Chapter 13 [Part 2] Chapter 1 Blekrant

On the left bank of the Niger River, at the intersection of the second degree of east longitude and the sixteenth degree of north latitude, there is a city called Gaokan, which is surrounded by the Sahara Desert.The Sahara Desert stretches from Morocco, Algeria, and Tripoli in the north; to French Equatorial Africa in the south; to Egypt and Nubia in the east; and to the Atlantic Ocean in the west.This is the largest desert in the world.There are two large oases around Gaokan: the one in the north is called Atral, and the one in the west is called Ayer.It is 400 kilometers from Gaokan through the desert to Atral and 900 kilometers to Ayir.But even on the latest map, an area as large as 360 square kilometers is still an unexplored place.In the first part of this book, no one has ever been to this place when the Senator Barsac's expedition was subjected to various tests.

About this unexplored place, there were all kinds of strange legends among the residents along the Niger River at that time.According to the local natives, sometimes a group of big black birds with flaming eyes flew over their dry wasteland; sometimes a group of devils riding fire horses appeared from that mysterious place; Village to village, destroying everything in its path, capturing men, women, and children, putting them on saddles, and disappearing again into the desolate desert.Those who were taken away never came back. Who are these terrible people who come without a trace, go without a trace, burn, kill, loot, wantonly destroy and cause death?No one dared to inquire.How dare you follow these demons who are endowed with supernatural powers by the locals and called angry gods?

However, if there is a person who is not afraid of death and dares to enter the depths of the desert, walk 260 kilometers, and reach a place where east longitude is 40 degrees east longitude and north latitude is 15 degrees 50 degrees north latitude. A city that has never been seen by scientists, scientific expedition workers, or travelers! Yes, this is a city worthy of the name, although the total number of residents here, excluding children, is only 7,808. Had our hypothetical warrior asked one of its inhabitants the name of the city, the latter might have answered Blekrant in English!But it is also possible to answer in Italian, Portuguese, Spanish or Bamba.However, no matter which language is used, the meaning of this name is: black country!

[Note] Blackland English: Blackland, meaning black country. In this mysterious country whose inhabitants spoke many languages, when the Barsac expedition was killed at Kupo, besides 6,778 black men and women, there were 1,030 whites from all over the world. .Most of these people are desperadoes who have escaped from prison and are ready to take risks.Because the rulers here are mainly British, English is more commonly spoken than several other languages.The king's orders and the official newspaper, Blackrant's Thunder, are published in English. Let's take a look at some excerpts from this newspaper, which are very interesting:

Yesterday, Jon.Tiew hangs Kolomogo the Negro for forgetting to pass him his pipe after breakfast. At six o'clock tomorrow night, ten happy lads will fly ten flying machines, led by Hera.Commanded by Colonel Bilt, flew to Kurusu and Peach.These two villages, which we have not visited for three years, will be razed to the ground.They will return the same night. As previously reported, a French expedition led by a congressman named Barsac was about to set off from Conakry.According to reports, the expedition went through Sikasso and Ouagadougou to the banks of the Niger.We have taken precautions.Twenty Black Watchmen and two merry lads had been ordered to go.The well-known colonial army deserter Edward.Captain Rufus will play the role of a French lieutenant under the pseudonym Lacourt.He is very familiar with the situation of this army, and will use one way or another to stop Balsac.There is no doubt that the expedition team will not be able to reach the Niger River.

Yesterday, after a quarrel on the Garden Bridge, Airi.Counselor Uris felt compelled to give happy lad Constantine.Brandt did so with a lead shot in his head.The latter fell off the bridge and fell into the Red River.He sank quickly due to the heavy weight of his freshly leaded head.In order to fill his absence, an enlistment tryout was held immediately.The person who won and was admitted was named Gilman.Herry.His qualifications are that he was sentenced to 17 sentences by the courts of England, France and Germany, with a total sentence of 64 years, of which 29 years were spent in prison and 35 years were served in hard labor.So, Gilman.Hurley was promoted from a member of the Civil Affairs Corps to a happy lad.Let us send him our best wishes.

Our readers have no doubt discovered that neither RonTyu is also good, Hera.Beart is also good, Edward.Or Rufus, Airi.Or Uris, Constantine.Whether Brandt or Gilman.Whether Hurley is a composite of two names.It turned out that all the people were given new names as soon as they came to Blackrant.As for his surname, no one but the king knew the details. Except for the privileged class in the city (about which people will be explained below), the only white person with a surname is the king himself.However, this surname is a sinister nickname.His name is Gary.Kyriel 【Note】.It was meant to make Gary the Death or Gary the Executioner.

