Milan
Eugene and Herman were talking to the local town hall about the electric light business, while Kirk was strolling the streets with little Alberta.
Kirk put the cute little Alberta into a small stroller and pushed little Alberta to see the scenery of this strange place.
The architectural style on the street is full of fashion and avant-garde, but also contains Gothic spires and Baroque magnificence.
It is decorated with sculptures from top to bottom, which are extremely intricate and exquisite, and are obviously influenced by the Renaissance.
In terms of decoration and design, it is quite delicate and full of artistic colors.
People on the streets were dressed fashionably and casually, and the streets were clean and not as casual as they were in Umr at that time.
There is a trash can every two or three hundred steps, and each trash can is cleaned regularly by a special cleaning team.
Kirk felt very comfortable in this city with its artistic and leisurely atmosphere.
The carriages on the street are parked in an orderly manner on the roadside, and the people here are very enthusiastic and will greet each other with a smile when they meet.
"It seems that Milan is a very suitable place to settle down. When we get old, we can move here to live."
Kirk thought to himself.
Kirk walked into a merchandise store with large floor-to-ceiling windows. She had a lot of enamel on her.
The franc was the common currency of Milan that Baird had exchanged for gold marks in advance.
Herman knew that instead of letting her stay bored in the hotel, it would be better to take this opportunity for Kirk to buy something he liked.
The owner of the merchandise store is a middle-aged lady who is fashionable and wears glasses. She is flipping through a list of the latest merchandise at the cash register, selecting some beautifully designed clothes and accessories to add to her merchandise.
Hearing the bell hanging on the door frame jingling after Kirk pushed the door open, the owner raised his head and walked forward to greet Kirk with a smile.
"Oh, welcome, lady and this cute little boy."
The shopkeeper smiled, bent over, and made a face at little Albert.
Little Albert burst into laughter when he saw this, and waved his hands happily, clapping the metal plate on the front of the stroller.
Kirk smiled in response.
The shop owner looked Kirk's outfit up and down, then walked up to Kirk and walked around him.
Her nose moved as if she was smelling Kirk's perfume.
"Oh, I see, ma'am, you are not a resident of Milan?"
The owner winked mischievously and asked Kirk.
"Yes, this is my first day in Milan."
Kirk answered honestly.
“No wonder, no wonder, with a lady like you, you should wear better clothes, better perfume, and better bags.
The lady's clothes clearly reveal the style of those strict Germans, but such a style cannot highlight your charm.
How about letting me, Madam Lillian, pick some out for you and try them on?"
The female shop owner who called herself Mrs. Lillian said something that touched Kirk's heart.
Kirk nodded because of Mrs. Lillian's professional sales talk, accurate vision and her friendliness.
"That's good. Please wait a moment. I will go and choose for you, madam, and I guarantee you will be satisfied."
Mrs. Lillian hummed a little tune, waved her hands rhythmically in the air as she passed by the shelves, and her feet seemed to be dancing a cha-cha. Her jumping appearance made Kirk feel that Mrs. Lillian was a very interesting person.
While Mrs. Lillian was choosing clothes for Kirk, Kirk turned around and looked at the various items on the shelves.
It seems that this small shop does not only sell clothes and bags, there is also a separate small area next to it, which contains some uniquely shaped accessories.
The glass display case was divided into three layers. The bottom two layers contained some ornaments made of shells, while the top layer strangely contained a dagger with a small standing card next to it that read "Not for sale."
There are eyes engraved on the blade of the dagger, and the handle looks like it is made of pieces of silver fish scales.
The blade had a strange curvature. If the dagger were stabbed into the body, it would probably cause a serious wound.
Not sure if it was an illusion, Kirk felt a little dizzy when he looked at the dagger, and could faintly smell a hint of blood.
Mrs. Lillian walked up to Kirk with a pile of clothes and stared at the dagger in the display case.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it
My husband left this for me before he disappeared. I keep it here and take it out and wipe it every day.
Every time I see it, it reminds me of my life in Innsmouth."
Mrs. Lillian said with a smile.
"Innsmouth?"
Kirk had never heard of this place.
“Oh, it’s a simple little fishing village, it’s normal that ordinary people don’t know about it.
