Chapter 485: The Bottom Line

Yi Yi Zhonghai shook his head slightly to indicate he wanted no compensation from the factory, instead pointing a finger at Li Li Xuewu.

Li Li Xuewu raised an eyebrow, stood up, and walked over to the First Elder.

The First Elder's voice was somewhat hoarse and short of breath, yet his words remained clear.

"Do not... pursue... the old..."

"I am a failure, paying little attention to whether the sunshine is brilliant or not, for I have no time.

"My parents could not support me, my education is not high, and I wander alone in the city seeking a future.

"I applied for many jobs but was never hired; perhaps no one likes someone who is bad at speaking, dislikes socializing, and has not demonstrated sufficient ability.

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"I went three full days eating only two loaves of bread; hunger kept me awake at night, yet fortunately, I had prepaid a month's rent, allowing me to stay in that dark basement rather than face the abnormally cold winter winds outside.

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

"The hospital nights were colder than I imagined; the corridor wall lamps were unlit, everything was dim, and I could only rely on the sliver of light seeping from the rooms to see where I stepped.

"The smell there was terrible; from time to time, the dead were stuffed into body bags and delivered, and we assisted in moving them into the morgue.

"It was not a good job, but at least it allowed me to afford bread, and I could use the idle night hours to study, since few people willingly come to the morgue unless a corpse needs delivering or transporting for cremation; of course, I still lacked enough money to buy books and saw no hope of saving any.

"I must thank my former colleague; had he not suddenly resigned, I might not have obtained even such a job.

"I dreamed of rotating to day shifts, but now I sleep when the sun rises and wake when night falls, making my body somewhat 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.

"Curious about him, after everyone else had left, I pulled out the drawer and quietly opened the body bag.

"He was an old man, his face greenish-white and covered in wrinkles, looking terrifying under the very dim light.

"He had little hair, mostly white, and all his clothes had been stripped away, not even a scrap of fabric left on him.

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"I saw a strange mark on his chest, greenish-black in color; I could not describe its exact appearance, for the lighting was truly too dim.

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

"Looking at this former colleague, I wondered: if I continue like this, when I grow old, will I end up just 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 such matters, finding it troublesome, would not simply toss him into some river or wasteland.

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

"After saying those words, I secured the body bag and shoved it back into the drawer.

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

"Since that day, every time I sleep, I dream of a vast fog.

"I foresee that soon something will happen, that sooner or later some things—which I cannot even call human—will come for me, yet no one is willing to believe me, thinking that in such an environment and such a job, my mind has become abnormal and that I need to see a doctor..."

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

"And then?"

This male patron was in his thirties, wearing a brown tweed jacket and pale yellow trousers, his hair pressed very flat, with a crude dark bowler hat beside his hand.

He looked utterly ordinary, like most people in the tavern: black hair, light blue eyes, neither handsome nor ugly, lacking any distinct features.

Whereas the storyteller in his eyes was a young man of eighteen or nineteen, tall and straight-limbed with slender limbs, also with short black hair and light blue eyes, yet possessing sharp, striking features that made one's eyes light up.

This young man gazed at the empty wine glass before him, sighed, and said:

"And then?

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"Then I resigned, returned to the countryside, and came here to spin yarns with you."

As he spoke, a smile spread across his face, a smile tinged with mischief.

The male patron paused in surprise:

"Were all those things you just told merely tall tales?"

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

As the laughter subsided slightly, a gaunt middle-aged man looked at the somewhat embarrassed patron and said:

"Outsider, you actually believed Lu Lu Mian's story; what he tells changes every day—yesterday he was an unlucky fellow whose fiancée broke off their engagement due to poverty, and today he has become a corpse guardian!"

"Exactly, talking about thirty years east of the Sailunzuohe and thirty years west of the Sailunzuohe, just spouting nonsense!" another tavern regular added.

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

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

"As you know, I did not make up this story; my sister wrote it. She loves writing stories most of all and is even a columnist for the 'Weekly Fiction Gazette'."

Having said this, he turned sideways, spread his hands toward the outsider guest, and smiled brightly:

"It seems she writes quite well.

"Apologies for the misunderstanding."

The man in the brown tweed jacket, ordinary in appearance, did not get angry; he stood up as well and replied with a smile:

"A very interesting story.

"How should I address you?"

"Is it not common sense to introduce oneself before asking others?" Lu Lu Mian laughed.

The guest from out of town nodded:

"My name is Ryan Cos.

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

The latter remark referred to the man and woman sitting right beside him.

