0p0 Chapter 357: Dark Eyes (Part 3)
Chapter 357: Dark Eyes (Part 3)
Chapter 357: Dark Eyes (Part )
"Lucchino, I've known about his membership in the Orientis Organization for a long time. Remember whose information Frederick used to attract Melody?" the novelist sighed. "But I thought he was drawn to academic research."
"Turning people into lizards...that's bizarre." The entomologist gently stroked her veil. "Small creatures like insects make me feel more at ease."
Conan showed his half-moon eyes, but that's not the point, Aunt Merry.
"So, there must be something strange about Professor Lorenz's death, but I don't know the specific reason." The novelist supported his chin with both hands.
At this time, the prisoner lying on the sofa finally woke up. He looked very bad now, with a pale face, dark circles under his eyes, and some swollen scars on his left eye.
"Teacher..." The prisoner rubbed his injured eye. "Mr. Orpheus, my teacher's death must be related to the Melody family."
"The teacher came from a commoner family and worked his way up to where he is today. He once received a letter of recruitment from the Melody family, but he declined."
"Do you remember the Duke of White Crow? The nobleman who collaborated with him was Melody. He must have been behind this. Now I finally understand why Tracy did what she did..."
"I think Tracy felt the same way when she received the news of her father's death, desperate for revenge..."
"Calm down, our little genius. The most important thing now is to find out who caused Professor Lorenz's death. The Melody family is indeed involved in this matter, but there are more than just their shadows. Look at this." The novelist pushed the photo over.
"Is this, an image? I seem to have some impression of it..." The prisoner looked at the pattern thoughtfully, then a look of sudden enlightenment appeared on his face. "I remember, I saw this pattern on a church building."
Conan immediately became alert: "Church? What kind of church is that? Is it an illegal one or..."
"No, that church is legal. They primarily take in abandoned cats and dogs. If you didn't know better, you'd think it was some kind of pet shelter," the prisoner explained. "That church has this image painted on its doorplate, meaning 'The eyes of the cat god forever watch over the world.'"
"Cat God?" Conan recalled the apostle he had met on the skyship. She had indeed mentioned the Cat God. "But taking in abandoned pets doesn't seem like an illegal church."
"A church with this pattern, I remember a new church was built nearby a few months ago. It also adopts stray cats and dogs, and sometimes organizes charity activities." said the explorer.
Conan was a little confused: "So this church that believes in the 'Cat God' is really doing good things for people?"
"Well, if I remember correctly, they also have formal work permits and activity permits," the explorer added.
The prisoner rubbed his brows and said, "Doesn't that mean this is just a coincidence? Damn..."
"There's no need to jump to conclusions. Although these sects appear to be doing charity work, they may have a complete chain of relationships behind them. It's not too late for us to go to that church and take a look first," suggested the novelist.
"I've only been to that church a few times," the blind woman said. "The people there give me a strange feeling."
"What kind of strange feeling does Sister Helena have?" Conan still believes in the blind girl with strong perception ability.
"I can't really put my finger on it. Although the church members were friendly, some of them didn't give me the feeling of being real people."
[Prisoners: short for a group of human machines.]
[Apostle: Some were staff members that Xiao Xing created, and some joined voluntarily after the church was established.]
[Hermit: After all, this is a church that actually does real work. Miss An takes good care of it.]
[Archer: Miss Helena must have gone out of her way to show her support, right? After all, besides adopting stray cats and dogs, there are also lectures and activities caring for people with disabilities.]
[Lucky Guy: Phew, my hands are sore from pinching so many people. I'm so tired.]
[Reporter: You've been really hard-working lately, Xiao Xing.]
[Artist: Speaking of which, where did Aesop go after faking his own death and escaping from the Black Organization? I haven't seen him in the past few days.]
[Gravekeeper: He said he smelled like a living person and wanted to sleep in his own coffin for a few days to get rid of the odor...]
[Embarkantist: ZZZ......]
[Postman: ...Will it really not be pickled with bromide?]
[Gardener: Aesop asked me for dried yellow roses, so that shouldn't be the case.]
[Antique Dealer: It feels more like pickling food!]
[Perfumer: Roses smell better than bromides.]
"Not like a human?" Conan was confused again.
"That's right. Their behavior is like a set program. No matter what, they have a fixed set of words and actions. It's creepy." The blind girl clenched the cane in her hand.
The archer added, "How should I put it? When I was watching, it felt like those people only had one expression: a smile. At first glance, it was a heartwarming smile, but when you looked closely, you realized their expressions hadn't changed, not even their facial muscles."
"That expression is really a bit weird if you look at it for a long time. I remember there's an academic term to describe it, something like... Happy Valley Effect or Stardew Valley Effect?"
The novelist covered his face in silence. "That's called the uncanny valley effect. It means that the closer a non-human being gets to a human, the more frightening it becomes. Many puppets and robots that mimic real people in horror movies use this principle to create a terrifying atmosphere."
"Hey, are those people in the church just a bunch of lifelike robots?" the archer grumbled, drinking his tea in one gulp. "Or are they puppets? Are those cats using these moving puppets as climbing frames?"
"Ahem, Miss Brunel, your imagination is too wild. This kind of plot is more suitable for a supernatural movie." The novelist was even more helpless.
"Oh, so it seems that I have the potential to be a horror movie screenwriter? Mr. Orpheus, I heard from Miss Helena that you are a famous suspense and mystery writer. Can you give me some advice? I have already thought of the script. On an isolated island, a pirate who was exiled here mistook the islanders for seagulls and sheep..." The archer came forward happily.
The blind girl couldn't bear it any longer and said, "Brenhill, let's focus on Professor Lorenz's case first."
"Oh." The archer pursed his lips and returned to his seat.
"Should we go to that church first?" Conan suggested. "We don't need too many people. Too many people might arouse suspicion."
"I've been there a few times. Someone there should recognize me and I can lead the way." The blind girl stood up. "And with Miss Brunhild here, our safety will be more or less guaranteed."
The archer smiled and waved the bow and arrow in his hand at the prisoner, which made the prisoner shudder all over and silently cover his kidney that had been shot by the arrow before.
"Then Conan, let's go with Miss Helena and the others." The prisoner took a few deep breaths and adjusted himself. "To find out who the real culprit is!"