Brusar

It was already six o'clock. Hao Ren quickly washed his face, shaking off the lingering grogginess from sleeping for over ten hours. He then headed to the first-floor dining room with Vivian, who was still grumpy from a poor night's sleep. Trailing behind them like a lost soul was Lily. The werewolf girl had been energetic since midnight but had now reached her "nap time" again, looking as dead as a doornail from exhaustion.

Hao Ren truly found it amazing how powerful a person's biological clock could be.

"Landlord, I want to sleep... I also want to eat lunch, and I want to lie on the ground and rest..." Lily mumbled as she followed Hao Ren, her voice weak and listless. She looked like a dog that was tired from playing and refused to move from its owner's side. However, even Vivian didn't dare to say it out loud at this point. Lily, as a "werewolf," had an exceptionally strong sense of pride. Even in her current sleepwalking state, if you compared her to a pet dog, she would still jump up and bite you, leaving you covered in teeth marks. Even a triple-layered stab-proof vest wouldn't protect her from a single bite.

"At this hour, it should be breakfast," Hao Ren said, looking at the not-yet-fully-bright morning light outside the dining room and reminding the confused werewolf beside him. London had shed its smoggy industrial past, but the region's foggy mornings, heavy clouds, and changeable weather conditions remained the same. The weather today wasn't great. Although the sun had risen, the sky outside still looked a bit dim. For the next few hours, it would either be thick fog or overcast skies.

"Look, over there," Vivian suddenly tugged on Hao Ren's sleeve, pointing to a very conspicuous table outside the dining room. "That 'Nangong' guy, he's quite punctual. I didn't expect someone associated with demon hunters to be so reliable, tsk tsk."

Because Nangong might have some connection to demon hunters (and even had a one percent chance of being a "real one"), Vivian had an instinctive dislike for him. It wasn't outright hostility yet, but she certainly wouldn't be smiling if she brought him up behind his back.

"After watching TV yesterday, I suddenly felt like we didn't need to travel with this dangerous person at all," Hao Ren hesitated. "Yuefu'erde Castle is swarming with people looking for ghosts right now. Do we still need a guide?"

"Why wouldn't we?" Vivian shot Hao Ren a glance. "Do you know how to get from London to Brusar?"

Hao Ren froze. He had completely forgotten about that.

At this moment, Mr. Nangong also spotted the group of three, Hao Ren, Vivian, and Lily, and immediately waved to them, his face appearing incredibly amiable. Seeing that it was no longer realistic to turn and leave, Hao Ren led Vivian and Lily over. "Good morning."

"Morning, you're not late," Nangong said with a slight smile, then looked at Lily, who was swaying behind Hao Ren with her eyes closed, with some surprise. "Uh, what's wrong with this girl?"

"She hasn't adjusted to the time difference yet; she's taking a nap right now," Hao Ren shrugged helplessly. "Are we leaving now, or should we eat here first?"

Nangong indicated that there was no rush and that being twenty minutes late wouldn't make them miss the transport. Hao Ren decisively chose to fill his stomach first. The hotel provided a complimentary breakfast buffet for all guests, and he intended to get his money's worth before checking out. Lily was getting sleepier and sleepier, nearing the point of unconsciousness. But miraculously, even in this state, the werewolf girl didn't miss her meal. Hao Ren got her a plate of food according to her usual diet, and Lily, with her eyes closed, ate it all by smell, not leaving a single morsel...

Nangong watched from the side, marveling at the sight. This made Hao Ren and Vivian nervous. They were afraid that this self-proclaimed demon hunter would detect Lily's non-human nature from her peculiar behavior. As it turned out, Nangong was either a charlatan or a fraud. He just expressed his amazement and didn't even consider that the "demon" he was hunting was sitting right beside him.

