Chapter 2393: Squeezing into the Mainstream

Chixin University, Qiuzhiguangchang.

Xia Duo appeared abruptly on one side of the square; all 24 of his classmates were present, and at this moment, each of them wore an expression of annoyance.

"Is time up? We were so close!"

"Yeah, just a little more and we could have seized the Mythallar Permission!..."

"I am a loser, and I barely pay attention to whether the sun is shining or not, because I have no time."

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

"I looked for many jobs, but I wasn't hired for any of them; perhaps no one likes someone who isn't good at speaking, doesn't like to communicate, and hasn't demonstrated enough ability."

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

"Finally, I found a job, keeping watch at the Hospital, keeping watch over the morgue."

"The nights at the Hospital were colder than I imagined. The wall lamps in the corridor 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, not many people are willing to come to the morgue unless there are bodies that need to be delivered or transported away for cremation. Of course, I didn't have enough money to buy books yet, and for now, I couldn't see any 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 porters delivered a new corpse."

"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 terrifying under 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 a scrap of fabric was left for him."

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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 that mark; there was nothing special about it."

"Looking at this former colleague, I wondered, if I keep going like this, when I get old, will 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 that those responsible for these matters wouldn't find it troublesome and just throw them in some random 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 shoved it back into the cabinet."

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

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

"I had a premonition that something would happen before long, 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 with such a job, my mind had become abnormal and I needed to see a Doctor..."

A male guest sitting at the bar looked toward 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 combed very flat, with a simple dark bowler hat at his side.

He looked ordinary, just like most people in the tavern: black hair, light blue eyes, not good-looking, nor ugly, lacking any obvious features.

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

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

"And then?

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"Then I quit and went back to the countryside to come here and brag to you."

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

That male guest was stunned for a moment:

"Everything you just told was bragging?"

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

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

"Outsider, you actually believed Lumian's stories? What he tells is different every day. Yesterday he was a poor wretch whose engagement was broken off by his fiancée, and today he's become a corpse keeper!"

"Right, talking about thirty years on the east side of the Sarenzo River, thirty years on the right side of the Sarenzo River—he only knows how to babble nonsense!" another tavern regular added.

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

The black-haired young man called Lumian braced his hands on the bar, 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 'Novel Weekly'."

After saying this, he turned his body, spread his hands toward the guest from out of town, and smiled brightly:

"It seems she writes really well.

"I'm sorry for misleading you."

The man in the brown tweed jacket with the ordinary appearance wasn't angry; he stood up as well and responded with a smile:

"A very interesting story.

"How should I address you?"

"Isn't it common sense to introduce yourself before asking about others?" Lumian 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, his yellow hair dusted with powder, his eyes—not particularly large—a shade deeper than the blue of a lake; he wore a white waistcoat, a blue fine-wool coat, and black trousers, clearly having groomed himself meticulously before heading out.

His expression was quite indifferent, and he did not pay much attention to the farmers and herdsmen around him.

The woman appeared younger than the two men, her light gray hair tied into an intricate bun, wrapped in a white veil that served as a hat.

Her eyes were the same color as her hair, and the gaze she directed at Lumian carried undisguised amusement, as if she found what had just happened merely interesting.

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

She wore a white, unpleated cashmere dress, paired with a cream-colored jacket and a pair of Marsil boots; two small silver bells were tied to her veil and boots respectively, and as she had walked into the tavern, they had jingled all the way, attracting much attention and causing many men to stare blankly.

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

Lumian nodded at the three strangers:

"My name is Lumian Lee, you can just call me Lumian."

"Lee?" Liya blurted out.

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

Ryan Cos helped Liya explain:

"Your surname 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 maritime merchants all know that there is a saying circulating on the Five Seas:

"Better to encounter those pirate generals or even kings than to run into a man named Frank Lee.

"That person's surname is also Lee."

"Is he that scary?" Lumian asked.

Ryan shook his head:

"I'm not sure, but since such a legend exists, it certainly can't be wrong."

He cut off the topic and said to Lumian:

"Thanks for your story; it deserves a drink. What would you like?"

"A glass of 'Green Fairy'." Lumian was not at all polite and sat back down.

Ryan Cos frowned slightly and said:

"'Green Fairy'... Absinthe?

"I think I need to remind you: absinthe is harmful to the human body; this kind of liquor can lead to mental derangement and cause you to have hallucinations."

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

Lumian let out 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."

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

"Spicy Heart" is a famous fruit schnapps.

"Why not get me a glass of 'Green Fairy' too? I was the one who told you the truth just now, and I can even tell you the ins and outs of this kid's situation!" the thin, middle-aged man who had first exposed Lumian for telling stories every day shouted with dissatisfaction, "Strangers, I can tell that you still have doubts about the truth of that story!"

"Pierre, you really will do anything for a free drink!" Lumian shouted back.

Before Ryan could make a decision, Lumian added:

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

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

"Fine." Lumian shrugged his shoulders, watching the bartender push a glass of pale green liquid toward him.

Ryan looked at him, asking for confirmation:

"Is this okay?"

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

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

Pierre was suddenly all smiles:

"Generous strangers, 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 the hospital to work as a corpse guard? Hmm, the nearest hospital to us is in Daliez down the mountain, which takes a whole afternoon to walk to."

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

She tilted her head slightly, producing a Elf sound.

Pierre nodded:

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"Then, he followed Aurore and took the surname 'Lee', and even the name 'Lumian' was chosen by Aurore."

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

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