Chapter 5 three

Here we meet some more people, many of whom Still alive, interested in the fate of the falling meteor * The first Lord of Stormcastle built Stormcastle on the peak of Mount Huang, ruling from the end of the first era to the beginning of the second era.Stormkeep expanded, rebuilt, mined, and tunneled with successive lords, until the original mountaintop plunged obliquely into the sky, like the ornately carved tusks of some gray granite monster.The location of Stormcastle towers into the sky, and the thunderclouds will gather here first, and then descend to the lower sky, pouring heavy rain and lightning, destroying and ravaging the area below.

The eighty-first Lord of Stormwind was lying dying in the room. This room was built on the top of the mountain like a decayed cavity.Outside of the world we are familiar with, death still exists in this country. He called the children to their beds, living and dead, shivering in the cold granite mansion.They gathered beside their father's bed and waited respectfully. The living stood on the right and the dead stood on the left. Four of his sons died: Jondous, Titus, Wouters, Lutes.They stood motionless, gray figures unreal and silent. ① Annotation: The original text of the names of the seven sons is: Primus (Bermus), Secundus (Zhongdunsi), Tertius (Suttis), Quartus (Jites), Quintus (Wouters), Sextus (Lute Si), Septinus (young Mus).The Chinese translation name is free translated into a shorter name according to the ranking, for the convenience of readers.

Three of his sons are still alive: Bermus, Shutis, and Youngmus.They were close together on the right side of the room, uncomfortable, shifting their weight from one foot to the other, scratching their noses and scratching their cheeks, as if humiliated by the silent stillness of their dead brothers.They never glanced across the room at their dead brother, trying to look like their father, the only ones in the cold room.A cold wind blew in through the large windows cut in the granite.Whether it was because they couldn't see their dead brothers, or because they murdered the brothers (one of each, only Young Moose killed two. Young Moose poisoned Wouters with a plate of spicy eels; more Efficiency and use of gravity, forsaking cunning and scheming, the two chose to ignore each other one night when they admired a thunder and lightning storm in the far lower world, directly pushing Lutus off a cliff.Their father didn't know whether they were afraid of the condemnation of conscience, or fear of being exposed, or fear of ghosts.

Privately, the eighty-first lord hoped that by the time he reached the end of his life, six of the seven young lords would have died, leaving only one alive.This one is the eighty-second Lord of Stormwind, ruler of the High Bluffs.At the end of the day, this is how he got his title hundreds of years ago. But today's young people are like a lump of batter, without any drive, nor the vigor and energy they remember when they were young Someone is saying something.He forced himself to listen attentively. Father, repeated Bermus in a low voice, we are all here.What do you want to do with it?

The old man on the bed stared at him.With blood-curdling gasps, he struggled to draw a wisp of thin, icy air into his lungs, and said in a granite-sharp, icy voice: I'm dying.My time is almost up.You are going to take my body deep into the ancestral temple in the mountain, and then put this remains, which is me, into the eighty-first recess you see.That is, you are to leave me in the first unoccupied recess.If you do not put me there, every one of you will be cursed, and the towers of Stormwind will fall and fall. His three living sons said nothing, but a whisper came from among the four dead sons: lamentation, perhaps, for their bodies were either gobbled up by goshawks or swallowed up by the rushing river. Take it away, roll all the way down the waterfall and rush into the sea, and never rest in peace in the Jongmyo.

Now.Speaking of inheritance.The lord gasped faintly, like wind from a pair of rotting bellows.The living sons looked up: Bermus, the eldest, with a white beard in his bushy brown beard, his nose hooked, gray eyes full of hope; A bearded, tawny-eyed, wary-looking boy; young Moose, just growing a black beard, was tall, like a crow.His face was expressionless, as he always seemed indifferent. Bermus, go to the window. Bomus strode to the large window cut into the rock wall and looked out.what did you see? Saw nothing, Your Majesty.I saw the night sky above us and the clouds below us. The old man shuddered under the alpine bear skin that covered him.