[Note] Kiriel English: killer.It means murderer, murderer. About ten years before the death of the Balsac expedition, GaryKiliel and a few accomplices suddenly appeared in this desolate desert without knowing where they came from.After setting up his tent, he pointed to the land and said: A city will appear here.Thus, Blackrant miraculously appeared in the desert. This is a strange city.It is located on the plain on the right bank of the Dafa Shajda River.That river, according to Gary.It was completely dry before Kiriel's will filled it with running water.The city is built into a neat semicircle.It is 1,200 meters long from northwest to southeast (parallel to the river bank), 600 meters wide from northeast to southwest, and covers an area of ​​56 hectares.The whole city is divided into three blocks of different sizes, all surrounded by city walls ten meters high and ten meters thick.

Gary.Kiriel named the river the Red River.The first block abuts the river bank and is two hundred and fifty meters wide.There is a nearly 100-meter-wide boulevard along the river, which makes this area appear particularly wide.Here lived the aristocratic class of the city of Blackrant, which was humorously called the Jolly Boys. When the city was just built, Gary.Kiriel's associates, with the exception of a few who were given higher positions, formed the merry cadre of lads.Later, a group of Gary gradually gathered around the core members.A bandit recruited by Kiriel.The wish made to this group of robbers is to satisfy their various criminal desires without restriction, so that their instincts can be unfettered.So the number of the happy boys quickly reached five hundred and fifty-six.However, the authorities stipulated that this number could no longer be exceeded.

The duties of the happy lads are many and varied.According to the formation of the army, they acted as the regular army of Blekrant. They were commanded by a colonel, five captains, ten lieutenants and five sergeants. residents were killed.The merry lad also served as a policeman, managing slaves.The palace guard, who blindly carried out all the king's orders, was also selected from among the merry boys. The third block, the furthest from the city center, is semicircular, close to the outskirts, between the outer city wall and the second block where the slaves were imprisoned. This third neighborhood is inhabited by white people who have not yet entered the aristocracy.They form the so-called Civil Affairs Corps.As the murderous nature of the merry lads often led to mutual killing, there were frequent vacancies in positions, and the members of the Civic Corps happened to be their reserves.And because only happy young men can get official support, most of the members of the Civil Affairs Legion are engaged in business in order to maintain their livelihoods, and their residence has become the business district of Blackland.Happy lads can buy any kind of merchandise here.Merchants wholesaled goods from the king, sourced by robbery, or in the case of European products by various means known only to those closest to the king.

