Shadow of the Beautiful World

On the side of the street near the outskirts of Kandahar, there is a small bar without a signboard that is open.

Merlin was sitting behind the bar. He was swinging a metal flagon in his hand. With the support of his dexterous fingers and keen senses, the silver flagon was waving in his hand as if it was alive.

The drunk guys in front of him were a little dazzled.

Snapped

With a soft sound, Merlin put the flagon in his hand on the clean counter. He twisted the flagon, poured the blue-green liquid into the goblet, put a slice of lemon on it, and pushed it to the goblet. In front of the guy who was wearing a half-worn waistcoat with an old assault rifle wrapped in cloth strips at his feet.

Your 'confusion'.

Merlin picked up the handkerchief at hand, wiped his fingers, and said to the half-drunk guy:

And, 20 dollars, thank you for your patronage.

Well, this is great.

At night, the militant who sneaked out to have fun picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and then let out a comfortable and carefree moan.

Under Merlin's gaze, he muttered something, rummaged through his pockets, and finally took out a stack of crumpled banknotes, and placed them in front of Merlin's eyes.

Well, that's all.

The guy said with wandering eyes:

The drink money this time is the same as the last time, and the last time.

Merlin stretched out two fingers in disgust, pinched the note, and threw it into the counter. He lay down on the table bored, and said to the alcoholic in front of him:

You sneaked out to drink again, won't your chief punish you?

Punishment? Ha, who will punish me?

The drunkard said with a tone of loss and despair:

My chief was killed by a sniper yesterday, exactly the same as the last one, and now I've been elected as the leader. Those damn Americans are like crazy. Seriously, I don't know Can I live through tomorrow?

Look out.

Merlin comforted the militant in front of him. He took a wine glass from behind, poured wine and ice cubes, and pushed it to the disappointed guy. He said:

This cup is my treat for you. I guess you will be able to live for a long time.

Thanks, Yuri.

The expression on the face of the half-drunk guy immediately became joyful. He picked up the wine glass, raised it towards Merlin, and then drank the wine in the glass.

His eyes were completely confused.

Under the influence of alcohol, his already not firm will became shaky again.

Oh, by the way, as for Yuri, that's Merlin's disguise name here.

Yuri, you are really a good friend.

The drunk militant stammered to Merlin:

If there were no wars, I would definitely invite you to my house. Invite you to meet my family, have a meal together, my Mia makes the best lamb in the world, and my two cutest children

Oh? This is the first time I've heard that you have family members.

Merlin seemed to be chatting, and said to the guy in front of him:

Then where are they now? Your wife, and your children.

died.

The drunk guy seemed to be talking about an ordinary thing, his tone did not fluctuate:

One month ago, I was killed by an American bomb. I am the only one left, Merlin, and there are no living people in my village.

Merlin was silent for a moment, he poured another glass of wine for the guy in front of him, and said:

Congratulations.

It's nothing, haha, Yuri, it's nothing.

The guy picked up his wine glass and said to Merlin:

I'm going to die too, maybe soon, and then we'll be reunited. Until then, I'll fight like a man, and burp those damn Americans, and that's a good beer!

You've had too much to drink.

Merlin straightened his body, and he said to the guy who was completely drunk:

You should go back and rest. Also, I asked you to inquire about something

I got it.

The drunk militant in front of Merlin said unsuspectingly:

The badge you showed me, I saw it once in the mountains south of Kandahar when I was delivering weapons with the convoy a few days ago. They have many people and many weapons, and they hide in the mountains and fight the Americans. They All heroes.

The mountains in the south?

Merlin nodded and said:

I see, thank you for sharing, well, you really should go back, if it's any later, your team members will rush into my poor little bar and drag you back.

I know I know.

Under Merlin's urging, the guy grabbed the assault rifle wrapped in cloth strips at his feet, and he walked crookedly towards the door of the small bar. I don't know if he remembered something sad, but he cried in a drawn out voice as he walked.

His spirit has long since collapsed under the blow of the death of his family members, and what is alive now is just an indifferent body.

Said it was for revenge, but Merlin guessed that the poor man who lost everything in the war was probably only living for the sake of living now.

This is normal. After all, most people are just ordinary people. They don't have the will or the power to turn themselves into avengers driven by hatred.

A few minutes later, a gunshot came from outside the door, and there were exclamations from pedestrians.

Merlin continued to wipe the wine glass in his hand, and the dark perception spread out. Outside the bar, on another street, his guest was lying there, bleeding all over the floor, and his head was shattered by a flying bullet.

he died.

As he said, he died exactly the same as his officer and the previous officer.

Maybe it was because the alcohol had numb his body so he couldn't fight back, maybe it was because he didn't even notice the sniper's presence.

In short, he died.

He may not be a good person, but now he can finally reunite with his family.

Merlin shook his head. He looked at the wine glass in his hand that had been wiped clean. After a while, he threw the wine glass into the trash can.

It seemed that the very clean wine glass was also stained with blood.

Merlin lay on the bar counter, waiting for the next guest to arrive.

He opened this small bar 3 months ago. It is a very small house facing the street, with a few tables and chairs inside and a few chairs beside the bar.

Behind Merlin is a wooden wine cabinet, which is full of local and foreign wines.

To be honest, opening a bar in a corrupt country is a very stupid and eye-catching thing. Merlin didn't plan to do this, but the changes are always faster than planned. The sudden change of the situation in this country within a few months made Fury and Merlin's original plan was completely ruined.

