Житие Мое / Life of Mine: Глава 3

Chapter 3

Camrad_RIP 20.04.23 в 20:27

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Camrad_RIP 20.04.23 в 20:27

I remember that winter in bits and pieces, and some of the episodes looked as if they were not happening to me.

Camrad_RIP 20.04.23 в 20:32

Everyone knows that the first six months after Acquiring the Power are the most difficult period for a black mage. The adept's search for balance with Source changes internally and externally (I don't mean hooves and horns), which is true for blacks and whites alike. I used to be amused by the sight of four-students wandering around the university with goofy smiles, hopping around, or, say, 'saving' autumn leaves from a puddle. A mage in a period of temporary insanity is a favorite subject for student anecdotes. Now I realized that only whites were the target of jokes; fortunately for me, none of the jokers saw a black mage after class. But the persistent rumors of zombies being bred in the Combat-Magic department had an unexpected explanation.

Camrad_RIP 20.04.23 в 20:35

The future Magisters and Generals were sprawled out of the faculty building in complete darkness, not lowering themselves to vulgar good-night wishes. Real blacks in a circle of their own should behave like that! But years of habit were so strong that I could barely keep from making a farewell gesture. Some wise man had written that bad character develops in blacks out of a sense of self-preservation - the only way to withstand day after day the pressure of a hostile Source. Bitchiness was definitely something I lacked. Probably the only thing that kept me from a complete breakdown was the blind belief that I could not lose.

Camrad_RIP 20.04.23 в 20:37

It's bad enough to be a black who grew up among whites.

Camrad_RIP 20.04.23 в 20:33

When I left the gloomy walls of the faculty, I would wander into the nearest café, where I ate without tasting and drank without getting drunk, and then the experienced owner would put me in a carriage. Yes, now I could afford to go to the hostel instead of walking! I don't know how the others managed to find their way in such a state. The thought that the next day would be all about alchemy helped me fall asleep without nightmares.

Camrad_RIP 21.04.23 в 06:15

Actually, I might as well have made every other day a day off. For the first six months after the Acquisition, Roland Scholars are entitled to benefits. Why would I want to do that? If I didn't alternate between alchemy classes and training, I was bound to get mentally damaged. After the excruciatingly demanding work with the Source, alchemy was like a balm, cool, transparent, and sincere. Predictability and precise calculations, the beauty of formulas, and knowledge of the true essence of things tamed power of elements that loaded my hands with work instead of straining my mind. It got to the point where observing the admirable precision of the revolver machine. Quarter patted me sympathetically on the shoulder. Perhaps the other apprentices were not so tired, but that was because they had the good sense not to take up the illegal practice.

Camrad_RIP 21.04.23 в 06:18

Meanwhile, my underground business was gaining momentum. I did not get greedy. I did not advertise at all, but people kept calling and calling. The OGS (One Guy Said) system works effectively amongst the villagers. It was unbelievable how many terrible secrets lurked among the peaceful scenery! Phomas, family curses, water spirits, anchovies, house-dwellers, the silent pestilence, and even the Predatory Echo. It was as if someone was breeding them there. Once or twice a week another client would call into the office, begging tearfully to save Uncle Peabody or Auntie Tryphany. Literally saved. There were none of the primitive psychoses to which I had become so accustomed in Redstone had come my way. A couple of times I'd already been called in after the first death. It wasn't even about the money - I just didn't have time to spend it. No matter how many times you were a black mage, you couldn't send a woman weeping into a phone whose son had contracted bone rot in a cemetery.

Camrad_RIP 21.04.23 в 06:25

It's so bad to be black growing up in a white family.

Camrad_RIP 21.04.23 в 06:25

My "chatterbox", Miss Fiberty, was unexpectedly understanding. I had a corner in her flat with a filing cabinet and work magazines, a valise stand, and a suit rack (I now had my suit and valise). In the evening, the landlady made me a delicious strawberry tea and let me talk to her, for which I was immensely grateful.

Camrad_RIP 21.04.23 в 06:28

I was approaching a two-call-per-weekend mode of operation, with the geography of my journeys becoming more and more confusing. Leisure time disappeared as a phenomenon. There was barely enough time to sleep, and long walks and waits for the locomotive turned into elaborate torture. Having once fallen asleep on a platform waiting for a train and nearly frozen to death, I realized I needed my own transport.

