The town of Harold felt refreshed after a rainfall. When the sun shone again, many people chose to engage in outdoor activities. Indeed, one could go fishing or even take a trip to the nearby countryside.
There were hardly any outsiders in the town, so when one appeared, they were particularly noticeable. An out-of-towner wearing a formal hat and a suit—albeit a bit odd for the weather—walked into the town with a cool demeanor.
As he was a stranger, when he entered the coffee shop, the few patrons inside all turned to look at him. He ordered a coffee and a matcha cookie at the counter.
"Please have a seat over there. The server will bring it to you shortly!" The plump woman behind the counter said, rolling her eyes at him. He looked peculiar, like an old-fashioned man. However, he appeared to be in his early thirties.
He went to a booth near the window, carefully observing the small town.
"Sir, here is your coffee and matcha cookie!" A slim waitress approached, delivering his order with a poker face. "That will be twenty-seven dollars!"
"Of course!" The man took out a wallet from his suit pocket, placed thirty dollars on the tray, and said, "Keep the change. Thanks!" He nodded and looked away from the waitress, who left without any expression.
The man seemed unfazed by the waitress's attitude. He leisurely sipped his coffee, ordered a refill, and strolled around the town after finishing his cookie.
However, the arrival of a peculiar outsider in town was a minor sensation. After the zombie incident, people were wary of anything unfamiliar.
"I know this guy!" Lisa chimed in when they discussed the stranger at Joseph's house. "He might be the Hill that Elizabeth mentioned. But I don't know... whether Elizabeth went to see him last night or not, but she certainly seems to have taken a liking to him."
"Taken a liking to him? My God! How is that possible?" Joseph was flabbergasted, looking at Jason who was sipping his tea, "What do you think?"
"That's their business, I don't care. As for whether Elizabeth was hurt by that man, I don't know either. Let Lisa ask Elizabeth later. She may also want to see him." Jason's voice was calm, as if he wasn't bothered by the situation.
"I think Elizabeth is brave. If I were her, I would also like that gentleman," Lisa shot a defiant look at Jason. "At least, I believe he isn't the one who hurt Elizabeth. Why don't you ask her yourself?"
Joseph laughed and shook his head, looking at Jason, "Are you planning to see Elizabeth?"
"No, I plan to go fishing," Jason laughed. "With such good weather, why not go fishing on the lake? Are you coming?"
"Of course. I wish I could retire now," Joseph joined in on the laughter, "We can use Kote's boat. It's always at the dock near the lake. If it weren't for Elizabeth's condition, we could invite him too!"
"I'll go get my fishing rod," Jason stood up to leave.
Lisa rolled her eyes at his retreating figure. She was irritated that Jason deliberately ignored her and didn't even glance in her direction when leaving.
Landen Lake is the largest lake here, stretching indefinitely into the distance. The shimmering lake, trees, and grasslands by the lake appeared lush and vibrant from afar, offering a refreshing view.
Unlike Joseph, who rowed his boat towards the middle of the lake, Jason sat not far from the dock with his fishing rod propped up on the wooden deck.
"It seems you haven't caught anything yet," Suddenly, a voice came from next to him.
Jason, who was resting with closed eyes, opened them and turned slightly to see a man in a dark suit and hat standing beside him. However, his face bore no expression and even appeared somewhat gloomy. "I've heard about you, Jason. I heard that there were zombies here, and many people say it was you who released them... and then saved the people here." The man remained standing, as the wind blew across the lake, causing his suit to cling tightly to his body.
Jason nodded, giving a slight smile. "It seems you've done some investigation as well. However, the people in this town aren't very welcoming to outsiders like me. They're a bit afraid."
"What about Elizabeth?" the man disregarded Jason's words and continued, "You're the one who saved her, right? I want to know... how did you manage to make that Lamia escape so quickly? You're the first person to do so."
"Lamia?" Jason's surprise finally made him turn his head to face the man in front of him. "It seems you know a lot about the monster in this lake. Lamia? That's a rather strange name. Is there anything special about it?"
This time, it was the man's turn to be surprised. He couldn't help but give Jason a second glance and said, "You really don't know?" After chuckling to himself, he shook his head and continued, "In Greek mythology, there was a daughter born to the sea god Poseidon and the most intelligent and beautiful woman in Libya named Lamia. She was the queen of Libya, but unfortunately... Zeus seduced her. When Zeus' queen, Hera, found out, she turned Lamia into a half-human, half-snake monster. And she was a monster who enjoyed eating children."
"That's a nice story, but... that's just a myth, isn't it?" Jason looked at him with a smile. "I think you're definitely not a messenger sent by Zeus or Hera."
The man nodded and smiled, his cold face finally showing a hint of softening. He nodded and said, "Yes, it's just a myth. In the world of Europe, everyone knows it's just a myth. But... we saw the half-human, half-snake monster last night, so... perhaps the myth doesn't exist, but the monsters do."
"In that case... let me guess your identity," Jason pondered for a moment and said, "A priest? I've encountered exorcists before, and they are usually priests from the church. They use the power of hymns to exorcise demons."
The man couldn't help but burst into laughter and said, "If using hymns could drive away a half-human, half-snake monster, why did I go through so much trouble last night? You can imagine me as someone like Dean Winchester. But someone like you would definitely not watch shows like 'Supernatural'. I don't really like it either."
"Hill Steven?" Jason suddenly said his name directly. "Actually, I'm more curious about why you're involved with Elizabeth. I truly don't believe that you could genuinely fall in love with a young girl like her. She's just a young girl to you."
"Why not?" Hill Steven looked at Jason and smiled. "She's a lovely girl, isn't she?"
Jason shook his head and changed the subject. "Your story isn't over yet."
"You mentioned Lamia?" Hill Steven nodded. "The story indeed isn't over. In fact, although Lamia is just a myth, there are still stories passed down about her. It is said that she once fell in love with a young man and had a child. In other words... her bloodline continues to exist."
"You're clever. I don't care what you intend to do with that monster, but I can tell you, don't harm Elizabeth, even if she's just a tool you're using!" Jason said as he raised his fishing rod, and a fish was hooked and pulled up.
Hill Steven's originally smiling face stiffened a bit, and as Jason removed the fish from the hook, he noticed that the hook was straight.