Mermaid Reef

Calais, France, 1930.

A storm from the sea hit the city violently.

Umbrellas left unpacked on the beach joined the storm's parade, dancing with it the giant fronds of palm trees and the canopies of street shops.

"Boom."

The ceiling smashed hard on the third-floor terrace of a luxury hotel, and also smashed the wall of a room near the terrace.

The violent wind swept away the contents of the entire room in an instant, and even the curtains of the four-poster bed were blown away.

Then came the heavy rain, like a water spray gun in a royal garden, ensuring that no place would be spared from head to toe.

Jason, with water all over his face, sighed as he lay on the wet bed.

Get up and push the large wardrobe to the gap in the wall, which prevents the wind and rain from further destroying the items in the room.

"Dong dong dong."

There was a loud knocking sound outside the door, followed by a panicked question: "Sir? Sir!"

Then the door was knocked open, and the manager of the hotel, Mark, rushed in with two waiters in a panic.

The hotel manager took a sharp breath when he saw the horror in the room, and when he saw that Jason was intact and not injured, he said with gratitude and fear: "God, my memory must have been killed by the kid." The goblin gnawed off a piece, and I actually forgot that there was another guest on the third floor. If I hadn't read the check-in booklet at the front desk, I would have made a big mistake! Mr. Johnson, are you all right?"

When the hotel manager was speaking, the two waiters were in a daze, unable to understand the situation at all.

It wasn't until the hotel manager mentioned Jason's name that they were in a daze, as if they suddenly saw Jason.

That's right, this should be a British gentleman who checked in two days ago, he seems to be a businessman, but also a traveler.

Either way, it's too common to have any special impression.

The strong wind that blew yesterday morning stranded many passengers. In the afternoon, many guests rushed to check in. The waiters were so busy that their heads were dizzy, and they didn't even remember the last names of some guests.If the person in the guest room didn't ring the bell, they couldn't even remember to deliver the meal.

"Your sleep is really good." Mark, the hotel manager, asked tentatively, "Did you hear the wind outside? It sounded like the wailing of the legendary sea banshee. The other guests in the hotel were so scared that they didn't sleep all night! "

Jason: "..."

He heard it, but ignored it.

When Jason was floating on the sea, he encountered much more storms than this one. Although a ghost ship is made of broken planks, there is an evil god living inside. The storm can blow the tentacles tied with planks Blow the racks apart?impossible.

—What does a storm have to do with me sleeping?

He just accidentally overestimated the sturdiness of human architecture.

This house looks big and nice. It's completely different from those dilapidated houses in Black Reef Town. Why is it so unstable?

Jason glanced regretfully at the bed.

The beds and pillows in this hotel are nice, soft, dry and fluffy.

Especially last night when the house shook slightly in the strong wind, coupled with the sound of the storm, it seemed to be back at sea, and I also enjoyed the feeling of two different weathers, storm and sunny.

The hotel manager loudly ordered the waiter to help pack the luggage.

"No, I've stored all the important items and documents in the bank's safe, and my clothes have been soaked in rain, so throw them away," Jason said casually.

The bank safe was an excuse, of course, Jason just didn't want the waiter to notice that he didn't have a suitcase with him.

The hotel manager rubbed his palms nervously, he was very worried about the guest asking for compensation.

Especially those damaged clothes.

Those lambskin gloves and expensive cashmere coats are indeed ruined by water.

"I have lived in Calais for more than 30 years, and I have never seen such bad weather..."

The hotel manager squeezed out a smile that was uglier than crying, hoping to ease the anger of the guests. The storm had already caused heavy losses to the hotel.

"Please go this way. We have a wine cellar, which stores fine wines and provides tours at ordinary times. Now all the distinguished guests in the hotel are invited there. It is located underground and the sound insulation is very good. Don't worry. Problems with windows and walls."

Jason frowned slightly.

By signing, he let the service staff of the hotel see him temporarily. This kind of contact will end after he settles the fee and leaves the hotel.

But other guests in the hotel are different.

Do they see the hotel manager talking to himself in the air, bowing and apologizing?

"Mark! I heard a loud bang, what happened?"

A balding man stood in front of the stairs leading to the wine cellar.

He was about 50 years old, wearing a silk nightgown, carefully groomed beard, and holding a pipe in his hand.

Looks like it left the wine cellar for a smoke.

The hotel manager Mark quickly said: "Mr. Bauer, there is a little problem on the third floor, but don't worry, the storm will pass soon."

Bald Ball's eyes were fixed on Jason.

This kind of eyes can make people very disgusted, and is generally called vulture's eyes.

If possible, the vulture will not spare even the bones.

Jason is also wearing a nightgown. When living in the human world, he always pays attention to human habits.

"This is from Paris." The bald Ball muttered in a small voice. He put a smile on his face and offered his hand to Jason and said, "Hi, sir, maybe we should get to know each other. I'm Lunt Ball Er, a banker from Switzerland. I guess it was God's will to choose the same bad hotel in such bad weather?"

