Chapter 205 - 205 62

Words : 1305 Updated : Sep 23rd, 2025

205: 62. Shadow Town Local Guide 205: 62. Shadow Town Local Guide “Hmm.” In the Big Wave Tavern, Lu Li simply answered the old woman. “That you came out of there without a scratch... it’s a miracle.” The old woman obviously struggled with words, perhaps that was why her tavern had the poorest business on the entire street. “Your task is completed.” “Hmm.” Lu Li’s answers remained brief. Behind the bar, the old woman cradling her pipe sized up Lu Li from top to bottom, leaned forward to glance at the wet footprints extending from the door to the front of the bar and the puddle by Lu Li’s feet, and displayed an impatient expression, “Your carriage has been towed into the stable, go back to your room. If there’s a leak in the room, remember to call Little Jack. If you need hot water or medicine, you can ask me, but you’ll have to pay.” “Do you have today’s newspaper?” Lu Li asked, he needed something else. “No newspaper, do you want a book?” “That would do.” “Wait here.” The old woman went back to the kitchen and soon returned, tossing over a local guidebook of Shadow Town. Lu Li caught the guidebook and, picking up the oil lamp from the table, headed upstairs. The old woman’s shouting came from behind him, “Little Jack, come down and mop the floor clean!” Little Jack was the waiter from yesterday, he carried a bucket, gave Lu Li an embarrassed smile, and hurried down the stairs. Taking the key from beneath the carpet, he unlocked the door and the scent of damp wood wafted out. Lu Li carried the oil lamp into the room and placed it on the table. The door closed automatically, and Anna’s figure appeared in the room, throwing herself onto the bed. “So tired—” She sprawled on the bed as if real, her hair scattered over her cheeks, her translucent pale legs hanging off the edge of the bed. If one overlooked the skirt that passed through the sheets due to gravity. Anna lay motionless for a few seconds, then suddenly sprang up, her legs together, cheeks flush with a hint of red, she elegantly fixed her hair, returning to the porcelain-like beautiful noble girl from the oil paintings. She had just remembered Lu Li was still in the room. “You rest, I’ll keep watch tonight.” Lu Li put down his backpack, initially, he had chosen it for its waterproof fabric. He unzipped it, the contents were a bit damp, but hadn’t gotten wet. At least the extraordinarily precious flashlight functioned normally. “Hmm... you seem more tired than me now?” Anna, still with a blush on her cheeks, peeked at Lu Li’s profile. The room was very quiet, with only the howling and rain pounding on the windows from outside. This was somewhat unfamiliar to Anna, who was used to the noise in her ears. She watched as Lu Li placed his backpack by the dining table, and took off his nearly-rotten raincoat saying, “I slept for a while before fleeing the swamp, I’m still in good shape.” The clock on the dining table showed the time was 7:25; they had spent almost an hour and a half to get back to Shadow Town from the storm. Anna pinched her thumb and forefinger together, indicating a small amount, “Then I’ll rest for a bit and come to relieve you.” “Hmm.” Completely soaked and cold, the clothes sticking to Lu Li’s body were not yet wrung out and changed. There were spares in the carriage, and he planned to fetch them later along with getting some hot water for a bath. And a steaming hot meal. Anna could clearly see Lu Li’s fatigue, feeling a bit guilty, yet somewhat secretly pleased. Such insincere concern... Anna lay straight and flat on a single bed, placing her hands on her abdomen and closing her eyes. It was her first time resting in the outside world, and Anna felt a bit uncomfortable, but having Lu Li nearby alleviated some of the unfamiliarity. She could have returned to the Inner World to rest, but then the room would be left with only Lu Li, which seemed rather pitiful... As she entered a resting state, Anna, who had been slightly fidgety at first, became still. Lu Li glanced at Anna’s sleeping face and quietly observed her for a few seconds before averting his gaze. A ghost’s rest was much like sleep, except for being nearly completely still, there was nothing unusual. The chill of the wet clothes made him reluctant to move; he casually flipped through a few pages of the local guide for Shadow Town, suddenly noticed something, paused, and stopped his fingers that were about to turn the page. Lu Li held this position for several seconds, quietly finishing the content on the page, then shifted his gaze and busied himself with other things. Pulling open a drawer, he lit a spare candle. Leaving the candle in the room, Lu Li took the oil lamp and went outside. The door closed quietly, and the faint candlelight flickered gently before stabilizing. Not far from it, the opened “Shadow Town Local Guide” was turned to the fifth page, which described a local specialty of Shadow Town. [Light-illuminating Fruit] [A type of fruit that grows in moist environment with sunlight.] [Origin: Swamp] [Maturity Period: Three months] [Appearance: Grows at the base of trees in swamps, green when immature, turning to brown when ripe. If boiled in water while green, it will also turn brown] [The initial pioneers of Shadow Town found this fruit in Shadow Swamp. After a few accidental consumptions, they discovered its hallucinogenic effects, which corresponded to the Light-illuminating Fruit remembered in history. Early residents who ate Light-illuminating Fruit found the fruit, generally used for medical anesthesia, unusually tasty and began to mix small amounts into their food to enhance the flavor.] [This practice, after causing a few problems, was halted by the first mayor of Shadow Town, Mr. Johnson, although there were still townspeople who secretly consumed the fruit for taste. Mayor Johnson, being kind and merciful, couldn’t bear to punish the townspeople with penalties; he generously forgave those who secretly ate the Light-illuminating Fruit and personally sought ways to avoid producing hallucinations for the sake of the townspeople.] [One day, while Mr. Johnson was out of Shadow Town, searching for the fruit in the swamp, he rested under a tree. Suddenly, a fruit fell from above and hit him on the head. Mayor Johnson picked up the fruit, recognizing it as an immature Light-illuminating Fruit ] [Mr. Johnson wondered to himself, why would a fruit fall downwards and precisely hit his head? He regarded it as a divine sign and thought if the ripe Light-illuminating Fruit induced hallucinations, what about the unripe one?] [Mayor Johnson picked the unripe Light-illuminating Fruits from the tree and to keep them intact, he wrapped them in his clothes and returned to the town.] [Mayor Johnson prepared a dish with the unripe Light-illuminating Fruit and planned to try it himself. Learning of this, the residents gathered outside his estate to stop him. But Mayor Johnson said, “Each of you is my people, and I won’t let you take this risk,” then he drank the concoction.] [While everyone watched, Mayor Johnson first praised the taste of the food, then to everyone’s surprise, found that the long-troubling hallucinations did not occur!] [The great Mayor Johnson had found a new source of income for Shadow Town. Even decades later, the residents of Shadow Town still add unripe Light-illuminating Fruit to their food, for which we thank Mayor Johnson for everything he has done for Shadow Town!]

Chapter 205 - 205 62

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