The old woman is not a qualified answerer, although she grasps the suspense of the story very well - but until now, she has not explained the two suspenses she raised.
Anna, whose curiosity killed her, has begun to lose control of her emotions.
"So let's talk about what's outside the window first."
Fortunately, Lu Li is a man who is determined and will not be swayed by external things.
"The things outside the window are related to things deep in the swamp. You can ask the second question directly." The old woman said slowly.
Lu Li said nothing, his calm black eyes staring into the old man's eyes.
"Don't look at an old man with memory loss like that." The old woman smiled, showing her mouth with a missing tooth, and waved her hand and said, "Okay, I spoke too slowly. Then you come to Shadow Town and you are a detective.
, you must know something about some of the rumors in the town, right?"
Lu Li asked: "Yingchuo and the six-legged savages?"
"Yes, but don't think that they are the same as us just because there is someone in their name." The old woman regained her memory-like confusion and said slowly.
"No one knows what they are... all they know is that after the town was built, these guys appeared in every dark corner of the town like a shadow. They hid inside and peeped at the passing residents."
"Don't those people plan to build somewhere else?"
"I'm afraid you have to ask the families and mayors in the town." The old woman leaned on the back of the wooden chair and said sarcastically: "Maybe the people and nobles at that time felt that it would be expensive to build the town in another place.
It’s just that people often disappear and die, so it’s not as serious as changing places.”
"They come from Shadowmarsh?"
"Most people said that at the time, because only Shadow Town had these things. It wasn't until someone saw Shadow from the edge of the swamp that they were sure. This incident caused many people to leave the town, but many people chose to stay. Some
Sometimes poverty is more scary than those scary guys."
The old woman sighed, took out a lady's pipe from the pocket of her red sweater, and waved it towards Lu Li: "Do you mind?"
"mind."
The old woman picked up a simple oil lamp next to the dining table, poured out her pipe and lit the tobacco. She puffed a few times until smoke came out of her mouth, and then sat back in her seat with satisfaction: "My mother is one of the people who stayed.
Later, they discovered that shadowmen, six-legged savages, or other things that came out of the swamp only moved at night and hated bright places. Moreover, they discovered that these guys would only scare people as long as they did not break into the swamp.
Deep down, they don't seem to actively harm people."
"So I would remind outsiders to close the curtains at night. We may be used to it, but you may not be. If screaming loudly scares them, there is no guarantee what will happen. You can think of them as a group of people who like to make deadly jokes.
mischievous child.”
"Although they knew it was not that dangerous, people were still fearful. Until one day, Shadow Town inexplicably became a well-known town. At first, it was some adventurers who heard that there were monsters in Shadow Town, so they came to explore. Then there were government personnel and people who claimed to be
Scholars who studied animals later came more and more. There were nobles, rich people, and young people. They found the things in the swamp that frightened the town residents to be novel and exciting. At that time, many people came to Shadow Town every day, and this was also
That’s why there are so many pubs out there.”
"and after."
"Later..."
The old woman paused and did not answer Lu Li immediately.
The tobacco in the pipe was red and shiny, and the next moment thick white smoke came out of the mouth and nose, rising up and covering the narrowed eyes.
"Several decades later, until the dark night disaster came not long ago, no tourists came to the town anymore. As you can see, the foreigners now are just businessmen passing by."
Having said this, the old woman laughed a few times, causing her to cough, and then coughed a few more times and said, "Perhaps the current night disaster came from the Shadow Swamp."
The smoke gradually dissipated. The old man put out his pipe, put it back in his sweater pocket, stood up slowly and said, "The food is almost ready. I'll serve it out."
The old woman returned to the kitchen behind the bar, and Anna's voice rang in her ears: "It sounds like people here use the things in the swamp as a money-making tool... Could they be the ones spying on us?"
"K."
At least in the bright hall of the tavern, he didn't feel the same feeling of being spied on before.
Anna didn't speak, because the old woman was already walking around the bar carrying a steaming pot.
Bang.
A pot of bubbling broth was brought to the table. The old woman picked up the spoon and poured a bowl into the wooden bowl in front of Lu Li. There were rabbit meat cut into pieces, browned, and cooked.
The fruit will become rotten and shriveled.
The rising heat carries a delicious aroma that whets your appetite.
"32 shillings will be included in your room fee."
It's a bit expensive. This pot of broth is boiling with the shillings an adult can earn by working hard for 12 hours. But this is the price Lu Li paid for asking questions.
"If you need bread, I can provide it here normally, but only black bread."
"No."
"Okay, whatever you want." The old woman took away the towel on the edge of the pot. "Oh, by the way, if you're not sleepy after eating, you can go for a walk outside."
Hearing this, Lu Li raised his head and looked at her. The old woman said nonchalantly: "It's very bright and lively outside. Since the gas lamps were installed, everyone is used to going shopping at night."
Lu Li turned his head and looked out the window. Outside the window was a wide street with street lights on, and there were vague pedestrians walking by.
"When we get together, everyone won't be so afraid."
After the old woman finished speaking, she turned around and returned to the kitchen.
Looking away, Lu Li picked up the spoon next to the wooden bowl, scooped up the broth, blew out ripples, and put it into his mouth.
"How does it taste?" Anna asked curiously.
"Well enough."
The broth is slightly sour, perhaps due to the sourness brought by the fruit.
The pot was only as big as two palms put together, so there wasn't a lot of broth in the pot. After ten minutes, Lu Li drank the last bowl, and there were only a few rotten fruits left in the pot.
He got up and left his seat, planning to go out for a walk.
…
The constant heat from his stomach helped Lu Li resist the cold night.
The distance between the dimly lit gas lamps on both sides of the road is not too short, but because the street is relatively wide, Sansan Street is not as bright as expected.
There are many pedestrians on the street, including local residents, as well as motorcades and businessmen who parked here for the night. Compared with the daytime, there are more vendors hawking on both sides of the road, which dispels the desolation caused by the darkness.
As usual, Lu Li went straight to a newsstand not far from the Big Wave Tavern.
"What do you need, sir?"
The young newsboy who was sorting out old newspapers put down the newspaper, turned around and smiled.
Behind him, among the pile of old newspapers, a bold headline flashed across a protruding page.