Camrad_RIP 21.04.23 в 06:30

The question was which one? A horse was out of the question: there was no place to keep it, and it would die from such exertion. A big black limousine with leather seats was, alas, unaffordable. The only other option I could think of was a bicycle. After counting my savings and finding the insane sum of fifteen hundred crowns, I felt the need to get creative.

Camrad_RIP 21.04.23 в 06:31

To show off, to put it simply.

Camrad_RIP 21.04.23 в 06:31

The only car shop I knew was across the river, just opposite the student dormitory, and from a distance, looked like a long hangar with an overhead light. I did not intend to buy anything there, but it was a good place to get an idea of the goods. Get on the sellers' nerves. Check out the machines and buy something second-hand from an ad in the newspaper. What if I get lucky?

Camrad_RIP 21.04.23 в 06:34

I didn't want to wait for a free day, so I took the day off on my own, ducking out of a lecture on the theory of Sorcery. I had no problem with that discipline. The sun was shining, the light frost had caught the dirt, and the feeling of unexpected freedom was quite spring-like. I did not put on my work suit and tie for the occasion, and among the glamorous walking crowd, I was an amusing anomaly. There were middle-aged gentlemen, ladies with children, and old ladies with dogs strolling along the promenade. There were no skinny, cheeky students among them.

Camrad_RIP 21.04.23 в 06:38

Is it a festival or something? Or is it just a crowded place?

Camrad_RIP 21.04.23 в 06:38

The slightly renovated barn was proudly called "The Plaza". Most of the visitors, like me, came here just to gawk; the chic thing was that all the samples could be viewed indoors without having to go outside. The sunlight shone through the lantern, and the shop was unexpectedly warm.

Camrad_RIP 21.04.23 в 06:40

Along the long wall, two dozen brand-new cars lined up. The disappointment I felt at this harlequin exhibition is indescribable. No, in principle, I knew that cars were toys for rich city dwellers (the villagers preferred horse-drawn vehicles and for seasonal work, desperately smoky tractors running on rapeseed oil), but I had no idea how bad it was. Most of the cars were gaudy, with plenty of chrome and gilding, in cheerful colors, and some with no top at all. I was subconsciously disgusted by the sight of them, and they all had very low seats. There was no way to get into the places where my clients lived with such toys. A black mage who had to be dragged out of a pothole on a cord would be a disgrace to his profession! I felt an unbearable urge to buy a tractor and drive it back and forth over the barn.

Camrad_RIP 21.04.23 в 06:46

"Do you have any military products?" I asked the pimply young man with the consultant badge without much hope. "For the countryside?"

Camrad_RIP 21.04.23 в 06:47

The lad pressed his lips together primly.

Camrad_RIP 21.04.23 в 06:47

"We do not sell agricultural machinery!"

Camrad_RIP 21.04.23 в 06:48

Such a worm with an ego!

Camrad_RIP 21.04.23 в 06:48

"I know where trucks are sold," I smiled dryly, feeling the fur on my scruff rise. "I wondered if you had anything worth having?"

Camrad_RIP 21.04.23 в 06:49

"Good afternoon!" At the smell of a brewing conflict, an elder of the hall instantly appeared. The young man caught his gaze and quietly evaporated. "Is there something, in particular, you're interested in? Not everything we sell is on display in the hall."

Camrad_RIP 21.04.23 в 06:50

I sighed. Being a black mage has its pros and cons.

Camrad_RIP 20.04.23 в 20:41

"I need a car that will pass everywhere, a small, black one."

Camrad_RIP 21.04.23 в 06:58

"Would you like to see the catalogs?"

Camrad_RIP 21.04.23 в 06:58

I reluctantly agreed - looking at the pictures meant they did not have the goods I needed in their finished form. The salesman took me to his office behind the garage. The place was quite remarkable: all the walls were covered with posters depicting machinery. Steam trains and locomotives, cars of all brands, racing cars, angular army trucks, and tractors - anything that moved without the use of muscle power. In the glass cabinet, there were tiny copies of the most outstanding models. I looked at a scooter model that looked just like my own, and I squinted in pleasure - this man had good taste.

