Chapter 399

The voice of Yutaka Ozaki at this time was fresh and moving, portraying the ignorance and regret of a young man very well; perhaps it was very much in line with his own experiences.

"Ozaki-san! That was truly excellent!" After the song finished, the entire conference room erupted in applause.

Daikō Nagato...

"I am a loser, and I hardly ever notice whether the sun is shining or not, because I have no time.

"My parents couldn't provide me with any support, my educational background isn't high, and I was all 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 and endure the abnormally cold winter wind.

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

"The nights at the hospital were even colder than I had 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 where I was stepping.

"The smell there was terrible. From time to time, the deceased would be stuffed into body bags and sent over, and we would work together to help move them into the morgue.

"It wasn't a very good job, but at least it allowed me to afford bread, and I could use my 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 currently, I see no hope of saving any money.

"I have to thank my predecessor; if he hadn't suddenly resigned, I might not have even been able to get a job like this.

"I dream 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 brought in 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 under 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 single scrap of cloth."

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"I saw a strange mark on his chest, blue-black in color; I can't describe exactly what it looked like, as 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 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 these things wouldn't find it troublesome and just throw them away in some random river or wasteland.

"This will cost me a morning of sleep, but fortunately, it's almost Sunday, so I can make it up.

"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 before long, 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 with 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 hand.

He looked ordinary, just like most people in the tavern—black hair, light blue eyes, not handsome, not 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, 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.

The male guest was stunned for a moment:

"The things you just told me were bragging?"

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

As 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 poor wretch whose engagement was broken off by his fiancée, and today he's become a morgue attendant!"

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

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 finishing, he turned his body to the side, spread his hands toward the outsider, and smiled brightly:

"It seems she writes really well.

"I'm sorry for misleading you."

The man in the brown tweed jacket, who looked ordinary, 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 others?" 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 part of the sentence referred to the man and woman sitting right next to him.

The man was twenty-seven or twenty-eight, with yellow hair dusted with powder, 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; he had clearly dressed up carefully before going out.

He looked quite indifferent and 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 funny.

Under the light of the tavern's gas wall lamp, this woman named Leah revealed a pretty 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 dress, paired with a small off-white jacket and a pair of Marsil boots. There were 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 and made 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 at 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 explained for Leah:

"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 across the Five Seas:

"I'd 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 that scary?" Lu Mian asked.

Ryan shook his head:

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

He ended the topic and said to Lu Mian:

"Thank you for the story; it's worth a drink. What would you like?"

"A glass of 'Green Fairy'." Lu Mian didn't stand on ceremony and sat back down.

Ryan Cos frowned slightly:

"'Green Fairy'... Absinthe?

"I think I need to warn you: absinthe is harmful to the human body. This kind of liquor can lead to mental confusion and cause you to have hallucinations."

"I didn't expect the fashion trends of Trier to have spread all the way here," 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 liquor allows our spirits to 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 even tell you the whole situation about this kid!" the thin middle-aged man who had first exposed Lu Mian for telling stories every day shouted with dissatisfaction, "Outsider, I can tell that you are still skeptical about whether that story is true or false!"

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

Without waiting for Ryan to make a decision, Lu Mian added:

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

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

"Alright." Lu Mian shrugged his shoulders, watching the bartender push a glass of pale green liquor in front of him.

Ryan looked at him, asking for confirmation:

"Is this okay?"

"No problem, as long as your wallet is enough to cover the cost of these drinks." Lu Mian didn't care at all.

"Then another glass of '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 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.