Dirt Dirt –

The deafening sound of the cruise ship's chimney means that it is about to dock.

The gentlemen of the club got up and left,

They're going back to pack.

"It's almost there."

George Peck reminded in a low voice.

Unfortunately, his younger brother Edward Peck didn't seem to hear it, and he still stared at the Mirror in his hand.

"The Lord of the Rings: The Twin Towers Cavalry" began to be serialized,

Edward, a book lover, once he starts reading it, will fall into it and can't pull it out.

George muttered, "I shouldn't have bought you a newspaper if I knew I wouldn't have bought you a newspaper." ”

There were two copies of the Mirror that they bought when they docked at the halfway port, and because it wasn't a Thursday for the publication edition, they paid a fortune.

Fortunately, "Monopoly" made them a lot of money, and the money to buy newspapers was just a drizzle.

It was a long time before Edward looked up from the newspaper,

"I'm done."

George on the side pouted,

"Well, you did finish reading it, seventh."

After speaking, he pointed to the window next to him and complained: "Brother, you take a snapshot in the mirror and see what the hell you look like if you are sloppy." ”

Once a person indulges in something, it is easy to become raunchy.

At this time, Edward's hair was greasy, his messy beard grew like weeds, and his eyes, although bright, were slightly sunken, looking a little haggard and tired.

Edward waved his hand,

"I can't help but read whenever I have free time."

George was speechless,

There are four chapters in a row, and each chapter should be read at least seven times, but any normal person should be bored.

My own brother is good, and the more I read, the more obsessed I become.

George said, "Hurry up, we have to go back and get our luggage." ”

In order to open the market in the UK, the two brought a hundred boxes of "Monopoly",

Interestingly, table games, like books, belong to the category of publications, but when they go out of the United States Customs, they are extremely relaxed.

I guess the staff thought it was something that only children would like.

The two of them went back to carry their luggage,

As he walked down the gangway, George muttered, "I don't know if British customs is good or not, I heard that London is very strict." ”

"Tsk......"

Edward staggered,

"Don't be a thief, just look around. It's okay, but it's easy to become problematic if you have a weak heart. Besides, if it really doesn't work, we can contact Professor Luk, or Sir Wardhouse. With them, there will be no problem. ”

George rolled his eyes,

"Are you used to enjoying privileges? Last time it was the vice president of the United States who made a telegram, and this time you want the British prime minister to come out? ”

Edward smiled,

The heart said, it doesn't seem impossible.

The two went down the gangway.

Passengers consciously began to queue up and pass through customs.

Edward carefully put away the newspaper, looked around, and soon noticed three "suspicious" brown-skinned men,

They walked towards the pass in the shape of "product".

This look is smuggling,

The one in front looks big, very eye-catching, the purpose is to attract firepower, and what he actually brings is some clothing and other things.

The latter two are the big ones.

Edward leaned over and told his brother about his reasoning.

George couldn't help but smile,

"You kid, you always have some ghostly thoughts."

The two of them remained silent and quietly moved to the back of the word "Pin".

Regardless of whether the people in front of them are checked or not, they are all good.

The team moved slowly,

George whispered, "You say, will they be investigated?" ”

Edward mused, "I think so." Our cruise ship passed through the port of Havana, which is a distribution center for cigars, chemicals, plus gold bars and the like, and it is impossible not to be checked. ”

This is one of the reasons,

Another reason, Edward did not say explicitly -

Complexion.

At the beginning of the 20th century, there were indeed many people with brown skin who were engaged in smuggling.

After a while, several people arrived at the pass.

Unexpectedly, the customs officer was looking down at something, his eyes were under the table, he didn't take them seriously at all, his hands were waving, and his mouth was muttering: "Go...... Walk...... Queue up. ”

The trio with the word "product" in front was a little confused and looked at each other.

George smiled and glanced at Edward,

"Look~"

Then, he pushed the person in front of him and scolded in a low voice: "Why don't you go quickly?!" Want to be checked!? ”

The man reacted and pushed his accomplice out.