The man was in his late twenties, his yellow hair dusted with powder, his not-large eyes a shade deeper than lake-blue; he wore a white vest, a blue fine-wool coat, and black trousers, clearly having taken great pains with his appearance before heading out.

His expression was quite cold, and he barely glanced at the farmers and herders around him.

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

Her eyes matched her hair in color, and the look she cast upon Lu Lu Mian carried an unmasked amusement, as if she found what had just occurred merely interesting.

Under the glow of the tavern's gas wall-lamps, this woman named Zhao Zhao Yamin revealed a straight, pretty nose and lips of beautiful curve; in a countryside place like Cordu Village, she could absolutely be called a beauty.

She wore a tight, unpleated white cashmere dress, paired with an off-white small jacket and a pair of Maxill long boots; two tiny silver bells were tied respectively to her veil and her boots, so that when she had walked into the tavern earlier, they had jingled all the way, drawing considerable attention and causing many men to stare straight ahead, transfixed.

In their eyes, this was the sort of fashionable attire one would only see in big cities like the provincial capital Bigor or the national capital Trier.

Lu Lu Mian nodded to the three outsiders:

"My name is Lu Lu Mian Lee; you can just call me Lu Lu Mian."

"Lee?" Zhao Zhao Yamin blurted out.

"What's wrong? Is there something odd about my surname?" Lu Lu Mian asked curiously.

Ryan Cost helped explain to Zhao Zhao Yamin:

"That surname inspires fear; just now, I nearly lost control of my voice."

Seeing the farmers and herders around them looking utterly baffled, he explained further:

"Anyone who has dealt with sailors or sea merchants knows that such a saying circulates above the Five Seas:

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

"That person's surname is also Lee."

"Is he very terrifying?" Lu Lu Mian asked.

Ryan shook his head:

"I'm not clear, but since such a legend exists, he certainly cannot be insignificant."

He cut off the topic and said to Lu Lu Mian:

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

"A 'Green Fairy.'" Lu Lu Mian, not in the least polite, sat back down.

Ryan Cost frowned slightly and said:

"'Green Fairy'... absinthe?

"I think I need to remind you that absinthe is harmful to the human body; this liquor can cause mental derangement and make you hallucinate."

"I didn't expect Trier's fashionable trends had already spread here," Zhao Zhao Yamin added with a smile from the side.

Lu Lu Mian let out an "Oh":

"So people in Trier also like drinking 'Green Fairy'...

"For us, life is already hard enough; there's no need to worry about a little extra harm. This liquor allows our spirits to relax even more."

"Very well." Ryan sat back in his seat, looked toward the bartender, and said, "One 'Green Fairy,' and add for me a 'Spicy Heartburn.'"

"Spicy Heartburn" was a famous fruit brandy.

"Why not get me a 'Green Fairy' too? I was the one who told you the truth just now; I can also lay out this kid's situation exactly as it is!" the gaunt middle-aged man who had first exposed Lu Lu Mian's daily storytelling shouted discontentedly. "Outsiders, I can tell you still harbor doubts about the truth or falsehood of that story!"

"Pierre, to get a free drink, you're willing to do anything!" Lu Lu Mian called back loudly.

Before Ryan could make a decision, Lu Lu Mian added:

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

"Because they wouldn't know whether to believe what you say," the middle-aged man named Pierre said with a smug smile. "Your sister's favorite story to tell children is 'The Boy Who Cried Wolf'; a person who always lies inevitably loses credibility."

"Fine." Lu Lu Mian shrugged his shoulders as he watched the bartender push a glass of pale-green liquor before him.

Ryan looked at him and asked for confirmation:

"Is that acceptable?"

"No problem, as long as your purse is sufficient to pay for all these drinks," Lu Lu Mian said, completely unconcerned.

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

Pierre's face immediately broke into a broad smile:

"Generous outsiders, this kid is the village's greatest prankster; you must keep your distance from him.

"Five years ago, he was brought back to the village by his sister, Auror, and has never left since. Think about it: before that, he was only thirteen; how could he possibly have worked as a corpse guardian in a hospital? Hmm, the nearest hospital to us is in Dareix down the mountain, a whole afternoon's walk away."

"Brought back to the village?" Zhao Zhao Yamin asked sharply.

She tilted her head slightly, producing a jingling sound.

Pierre nodded:

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"After that, he took his sister Auror's surname, 'Lee,' and even the name 'Lu Lu Mian' was given by Auror."

"I've forgotten what my original name was," Lu Lu Mian said with a grin after taking a sip of absinthe.

It seemed he felt not the slightest inferiority or shame at having his past exposed in this manner.