292. Chapter 286 – Swamp People
Chapter 286 – Swamp People
“Jacob? ……”
The one-eyed old man leaned on his cane with both hands and murmured in a low voice, “What a name I haven’t heard in a long time ……”
The person sitting on the couch chatting with Ivars was a short and thin looking old man.
His cheeks were sunken and his pursed lips gave off a mean look. The long face that looked like a horse had become withered, and there was a prosthetic eye that looked like a gray glass bead embedded in his left eye …… just the same style as the one used by William’s old monitor.
His hunched body looked shaky, even walking with a lurch. The withered arm was even thinner than the crutches he was leaning on by more than a circle, almost like a skeleton with a layer of human skin.
The squire of Eagle Point Village was one of the richest and probably the most educated people here.
Although exactly where his money came from and why he lived in a remote area like Eagle Point Village, where even the newspaper couldn’t be delivered first, Ivars didn’t have a clue ……
But judging from the carpeted floor in his room, as well as the paintings hanging on the walls and the handful of antiques and artifacts in the room, his money was at least on the level of a small, well-established merchant on Glass Island.
John Aiden, a classmate of Ivars, whose family sold antiques. This squire was roughly at that level.
And what surprised Lily the most …… was that there was not a single servant in this squire s home.
Even if you don’t count the kind of professional valet, not even the butler or the maid or cook hired to clean the house.
One must know that this old man already looked like he was about to be in his early eighties, and he even had to walk on crutches! Not to mention taking care of the house, I’m afraid he can’t even take care of himself anymore.
However, Lily scanned around with her own professional eyes, but found that this empty house unexpectedly could not see much dust.
It wasn’t possible to have none at all, but there wasn’t much either. It probably looked like it had been carefully cleaned yesterday.
— Was it something they happened to miss when they arrived? Lily thought to herself.
And the Squire thought for a while before speaking slowly, “You are Jacob’s grandson …… right? Although you’re not an Alexander, you …… do look alike ……”
“Yes.”
Aywas nodded slightly, turning his body sideways, so that he could get closer to the old man, “I also want to follow in my grandfather’s footsteps this time, seeking memories of the past.
“Grandfather left me too many secrets …… I have to make a personal trip. Otherwise I just can’t rest easy.”
Speaking of this, Ivars turned his words around, “I heard that Grandfather, he came here more than ten, or twenty years ago?”
“Who did you hear that from?”
As it turned out, the Squire asked in return, “Was it William? Or Hajna?”
“Was it not?”
“Certainly not.”
The Squire replied, “Old Jacob was the first outlander to come here.”
“The …… first?”
“That’s right. He first came here …… I forget exactly when. But it must have been sixty years ago …… Anyway, it was some days before William came here.”
After thinking it over, the Squire confirmed, “Yes, I remember correctly. He was the first to come, and then it wasn’t long after he left that William came.”
Ewers inquired, “Did Grandfather come through that swamp as well?”
“No, it was the forest path.”
The Squire replied dryly, “Both times he entered, he came through the trail.”
“…… But I’ve heard that the outlanders come in that way from the swamp.”
“And what of you?”
The old squire asked rhetorically, “Don’t you come in through the main gate, too?”
“We came in because ……”
Halfway through Aywas’s sentence, a realization dawned in his mind.
Why were they able to walk in through the front door? It was because of Hajna’s guidance, and because of the eager townspeople of Bagpipe Town guiding the way.
So that’s how Jacob came in back then?
But why did he emphasize that he didn’t come in through the swamp?
Aywas suddenly reacted, “Wasn’t it after Grandfather came that the swamp started coming in?”
The old man looked deeply at Ivas with his sunken eyes.
“You don’t have to test me, I’ll tell you what I can, boy.”
The old man paused with his cane and looked down into deep memories.
He was silent for a while before speaking, “To be more accurate …… it’s not that outlanders can’t enter through the main gate. Rather, it’s that those who come in through the swamp can’t leave.” “…… Why?”
Aywas had a vague premonition of the truth.
“Because they’ve all died once.”
The old squire spoke bluntly, “They are all undead that have risen from the swamp.”
On the other side, Sherlock’s inquiry with Hajna ran into difficulties.
They traveled to another blacksmith store in the village.
Unlike Hajna’s father’s blacksmith store that had gone out of business …… here, the furnace was functioning normally, and there were some customers coming and going.
When Hajna entered, there were customers inside talking to the blacksmith.
“I want to change the head of the scythe.”
“You’re okay with this head …… I’ll have someone sharpen it again for you, don’t change it.”
“OK, I’ll buy you a drink tomorrow.”
The blacksmith’s elbow was leaning against the counter, and he was chatting pleasantly with his guest.
He was wearing thin clothes, yet he was still sweating. The air was heavy with heat and the sound of the apprentice swinging his hammer clanking.
The middle-aged blacksmith, who was about forty or fifty years old, was wearing a jacket like an old women’s apron, which made him look a bit funny.
Seeing Hajna push in the door, the blacksmith turned back with his guest.
“Yo, little Hajna!”
The blacksmith’s uncle greeted warmly, “I heard you were back – what took you so long to come see me?”
The guest also greeted Hajna cheerfully, “Graduated? Are you still traveling this time back? Got married? Find a boyfriend yet? All twenty-two, already a big girl, can’t put it off any longer.”
“You’re right, I just came back one day ago! I’m just taking a breather and I’m here.”
Hajna some can not suffer this open door, sudden urge to marry, can only some headache cover their forehead: “If you …… go, of course you still have to go, just come back to see …… old man you how to do! I’m in a career upswing, I don’t have that kind of free time to fall in love–That said, have you guys seen my griffin? She’s super cute! Why don’t I bring it out for you to see?”
“Oops saw it saw it, it’s so big, why can’t I see it. You’re like William catching a big fish right now, strolling all over the village with it ……”
Laughter came from within the blacksmith store.
But the old man who left with a sharpened scythe head passed by Hajna and their side, but his face suddenly changed.
“…… You guys are, going to the swamp?”
The old man lowered his voice, glanced at Sherlock, his expression became serious: “You brought it back from the swamp?”
“It was a trip to …… reminisce about childhood. But inside the fog, feel a little dangerous and came back.”
Hajna explained and lied in passing.
–If it were before, she would never have lied so fluently.
I blame Mr. Ivars for bringing me down ……
Hajna’s mind shattered.
Aiwas was especially good at this kind of lie that didn’t change his face.
I don’t know if it’s because he’s handsome …… Hajna just thinks this is handsome!
So she would also subconsciously think about mimicking it in places where no one was, and how she should answer if she was in the same situation. As a result, over time, she was now able to lie without changing her face.
…… This is probably a kind of growth gained in the big city.
And when the old man heard Hajna’s words, he was relieved: ”Oh, you guys went together ah? Then it’s fine …… didn’t meet any other undead, right?”
–Eh?
Sherlock raised his eyebrows and realized something.
What did it mean?
Did it mean that only the locals could encounter “swamp people” when they went there?
And what was a swamp person?
But he didn’t make a sound, but listened quietly.
“Encountered, but killed off.”
“Aiya, little Hajna has grown up …… such a powerful undead can be taken out alone ……”
The old man happily chatted with Hajna again.
(End of chapter)