Berkshire, early in the morning.

In the sky above this bustling city, which is famous for various "castles" and "manors", the sun has not yet appeared, and it is the last dark hour, a pair of gray eyes appeared without warning, and even Tang Qi's figure walked out of the void.

Behind him, a "strange object" fell off, transparent and illusory, with cold and deathly tentacles, together with the strange gray eyes, shrunk into a small "death octopus", swimming, swallowed back into the belly by gluttony.

"It's not very beautiful, but it's a very practical curiosity. ”

Tang Qi looked at the things he had extorted with satisfaction, and when he nodded, his figure had already appeared in the city below.

Here, it is extremely far away from Blue Deer City, or the entire Mirhuang State, but it is somewhat close to the second largest city of the Federation, "Carthage City".

According to information provided by Ralph's daughter, Lia, because Leah is very close to her grandmother, Ralph's mother, and knows almost most of Ralph's life.

"As a genius, Ralph was successfully admitted to the University of Carthage, and after graduation, he should have a great future and stay in the big city to work, but before that, Ralph decided to go on a graduation trip, starting from Carthage City and ending in Blue Deer City...... After meeting his mother, he went to look for a job. ”

But this trip changed his life, and the initial turning point was in Berkshire. ”

Tang Qi carried a suitcase, dressed as a "wandering pharmacist" with the best sense of comfort, and following the information, Tang Qi walked through the streets with a strong style of the old calendar era and entered a relatively remote old street.

"Huh?"

As soon as he stepped into it, a look of surprise appeared on Tang Qi's face.

Subconsciously looked at the sky again, it wouldn't be wrong, it was just five or six o'clock in the morning.

The old street, which should have been deserted and quiet, is very lively at this time.

At least dozens of young men of different styles gathered in front of a building, and although they were all communicating with each other, the hostile eyes could not be deceived.

What happened? Tang Qi looked straight at the house number, the hard metal door number was rusted with the passage of time, but the numbers and ancient federal fonts were still faintly visible.

"42 Severo Street, Fort Fog Office. ”

Tang Qi silently read the door number, matched the information in his mind, and then walked towards the line.

Because of his excellent appearance and natural affinity, he immediately caused a riot in the ranks of young people of various styles, dozens of "hostile" gazes projected over, and faintly, there were mutters of dissatisfaction.

"There's another snatcher, it's over. ”

"He's a wandering pharmacist, and he's so good-looking. ”

"I'm about as handsome as me, but my temperament isn't as good as his, what should I do?"

"He's an outsider, we're going to have to work together to get him out, and it's better to let him go. ”

"Or try to buy money, this guy must be very poor and poor. ”

With his keen sense of hearing, he took these sounds into his ears, and the corners of Tang Qi's mouth curled up, and he walked straight to the end of the line, where stood a black-haired, thin, somewhat feminine young man, also painted with black shadows, and a strong Gothic style.

Tang Qi stood in front of him and asked kindly, "Excuse me, what's going on here?"

The rest of the people who paid attention to his dynamics thought that the feminine youth would refuse, who knew that he was just stunned for a moment, and then quickly said: "Old lady Charlotte of Fog Castle is recruiting a caretaker, and she is required to be young, handsome, and strong. ”

After the feminine young man finished speaking, he added with a tangled face: "Old lady Charlotte said that those who accompany her to the end of her life can get her inheritance...... Although I don't know why the caregivers who have been recruited many times in the past have not been recognized by Mrs. Charlotte, everyone still decided to try their luck here. ”

When Tang Qi heard the latter sentence, a look of understanding immediately appeared on his face.

As long as you accompany and take care of a dying old lady, you can get a large inheritance, and many young people who do not have a serious job will not refuse.

In his mind, information about "Fog Castle" and the "Old Lady Charlotte" flashed one after another, and his expression gradually became strange.

And at this time, the warm sun finally began to rise, dispelling the darkness that enveloped the city of Berkshire, and the procession of dozens of handsome men began to agitate, because there was some movement behind the rusty portal ahead.

The person in charge of recruiting is about to appear, and the recruitment is about to begin.

Without waiting for that group of young people to do something to Tang Qi, a "competitor", invisible fluctuations suddenly overflowed.

When a "crimson" was cast, the lively team immediately stopped, and then they also strengthened a new idea rising in their hearts:

"I want to fight for myself and not be a shameful little white face!"

In such a low roar, dozens of handsome guys clenched their fists one after another, and their faces were full of fighting spirit.

When an old man with white hair and age spots on his face and arms "difficult" opened the door, he had seen many lively scenes, but this time it did not appear.

All he saw was a young figure walking towards him in the warm sunlight.

The old man squinted, and after a few seconds, it became clear that it was a young man who was too young, who seemed to be a wandering pharmacist.

