeast. Liche said lightly, "Get in the car." The Brotherhood is following us and cannot let the blood of the victims be shed in vain. ”

Jonah grabbed the handrail and climbed into the carriage, "Brother Jonah." Ah Sai had already sat inside, stretched out his hand to greet him, "It's not good for your health to skip breakfast, let's have a snack." ”

"Thanks, I don't have much appetite right now. "The astrologer sat beside the Oriental. The carriage was much more shabby than the Midnight Star, with nothing but two rows of uncomfortable seats. Zuta, the Venerable Gaowusha, and the Star Picker got on the carriage one after another, the doors closed, the vibration of the steam machinery came, and the carriage started.

It was still dark outside the window, and the iron-clad wheels ran over the uneven stone floor, and Jonah realized that he hadn't taken a good look at the continent's last remaining Buddhist city. The three men on the opposite side had different movements, Zuta sat upright with his hands on his knees, Venerable Gao Wusha put his hands on his knees, silent like a piece of rotten wood, and the star picker shrunk into a ball against the wall of the carriage, looking around with two sparkling eyes.

The astrologer's gaze touched the old monk of unknown age, and his head buzzed, as if he had been hit by a giant hammer, and he quickly turned his eyes away. He was a little curious about the Star Picker, this slender guy was wearing a short black coat all over, with a black turban wrapped around his head and face, revealing only a pair of bright eyes that kept turning, "Hello." Jonah was watching him, and the Star Picker spoke in a crisp voice in the lingua franca of the Western Continent.

"Uh, hello. Jonah nodded hurriedly.

"Are you a thief, or an assassin?" asked the Oriental, slurring a piece of pineapple crisp into his mouth.

The star picker shook his head: "Neither. I'm a star picker. That's my name and my profession. ”

Assai wondered, "There is such a profession here, I have never heard of it." ”

"Of course. The Star Picker replied calmly, "I am the only one who can claim to be the Star Picker." ”

Jonah and Assay looked at each other, confused. At this time, a head appeared at the window from top to bottom, "Arrive at the border in three hours, and you will need to open the gate then, Jonah." "The message was delivered by one of several doppelgangers of Za, whose face the astrologer could not recognize, and who may have recognized the clone's characteristic wooden expression. "Got it, no problem. He nodded in agreement.

The head disappeared, "Asai Asai, what does it mean to open the door?" The 17-year-old boy quickly turned his head and asked his partner beside him. Dongfang people were happy: "I dare to agree if I don't know anything." It is said that after the founding of the Vedas, Brahma promulgated a policy of seclusion, digging an unfathomable trench along the border between the Vedas and Tocharo, which made Sabainker the Great choked, and in a fit of rage, he built a high wall on this side of the trench. This childish act has turned the border between the two countries into a man-made cliff with a height difference of 1,000 yards, and it is a desperate attempt to cross the border. However, the two countries maintained limited economic and political exchanges, and there was a gate guarded by the Fireblade Cavalry Regiment on the southeastern border, and when the gate was opened, the Vedic side would also lower the drawbridge to allow those who had permission to pass through the trench. Got it?"

"Understood. Jonah pondered, "Then if the enemy can't open the gate, they won't be able to catch up with us in the Vedas, right?"

"Theoretically, that's true, but if you think about it, that bullshit brotherhood has so many high-ranking members, you can open the door, and they can do the same. By the way, you've really provoked a terrible enemy. Asai pursed his lips, playing with the blood-colored dagger in his hand, "By the way, you see, that reverse scale has been completely resurrected, and it is really different with the nourishment of blood." ”

The astrologer looked at the crystal clear crimson discs left behind by the ghost Bahamas and nodded in satisfaction. He suddenly remembered the words of the owner of the weapon shop of the "Anvil of White Steel" in the Golden City, "In the mobile castle 'Royal Star' in the eastern Vedic region, there is a device that can communicate with the soul, so go there and talk to the soul in the Reverse Scale." "At the beginning of this trip, I wonder if I will encounter the moving castle?

A few hours later, the steam wagon reached the end of the road. Four warriors with swords and spears gathered around, shouting something in Southern Continental, and Jonah jumped out of the carriage, showing his badge of a third-class astrologer, the rank of lieutenant colonel, and the hereditary baron's coat of arms, and immediately frightened the soldiers into crawling back to the battalion to call the commander. When the captain officer in charge of the southeast gate ran over in a panic to salute, Jonah displayed the royal clan crest with green ears of wheat wrapped around the red camel eagle, and almost scared the officer to the ground.

"Well, Lieutenant Colonel Jonah has been ordered by Emperor Isaibaink the Great to inspect the southeastern frontier, and now he is going to the Vedas for an official meeting, so please open the gate at once. Asai stood beside him and commanded with a false tiger.

