Chapter 23 Anger (3)

three years ago.

When Jiang Jianming received the communication from Marshal Chen, he was reading in the Aslan library.

The time is early morning and the season is midsummer. At this time, Kaios Military Academy was still on summer vacation, and His Highness went to Far Star, so Jiang Jianming lived a very leisurely life.

Until a communication from the military rang.

Correspondence is from Chen. Hanke.

The commander-in-chief's expression was a tired and solemn expression that he had never seen before, and he no longer had the usual old and informal look, let alone greeted him.

When the old man opened his mouth, he went straight to the point, saying that His Royal Highness Le'an intended to go deep into the "Crystal Nest" alone.

Jiang Jianming was stunned for three seconds before realizing the meaning of the sentence.

He immediately slapped the table: "Jingchao!?"

Many people in the library were alarmed and cast dissatisfied eyes.

Jiang Jianming returned to his senses, quickly bowed his head apologetically, and walked out quickly.

... The so-called crystal nest refers to the origin universe where crystal particles gather farther in the far interstellar space, beyond the three fortress alien stars.

The excessively dense crystal particle environment and strange alien creatures make it a forbidden area forever shrouded in mystery and darkness.

In fact, since the establishment of Yin Beidou's army, the sword has been pointed at the crystal nest countless times, but none of them have been able to harvest results. Only the heroic soul is gone forever, and resources are exhausted in the defeat.

Until recent years, every time Yinbeidou sent people to enter the crystal nest, it would cause huge public disputes among the high-level officials of the empire and the people.

It seems that more and more people think that such a death sentence is not only meaningless, but also very stupid and ridiculous. If it were not for His Majesty the Emperor's strong supportive attitude, this matter would not have been carried out a long time ago.

And this time, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Le'an suddenly suggested that he wanted a person to drive his mecha and try to penetrate into the crystal nest.

When these words were spoken, everyone in the Yin Beidou Fortress was terrified.

In the early morning of yesterday, the communication rushed to Old Marshal Chen in the imperial capital.

Lao Yuan was so handsome that he blew his beard and stared, and scolded His Highness for being young, frivolous and ignorant.

Two hours later, the old marshal cut off the communication with a face ashen.

Don't speak.

His Highness was determined to go to Crystal Nest.

Crown Prince Ryan Kaios, as the heir of the empire, is also a powerful new crystal human with a super S grade crystal bone. As early as he was still very young, he touched mechas, boarded starships, and set foot on the distant interstellar. Alien battlefield.

To this day, His Highness has traveled back and forth between the three fortresses more than a dozen times, and which one was not a splendid battle, it was almost a miracle. The news of the good news came back to Aslan, and the entire empire was ecstatic for months.

But Crystal Nest is different.

That is beyond human reach.

Jiang Jianming felt that it was unreasonable after hearing this, and he almost used a questioning tone: "How could your little highness suddenly go to the crystal nest? He never mentioned it once before, it doesn't make sense... Did something happen to him? ?"

Old Marshal Chen's gray brows tightened and loosened, and sighed hoarsely, "Child, I don't know."

Jiang Jianming felt even more absurd: "His Majesty the Emperor didn't say anything!?"

Old Marshal Chen said, "I went to His Majesty, and His Majesty said that she could not interfere with the choice of His Highness."

Jiang Jianming was speechless.

He's standing next to the library's empty bathroom now, listening to communications with his headset on. On one side is a clean white brick wall, on the other side is the passage of the library, and a woman is walking past with hot coffee.

It was the most ordinary and most ordinary scene, but he felt that the space under his feet and above his head seemed to be distorted, and the world instantly became extremely absurd.

"Your Excellency Jiang Xiao," the old marshal in the projection seemed to have aged for decades, with a hoarse voice, "You are the future crown princess of the empire, and the one who is in the heart of the little highness, the old man, I have no other way, only can……"

Jiang Jianming took a deep breath, and he interrupted the old man with a deep voice: "Is the time urgent? How should I get there?"

In just a few seconds, he had realized what he had to do.

Ryan and his mecha are both in the distant interstellar space. If His Highness decides to leave, no one will be able to catch up with the mecha. The most important thing at the moment is to stabilize people first. As for what happened, as long as people are still there, it is easy to say.

Old Marshal Chen: "The special car will arrive soon and will stop at the entrance of the east gate of the library."

