Chapter 10: The Clothing Store in Town
A world transformed by disease,
Various existences beyond common sense and abilities to be developed,
As well as the mysterious organization to be visited soon,
Endless unknowns await exploration.
Yi Chen was so excited that he only slept for four hours last night... Perhaps due to acquiring the 'disease characteristics', he was not only not tired, but in excellent mental and physical condition.
The moment he stepped out of the cemetery gates,
He thought he would be greeted by fresh air, warm sunlight, and vibrant townspeople full of life.
However,
The street scene was not much better than the cemetery.
The wind blowing in his face carried a thick smell of crude oil, industrial waste, metal, and various by-products, almost tangible on the tongue.
Through rows of low, pointed town buildings, several large chimneys spewing exhaust could be seen.
The sunlight was not as bright as imagined,
The sky seemed to be covered with several layers of fine fabric, with only sparse rays falling to the ground, not even enough to dispel the dark dust left from last night.
As far as the eye could see, the number of townspeople did not exceed the count of fingers.
They seemed unwilling to expose their bodies to the air, using large pieces of fabric to wrap their entire bodies,
Even their faces were covered with homemade simple masks, hunched over, trying to breathe air close to the ground.
The whole town was strange and cold,
Even mixed with a hint of despair,
"This world... is worse than I imagined."
Just then, a cheerful rubbing sound came from his shoulder,
The fluffy black flesh ball seemed to have just woken up,
Opening its mouth wide, revealing the black and white eyeball inside, constantly rubbing... as if stretching.
Two thin, long black hands waved back and forth like waves.
"Finally leaving this damn cemetery, it's great!
Before we start our adventure, let's go eat something... I haven't eaten in a long time."
"Alright, what do you want to eat?"
"Grapes, lots of grapes..."
When the black flesh ball said the word 'grapes', it pointed to its own eyeballs at the same time, and Yi Chen naturally understood the true meaning of 'grapes' in its mouth.
Not finding anything wrong with it,
Thinking of the world he lived in before, there were many people who liked to eat things like fish eyes and roasted pig eyes.
"Okay, but we need to go to a clothing store first."
Currently,
Yi Chen was only wearing a shabby, damaged shirt,
With holes piercing through the sleeves, and scratches on the waist, abdomen, and trouser legs.
Paired with William Behrens' body that hadn't bathed or washed hair for several days, he would be at the bottom even among the homeless.
Walking on the relatively spacious streets of the small town,
Due to long-term lack of cleaning, the cracks in the ground were full of sunflower seed shells, dirty water, and rotting insect carcasses.
With the decreasing population over the years, many shops had already closed.
The remaining shops were barely maintaining, on the verge of shutting down at any time.
This scene made Yi Chen wonder if there would really be a decent clothing store.
Just as he was doubting,
At the corner of the street, a building with a structure completely different from the surrounding houses caught his eye,
Mainly black with a strong Gothic style, tall and slender.
Someone seemed to be secretly peeking at the outside world through the long windows.
The overall impression was one of delicate gloominess, like a noble building that would only exist in big cities, out of place in this dilapidated small town.
The copper-framed plaque at the entrance read - [Maurice & Sad]
With the visual enhancement provided by the small flesh ball, he could see the high-end clothing inside through the windows.
"This should be the most high-end clothing store in town that Mr. Wilbert mentioned.
By the way, such a clothing store must have high daily expenses, the townspeople's income should make it difficult to shop at a place like this.
Why does such a store exist?"
With doubts in mind,
Yi Chen crossed the dirty street, under the gaze of masked residents, and pushed open the front door of the clothing store.
Ding~
The silver bell connected to the door frame rang at the same time.
A faint, elegant fragrance quickly enveloped his olfactory senses, washing away the industrial smell lingering in his nostrils.
This aroma instantly filtered Yi Chen out of the dilapidated small town, drawing him into this elegant and quiet clothing store.
Various handheld lamps were distributed throughout the store
Above wardrobes,
In corner walls,
Or displayed separately as decorations on certain platforms,
The interweaving lights conveyed the full view of the clothing store to customers, while providing warmth and safety.
A lady wearing a flower-embroidered hat, with a thin veil over her face, and a floor-length dress walked out from the inner room.
Through the thin veil, the firelight outlined a beautiful face as if from a painting.
Yi Chen thought that with his shabby appearance, he would be looked down upon by the owner, or even kicked out.
However,
The woman stopped in front of him,
Through the thin veil, she gently sniffed,
Capturing the cemetery smell unique to Yi Chen,
"How rare, it's been a long time since a living person could leave the cemetery... Did Wilbert send you?"
"Yes.
Mr. Wilbert told me to come here to buy a fitting outfit before boarding the carriage."
Yi Chen immediately took out the metal business card from his trouser pocket.
"Do you need to leave urgently today?"
"Yes."
"In that case, we can only choose [ready-made clothes]... After you pass the organization's review, go to the tailor shop over there for [full customization]."
The owner's mention of the 'organization' suggested that she herself and this clothing store should be related to the organization, which explained the economic support behind it.
"I wonder if the money I have is enough?"
Yi Chen took out all his earnings from working in the cemetery - a small pouch full of silver coins.
However,
The owner didn't even look at these scattered coins,
Instead, she grabbed Yi Chen's wrist, her sharp nails almost piercing the skin.
Through this simple contact,
The owner not only completed the measurement of body size, but also read some internal information.
"No wonder you could walk out of the cemetery alive, and even got Wilbert's business card and cemetery products, so you actively accepted [disease]. Interesting."
The owner's words retreated along with her hand,
And she also took away nearly half of the silver coins in the pouch.
"I happen to have a ready-made suit that fits your body size.
However, before trying it on, you need to 'purify' your flesh, washing away the dust of the dead brought from the cemetery."
Led by the owner, they came to the bathroom in the clothing store.
After cleaning up,
The owner personally trimmed his facial hair and cut his hair,
After the grooming was done, Yi Chen could finally see his appearance in the dressing mirror.
Under the finely trimmed short black hair, the facial features were not much different from his original self. In fact, it could be said that it was based on his original appearance with some Western characteristics added.
Such as a higher nose bridge and deep-set eye sockets.
Looking closely, it somewhat resembled a young Keanu Reeves... Although the details were a bit off, the overall look was quite good.
『The similarities between me and the original owner of this body are quite numerous, perhaps it's all related to the transmigration.』
Next came the fitting.
White shirt,
A small vest with dark green stripes,
Black trousers with some elasticity,
And a black coat similar to the work clothes in the cemetery, able to wrap the whole body and cover the face... giving a gloomy feeling.
After tying the shoelaces of the black Oxford shoes,
The owner personally tied a black tie,
When seeing the new image in the mirror, Yi Chen's spirits were lifted.
(End of Chapter)
Read ahead on karmahunter<.>cc