“Yes.”repliedAisha.“Iwanttoknowhowtheminingprojectisgoi’sgoandtalkaboutitinthesmallparlor.”

    Inasmallparlorinthesidehall,thefireinthefirepcewasburningmerrily.AishaandDeannasatdownonthesofabytheFrendows.AishawasserenelydrinkinghercoffeeandDeannapinghercupofherbteafromtimetotime.Theatmospherewastranquindquiet.Aishabegantheversationbysaying,

    “Let’sbeginwiththeminingproject.Howisitgoing?”

    “Yes,yourmajesty.Afterwefoundthemineraldeposits,wesuccessfullymihem.Acctotheexperts,theironreserveshereareextremelyabundant.Weootapasmallportionofit.Furnaceshavebeenbuiltbyindigenousnativemethodsandtheyhavecutdowntreesfromtheforesttouseasfuel.Thefireinthefurnacesgoesonnon-stopdayandnight.Thestrooftheyouhetribeshavebeenchosentotreadthewindmillsandwereformedintogroupstoworkinshifts.Someofthefurnaceshavealreadyproducedironingots.Acctothetribaleldersweonlyhavetomelttheseironingotsintoliquidformanditisreadytobegildedontoothermetal.Butwehavenoideahowtodothegilding.”

    “That’sgreat!That’sgreat!Youhaveallworkedveryhard.PleaseveyKingDimitri’sandmyheartfeltthankstothechieftainsaribesmen.Siheworkhasproceededsosuccessfully,KingDimitri’spromisetoZeussoonbefulfilled.Nocostistoohighandnoworktoohard,ifitmeansKingDimitrikeephiswordtoZeus.”

    “Yes,yourmajesty.”

    “Idon’tknowwhy,butwehaveheardnothingfromRomi,whomwesentouttolearnaboutthetestteologyandgilding.Iamsurprisedandpuzzledandwillsendoutsomeoofindoutwhatisgoingon.”Theversatioforamoment.ThenDeannasuddenlysaid,

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    “Yourmajesty,thereissomethingI’mnotsurewhetherIshouldmentiontoyou.”

    “Whatisit?Ifyouhavesomethingtotellme,pleasefeelfreetosayit.Don’tbestrained.”

    Deannacollectedherthoughts,reviewedtheofeventsinhermindandthenretedthefollowingstorytoAisha.

    Shortlyafternoontime,aboutwhenthebarbarianswerediscoveredencroagontheKingdom,Deannawasiintheforestheminialkingtosomechieftainsaboutproceduresandrateressoftheminingproject.Whentheycameoutofthetentafterthemeeting,theyweregreetedwitharaordinarysight.Hundredsofapes,somewalkingontheground,someswingingfromtreetotreeintheforestroceedinginthesamedire.Deannaandthechieftainswerecuriousbecausetherewasnothinginthatdireexceptsheercliffsandprecipitousines.Whywouldsomanyapesmakeforsuimpasse?Theyfollowedstealthily,hidingbehindrgerodtreessoasnottoattracttheattentionofthismovinggroup.Theypassedthroughdeahickets,climbeduptrailingvioahillside.Bythentheirclotheswereshreddedbythebranchesandjuttingrocks.Hidingbehindahugerock,theypeekedoutandwereshockedbytheunbelievableseenactedbeforetheirhorrifiedeyes.Hundredsofapesstoodinanorderlyfileaotheirdeathintothefathomlessabyssbelow.Amongthemweresomefemaleapescarryingnew-borheirarms.Theytoojumpeddowomlesschasm.Thesilverbackmaleape,whoseemedtobetheleaderofthepack,lookedbackattheforest,thefamiliarpcewherehewasbornandgrewup.Helookedupattheskiesandhowledtragicallybeforehetoojumpeddownthecliff.Deannaandthechieftainscameoutofhiding,shockedbeyondwordsbythemassivetragedythathadjustoccurred.Oneachieftainmutteredunderh

    “Yes.”repliedAisha.“Iwanttoknowhowtheminingprojectisgoi’sgoandtalkaboutitinthesmallparlor.”