Jiang Jianming: "I understand."

Then, the future crown princess was invited to a special car, and the car took him to the military headquarters, the office of Marshal Chen.

There were already a lot of big people gathered there. Jiang Jianming glanced at them, and they were basically the gentlemen who "often appear on public television, but never see a living person" in the concept of ordinary people.

Some are in suits and leather shoes, some are wearing gorgeous aristocratic dresses, and more are wearing military uniforms of different standards... The only thing that is the same is the anxiety and confusion on their faces.

Obviously, these people came to dissuade His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to no avail.

It's all to blame that the air-conditioning of the Aslan Library is too hot in summer. When Jiang Jianming walked in, he had a thin coat on one arm, and he was full of weak student spirit, which was out of tune with the atmosphere of this place.

Many big figures frowned and turned their eyes, looking at him with different eyes.

With a creak, Old Marshal Chen pushed open the door and walked out from the office, making a "please" gesture to Jiang Jianming.

Jiang Jianming didn't look at the others, he hung his coat aside and whispered, "Please let the two of us talk alone."

Old Marshal Chen said: "Of course."

So Jiang Jianming pushed the door and went in.

The old marshal's office is spacious and graceful. The star map of the empire's territory of the three galaxies, and the distant star map drawn with the three fortress alien stars as fixed points, are each suspended on the walls on both sides in the form of stereo projection.

It's just that the curtains of the floor-to-ceiling windows have not been opened since last night, making the room look a bit gloomy. On the deepest desk is a liaison machine dedicated to the military.

A small green light flashed on the liaison machine to indicate that it was turned on, and the projection of His Royal Highness Prince Lean was falling in mid-air.

The crown prince was sitting neatly in the military aircraft conference room of the Yinbeidou Fortress.

From the neckline, cufflinks to the belt, he was straight and stern, with white-blond curly hair scattered on his shoulders, and his complexion was very good - in short, there was nothing abnormal on the surface.

However, perhaps because there were too many people coming and going during the night and morning.

When the door of the office was pushed open, Ryan's brows were clearly irritated, and he turned his face away and took a sip from the goblet at hand.

But the moment he saw the person coming from the corner of his eye, all the negative emotions disappeared. His Highness immediately showed his face and softly greeted Jiang Jianming to come over and sit down.

Jiang Jianming moved his Adam's apple lightly and stepped forward.

... After thinking about it, he really lost his composure in a hurry at that time, and said a lot of useless words to Ryan's projection.

From how reckless such a rash action is, it is no different from suicide; to how much chaos and hidden dangers the empire will have if the only prince and the few super S Grade crystal bone owners are suddenly lost;

From how many resources and even the lives of soldiers will be sacrificed by the military for the prince's courtship; to how the Yin Beidou will be questioned if the prince is lost in the distant stars, and even this is a huge blow to the entire military.

Ryan has been listening patiently, giving some responses such as nodding and pondering from time to time.

——This is simply a very cunning deception, Jiang Jianming hated his teeth every time he remembered it.

Back then, he was so deceived that he kept talking until he said that his mouth was dry and his throat was hoarse, and he couldn't help covering his lips and coughing.

"Ginger." Ryan finally frowned and said distressedly, "Go drink some water."

There was a second of silence in the empty office.

Jiang Jianming raised his head suddenly, and slowly put down the palm in front of his lips.

He couldn't help laughing: "Little Highness? Are you kidding me?"

After persuading him nonstop for almost an hour, the only response Ryan gave him was to ask him to drink some water-because his voice was hoarse? ?

At this time, Jiang Jianming finally woke up, and suddenly had a strange intuition:

He felt that this hour had passed, and the person in front of him didn't seem to listen at all, and he didn't care what he said.

He suspected that Ryan just wanted to look at his face through the projection and listen to himself. As for what was said, that really doesn't matter.

After all, it is impossible for Old Marshal Chen and others to have not told Ryan what he just said.

So, the anxious expression gradually receded from Jiang Jianming's eyebrows.

He froze, turned to the side and took two sips of water, then came back.

Ryan was still looking at him.

Jiang Jianming finally stopped talking this time, and he also looked back at Ryan.

After a full minute of stalemate, he said softly, "You can't do this, little highness. You must at least tell me why."

"..."

Ryan narrowed his eyes slowly.

