Chapter 458: Returning Still a Youth

"I am a failure. 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 wasn't high, and I was alone in the city, searching for a future.

"I found 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 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 and endure the abnormally cold winter wind.

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

"The hospital at night was colder than I imagined. The corridor wall lamps weren't lit, and it was dim everywhere. I could only rely on the faint light seeping out from the rooms to help me see my feet.

"The smell there was terrible. From time to time, the deceased would be stuffed into body bags and sent over, 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 wants to come to the morgue unless there are bodies that need to be sent over or transported for cremation. Of course, I didn't have enough money to buy books yet, and currently, I couldn't see any hope of saving money.

"I have to thank my predecessor. 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 movers sent over 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, looking very frightening 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 leaving him a scrap of cloth.

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"I saw a strange mark on his chest, blue-black. I couldn't describe the specific shape; the light at the time was truly too dim.

"I reached out and touched that mark; there was nothing special.

"Looking at this former colleague, I wondered, if I keep going like this, when I get old, will I be the same as 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 things wouldn't find it troublesome and just throw them in some 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 pushed it back into the cabinet.

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

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

"I have a premonition that something will happen soon, a premonition that sooner or later, something that I don't know if it can be called human will come looking for me. But no one is willing to believe me, thinking that in such an environment and such a job, my mind has become abnormal and I need to see a doctor..."

A male guest sitting at the bar looked at the narrator 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 there was a simple dark bowler hat beside his hand.

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

And the narrator 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, which could make people'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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"And then I quit my job and returned to the countryside, coming here to brag to you."

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

That male guest was stunned for a moment:

"Was what you just told bragging?"

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

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

"Outsider, you actually believed Lumian's story. What he says 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 guard!"

"Right, talking about thirty years on the east side of the Serenzo River, thirty years on the right side of the Serenzo River, only knowing how to babble nonsense!" another tavern regular followed up.

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

The black-haired young man called Lumian supported the bar with both hands, slowly stood up, 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 to the side, spread his hands toward the outsider, and smiled brightly:

"It seems she writes really well.

"Sorry for the misunderstanding."

The man in the brown tweed jacket with ordinary features didn't get 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 Leah."

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

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

He looked quite indifferent and didn't look much at the surrounding farmers and herdsmen.

The woman looked younger than the two men. Her light gray long hair was tied into a complex bun, wrapped in a white veil acting as a hat.

Her eyes were the same color as her hair, and she looked at Lu Cai Mian with undisguised amusement, seemingly finding what had just happened merely interesting.

Under the illumination of the tavern's gas wall lamp, this woman named Leah revealed a pretty nose and beautifully curved lips. In a countryside like Cordu village, she could definitely be called a beauty.

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

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

Lumian nodded to the three outsiders:

"My name is Lumian Lee. You can call me Lumian directly."

"Lee?" Leah blurted out.

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

Ryan Cos explained for Leah:

"This surname of yours makes people afraid. I almost couldn't control my voice just now."

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

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

"I would rather encounter those pirate generals or even kings than meet a person 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 there is such a legend, it certainly won't be bad."

He ended the 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 wasn't polite at all and sat back down.

Ryan Cos frowned slightly and said:

"'Green Fairy'... Absinthe?

"I think I need to remind you that absinthe is harmful to the human body. This kind of alcohol may cause mental confusion and make you have hallucinations."

"I didn't expect the fashion trend in Trier to have spread here." Leah, who was beside him, added with a smile.

Lumian said "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 can make our minds get 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" was a famous fruit shochu.

"Why don't you give me a glass of 'Green Fairy' too? I was the one who told you the truth just now, and I can 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 dissatisfiedly, "Outsider, I can tell that you are still suspicious of whether that story is true or false!"

"Pierre, in order to drink a free glass of wine, you really can do anything!" Lumian shouted back.

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

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

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

"Alright." Lumian shrugged, watching the bartender push a glass of pale green alcohol in front of him.

Ryan looked at him and asked for his opinion:

"Is it 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 full of smiles:

"Generous outsider, this kid is the person who loves pranks the most in the village. You must stay away from him.

"Five years ago, he was brought back to the village by his sister Aurore and has never left since. Think about it, before that, he was only thirteen years old. How could he possibly go to the hospital to be a morgue guard? Hmm, the hospital closest to us is in Daliege at the foot of the mountain, which takes a whole afternoon to walk to."

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

She tilted her head slightly, bringing out a jingling sound.

Pierre nodded:

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

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

It seemed that he wasn't inferior or ashamed at all that his past was exposed like this. ===== CHAPTER 459 =====