    Inasmallparlorinthesidehall,thefireinthefirepcewasburningmerrily.AishaandDeannasatdownonthesofabytheFrendows.AishawasserenelydrinkinghercoffeeandDeannapinghercupofherbteafromtimetotime.Theatmospherewastranquindquiet.Aishabegantheversationbysaying,

    “Let’sbeginwiththeminingproject.Howisitgoing?”

    “Yes,yourmajesty.Afterwefoundthemineraldeposits,wesuccessfullymihem.Acctotheexperts,theironreserveshereareextremelyabundant.Weootapasmallportionofit.Furnaceshavebeenbuiltbyindigenousnativemethodsandtheyhavecutdowntreesfromtheforesttouseasfuel.Thefireinthefurnacesgoesonnon-stopdayandnight.Thestrooftheyouhetribeshavebeenchosentotreadthewindmillsandwereformedintogroupstoworkinshifts.Someofthefurnaceshavealreadyproducedironingots.Acctothetribaleldersweonlyhavetomelttheseironingotsintoliquidformanditisreadytobegildedontoothermetal.Butwehavenoideahowtodothegilding.”

    “That’sgreat!That’sgreat!Youhaveallworkedveryhard.PleaseveyKingDimitri’sandmyheartfeltthankstothechieftainsaribesmen.Siheworkhasproceededsosuccessfully,KingDimitri’spromisetoZeussoonbefulfilled.Nocostistoohighandnoworktoohard,ifitmeansKingDimitrikeephiswordtoZeus.”

    “Yes,yourmajesty.”

    “Idon’tknowwhy,butwehaveheardnothingfromRomi,whomwesentouttolearnaboutthetestteologyandgilding.Iamsurprisedandpuzzledandwillsendoutsomeoofindoutwhatisgoingon.”Theversatioforamoment.ThenDeannasuddenlysaid,

    90页

    “Yourmajesty,thereissomethingI’mnotsurewhetherIshouldmentiontoyou.”

    “Whatisit?Ifyouhavesomethingtotellme,pleasefeelfreetosayit.Don’tbestrained.”

    Deannacollectedherthoughts,reviewedtheofeventsinhermindandthenretedthefollowingstorytoAisha.

    Shortlyafternoontime,aboutwhenthebarbarianswerediscoveredencroagontheKingdom,Deannawasiintheforestheminialkingtosomechieftainsaboutproceduresandrateressoftheminingproject.Whentheycameoutofthetentafterthemeeting,theyweregreetedwitharaordinarysight.Hundredsofapes,somewalkingontheground,someswingingfromtreetotreeintheforestroceedinginthesamedire.Deannaandthechieftainswerecuriousbecausetherewasnothinginthatdireexceptsheercliffsandprecipitousines.Whywouldsomanyapesmakeforsuimpasse?Theyfollowedstealthily,hidingbehindrgerodtreessoasnottoattracttheattentionofthismovinggroup.Theypassedthroughdeahickets,climbeduptrailingvioahillside.Bythentheirclotheswereshreddedbythebranchesandjuttingrocks.Hidingbehindahugerock,theypeekedoutandwereshockedbytheunbelievableseenactedbeforetheirhorrifiedeyes.Hundredsofapesstoodinanorderlyfileaotheirdeathintothefathomlessabyssbelow.Amongthemweresomefemaleapescarryingnew-borheirarms.Theytoojumpeddowomlesschasm.Thesilverbackmaleape,whoseemedtobetheleaderofthepack,lookedbackattheforest,thefamiliarpcewherehewasbornandgrewup.Helookedupattheskiesandhowledtragicallybeforehetoojumpeddownthecliff.Deannaandthechieftainscameoutofhiding,shockedbeyondwordsbythemassivetragedythathadjustoccurred.Oneachieftainmutteredunderh