Anomalous Creatures

It seems that Wei Lili was right. Despite the haunted events in Yofulde attracting many paranormal enthusiasts from other places, the area has not yet reached its peak tourist season. This little inn still has three empty rooms—and only three empty rooms left.

Ideally, there would have been four rooms, so that Kevin, his two companions, and Nangong could each have their own room without disturbing each other. But now, it seems that Wei Lili and Lily will have to make do with sharing a room for the night. The vampire girl is filled with complaints about this: she notices that Lily has already started snoring while standing, and is therefore one hundred percent certain that the werewolf girl will be wide awake in the middle of the night, running around the room just like she did the previous night. With this jet-lagged creature around, there's no way to get a good night's sleep.

After getting the room keys, Nangong sees that there are no other guests at the counter, so he leans against it and strikes up a conversation with the fat innkeeper. "Hello, I saw you on TV. You're Mr. Angus, right? I heard there's a haunted castle nearby?"

"Oh, your English is pretty good, much better than that Indian monk upstairs," the innkeeper says with a broad smile. As a hotelier, he has an agreeable personality befitting his profession and can chat with people from all over the world. "Are you here for the castle too? It's been the big news around here lately. Hey, that castle had almost been forgotten by everyone before it started haunting recently. If it weren't for that, people might have forgotten the old name of Yofulde altogether. But it's a big ruin, and after this incident, it will probably become a popular tourist attraction."

"I'm an expert in this field," Nangong straightens his collar and says very solemnly, "I come from China and am a professional demon hunter. I'm here to eliminate the evil spirits in the castle."

Kevin can't help but whisper to Wei Lili, "This guy is really high-profile with everyone, telling everyone about it."

The vampire girl snorts indiscreetly and then uses her shoulder to prop up Lily, who is stumbling and almost falling to the ground. She greets Kevin, "I'll take this guy upstairs first. You chat for a while and come up quickly. We need to discuss something."

Wei Lili drags Lily upstairs, while the innkeeper looks at Nangong in amazement, "Oh, indeed from the mysterious China. But I remember that your ghost-catching experts are called... what's it called again? Taoists?"

The innkeeper is surprisingly quite knowledgeable about China, and he pronounces the word "Taoists" very clearly in Mandarin.

Nangong doesn't bother explaining the issue of demon hunters this time. He just shakes his head with a smile, "I'm not a Taoist, although I do know their techniques for driving away ghosts. By the way, if you have time, can you tell me the story of Yofulde Castle? We're very interested in it."

The fat innkeeper immediately became overjoyed, his chunky body surprisingly agile as he squeezed out from behind the counter and dragged Nangong and Kevin over to a long table nearby where guests could temporarily rest. "Of course, of course. Come, let's sit down and take our time. I've been telling people about these things for the past two days. Where do you want to start listening?"

"Uh, let's start from the beginning, with the story of the castle back then," Kevin said, finding the innkeeper's enthusiasm somewhat amusing, as if the man were a tour guide who hadn't had a customer in half a year and had suddenly stumbled upon a gullible tourist. "I don't know anything about that castle. I didn't even know where it was specifically before I came."

The innkeeper was first taken aback, "Wow! Your English is even better than mine..."

Kevin: "...Cough, cough. Let's get down to business."

The innkeeper then began to recount the story of the castle in great detail, his narration vivid and emotional. Starting from when a British noble established his territory here hundreds of years ago, he spent over ten minutes just telling about the family history of that noble, filled with ups and downs of love, hate, passion, and revenge, portraying a country lord almost like a Knight of the Round Table. According to the innkeeper's description, that noble and his family lived in old Yofulde for less than two hundred years. During those two hundred years, they experienced the rise and fall of their family, fought open and covert battles with the court, endured rebellions within their territory and wars from outside, and ultimately fell apart due to a rift among their three heirs. The eldest son of the last generation of heirs died on the throne in the castle, the second son perished in a rebellion battle, and the youngest son's whereabouts remained unknown, leaving countless legends and stories behind. And so, the once-thriving Yofulde Castle became the biggest demolition project in the area.

"The Yofulde territory was once very prosperous, but it eventually fell into complete disrepair during an internal rebellion. Many knights and soldiers died inside and outside the castle. Some of their remains were buried by later generations, but it is said that many bodies were never found. Those soldiers were trapped in the underground tunnels and basements of the castle. After the lord's family died, no one knew exactly how many hidden rooms were down there anymore. As a result, the soldiers who died in the basements and tunnels were never buried," the innkeeper clicked his tongue and his tone became eerie. "It is said that those soldiers who couldn't be buried back then turned into vengeful spirits. They were trapped underground by the rebels and could only listen to their lord being killed above them, so they were filled with hatred..."

Kevin looked at Angus's expressive fat face and felt that this uncle must have been a winged tour guide in his past life who had lost his wings.

"Are there underground tunnels and basements in the castle? Pretty large-scale ones?" Kevin asked curiously. Before Angus could answer, Nangong explained beside him, "It's normal. During that era, castles were not just residences for nobles, but also the last fortresses to cope with wars. Generally, there would be very large cellars and well-connected underground tunnels beneath them. Some castles even had underground tunnels that could span the entire territory, allowing the lord to escape to a sufficient distance in an emergency."

Angus nodded, agreeing that Nangong's point made sense, and then added, "Most of the underground tunnels have collapsed, and for so many years, Yofulde Castle has been forgotten by everyone. No one has truly explored what lies beneath, so no one knows just how many secrets it holds underground."

"Have you really seen a ghost?" Kevin looked at the innkeeper's ruddy face with curiosity. The man's complexion didn't seem like someone who had encountered a ghost. Who could be so cheerful after encountering a ghost?

"Of course I have!" The innkeeper's voice rose. "You're not the first to doubt me, but I swear on the Bible that I saw the spirits of knights and mysterious flames near the castle... Oh, it was a terrible night, but it has brought me so many guests now. I think it's not necessarily a bad thing."

Seeing the innkeeper's excited demeanor, Kevin quickly expressed his belief in the man's words and then chatted with him about some recent developments regarding the castle. Realizing that it was already late, he bid farewell and left.

His room was at the west end of the third floor, directly across from Weilili and Lily's room, while Nangong's room was at the other end of the hallway, quite a distance away. As soon as he arrived at his door, Kevin saw Weilili waiting for him.

"Let's talk in your room," Weilili said, pointing to her room. "The big dog had a dream and is now chewing on someone's table leg inside. Be prepared to pay for it tomorrow."

Kevin: "...Why didn't you stop him!"

Weilili raised her arm to show a series of bite marks. "Hehe."

Kevin: "..."

The conditions of this rural inn were, of course, not comparable to those of a star-rated hotel in central London. Each room only had a bed, a table, chairs, and a few other necessary pieces of furniture. However, such a room actually made Kevin feel relaxed. He sat on the bed with Weilili and briefly recounted what he had heard downstairs. Then, looking worried, he said, "I heard that there are already quite a few people at the castle. Many crazy guys have even come in RVs or with tents. They're not staying in the town but camping outside the castle waiting to see a ghost. It might not be realistic for us to sneak over and find 'the person'."

"So, it doesn't matter if we leave tonight or tomorrow night, right?" Weilili blinked. "Just now, I used my own method to check out the situation over there and actually found something interesting."

Kevin: "?"