Chapter 42: The second item: Picking up the item - Candy store
The blind man had vaguely felt this situation before, but because he couldn't see, he wasn't sure.
"Where do you think the problem lies?" he asked Shen Li.
"Clothes." Chen Li hit the nail on the head.
“The indigenous people here seem to only wear black clothes, and some even wear black cloaks to cover their faces as much as possible.”
Compared to the way the indigenous people dressed, the two of them were now too conspicuous.
It was totally out of place walking down the street.
"Heretic!" An aboriginal who looked like an old woman stopped beside them and pointed at them fiercely.
The other natives quickly gathered around them, some were afraid when they saw them, while more showed hatred on their faces.
"It is because of these heretics that the town is cursed. Kill them!"
Before Chen Li and the blind man did anything, the natives started shouting and calling for fighting.
It was not suitable to stay here for long, so Chen Li made a quick decision, grabbed the blind man and said, "Let's go!"
Wherever they went, the natives stared at them warily or followed them from a distance.
Shen Li led the blind man over a hillside and finally got rid of the natives behind him.
"Why is there a burning smell? What's on fire?"
The blind man asked Shen Li.
"no."
Chen Li looked towards the other end of the hillside and saw many charred people tied to the top of a tall cross.
Several natives in cloaks were rummaging through their belongings.
Watches, bracelets, necklaces...
Judging from these relics, those who were burned to death were all couriers for the company.
Chen Li was the blind man's eyes. He calmly described the tragic scene before him, and the blind man's face suddenly turned ugly.
Even though he had carefully concealed himself, because this fatal flaw could not be seen, if Shen Li had not been by his side, he would have probably been burned to death as a heretic just now.
They urgently needed a change of clothes.
The blind man carried Shen Li and climbed over a wall.
He had smelled detergent when he passed by here before, so there should be clothes washed and hung out to dry here.
The clothing style in this place is very strange. It is a loose black robe on the outside with some loose pockets on the inside.
Shen Li reached into a pocket and fumbled around, only to pull out a handful of sticky candies stuck together.
The owner of the clothes must have forgotten to take out the candy before washing the clothes.
The two put on hoods and sneaked into the town again.
This time, the people in the town didn't pay any attention to them.
The blind man fumbled for the map on his left arm and came to the door of the candy store with Shen Li.
When I pushed the door open, the wind chimes hanging at the door rang.
Behind the high counter, the candy store owner climbed down the ladder, took a monocle from his breast pocket, put it on, and looked at the two of them.
"Do you know the rules for pickup?"
The candy store owner looked very young, and although he was also dressed in black, his clothes looked more formal.
Not only did he keep himself in good order and ironed his clothes without any wrinkles, he also kept his huge candy store clean.
The interior is more like a library than a candy store.
There were various kinds of candies on display in the tasting area on one side, and many children crowded there to taste them.
On the other side are tall cabinets, each compartment is labeled with the type and flavor of candy.
"I know. We need two of us."
The candy store owner nodded, with a kind smile unique to businessmen on his face. He suddenly came over and explained to them in a low voice.
"I know who you are. People here call you heretics, but I don't think so."
The candy store owner looked out the window. "This town is rotten, don't you think? The reason why I paired you two is that I hope you can protect each other. After all, your identities are not welcome here."
He fished out a bunch of keys from the candy jar and threw them to Shen Li, "Go to the back, turn right and go upstairs. You two will share a room. Remember, don't both fall asleep at night. Make sure one person stays on guard."
Chen Li was a little confused.
"We are here to pick up the package, not to stay in the store."
Why give them room keys.
"I know." The candy store owner turned around and climbed up the wooden ladder.
Inside the counter is his work area, with a huge crucible placed in the center.
He used a long wooden stick to stir the crucible a few times with difficulty. "What I asked you to get is a jar of candy. It's not ready yet."
There is a sweet and sticky smell coming from the crucible. It smells nice at first, but makes you dizzy if you smell it too much.
“How many days will it take to be completely done?”
The blind man realized that things were not simple, and the longer he stayed here, the more likely it would go wrong.
"Three days."
As he stirred the syrup, he took the time to introduce himself.
"By the way, my name is Charlie. You will see my assistant Miller when you go upstairs."
Just as Shen Li was about to introduce his name, Xia Li quickly leaned over the counter and stuffed a lemon-flavored candy into his mouth.
"No, no, no, I don't want to know your names at all."
"You know what? Everyone has a different smell. I can tell you apart by smell, so your name is not important to me."
