Jonah and Assay stood side by side at the entrance of the town, waiting for the arrival of the Midnight Star and the mayor of Marakanda.

A high pillar of dust rose from the Gobi Desert in the distance, the ground shook more and more, and the small stones began to dance non-stop, "Ah Sai, have you seen this legendary steam puppet carriage?"

"Nope. The last time I came to the Southern Continent, I didn't take the main road, and besides, this carriage is for nobles, and ordinary people don't have a chance to get close. The Oriental shook his head.

As he spoke, a large black shadow poked out of the horizon, and from a distance he could see the bloated carriage spewing thick white steam from the four chimneys, bringing the sound of wind, the movement of pistons, the grinding of parts, and all sorts of chaotic noises, and the iron-clad wooden wheels rumbling over the ground. - Lacking in the elegant name, the Midnight Star looks like a rough and noisy big guy.

"Please stand back a little!" roared Honorary Mayor, his white beard fluttering in the wind, "Beware of being swept under the wheels by the wind brought by the Midnight Star!

"It doesn't matter. Asai laughed, his snow-white teeth glinting in the sunlight, "Brother Jonah, show your badge." ”

"Oh. Jonah took off the Astrologer's apprentice badge from the placket of his shirt and held it up, "Can they see it from this distance?...... And why do you call me 'brother'? I don't know how old you are, but you're definitely older than me, right?"

"Oriental bad habits. The Oriental spread his palms, "Make do with it, Brother Jonah." ”

I don't know what kind of observation equipment was inside the steam wagon, but it was clear that the driver saw the dark blue badge and apparently began to slow down, the "Midnight Star" let out a high-pitched whistle, and the scorching steam snorted out from the countless pressure relief valves, and the twenty-four wooden wheels were gradually locked by the axles, and a long series of dazzling sparks came out of the friction between the iron sheet and the ground.

Jonah watched worriedly as the creaking monster grew larger and larger in his field of vision, "If it doesn't stop, won't it run over us, or even crash into town?"

"That kind of accident is not unprecedented!" said Mayor Emeritus with a sad face.

Luckily, the Midnight Star creaked to a halt next to the crowd, neither running over the feet of the astrologer's apprentice nor smashing the small stone house of Maracanda. ......The whole carriage was shrouded in a thick cloud of steam, and every wheel was emitting green smoke, and Jonah thought to himself that this guy was not a miracle of engineering at all, and in terms of appearance, why would anyone make the carriage in such an ugly cylindrical shape, and install a large mess of steam equipment in the back, which looked like a large barrel of poor workmanship?

The honorary mayor lifted his robe, ran over and knelt in front of the carriage on two small short legs, and chirped crookedly in the lingua franca of the southern continent.

......A door opened on the side of the steam carriage, and two support rods slowly turned, turning the iron door downward, and the fixed steel nails at the top of the door pierced into the ground and became a springboard. A stubby figure appeared at the hatch, not in a hurry to get down, standing on top of the gangplank smiling and waving his arms.

Seventy-four herdsmen fell to their knees in unison, their voices greeting the mayor in unison. "The name of the mayor is 'Son of Amir ibn Shaqqar, Prince of Harimaya, nephew of the wise, upright, and brave King Isaibaink, mayor of Marakanda, president of the Namoza Trade Routes Association, and the only royal inspector of the north-western province, Du ibn Shaqqar. The Oriental translated the name of the great man as being a little too long.

"Ahh

The big man had enough of the score, swayed off the springboard, and walked over to Jonah with a smile on his face. The mayor of the town** was about 60 percent tall and 200 percent weight, and wore a brocade robe full of flowers, a red turban embroidered with a camel eagle pattern symbolizing the Tocharian royal family with gold thread, and a yellow beard on his round red face, which showed that each beard had been carefully groomed, and the beard was slightly shiny with an unbeatable shine.

The astrologer's apprentice pinned his badge back to his coat and bowed to Du Shakar, and the mayor immediately rushed over and grabbed Jonah's elbow and made a great call with enthusiasm. Jonah looked at Asai pleadingly, and the Oriental whispered with a smile, "It's all nonsense, you just nod your head." ”

Jonah nodded violently, and Mayor Du laughed happily, grabbed the astrologer's apprentice with his right hand, grabbed Assai's palm with his left hand, and dragged the two of them towards the largest stone house. The honorary mayor followed alongside to introduce the situation, and Mayor Du kept nodding his head and showing a satisfied smile.

