Chapter 1 The City

The size of this city exceeded Fatty’s imagination. Even as he stepped onto the uneven cobblestone streets, he still wore a haunted expression.

Most of the buildings were made of stone, clearly having weathered many long years.

Some corners and edges were even smoothed by time.

Deep ruts from wheels were left in the center of the street, formed by years of transporting bulk goods, dividing the city in two like a boundary line.

Jiang Cheng walked, taking in his surroundings.

Time seemed to have used a carving knife, leaving its unique marks on this strange seaside city.

Besides the heavy feeling of time, another discomforting aspect was the city's dazzling lights.

Upon first entering, they couldn't even open their eyes.

Fatty could only squint as he walked, so much so that he didn't see the road clearly and almost slipped at a corner.

Fortunately, Jiang Cheng reacted quickly and grabbed him.

As he helped Fatty up, Jiang Cheng noticed a layer of deep green stuff under Fatty's feet, very small and fine, like moss.

"You must be tired," the blond man turned around and said in a less-than-enthusiastic tone, "The people in our town knew you were coming and prepared some food, if you don't mind..."

"Then thank you, Town Chief," Chen Ran said, his hands in his pockets, his tone not particularly overwhelmed with gratitude.

The blond man looked at him for a few more moments, then nodded. "Please, follow me."

Next, the three of them, surrounded by many burly men, arrived at a square. It was very large, Fatty estimated roughly more than half the size of a standard sports field.

The square was crowded with people, men, women, old, and young, as well as some women holding children watching the commotion. Everyone seemed to be admiring some rare animal.

Pairs of curious eyes sized them up.

"Doctor," Fatty whispered, "Don't you think they look like us looking at animals in a zoo?"

He paused, then continued, "If I'm not mistaken, I bet they'll start throwing food at us soon and watch us scramble for it for their amusement..."

Ever since meeting the doctor, Fatty had developed a habit.

Once he encountered a tense situation, his mouth became difficult for his brain to control, and he liked to blurt out some nonsensical things involuntarily. He seriously suspected that the doctor had infected him.

But the benefit was that it greatly reduced his nervousness.

"Fatty," Jiang Cheng replied in the same volume, "What if I told you that they might tie you up later, put you on a fire, roast you until you sizzle with oil, and then slice you up and eat you? Would that affect your mood now?"

Fatty immediately shut his mouth, and the blood drained from his originally flushed face.

Under the arrangement of the blond man, the surrounding crowd dispersed. Everyone found a place to sit down. Only then did Fatty see that there were many stone tables made of stacked disk-shaped stones behind the crowd.

They were not high, just enough to sit cross-legged on the ground. They were filled with bowls and dishes of some sort, filled with fish, shrimp, crabs, and shells.

"Please," the blond man walked to the stone table in the very center and sat down.

Jiang Cheng and the other two were not polite and sat down opposite the blond man.

Each of them had a grass cushion under their buttocks. Chen Ran maintained his leisurely appearance. Fatty glanced at him, his vigilance towards him maximized.

This welcome ceremony did not officially begin until women carrying jars came up and filled the bowls in front of them one by one.

Fatty stared at the largest crab in the middle of the plate, swallowing constantly, but no one ate first. He wouldn't dare to eat it, except for the blond man.

Because if it was poisoned, then the blond man must have the antidote.

Chen Ran impolitely broke open a crab and ate it slowly.

Then...

Fatty’s view of the largest crab was obscured by a hand. The hand pinched the crab's right claw, shook it, and then threw it in front of him.

"Eat," Jiang Cheng said calmly.

Fatty immediately began to eat it impolitely.

There were always two women serving behind them. If the wine in the bowl was gone, they would immediately refill it. There was also as much fish and shrimp as they wanted. The only downside was that there were no vegetables or fruits.

After gulping down a large mouthful of wine, Fatty couldn't help but frown. He didn't know what the wine was brewed from, but it always had an indescribable fishy and dry taste.

After eating two crabs, Chen Ran threw down the crab legs, squinted at the blond man who had not spoken all this time, and said, "Town Chief, you invited us here, I'm afraid it's not just for eating and drinking, is it?"

Hearing this, the blond man put down the wine bowl in his hand. He didn't eat much. Most of the time, he was just silently drinking, looking worried.

"You are the people chosen by it. Only you can help us break free from the curse." He raised his head, his eyes as heavy as ever.

"Of course," he continued, "This is also to save yourselves. After all, if the curse is not lifted, you will not be able to leave here."

Chen Ran leaned back, casually continuing, "Then please trouble the Town Chief to tell us about the curse."

Mentioning the curse, Fatty let go of the crab in his hand.

"This matter has to be traced back to decades ago," the blond man exhaled, "Since our ancestors, we have lived by the sea, near that forest, mainly relying on fishing to make a living."

"Of course," the blond man added, "The prey in the forest, as well as berries and the like, are also very good."

"But until one day, a family in the village gave birth to a boy," at this point, the blond man's face began to change, and his voice trembled, "No, that was not a human child, it was... it was a demon! A demon!"

Upon hearing the word "demon," Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes slightly, and Chen Ran's fingertips, which were gently tapping the table, also paused slightly.

Demon... this did not sound like words that people who had lived by the sea for generations would say, but rather like the rhetoric of church people.

The strange, spire-topped building slowly emerged in Jiang Cheng's mind...

"Ever since it was born, everything changed. Our ships frequently had accidents. Sometimes, even on sunny days, storms would suddenly rise and capsize or even tear apart our ships!"

"People who entered the forest to hunt and pick berries also began to have frequent accidents. People who entered the forest safely all disappeared!"

"Later, we gathered the most experienced hunters and entered the forest together to see what was going on, but... they were the same as the previous people! They never returned."

"Until... until a few days later!"

The blond man seemed to recall an extremely terrifying scene, and his whole body began to tremble uncontrollably. He didn't even notice the wine spilling on his body.