Then, he saw the young man come up, and in his surprised gaze, he smiled brightly: "Hello, I have come to apply for a nurse." ”

......

In the morning, a black classic car of great value drove away from the city center and headed for the suburb of "Berkshire Mountain".

In the car, Alfred, who was showing his old driver's demeanor, skillfully drove up the mountain, while looking at Tang Qi through the rearview mirror, and asked curiously: "Do you want to be a male caretaker like a pharmacist, you know, it will be very hard and undignified." ”

"Although she was very beautiful when she was young, she was so old after all, and her temper was not very good. ”

When Tang Qi heard this, he glanced thoughtfully at the white old man, and continued to maintain his personality.

He smiled brightly and replied gently: "As you can see, I am just a wandering pharmacist, and my travel expenses have been used up, if I can get a proper salary for taking care of Old Lady Charlotte for a while, why don't I do it." ”

"And, even if I don't get paid, I'm willing to help a lonely old man. ”

As Tang Qi spoke, he occasionally glanced out the window at the desolate scenery that kept passing by, some of the images that did not quite fit the message given by Leah.

Mount Berkshi, which Lea described as more beautiful than the "Mountain of Deer", was extremely desolate to the eyes of the Don Odds, and all the trees were bare, pitch black and gray, staining everything, and it seemed that it was difficult to find any other creatures except for the occasional crow.

In the strange silence, there seems to be an indescribable terrible life.

Soon, the classic car crunched over the stone bridge that seemed to have not been cleaned for many years, and drove along the passage of the abandoned manor to a huge castle.

Tang Qi got out of the car and closed the car door with a "bang".

At this time, Alfred's voice came from behind him, the old man did not get out of the car, but just looked at Tang Qi, with a trace of regret hidden in his eyes, and said, "Sir, if you regret it, I can take you back now." ”

"Someone like you is really not suitable for this job, and the idle thugs in Berkshie may be more suitable. ”

Keen perception made it easy for Tang Qi to hear the hidden meaning of Alfred's words, so he waved his hand and said without looking back: "Go back, Alfred, your job is over, cancel the recruitment." ”

Hearing this, Alfred was stunned for a moment, then his eyes became confused, and he replied obediently: "Yes, sir." ”

Tang Qi stood still in front of the castle and looked at the area in front of him, a thick, dark mist flowing down from the distant mountains, enveloping the castle, and the diffuse fog made the area eerie and terrifying.

Under his eyes, intermittent fragments of information emerged.

"Fallen Souls...... Pollution ......"

Tang Qi, who had already vaguely guessed, thought of the information provided by Liya, sighed lightly, and then stepped on a dead branch and entered the castle without hesitation.

Although it was his first time, he showed no signs of getting lost, for the moment he stepped into the castle, the hoarse and poignant sound of the piano suddenly came, leading him through the garden, the corridors, the rooms, and finally into a side hall.

At the end of the front, in front of an extremely old piano, sat an old figure in a bright red dress.

She seemed to be extremely engaged, playing a piece called "Heartbeat", the work of a composer a hundred years ago, describing love at first sight.

It's just that the tune that should be cheerful and sweet, played from the old back, is hoarse and poignant, and even has a hint of chilling horror.

As Tang Qi walked over, he caught a glimpse of a picture of a little girl on the cabinet, desk, or wall.

She was about fifteen or sixteen years old.

In the photo, she has blonde hair and fair skin, mostly wearing red dresses and various hats, her appearance is stunning, exuding an amazing sweet atmosphere.

The sound of the piano has stopped at some point.

The voice of the old man penetrated into Tang Qi's ears.

"When I was young, was I good-looking?"

Accompanying the voice was the positive image of the old figure that slowly turned around.

The first thing that catches my eye is a face that is enough to make people collapse in an instant, crazy, with sparse blonde hair combed back and wrinkled, as if it is about to shatter at any moment, and the eye sockets, nostrils, and mouth are already rotten, and fat maggots writhing in them, gnawing at the last rotten flesh.

In order to look "complexion", she also applied lipstick to her lips, a bright red.

Bang!

When she turned around, the original colorful and magnificent side hall, time seemed to speed up tens of thousands of times, everything was decaying, mottled colors climbed up, choking dust flew in the air, and those heart-pounding photos quickly faded.

The sweet girl inside is being replaced by a disgusting old woman.

In front of Tang Qi's eyes, a light breeze suddenly blew, his eyes blinked, and the disgusting, crazy face almost stuck to his face, and the foul smell accompanied by a terrible breath sprayed over.

"Answer me, I ...... Isn't it pretty?"

This terrifying change could not make Tang Qi's complexion change even the slightest.

He seemed to have guessed that this would happen, and sighed in his heart: "Scumbag, what a sin." ”