The crown prince raised his head slightly, his snow-white chin tightened into sharp lines. At that moment, His Highness's eyes were too complicated, as if a green flame was burning chaotically in the depths.

He stretched his lips into an ice-thin line, and his voice was a little hoarse when he spoke, but it was stable: "...Ginger."

"I love you."

"But there are more important things here than loving you."

This is the first meaningful sentence Ryan said to Jiang Jianming since he entered the office.

If such a meaning can be counted as meaningful.

Jiang Jianming took a deep breath, closed his eyes with a headache, shook his head and said softly, "I know, I know..."

"Little Highness, you are the crown prince. You shoulder the responsibility and have the empire and the people in your heart. I know it, and you should also know that this is not what I want to say..."

He opened his eyes suddenly, took a step forward, and tried his best to restrain the emotions that rushed to his throat: "If the empire and the people are in trouble now and need soldiers to shed blood, just say a word and I will accompany you."

"But! What are you doing now, going into the Crystal Nest Realm alone where there have never been any survivors? Your Highness, do you want to tell me that the current situation of the empire is that it needs its crown prince to die in vain!?"

"If you're really in that kind of situation, what's the use of rushing to your death by yourself!? You can't tell the military if there's anything, you have to leave everyone confused..."

He unconsciously changed the title to honorific, and his tone gradually became more urgent:

"Take 10,000 steps back and say, even if you really want to go, you can't go like this, you even stay with me, the mecha brain, and your..."

Having said this, Jiang Jianming suddenly stopped.

He realized that the meaning of "that thing" was too special, and even if there seemed to be no one in this office, it should not be declared.

Ryan still stared at him deeply, his expression seemed affectionate and ruthless: "Don't say it again, this is my decision and will not change."

Jiang Jianming gritted his teeth and was silent for two seconds, then suddenly said, "...and your betrothed."

He raised his eyes and looked straight at the opposite: "Little Highness, what should I do? Have you considered me?"

"...!" For the first time, there were obvious emotional ripples on Prince Le'an's always calm and handsome face.

His lips quivered slightly, then pursed tightly. A look similar to pain flashed past, like a crack opening on an ancient golden ware.

Jiang Jianming gritted his teeth and said word by word: "If you die heroically, I will be in great trouble, Your Highness."

"Because of my engagement with you. Because I still wear the ring you gave me on my ring finger."

... Said to be the default crown princess, their so-called marriage contract is only a verbal contract.

Due to the huge identity difference, the relationship between the two has been delayed in the entire empire.

Jiang Jianming actually didn't mind, but he knew that Ryan was extremely apologetic for this, and even became a knot in his heart.

His Highness had promised him countless times that after three years, he would graduate and directly let him enter the Golden Sun Wheel, and the relationship would be made public when the military rank was promoted to the school level.

At this time, Jiang Jianming had to restrain his sloppy temper and put on a serious face to nod.

Because if you don't take it seriously, the little Highness will think that he doesn't believe it, and will keep apologizing and explaining to him in a panic and sadness... He is distressed to death.

At this moment, in the open private office, Jiang Jianming's breath was trembling... He closed his eyes, this was the first time in his life that he showed weakness in front of others.

"...I have no power, no family, no money and power, and no backing. I have no knowledge of political struggles, and I hardly understand the unknown insiders at the top of the empire."

"Little Highness, I am only eighteen years old this year."

"I'm even just a residual crystal human."

"It's you who brought me into this situation. You know better than anyone how many people I'll be targeted if you're gone."

Jiang Jianming opened his eyes, and there seemed to be a little bit of confusion and sadness in his eyes.

He quietly asked, "Lian, little prince... have you left me alone?"

Silence flowed in the air again. The two were in a stalemate across the projection, and they were also in a stalemate across the distant galaxy of stars.

As if to calm down, Ryan took another sip from the wine glass in his hand, his eyebrows lowered gloomily.

However, when his Adam's apple rolled and swallowed the clear and spicy liquid, the young prince's expression returned to a kind of cold calm.

He spoke slowly.

"You're right, I ruined your life."

"For my purposes, I will not hesitate to sacrifice the prosperity of the empire, the future of Yin Beidou, my life, and..."

When the crown prince of the empire speaks, there is always a bit of classical aristocratic elegance in his tone, as well as the sharpness of his character.

