Little Mouth Smeared with Honey

"Behave yourself, you can go back after the questions are answered."

Trist tapped the table, making the tall, burly bartender in front of him look fearful.

Although the bartender looked like he could take on three Trist players at once, he chickened out when faced with the muzzle of a revolver that could be fired at any moment.

"I shouldn't have drunk alcohol, I shouldn't have. Ever since Prohibition, the bar's business has plummeted. Damn it, it's ridiculous. It's a bar, but we can't sell alcohol, we can only sell those... those drinks that only women drink. Screw it!"

The burly bartender started cursing as he spoke, his sweet words now dripping with honey.

"Sometimes I'll secretly drink a little alcohol by myself, really, just by myself. That day I drank some alcohol and felt really hot, so I wanted to go out for some fresh air. I went out onto the street, and hey, the air in the Black Street was fucking stinky. I almost threw up when I smelled it."

"I originally wanted to go to the river, but then I remembered that it's been full of wastewater from the factories there lately, so I changed direction. The Black Street is really fucking dark at night. I was drunk at the time, and after walking a few steps, I saw a woman standing by the roadside. She must be a fucking prostitute!"

"I was drunk and wanted to have some fun, but when I got to the woman, I was horrified. Her face was a mess of mud and dents. I was so scared that I backed away and fell down the steps, breaking my leg."

He patted his leg, which was in a cast.

"A woman? You mean the urban legends of the Black Street?"

Lu Ban asked.

"I'm not too sure, but the woman's face was covered in mud, with bubbles coming out. It was also very dark at the time, so I didn't see it clearly."

The bartender's eyes revealed fear.

"And what about when you see Dr. House?"

Xiya asked a question.

"Dr. House is a fucking good man. He often treats us people who live in the Black Street for very little money. He also gives away medicine for free to the children when they get sick."

When the bartender mentioned Dr. House, his speech became a little more refined.

"He checked my wound, treated it, and bandaged it. He was going to tell me to come back in a couple of days to change the dressing, but I didn't expect this..."

Trist then asked the bartender some more details about the treatment, which basically matched the description in the medical records.

In fact, neither he nor the worker were highly suspicious, because after the two of them, Dr. House also met with the pharmaceutical supplier, and judging from the testimony, Dr. House was clearly still alive at that time.

Therefore, Trist sought evidence from these two people mainly to find out when the woman entered the clinic and whether she was with anyone else when she came to the clinic.

"By the way, when you were at the clinic, did you hear any other voices or see any other people?"

Upon hearing Trist's question, the bartender denied it without hesitation.

"You said Dr. House would give those children medicine for free. Has he ever treated a girl who is about this tall? She must have a relative who is seriously ill."

Trist asked again.

In the dream, the girl did mention something about treating the illness, but it's unclear whether it's related to Dr. House.

"Your description makes it way too damn hard to find. There are plenty of people like that in the Black Street. If you want to find women, you can go to the Red Dance Hall area. Almost all the women in the Black Street are there."

"That's what the bartender said."

The Red Dance Hall was not a dance hall, but a gathering place for prostitutes.

"I understand, you should drink less alcohol."

Trist offered a reminder.

They came to the factory again.

"Cough cough cough, I've been having a lot of health problems lately, I hope you don't mind, cough cough cough."

The worker was not young; his hair was streaked with white, and if he had children, they would probably be teenagers by now.

"The environment here at the factory is terrible, and many people are sick, but what can we do? We have no land left, and if we don't work, we'll starve to death. Cough cough cough. Fortunately, Dr. House prescribed medicine for us. He's such a good man. Many of us here have been taken care of by him. Sigh. Cough cough cough."

The worker coughed incessantly, sometimes so loudly that tears streamed down his face.

In the workshop not far away, the sound of coughing rose and fell through the masks. These people's masks had been used for a long time. When they got dirty, they would wash them with water from the river. The water in the river was mostly wastewater, mixed with some unpleasant smells.

What do you produce in your factory?

Trist inquired, noting that there were no traces of paint or coating on the worker's clothes.

"It's animal feed, feed for livestock. It's made by mixing some grass clippings and wood chips with some other things we don't even know what it's made of. This job is actually not bad, because if you're really hungry, you can steal some feed to eat, and usually no one will notice."

The worker pursed his lips and gave a simple, honest smile.

Xiya remained silent, finding the scene somewhat shocking.

For the Night Country, which was still in an agrarian civilization, the bloodshed and darkness under this capitalist expansion were beyond imagination. In the agrarian era, many people would not have imagined that someone would be so cruel to their own people or sit down to do business with their enemies.

As for Lu Ban, he had seen it all before. Although the "sheep eat people" movement did not originate in the Ruined City, the expansion of capital was even more severe in this resource-poor city, and the common people did not even have a chance to turn the tide.

Have you ever seen a girl, about this tall, with a sick relative?

Trist asked again.

The worker shook his head and spoke again.

"I used to have a daughter who was this tall, but unfortunately she had no food to eat and eventually starved to death."

He spoke casually, as if he were saying he would steal the animal feed from the production line.

Or rather, he was numb; the ups and downs of life could no longer touch his soul.

Leaving the factory, Xiya felt deeply shocked.

"I've seen crazy, terrifying monsters, and I've seen people who have been tortured, but these... even though they're just alive, they give me a more eerie feeling."

As she spoke, even the chicken leg that might be served for dinner didn't seem appetizing anymore.

"Perhaps Dr. House did do some things, but at least he's considered a good guy by the people in the Black Street."

Trist sighed, knowing that there might never be a doctor to bring them medicine or treat their illnesses again.

"There's another thing. The worker didn't have any paint or coating on him. I looked around his factory and there was nothing like that. The workers' clothes didn't have any of that kind of stain either. This means that the paint on Dr. House and the woman didn't come from that worker."

As he spoke, he pointed to a road ahead.

"Let's go to the Red Dance Hall and investigate the identity of that prostitute."

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