Charlie glanced at his pocket watch and urged them on.
"It's nine o'clock, and there are more and more customers. If there are no other questions, I have to get busy."
Xia Li seems to like children very much. He will not drive away any child who stays in the tasting area to get candies for free, and he will even replenish the candies that have been eaten in time.
"He looks like a good person." Shen Li judged Xia Li, "But..."
He could always sense a hidden, almost invisible malice from him.
It was exactly the same atmosphere he felt in the foggy forest that day.
The blind man was more cautious and asked Chen Li to go upstairs first.
Xia Li's candy store is very large, with the storefront only in the front and his private area in the back.
Charlie's assistant Miller was already waiting for them on the second floor.
The corridor on the second floor is narrow, with rooms on both sides.
Miller led them inside and gave a brief introduction to the environment.
"When Mr. Xia Li makes candies, he needs to do it in a separate room, so this is his workshop. He changes the studio every time he changes a flavor. Mr. Xia Li has a good sense of smell, and he thinks that making two different flavors of candies in the same room will cause the flavors to mix."
Miller led them to a room at the end of the corridor.
"This used to be Mr. Xia Li's studio, but knowing that there would be a lot of you coming, we converted it into a small room in advance."
Miller opened the door and saw that the decoration of the entire room was extremely fancy.
There are colorful carpets, sparkling crystal chandeliers, beautiful and exquisite cups on the tables, and many candies in transparent glass jars.
It is hard to imagine that there would be such a colorful room on such a dark and gloomy street.
Miller seemed to know what Shen Li was thinking and explained:
"Mr. Charlie likes colorful things very much. Before you came here, Mr. Charlie was always known as the heretic in Orange Town."
"Ju Town?" The blind man grasped the point.
"Yes, a long time ago, oranges were grown in abundance here, and there were orchards everywhere, so it was also called Orange Town. Oh, by the way, Mr. Charlie's father was also a fruit farmer. The orange trees he planted were all improved varieties, big and sweet, but later... Forget it, why am I telling you all this? You should go to bed early."
When Miller talked about Mr. Charlie and his family, the admiration in his eyes was genuine.
Besides, he just got to the point, how could a blind man let him go?
"We're not tired yet, please continue. After all, we also admire Mr. Charlie."
"Really?" Miller expressed doubt.
Because he felt that everyone in Orange Town hated Mr. Charlie except him and the children.
Shen Li took a candy from the jar and put it in his mouth, "I think the candy made by Mr. Xia Li is delicious."
Chen Li has a magical power in his words, and coupled with his extremely sincere expression, it is easy for people to trust him.
Many times the blind man thought that if he learned to lie, his lies would be unbreakable.
Miller, with his guard down, also took a candy from the table and put it in his mouth.
"Speaking of Mr. Charlie's father, he was also a fruit farmer who lived in a large estate. His oranges were the best-selling ones. Mr. Charlie's father always wanted him to follow in his footsteps and grow oranges, but Mr. Charlie was unwilling to do so. He broke up with his family and came to town to open a candy store."
"Not long after that, everyone in the town was saying that someone had dug up a human head in Mr. Charlie's father's orchard. After that, no one dared to eat oranges, and Mr. Charlie's father became depressed and died."
When the blind man heard this, he couldn't help but ask:
"The biggest competitor has closed down. Logically, other fruit farmers in the town should be working harder to run their orchards. But why didn't we see any place selling oranges along the way?"
Miller sighed and used his tongue to push the candy on the left side of his cheek to the right.
"Because no one knows when it started, someone would disappear in the town every seven days. Soon after, everyone would find the victim's body in the orchard. The murderer was never caught. Some people said it was a monster, so they couldn't catch him. The people in the town were in a panic. Later, a missionary came to Orange Town and spread the teachings of the Star Shattering Cult everywhere, claiming that anyone who joined the church would be blessed."
"From then on, the whole town became weird."
The orchards were eradicated one by one, and everyone rushed to contribute funds to build one cathedral after another in the town.
Members of the Broken Star Cult all wear black robes and reject anything colorful.
"They worship darkness and the devil. Every seven days, missionaries hold activities in the church. Everyone gathers around a bonfire, looks up at the sky, scolds the stars, and curses the gods."
Miller said this with fear in his eyes.
"The people of the entire town, without realizing it, all became followers of the Shattered Star. My parents would take me to church to pray on weekends. The adults expressed their anger and resentment to the black goat head on the altar, and then watched as black blood flowed from the black goat head's eyes."
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