- "Like a cold silver dagger", someone once praised it.

Ryan said word by word: "And you."

"my sweetheart."

When these four words were placed between His Highness's lips, they were as soft as petals and as affectionate as moonlight.

Jiang Jianming only felt that the silver dagger was firmly piercing his beating heart, a little bit submerged into flesh and blood.

Ryan: "Please hate me."

Jiang Jianming's pupils shrank, and he said angrily, "Kaios...!"

He seldom called His Highness by his last name, unless he was really out of control.

Outside the office, the wind blew through the artificially planted green plant aisle, and the branches and leaves made a cool rustling sound.

Across the door, the big men were wiping their sweat with their handkerchiefs, and the old marshal stood up straight with a heavy expression.

A vintage wall clock hanging in the hallway, the long hands click.

Another whole point.

...

Finally, Jiang Jianming readjusted his breathing.

"I understand."

They have already said this to each other, which means that there is no room for turning around.

He raised his right hand and glanced calmly at the slender ring on his ring finger.

The ring was red gold in color, wrapped around his thin white fingers, a bit like a circle of flames.

"I don't hate you, our relationship and friendship ends here."

Jiang Jianming took off the ring.

His expression has become very calm, and his eyes are cold and clear, just like Ryan on the opposite side.

Those are the eyes that can only be possessed by those who have already seen the ending, but still choose to go to the end.

Ryan stopped talking. He held the goblet tightly in his hand, his pale fingers trembling visibly.

But his eyes didn't move for a moment, as if he wanted to engrave such Jiang Jianming into his mind forever.

"Those were angry words just now. You don't have to worry about my future life. I can handle it well, and there will be many people to protect me."

"As for my promise to hold your hand back then, that was my choice. Besides..."

After speaking, Jiang Jianming raised his eyebrows and chuckled, "Your Highness, you can't be too arrogant... There is no one or anything in the world that can destroy me, unless I choose to destroy it myself."

He lowered his eyelashes and put the ring in his left breast pocket.

When he raised his eyes again, the last bit of sadness in the bottom of his eyes disappeared.

"That's it. When your coffin comes back, I will come to see you one last time."

Finally, Jiang Jianming gave a military salute to the virtual projection.

His eyes were cold and hard, "His Royal Highness, I wish you a prosperous and prosperous martial arts journey."

Then he reached out and cut off the communication.

Half a minute later, the door of the office was pushed open, and Jiang Jianming came out.

The big men all turned their attention to him, and Old Marshal Chen came forward to meet him, hesitating to say anything... The cadet's expression already explained the result.

Jiang Jianming's brows were indifferent, and he passed the marshal directly: "Don't persuade us any more, let our beloved crown prince go more peacefully."

Someone yelled at him for being rude. Jiang Jianming didn't even bother, he tore off the coat that he had put on the side, and draped it over his shoulders, and the corner of the coat raised an arc in the air.

"When His Highness's body is returned to the White Jade Palace, please remember to leave a place for me to support the coffin."

After he finished speaking coldly, he walked out quickly with a straight back, leaving the big people in the room behind.

The memory behind it is a little blurry.

Now, three years later, Jiang Jianming only remembers that when he walked out of the gate of the military headquarters that day, there was a bright silver sunbeam falling on his face.

Birds pecked their feathers on the branches, roses bloomed in the flowerbeds in the distance, and the fragrance wafted in the wind, everything seemed warm and peaceful.

——It is like the heaven that has been sung in ancient times in ancient blue star's old human religious ballads.

Sitting in the cockpit of IP, Jiang Jianming talked about those old things in a leisurely manner. don't know since when, the snow has stopped falling outside.

In its place was a clean night sky, and the stars were gently wrapping the mech.

Tang Zhen was already stunned.

To be honest, such a truth is too different from what he has imagined all along, and it is not acceptable for a short period of time.

After all, he always thought that His Royal Highness Ryan was just killed in an ordinary expedition... Now that think about it, almost all the citizens of the empire tacitly tacitly agreed, even though the high-level officials of the empire kept silent about it.

But if so...something makes sense instead.

It's no wonder that Jiang Jianming was able to regain his composure so quickly after learning the bad news back then, and he could even arrange how to deal with His Highness's relics.

Tang Zhen said in a low voice, "It turns out that it was Jingchao who went down to your Royal Highness."

