Chapter 90

"I am a failure, barely noticing whether the sun is shining or not, because I have no time.

"My parents couldn't provide me with support, and my education is not high. I am alone in the city, searching for my future.

"I applied for many jobs but was never hired, perhaps because no one likes someone who is not good at speaking, dislikes communication, and has not shown sufficient ability.

"For three whole days, I only ate two pieces of bread. Hunger kept me awake 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 to endure the abnormally cold winter wind.

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

"The hospital at night was even colder than I imagined. The corridor lights were not on, and everything was dim. I could only rely on the faint light seeping out of the rooms to see my way.

"The smell there was terrible. From time to time, the dead were brought in, wrapped in body bags, and we helped move them into the morgue.

"This was not a good job, but at least it allowed me to buy bread. The free time at night could be used for studying. After all, few people were willing to come to the morgue unless they needed to bring or remove a body for cremation. Of course, I didn't have enough money to buy books, and I couldn't see any hope of saving money.

"I have to thank my former colleague. If he hadn't suddenly quit, I might not have been able to get such a job.

"I dream of being able to work during the day. Now, I always sleep when the sun comes up and wake up when the night falls, which makes my body a bit weak, and my head occasionally aches.

"One day, a worker brought in a new body.

"Someone told me it was my former colleague who had suddenly quit.

"I was a bit curious about him. After everyone left, I pulled out the drawer and quietly opened the body bag.

"He was an old man, his face green and white, covered in wrinkles, and looked very scary in the dim light.

"He had little hair, most of it white. His clothes were all removed, leaving him with not a single piece of fabric.

"I saw a strange mark on his chest, a bluish-black one. I couldn't describe it in detail because the light was too dim.

"I reached out and touched the mark, but there was nothing special about it.

"Looking at my former colleague, I wondered if I would end up like him if I continued this way until I was old...

"I told him that I would accompany him to the crematorium the next day and personally take his ashes to the nearest free cemetery, so that those responsible for these matters wouldn't just throw them into a river or a deserted place out of convenience.

"This would cost me a morning's sleep, but it was okay because it was almost Sunday, and I could catch up on it.

"After saying that, I fixed the body bag and put it back in the drawer.

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

"After that day, every time I slept, I always dreamed of a thick fog.

"I had a premonition that something would happen soon, that something that might not even be human would come looking for me, but no one believed me, thinking that my mind had become unstable in such an environment and in such a job, and that I needed to see a doctor..."

A male customer sitting at the bar looked at the storyteller, who had suddenly stopped:

"Then what happened?"

This male customer was in his thirties, wearing a brown tweed jacket and light yellow trousers. His hair was pressed flat, and he had a simple dark-colored top hat by his side.

He looked ordinary, like most people in the tavern, with black hair, light blue eyes, neither handsome nor ugly, and lacking distinctive features.

The storyteller was a young man of about eighteen or nineteen, tall and slender, with black short hair and light blue eyes, but his features were striking, making him stand out.

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

"Then?

"Then I quit and returned to the countryside, and here I am, bullshitting with you."

As he spoke, a mischievous smile appeared on his face.

The male customer was taken aback:

"Are you bullshitting me?"

"Haha." The bar erupted in laughter.

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

"Stranger, you actually believed Lumi's story. He tells a different one every day. Yesterday, he was a poor man whose fiancée broke off the engagement, and today, he's a morgue attendant!"

"Right, he talks about thirty years on the east side of the Selenzo River and thirty years on the west side, just spouting nonsense!" another regular customer chimed in.

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

The black-haired young man called Lumi leaned on the bar, slowly stood up, and said with a smile:

"You know, these aren't stories I made up. They're all written by my sister, who loves writing stories and is a columnist for the 'Fiction Weekly.'"

He turned to the stranger and spread his hands, smiling brightly:

"It seems she writes pretty well. Star Wen Reading App

"I'm sorry for the misunderstanding."

The man in the brown tweed jacket, who looked ordinary, did not get angry. He stood up and smiled in response:

"An interesting story.

"What's your name?"

"Isn't it common courtesy to introduce yourself first before asking someone else?" Lumi said with a laugh.

