Deep in the night, flames crackled in the depths of the harbor. The enslaved men finished their work and returned to their camp under the watchful eyes of the sentinels.
The foul air was filled with whispers and discussions, all of which were directed at the young nun.
She took out food from her Traceless backpack and distributed it to the refugees one by one. Gradually, she became familiar with the refugees. They let down their guard and surrounded her, looking at her as if they were looking at Jesus, full of reverence.
Because of her unwavering faith, Hoffa couldn't persuade her not to do such a thing. He could only stay close to her and not let her out of his sight.
However, her actions had undoubtedly angered the local thugs.
After Frank's death, the thugs still submitted to the widow Mary in name, but in reality, this submission was completely superficial. Their actual leader was the baboon man named Matthew.
And the measure he took was to arrange a dozen of his men to watch over Hoffa and Chloe in shifts on the distant watchtower.
Chloe came back around ten o 'clock at night. She sat by the campfire, took off her nun's hat, and tiredly rubbed her hair. After rubbing her hair, she stretched her arms and stretched her body in a way that resembled Jesus' crucifixion. Then, she squatted by the campfire and poured the food that Hoffa brought with him into a small tin pot to cook.
The food in the pot boiled. The nun tasted it with a spoon and asked: "Have you eaten?"
"No."
"Your slaveholder friend didn't serve you?"
She asked as she scooped the porridge.
"He's dead. Don't tell me you didn't hear about it."
"What?" Chloe's spoon paused. She was stunned: "I don't know, how did he die?"
"He was cut in half by an idiot whose brain is full of muscles." Hoffa said calmly.
"Phew …" The nun sighed. She put down the spoon that was stirring the food, pointed her finger at her body, and muttered an inaudible prayer.
After praying, she said to Hoffa sincerely, "I'm sorry."
Hoffa was expressionless. "I'm not sad. Why are you apologizing?"
"Oh my god …"
The nun groaned, "Fine, you're really cold-blooded."
She served Hoffa a bowl of porridge and asked, "By the way, how are you going to get a boat to take me to England?"
"I haven't thought about it yet." He stared into the darkness, his palm unconsciously stirring the flames.
To tell the truth, he was not acquainted with the widow, Mary, to begin with, and after Chloe's mischief, he felt that his chances of borrowing a boat were very slim.
"By the way, when I was taking care of those refugees, they told me some bad news."
"What?"
"There's only one boat here. It's the one we saw at the dock during the day."
Hoffa was stunned for a moment before he sneered, "Impossible, Frank has at least twenty ships under him."
"Yes, but a few days ago, there was a huge bombing here. Most of the boats were destroyed in that bombing. There's only one left here."
The only boat …
He cursed inwardly, thinking that if there were twenty boats here, it would be easy for him to borrow one. But if there was only one boat, it would not be so easy to borrow it. Everyone knew that the rarer something was, the more valuable it was.
As they were talking, a figure walked over from the distance. It was the young widow they met during the day, Mary.
She was wearing the black dress she had worn during the day and a retro black floral headdress. She slowly walked to the bonfire and rubbed her dress uneasily. She waved at the two people sitting on the ground and greeted them.
Chloe stood up, and so did Hoffa.
"Are you … sleeping outside tonight?"
The widow was very polite.
The two nodded.
Mary said, "Uh … You don't have to stay here. I have many places to sleep in my house, if you want."
"I don't mind." He pouted and deftly kicked the ball to Chloe.
"I'm not going."
Chloe said without hesitation.
She pulled a long face, as if she was not happy with the other party.
The widow smiled awkwardly, but did not leave.
Hoffa said, "Thank you for your kindness, but it's already so late. Why are you looking for us?"
The young widow rubbed her hands uneasily. "I have something to ask of you."
"What is it?"
"There will be a funeral tomorrow, and we need a priest. But there are no priests in this area, so … "The woman turned to Chloe." I would like to ask this Reverend Nun to help us preside over the funeral. "
Hoffa was surprised. He did not understand the European funeral customs, so he turned to Chloe, but found that Chloe's expression was very ugly. She refused without hesitation.