Even an officer in the adaptation period who had just arrived at Yin Beidou knew that it was a mortal place to die.

"Not love."

Jiang Jianming said softly, "It's anger."

He raised his hand and unconsciously touched the ring that he had hung as a necklace through the silver-black military uniform.

Tang Zhen: "What?"

Jiang Jianming lowered his eyelashes and said in a deep voice, "It was anger that brought me here."

Tang Zhen suddenly turned pale in horror: "It's not like that, little fairy, you... You are so angry that you want to scoop out His Highness Le'an and whip the corpse!?"

"..."

Jiang Jianming's face turned blue, he pressed his temples, "No... this is not true."

Whipping the corpse or something, really not.

"Tang Zhen, have you ever heard a poem?"

Jiang Jianming calmed down and spoke again: "I see the heroic soul turned into a white bird—"

Tang Zhen answered involuntarily: "...Fly to the Nest of Xinghai."

He remembered that this was a momentary poem of mourning in the imperial capital Star City after the death of His Royal Highness Laian.

"I originally... didn't think about going to the outer space in person. Like you said, it's too hard for me."

"After the sacrifice of Your Highness, I'm waiting for the Empire to give me an explanation. I don't believe that Ryan will go to the Crystal Nest for no reason, and I don't believe that he will speak to me like that for no reason—"

Jiang Jianming pinched his eyebrows and whispered, "My God, you don't know, his face was so bad that I was afraid he would faint."

"Anyway, I was waiting for an answer, but I didn't."

Even the old Marshal Chen Hanke, who had always treated him very well, never confided any information to him.

Even if Jiang Jianming firmly believes that this old man who is sitting in the most honorable position in the military can never really know nothing.

"Until one day, I saw a newly published poetry collection in the Aslan Library... where my little Highness and I first met."

"The poems are badly written. Except for the last sentence, there is a little bit of meaning. The preceding ones are just pretentious flattery and praise. It's boring. That's not how poems are written."

"I..." Jiang Jianming smiled bitterly, "I was so angry that I accidentally tore up other people's poetry collections, and even gave the library five hundred points."

Tang Zhen was frightened again, holding his head and said, "Isn't it even more so!? Is this poem so bad that you tear it up!?"

Jiang Jianming: "...It's not that the poetry is bad, please shut up Tang Shao temporarily, can you?"

"—My problem is that the far-flung stars are not a poetic place, and death shouldn't be beautiful."

Jiang Jianming closed his eyes and said in a low voice, "The emperor of the empire died on the battlefield, no one knows why he went to war rashly, and no one knows how he died in battle... He just died like that, even his body I can't go back to my hometown, but I don't see the slightest trace of anger from the top to the people."

"They weep, they mourn, they mourn; they compose music, they write poems, they lay flowers, they ring bells...but no one seeks, no one asks, no one shouts out doubts...no one gets angry."

Jiang Jianming opened his eyes suddenly, and his eyes were like Su Hanxing.

He whispered, "—so I'm angry."

Tang Zhen put his hands down in a daze, and he looked at his friend beside him.

Perhaps because of the persistent low-grade fever, Jiang Jianming's always pale cheeks had a morbid blush, but it made the whole person even more shattered at the touch.

So Tang Zhen had a vague idea in his mind: Three years ago... this person was definitely not as weak as before.

It was that anger, that anger that burned his life like a wick, making it shorter and shorter, and at the same time, it also burst into more and more dazzling and sharp light.

"I seem to see an invisible giant hand... It took my little highness, twisted the world, and pressed me to the ground, unable to move."

Jiang Jianming said calmly. He looked up at the night sky through the glass of the cockpit—

It was an unfamiliar far-off interstellar night sky, and it was flowing overhead like a dark deep sea, covered with unknown chaotic silver stars.

In front of the vast universe, the joys and sorrows in the fleeting life of human beings are too small and too small.

"I don't know what this invisible giant hand is... Is it the high-level people who have concealed something from me, or this world that declares that civilians are destined to be ignorant, and that crippled humans are destined to be weak, or the truth hidden in the depths of the far interstellar universe... Or something else."

"—but I know, I'm angry."

Jiang Jianming's eyes darkened, it seemed that he was not talking to Tang Zhen, but to himself.

"I can't let this person just disappear, I want to find him."

