The ground was covered with black sewage and the air was filled with the smell of livestock manure.
A woman in a headscarf appeared around the corner holding farm tools and did not react when she saw the carriage.
The old men sat at the door smoking, their eyes fixed on the moving carriage.
There was only numbness on their faces.
Only the children - even in this cold winter, they were still wearing thin clothes and had dirty faces, only they would cheer and run after the carriage.
Cheering and laughing, not even caring about being splashed with dirty water by the wheels.
“Oh my god…”
Ms. Fist was frightened by the terrible environment and kept huddling in the corner of the carriage and trembling.
"Maybe I shouldn't have come to this place...oh goddess..."
“…But this is the reality.”
Gebrina said somewhat embarrassedly.
"After all, there are no mines here anymore... and basically no gold..."
"Anyway, welcome to Barvik."
Chapter 10 The Greedy
I don’t know if it’s prejudice, but Hitzfeld feels that there may be strange and evil things everywhere here.
It's normal to think about it. Most residents of Blackwood City don't have to worry about eternal night and evil spirits. That's because the Mechanical Yang Cult is protecting them and because various police departments are patrolling the city every night.
But what does the town of Barvik have?
Even if there is a city defense team, its combat effectiveness is still questionable.
"It's not that serious."
As if he saw her worry, Darent raised the brim of his hat slightly.
"At least this place is not too far from Zhongtu City. If there is no disaster in the area, the Zhongtu Diocese will send people here regularly to exorcise evil spirits."
"I have a question." Hitzfeld asked directly, "There aren't that many people here, why not just move them to Middle-earth City?"
"Well..." Darent's mouth curled up sarcastically.
"I think it would be more appropriate for Mr. Gebrina to answer this question."
“Because the young people don’t want to leave!”
Gebrina added unhappily.
"Yes, as you can see, there is nothing here. It is just a completely dilapidated and decayed place."
"But many young people are still reluctant to leave. I'm sure you all know the reason. Yes... they also want to discover other mineral deposits."
It turned out to be the case.
Hitzfeld raised his eyebrows.
Indeed, from those people's perspective, even if they move to the urban area with their families, it is difficult for them to quickly gain a foothold in the local area.
If they stay in the village, the elderly and women can at least do some farm work and raise livestock.
But if they go to the city, these people will not be able to do the factory work that is too intense.
In addition, they have to face higher prices... This means that the cost of living has increased instead of decreased. Even if the parish is willing to provide them with free housing, I am afraid that not many people will move to the city.
But greed is the most important thing...
Thinking that perhaps Barvik would discover copper mines again, or even gold mines.
If it is really discovered, then the person who leaves will be giving up a great opportunity. When he looks back on it, he will definitely beat his chest and stamp his feet, and spend the rest of his life in regret.
It is this mentality that keeps the locals bound to this decadent place.
Just for that mine that no one knows when it will be discovered, or even if it really exists.
"Then why does Mr. Gebrina still stay here?"
Ms. Fister asked curiously.
It is worth mentioning that she changed her dressing style before getting off the train, and all those conspicuous jewelry were gone.
"I feel like you don't like it here either, and you're not opposed to moving away from here."
"I don't mind." Gebrina nodded, then smiled bitterly: "But my family is more opposed to it."
"This does not include my brothers and sisters... oh and my mother," he said. "They know they have little experience, so they are willing to listen to me. The key is my other elders... I have said it many times, but they just don't want to move away."
"Your brother has contributed to this, too," Darent asked him.
Gebrina nodded awkwardly.
"Although Johnny is dead, the gold he brought back is still there."
"This gold has strengthened my father's faith - and the faith of many people around him - to continue digging for gold. In short, when we meet later, don't mention the matter of moving. At that time, my father was really - too terrible!"
"It seems that he is willing to let you out to find help, thanks to that weird dream."
Hitzfeld frowned.
She already had a feeling that Gebrina's family might not be easy to get along with.
"Not only my father, but my grandfather also has a bad temper."
Gebrina just shook his head.
"They are similar in many ways. When they are extreme, they are much scarier than the gangsters here... In this respect, Johnny is very similar to them when he gets angry. Chris and I - my younger brother - are more like our mother and grandmother."
"Well……"
Hitzfeld groaned.
"how?"
“Your family weren’t locals earlier, were they?”
"Of course, there are no such things as locals in Barvik. Everyone migrated here decades ago."
"Did your father or grandfather tell you where you migrated from?"
"Not really. They never talk about the past."
"so."
Hitzfeld nodded.
"Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Gebrina."
While Gebrina and Ms. Fest were wondering, the carriage drove for about 10 minutes and stopped in front of a two-story wooden building.
This place is located in the northwest corner of the town, and the surrounding area is much more desolate.
The front yard is the material room, stable and sheep house, and the backyard, which sounds like a pigpen.
Hitzfeld looked around and saw a circle of lush jungle less than ten meters beyond the backyard.
It is night now, and the whole forest seems very quiet.
She was just about to ask if this was the place, but the next moment, her eyelids twitched, and her exposed right eye seemed to see a black figure in the jungle.
Time seemed to be stretched. Although she couldn't see its face clearly, and was not even sure whether it was a "human figure", she had a hunch: this thing was staring at her.
The night wind blew, and the figure disappeared again.
"what happened?"
When she came to her senses, she found that everyone else had already gotten off the bus.
"nothing."
Hitzfeld also jumped out of the car.
"Maybe my eyes are blurry."
"If you don't mind, there are two empty rooms upstairs."
Gebrina led the way.
He opened the wooden fence and raised his foot to drive away a black Cornaro dog.
"Go! Dewey!...Go!"
"Ouch! Ouch!!"
The big black dog calmed down a little, but still kept barking, especially when Ms. Fester passed by.
"This is Dewey...our guard dog."
Gebrina rubbed his hands.
"We all like it very much... It has the best relationship with my father, followed by Johnny. It's strange to say..."
"But you don't have to be too scared of it. It's just the first time it smells you. After a few days, it will..."
He didn't say the rest.
Because he saw an incredible scene: when Hitzfeld approached, the strong Cornaro dog actually closed its mouth, tucked its tail between its legs and shrank into the doghouse.
"We can talk about this later."
Hitzfeld also noticed this strange phenomenon, and she quickly tried to change the subject.
"I thought, since it's not too late now, maybe we could go to the road where Johnny had the accident before going up."
"And Johnny's body, what did you do with it?"
"Ah?" Gebrina's mouth was stiff. "After...showing it to the police, he was buried."
“Never dealt with it?”
"No... no one dares to deal with it."
"That means he was buried in the same state as he was when he died."
"Is such that."
"Then I want to dig him out."
Hitzfeld said these shocking words very calmly.
"It's winter now... The body shouldn't have rotted in such a short time. Maybe we can find some details after digging it out, which will help solve the case..."
"No—you're dreaming!!!"
There was a roar from the front.
Everyone turned around and saw a farmer wearing a straw hat and a hemp rope around his waist walking towards them, holding a long-barreled shotgun in his hand.
"Jonah Gebrina."
Gebrina covered his temple with his hands in pain.
"my father."
"Who are you!?"
The farmer raised his gun and aimed at the chests of all the men except Gebrina.
"Do you see the thing in my hand?"
"If you don't want to be shot, get out of here!!"
"Abba..."
Gebrina quickly stopped him.
"Don't be like this... Remember what I told you? They are detectives, people who are here to help us!"
"detective?"
The farmer narrowed his eyes at Hitzfeld.
"……she?"
He remembered that it was this girl who suggested digging up the body, and he had no favorable impression of her at all.
