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‘You’ve lightened e, Tehol’

Tehol paused, hands on hips, and surveyed the crowded square ‘The city thrives’

‘No change there… exceptin’ the last ti, as far as currents go’

‘Not to hear Biri talk of it He still wants your head salted and in a barrel rolling out to sea’

‘Biri always did run in place’

Chalas grunted ‘It’s been weeks since you last came down Special occasion?’

‘I have a date with three wolanced down and studied the battered weapon ‘I wouldn’t want to leave you defenceless’

‘It’s my face scares ’em away Exceptin’ those Nerek Got pastyou trouble?’

‘No The rat count’s way down, in fact But you know Biri’

‘Better than he knows hiiving them trouble’

‘I will’

Tehol set out, winding through the seething press in the square The Down Markets opened out onto it from three sides; a more decrepit collection of useless iteht in a frenzy, day after blessed day Our civilization thrives on stupidityAnd it only took a sliver of cleverness to tap that idiot vein and drink deep of the riches Corim truths