Old-time musicians

Originally, when the conversation progressed to asking about the "Manor", everyone's attention was focused on Joan.

In other words, when everyone discovered that the place in this strange space was called "Vaznai Town", they almost all agreed that the mysterious source of this incident was related to Joan.

As soon as the old man Godfrey said this, Fan Ning found several pairs of eyes looking at him.

"Art museum? Art museum?" Sheeran repeated twice, thinking that he might have heard wrongly.

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"Caron, have you met a competitor?" Joan asked.

Fan Ning couldn't help but feel curious, and joked in a relaxed manner: "It doesn't have to be a competitor, maybe it's one of our own. For example, your ancestral home was acquired by my missing father."

Then Zhengse continued to ask: "What's going on inside this art museum?"

"Of course there are artworks on display in the art museum," Godfrey said, "but no resident would want to go to this damn place. In fact, it may have been unvisited for more than 20 years."

"The works are clumsy and not worth seeing? The collection is too small and the aesthetic fatigue? The life is depressing and people have no intention to entertain themselves? Or is the ticket price simply unreasonable?" Qiong put forward a series of guesses.

"Twenty or thirty years ago, several knowledgeable people who mistakenly entered the small town of Vatznai have been working hard to find a way to leave here. After research and investigation, they unanimously believed that there might be a 'larger level of error' in the abandoned villa in the north of the city. It is a weak zone of time and space, or there is a mystical connection with some real places in the outside world."

"Through lobbying, these knowledgeable people have won the support of a group of residents who are eager to escape poverty. The abandoned mansions have been transformed into places of different natures according to their structural plans several times. However, in fact, no one has actually escaped from poverty, and the participants have also changed. I feel even more weird and weird, and I lament over and over again that it is too late, and this building has been in a state of alternate desolation and reconstruction.”

"The last person who took over called himself 'Mr. F'. He converted the mansion into an art gallery and formulated a set of weird and horrifying management rules: including but not limited to no jumping off buildings, no animals, no lights, The number of visitors to the exhibition must be 12, and one person will be evaporated as a 'ticket'. These regulations directly lead to no one paying attention, because there are fewer and fewer residents in the town who still trust these knowledgeable people, even if they are a very small number. No matter how hard I try, I can’t even get this number of people together.”

Animals, lights, 12 people? Fan Ning was thinking about these strange keywords when Roy across from him spoke in a sweet voice: "Mr. Godfrey, get a pen and paper. I say, you write."

With the black muzzle of the gun pressed against the back of his head, Godfrey dared not to do as he was told. He stretched out his arm that was shaking due to excessive alcohol consumption and turned the account book in the corner of the table.

Then he held the pen and looked like he was waiting for instructions.

"There is an exit from the Chengbei Art Museum," Roy said.

Godfrey's face was mixed with dizziness and confusion, but he did not dare to ask questions and continued to do as he was told.

Amidst the rustling sound of writing, Roy took off the necklace from his chest with his other hand and moved the "Mirror of Transfiguration" in front of the old man's sight: "Tear it into small pieces of paper, move it in front of it, and then recite the content silently in your heart. Again."

Fan Ning, who was next to him, said it was eye-opening.

Can this ritual weapon still be used in this way?

He had always felt that the strategic value of the "Mirror of Transfiguration" was commensurate with the loss of use. Before using it, one must carefully collect clues and carefully consider the proposition method. After all, every divination will cause a knowledgeable person on his side to run out of inspiration. After a long time Only then can it be restored to its full glory.

Looking at it now, my thinking is not open enough.

Godfrey slowly tore off the place where the writing was and then held it up.

Fan Ning walked around, stood next to Roy, and looked at the mirror carefully.

After a few seconds, nothing happened. There were reverse ink traces on the mirror. Godfrey asked tentatively: "Is this okay?"

"Don't play tricks, just say it silently." The girl responded with a slightly cold voice.

There was a hint of helplessness and compromise in Godfrey's eyes. A few seconds later, his brain buzzed, and an overwhelming feeling of exhaustion and emptiness hit him.

It could have been sustained at ordinary times, but he had been too nervous before, coupled with the effect of excessive alcohol in the blood, the old man's eyes darkened, his head fell forward, and he fell asleep on the table.

The liquid in the knocked over cup spilled and dripped, but the note in the "Mirror of Transfiguration" remained the same.

