Chapter 632

This was the second time Dorothy had used the "Gate of the Netherworld".

It was just like the first time she used it; the spellcasting process this time was still very easy and smooth, as slick as eating Dove chocolate.

"Tsk, it really is just like a magic spell I created myself. My dear sister is really familiar with my wind..."

"I am a failure. I hardly pay attention to whether the sun is shining or not, because I don't have the time.

"My parents couldn't provide me with support, my education isn't high, and I am alone in the city searching for a future.

"I looked for many jobs, but I couldn't get hired. Perhaps no one likes someone who isn't good at speaking, doesn't like to communicate, and hasn't shown sufficient ability.

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"I only ate two loaves of bread in three whole days. Hunger made it impossible for me to sleep at night. Fortunately, I had paid a month's rent in advance, so I could continue to live in that dark basement without having to go outside to endure the abnormally cold winter wind.

"Finally, I found a job: working the night shift at a hospital, guarding the morgue.

"The nights at the hospital were colder than I imagined. The wall lamps in the hallway weren't lit, and it was dim everywhere. I could only rely on the little bit of light seeping out from the rooms to help me see my feet.

"The smell there was very unpleasant. From time to time, the deceased would be sent over stuffed in body bags, and we would cooperate to help move them into the morgue.

"This wasn't a very good job, but at least it allowed me to afford bread. The free time at night could also be used for studying. After all, no one is willing to come to the morgue unless there are bodies that need to be delivered or transported for cremation. Of course, I didn't have enough money to buy books yet, and currently, I see no hope of saving money.

"I have to thank my former colleague. If he hadn't suddenly quit, I might not have even been able to get a job like this.

"I dreamed of being able to rotate to the day shift. Now, I always sleep when the sun comes out and wake up after night falls, which has made my body a bit weak, and my head occasionally throbs with pain.

"One day, the porter delivered a new body.

"I heard from others that this was my former colleague who had suddenly quit.

"I was a bit curious about him. After everyone left, I pulled out the cabinet and quietly opened the body bag.

"He was an old man, his face blue and white, covered in wrinkles, and he looked very frightening in the very dim light.

"He didn't have much hair, most of it was white, and all his clothes had been stripped off, not even leaving him a scrap of fabric.

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"I saw a strange mark on his chest, blue-black in color. I can't describe the exact shape; the light at the time was just too dim.

"I reached out and touched the mark, but there was nothing special.

"Looking at this former colleague, I wondered if I continued like this, when I got old, would I end up like him...

"I told him that tomorrow I would accompany him to the crematorium and personally take his ashes to the nearest free cemetery, so those responsible for these things wouldn't find it troublesome and just throw them in some river or wasteland.

"This would sacrifice a morning of my sleep, but fortunately, it would be Sunday soon, so I could make up for it.

"After saying that, I fixed the body bag and pushed it back into the cabinet.

"The light in the room seemed even dimmer...

"After that day, every time I slept, I always dreamed of a thick fog.

"I had a premonition that something would happen soon, a premonition that sooner or later something that I didn't know if I could call human would come looking for me. But no one was willing to believe me; they felt that in such an environment and such a job, my mind had become abnormal and I needed to see a doctor..."

A male guest sitting at the bar looked at the storyteller who had suddenly stopped:

"And then?"

This male guest was in his thirties, wearing a brown tweed jacket and light yellow trousers. His hair was pressed very flat, and he had a simple, dark-colored bowler hat at his side.

He looked ordinary, just like most people in the tavern: black hair, light blue eyes, not handsome, not ugly, lacking any obvious features.

And the storyteller in his eyes was a young man of eighteen or nineteen, with a tall, straight figure and slender limbs. He also had short black hair and light blue eyes, but his features were deep and striking, enough to make one's eyes light up.

The young man looked at the empty glass in front of him and sighed:

"And then?

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"Then I quit my job, returned to the countryside, and came here to brag to you."

As he spoke, a smile appeared on his face, a smile with a hint of mischief.

The male guest was stunned for a moment:

"What you just told was bragging?"

"Haha." A burst of laughter erupted around the bar.

As the laughter subsided slightly, a thin, middle-aged man looked at the slightly embarrassed guest and said:

"Outsider, you actually believed Lu Mian's story? What he tells is different every day. Yesterday he was a poor wretch whose engagement was broken off by his fiancée because of poverty, and today he's become a mortuary attendant!"

"Right, saying something about thirty years on the east side of the Sailunzuohe River, thirty years on the right side of the Sailunzuohe River, just babbling nonsense!" another tavern regular followed up.

They were all farmers from this large village of Kordu, wearing short jackets that were black, gray, or brown.

The black-haired young man called Lu Mian leaned on the bar with both hands, stood up slowly, and said with a smile:

"You know, this isn't a story I made up; it was all written by my sister. She loves writing stories the most and is even a columnist for some 'Novel Weekly'."

After speaking, he turned his body, spread his hands toward the outsider, and smiled brilliantly:

"It seems she writes really well.

"I'm sorry for misleading you."