People go out to sea to fish every day and then exchange their catch for the necessities of life. It is a simple and beautiful life.
It wasn't until gold appeared in the sea that life there began to deteriorate.
That is an unbearable memory, forget it, let’s not talk about it.”
Mrs. Lillian shook her head and gestured the clothes in her hand on Kirk.
"Oh, dear, I suggest you try it on. It will look beautiful on you."
Mrs. Lillian said with some exaggeration.
Kirk took the clothes handed over by Mrs. Lillian, walked to the fitting room, turned back and said to Mrs. Lillian,
"Then I'll leave my Albert to you for now."
The rustling sound of changing clothes could be heard in the fitting room. Little Albert had already fallen asleep in the stroller.
Mrs. Lillian stood in front of the glass display case and murmured to herself,
"Where on earth have you been?"
Kirk came out wearing the outfit that Mrs. Lillian had chosen, a long, elaborately embroidered Gothic dress.
The silver fox fur cuffs matched the sea blue brocade, making Kirk's skin look even whiter.
The skirt has been specially designed at the waist to highlight Kirk's slender waist.
"Oh my god, honey, you look like a princess from a fairy tale right now. You are so beautiful."
Mrs. Lillian said dramatically, handing over a beautifully crafted crocodile leather bag.
"Here, hold this bag in your hand. Very good. Let's add a few more accessories."
Kirk reluctantly let Mrs. Lillian dress him up, but when she walked in front of the large mirror in the shop, she covered her mouth in surprise.
One has to praise Mrs. Lillian for being very professional in dressing and matching. Kirk felt like he was ten years younger in this outfit and had returned to his teenage years.
"Well, do I have good taste, Mrs. Lillian? Look at your wonderful figure."
Mrs. Lillian said with her hands on her hips and a proud attitude.
"It really satisfies me. How much does it cost?"
Kirk's face was filled with a happy smile. He felt very good about this special shopping experience.
"The original price is one hundred francs. But no matter how good the clothes are, they can only show their elegance when worn by a beautiful woman, so I'll give you a discount and charge you eighty francs."
Mrs. Lillian said generously.
After hearing this, Kirk took out his wallet and paid. After paying, he changed his clothes and packed them up to go back.
Before leaving, Kirk took another look at the dagger in the display case.
The dagger gleamed with an evil glow in the sunlight.
She did something that even she herself found incredible. She turned around and asked Mrs. Lillian,
"Mrs. Lillian, would you like to tell me the story of this dagger?"
Mrs. Lillian was startled when she heard this, and a hesitant look appeared on her face. Then she spoke,
"Oh well.
I used to be just an ordinary fisherman's little girl in Innsmouth. I helped my family repair fishing nets every day and lived a simple but happy life.
Until one night, it was a full moon night.
I was waiting at the beach for my family's fishing boat to return to the port when a man climbed out of the sea.
A man who changed the course of my life."
Mrs. Lillian said slowly.
Kirk pulled open a chair, sat on it and listened quietly.
"He is extremely handsome, much better looking than those dark-skinned guys in our fishing village.
Her skin was abnormally white, and her hair was like seaweed, curly and very beautiful.
His sturdy figure has clearly defined muscles compared to those skinny idiots.
His eyes are like pure sapphires, which can make people intoxicated at a glance.
At that time, I was sitting on the cable pier, barefoot, feeling the sea breeze, and I saw him at a glance.
The moonlight shone on his body, like a layer of light gauze covering him.
He found me.
Turned around and smiled at me.
At that moment, I knew I was in love.
I was sixteen years old at that time."
Mrs. Lillian took the dagger out of the window and rubbed it gently against her face.
Kirk was a little dazed by what he heard. The past that Mrs. Lillian described was like a real fairy tale.
“It’s a very dreamy scene, just like a mermaid in a fairy tale.”
Kirk said with emotion.
“Yes, but in the fairy tale, she is a woman and he is a man.
He walked up to me and stroked my face gently.
There was still some moisture from the sea water on my fingers.
He whispered in my ear, be my woman.
I was bewildered at the time and agreed with a blushing face.
But the good times didn’t last long, and everything seemed like a dream.
After spending a night with me, he disappeared.
When I woke up, all I had left was the dagger besides the blanket on my body."
