Huahai Village can be said to be the most popular tourist attraction in Linghai City. It is also one of the best in the whole province. Such high popularity naturally brings a lot of economic benefits to the local area.
The villagers living here have also renovated their homes and turned them into exquisite B&Bs, which are often fully booked even in the off-season.
However, as Huahai Village was blocked due to the terrible incident, the villagers here have not had any income for a month and have been worried all day long.
The proprietress saw the three foreigners dressed in unusual attire early on, and brought them into her homestay, risking being discovered by investigators.
However, the proprietress, who seemed gentle outside, started asking for money as soon as she led everyone into the house.
"During this special period, if I take you in, I will have to bear the risk of being discovered by the Municipal Bureau.
If it is exposed, not only will the B&B not be able to continue operating, I may even go to jail, and the accommodation fee will naturally be higher than usual. Of course, I will also provide you with the best local food and guide services.
I know the working hours of this group of people in the city very well, and they can even take you into the sea when they leave the beach.
2000 a day, pay first and then stay in the hotel. "
William had run out of money long ago, and just as he was about to leave, Fangfang suddenly took out a stack of bills from her pocket and stuffed them into the proprietress's hand, not a single one missing.
The proprietress immediately smiled and quickly arranged rooms for everyone.
"I'll come to the second floor to call you at dinner time. Don't go out during the day. When these annoying investigators change shifts late at night, I can take you out for a walk."
Everyone came to the guest room on the second floor, which still had two bedrooms and a living room.
The first question William asked after closing the door was, "Fangfang, where does your money come from?"
"Ah? Money is very important. I know you don't have much money, so since we started eating fried chicken, I have been collecting the ownerless money left in various corners.
Just now, when the driver confirmed that there was no hope of saving him, I also transferred his money out.”
William was truly impressed, but at the same time he remembered something that needed to be explained seriously.
"How much do you have left?"
"There are still more than 3,000."
"Fangfang, Catherine and I probably won't stay here for long. If we leave suddenly, you should be able to survive on your own, right?"
When hearing these words, Fangfang did not express any reluctance, nor did she show any emotional fluctuation.
"I know this. My mother always taught me to be grateful.
Through your conversations and various contacts along the way, I also roughly know that you are not from this world. The reason why I have been following you and helping you is just to thank you for saving me from the hospital.
Once you leave, I won't owe you anything.
By then, I will live a good life on my own, go back to see my parents when I have the chance, and try to return to a normal life."
William couldn't help but shake his head when he heard this. It seemed that his worries were completely unnecessary.
At this time, Catherine was already standing on the open-air balcony of the guest room, overlooking the panoramic view of Huahai Village. William was also a little worried that he would be discovered by the patrolling investigators below, so he immediately followed.
But as soon as he stepped onto the balcony, William's eyes were completely attracted by the beautiful scenery in front of him.
"This! No wonder it's the number one attraction in this city. It's so beautiful."
The coast and the ocean surface within a thousand meters are covered with blue petals, which blend perfectly with the blue sea water. Combined with the mist on the sea surface, it can be described as hazy and elegant, like a dream, as if you are in some fairyland.
The few investigators were at the scene of the accident, salvaging a car. They had no time to observe the guesthouse building behind them, let alone notice the two people upstairs.
"Katherine, do you see what's wrong?"
"There are so many questions, okay? It smells so strong like a corpse. My tentacle suckers can clearly capture the smell of fermented decayed matter. Combined with the smell of these flowers, it's really disgusting.
Maybe people often disappeared here before the village was sealed off, but for some reason the news didn't get out.
We have come to the right place~ This sea area has similar properties to mine, maybe it can really fill my dreams."
"Can you sense something evil in the sea?"
"All I can sense is a corpse... Maybe there is a 'very big' corpse sinking to the bottom of the sea, constantly accepting human sacrifices, but I don't know what exactly it is.
Let's go find the shrine. I want to see what the villagers here believe in."
"Don't worry, take your time. Once we are exposed, we will be targeted by both sides at the same time. Let's start with the boss lady's house."
