Joel was walking on the street in the evening, and people were in a hurry because a curfew was about to be imposed. He put on a gray-black cloak, lined with cooked leather armor inlaid with iron armor. "Silence" was put in the scabbard and hidden under the cloak. Alps and Lianda had left Golden Falls and went to the Stone Fort in the south to pick up a so-called acquaintance. Before leaving, Alps gave Joel a bag of money, but Joel really couldn't refuse, which made him a little depressed.

After the Alps and Lianda left, the incident of acting as Anthony's "bodyguard" fell on Joel's shoulder, but recently Anthony has been staying in the Duke's inner castle all day long, and has studied the corpses of monsters transported from outside the city, called "trolls" by the guards by the guards. So Joel received another instruction from Anthony: Recently, a serial killer appeared in the Golden Falls, who often commit crimes at night, and several alcoholics have been killed. It is said that the scene is extremely bloody, like a predatory beast, but no one has seen any beast that can tear people into half.

The lord Duke Udolf posted a reward, and if anyone could kill the beast, he would give him a bag of gold coins. But it had been a month since the initial reward, and the bounty had changed from one bag of gold coins to two bags. The beast was still not caught. During this period, a child was killed. Since then, the city of Jinhulland has imposed a curfew.

Mercenaries can go to the Duke's inner castle to apply for a "hunting permit", so that they can walk freely in the town at night, and they will not be arrested as suspicious characters when they encounter patrolling guards. However, if they are killed by "prey", the lord will not bear any responsibility for this. Also, because of the issuance of the "hunting permit", the mercenaries began to wander on the streets at night. Although there will be news that the lonely mercenaries are killed from time to time, it has indeed been a long time since the residents were killed.

Anthony got Joel a "hunting license". "Go and try your luck at night," Anthony said when he handed the hunting license to Joel, and then he thought about it again, "Pray that you don't have a good luck. If you really meet that thing, you either run away or call for help. Don't die anyway, otherwise it would be strange if Al comes back and doesn't chop me."

Most of the mercenaries were teamed up to patrol together. There were those who acted alone like Joel, but most of them were killed or disappeared. The mercenaries who came and watched Joel for a while, but no one came up to talk to him. Most of them were mercenaries of the Iron Chain Knights with square shield badges, and everyone was fully armed. Only in the tavern, Joel had seen them laughing loudly. On the street, they were as serious as the guards.

"The last incident happened in a stone alley in the sluice area northeast of the city," Anthony told Joel when he handed the hunting warrant. "The two guards were torn to pieces when they finished drinking from the tavern and patrolled. This matter has not been made public. Only the people of the Iron Chain Knights and the Guards of the Golden Falls knew about it. After all, this kind of vicious case of local killings has occurred again for such a long time. No matter how you think about it, it will cause panic among residents. In addition, winter is approaching, so the news was suppressed. Barrowf said that the guards in that area have increased to twice as much as they were, and he often took people to patrol the area. The murderer probably no longer has gone out of that area. Tonight, you should go to the vicinity and get familiar with the terrain first."

Two bags of gold coins. Joel thought to himself that with these two bags of gold coins, he could pay off the money owed to Alps, and maybe he could find a good doctor to show Hemi's eyes...

While thinking, Joel walked towards the sluice area.

The Canjin River is a river formed by streams in the valley. It runs across the entire Jinshui City from the northwest and then falls from the cliffs in the northeast. The Jinshui City is therefore named. The Canjin River is about 60 feet wide, and the two sides are waterproof dams made of white stone. During the rainy season, the river surface will even widen to 70 feet. The Canjin River was originally narrow and rapid, but hundreds of years ago, the founders of the Jinshui City spent a lot of manpower to widen it and built a sluice area, thereby alleviating the flow of water and allowing cargo ships to travel. Outside the Jinshui City, along the river, there will be villages scattered in the valley along the coast, which will be full of hunting. Cargo ships with firewood and fruit will flow down from these villages to trade in Jinshui City, so the Jinshui City is also a rich valley city.