At this time when Blekrant enters this story.The third block has a total of 286 residents, of whom 45 are women. Between the first block and the third block is the second block where the slaves lived.At that time, there were 6,778 slaves.Among them, there were 4,196 male slaves and 2,582 female slaves. Every morning the gates of the walls of this hell are opened.Groups of negroes, supervised by merry lads armed with clubs and pistols, came out of doorways to work the fields.In the evening, they returned to this hell under their supervision, and the four gates were closed until the next morning. These poor slaves often died in large numbers because they could not stand the fatigue and beatings of the overseers.The authorities immediately used foreign raids to capture new slaves to fill the vacancy. However, these neighborhoods on the right bank of the river are not the whole of Blekrant.On the steep bank to the left of the Red River, a 1,200-meter-long city wall winds its way along the river.This part of the city is rectangular and about three hundred meters wide.A high wall perpendicular to the river divides it in half.On the northwestern slope of the hill, there is a park called the Fortress Garden. A garden bridge across the Red River connects this park with the happy lads and the residential area of ​​the Civic Corps. The part on the top of the hill is the life of the city. center. At the northern corner, adjacent to the fortress garden, stands a large square building surrounded by a trapezoidal wall. Its northeast front faces the Red River, and the wall is measured from the river. It is thirty meters high.The building was called the Palace, and it looked to Gary.Kiriel himself and ten of his old associates appointed as advisors.These are strange advisers whose first task is to check whether the orders and arbitrary judgments of the inaccessible and almost invisible despot are being carried out. There is another palace bridge on the river, which is blocked by iron bars at night, and it is dedicated to Gary.Kiriel went to the right bank of the river. Adjacent to the palace were two barracks: one housed twelve slave servants and fifty murderous Negroes known as the Black Guards; the other housed forty whites.These white men were appointed to pilot forty flying machines called Meteors in Blacklandt. These flying machines are really a genius invention. They can fly five thousand kilometers continuously at a speed of four hundred kilometers per hour.The reason why Blackrant's air bandits can harass everywhere is because of this high-speed aircraft.They can run away immediately after committing a crime.In a sense, Gary.On this was the foundation of Kiriel's autocratic rule. Indeed, Gary.Kirel reigns with terror over this unknown kingdom whose capital is Blackrant.His whole power, too, was established and maintained by means of terror.The tyrant also foresaw the possibility of rebellion by his white and black subjects, the palace towered over the city, and all the quarters, barracks, and parks were under threat of cannon fire.Any turmoil may lead to massacres, and the rebels cannot escape his clutches.The vastness of the desert was an insurmountable obstacle.As the reader will soon see, there is no hope of escape from this tiger's den. The city of Blekrant is clean and well-equipped.In the Happy Boys or Civil Affairs Corps villages, every house has a telephone.Every house, even the mud huts where the slaves lived, had running water and electric lights. Even more amazing is the change on the outskirts of this city that popped up in the desert a decade ago.Now, the vast desert has receded to a few kilometers away from the city wall.Around Blacklant, the desert has been replaced by farmland, where the African and European crops grow better every year. These are Gary.The creation of Kiriel through criminal acts.But how did this creation come about?How could he turn that arid barren land into fertile soil?Water is indispensable for the survival of humans and animals, and for the harvest of the land.And this area used to go years without a drop of rain, Gary.Where did Kiriel get the water from?Could it be that he has boundless magic power? no garyKiriel has no supernatural powers.He could not perform these miracles if he relied on his own strength alone.Gary.Kiriel is not alone. The palace, barracks and aircraft warehouse just mentioned are only a small part of the buildings on the left bank of Blekrant.In that wide open space, there are many houses, forming a small city belonging to Blackland.Its houses, courtyards and gardens cover an entire nine hectares, and this is the factory opposite the palace. The factory is autonomous and not under the jurisdiction of the municipality.The king feeds it, respects it, and even fears it a little, though he doesn't even admit it. The planning of urban construction is Gehry.Prepared by Kiliel.But the construction of this city depends entirely on factories.It was the factory that provided him with all the latest equipment and weapons, and many of Blackrant's extraordinary inventions were years ahead of European advanced technology. A factory has its mind and its torso.The head was its manager, the torso were more than a hundred workers of various nationalities, most of them British and French.The workers were paid the equivalent of a minister's salary, but they had to strictly abide by Blekrant's strict rules and regulations. There are workers of all kinds here, but most are assemblers.Some of them are married.At the time our story relates, there were twenty-seven women and some children in the factory. These were honest people, in a curious contrast to the rest of the city.They lived inside the factory and were strictly forbidden to go out.Jolly lads and black guards watched them vigilantly day and night.Once these workers arrived at the factory, they were cut off from the outside world.Not only are they not allowed to leave the factory, they are even forbidden to communicate with the outside world.This is a condition that was negotiated when the contract was signed. Many people shrink back in the face of these harsh conditions.But there are also many people who are gradually tempted by its huge rewards.If you are poor and dying for a piece of bread, what are you afraid of losing?There is no way, they say to themselves, let's take a chance. After the contract was signed, the employee himself came to an island in the Basakushsky Islands off the coast of Portuguese Guinea, and parked the aircraft in a deserted corner of the island.The employee was blindfolded, and an aircraft transported him to Blackland, two thousand miles away, in less than six hours.The aircraft landed on the square between the palace and the factory, and the new workers removed their eyes and entered the factory.Since then, I can no longer come out.Unless he is determined to rescind the contract and return to his home country. Their status in the factory was that of slaves, but