Shutis.Go to the window.what did you see? Nothing, Father.Just like Bermus said.The night sky hangs high above us, a bruised blue.Gray clouds billowed beneath us. The old man's eyes were crinkled together in pain on his face, like a captured bird.Young Muses.you.window. Young Moose walked slowly to the window and stood beside the two brothers, but did not get too close to them. And you?what did you see? He looked out the wide open window.The biting wind blew against his face, making his eyes sting and water.In the indigo sky, a star shone faintly. I see a star, Father. Ah, the eighty-first Lord gasped, and led me to the window.His three living sons led him to the window, and his four dead sons looked at him sadly.The old man stood, or nearly stood, leaning heavily on the broad shoulders of his sons, gazing at the leaden sky.

His fingers, with swollen knuckles like dead branches, groped for the topaz on the heavy silver chain that hung around his neck.The chain was pulled down by the old man's strength and broke like a spider's web.He picked up the topaz and clenched it in his fist, the broken silver chain dangling. The dead lords of Stormwind whispered to each other in the tongue of the dead that sounded like snowflakes falling: That topaz is the power of Stormwind.As long as he has the blood of Stormwind, whoever wears the topaz is the ruler of Stormwind.Which surviving son will the 81st Lord give Jade to?

The living sons didn't say anything, just watched, and the three showed a look of anticipation, caution, and expressionlessness (but it was a false indifference, like a well-disguised cliff that makes people climb Halfway through, I realized that I couldn't climb up, but I couldn't find a way to go down, so I was indifferent). The old man pushed aside the support of his sons and stood tall and straight.With every beat of the heart he was Lord Stormhold, who defeated the Northern Spirits at the Battle of Precipice; fathered eight children (seven of them boys) by his three wives; Killed four of his own brothers in combat, though the eldest was almost five times his age and had a reputation as a strong fighter.It was this man who lifted the topaz and uttered four words in a long-lost language, each word lingering in the air for a long time like striking a huge gong.

Then he threw the jade into the air.Yushi arced across the clouds, and the three living brothers held their breath.They were pretty sure the jade had reached the top of the parabola, but it defied all laws and continued to fly upward into the sky. At this moment, other stars twinkled in the night sky. That piece of jade is the source of the power of Stormwind Castle. Whoever retrieves the jade stone will get the blessing I left behind, as well as the right to rule Stormwind Castle and the territory.said the eighty-first lord, the voice lost strength as it spoke, and ended up in the creak of an old gentleman, like a gust of wind blowing through an old abandoned house.

