Chapter 2397: Project Initiation, Synthetic Substances

In the following few days, Xia Duo persuaded his classmates to use the spare time originally intended for previewing lessons or extension exercises to work on independent projects.

However, after he submitted his project regarding the Material Node Mythallar, he never received a reply, which made him feel somewhat anxious, but after asking Tutor Tuto...

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

"My parents couldn't provide me with support, my educational background 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 enough ability.

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"I went 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 to 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 were not lit, and it was dim everywhere, relying only on the tiny bit of light seeping out from the rooms to help me see my feet.

"The smell there was terrible; from time to time, the deceased were 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, and the free time at night could be used for studying. After all, not many people are willing to come to the morgue unless there are corpses that need to be delivered or transported away 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 it weren't for his sudden resignation, 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 resigned.

"I was a bit curious about him, so 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, looking 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, as the light at the time was truly 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 grow 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 will sacrifice one morning of my sleep, but fortunately, it will be Sunday soon, so I can make it up.

"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 soon, a premonition that sooner or later something that I don't know if I can call human would come looking for me, but no one was willing to believe me, thinking 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 in front of 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 pressed very flat, and beside his hand was a simple dark bowler hat.

He looked ordinary, just like most people in the tavern, with black hair and light blue eyes; he was neither handsome nor 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, also with short black hair and light blue eyes, but with deep-set features that could make one's eyes light up.

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

"And then?

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"Then I quit my job, went back 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.

That male guest was stunned for a moment:

"Everything you just said was bragging?"

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

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

"Outsider, you actually believed Lumian's story? What he tells every day is different; yesterday he was still a loser whose engagement was broken by his fiancée because of poverty, and today he has become a morgue keeper!"

"Right, talking about thirty years on the east side of the Sarenzo River, thirty years on the right side of the Sarenzo River, just babbling 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 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 'Novel Weekly'."

After finishing, he turned his body to the side, spread his hands toward the guest from out of town, and smiled brilliantly:

"It seems she writes really well.

"Sorry for the misunderstanding."

The man in the brown tweed jacket with the ordinary appearance was not 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 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 a bit of powder, his eyes, which were not large, having a color a bit deeper than lake blue; he wore a white vest, a blue fine-wool coat, and black trousers, and had clearly been meticulously dressed before going out.

He looked quite cold and didn't pay much attention to the surrounding farmers and herdsmen.

The woman looked younger than the two men, her light gray 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 gaze she directed at Lumian carried undisguised amusement, as if she found what had just happened merely interesting.

Under the glow of the tavern's gas wall lamp, this woman named Liya revealed a dainty nose and beautifully curved lips, making her an absolute beauty in a countryside place like Kordu.

She wore a white, unpleated cashmere tight-fitting dress, paired with an off-white jacket and a pair of Marsil boots; two small silver bells were tied to her veil and boots respectively, and as she walked into the tavern just now, they 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:

"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:

"Anyone who has had contact with sailors or maritime merchants knows 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 very scary?" Lumian asked.

Ryan shook his head:

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

He ended this topic and said to Lumian:

"Thank you for your story, it's worth 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 that wormwood is harmful to the human body, and this kind of alcohol 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 added from the side with a smile.

Lumian 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 alcohol allows our spirits to achieve greater relaxation."

"Alright." 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 shochu.

"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 situation of this kid exactly as it is!" the thin middle-aged man who first exposed that Lumian told stories every day shouted with dissatisfaction, "Strangers, I can tell that you still have doubts about the truth of that story!"

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

Without waiting for Ryan to make a decision, Lumian added:

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

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

"Fine." Lumian shrugged his shoulders, watching the bartender push a glass of pale green liquid in front of 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 go to a hospital to be a corpse guard? Hmm, the nearest hospital to us is in Daliez 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 Elf sound.

Pierre nodded:

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"Then, he took Aurore's 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 that he was not at all inferior or ashamed that his past had been exposed like this.