Jonah, who was rarely held by men, felt extremely awkward, "Uh, is this a custom in the Southern Continent?" he looked at Asai pleadingly.

"Well, I think this big guy is gay. The Oriental replied calmly.

Jonah immediately felt that there were countless earthworms crawling around in his chubby, limp hands, trying to shake them off, but he was afraid of provoking the other person to rise. When they got to the middle of the house and sat down, the leftovers had been removed from the table and the steaming food was put on the table again, and Mayor Du happily beckoned the two to eat more. Jonah bowed his head and said to Assay, "I think the first issue is to show that we are not gays!"

An hour later, in the carriage of the Midnight Star, the astrologer's apprentice looked at the Oriental man opposite him with a sad face, and Asai looked back at him helplessly. No one could have imagined that the interior of the seemingly rough and outdated steam carriage could have such a luxurious interior, with a space larger than the largest stone house in Maracanda, with a soft white wool carpet underfoot, beautiful sconces, tapestries, paintings, and decorative weapons on all four walls, four rows of extremely comfortable soft seats facing each other, and a large coffee table in the middle filled with wine bottles and crystal cups, in which ice cubes clanged.

No one would refuse luxurious indulgences, but the host's hospitality was a little too welcoming, and beside Jonah and Assay sat a slender boy of eight or nine years of age, with delicate facial features and fair skin, and a boy who had nothing but a layer of purple tulle and panties was writhing around them with his snake-soft body, and serving them in a somewhat excessive way to drink.

Jonah's whole body stiffened, and he tried to stay away, "Asai......," he cried complainingly.

The Oriental smiled bitterly: "I told the mayor of the town, he didn't listen, he said that since the wise, upright, and brave king Essaibaink the Great opened the ban on same-sex marriage, the noble circles of the Golden City have set up a trend of keeping boys in captivity, these boys have been professionally trained from an early age to please men, and only the most powerful nobles can afford their expensive fees, which are said to be bathed in milk every night to keep their skin smooth!"

When the two of them were awkward, the door opened, and Mayor Du walked in with a smile, sat on the soft seat and said something.

"He said that the carriage was about to depart, and that it would reach Isfarhan, the capital of the North-Western Province, in the early hours of the morrow, and he invited us to his mansion. He had a large courtyard in Isfarhan and five children worth a thousand dollars. Asai sighed and translated.

Jonah shouted, "Let him get these two kids away!"

The Oriental pushed the boy away, gesturing and saying something. This time it worked, Mayor Du stood up sharply, bent over and nodded to Jonah in apology, then pulled the door open and pushed the two little boys out.

"Whew......," the astrologer apprentice relaxed, slumped down on the couch, "what did you tell him?"

"I said that the astrologer is very loyal to his feelings. Asai squeezed his eyes narrowly: "He prefers older men, for example, forty or fifty years old." ”

"What?" Jonah jumped to his feet, blushing and pointing at the other man speechless.

The unreliable partner laughed, "Brother Anla Layona, I just told him that astrologers should be abstinent, otherwise it will affect their strength." ”

Jonah grabbed his glass and took a sip of it, the unknown golden liquor was sweet in his mouth, more delicious than all the alcoholic beverages he had drunk before. "I hope that the astrologer and the swordsman will not blame me for my poor reception," after Assai's translation, Mayor Du said to the two, "I also hope that I will be allowed to entertain the two of you in Isfarhan for a few days, and then escort you to the Golden City, and of course, during your stay in Bactria, I also hope that the two of you will be able to stay in my house, and my father, Prince Harimaya, will be very happy to see them." ”

"I'm just an apprentice, do I need to be so grand?" Jonah wondered.

"The Southern Continent is the territory of the steam puppet warlocks, astrologers are already scarce, and now that the war is about to begin, the five guilds have begun to evacuate people, and I estimate that there are not a few astrologers with real talents in the entire Tocharo. The Oriental commented.

The floor shook violently, and the "Midnight Star" started, and despite the heavy shock absorption between the cabin floor and the wheels, the wooden wheels still passed the bumps, and the wine in Jonah's hand was sprinkled, but the wine bottles and glasses on the coffee table were embedded in the dark grid, and it was obvious that there were precautions.

"There's still a long way to go, so we can have a good conversation. The mayor raised his glass with a smile.