Shadow trail of the beautiful world

Chapter 17 16. The Leaving Alliance

"This freighter belongs to Stark Industries. They are rich and powerful. Although this ship is old, there are special refrigerators in the crew room and captain's room, and there are many good things in it."

Merlin walked in the dark and whispered to Bruce beside him:

"I know a few guys who like to play cards and have fun. They always play late in the restaurant. Their cabins are empty now. I'm here to watch, you go in and get your things. Don't grab snacks, grab some food and drinks Yes, do you understand?"

"Ah."

Merlin's new friend, Bruce, doesn't like to talk very much, he is a very silent young man.

Although there is an innate aura of wealth, but at this critical moment, he is not ambiguous.

Under Merlin's urging, Bruce, who was wearing a shirt, climbed up the railing of the crew cabin in twos and threes, carrying a small bag, and tiptoed towards the cabin that Merlin told him.

Merlin also jumped onto the railing, stood on the edge, and looked around vigilantly.On the deck not far away, lights shone from time to time, and sailors who were watching the night were walking around.

In the past, he always fetched things in the galley. The reason why he rarely came to the crew room was that there were so many people here that he would be spotted if he was not careful.Now with Bruce as a helper, under the division of labor and cooperation between the two, Merlin can finally improve the food.

It was the first time for Bruce, who came from a wealthy family, to do this kind of thing. He had no choice but to take away food from Merlin before, but now, he took the initiative to collect food. This behavior of stealing made Bruce feel very troubled.

Because of some things in the past, he hates any criminals and crimes, but now he has to do such things in order to survive.

In this inner entanglement, Bruce slipped into the empty cabin smoothly.

The cabin was very messy. After all, the sailors who lived at sea all the year round didn’t have good hygienic habits. Bruce resisted the pungent smell. He reached out and opened the small refrigerator on the edge. In that moment, Bruce saw something in it.

A few apples, some smoked sausage, a bag of chocolates, some packets of fast food, and a huge amount of soft drinks.

These foods that he would not even glance at on weekdays, driven by the hunger in Bruce's stomach, made the nobleman even salivate.

Since he slipped aboard the boat two days ago, he has barely eaten anything other than a few pieces of Merlin's chicken.

Prompted by that eating instinct, Bruce picked up an apple and took a bite. The sweetness made him unable to resist taking a second bite.

In just a few moments, a frozen apple is eaten clean.

Fortunately, Bruce still remembered Merlin's instructions. He bit the apple core, moved his hands, and swept the contents of the refrigerator into his pockets. His hand clasped Bruce's wrist, which startled Bruce.

He turned around and punched.

"Don't take too much, rookie!"

Merlin, who jumped out of the shadows, dodged the fist. He glared at Bruce, and then looked at the refrigerator he had made a mess of. He said to the young man with some headaches:

"The crew are not fools. If you mess around like this, they will be prepared next time. You can't just look at the present, you have to think about the future."

While talking, Merlin took Bruce's pockets, put some of them back into the refrigerator, and rearranged them.He held a bar of chocolate, waved it in front of Bruce's eyes, and then threw it in his pocket, saying:

"Something like this high in calories is important and portable, so get plenty of it."

Merlin put the apples back into the refrigerator and said:

"Fruits are not easy to store, just take one at a time."

He glanced back at the apple core in Bruce's hand.

Merlin shook his head, took another apple, threw it into his pocket, and closed the refrigerator door.

"Let's go, next one!"

Under the guidance of a skilled master like Merlin, in just 20 minutes, Bruce's pockets were filled with all kinds of things, not only food, but also towels, unopened toothbrushes and combs, which can be used as lunch boxes Such a daily necessities as a large mug.

Unlike the "trip" that Merlin had prepared for, Bruce, who rushed to the boat and ran away from home as soon as his brain got hot, was almost unprepared except for the expensive clothes on his body.

Merlin had to teach him how to live in such a strange environment.

The last stop of the two of them "searching" was the captain's cabin.