"True Proposition" Roy removed the pistol holding the old man's arm, with a thoughtful look in his eyes.

"Are you sure? Is there really an exit from the Chengbei Art Museum?" Fan Ning asked curiously.

Compared with the obviously distorted performance of false propositions, nothing happened when the divination was true, which always made him feel "lack of feedback" and couldn't help but keep doubting in his heart.

"It can't be wrong. Since he has passed out due to exhaustion of inspiration, it means that the ritual vessel has responded and the divination has indeed worked."

The salesperson who behaved strangely walked over like a ghost, and wiped the wine on the table with a rag without saying a word. Fan Ning got up from the table and paced back and forth in the room: "Even if the art museum has an exit, it still has no exit. It is very likely that it needs to be opened under certain conditions, and we still need to analyze it carefully and avoid dangers.”

The true propositions determined by the "Mirror of Transfiguration" divination are not all unconditional. It implies that certain conditions need to be met, or the will to make efforts is the premise - for example, it is determined that "I will not be hit to death when I go out today" is true. It doesn't mean that the fortune teller can close his eyes and run rampant on the road.

Joan said slowly: "According to him, the small town of Watznay is a wrongly folded time and space under the influence of the 'hidden light'. Those knowledgeable people who have worked hard to escape the situation also believe that there are 'wrong weaknesses' in the abandoned mansion. The key is to find some mystical connection between it and the real world, so it is particularly important to know the mystery of the Lord of Witnesses' Hidden Lamp. Unfortunately, we know too little about the God of Origin."

Xilan pondered for a moment, then raised his head and glanced at the crystal necklace around Roy's neck: "Senior sister, is your ritual vessel related to a certain Lord of Witness who is in charge of the phase of 'Evolution'?"

"How did you deduce it?" Roy asked in surprise, "But you guessed it right. I just said that the Bologna School had studied three source gods, and this is one of them."

"During an accidental exploration in Yiyong, I saw the symbols of the seven source gods." Xilan said.

After hearing this, Fan Ning thought of what he saw at the remains of the Grand Palace School that day: line segments, gear sparks, knives, lamps, springs, liquids and hands, and mirrors.

"Hidden lamp" is in the fourth place, and the aspect has "wild", "Fountain in the painting" is in the fifth place, and the aspect has "cocoon", "Red Pond" is in the sixth place, and the aspect has "pool" - go here It can be seen that the original symbols of the Seven Paths' Origin Gods were related to the seven phase sequences.

The "Mirror of Transfiguration" is also in the shape of a mirror and is in the seventh place, so Xilan will judge that the master of the testimony behind it is related to "Yan".

...The "hidden lamp" is "barren", and the "spring in the painting" is "cocoon"? Fan Ning thought about it and asked Julius: "Tell me about your two witnesses?"

Julius obviously did not expect that he would ask her questions at this time, and her first reaction was confusion: "Professor Fan Ning, according to the theory of the Transcendental Club, the Lord of Witnesses we follow is an unknown source, and it seems to be the same as you The so-called Qiyuan Shen being discussed now is different..."

However, she found that Fan Ning was still waiting for her answer with glaring eyes, so she said: "Okay... What do you want to know about them? The hidden knowledge I know is also very superficial..."

"Twins." Fan Ning spat out a compound word, "About the mystery of their 'twins' theory..."

…He actually knows so much about our organization? It seems that I have been targeted for a long time. Julius was secretly frightened, but she thought that in this situation anyway, she had nothing to hide from her superficial information, so she repeated the secret teachings whose meaning was unclear and she did not understand clearly:

"In an ancient and nihilistic crime scene, 'contemplation of death' and 'flow' are born from the two contradictions of the same process. The end of eternal death is stronger than 'barren' but living, and the end of eternal existence is stronger than 'cocoon' 'But for death... The ritual of twins is a pilgrimage throughout the world. Even if the disqualification is no longer true, the true knowledge still flows. In all subsequent children, those who practice it will gather themselves into the shape of their return..."

…Even if the disqualification is gone, true knowledge still flows?

...Desolation and cocoon? ...art museum?

Fan Ning felt that he had only caught something fleeting in occasional moments.