Jason ignored his hand, glanced at Bauer indifferently, and walked past him.

The hotel manager was very embarrassed, and the banker didn't take it seriously. He continued to look directly at Jason while smoking his pipe.

The door of the wine cellar is open, and the outermost room is the wine tasting lounge, with comfortable sofas, tables and chairs.

There were about a dozen guests staying inside, including their servants.

Everyone is discussing the weather and the itinerary intensely.

The appearance of the hotel manager made them even more excited. This poor man was like a wild boar that fell into the swamp. Although he had a fat and cumbersome body, he could only flail his limbs and struggle with sweat.

"I promise the storm will end today!

"Misters and Madams, if it is an afternoon or evening boat or train ticket, there is no need to change it for the time being.

"The phone line at the hotel was down and we couldn't contact the train station or the ferry company."

While everyone was looking for the hotel manager, Jason picked an empty sofa in the corner.

The hotel manager and waiter quickly forgot about Jason's existence, and the others ignored the corner.

Just as Jason was about to doze off, there was a dangerous aura around him.

The slender fingers gently brushed away Jason's black hair, and then the scalding temperature with the smell of sulfur, imprinted on his cold skin - the position on the back of the neck.

"I guess you'll be there after the storm dies down, the wind sounds pretty good, doesn't it?"

Jason pressed Gemil's hand.

"But I thought you were waiting for me, so I couldn't wait to go back to the shore. It's only a dozen days of separation, and I'm already looking forward to a new trip."

Gemil didn't let go of his hand, his voice was deep and beautiful.

The two put their hands on Jason's neck together.

The sharp and transparent nails were like terrifying murder weapons. When the five fingers were spread out, the fingertips were against Jason's cheek, ear, and left collarbone.

—no blood oozes.

Under the pressure of the crystal-clear nails, the pale skin was only slightly sunken.

The dim light of the wine cellar casts an ambiguous color on the two.

Gemil hid in the shadows, he appeared behind Jason like a ghost, and said softly: "There is a human staring at you, I don't like his eyes."

"do not move."

Jason felt uncomfortable on the back of his neck, the temperature of the kiss just now was too hot.

Gemil has made these little moves recently, and Jason is not used to them yet.

"This person is a bit strange."

When Jason said don't move, he told Gemil not to kill the banker sitting across from the sofa.

Killing people is too easy for evil gods, they don't even need to do it, just let go of the suppression of power and "look" at humans.

If Jason didn't react quickly, the ant would be crushed to death.

"He can see me, but he can't see you." Jason let go, and Gemil stepped out of the shadows.

It was the same Arab psychic dress with a hood, and the gold-red tassels hung down, covering the entire face.

The soft sofa is attached to the back, the weight of the body is pressed on the right arm, leaning slightly, the posture is relaxed and lazy.

"Indeed, his eyes are still on you, and he didn't see me at all." Gemil said based on experience.

Jason: "..."

Should he be angry?

This mermaid, which lures prey indiscriminately, seems to have learned some messy things through a tour of human cities.

The bald banker, Bauer, was talking to the waiter while staring at Jensen, when suddenly he became distracted and his eyes went black.

"Mr. Ball?"

The waiter was taken aback.

There was chaos in the room, and the banker came to life when someone borrowed the lady's smelling salt bottle.

"My head... oh, maybe I didn't sleep well, I should really get out of this damn place sooner." The banker groaned in pain.

Jason watched silently as the banker was carried away to rest.

The hotel manager stood in front of the banker and kept explaining.

Ball is still yelling: "No, I don't need a doctor, and I don't want a tranquilizer."

The banker's secretary finally arrived. While apologizing to everyone, he squeezed into the crowd, then took out the ticket and the telegram, and whispered something to Ball.

Gemil stared at the ticket.

Although it was far away, he could see every letter on it clearly.

It's French.

Gemil couldn't be sure, he asked Jason: "It seems to be the station we are going to?"

"It's the same train we're on."

Jason replied, "Departure at nine o'clock tonight, Simplon-Orient Express, Calais, France to Venice, Italy."

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The author has something to say:

Note: The Orient Express is a real European luxury train, which generally refers to the route that crosses Europe and arrives in the Far East

That is, Paris, France to Istanbul, Turkey.

Later, the routes gradually increased and extended, not necessarily to the Far East.

Orient Express is not a specific bus, it is a code name or a general term, representing the European long-distance transnational luxury train line

The famous detective novel "Murder on the Orient Express" was published in 1934, and it happened on the line [Istanbul-Calais], but the train numbers in this article are different, and it happened on the line [Calais-Venice]. A southbound line, not the most classic Far East line.

So what is [Calais], why is this the terminal or starting station of the train?

In fact, this is an extension line opened for the consumption of the British. The original stop was in Paris, and later it was extended to Calais.

When the weather is clear, you can see the opposite British beach from the beach in Calais, France.So the real long line of this train should be called London to Istanbul. It starts from London Victoria Station, then arrives at the seaside, takes a ferry across the sea, and transfers to the real Orient Express at Calais.