In this chapter, we learn that the "brothers of the mouth" never abandon a foreigner in danger. The robot tells us that he's been able to repair himself a couple of times, but he can't feel his fingertips anymore. He's afraid that if he does, he'll have to lose his memory. He says that he can do it many times as well as he likes, but that it'll take him a long time to remember what he did. The brothers are "spiteful and cruel" , he says, and they're going to make his life miserable. He tells her that he has a rare piece of art that he wants to sell to a friend, and that the friend is writing a book about him. He promises not to sell it until the book is finished, and he says that's why he gave up arms-trafficking. He asks if he can join him for a walk, and the friend says that it is time for the lake to "storm" . He wants to know why he needs a weapon now, since the minute eater is eating his egg. The narrator says that the lake used to be a place where nomads lived in bad weather, but now it's turning into a place of animalies. He wonders how long it will take for the mailman to get there, since he doesn't want to wait in the street. He also wonders if he could have a tric-trac transfer on his delivery bicycle, so that he could deliver all of his packages between days.