Now this valley city is shrouded in the shadows of serial murderers and monsters in the valley. Is there no real peace in this world? Joel thought, and while thinking, he had walked over one of the twelve bridges across the Canjin River, under which cargo ships can be used for travel, and four carriages can be used for traveling on the bridge deck.

Before leaving the tavern, Joel had already inquired about the stone alley from the owner of the tavern, which was in the alley next to the trading market in the sluice area. The trading market dock in the sluice area is the last unloading dock on the Canjin River. Generally, only slightly expensive items will be sold here. Luxury goods vendors from other places often visit this area. Most of the houses on both sides of the stone alley are warehouses, and there are also many trading houses for trading luxury goods, but there is only one tavern.

Joel came to the sluice area. The houses here were made of stone, only the roof was made of maple wood, and the maple leaves were painted with red paint. The closer it was to the iron grid sluice falling from the waterfall, the wetter, and the corners of many houses were covered with moss.

The sky is getting darker and darker, and the sky gradually turns into a cold purple. Such clear sky will become increasingly difficult to see, because the wind and snow in the north are slowly floating, and winter is coming, the day will be shorter and the night will be longer and longer. The night will be the world of those things. Joel recalls the things he encountered on the snowfield. What would happen if they crawled out of the snowfield?

Shaking his head and putting aside these thoughts. Joel walked through the window that was exposed to the flames and couldn't help but feel restless. He took out a torch from his "backpack" and lit it on a brazier beside the road. Braziers supported by such wooden brackets can be seen everywhere in Golden Waterfalls. After nightfall, they rely on their fire to dispel darkness. In summer, doctors will also put in smoke-producing herbs to dispel mosquitoes and prevent diseases.

Holding the torch, Joel continued to walk along the river bank. He planned to go to the trading market first. Because of the curfew, most vendors would close the store early before nightfall. The trading market would probably be empty at this moment. While walking slowly, Joel carefully paid attention to the movements around him and avoided every position that was prone to sneak attacks. At this time, three guards came in front of him, wearing iron helmets, wearing scales, lined with cotton armor, and a yellow cloak. A rolling waterfall was painted in the center of the cloak, which was the symbol of Golden Waterfalls. They also noticed Joel from afar.

"You, stop!" The guard in the lead drank, and he pointed at Joel, "Take out the hunting license."

Joel didn't say anything, but reached out to take out the hunting permit from the pocket sewn on the inside of the cloak and handed it to the guards. It was a small piece of parchment paper covered with the duke's statement, and the seal was covered with the emblem of a rolling waterfall. "I actually came out alone to 'hunting'. Are you new from another place?" The guard asked while returning the rolled hunting permit to Joel.

"Yes." Joel nodded expressionlessly.

"If you want to survive, go find a teammate. It's no different from going out alone and dying." The guard said sincerely, and then he took his companions over to Joel. After saying goodbye to the guards, Joel continued walking along the river bank. There was a thick apple tree on both sides of the river bank at any distance. At this moment, the apples on it had been picked, and the leaves began to fall with the wind.

As we continued walking, we came to the trading market. There was a large open space in the middle of the market. The shops surrounding the open space closed the doors. Wicker boxes and wooden barrels were piled on the pier. Several cargo ships were moored beside them and tied to the stone pillars of the pier with thick hemp ropes. The sound of water flow was the only sound in this quiet market at this moment. In the middle of the open space, there was a gallows, with several crows parked on it, and a blood-stained hemp rope hangs on it and swaying in the wind.

"This is a drowning hanger." A voice recalled from the side. Joel turned his head and saw a short old man sitting on a wooden barrel with a pipe hanging. He had a big nose, a tangled beard under his nose, he was wearing an old plaid shirt full of wine stains, and his legs were short, making people wonder if he was a dwarf, but because he was sitting, it was really hard to judge his true height.

"Drowned?" Joel asked in confusion.