"Of course, Your Excellency, of course...... However, the opening of the gate requires a letter of order signed by the Commander of the Fireblade Cavalry Regiment and the Governor of the Guard, Lord Heremias, so please show me......" The captain bowed his head deeply and did not dare to look at the big man in front of him, but he resignedly.

Jonah couldn't understand their conversation and looked at Asai inquiringly, and the Oriental grinned and made a "give it to me" gesture, walked up to the captain and patted him on the shoulder: "I guess you're a nobleman too, right?"

"My father was a glorious Imperial knight. The captain whispered.

"Then you must understand the definition of 'loyalty'. The Oriental suddenly changed his face to righteousness, and pointed his finger at the royal clan coat of arms on Jonah's chest, "The object of your allegiance is not the commander of the corps or the governor of Herzemias, but the bloodline inheritance of the forty-four kings of Tocharo, the heavenly power is bestowed, bless me in the southern continent, and the person standing in front of you has the purest noble blood of the Tocharian Empire, at this time, should you be a lieutenant colonel officer who works hard and diligently as a soldier, or serve the supreme royal camel eagle coat of arms as a nobleman?"

The captain was obviously moved by the words, and hesitated: "Of course, I know ......"

"Canonizing a knight is easy for Baron Ecbatana. Asai threw out a sentence lightly, which immediately shattered the captain's defense. "Please follow me, Lord Baron. He bowed, changed his name, and led the way.

The Oriental glanced triumphantly at Jonah, and the bewildered astrologer followed the officer's footsteps, and the steam carriage drove slowly behind him. After the sentry box and several barracks enclosed by fences, an endless high wall appeared on the skyline, the wall was made of bluestone from the southeast Gobi Desert, 300 feet high, up to 8 and a half feet thick, the closer you go, the more majestic you feel.

"It's not a good idea to build a wall. "Of course, digging a trench is not a good idea. ”

After walking for more than ten minutes, they came to the foot of the city wall, the wall had completely blocked the sunlight, and in the darkness a steel gate was faintly glowing, the door was engraved with the Tocharian camel eagle coat of arms, and twelve soldiers were on duty at the door, these soldiers in various clothes and weapons were obviously also selected and dispatched.

"Open the door. The captain ordered.

The soldiers carried out the order. The thick rocker arm drove the gears, and the two doors made an unpleasant grinding sound ...... "creak", slowly parting to the left and right, and the dazzling light in the crack of the door sprinkled long golden lines on the ground, and then expanded into a golden avenue. The astrologer couldn't see the other side clearly for a while, and only heard what the lieutenant was saying, and Asai quickly translated: "In five minutes, the Vedas will lower the drawbridge, go straight through the drawbridge, undergo the routine inspection, fill out the customs clearance paperwork, and then arrive at the neighboring country." If you want to come back, use the customs clearance paperwork to lower the suspension bridge on the opposite side, and the gate will naturally open on this side. ”

"Will you be back?" said Jonah as if asking a partner, as if talking to himself, and then lifted his foot and stepped into the light.

Walking out of the gate, the wind suddenly increased, the corners of the blue robe fluttered in the wind, and the young man squinted his eyes and looked into the distance. Behind him was a towering wall, and twenty yards in front of him was a bottomless abyss, which could not be described by the word "trench" as wide and deep, and filled with a blue mist, which could not be imagined to have been dug by man.

Looking to the other side of the river, I saw an endless Vedic wasteland, with a few small spired barracks standing on the edge of the cliff, and the most conspicuous building was a tall pendant with an extremely long suspension bridge tied to the brick tower, at this time the suspension bridge was slowly descending, forty traction steel cables were tensed one by one, and four muscular wrestlers pulled the handle to control the speed at which the drawbridge was lowered.

The carriage could not pass through the gate, and the "ugly face" Licher, Zuta, Za, Star Picker, and Venerable Gaowusha walked slowly. As soon as the Venerable Gowusha stepped out of the carriage, most of the soldiers from Punjab fell to their knees crackling, and even the captain bowed reverently and tried to prostrate himself and kiss the monk's heels.

"Bang!" the steel claws at the front of the drawbridge clasped the rock wall, and the path to the Vedas appeared. Without being urged by others, Jonah was the first to walk onto the rickety drawbridge with his cane in hand. The power of "divine thought" made him not frightened by the endless void under his feet, and the 17-year-old boy took a firm step forward. One by one, the partners walked up to the suspension bridge, "It's finally here." Behind him, Asai exclaimed, "What an interesting journey." ”

Suddenly there was a loud shout behind him, and a squad of heavily armed cavalry rushed out of the gate, shouting in a roundabout way on the edge of the cliff, and the captain officer also jumped up, drew his sword and shouted something.

"What?" was only a few dozen yards away from the end of the drawbridge, and Jonah didn't want to stop.

"It's fine. Governor Herzemias convicted you of treason, and gave all Tocharian soldiers the right to execute you on the spot. The Oriental shrugged, "What a hospitable host." ”