After breakfast, the group went to the front desk to check out and left the hotel with their luggage. Hao Ren's group of three didn't have much luggage, just one large travel bag. Logically, a man should carry such items, but Vivian unceremoniously strapped the entire bag onto Lily. The latter, still half-asleep, suddenly had dozens of kilograms of weight added to her, but she surprisingly slept through it! With her eyes closed, she was treated like a pack animal by Vivian and followed Hao Ren by scent, just like the day before.

"The only advantage is her strength. It would be a waste of talent not to let her carry it," Vivian said nonchalantly, waving her hand at Hao Ren's strange expression. "Don't worry, she's happy about it – even though she's sleeping right now."

Hao Ren felt awkward. He saw Lily sleeping and carrying their combined luggage behind them, walking like a wronged little wife (purely a psychological projection). Finally, he couldn't help but step forward and switch the bag to his own back. "Forget it, don't just bully her."

Lily groggily opened her eyes and actually knew what was happening. "Thanks, Landlord. I'm not tired..."

Vivian snorted. "Such inexplicable manly thoughts. You men haven't improved one bit in all these years."

Hao Ren chuckled dryly and glanced at Nangong beside them. This tall and thin man, who claimed to be a demon hunter, had far more luggage than the three of them. He truly lived up to his reputation of traveling the world every now and then. His luggage alone was larger than the travel bag Hao Ren was carrying. It was a sturdy and heavy extra-large travel case, even bigger than the one Lily had dragged when she first came to their home. Dragging it on the concrete road made a deafening noise. Who knew what was inside?

"What's in that suitcase of yours?" Vivian, being as wise as an ancient being (these four words must not be heard by her), immediately put on a guise of innocent curiosity and asked.

"It's all for 'work'," Nangong said, dragging a huge suitcase, yet his clean-cut and elegant image remained intact. Paired with a white shirt and black trousers, even with a half-human-height suitcase trailing behind him, his face looked like that of a successful entrepreneur rushing to a meeting. "I use these to fight evil. This suitcase has suppressed at least a hundred demons and malevolent spirits."

"True demon hunters don't need so many tools," Vivian whispered back to Hao Ren. "They are the weapons themselves. It looks like we can rest easy."

Hao Ren, however, was thinking: Why is there such a big difference in appearance between men? He looks like an entrepreneur going to a meeting while dragging such a large suitcase, but I look like I'm on my way to demand overdue wages carrying this travel bag...

And so, the two parties, each with their own hidden agendas (is this idiom used correctly?), embarked on their journey to Brusar town. Regardless, having a seasoned professional who traveled frequently to lead the way saved a lot of trouble. With Nangong's help, Hao Ren and his companions managed not to get lost in London's ancient and intricate streets and successfully boarded the train to their destination.

The journey was uneventful, and the four of them were jostled on the train for an entire day.

With a stranger present, Hao Ren and Vivian couldn't discuss too many confidential matters, making the journey exceptionally dull. The only noteworthy event was Lily waking up from her "nap" midway, then lingering sluggishly in her train seat. By the time the train was nearing its destination, she started feeling sleepy again. It was a shame, considering how excited she was before leaving home. After arriving in England, all she did was sleep and stare blankly. The little free time she had was spent drifting on the train.

By the time the train arrived at the small station of Brusar, it was nearly dusk. Only a handful of people disembarked, suggesting that not everyone was interested in "ghost hunting" in such a remote and desolate place. Hao Ren followed the familiar station announcement, which sounded as warm as his native tongue, onto the platform. He found the place to be even more remote and desolate than he had imagined.

The train station was extremely small, with only two tracks passing through it, one of which was abandoned. The area around this tiny station was mostly barren land, with ochre-colored sand and gravel filling the view. The only greenery consisted of weeds and shrubs growing wild in the wind. From the station, one could see the small town of Brusar not far away. The town's buildings were somewhat old, and the entire town was small in scale, almost like a village.

Hao Ren wondered how this town was built, situated in such a godforsaken place. The feng shui of this location reminded him of the Heaven's Earth Liaison Office – also known as Wangba Tuozi.

Nangong sniffed the air, a look of interest on his face. "I smell the scent of a 'big one'."