"My sister is the bride of the Hai family."

After the man said this, he turned around and seemed to be leaving the inn.

Trist glanced at Lu Ban, who had already put away the dried fish. Lu Ban stroked the cat's head hard before getting up and following him.

The two followed the man on the deserted streets. It was not until then that Trist realized that although there was no one on the street, there seemed to be pairs of eyes staring at him from behind the old windows of the buildings along the way.

These townspeople were just like those in the previous village, rejecting outsiders, being cautious, and observing them secretly.

Their faces can be vaguely seen. They are not much different from ordinary people, but their expressions are numb, like zombies or the living dead.

Going forward, the three of them came to the edge of the town, where they could see the sea.

"My name is Ayu, and I fish in the east of Kushui Town. My sister is Shuangyu, and she is fifteen years old."

The man pointed to the beach not far away.

You can see some women and elderly people bringing their children to pick up shells, small crabs and other seafood on the beach.

The beach in the morning is sparkling, and the rising sun dyes the sea golden. Fishing boats can be vaguely seen in the distance, with white sails swaying in the waves, creating a peaceful and harmonious atmosphere, which is completely different from the closed and gloomy atmosphere in the town.

"What do you want?"

Lu Ban did not lament the difference between the two, but asked directly.

"I want you to save Pisces."

The man's voice suddenly became uncertain and trembling, with more fear mixed in it.

"Save your sister? But didn't your sister marry the young master of the Hai family because they were in love with each other?"

Lu Ban asked.

"...Yes, Shuangyu and the young master of the Hai family do have a good relationship. She may really be in love with that man, but...but that's not right. That's not love. She was deceived, she was deceived!"

Speaking of this, the man who called himself Ayu became a little excited.

"You mean, the Hai family used magic or something to confuse your sister and made her the bride?"

Drizzt took a deep drag on the smoke from his pipe and blew it out in a circle.

"No, no... It's hard for me to tell you, but the Hai family... We all like the Hai family very much. The Hai family is the savior of our town. No, I want to save Shuangyu. We can't go down here..."

A Yu's words were somewhat vague, and it was difficult to understand what he wanted to express.

"Wait a minute, we were invited by the Hai family to attend the wedding. Why do you think we can save your sister instead of helping the Hai family?"

Drizzt sensed something was wrong.

"Because, because you are outsiders."

A Yu seemed to have found his focus and finally uttered something that people could understand.

"Strangers? Don't you like strangers?"

As Trist was asking, he suddenly remembered Lu Ban. He turned around and found that Lu Ban was gone.

He looked around hurriedly and found that Lu Ban had run into the group of old people and children at some point and was catching crabs on the beach with a little kid.

"Don't count on him..."

Trist continued to look at Ayu.

"Ku Shui Town does not welcome outsiders. Outsiders will not be trusted by the Hai family. I have no choice. I want to save Shuangyu. I can only rely on you."

Ayu answered in a strange, forceful tone.

"...You said you wanted to save Shuangyu, but the Hai family should be the largest family in your town, and they can call the wind and rain. Shouldn't it be very happy to marry into their family?"

Trist thought about it for a moment and felt that he should be able to get some more information about the mission and the town from Ayu, so he went on to say it.

"No, I am definitely not happy in the Hai family... Everyone in the Hai family is weird."

A Yu seemed to recall something bad.

"...They stopped communicating with the people in the town 20 years ago. They all like to wear black clothes that cover their entire bodies, and wear masks...fish masks."

Click——

When Trist heard what Ayu said, his heart suddenly skipped a beat.

"You mean, a fish mask? What kind of mask is that?"

At this moment, dark clouds came from nowhere and floated in from the sea, temporarily blocking the sunlight, the entire beach, the entire sea, and Ayu and Trist.

Trist saw that the fisherman's face was shrouded in gloom, and he actually looked a bit hideous.

"Like fish, fish that can walk... The Hai family's dance, the Qilang Dance, is fish swimming in the sea... They seem to have come from the sea..."

The clouds passed by, and the laughter of children could be heard again. Half of Ayu's face was illuminated by the sun, while the other half was hidden in darkness. For a moment, Trist had an illusion that the eyeballs on that half of Ayu's face were bulging out, and he was turning into a fish-like monster.

"If Pisces marries into the Hai family, she will become like them, just like those brides before..."

Ayu muttered to himself.

"You want us to save your sister, so what help can you provide us?"

Drizzt suppressed his inner uneasiness and continued asking.

"There is something in the Hai family's house, a very scary thing. They can't deal with it, so they can only guard it. If you find it, you can release it. The Hai family won't notice anyone else."

A Yu became somewhat sober at this time and spoke in a calm voice.

"You mean some kind of monster?"

Trist felt that what Ayu said was also very strange.

It was as if rescuing his sister was just an excuse, and releasing the thing suppressed by the Hai family was the ultimate goal.

"No, it's not. That's the Hai family's own thing. It belongs to them. It will only react to the people of the Hai family. It won't hurt you. It said it wouldn't hurt anyone else."

At this time, A Yu grinned and revealed a funny smile.

"Do you know how to release that thing? What does it look like?"

Trist had a vague premonition.

"It's there. It's in the center of the Hai family mansion, on an altar. As long as we remove the stone pressing on it, we can let it out. It said so. It's right. That's it. I figured it out."

Ayu's tone became confused, with some trembling notes.

"I want to get out. I won't hurt you. I will only take revenge on the Hai family because they hurt me..."

In the blink of an eye, the fisherman seemed to have become the embodiment of something. His cheeks twitched and his eyes narrowed, forming another strange expression that was completely opposite to the fish's eyes.

"May I have your name?"

Drizzt sensed something was wrong, he moved closer, quietly pressed his holster with the hand that was not holding the pipe, and asked cautiously.

"My name is Ayu... I am... the Black Queen Mother."

In an instant, there was only darkness in Ayu's eyes when he raised his head.