"What I mean is to first look at where the shrine is in the boss lady's house and what it looks like. Even if it's just a replica, it will be useful."
"Just ask during meals. There's no need to sneak around and look for it. It would only cause more trouble if it arouses suspicion from the local villagers."
Soon it was lunch time, and the proprietress prepared a table full of delicious dishes by herself, mainly seafood, and even a lot of uncooked raw and marinated seafood.
Catherine, however, had no scruples and ate with great relish.
William used the excuse that he was allergic to seafood and only ate some vegetables on the ground.
As for the shrine of the boss's wife, there is no need to look for it, it is placed right here in the restaurant. The entire shrine is made of marble, with fine workmanship, and embedded petals and reliefs of sea waves, which obviously cost a lot of money.
The statue on top is a plump, even obese woman, sitting on a lotus, dressed in white, like a statue of Guanyin.
However, the face of the statue is covered with densely carved flowers, which cover the entire face.
The left hand is in the lotus mudra.
In his right hand he holds a white jade bottle with waves flowing out of it.
"This is?"
"This is the 'Flower Sea Buddha'. Our village is named after her. It is said that when the first group of villagers discovered this place thousands of years ago, there was already such a sea of flowers.
Thanks to the protection given by the Buddha, the village has been thriving since its establishment. Even now, it is still the best tourist attraction in Linghai City, attracting a large number of tourists every year. "
“Someone discovered this wonderland thousands of years ago? It developed rapidly under the protection of the gods, but now it is still just a village, and the population doesn’t seem to be too large... It doesn’t make sense.
If it is really as you said, your place should have become a port city long ago, far surpassing the current Linghai City."
"This is the rule set by the Flower Sea Buddha, requiring us to manage this area using the village system.
Since you seem very interested, I'll talk about it for a while and it will help me kill some time.
1. According to Guanyin's requirements, the total population of the village needs to be maintained within a certain range and cannot change too much. Any extra children will be sent away until there is a population gap, and then they will be allowed to come back to fill it.
2. The villagers living here are also not allowed to leave the village for a long time, otherwise they will be punished by the Buddha Mother.
3. Villagers need to strictly follow the management of the village chief, and an election for the "village chief" must be held every ten years. Five people will be nominated by us, trapped in bamboo baskets and sunk to the bottom of the sea.
The four people who were not chosen will soon surface.
The chosen "village chief" will soak in the seabed for seven days and seven nights, and then return to the shore.
The new village chief will also bring "new requirements" from Guanyin, such as changes to the process of the sacrificial ceremony, or adjustments to the position of the main statue, etc.
4. Every household needs to place a statue of the Flower Sea Buddha, which is made by the village chief himself. Although it is not as powerful as the main statue, it still has some divine power. It can protect us from diseases, prevent theft, and make business prosperous. "
William quickly took over the conversation, "The main statue? When we went here, we heard some rumors that some tourists approached the main statue without permission and incurred divine punishment, which eventually led to the deaths of a large number of people, including many villagers?"
“No… You misunderstood! Those who disturb the Buddha Mother deserve to die.
However, the villagers were not implicated. Instead, they took the initiative to jump into the sea to ask for forgiveness from the Buddha Mother for their poor supervision.
After they offered themselves to appease the anger of the Buddha Mother, the descendants of the villagers living in the big cities immediately rushed back to fill the number, and we were not greatly affected here. "
"What about the investigators in the city? Will they affect the Buddha Mother here?"
When talking about this issue, the proprietress's expression immediately became serious, even revealing hatred.
William also observed that the proprietress's eyelids seemed to have two layers, and when she talked, her mouth seemed to contain more saliva than that of an ordinary person... or sea water.
"These guys who dared to offend the Buddha Mother would die sooner or later. If the village chief hadn't warned us in advance not to interfere, these investigators would have died long ago."
The excited proprietress' body began to leak water slightly, and even the clear sound of water dripping could be heard, and a pool of sea water slowly accumulated under her body.