they had the right to leave Blackland forever at any time.Then, from this square, the aircraft sent those who asked to leave back to the Basakushsky Islands, and from there they took a boat back to Europe.At least, that's what Blekrant's authorities wished for those who were leaving.However, those who remained in the factory never knew that those who left Blackrant did not return home as they wished, and their bones were thrown in the desert.The wages they took away went back to the boss's pocket.In this way, Blackrant's wealth will not decrease, and no one knows about its existence, Gary.Kiriel's independent kingdom will always be a secret. However, such exodus is rare.Because these workers are completely ignorant of Blackrant's inside story.The reason why they want to leave is that most of them feel that this isolated and long-term tiring life is too dull. The person in charge of the factory is the manager Marcel.Camaret, a Frenchman. Marcel.Camare is the only person who has free access to the factory, he can go to the city or the suburbs.However, this does not mean that he knows the inside story of the city better than his subordinates, and he doesn't even know the name of the city. Once, a worker asked him about this matter, Kamare thought about it seriously, and replied unexpectedly: really i don't know Indeed, it never occurred to him to care about such little things. Marcel.Camare is such a character. From appearance, he was about forty years old.He was of medium height, with narrow shoulders, a flat chest, and a few thin strands of light-blond hair.All this gave him the appearance of a frail scholar.This person who is quiet by nature also has a soft and slender voice when he speaks, just like a timid boy.He never spoke in an angry tone, his overly heavy head was always tilted to the left shoulder, and only his fantastical blue eyes were very attractive in his gray face. Careful people may find that in these wonderful eyes, sometimes there is a dim light of worry and uneasiness, and at this time his expression also becomes vacillating.According to this astonishing look, it is also possible to conclude that Marcel.Camare has a neurotic conclusion.Moreover, this conclusion may not be far from the actual situation.Genius and madness are sometimes indistinguishable. Don't look at Marcel.Camare is physically weak, but he has boundless energy.He was indifferent to danger, and never felt any hardship.He has no concept of time and lives in a mysterious fantasy world.Marcel.Carray is just a strange, scary, defenseless thinking machine. This person who is very strange to real life has fallen into the Red River several times.At that time he thought he was walking on a bridge!His servant Chago couldn't get him to eat on time.He eats when he is hungry, and sleeps when he is sleepy; no matter day or night, he sleeps soundly. Ten years ago, he met Gary.Kyriel.At that time he was researching and inventing a machine that could make rain, Gary.Kiriel took this fascination seriously, and based on it he drew up a plan, which soon came to fruition. Gary.Kiliel is a bandit, and a very good bandit at that.He knew that there was much to be gained from this unrecognized genius.A chance made Kamare the bandit's subordinate. The bandit seduced him and promised him that he could realize his dream for many years, so he brought the scientist to the desert and said to him: Let it rain in this place!So the heavy rain fell obediently. Since then, Camare has always been in a frantic state of mind.One by one his unfulfilled fantasies were being realized.After the rain machine was made, he invented hundreds of other machines.Gary.Kiriel profited immensely from these machines; yet the inventor never cared how they were used. Gary.Kiriel wanted rain, and Kamare made it; Gary.Kiriel wanted an aircraft, and Kamare designed and manufactured an aircraft that could fly 5,000 kilometers continuously at a meteor-like speed. Camare saw only problems in scientific research and was busy with his invention projects.At first, he asked Gary.Kiliel made the simplest request: build a factory.So hundreds of black people quickly built it.He also proposed the need for tools, generators and steam engines, so these things miraculously appeared in the desert.Finally, he offered to ask for workers.As a result, a sufficient number of workers also came one after another.But how did these miracles happen?Where does the money come from?Camare never cared about that.It doesn't get any easier than this. As the second story in this book begins, life in Blekrant is going on as usual.The factories were working, and a section of merry lads supervised the negroes working in the fields.Members of the Civic Corps occasionally run a little business. Eleven o'clock this morning, Gary.Kiriel sat in his palace, thinking about something.Judging by the look on his face, he hasn't figured it out yet. Then the phone rang. it's me.Gary.Kiriel picked up the phone and spoke. Ten aircraft were spotted sixteen degrees south of west. I'll come up!Gary.Kirier said. A few minutes later, he appeared on a thirteen-meter-high tower atop the palace.On the platform of the tower he found the jolly young man who had called him just now. over there!He pointed to the sky. Gary.Kiriel looked through the binoculars and said: This is them!Roger Dick, you inform the advisory group.I went down. While the jovial lad was on the phone with his advisors, Gary.Kiriel was already in the square between the palace and the factory.Then, ten advisors also gathered around him, and everyone looked at the sky expectantly. The aircraft in the field of vision became bigger and bigger, and after a while, it landed on the square where they were standing. Gary.Kiriel's eyes lit up with satisfaction.There is only one pilot on each of the four aircraft, but each of the other six has two passengers: a black guard and a prisoner who is firmly tied up. Six prisoners were untied.When their dazzling eyes adjusted to the light here, they all looked around in amazement.It turned out that they were in a large square, surrounded by impassable high walls.A few steps away, is the aircraft that transported them from the sky.Ahead lay a great towered palace, and thirty Black Guards standing in a heap.A little closer, stood ten disturbing-looking people. Behind these people, a hundred meters away, was a high wall without windows and doors; on the high wall, you could see the factory. chimneys and metal towers of unknown purpose.Where are they?What is this castle that is not shown on any African map? As they posed these questions to themselves, GaryKiriel made a gesture, and a huge hand fell on each of them, and they were obliged to walk towards the palace.The door opened before them, and closed again as soon as they stepped through.Jana.Buxton, Sun Bolin, Balsac, Ameijie.Floras, Possein, and Dr. Shadorei fell into the magic valley of Blackrant, into the unknown capital of this unknown kingdom.