I created the myth of the Great Old Ones.

What is that tower?

Drizzt clearly had the same idea as Lu Ban, and he asked.

"The mansion is very large, be careful not to get lost."

The servants avoided the topic altogether.

Just as Drizzt turned his gaze back to the front, he suddenly saw what appeared to be a woman in a red wedding dress standing next to the tower in the middle of the lake.

In the blink of an eye, the woman disappeared again, leaving only the lonely tower standing in the desolate courtyard.

The servants carried the two men to a secluded courtyard.

From afar, they could see the dim yellow light shining from the courtyard. Lu Ban and Cui Shi entered the courtyard and saw two people sitting in the house, which was laid out in a Chinese style.

A painting hangs on the wall facing the gate; it is not a traditional landscape of mountains, rivers, flowers, and birds, but a painting of the sea.

However, the sea was turbulent, and in the waves, some kind of creature never seen before on land lurked. They capsized ships, attacked humans, and circled around the two twisting figures in the center of the scene, creating an indescribable sense of strangeness.

The two people sitting in the chairs were even stranger.

The man on the left is an elderly man. His face is paler than paper, but his lips are very red. He has an unnatural, sickly appearance and looks more like a dead person than a servant.

On the right is a middle-aged woman whose makeup is almost identical to the man's, except for her eyes. The man's pupils are pitch black, while the woman's eyes have a cloudy amber color.

The two people gave off the feeling that the paper figures used in worship had come to life, and just looking at them gave people a very uncomfortable feeling.

It was as if some kind of monster had forcibly disguised itself as a human.

"You two have come all this way, thank you for your hard work."

The man spoke, his voice weak and feeble, like that of a dying patient.

"I am Hayley, and this is my wife."

He gave a brief introduction.

Lu Ban and Trist introduced themselves, and before Haiwei could continue speaking, Lu Ban suddenly raised his hand.

"Mr. Hai, look, my friend and I went to the beach during the day, and we haven't had dinner yet. Have you prepared dinner?"

"?"

Trist reacted a beat too late.

Haiwei and Mrs. Haiwei's movements also froze.

The two hesitated for a moment before exchanging a glance and summoning a servant.

"Prepare the meal."

"Great!"

Lu Ban smiled brightly, as if a weight had finally been lifted from his heart.

The servant brought over a table and chairs, and the four of them sat down at the table. After exchanging a few pleasantries, the servant brought out the dishes.

Steamed fish, vegetables, meat, rice, and crab—it wasn't a particularly lavish meal, but it looked quite exquisite.

"I'm starving."

Lu Ban picked up his chopsticks, ready to eat the fish.

Trist picked up the bowl and chopsticks, but hesitated to move them.

The two members of the Hai family sitting opposite them didn't even bother to pick up their chopsticks; they were just staring intently at Lu Ban and Cui Shi.

"It tastes great! Fish from the sea is definitely fresh."

Lu Ban ate heartily, completely oblivious to the eerie atmosphere around him.

"I heard that A-Yu came looking for you today?"

Haiwei looked at Lu Ban as he ate and asked in a flat voice.

"Yes, that's right. He took us to the beach. He's a very nice person."

Lu Ban lied without batting an eye.

"I know that Ayu is not very happy with this marriage. He loves his younger sister the most, which is normal. So please don't take it to heart if he says anything."

Although Mrs. Hai spoke politely, her tone lacked emotion, like a heartless repeating machine.

“We understand. We came here to witness the couple’s union and we certainly won’t do anything to harm the wedding.”

Lu Ban ate another piece of meat. The meat was very unique, unlike pork, beef, or mutton, but it was extremely delicious.

"That's good. Our biggest wish is to see our son get married."

Hevy said in a slow voice.

"We were not very hospitable yesterday. Please stay at the mansion tonight. The wedding will begin early tomorrow morning."

"No problem, this house is so grand, I'd really like to take a look around."

Lu Ban continued.

Drizzt, standing to the side, watched the three of them conversing harmoniously with a livid face. The conversation at the dinner table was inexplicably strange, but it seemed that only he noticed the unease.

In the end, Twisted Fate didn't touch his chopsticks.

After the two finished their meal, the servants led them to a secluded courtyard, saying it would be their lodging for the night.

Trist inspected the room; the furniture was exquisitely crafted, and the bedding looked brand new.

"Thanks for your hard work."

Lu Ban saw the servant off, and only returned to the courtyard silently after the servant disappeared around the corner.

"This is a bit strange, just now..."

Just as Trist was about to talk to Lu Ban, he saw Lu Ban come to a corner of the courtyard and bend down.

vomit--

He pushed his stomach open and vomited up everything he had eaten that evening.

"Are you OK?"

Trist patted Lu Ban on the shoulder.

"fine."

Lu Ban glanced at his vomit and then said a few words.

"Haiwei and Mrs. Hai are not human."

"Dinner tonight was awful."

Chapter 074 Who are you talking to?

Looking at Lu Ban's vomit, Trist couldn't connect his two sentences for a moment.

"Those two people had no heartbeat."

Lu Ban took out a tissue from his pocket, wiped his mouth, and then explained.

"They were like those fish-like monsters, without heartbeats or breathing sounds, just walking corpses."

"What about the servants?"

Drizzt, noticing that the three men were dressed almost identically, asked again.

“The servant has a heartbeat, though the frequency is strange, but he is alive.”

Lu Ban replied.

If the servant had no heartbeat, he would have noticed when he saw the man last night, instead of only telling Drizzt now.

"The ingredients in those dishes were normal, but the taste was terrible. It was like someone who didn't know how to cook had forced themselves to make them. The chef in this house probably isn't a normal person either."

He added another sentence.

"So you asked them to provide dinner to confirm these things?"

Tristana immediately realized that, apart from being somewhat neurotic and having a slightly strange way of thinking, the man in front of her was quite bold and meticulous.

"No, I'm really hungry."

Lu Ban immediately replied.

He went back into the house, took out some compressed rations from his bag, and devoured them with the bottled water he had brought.

"Man is made of iron, food is made of steel. How can we cope with tomorrow's wedding if we don't eat our fill?"

"...Whatever makes you happy."

Trist sat down in the chair, carefully inspected his revolver, and put it back in its holster.

Let's summarize the current situation.

"This town was plagued by monsters many years ago. Later, the monsters were sealed away, and the town enjoyed a period of peace. However, the seal loosened, and the monsters came out to wreak havoc on the world again. Until the Hai family arrived, the monsters disappeared without a trace."

"The Black Queen Mother may be some kind of being higher than humans. She was sealed in the black tower in the Hai family's courtyard, and her power can seep out and incite others to release her."

"So, the Black Queen Mother might be the monster that ravaged the sea before, and has now been sealed away by the Hai family?"

"We don't need to pay too much attention to the Black Queen Mother's matter. Our goal is the wedding. But now it seems that the Hai family is also in trouble. The patriarch is already dead, but the servants are still alive."

He pondered as he gently stroked his pipe.

Suddenly, Trist realized that Lu Ban was gone.

The entire room was completely silent; you could even hear your own breathing.

"Lu Ban?"

Trist became alert and called out.

No one responded.

He got up and went into the house.

The house was dark, with no lights on, and the moonlight filtering through the shadows of the trees, making it appear rather gloomy.

Drizzt saw a mirror, which was placed in a strange position, directly opposite the screen, as if to reflect everyone who entered the room.