The brothers stared at that piece of jade no matter they lived or died.Jade flew into the sky and finally disappeared. Shall we catch the eagle and harness it to take us to the sky?Shutis asked in embarrassment and anxiety.His father said nothing.The last ray of daylight faded, and the stars hung high above them, their brilliance beyond counting. A star died. Though not sure, Shutis thought, that was the first star of the evening, the one that his younger brother Moos had spoken of. The stars fell fast, streaking across the night sky and falling somewhere to the southwest of them. alright.The eighty-first lord whispered, and then collapsed on the stone floor of the room, not breathing again. Bomus scratched at his beard and looked down at the wrinkled thing.Part of me, he said, wanted to push the old wretch's body out the window.What's the point of saying those stupid things? Better not, said Shuthys, we don't want to see Stormwind keep crumbling.We also don't want the curse to befall us.It would be better to put him in the Jongmyo. Bomus grabbed his father's body and placed it back on the fur-covered bed.We had to tell the people he was dead.He said. The four dead brothers gathered around the young Moose by the window. What do you think he is thinking?Wouters asked Lutes. He wondered where the jade might have fallen, and how to get there first.Lutes said, remembering that he fell on the rock and entered eternity. I wish it were so.said the late eighty-first Lord of Stormwind to the four dead sons.But the three surviving sons heard nothing. ★ How big is it like Fairyland?It is difficult to get a simple answer to the question. After all, Fairyland is not a country, nor is it a principality or self-governing territory.The map of Fairyland is not reliable, and probably not trustworthy either. We speak of the Kings and Queens of Fairyland as we speak of the Kings and Queens of England.But Fairyland is bigger than England, and bigger than this world (because, since the dawn of time, every piece of land that was forcibly removed from the map by explorers and In Fairyland. So at this point, as we write this story, Fairyland is really vast, including a variety of terrains and landscapes).Here, let's be honest, there really are dragons.There are also winged griffins, dragons, half eagles, half horses, basilisks and hydras.Of course, there are also various common animals, such as willful and indifferent cats, noble and timid dogs, wolves and foxes, eagles and bears, etc. In the thick, deep forest-like woods, there was a small house, built of thatch and plastered wooden walls, with an air of doom.There is a birdcage outside the house, and in the cage is a little yellow bird perched on a perch.The little yellow bird did not sing, but perched sadly and silently, with disheveled feathers and a dull color.The cabin had a door with the old white paint peeling off. There are no compartments inside the hut, and there is only one room in total.Bacon and sausages hung from the rafters, along with a shriveled stuffed crocodile.Smoking peat was burning in a fire against the wall, and the smoke rose slowly from the high chimneys.Three blankets lay on three raised beds: one was big and worn, and the other two were no better than trundle beds. There are cooking utensils in the room, and a large wooden cage in another corner, which is currently empty.The windows of the hut were so dirty you couldn't see out, and everything was thickly covered with grease. The only clean thing in the room was a mirror of black glass leaning against one wall, as tall as a tall man and as wide as a church door. Three elderly women lived in the house.They take turns sleeping in big beds, cooking dinner, setting traps in the forest to catch small animals, and fetching water from the deep well behind the house. The three women rarely spoke. There were three other women in the cabin.They were slender, dark, with happy expressions.The house they lived in was many times larger than this little hut, with a patterned marble floor and columns made of obsidian.At the back of the house there is a courtyard that reaches to the sky, and the night sky is full of stars.There is a fountain in the courtyard, and in the fountain there is a statue of a mermaid who looks like an ecstasy. The clear black spring water gushes out from her wide open mouth again and again, and flows into the pool below. These three women and their house are all in this black mirror. The three elderly women were Lilim, the magic queen, who lived alone in the woods. ②Annotation: In Hebrew mythology, the first woman God created for Adam was Lilith, but she had a dispute with Adam and left angrily.When the angel found her by the Red Sea, she had already fathered many imps with the devil, collectively called Lilim.Because Lilith refused to return, God created Eve from Adam's rib. The three women in the mirror are also Lilim, but are they the heirs or shadows of the three old women?Is it true that only the cabin is real?Or are these Lilims living somewhere in black mansions with mermaid-shaped fountains in courtyards under starry skies?No one can say for sure, only Lilim can explain. One day a wizened, ugly old woman came back from the woods with a ferret with a red spot on its throat. The old woman put the ferret on the dirty cutting board and fetched a sharp knife.She cut along the limbs and throat of the ferret, peeling off the whole weasel skin with dirty hands, like helping a child take off its pajamas.Then she dropped the naked thing on the wooden cutting board. Want offal?she asked in a trembling voice. The youngest, oldest, and messiest-haired old woman among the three sat rocking back and forth in the rocking chair and said, "Let's do it together." The old woman took the ferret's head and cut its belly from