Armed with a curious heart, Xinghe stepped into this small, ancient-looking hotel. Sitting behind the old counter was a middle-aged man doing the account. He was gaunt, and even though the shirt on his back was old-fashioned, it was of a certain luxury. There was a calculative glow in his eyes. Xinghe could discern from one look that he was the hotel manager.
The manager saw her, and his gaze swept her whole frame expediently. He then stood up with a smile to ask, "Lodging?"
"Yes, give me your best room," Xinghe said as she passed him her temporary ID. She had acquired temporary residence at Country W, so she did not have to go around with her passport.
The manager accepted her ID and studied it. He asked with a smile, "Where are you from? It says here you are not from this country."
"Hwa Xia," Xinghe answered in a tone that was devoid of emotion. Normally, others would not have pressed, but the manager keyed her information in leisurely and continued to ask, "Are you here for travels or?"
"Personal business," Xinghe answered succinctly to close the conversation. The manager caught her reluctance to speak but he ignored it. "You're here alone?"
"Are you done?" Xinghe asked instead of answering.
"Done." The manager registered her information and gave her the room key. "This is your room key; for one night, we charge for fifty dollars, and the deposit is a hundred dollars. How long will you be staying with us?"
"Temporarily, just put me down for two nights." Xinghe paid the money and left.
The manager called after her, "Your room is the second one on your right after you get up the stairs. This place is a bit complicated at night, so I advise you to stay in your room after dark."
"Thank you." Xinghe stepped up the stairs without turning back. However, just as she reached the last landing, she almost came crashing into a waitress who was coming down. The waitress was wearing the hotel's uniform. She looked like she was in her 40s, but there were already deep crow's feet by the side of her eyes. Her hair was a mess, and she held a large trash bag in her hands.
The smell of the trash instantly assaulted Xinghe's nose. The waitress retreated to let Xinghe pass out of habit. Xinghe left without giving it much thought. After taking a few steps, she heard the manager downstairs yell, "Lylian, are you done with the cleaning?"
"Yes, boss, it's all done…"
Xinghe pushed open the door to her room. The manager had given her quite a good room; her room faced the road, and she could enjoy the street scenery if she pushed open her window.
Darlin Town was not really that advanced, but that in turn preserved the place's unique antique-like architecture. The whole town had a time capsule feeling to it.
Coincidentally, when Xinghe looked down from her room window, she could see the tree in front of the hotel. She studied it for a while and realized the leaves weren't moving. She then shut the window and prepared to unpack.
At the same time, Mubai and his men also arrived at the town. In the end, he had decided to go. However, he did not go alone; he went with two security guards.
Naturally, Mubai had intended to lodge at the best hotel available at Darlin Town, but when he arrived at that hotel, the tree in front of it had shed its leaves, and they gave the message: ERROR.
Therefore, he decided to switch hotels. After a short jaunt across town, he stopped before this hotel because he received the same message as Xinghe earlier: HERE.
Here…
So, this is it?