GHG chapter 6: Siren Town

Bai Liu doesn't have any ideas about the discussions happening outside, his attention is quickly caught by something else. He sees Jeffery.

Jeffry is sneakily hiding below the stairs talking to someone, and returning after he is done.

Jeffery had crept out earlier in the middle of the night, yet he was coming back now. He can see the driver that drove them here following behind Jeffery. They are murmuring in a privy, Jeffery even gave a bunch of stuff to the driver and said some more things.

If Bai Liu is not mistaken, what Jefferey gave to the driver is the currency of this world. Although he isn't sure, he fully trusts his own sixth sense when it comes to money.

【You have triggered a character's hidden side quest -- Jeffery's grisly conspiracy】

【Please discover the entire side quest. The reward is 50 points. Fifty percent of the side quest has been completed】

Bai Liu narrows his eyes, reaching his hand into his shirt and fishing out the coin with a hole pierced into it, then aiming toward the driver. A panel with character information pops up.

【NPC: Driver】

【Character Summary: This is your driver. The one that drove all of you to Siren Town is this driver. This driver claimed to be really familiar with Siren Town, and Jeffery helped you hire him. He had a history of robbery and committing arson】

As expected, this is also an NPC with an identity.

Bai Liu never had the chance to directly make contact with the driver since the driver is always at the front, and he had no way to see the driver's face since he is sitting at the very back. When they got off the car, the driver stayed in the car, so Bai Liu never had the chance to examine the driver.

He never really thought of it, but Bai Liu suddenly realises that Jeffery seems to be preventing Bai Liu from making contact with the driver unknowingly. Whether it be choosing to sit between Bai Liu and the driver, or crying out when they were getting off the car to stop Bai Liu and the driver from making direct contact.

The two of them seem to be conspiring something behind Bai Liu's back.

But about this conspiracy, Bai Liu can assume from the information that he has now: Jeffery paid the driver who has a criminal record to do something for him. From what he knows at the moment, Bai Liu thinks that it is to revenge on Andrew.

When they arrived at the town, the driver already told them that the people there hasn't made any money in a very long time. Bai Liu had always thought that it was just a reminder, but remembering it now, it seems like a smug warning. Just like drawing a line between him and his prey, he is warning and bragging to Jeffery about his ability, without his cooperation and protection, Jeffery can easily be harmed by the inhabitants here.

Of course, the driver is also one of the inhabitants that are broke, there is definitely a possibility for him to rob them if he is desperate enough for the money.

This driver seems like he would use his money to do something illegal, it seems like he can't control his urges very well too, and it is obvious that he wants to go crazy with the money. He already threatened them in an obscure manner when they came into Siren Town, it is hard to blame Jeffery for bringing money to the driver in the middle of the night instead of sleeping.

If he didn't give him the money in time, who knows what would the driver do?

Bai Liu goes back into his own room before Jeffery sees him, and helps Jeffery close his door on the way. When Jeffery is back, he hesitates in front of Andrew's door for a while, then he bends down, and places a chunk of black stuff down. From what Bai Liu can see from the peephole, the thing that Jeffery puts down looks like -- a huge chunk of fish meat?

Soon, Bai Liu sees a crowd of mermaid statues eerily gathering in front of Andrew's door.

For safety measures, Bai Liu covers the peephole on his door with a white cloth to prevent the mermaids from peeping in. He then pushes a wardrobe against his door, hoping that when the mermaid breaks down his door, it will create enough noise to wake him.

His stamina is used up. After Bai Liu is done, he lies on the bed and shuts his eyes. He falls into a dreamless sleep.

---

When Bai Liu wakes up the next day, the door to his room and closest are still shut, but the door to his toilet is about to open.

Bai Liu opens the door to see that the mermaid statues that he wrapped in white cloth had already struggled out, wrestling with each other in strange positions while reaching for the door to the bathroom. Some mermaid statues had already reached the door handle, it is just a step away from twisting it open.

The pose that the mermaid statues are in reminds Bai Liu of when he played 'Red Light, Green Light', if he turns around suddenly he would see people sometimes failing to control their movements and expression. He thought it was silly and funny at that time, but seeing these mermaid statues wrestling to open the door, Bai Liu isn't able to smile.