"That's the priest's duty. As a nun, I can't touch it."
"No … No, there's no need to trouble yourself." Mary quickly waved her hands. "As long as you can read it …"
"Don't joke around, okay?"
Chloe interrupted Mary. "Mass and burial ceremonies are sacred. It's the door to heaven for the deceased, and it's the basis to help God judge the souls. Do you think anyone from the church can preside over it?"
After Chloe finished speaking, Hoffa couldn't help but want to laugh, while Widow Mary was so embarrassed that she didn't know what to say.
Chloe's face was cold. "If you just want to find someone to deal with, you don't have to ask someone from the church to preside over it. A normal male friend can also do it."
"But … Frank didn't have many friends when he was alive."
"Who said he didn't have any friends? Aren't these ready-made friends?"
Chloe pointed at Hoffa, then squatted down to take care of the porridge.
The widow turned to look at him again, her porcelain doll-like face full of uneasiness and helplessness.
The ball was kicked back into Hoffa's court. He thought that if she agreed to preside over the funeral, it would be an opportunity to ease their relationship. The other party only had one boat left, and Frank had passed away. If he wanted to borrow the boat, he would have to pay a price.
So he smiled sincerely. "That's right. Frank was my good friend when he was alive. What should I do?"
.....
.....
The next morning, the sky was gloomy, like a thick black ink had been spilled on the horizon. There was not a hint of white. It was so heavy that it seemed like it was going to fall. The whole world was silent.
On the second morning after Hoffa arrived in Normandy, Frank's coffin began to be buried. Funerals in Europe were not as complicated as those in Asia. During the ceremony, only Frank's wife, Mary, and a few of his men were present.
Standing in front of the large hole that had just been dug, Hoffa held a crumpled piece of paper and coughed a few times. He dryly read the professional eulogy that Chloe had written for him.
"The path to God is unfathomable. In His proverbs and His mysteries, His mercy is revealed. Even though He has given us enlightenment, we still have to carefully consider it. When we open our arms, the earth not only takes away our illusory bodies, it also takes in our glorious souls …"
As he read, Hoffa's mind started to wander.
(Frank is a male adept with violent tendencies and a fiery temper. Because of his smuggling activities, he had offended and killed many people. Even when he and Norber had dealings with him, they avoided meeting him if possible. It would be a miracle if this kind of person could go to heaven.)
"… Everything that passes quietly, this world has no end. Rest in peace, my friend, your soul will continue. Your birth and your existence is but a poem of hope, forever and ever. I walk through that dark lawn … I will not feel fear, for your soul is with me … "
Finally, after he finished reading the eulogy emotionlessly, there was sparse applause. The coffin was buried in the ground, and the funeral was over.
After the funeral, Hoffa walked to Mary, who was wearing a black dress, and whispered, "Can I talk to you, madam?"
After delaying for a day and sending Frank off, it was time to tell her why he was here.
Mary nodded.
The two walked to the tree far away from the tomb, but before they could start talking …
A hand came between the two of them.
It was the supervisor named Matthew. He looked at Mary and said, "Madam, we are ready. When do you want to board the ship?"
Mary quickly said, "Wait a moment, I have something to say to Mr. Bach. I'll be right there."
Matthew said, "Okay, hurry up, we'll wait for you."
With that, he glared at Hoffa with an unfriendly expression and turned to leave.
Boarding the ship …
Hoffa felt something was wrong. "Where are you going?"
"Oh." Mary smiled and said, "Matthew is taking me to Switzerland. There's no war there, and he said it's safe there."
Hoffa's heart skipped a beat.
It's over.
There's only one ship, and I still have to go to Switzerland.
No wonder when I first arrived, I saw the armed thugs driving the refugees to fuel the ship. In that case, the ship will definitely not be lent to me.
Unknowingly, the situation had taken a turn for the worse. He had encountered a silent crisis, and everything before had turned into a bubble. How can I borrow the ship?