Unexpectedly, because the pace is too fast,

When—

Something fell out of the lining of the garment and hit the ground.

In an instant, the scene was silent,

“……”

“……”

“……”

Almost everyone's eyes were focused on the yellow thing.

There is no doubt that it was a nugget of gold.

Edward let out a low "sigh-" sound, looked at George, and said with his lips: "Look, I said he would be investigated, and he would be investigated." ”

George's face was speechless,

"I can't tell the prophets. Who would have thought it would be ......?"

After only half a sentence, I heard the customs officer speak: "Let's go...... Walk...... Don't stop here. Pass the level in an orderly manner. ”

Edward:???

George:???

The two subconsciously looked over,

I saw that the staff member was the same as just now, still with his head down, looking at something intently, and his mind was not on work at all.

If it weren't for the immobility of his right hand, Edward would have suspected that the old man was doing something to rush down there.

The trio of the word "product" in front reacted,

The leader picked up the gold bars and rushed out with two accomplices.

The Pike brothers were in a mess in the wind.

The customs officer finally became a little impatient, smacked his lips and raised his head, his eyes shrunk, his eyes stayed on the large suitcase carried by the two of them, and subconsciously said, "What is in it...... Forehead ......"

He choked and looked down at the table,

An atmosphere of hesitation spreads.

After a long time, he waved his hand and said, "Why don't you hurry up and pass the customs?" ”

Edward: "Huh? "Yes.

George, who was next to him, kicked him in the shin and said, "Why don't you hurry up?" Don't bother people. ”

Edward came back to his senses.

The brothers rushed out of customs in a hurry.

Standing on the streets of London Harbour, they still have a feeling of inexplicability.

"What's going on?" ×2

The two spoke in unison.

"I don't know." ×2

Again, in unison.

Edward couldn't help scratching his head and said, "Let's go quickly, let's find someone to ask first, how is Brea Road...... Yes...... It's called Blaiyalu, right? ”

George nodded,

"Well, that's what Attorney Saul said."

The two of them walked out into the street carrying suitcases.

London is still the same London, the scenery has not changed,

But for some reason, they had an inexplicable doubt,

It was a very indescribable feeling, as if the whole city was still hangover and everyone was still soaking in the vat, acting as if they were half asleep and half awake, all absent-minded.

A few steps forward, they saw the scene of a "car accident":

An elaborate carriage with a body decorated with golden tassels and shiny metal trims, which by this time had fallen apart,

A couple of homeless men lazily packed up the wood, ready to sell it for money,

The coachman who caused the accident wiped his tears next to him: "I'm so stupid. It's true. Why should I drive and read a book at the same time? ”

Further on, the brothers saw a strange sight again,

The Huntington Hotel is under construction, and the workers outside are painting the walls with and without a ride.

There was a literate person next to him, who was looking up the dictionary in front of the "Mirror", and after checking it, he would read a few sentences in fragments, and then he was complained about by the workers.

They all did this, but the overseer didn't show up.

George lowered his voice,

"Dude, when did London become like this? If this continues, in less than 20 years, Britain will not be as good as the United States. ”

Edward did not answer,

He touched his chin as if in deep thought.

After a while, he suddenly said, "Is it Thursday?" ”

There is no sun and moon on the sea,

Rushing all the way from the United States, both of them were a little confused.

George only made the time clear when he wrote in his diary,

He tilted his head and thought,

"Yes, it's Thursday."

Edward had a conjecture in his heart, and said, "George, let's find a newspaper store to read...... There, the front is. ”

Newspaper shops in the UK are very interesting, in addition to the door of the newspaper store, there is also a kiosk-like window, you can quickly find the owner to buy magazines and newspapers without entering the door.

The brothers walked over.

A guest in front of them picked up a copy of the Mirror, threw a banknote in the small cardboard box next to it, and then picked out a few coins from it, and completed the work of purchasing, paying, and making change by himself.

During the whole process, the boss didn't even raise his head, maintaining a posture of concentrating on reading the newspaper.

"Hiss......"