the shoulders down, and the entrails rolled out onto the chopping block.Red, purple, and plum-coloured intestines and major organs, like wet gems, on the dirty planks. The old woman screamed: Come on!Come on!Then gently pushed the weasel entrails into a pile with the knife and yelled again. The ugly old woman in the rocker stands up (in the mirror, a black woman stretches on the couch and stands up).Another old woman panicked and ran back from the woods as fast as she could. what?She said, what's going on? (In the mirror, a third young woman joins the other two. Her breasts are small and high, and her eyes are dark.) You see.The first old woman gestured, pointing the knife in her hand. Their eyes were an aged, hazy gray, and the three of them squinted, looking at the guts on the plank. At least one of them spoke up, and it was about time.said another. So, who among us is going to find it?asked a third. The three women closed their eyes, and three aged hands slammed into the weasel guts on the plank. A hand is opened.I get a kidney. I get its liver. The third hand opened.This is the hand of the oldest Lilim.I get its heart.she said triumphantly. How are you going to travel? Pulled by our old wagon with something I found at the crossroads. You're going to need some of your youth. The oldest one nodded. The youngest, the one who came back from the outside, strenuously and slowly walked to a tall chest of drawers that might collapse at any moment, bent down, took out a rusty iron box from the bottom drawer, and handed it to her sister.Three ancient strings were tied to the tin box, each with a different knot.After they each untie the knots on their strings, the woman who brought the box opened the lid. At the bottom of the box, there was something shining with golden light. Not much left.The youngest Lilim sighed.She was old when the woods where they lived were submerged under sea level. So, isn't it a good thing we found a new one?said the oldest Lilim meanly, thrusting her claw-like hands into the box.Something golden tried to avoid her hand, but she grabbed the writhing and gleaming thing, opened her mouth, and snapped it into hers. (In the mirror, the two women stare out.) There was a shudder in the center of everything. (Now, two women stare out of a black mirror.) In the hut, two old women stared at a beautiful woman with black hair, black eyes, and bright red lips. The expressions on their faces were mixed with envy and hope. God, she said, this place is filthy.She strode over to the bed.Beside the bed was a large wooden chest of drawers covered with faded brocade.She tore off the tapestry, opened the cabinet, and rummaged inside. Yes.She picked up a dark red dress and said.She threw the clothes on the bed and busied herself with the shabby clothes she had worn as an old woman. Her two younger sisters gaze longingly at her naked body. When I come back with her heart, there will be many, many years of youth for us.She spoke, examining the hairy chins and sunken eyes of the younger sisters with disgust.She quietly put the crimson bracelet on her wrist. The bracelet was shaped like a little snake biting its own tail. a star.said one of her sisters. a star.Another sister repeated. Exactly.said the Enchanted Queen, putting a silver ring on her head.The first one in two hundred years.And I'll bring it back.She licked her scarlet lips with her crimson tongue. A falling meteor.she says. ★ The swamp by the pool was dark, and the night sky was full of stars twinkling. Fireflies flickered and flickered among the foliage of elms, ferns, and hazel bushes, like strange, distant city lights.An otter plopped into the creek that flowed to the pond.The whole family of ferrets staggered and made a detour to the water's edge to drink.A field mouse found a fallen hazelnut and began to bite the hard shell of the nut with its sharp and growing front teeth.Not because it is hungry, but because it is an enchanted prince who cannot return to his original appearance unless he eats the wisdom nut.But it was careless with restlessness, and when shadows blotted out the moonlight, it was too late to alert it of the sudden onslaught of the great gray owl.The owl grabbed the field mouse with its sharp talons and flew into the night sky again. The field-mouse dropped the hazelnuts, which fell into the brook, drifted away, and were swallowed by a salmon.The owl gobbled it up voraciously, and in two or three mouthfuls it devoured the field mouse, leaving only its tail dangling from its mouth like a little shoelace.Something sniffling and snorting like a pig, squeezed through the bushes, it was the badger, the owl thought (cursed herself, only to be restored by eating the rats that ate the wisdom nuts ), and possibly a bear. The leaves and valleys trembled, the water gurgled, and the swamp was illuminated by a brighter and brighter pure white light in the sky.The owl saw the reflection of that light in the pond, a dazzling object of pure radiance, so bright that she had to flap her wings and fly to the other side of the forest.The wild animals stood on guard in terror. At first the light in the sky was about the size of the moon, and then it grew so large that the whole grove shook.All creatures are waiting with bated breath, the fireflies try their best to emit the brightest light in their lives, each one is convinced that this is love in the end, but it is of no use then There was a crack, sharp as a cannon, and the light that illuminated the swamp was gone. Or rather, almost disappeared.In the center of the hazel bushes, a dim ray of light danced rhythmically, like the faint glow of tiny clusters of stars. A high-pitched and clear female voice said: Oh.Then quickly whispered: Damn it.Then I said it again: Oh. Then nothing was said, and the swamp was silent.