The captain is the person with the highest status on a ship, just like the king in a small kingdom, and the captain's room should also have the greatest harvest.

But the captains are usually experienced people, so Merlin would never sneak into the captain's room unless necessary, and a little carelessness would directly lead to a big search for "stowaways".

It can be said that the gain outweighs the loss.

"The captain should be eating supper, we still have 5-10 minutes."

Merlin looked at the watch on his wrist, and he said to Bruce who was looking around:

"I'll go this time, you hide by the side, and when you see someone coming, just knock three times, understand?"

"Ah."

Bruce nodded silently, and Merlin handed the bag to Bruce, then reached out and twisted the lock of the captain's cabin a few times.

He took out a few thin iron picks, and was about to use some technical means to open the door, but when he turned his head, he saw Bruce staring at him with wide-eyed eyes.

This made Merlin a little uncomfortable. He was not used to doing these things under the gaze of others, so he said:

"Turn your head, please? Children, don't look at this!"

"Maybe we shouldn't be doing this..."

Bruce said a little shyly:

"There's enough for us to eat, we should go back."

"There is still the most important thing that has not been obtained."

Merlin moved his fingers slightly, and he said:

"It's fate that we met today. I have to arrange a "welcome party" for my little brother. How can I do without wine? You can be content, Bruce. When I left home, no one came for me Do this. Besides, our captain is not a thrifty man, and things he doesn't need will be thrown away or sold after landing...you know what I mean?"

"click"

With a soft bang, the hatch opened.

Merlin stepped into it, and then slowly closed the door.

Bruce hugged his pockets and endured the cold wind at night. His attention was concentrated in this night. Any wind and grass would arouse Bruce's high alertness.

He desperately hoped that this matter would end as soon as possible so that he wouldn't have to be so worried.

But the more people are afraid of something, the more things will come.

Five minutes later, Bruce heard the voices of several men, he raised his head hastily, and saw the potbellied captain and several crew members coming out of the dining room, walking towards the direction of the captain's cabin.

Bruce curled up his fingers hastily, knocked three times on the cabin, and then hid himself in the shadow of the corner, praying that no one would find him.

Bruce was overwhelmed by the fear of being caught doing something wrong, which made the young master a little at a loss. Seeing the captain getting closer and closer, Bruce's heart beat faster and faster, and even his breathing became short of breath.

Merlin remained silent.

Until the captain was less than 20 meters away from his room, at the moment when Bruce's inner tension reached its limit, a hand was suddenly placed on his shoulder, and Merlin's voice sounded behind him:

"Take it! Don't be afraid, don't make a sound! Don't move!"

After finishing speaking, a box was stuffed into Bruce's hands, and then, a slightly cold wind blew on him, and the picture in front of his eyes became blurred, as if he was pulled into a different layer. In the very clear curtain of darkness.

Bruce and Merlin were stuck together, standing on the edge of the captain's cabin.

It stands to reason that as long as the captain is not drinking, he can see the two of them at a glance.But to Bruce's surprise, the captain opened the door of the room directly as if he didn't see them at all, and walked in.

"boom"

The hatch closed, and the heart that Bruce had been raising was also relieved.

"Come on, let's go back."

Merlin walked in front, shaking the wine bottle in his hand towards Bruce, and under his leadership, the two returned to their "room" from another direction, avoiding everyone.

"click"

An emergency light tube was turned on and placed on the ground. The faint light illuminated the "small house" surrounded by boxes.

Merlin and Bruce sat cross-legged on the ground. In front of their eyes, a wooden box was moved to serve as a dining table. Fruits, meat, bread, steak, and smoked sausage were placed on the tablecloth. Under the light, these ordinary The food also seemed to become more attractive.

"boom"

Merlin twisted open the wine bottle again, took out two glasses, and poured two glasses of wine for them.He looked at the label on the bottle, and he said to Bruce:

"Look, our captain really enjoys 20-year-old whiskey, but unfortunately there is no ice."

