“What are the Night Watchers?”
“Ha, I knew you’d ask that.” Hades had a look of certainty as he turned his back to Lu Li, tiptoeing to grab a square-shaped wine bottle from the top shelf of the liquor cabinet.
He pulled out two wine glasses from beneath the counter, gave the bottle a slight shake, and with a soft “pop,” removed the cork.
A dark red stream flowed gracefully into the glasses, rippling slightly as it filled.
“Want some?” Hades tilted the bottle, gesturing toward Lu Li.
“If it’s free.”
“Then forget it.”
Hades capped the bottle, casually took away the empty glass in front of Lu Li, and sipped his drink while lightly shaking his head. “The Night Watchers are like you and me—they deal with ghosts and other strange things. The only difference is, they’re officially backed. If you gain some fame later on, they might try to recruit you.”
“Strange things?”
Lu Li caught onto the unfamiliar term.
“Yeah, things even those frauds in the church can’t explain. Their forms can be bizarre—maybe a building, maybe a creature, maybe even a story... Basically, things that don’t follow any logic. Shut up! Don’t ask me more! I don’t know how to describe it!”
“Are there many strange things?”
“Fewer than ghosts. Most ordinary people will only encounter one or two in their lifetime.”
“How do you deal with them?”
“Run. Run as far as you can. Don’t even think about fighting them. That’s absolutely beyond what we can handle. If you encounter one, contact the Night Watchers to deal with it.” Hades seemed to assume Lu Li intended to become an exorcist and didn’t hold back on sharing some critical information. “I know what you want to ask—how to recognize a strange thing, right? I don’t know either. All I can tell you is, when you meet one, you’ll know.”
“Have you ever encountered one?”
“Once. Barely escaped.”
“Can you talk about it?”
Hades swirled his wine glass gently. “It’s better if you don’t know; it won’t do you any good.”
“That’s my business. Just tell me.” Lu Li’s calm insistence didn’t waver.
“And what if I told you that saying it aloud would cause trouble for me?”
Lu Li fell silent.
“If you’re curious, you can find books about this in any library... Oh, right. I forgot. Belfast’s library burned down.” Hades shrugged, his expression showing a hint of satisfaction at someone else’s misfortune. “Coming to Belfast at this time was probably the worst decision you could’ve made.”
Lu Li mentally noted all the details and continued asking, “What’s in the darkness?”
“That comes at a price.” Hades raised an eyebrow, hinting at something.
“I’ll keep buying bullets from you in the future.”
“That’s not enough. You’ll need to offer a bit more.” Hades tapped the table.
Lu Li shook his head slightly. “Most of my money was spent on buying the Spirit Gun.”
Hades’ smile vanished, and his golden teeth no longer gleamed. He coldly dismissed Lu Li. “Come back when you’ve saved up a thousand shillings.”
Lu Li’s expression didn’t change. “Do others know about these things?”
“No one would risk telling you these things. And even if they did, it wouldn’t be for money.” Hades leaned forward, narrowing the distance between them. “So, rookie exorcist, how many bullets are you planning to buy?”
“Ten,” Lu Li replied.
“Alright... Wait, what did you say? Ten?! You actually—no way! After everything I’ve told you, you’re buying at least twenty!”
“Fine.”
Only then did Hades’ expression soften. As he retrieved the bullets for Lu Li, he asked, “I’ve got a question too.”
Before Lu Li could agree or refuse, Hades cut in, “Why do you want to know all this? Don’t tell me it’s just out of curiosity.”
“...To go home,” Lu Li said after a brief pause.
To return, Lu Li first needed to know where he was and why he had ended up here.
Hades misunderstood, assuming Lu Li had somehow ended up stranded in this place. He took out a box of bullets, pushed it in front of Lu Li, and said with a trace of sympathy in his eyes, “Here’s a free piece of advice. You must remember this.”
“Stay where there’s light?”
“No, another one.”
For the first time, Hades’ expression turned serious. He leaned in and whispered slowly.
“Don’t ever try to learn too much. The more you know, the faster you’ll die.”