Hilltown, built on a hill, where two rivers meet, has a developed water system.
I, Lily Reed, am a corpse salvager from Hilltown.
Being a corpse salvager is an ancient profession, making a living from the dead. It has not only been glorious in the past but also has always been shrouded in a mysterious color, which outsiders are keen to talk about, but it has become less and less prosperous in recent years. I drove the barge, paddled to the center of the water, stood up to look at the few companions nearby, and felt lonely.
And I am the only girl among them.
Its very strange for a girl to do this, and I do it for the sake of money! I have always believed that money talks, and no money means no talk!
The wind chimes tied at the stern of the boat trembled, and the hexagonal mirror swayed slightly. The reflected sunlight fell on my face, making my eyes ache terribly. Just now, we received a big order to help a middle-aged man find his drowned daughter.
"Over there." Old Max on the neighboring boat suddenly exclaimed, and several other corpse salvagers boats approached.
Following the direction of Maxs hand, a floating corpse was drifting on the water, facing upwards, wearing white clothes, the body bloated and swollen, and drifting back and forth.
I swallowed hard.
The pelvic structure of females is different from that of males. So, when they drown, the female corpse faces up, while the male faces down, in the trade jargon "male face down, female face up." Of course, there are more detailed ways to identify, which were all taught to me by my grandfather.
My grandfather understands Feng Shui and ghost techniques, and he was once a famous corpse salvager on these waters. But it is said that he not only salvages corpses but also fortune-tells, face-reads, catches ghosts, and trains ghosts, and is a somewhat famous underworld person. He taught me a lot of the skills of walking in the dark, but I didnt take it seriously and only learned the basics.
But its enough for corpse salvage.
We brought the employer, and when he saw the corpse, he immediately couldnt support it. He knelt down with soft legs and wailed, "Thats my daughter! Its cold in the water, please help her."
As he spoke, the floating corpse actually trembled slightly.
The originally lying floating corpse actually stood up in front of us!
She is now with her head up and her body down, floating on the water like this!
Several nearby corpse salvagers were scared and actually retreated their boats. Even Old Max, who had been with my grandfather for many years and had seen the world, was scared pale.
"Cant salvage, cant salvage, this is a big bad omen. The corpse suddenly stands up, indicating a grievance. We can only save the body, not resolve the grievance, and we will be retribution!"
Although Old Maxs words sound absurd, they are the rules of our corpse salvaging profession for thousands of years. No one knows when it started, there is a tradition of not salvaging a standing corpse.
The surrounding corpse salvaging boats all retreated, leaving only the one opposite me, on which the poor employer was kneeling. The man looked at the boats leaving in a panic and pleaded bitterly, "I beg you not to go, I beg you to come back, I will add money, I will add a lot of money..."
In the scorching summer of Hilltown, the weather is like a furnace. Food goes bad after being left out for a while, let alone a floating corpse. The smell of the corpse pressed, making people unable to open their eyes, and I also planned to turn the boat around and leave...
"One hundred thousand, I will give one hundred thousand!"
The man suddenly roared, his eyes wide and round, "As long as you go down and salvage the corpse, one hundred thousand is one hundred thousand, I wont blink an eye and give it to you!"
"Its a deal."
After a while, I replied.
I need money, I need a lot of money. Perhaps out of pity for him losing his daughter, or perhaps really for the sake of money, I agreed.
Only the bell tied at the stern of the boat, usually used for divination, is swaying excitedly at the moment, ringing!