Bruce didn't say anything, he picked up the wine glass, raised it to Merlin, and then poured the amber liquid into his mouth.After a while, Bruce frowned, put down his wine glass, picked up a piece of bread with smoked sausage in it, took a bite, and said to Merlin:

"There is no 20 years at all, this wine is at most 5 years, the captain was cheated."

"Yo, expert."

Merlin picked up the fruit and took a bite. He looked Bruce up and down, and he smiled and said:

"I knew it, you have an unusual status. Like me, I can't tell the difference between 20 years and 5 years."

"There's really no difference."

Bruce lowered his head, as if he didn't want Merlin to see his expression, he said:

"They all taste the same...Speaking of which, how did you do it just now?"

"what?"

Merlin, who was eating the fruit, deliberately pretended to be confused, trying to hide it like this, but Bruce raised his head, his blue eyes fixed on Merlin until the latter turned his head away.

"The captain should be able to see us, but he ignored it, or you used some method to prevent him from seeing us. Is it some kind of technology? Or...or magic?"

"Magic? Are you drinking too much, Bruce, there is no magic in this world."

Merlin laughed. He used his drinking posture to hide his expression. The young man in front of him was actually so sharp. In such a tense situation, he still had time to pay attention to it.

"Have!"

Bruce picked up another loaf of bread, and after his stomach was full, his mind began to work, and he said:

"In Gotham, although I haven't seen it, I have at least heard of it."

"You may not know, but my ancestors were the first group of Puritans to reach the American continent. In the letters they left behind, they recorded the magic of Indian wizards. And my housekeeper, Alfred, was also on the battlefield I have seen voodoo spells with my own eyes, and magic exists in this world. What's more, your name is Merlin... How can this name not remind me too much?"

"Well, it looks like you really know how to do it."

Merlin raised his head, he stretched out his hand, and took off the sunglasses he had been wearing all the time.Those abnormal eyes made Bruce straighten up subconsciously. He looked at Merlin with surprise in his eyes.

"So, you're really a wizard?"

"I'm not!"

Merlin says:

"I'm just a doom-ridden poor man, and you'd better not ask too many questions about it, Bruce, for your own good. But speaking of which, I'm more interested in the notes your ancestors left, they Did you say where to find those wizards who can use magic?"

A trace of longing flashed in Merlin's eyes. This was almost his first real contact with someone who knew supernatural power. He had been disappointed for too long, and he was eager to get something useful.

Facing Merlin's question, Bruce closed his eyes and recalled it. He stuffed the bread into his mouth. After more than ten seconds, he answered with some uncertainty:

"My ancestors' records of those strange things were interrupted during the Civil War. But I still remember that my great-grandfather once wrote a story. It was some stories that he experienced when he traveled in the West. It was At the end of the Western era, in the desert near Texas, he saw a flaming knight on a horse."

Bruce said to Merlin:

"My grandfather said that it was a disaster from God. He also bought a talisman from the local people, which is said to have strange powers. That is the most real supernatural event in my family's records in the past few hundred years. "

"Texas?"

Merlin nodded. He couldn't confirm the authenticity of what Bruce said, but it was a trip anyway. If there was a chance, he could go to the western land to take a look.

He looked at Bruce who was eating silently in front of him, and he felt that this young man who was younger than him seemed to be hiding a lot of secrets.

He asked:

"Tell me about you, Bruce. What makes a rich kid drop everything to be a bum with a guy like me?"

The question stopped Bruce from eating, and he shook his head:

"No, I don't want to say it now."

"Then forget it."

Merlin wasn't bothered either, he realized that it's really not good to ask strangers such personal questions so bluntly.

He picked up his glass, raised his hand to Bruce, and said:

"In short, you are welcome to join my 'Alliance from Home', Bruce, we have to help each other in the next period of time. Take a good rest when you are full, and I will take you around on the boat tomorrow."

"If you want to live here for a long time, you must at least know where the bathroom and toilet are, and how to play hide-and-seek with the crew... Well, I won't bother you."

"Take a good rest, Bruce, and take it easy. At least tomorrow is another day full of expectations."

(End of this chapter)