"Even if he rots and stinks beyond recognition; even if he is covered in flies and crawling with maggots; even if there is only the last bone, the last handful of ashes... I don't care, I want the truth."

Maybe it's not aesthetic, not poetic... It may even be cruel, bloody, but also the most real truth.

"But," Tang Zhen's Adam's apple twitched and asked sternly, "You... do you have any clues?"

Jiang Jianming glanced at him and said lightly, "No. I have nothing."

A commoner, no father, no mother, no wealth, no power... Except for this weak and weak body, and an unquenchable obsession, he has nothing.

It's crazy, there are a few of Ryan's relics left, still trying to protect him.

Tang Zhen groaned in pain: "This...you...! Then aren't you looking for a needle in a haystack? Not to mention..."

"Jiang Jianming, what's more, have you ever thought that if the truth of this is finally found out, it will involve the upper echelons of the empire or—"

"Of course I did."

Jiang Jianming chuckled lightly, his eyes lit up: "Otherwise, why am I here? Yin Beidou is located in the far interstellar space, farthest from the power of the Aslan Empire, and closest to the truth. Even if I vomit blood every day, I have to find a way to stay, this is the only A possible breakthrough."

Tang Zhen murmured, "You don't want to die."

Jiang Jianming nodded seriously: "Yes, I don't want to die."

"If the empire stops me, I can rebel against the empire; if the world stops me, I can deviate from the world."

Jiang Jianming blinked his eyelashes and said lightly, "If the final truth is in the depths of the universe, then I will follow the path that the little highness has walked to the crystal nest."

Tang Zhen's head banged.

He was so lost that he couldn't utter a word.

"I just want to find him, and I also want to know why he chose to leave me to die, and I want to bring him back, back to Aslan, and hold the grand funeral he deserves."

"Because... I promised him."

As he said that, the black-haired young man with remnants chuckled lightly, and he continued softly as if he swore an oath: "I will see him for the last time in front of his coffin."

He stretched out his hand and pressed on the console, and dropped the shield of the mecha.

Without the stars in the sky and the snow on the ground, the cockpit was darkened.

If it is in battle, the screen will display the front, back, left, right, and four sides captured by the camera. But apparently, the current driver just wants to sleep.

Three years ago, that beam of heavenly sun seemed to reappear in front of us.

That should be the destination of the little prince, not the cold universe... Jiang Jianming thought to himself.

But where are you now, my love?

Garcia's handsome face flashed in his mind. His Royal Highness admitted that death was meaningless, but his eyebrows flashed a trace of confusion under his questioning.

Is that really you, my dear love?

What forces have done to you, what prompted you to self-destruct?

I will find you.

Not the body, but the soul.

Jiang Jianming closed his eyes. After chatting with Tang Zhen for so long, now that the medicine has taken effect, feel a lot more comfortable, and climb up softly with sleepiness.

The dark mecha is very warm and isolated from the cold wind outside.

Jiang Jianming's breathing became shallow, and he fell asleep peacefully.

In the dream, he saw the heroic soul transformed into a white bird, fluttering its wings for thousands of miles, flying into the depths of the night sky.

And he stepped on the boundless stretch of the earth under his feet, with a straight spine, step by step, slowly and difficultly walked into that dark... dark, star sea nest.

The author has something to say: no slag, no abuse of the emotional line, asking is double arrows favoring each other.

Three years ago Jiang: Our (marriage) relationship ends here.

Three years later Jiang: Because I have decided to be the widow of a lifetime for His Highness.

Three years ago Jiang: Did you see this ring? I will never wear it on my ring finger again.

Three years later Ginger: Now it's my necklace.

Three years ago Jiang: No one or anything in the world can destroy me unless I choose to destroy myself.

Three years later Jiang: Go, go to Jingchao to Jingchao.

Three years ago Jiang: don't hate, but don't love anymore. wish you an early death.

Three years later Jiang: Good afternoon, was your body eaten by vultures and jackals today, my lover? (laugh.

Familiar sentences. And the last paragraph is the result of artistic processing. According to Jiang Jianming's temper, the reality should be like this:

In the dream, he saw the heroic soul transformed into a pure white bird...

And he had a rope in one hand and a birding net in one hand, and then as if nothing had happened, he hid a packet of snacks for feeding birds, and walked slowly and difficultly into the dark star sea nest (?