Chapter 394

By the afternoon, the entire film crew had already gathered in a small underground bar.

In order to reflect the liveliness of the bar, Ito Shuichi Itou also invited many local young people to act as extras.

Mieko Harada, who had come to the set for the first time, took her agent's car directly...

"I am a loser; I hardly ever notice whether the sun is shining or not, because I don't have the time.

"My parents couldn't provide me with any 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 pieces 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 to live in that dark basement without having to go outside and 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, and I could use the free time at night to study. After all, no one is 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 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 porter delivered a new body.

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

"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; he looked very frightening in the extremely 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 its exact appearance; the light at the time was truly too dim.

"I reached out and touched that mark, but 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 bring 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 random river or wasteland.

"This will sacrifice a morning of my sleep, but fortunately, it's Sunday soon, so I can make up for it.

"After saying that, I fixed the body bag and stuffed 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 I can call human will come looking for me. But no one is willing to believe me; they think 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 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, with a simple dark bowler hat by his side.

He looked ordinary, just like most people in the tavern: black hair, light blue eyes, not good-looking, but 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, 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:

"Was what you just told me 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 Lu Mian's story? He tells a different one every day. Yesterday, he was a loser whose engagement was broken by his fiancée because of poverty, and today he's become a morgue attendant!"

"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 talk nonsense!" another tavern regular followed up.

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

The black-haired young man called Lu Mian propped himself up 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 saying this, he turned his body, spread his hands toward the outsider, and smiled brilliantly:

"It seems she writes really well.

"Sorry, I let you misunderstand."

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.

"What should I call you?"

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

That 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 a bit of powder on his yellow hair, eyes that weren't very large but had a color a bit deeper than lake blue, wearing a white vest, a blue fine-wool coat, and black trousers; it was obvious he had been carefully dressed before going out.

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

The woman looked younger than the two men, with long, 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 her gaze toward Lu Mian carried undisguised amusement; she seemed to find what had just happened merely interesting.

Under the light of the tavern's gas wall lamp, this woman named Leah revealed a pert nose and beautifully curved lips; in a countryside village like Cordu, 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 Marsil 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 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 attire only found in big cities like the provincial capital of Bigor or the capital, Trier.

Lu Mian nodded to the three outsiders:

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

"Lee?" Leah blurted out.

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

Ryan Cos helped Leah 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 sea 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 person named Frank Lee.

"That person's surname is also Lee."

"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 wrong."

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 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 can lead to mental confusion and cause you to have hallucinations."

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

Lu Mian 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 allow our spirits to get 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" was a famous fruit shochu.

"Why don't you get me a 'Green Fairy' too? I was the one who told you the truth just now, and I could even tell you the whole story of this kid's situation!" the thin, middle-aged man who had first exposed Lu Mian for telling stories every day shouted in dissatisfaction. "Outsider, I can tell that you still have doubts about whether that story is true or false!"

"Pierre, you really would 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'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." Lu Mian shrugged his shoulders and watched the bartender push a glass of pale green liquid toward him.

Ryan looked at him and asked for confirmation:

"Is it 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 go to a hospital to be a morgue attendant? Hmm, the nearest 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?" Leah asked keenly.

She tilted her head slightly, producing a jingling sound.

Pierre nodded:

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

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

It seemed that he wasn't the least bit inferior or ashamed about his past being exposed like this.