Mrs. Lillian sighed. This story was obviously a bit sad.
"Don't you know where he's gone?"
Kirk asked curiously.
Mrs. Lillian shook her head.
“I searched the entire fishing village but couldn’t find any man like him.
What's more, I was born and raised here, and I know every household there.
So, I left the fishing village and traveled around.
A few years ago, I was tired and I knew he wasn't coming back.
It was like a beautiful dream that could never be grasped.”
"So what about the gold you mentioned earlier?"
Kirk asked, remembering what Mrs. Lillian had said earlier.
“Oh, that was one of the reasons why I left the fishing village.
All that damn gold is driving people insane and giving them what the so-called experts call Innsmouth Syndrome."
Mrs. Lillian said somewhat angrily.
She wiped both sides of the dagger with special fur and took out oil to give the dagger a layer of protection.
"Not long after he disappeared, some strange statues made of gold suddenly floated to the shore from the sea.
At first people didn't care, but when they found out it was made of real gold, they became greedy and stopped doing their jobs.
You know, even if you work hard fishing for a month, you can’t get a fist-sized amount of gold.
People in the fishing village began to organize small gangs, searching the coastline for the gold and making a fortune.
People often fought over a piece of gold, and the peace of the whole village was broken by the gold."
"Greed is a terrible original sin."
Kirk clasped his hands together and placed them in front of his chest, making a prayer gesture.
Although Mrs. Lillian did not elaborate, Kirk could imagine the faces of those who had lost their minds due to the enchantment of gold.
"Since the gold rush began, Innsmouth has become bustling, and many outsiders have come to this city of getting something for nothing, ready to make a fortune.
Many people brought weapons and guns, and the peaceful town became a mixed crowd. Then some small societies began to emerge.
I chose to leave.
I can't stand the ugly behavior of those people. They do whatever they want in the town. The original life of the town can no longer be restored."
Mrs. Lillian shook her head and felt sorry for the town.
"Mrs. Lillian, what is Innsmouth Syndrome?"
After listening to what Mrs. Lillian said, Kirk discovered this word that she didn't recognize.
Mrs. Lillian replied after hearing this.
“It’s a disease that makes a person look extremely ugly.
In the early stages of the disease, facial hair will fall out significantly, and men will easily become bald, while women are strangely unaffected.
In the middle stage of the disease, all the hair on the body of both men and women will fall off, and some strange cuticles will appear on the body, which look like fish scales. The teeth in the mouth will become sharp, and three cracks will appear at both ends of the neck, like fish gills.
In the late stages of the disease, the patient's eyes will become cloudy and an extra lens-like film will grow on the basis of the cornea to cover the glasses.
A thin membrane structure similar to that of a frog's web will appear between the fingers, and the face will look like a fish head.
Another symptom of Innsmouth syndrome patients in the late stages is extreme dehydration. They have to drink a lot of water every half an hour.
There are even rumors that those who become sick will eventually walk into the sea on their own, never to return.”
Kirk covered her mouth in fear when she heard such a terrible symptom, and she listened quietly as Mrs. Lillian continued.
"It sounds scary, doesn't it? But we don't have this disease in Innsmouth."
Mrs. Lillian put down the dagger in her hand and sighed.
"My father was one of the first people to be infected with Innsmouth Syndrome.
I still remember how ecstatic he was when he found the gold on the first day, but on the second day he seemed to have lost his mind and ran to the beach to look for it everywhere.
There is a rumor in the local area that as long as you believe in the sea, the gods of the sea will bring more gold.
My father and my brother ignored my advice and joined the organization that called itself EOD.
After that, he worshipped a strange statue every day in a mysterious way.
The statue made me feel sick and even nauseous when I looked at it.
I locked myself in my room and never went out, only to find out that I was pregnant.
The child I gave birth to had a look of Innsmouth Syndrome.
I felt that this city had been cursed by gold, so I reluctantly left the city where I grew up, and reluctantly left my child, my Kenneth. "
Mrs. Lillian silently turned around and wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes. At this time, little Albert had already woken up from his sleep.
He looked at Mrs. Lillian, who was sobbing, with his charming big eyes, then tilted his head and patted the front of the stroller.
"Keke! Dada! Shuishui!"