George gasped,

"London has become a cosmopolitan world?"

Edward on the side laughed and said, "What Datong world? It's definitely the reason for the "Mirror", and the identification is: read "The Lord of the Rings". ”

He did the same, bought a newspaper, flipped through the pages and read it carefully.

George said, "Hey, hey! Still asking for directions? ”

Edward was silent, reading today's serials with bated breath.

George had no choice but to ask the owner of the newspaper store by himself, and said in a low voice: "Boss, may I ask how to go to Blaya Road?" Is it in the city center? ”

He remembered that Waldhouse had said that Braia Road was close to all parts of London.

As a result, the boss didn't talk at all.

His fingers pressed against today's Mirror page, moving slowly, squinting as he read.

George scratched his head,

"Well, boss, I'll buy you a map of London."

He thought that no matter how seriously the boss read the newspaper, he would not stop doing business.

As a result, the boss didn't say a word, still reading the newspaper there, looking serious, as if he had cut off contact with the outside world.

"Tsk......"

George couldn't help but be stunned, and thought about buying a copy to read.

At this moment,

"Alive!"

Edward grabbed George's arm and said excitedly, "Gandalf, he's alive!" He lived!!!!!!!!! ”

The sound is incomparably loud.

Pedestrians on the side looked sideways.

Even the owner of the bookstore looked up from the newspaper and said with a smile, "It seems that you are also a reader of The Lord of the Rings." Yes, Gandalf was resurrected, and even though the editor of the Mirror had revealed it in advance, I was still encouraged to read it. ”

Edward shook his head repeatedly,

"No, no, no, Gandalf is not resurrected in the true sense of the word, but his soul is returned to his body and healed and strengthened in strength. It is a symbol that represents renewal and rebirth. ”

The boss was immediately anxious when he heard this,

"If you don't understand, don't talk nonsense to me! You see...... I'm looking for the original text. ”

He searched for a while,

“

He came down from the rock, picked up the cloak of ash from the ground, and put it on again. There was a feeling that the sun was once again obscured by the clouds. 'Yes, you can still call me Gandalf!' His voice was once again their old friend and guide. ’

”

When George heard this, he felt that it was indeed a resurrection.

Unexpectedly, Edward did not approve,

"I also have the original text."

As he spoke, he shook the newspaper,

“

'Gandalf......' the old man repeated, as if recalling a word that he rarely used in his memory: 'Yes, that's the name, I used to be called Gandalf.' ’’

”

The temporary absence and regression of memories does not sound like "resurrection" in the traditional sense.

George changed his door again and became recognizable of his younger brother.

So, the shopkeeper and Edward began a debate, constantly looking for arguments from the original text,

Seeing their fight over each other, George finally understood the sentence:

Read "The Lord of the Rings" to read.

He ripped his brother away,

"Let's go, it's important to get down to business. Let's go to Breiyalu to meet Professor Lu first. ”

Edward was unhappy,

"No, I haven't convinced him yet! I can't go! This is a duel for Lord of the Rings readers! ”

The owner of the newspaper store said, "Interesting...... Am I going to be afraid of you!? ”

Edward: "! @#*￥%……”

Boss: "! @#*￥%……”

The two of them spat gibberish and stinked at each other.

George kicked the box and dragged his brother away.

……

Blya Road.

Lu Shi was carrying the luggage to Stockholm to attend the Nobel Prize dinner,

He stood at the door, but he didn't go out.

No way, it's all book friends outside,

Blaya Road is heavily surrounded.

Natsume Soseki smiled,

"I thought it would be a big problem to post the fifth chapter of "The Two Towers" today. Look, sure enough! ”

Lu Shi glanced at his pocket watch,

"It's over, if I don't leave, I won't be able to catch the cruise. Alas...... How embarrassing it would be for the captain to wait for me, though His Majesty the King had taken care of me, but not to let a whole shipload of people lose their time......"

Natsume Soseki's mustache trembled,

As a result, he still didn't hold back the desire to complain, and said: "Do you know that your words sound like dazzling ......?"