"The wood used to build this gallows was fished from this river. They were washed down by the rain and stuck on the iron gate. The wood was piled up on the docks, and more and more. Until the Duke ordered the construction of a new gallows, people took materials nearby and built them directly with these woods." The old man said as he took a breath of his pipe and then spit out a smoke. "Later, people found that the gallows were always wet, but there was never a sign of mold. So some people said it was a hanging rack for drowning ghosts. The prisoners who were hung by it would be like drowning people, and their souls would be the Lady of Water Algae."

Joel had heard of this god, the god of algae and the drowning. She put the souls of the drowning people into bubbles in deep water, and was relieved when they floated to the surface. This was a gloomy god, so there were almost no believers, and only in remote riverside villages would she have her narrow temple.

"Who are you?" Joel asked in confusion.

"Me?" the old man raised his eyes and looked at Joel. "They called me Old Fred, and I am a carpenter in the sluice area," he pointed to the gallows not far away. "That's one of my works."

"There's a curfew now," Joel said looking at him.

"Of course, I know. The guards won't arrest me anyway, they all know me." The old man scratched his head, "Every time I'm not at peace, I come back to this place. I don't know why, but every time I see that thing, I feel at ease."

Joel looked around empty, "Aren't you afraid of that thing?"

"What?" The old man was stunned for reality, and then suddenly realized, "Are you talking about the old water ghost?"

"Old water ghost? That's what you call it?" Joel wasn't sure they were talking about the same thing.

"Yes, it is the cause of the curfew, the source of all evil!" The old man said affirmatively, and then took a suck of his pipe and said while spitting out the smoke, "It did not appear recently. It existed in my grandfather's time, and it was even older. But the lord is too young now to listen to these stories."

Joel wanted to turn around and walk away, he was not interested in the old man's nonsense. But maybe Anthony was interested in these things, he asked patiently, "Tell me about it?"

"Young man wants to hear the story?" The old man laughed and showed his yellow teeth. "Of course it's okay, but I'm a little thirsty, old Fred."

"No problem," Joel said, "Let's go to the nearby tavern." Anthony should be happy to pay for them, Joel thought.

"I like refreshing young people." The old man jumped off the wooden barrel. He was much taller than Joel imagined, but his back was a little hunched.

"Let's go, go here."

The old man walked in front first. Joel looked around and then followed him after confirming that there was no movement.

...

The Zuiyu Tavern is located next to the Stone Avenue next to the trading market. It is surrounded by stone warehouses. At night, no one wanders here, so the tavern looks particularly deserted. Its sign is a trout that has been drilled into the bottle. According to Old Fred, it was because the former boss found a fish that had penetrated into his bottle when he was transporting the first barrel of wine. So he thought it was his good luck talisman, so he used it as his sign. Old Fred also asked the current shop owner to ask Joel to see the bottle containing a bunch of fish bones. Then the shop owner took out the bottle from under the counter with impatient look. Joel nodded expressionlessly.

The tavern looked even more deserted than outside. Old Fred said that there were patrol guards here before, and came back here to drink two glasses of warmth, but suddenly no one came soon after. "I want a thick smoke beer!" Old Fred sat down and said to the boss, and then he looked at Joel, "I recommend you to have one too, this is great."

Joel nodded patiently, then raised two fingers to the shop owner, "Two glasses of smoke beer." The boss then took out the mug and started pouring wine.

"When it comes to thick smoke, do you know the smoke tower on the east side of the city? It's a magical place. Legend has it that there is rolling lava below. From time to time, thick smoke and hot winds with foul smoldering sulfur will appear inside. The whistling sound of the hot wind is particularly scary, so some people say there is a dragon below, so it is also called the 'Dragon Smoke Tower'." Old Fred seemed very happy about someone asking him to drink, and he started talking endlessly since he entered the tavern.

"I'm not interested in dragons," Joel said, looking at the old man's face, "Let's talk about that 'old water ghost'."

"Ah, yes! Old water ghost!" At this time, the shop owner came over with two glasses of so-called thick smoke beer. He was a tall, wide-shouldered man with a squeak of goat beard. He nodded to Joel, put down his glass and turned away. "You must try this, this is a rare good wine, completely different from the sour cider that sissy drinks!"