Camrad_RIP 21.04.23 в 07:00

"In order to satisfy your request," said the salesman, busily laying out thick trays of magazines on the table, "we need to formulate it clearly. The intended use of the machine you require, the operating conditions, the fuel type, your financial means, and so on. We can get you any model for an appropriate fee!"

Camrad_RIP 21.04.23 в 07:25

"I need to travel frequently from the city to the countryside. There are no roads there, not at all. I need to travel quickly. Comfort is not important. I thought I could buy something left over from the sale of military property."

Camrad_RIP 21.04.23 в 09:09

"You can," the seller nodded, "but the military only sells vehicles after they've driven them half to death. You'll go broke on repairs alone, and it will cost a fortune to rip them a brand-new unit - there's no demand for such vehicles among civilians. You have to work on demand."

Camrad_RIP 21.04.23 в 09:10

Damn blood... As expected, I was caught in the fork of the needs of the city and the countryside. No one, no one thinks about the talented black mages forced to work literally to the bone! But the merchant was already staring up at the ceiling, digging hard at his memory. It seemed it was a matter of honor for him to satisfy an exotic customer request.

Camrad_RIP 21.04.23 в 09:11

"Let's go!" He suddenly perked up. "It's a sight to see."

Camrad_RIP 21.04.23 в 09:12

We left the garage under the interested stares of visitors and staff.

Camrad_RIP 21.04.23 в 09:13

"My reasoning is that a "spirit burner" will not work for you. It's a problem to get dry fuel in the countryside, and with diluted spirit, the engine will shut down after each kilometer."

Camrad_RIP 21.04.23 в 09:14

I remembered my experiences with the scooter and heartily agreed with him.

Camrad_RIP 21.04.23 в 09:14

"So we'll look for something on oil," the salesman concluded. "Diesel is more difficult to operate, but I assume you have experience."

Camrad_RIP 21.04.23 в 09:15

The peddler drove the yellow two-seater around town in a nimble fashion, while he filled me in on the details of the car industry:

Camrad_RIP 21.04.23 в 09:15

A couple of years ago, Domgari Motors was marketing cars with diesel engines, but it didn't work - apart from the military, no one was interested in them. It is noisy, difficult to service, poor starting in cold weather, and large. In short, the promising development was stalled. But the company managed to make prototypes.

Camrad_RIP 21.04.23 в 09:16

There was a hunting excitement in me. Was there anything in this world that could serve me, me, and only me?

Camrad_RIP 21.04.23 в 09:17

We drove into the suburbs, into a block of warehouses and workshops.

Camrad_RIP 21.04.23 в 09:17

"There! Our illiquidity."

Camrad_RIP 21.04.23 в 09:18

The dusty shed was densely packed with five units representing small trucks, limousines with abnormally elongated bonnets, and even a minibus.

Camrad_RIP 21.04.23 в 09:17

"What's the catch? Why weren't they bought?"

Camrad_RIP 21.04.23 в 09:18

"I'll start it up, and you'll see." The salesman went in search of fuel oil.

Camrad_RIP 21.04.23 в 09:21

I stayed to look around the collection. All the cars were a bit big against the usual, and at least three of them had a high enough ride to fit the definition of an off-road vehicle. Oil was cheaper than spirit and more widespread, meaning there would be no problems with refueling. In a corner, covered by a dusty tarpaulin, was another smaller unit looming in the corner. The thing reeked strongly of black magic.

Camrad_RIP 21.04.23 в 09:22

"Oh, that!" A salesman stealthily approached. "A perfect monster. Check it."

Camrad_RIP 21.04.23 в 09:23

I pulled down the tarp. There was a motorbike underneath, so big it made my jaw drop.

Camrad_RIP 21.04.23 в 09:23

"A dead end, and it's a pity." The salesman shook his head in sincere chagrin. "It's not even the size of it. The engine works by means of black magic. One single malfunction and it would be cheaper to throw it away than to repair it. You know how much black magic costs!"

Camrad_RIP 21.04.23 в 09:25