The stranger nodded:

"My name is Ryan Kos.

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

The last sentence referred to a man and a woman sitting next to him. Star Wen Reading App

The man was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, with a bit of powder on his yellow hair. His not-so-big eyes were a deeper shade of blue than lake water. He wore a white vest, a blue fine wool coat, and black trousers, clearly having dressed up carefully before leaving home.

He had a rather cold expression and did not pay much attention to the surrounding farmers and herders.

The woman appeared younger than the two men, with long, light gray hair tied into a complex bun and a white veil serving as a hat.

Her eyes were the same color as her hair, and she looked at Lumi with an unhidden smile, finding the incident amusing.

Under the gaslight of the tavern, the woman named Lya revealed a straight, pretty nose and beautifully curved lips, making her stand out as a beauty in the rural village of Cordu.

She wore a white, tight-fitting wool dress, a light beige jacket, and a pair of Marselle boots. A small silver bell was tied to her veil and boots, jingling as she walked into the tavern, drawing many admiring glances from the men.

In their eyes, this was a fashionable look that could only be found in big cities like the provincial capital Bigor or the national capital Trier.

Lumi nodded at the three strangers:

"My name is Lumi Li. You can call me Lumi."

"Li?" Lya blurted out. Star Wen Reading App

"Is there something wrong with my last name?" Lumi asked curiously.

Ryan Kos explained for Lya:

"Your last name is scary. I almost couldn't control my voice just now."

Seeing the puzzled looks on the faces of the surrounding farmers and herders, he elaborated:

"Anyone who has interacted with sailors and sea merchants knows that there is a saying on the Five Seas:

'Rather face the pirate generals or even kings than encounter a man named Frank Li.

'That man's last name is also Li."

"Is he that scary?" Lumi asked.

Ryan shook his head:

"I'm not sure, but if there's such a legend, it must be true."

He changed the subject and said to Lumi:

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

"A glass of 'Green Fairy.'"

Lumi was not at all polite and sat back down.

Ryan frowned slightly:

"'Green Fairy'... absinthe?

"I think I should warn you that absinthe is harmful to the body. It can cause mental confusion and hallucinations."

"Looks like the trends from Trier have already spread here," Lya added with a smile.

Lumi said, "Oh, so people in Trier like to drink 'Green Fairy' too...

"For us, life is already tough enough. We don't need to worry about a little more harm. This drink can help us relax more."

"Alright." Ryan sat back down and looked at the bartender, "A 'Green Fairy' and an extra 'Spicy Heart' for me."

'Spicy Heart' is a famous fruit brandy.

"Why not give me a 'Green Fairy' too? I was the one who told you the truth, and I can tell you everything about this guy!" the thin middle-aged man who first exposed Lumi's daily storytelling shouted, "Stranger, I can tell you're still skeptical about the truth of that story!"

"Pierre, you'd do anything for a free drink!" Lumi responded loudly.

Before Ryan could decide, Lumi added:

"Why can't I tell the story myself? That way, I can have another 'Green Fairy'."

"Because they don't know whether to believe what you say." Pierre smiled smugly, "Your sister's favorite story for children is 'The Boy Who Cried Wolf.' A liar always loses credibility."

"Alright." Lumi shrugged and watched the bartender push a glass of pale green liquid in front of him.

Ryan looked at him and asked:

"Is that okay?"

"No problem, as long as your wallet can cover the cost of these drinks." Lumi didn't care.

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

Pierre's face lit up:

"Generous stranger, this guy is the biggest prankster in the village. You should stay away from him.

"Five years ago, he was brought back to the village by his sister Aurore and never left. Think about it, he was only thirteen at the time. How could he have worked as a morgue attendant in a hospital? The nearest hospital is in Dali, down the mountain, and it takes a whole afternoon to get there." Star Wen Reading App

"Bring back to the village?" Lya asked sharply.

She tilted her head slightly, making a jingling sound.

Pierre nodded:

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"Then, he followed Aurore and took the last name 'Li,' even his name 'Lumi' was given by Aurore."

"I've forgotten my original name." Lumi took a sip of absinthe and said with a smile.

It seemed he was not at all ashamed or embarrassed about his past being revealed.