As he said that, the old man picked up the wine glass and took a big mouthful of satisfaction. The foam of the beer was stained on his beard.

Joel looked at the wine. The color of the wine was as dark as tar. It was a glass of sticky rye beer. Joel took a sip and it turned out to be the unique bitterness of the dark beer. The bitterness of this thick smoke beer was even more. Joel frowned as soon as he took a sip.

"Haha, good expression!" The old man put down his wine glass and rubbed his palms, "Okay, let's get back to the topic and talk about this old water ghost."

Joel didn't reply, just nodded, the bitterness in his mouth made him feel energetic.

"The story about the old water ghost can be traced back to the early days of the establishment of Jinshui City. People say that he was the illegitimate son of the first Duke of Jinshui City. Because he was abandoned in the river, he became a deformed monster and crawled out of the river to take revenge." The old man lowered his voice, as if he had returned to that ancient era. "Some people also said that it angered the gods for building Jinshui City and transforming the Canjin River. The gods gave him the punishment."

"No one can tell what happened, but people only know that after night, a long and six-foot-high monster will crawl out of the river, with its claws and teeth as sharp as a sickle, tearing the lonely pedestrians into pieces and eating their internal organs."

"Do you think the bounty was only proposed by the current lord? Wrong! The bounty has been released since the first generation of Duke of Golden Water City. The Duke said that as long as anyone can get rid of the old water ghost, he will be betrothed to him his youngest daughter."

"Later, a hero appeared. He came to the Canjin River at night, extinguished the braziers and torches along the way, and hung the cloak of pigs, cattle and sheep, but he hid the silver sword for eliminating demons under the cloak. He walked along the river bank, and a sound of puffs and puffs came from behind him. It was the sound of old water ghost walking with webbed feet, so he sang a loud cherry. The old water ghost was shocked by the cherry. It is said that the Lord of the stove blessed the warrior that day, and the braziers around him suddenly burned again. The light and singing made the old water ghost hug him to hide, but it was too late. The warrior's silver sword had pierced him, and the old water ghost who had been pierced his heart fell into the river, and never appeared again. So the brave man married the daughter of the Duke of Jin Waterfall and held a grand wedding in the Duke's inner castle."

After the old man finished telling the story, he took a sip of the thick smoke beer in the cup with satisfaction. Joel also took a sip.

"But according to your story, the old water ghost should be dead." Joel said coldly.

"Cough, cough, cough, cough!" The old man was snatched by beer. He made a gesture to Joel to slow him down. After he coughed, he calmed down with breath, "Oh, I'm old, cough, it's really not possible."

Joel ignored him, but looked at him coldly, waiting for his explanation.

"This...this..." the old man scratched his head, "Maybe he didn't really kill the old water ghost at that time. He just fell into the river and only appeared again after the injury was recovered." The old man shrugged.

Joel, who knew that he couldn't ask anything, did not go into it, but nodded, "There is another question, how can you be sure that the thing in the city is an old water ghost?"

"This..." the old man looked around nervously, then leaned closer and said, "Because I've seen it with my own eyes."

"Have you seen it with your own eyes?" Joel looked at the old man skeptical, and the old man immediately showed a dissatisfied expression.

"Do you think I'm bragging too? Humph," the old man took another big mouthful of thick beer, and then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Like those guards, they are all guys who judge people by their appearance. I warned them, but they think I'm a lunatic!"

"You've really seen it with your own eyes?" Joel confirmed again.

"Of course!" The old man hesitated a little, "Of course...at least I saw its shadow. When it killed someone that day, I saw the shadow of the brazier. Its thin body was exactly the same as the legendary one. When I escaped, I knocked over a brazier, which attracted it. When it chased me, it also made a thudding footstep. Fortunately, the guards appeared in time to save me. As a result, the guys thought I was drunk and disagreed!"

"All of them are idiots!" Old Fred took another sip of beer, "May they all be captured by the old water ghost!"
Chapter completed!