"What's wrong?"
Mary asked curiously, "Mr. Bach, what's the matter?"
Hoffa's mind raced, but he showed a relaxed smile on his face.
"Madam, it's like this. Norbert and I owed Frank 500 francs worth of raw materials when we were alive."
He snapped his fingers rather elegantly, and a roll of notes tied with a rubber band flew out of the air and landed precisely in Huo Fa's hand.
Mary's eyes were filled with fear and respect when she saw what he was doing.
He caught the note, untied the rubber band, and said casually, "Although Frank is gone, I think the debt still has to be paid."
"Uh … Is that so? Oh, I'm sorry to trouble you to come here. "
Mary didn't suspect anything and bowed down gratefully while holding her skirt.
"But …"
Hoffa's hand paused, and he said slowly, "Frank also promised us that he would deliver a batch of raw materials to Norbert and me. Madam, do you know about this?"
"Ah …"
Mary looked away from the roll of money and said, "This … I haven't heard of this."
"You haven't heard of it. This is troublesome."
He pretended to raise his eyebrows and pondered for a moment before handing over the notes in his hand.
"Forget it, if you don't know, then don't know. After all, Frank has passed away. I'll go find other suppliers."
"I'm sorry, Mr. Bach." The woman took the money respectfully and looked relieved. "Then, I'll go first. Mr. Bach. "
"Mm." He nodded with a casual expression.
The young widow put the money in her pocket and turned around, satisfied.
"Wait a minute." Hoffa stopped her.
"Is there anything else? Mr. Bach. "The widow looked at him curiously.
"You know about wizards, don't you?"
Mary was shocked. She looked around and said in a low voice, "I know."
Hoffa's expression became serious. "Okay, then I'll be straightforward. I came from Paris and heard some rumors."
Looking at his serious face, the widow was curious and nervous. "What rumors?"
"A large group of German wizards are now looking for Frank because of the arms smuggling. I have a few informants in the military, so I know about this. As Frank's friend, I'd like to remind you to be careful of German wizards on the road."
"What! De … German wizards are looking for us … "
The widow exclaimed. As soon as she finished, she covered her mouth like a balloon that had been poked. She was so frightened that she grabbed Hoffa's arm and straightened her back.
"Are you serious …?"
"Do I have to lie to you?"
After looking at each other for a moment, she stammered, "I … I'm sorry, I … What should I do, Mr. Bach?"
"I don't know."
He shrugged. "My friend and I will leave this afternoon. Take care of yourself."
With that, he turned and left without hesitation.
He had just taken a few steps when he heard an anxious voice behind him. "Wait a minute, Mr. Bach."
Hoffa breathed a sigh of relief. The smile on his lips disappeared in a flash. Then he slowly turned around, raised his eyebrows, and asked, "What?"
"That … I … I want to ask, where are you going?"
"Sorry, that has nothing to do with you," Hoffa said coldly.
"No … No …" The woman waved her hands.
"I'm just asking. If it offends you, just pretend I didn't say anything."
Hoffa looked at Mary for a moment and saw that she was so anxious that the tip of her nose was sweating. He snickered in his heart. Good heavens, fortunately this woman has no brain. She will do whatever others say. Otherwise, his plan to borrow a ship to go to England would be ruined.
"I want to help my friend find a safe place. You know, France is a bit dangerous recently."
"Where exactly are you going?"
“.....”
He used an unfathomable posture and answered with silence.
The widow rolled her eyes. "Uh … uh … It's like this, Frank … Frank has a few warehouses in Switzerland. I think the materials you need may be in the warehouses. If you don't mind, you can come with us. "
With that, the widow rubbed her hands and looked at him expectantly.
Hoffa pinched his chin and pretended to think for a moment. Finally, he nodded reluctantly.
"Okay, I have nothing to do anyway. I'll go with your ship."
"Ah, that's great …"
The uneasy widow breathed a sigh of relief.
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