Before the words fell, there was a knock on the door,

"Is Professor Lu here?"

Typical American English with a hint of French accent,

Lu Shi heard it instantly,

It's the Pike brothers.

He walked over and opened the door, dragged the two into the house, and then closed the door immediately.

Even though it was only a momentary matter, the screams from outside still came in,

"Lu, please sign me!"

"Thank you, thank you for bringing Gandalf back to life!"

"Lu, I love you!"

……

The last sentence made Lu Shi feel chills and goosebumps.

When George saw Lu Shi's luggage, he was curious: "Professor Lu, are you preparing to travel far away?" We asked Mr. Saul to send you a telegram, didn't you receive it? ”

Lu Shi spreads his hands,

"I've read the telegram, but this trip is a bit ...... Unplanned. I'm going to Stockholm for the Nobel Prize dinner. ”

As Edward VII predicted, the Swedish side did invite him to a dinner and as a witness to the first Nobel Prize in 1901,

Toon also took a telegram and warmly invited,

Lu Shi could not refuse.

He could only say, "I'm sorry, I didn't expect this." But I've already told you, and Sir will take you to find a partner. ”

George nodded,

"By the way, Edward and I brought over a hundred copies of Monopoly and are going to give them to universities in the UK for free."

That's how it is in the United States,

"Monopoly" was first spread in colleges and universities.

Lu Shi didn't care much about this,

"It's okay, Big Joe, I trust your brothers...... Forehead...... ED, why don't you speak? ”

He turned to Edward.

I saw Edward holding the "Mirror" in his hand, reading it with relish, and there were words in his mouth,

“

Gandalf lived, and Middle-earth was at peace;

Gandalf lived, and the odds were there.

”

Edward was a man of the devil.

Lu Shi coughed lightly,

“ED？”

Edward suddenly came back to his senses, looked at Lu, and said solemnly: "Professor Lu, I think 'The Lord of the Rings' should really be put on the table and become a tabletop game. ”

Lu Shi was noncommittal about this,

DND, i.e. Dungeons & Dragons,

The birth of this game dates back to 1974, when Gary Gigax and Dave Arneson created this role-playing game.

And it is precisely because Gygax is fascinated by the grand setting of "The Lord of the Rings" that he chose to integrate many iconic elements of Middle-earth, plus his own ideas, DND came out.

Now, the preconditions are already in place -

The Lord of the Rings appears.

And the problem is cost.

In essence, DND is a role-playing, but because there are too many elements, the number of props even exceeds that of wargames.

Not to mention those complicated rules, the bar is too high.

Lu Shi raised his eyebrows,

"This game is destined to be niche."

Edward said: "Professor Lu, even if it is a small niche, it can sell well. Just like Monopoly, we have two versions, the Collector's Edition and the Standard Edition, the former uses metal chess pieces, dice, and houses, and the price is twelve times that of the standard version, and it still sells more than 3,000 copies. ”

Lu Shi groaned for a moment,

"Okay, let's do it."

After saying that, he turned to George and asked, "Big Joe, did you come by carriage?" The carriage hasn't gone yet, has it? ”

George replied, "It's blocked by your readers out there, and it's definitely not gone." ”

He walked to the window and confirmed,

"Well, I didn't leave~"

Lu Shi breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Fortunately, fortunately, otherwise I would have really asked a boatload of people to wait." ”

George was a little confused,

"What boatload of people?"

Lu Shi waved his hand,

"Don't talk about that. I'm gone, goodbye, Big Joe. Goodbye......"

He looked over to Edward's side.

I saw that Edward had already taken out a pen and paper, and was frantically drawing something, which should be a map of Middle-earth.

George touched his nose in embarrassment,

"Read The Lord of the Rings. Leave him alone. ”

As he spoke, he took out a few copies of "Monopoly" from the box,

"Professor Lu, take this, show it to other professors, and help sell it."

Lu Shixiao,

"You're going to be in business. However, I am also a shareholder, as I should. ”

(End of chapter)