When these humanoid marble statues are piling up, it gives out a lot more pressure. When their eyes are congregated together in a small space, it makes Bai Liu really uncomfortable. Being stared at by the eyes of many inanimate objects would unsettle any normal person.

Bai Liu shuts the door to the toilet, not caring about these statues anymore, and he decides to not tie them up either.

Because there's no point to that anymore.

These things are breaking free faster, if he doesn't find more weaknesses to restrain them, and constantly trying to tie them up, it wouldn't benefit him at all, it might even train these statues to develop the ability to break free.

The moment Bai Liu opens the door, a new panel pops out with w new hint:

【Congratulations Player Bai Liu for completing the main quest -- not being metamorphosed while staying in the house, rewarding 20 popints】

【Current Balance: 23 points. You can purchase items now, would you like to purchase anything?】

Bai Liu opens the shop. He is now very poor, he can count the items that he can buy with his fingers. Bai Liu purchases a powerful flashlight with 15 points, he now has 8 points left -- he thought for a moment.

...He wonders if there is some kind of 3D projector.

【Yes, it's worth 4 points. It is currently on sale, you can buy three with 8 points. Would you like to buy three of them?】

Bai Liu nods without hesitation, 【yes!】

As a broke wage slave, one of his favourite words is 【on sale】or 【discount】.

After buying them, he plays with the 3D projector merrily. The quality of the 3D projector is pretty good, when Bai Liu loads his own form into it and projects it, he is surprised by how high quality it is. The colour is as lively as a living being, it is hard to distinguish it from a real person in the dark.

Bai Liu is more than satisfied with the item he bought, but his audience is not pleased, discussing and sighing in front of Bai Liu's television.

"A newbie is still a newbie, he's probably too frightened by the game, yeah? That's too lame, buying some kinda trash. The flashlight is an okay choice, but the projector is a joke, there isn't a single monster that can be harmed by the projector alright? He wasted that really good start, he probably only relied on luck to pass the first main quest..."

"He bought the discounted projector?! What is going on in this player's brain?! This thing looks fancy, but it doesn't have a damn use! No one would buy it even if it's sold with one point!"

"...Yeah, when I got here it had already been discounted, it is still on sale after so many years..."

"Sigh, he probably just got scammed by the shop. When I was a newbie I got scammed too, I bought a buncha high-tech stuff but they weren't useful at all."

"Fuck, 23 points, it's the highest points in the newcomers' area, and he just wasted them on useless things! Is his brain filled with water?!"

Suddenly, a player cries out with excitement in front of another television, "Come, quick! A player here bought a flamethrower, it is effective against the mermaids, he's gonna make it for sure!"

The crowd leaves Bai Liu's television in a buzz, then gathers in front of the television of the player that bought the right stuff. They all nod collectively in agreement.

"That's right, this item is what people usually use to pass this level, this newbie's thought process is not bad."

"The flamethrower can be used three times. If his timing is right, he might be the only newbie that passes this level."

... ...

There are only a few people left in front of Bai Liu's television.

【34 people are watching Bai Liu's television, 167 people left】

【50 people unliked Bai Liu's television, 44 people cancelled Bai Liu from their collection, 17 people disliked Bai Liu's television, no one invested in Bai Liu's television】

... ...

After Bai Liu is done playing with his items, he goes out of his room, going to Jeffery's room first to wake him.

Jeffery clearly didn't have a good sleep last night. His complexion is pale, and dark circles are hanging under his tired eyes.

About the number of mermaid statues in Jeffery's room, Bai Liu judged with his eyes that it is about the same amount as the ones in his room, but they seem a bit different from the ones that Bai Liu locked up, these statues remained in their spot quietly. Bai Liu doesn't know if he is seeing something wrong, but he feels like the statues in Jeffery's room compared to his seem more...lively, and their features seem to be becoming more similar to Jeffery's features unnoticeably.

Under the mermaid statue's marble surface, there is an opaque layer of red. Its eyes seem like they would start moving in their eye sockets at any given moment, its expression is natural as well, just like a fish that had absorbed enough water. The scales on their fish tails are stretched out comfortably, and a fishy smell is vaguely apparent in his room.

Bai Liu then goes to Lucy and Andrew's room to observe them. He compared them carefully, finding out that the colour of the mermaid statues in these rooms is...more close to the colour of a human's skin colour. Whether it be its touch or colour, its features are becoming more like the people that are living in the rooms.