The man in the brown tweed jacket, who looked ordinary, wasn't angry. He stood up as well and responded with a smile:

"A very interesting story.

"What should I call you?"

"Isn't it common sense to introduce yourself before asking others?" Lu Mian laughed.

The guest from out of town nodded:

"My name is Ryan Cos.

"These two are my companions, Valentine and Liya."

The latter sentence referred to the man and woman sitting right next to him.

The man was twenty-seven or twenty-eight, with a bit of powder on his yellow hair. His eyes, which weren't very large, had a color a bit deeper than lake blue. He was wearing a white waistcoat, a blue fine-wool coat, and black trousers, and had clearly dressed up carefully before going out.

His expression was quite cold, and he didn't look much at the surrounding farmers and herdsmen.

The woman looked younger than the two men, with a head of light gray long hair tied into a complex bun, wrapped in a white veil that served as a hat.

Her eyes were the same color as her hair, and the look she directed at Lu Mian carried undisguised amusement; she seemed to find what had just happened merely interesting.

Under the tavern's gas wall lamp, this woman named Liya revealed a pretty nose and beautifully curved lips; in a countryside village like Kordu, she could definitely be called a beauty.

She was wearing a white, unpleated cashmere tight-fitting dress, paired with a beige little jacket and a pair of Ma Xier long boots. There were also two small silver bells tied to her veil and boots respectively. When she walked into the tavern just now, she tinkled all the way, which was very eye-catching and made many men stare straight at her.

In their eyes, this must be the kind of fashionable attire only found in big cities like the provincial capital Bigeer or the capital Trier.

Lu Mian nodded to the three outsiders:

"My name is Lu Mian Li. You can just call me Lu Mian."

"Li?" Liya blurted out.

"What's wrong? Is there a problem with my surname?" Lu Mian asked curiously.

Ryan Cos helped Liya explain:

"This surname of yours is terrifying. I almost couldn't control my voice just now."

Seeing the surrounding farmers and herdsmen looking puzzled, he explained further:

"Those who have had contact with sailors and sea merchants all know that there is a saying circulating on the Five Seas:

"I would rather encounter those pirate generals or even kings than run into a person named Frank Li.

"That person's surname is also Li."

"Is he very scary?" Lu Mian asked.

Ryan shook his head:

"I'm not sure, but since there is such a legend, it certainly won't be bad."

He ended the topic and said to Lu Mian:

"Thank you for your story. It's worth a drink. What would you like?"

"A 'Green Fairy'." Lu Mian didn't stand on ceremony at all and sat back down.

Ryan Cos frowned slightly and said:

"'Green Fairy'... Absinthe?

"I think I need to warn you: absinthe is harmful to the human body. This kind of liquor can lead to mental confusion and cause you to have hallucinations."

"I didn't expect the fashion trends of Trier to have already spread here," Liya, sitting beside him, added with a smile.

Lu Mian gave an "oh":

"So people in Trier also like to drink 'Green Fairy'...

"For us, life is already hard enough; there's no need to care about a little more harm. This kind of liquor allows our minds to achieve greater relaxation."

"Alright." Ryan sat back in his seat and looked at the bartender, "A 'Green Fairy', and add a 'Spicy Heart' for me."

"Spicy Heart" is a famous fruit brandy.

"Why not get me a 'Green Fairy' too? I was the one who told you the truth just now, and I can tell you the whole story about this kid!" The thin, middle-aged man who first exposed Lu Mian for telling stories every day shouted with dissatisfaction, "Outsiders, I can tell that you still have doubts about the truth of that story!"

"Pierre, you really will do anything for a free drink!" Lu Mian responded loudly.

Without waiting for Ryan to make a decision, Lu Mian added:

"Why can't I tell it myself? That way I could have another 'Green Fairy'."

"Because they don't know whether to believe the situation you described," the middle-aged man named Pierre laughed triumphantly. "The story your sister loves to tell the children most is 'The Boy Who Cried Wolf'. People who always lie inevitably lose their credibility."

"Alright." Lu Mian shrugged, watching the bartender push a glass of pale green liquor toward him.

Ryan looked at him and asked:

"Is this okay?"

"No problem, as long as your wallet is enough to pay for these drinks." Lu Mian didn't care at all.

"Then another 'Green Fairy'." Ryan nodded.

Pierre was suddenly all smiles:

"Generous outsider, this kid is the biggest prankster in the village. You must stay away from him.

"Five years ago, he was brought back to the village by his sister Aurore and hasn't left since. Think about it: before that, he was only thirteen. How could he possibly have gone to a hospital to be a mortuary attendant? Hmm, the closest hospital to us is in Daliege at the foot of the mountain, which takes a whole afternoon to walk to."

"Brought back to the village?" Liya asked keenly.

She tilted her head slightly, producing a tinkling sound.

Pierre nodded:

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"Then, he took Aurore's surname 'Li', and even the name 'Lu Mian' was chosen by Aurore."

"I've forgotten what I was originally called." Lu Mian took a sip of absinthe and said with a grin.

It seemed that he felt no inferiority or shame at all about his past being exposed like this.