The size of the city was beyond Fatty’s expectations. Even when he stepped on the uneven street, he still couldn’t get over his shock. The buildings were made from stone and had age to them. Some of the edges had been worn out by time.
Two deep wheel tracks cut down the middle of the street. They were formed by prolonged use. The lines perfectly split the city into two. Jiang Cheng observed his surroundings as he walked. Time left behind some unique traces of this strange city on the sea. Other than the traces of time, another thing that unsettled him was the overly bright lights. When they first arrived, they could barely open their eyes. Fatty was so blinded that he almost tripped on the road. Thankfully, Jiang Cheng reacted fast enough to grab him. At that moment, Jiang Cheng noticed there was a layer of green stuff under Fatty’s feet. It looked like moss.
“You must be tired,” The golden-haired man turned around and said in a warm tone, “The townspeople have prepared some food, knowing that you’re coming. If you don’t mind…”
“Then, we’ll have to thank the mayor.” Chen Ran placed his hands in his pockets.
The golden-haired man glanced at him and nodded, “Please come with me.”
Surrounded by the group of men, the travellers were led to a platform. The place was huge. Fatty believed it was half the size of a football field. There were a lot of people there. There were people of both genders, and all gazes. Their eyes scanned the travellers like the latter were exotic pets.
“Doctor,” Fatty whispered, “I feel like we’re animals at the zoo.” He paused, “If I’m not mistaken, he’d soon throw food at us so they can have fun watching us fight over food.” After he met the Doctor, Fatty developed a bad habit. Whenever he was nervous, his mouth started to lose control and say things that didn’t make much sense. He suspected he had been corrupted by the Doctor. The good thing was this greatly lowered his nervousness.
“Fatty,” Jiang Cheng replied in a similarly soft voice, “If I tell you that they might tie you up and roast you over a fire and slice open your flesh, will it affect your current mood?”
Fatty shut up immediately. Blood drained from his face. Under the golden-haired arrangement, the crowd dispersed to find places to sit. It was then that Fatty realised there were many stone tables made from piles of stone hidden behind the crowd. It was not tall, about the height of one’s upper thighs. The stone table was laden with plates of fish, shells and prawns.
The three travellers sat down across from the man. They sat on grass mats. Chen Ran still looked very at ease. Fatty glanced at him. His alertness peaked.
A woman came over with urns. She filled up the bowls before them, and the welcoming ceremony officially began. Fatty stared at the largest crab in the middle bowl, and he swallowed hungrily. However, he didn’t dare to do anything before the others. What if the food was poisoned?
Chen Ran started to crack open a crab and munched on its meat.
Fatty saw a hand appear within his vision. The hand grabbed the largest crab’s right pincer. The hand shook the crab and dropped it before Fatty. “Just eat,” Jiang Cheng said.
Fatty instantly followed the order.
There were always two women serving them. Once the drink was finished, they’d refill it instantly. Once the plates were empty, they’d refill it with fruits and vegetables. The only negative was there were no fruits and vegetables.
Fatty frowned as he drank the wine. He had no idea what the ingredient behind the brew was, but it had a fishy stench.
Chen Ran finished two crabs and glanced at the golden-haired man. “I believe the mayor didn’t invite us here just to eat and drink.”
The golden-haired man put down his cup. He didn’t eat much. Most of the time, he drank quietly. He looked troubled.
“You are the chosen ones. Only you can save us from the curse.” His gaze was as heavy as ever. “Of course. You will also be saving yourself. After all, if you don’t solve the curse, you can’t leave this place.”
Chen Ran leaned back and said casually, “Then, please tell us more about the curse.”
With the mention of the curse, Fatty put away the crab.
“We’ll have to start from several decades ago,” The man sighed, “Our ancestors began their lives by the ocean. It was around that forest. They sustained themselves mainly by fishing.” The golden-haired man added, “Of course, hunting in the forest supplemented them greatly as well… That was until one day, a family had a boy.” At this point, the man’s expression changed. His voice also trembled. “No. That was not a human. It was… the devil! The devil!”
Jiang Cheng narrowed his eyes, and Chen Ran’s fingers that tapped the table paused. Devil… that was not a term commonly used by fishermen but more by people in religious settings.
Jiang Cheng was reminded of the strange building by the sea…
“Ever since its birth, everything changed. Shipwrecks kept happening. Even when the weather was great, there would be a sudden storm to capsize our ships!
“Even those who went into the forest to collect berries would run into accidentally. Eventually, everyone who entered the forest disappeared!
“Then, we gathered our best hunters to investigate the forest. However… the same things happened to them! They never returned!
“Until… several days ago!”
The golden-haired man started to shake uncontrollably, like something was haunting him. His cup splashed wine on his body.