But he soon had a new plan.

The business of this small bar has been really good in the past month, which is expected by Merlin. After all, when both sides are in an intensified war, the soldiers need a place where they can relax.

A mixed environment can always attract all kinds of people. People from different places bring different news. It is very fragmented news, but piece by piece, you can finally get A complete jigsaw puzzle.

Merlin was not in a hurry, and in the current situation, it was useless to be anxious.

Ten minutes later, another wave of customers came to Merlin's small bar that didn't even have a name, but they didn't come to drink.

Help him, Yuri.

A middle-aged man covered in blood shouted in a begging tone. Behind him, several young people carried an injured old man with a door panel. His abdomen was bleeding continuously, and he looked as if he had been killed Like a bullet piercing through.

And the middle-aged man who was praying to Merlin was a supplier of Merlin's bar and a businessman in this neighborhood. His name was Aleph, and he could barely be regarded as a friend that Merlin met during the few months of his stay.

Help my father! Please.

Aleph kept praying, he knew that Merlin's small bar was still a clinic a few months ago. Merlin's initial disguise was that he was an undocumented doctor.

Don't worry, Alef, I'll save him.

Merlin threw down the rag in his hand, and he walked out from the bar, while unbuttoning his cuffs, he checked the condition of the dying old man.

After a while, he said to the bewildered young men:

Take him to the back room! He needs immediate surgery.

Quick, what are you still doing?

Alef yelled to his sons in Arabic. They woke up from a dream and immediately carried the injured old man into the back room of the bar.

A minute later, Merlin walked into the back room with a half-old medical kit. He turned the light to make the light source as bright as possible.

He put on medical gloves and said to the nervous businessman beside him:

You come to be my assistant, let your children out, they will only get in the way here. By the way, let them wipe the blood on the floor, hell, I still have business! The door is full of blood, Which guest dares to come in?

Alef shrieked and shooed his children out, closing the door behind Merlin.

Merlin cut open the clothes in the old man's belly with a paper knife, wiped the wound with a cotton ball, and after a few seconds, he said:

Hand me the tweezers. Luckily for your father, the bullet wasn't fatal, but his intestines were bruised and needed stitches after the bullet was removed which wasn't difficult.

Aleph hurriedly handed the medical forceps to Merlin, and the latter asked while searching for the bullet in the wound:

Your home should be very safe. It seems that the armed conflict has not spread there. How could your father be injured?

He was accidentally injured.

The Arabian wine merchant said sadly:

One of my delivery vans was robbed outside the city. My father went to deal with the matter. As a result, the Americans and militants exchanged fire. Fortunately, one of my sons followed, otherwise I would have lost him.

Um?

Merlin frowned, and said:

Are they firing outside the city? Is the conflict spilling into the city? That sucks.

While talking, Merlin raised his steady hand lightly, and a twisted, bloody bullet was pinched out from the wound. He dropped the bullet on a nearby plate, then put down his pliers and picked up the sutures.

Yes, it's getting worse.

Alef looked at the warheads on the plate, and the businessman said painfully:

Business can't be done. Before my father was injured, I was planning to move out and take my family to Turkey to join my cousin.

You're gone, what about my bar?

Merlin said with a trace of regret:

It's a mess, I can't find another merchant to sell me wine.

I have a warehouse in the city where I still have a lot of stock.

Alef said to Merlin:

You saved my father, and I will leave those stocks to you, cost price, anyway, those things can't be taken away. It takes money to start life again in Turkey.

I thought you'd give me a discount.

While joking, Merlin cut the sutures with scissors, wiped the old man's wound with alcohol one last time, and touched his forehead.

Fortunately, there was no fever and no complications.

He threw the bloody medical glove into the trash, then looked back at Alef, and said:

Take the old man back and let him rest well. After he recovers, you can leave this damn country.

Thank you, Yuri, I really appreciate you very much.

Alef watched his father's breathing calm down, and he said to Merlin with gratitude:

Knowing you is the luckiest thing I've done in the past few years. Before I leave, tell me what help you need. My house also needs to be sold. Are you interested?

Well, you are really a shrewd businessman.

Merlin shook his head:

But I have no plans to buy a house for the time being. As you can see, the conflict has intensified. This country is about to end, and I may leave here soon. I am here to make money, not to die. But, speaking of it, I There is indeed something that needs your help.

Merlin took out the badge of the Ten Rings Gang from his pocket and handed it to Alef. He said:

You have been doing business locally for more than ten years, have you seen this?

The businessman took the badge, and under the light of the back room, his eyes changed a bit, and Merlin captured this slight emotional fluctuation.

I have seen.

Aleph returned the badge to Merlin, with a trace of worry and fear in his eyes, he said:

Yuri, I don't know why you are looking for them, but listen to me, don't touch them. I heard some people say that this attack on the United States is behind the agitation.

Sounds like you know a lot, Alef.

Merlin looked at his watch, there was still some time before dinner, he said:

Would you mind telling me everything you know?

All right.

Alef looked at his father, he gritted his teeth and said:

But you have to keep it a secret. You have to keep it a secret. They have contacts in the city. This may cause trouble for my family.

Don't worry, Alef.

Merlin knew that another piece of the jigsaw puzzle about the secrets of the Ten Rings was about to be obtained, which was one step closer to completing his mission and leaving this country that was gradually engulfed by war.

He patted Alef on the shoulder and said softly in a gentle voice:

I'm good at keeping secrets.

PS:

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