"Robert Weinberg - Logical Magician 01 - A Logical Magician" - читать интересную книгу автора (Weinberg Robert)

contact lenses. The thought of anything resting on his eyeball made him queasy. "Uh, I'll
pass on those," he said, raising his hands in protest.
"Nonsense," said Merlin, weaving his fingers past Jack's limbs. The lens touched
Jack's left eye and vanished. The same happened with the right, "I told you. These are
magical. You won't feel a thing."
The magician spoke the truth. Jack's eyes felt unchanged. Only now, he viewed the
world tinted lightly pink.
"Look at me," commanded Merlin. "Do you see an aura around my body?"
"No," answered Jack, frowning. "Should I?"
"Look at your hands," replied Merlin, "and then answer your own question."
Jack recoiled in surprise. His arms, his legs, his entire form glowed with a faint
golden radiance.
"The rose-colored contact lenses extend your vision into the supernatural spectrum.
All humans possess an aura. Supernatural beings do not." Merlin sighed. "I suspect it
reflects on that intangible essence called the soul ."
"You still haven't answered..." Jack started to say, but Merlin ignored him. Instead,
the magician reached back into his desk drawer. This time, he pulled out a thin plastic
card. With a flick of the wrist, he tossed it to Jack.
"Sign it on the back," the magician instructed. He twirled his fingers, and a pen
materialized on the desk top. Writing on the casing of the ball point identified it as a free
souvenir from a local hotel.
Jack examined the plastic rectangle. Bright gold in color, it appeared the same as
an ordinary credit card except for the name. UNIVERSAL CHARGE CARD, proclaimed
the logo.
"What is this thing?" he asked, as he wrote in his name. "There's no bank name on
here."
"Nor is one needed," said Merlin. "It works by magic, much in the same fashion as
the never-emptying purse of folk tales. You use it the same way as an ordinary charge
card. Buy whatever you need on credit. The card is universally accepted by any store that
accepts charges. It even works in cash machines. And, there's no upper expense limit."
Jack stared at the rectangle suspiciously. "Yeah. But who pays the bill?"
"Round-off charges discharge the debt," said Merlin glibly. "With interest on billing
errors, clerical mistakes and overdue refunds filling in the difference. Taken separately,
they amount to a mere pittance. Combine the tens of millions of transactions negotiated
each month, and this floating pool of resources amounts to a fortune. Don't worry about
cheating anyone. They all get paid."
Jack sighed. The magician's explanation sounded too smooth. He came across like
a used car salesman, eager to make a deal. The bottom line was what worried Jack.
"Can we get back to the part about the rising forces of darkness?" asked Jack.
"And humanity's champion?"
"Of course," said Merlin. "That's why I hired you."
Jack groaned in exasperation. "Why did you hire me?"
"Because you answered the advertisement," replied Merlin, his tone benign, as if
speaking to a foolish child. He paused. "It was laced with spells to attract the proper
individual."
Seeing the bewildered expression on Jack's face, the magician smiled. "Perhaps I
should explain things from the beginning."
"What a novel idea," said Jack.
Merlin stood up and walked over to the huge windows. "Businessmen pay me to
predict industry and stock market trends. While I carefully avoid being too accurate, I still