"Save time, ignore that drunk guy." Finally, he motioned for everyone to leave the hotel, and opened the wooden door in front of him, "Let's go to the north of the city first... Well, at least now we have identified a lot of valuable things. According to the information, the three major source gods studied by the Bologna School should be the 'Hidden Lamp' related to the formation of this place, the 'Fountain in the Painting' related to the ancient alchemists, and the 'Mirror' whose name is unknown... "

"His name is Disaster." A dull and cold middle-aged male voice came from outside.

Everyone was shocked when they saw investigator Joe Vasius, wearing a top hat and holding a pocket watch in his hand, standing on the street and staring calmly at themselves.

Is this guy really still here? Didn't disappear from the world? How did he do it? ? …

Although Fan Ning had vaguely felt that the investigators from the Special Inspection Office could not be so reckless, he still couldn't believe his eyes when this person stood in front of him alive.

What makes people feel even more weird is that there are several small town residents scattered behind Vasius, six of them in total.

They looked depressed, taciturn, and had many transparent parts of their bodies. They were obviously suffering from varying degrees of 'hidden diseases', but their eyes were relatively lively than what Fan Ning had seen before.

"It's not too late for you to decide to get out of the car." Vasius said, "Just in time, just in time, I don't have to waste time on extra words."

"What happens just right?" Sheeran's right hand was still placed on the handle of the gun at his waist vigilantly.

"Don't be nervous, little girl." Wasius's mouth twitched slightly, "...Look, five of you came down. I've been lobbying for a long time, and the current progress is to find six. Isn't this a coincidence? ?”

Is he talking about the number of people? Five plus six plus one... twelve people? Fan Ning thought to himself.

"Let's go to the north of the city." He waved his hand. "If you wait until dawn, it will be a thousand times more difficult to finish things smoothly and leave. So hurry up."

The residents moved away stiffly, Fan Ning's eyes flashed for a moment, and everyone followed.

After walking for about half an hour, he tentatively asked a question to see if he could infer anything from the few words in his mouth: "Excuse me, why is it said that leaving after dawn is a thousand times more difficult?"

Unexpectedly, Vasius answered his question directly and clearly: "We have just entered the real world by mistake, and there are still strong connections, which will make it easier for us to detect and overcome weak connection points, and these six guys will It’s difficult, but they still have a glimmer of hope...Of course, once the sun rises, our poor connection will also disappear, and the hidden diseases will begin to wreak havoc on us, just like them.”

…once daybreak? Fan Ningyue felt that the time was already past three o'clock in the morning, and it was probably only more than two hours before dawn.

Could it be that this was the reason why the divination revealed that it was dangerous to stay on the train? Is the misfortune of a hidden disease about to befall the passengers?

"Thanks for the answer." Fan Ning continued to test, "It seems that Mr. Vasius really knows something about the situation in front of him?"

"You may find out later that you know more than me." Vasius smiled calmly.

…What does this guy mean? Fan Ning instinctively had a premonition that this was not a good thing, as if some of his secrets had been seen through.

The strange-looking black building was getting closer and closer to everyone. Fan Ning looked up and saw that it was tall and narrow. It was less than the land area of ​​seven or eight ordinary houses, but it was more than ten stories high - this is not even in a big city. They are common, and the buildings are uneven from top to bottom. The distance between each floor is short, and the long and narrow stacked windows reflect pale and cold light.

What's even stranger is the name on the sign at the door that makes Fan Ning feel familiar: Watzner Museum of Fine Arts.

Vasius waved his hand, asking Fan Ning to go in with him.

The two of them walked into the narrow hall of the art museum first. Apart from a few abrupt and dazzling light bulbs, there was a broken guide desk with peeling paint on the tabletop. The other two walls were doors and stairwells that made it difficult to see the deeper environment.

It is completely different from the Turner Museum of Art.

"Welcome." The light bulb above the guidance desk illuminated the upper body in the darkness.

Mr. F, who is sitting behind the stage, is a young man wearing a high-collared white shirt and a pure black suit. He wears a plaid tie, no glasses, short black hair in the shape of a cloud, and wide, raised lips. beard, a look that was very popular among gentlemen in the 1990s.

It was obviously just an ordinary look at each other that often happened when strangers met each other for the first time, but Fan Ning felt like something had penetrated his whole body. It didn't seem to be on the spiritual level, but it was difficult to explain what it was.

Fan Ning could only think of such an inappropriate metaphor - ordinary spiritual body detection is like the wind blowing in front of you, but this time, it is the "sense of wind" brought out by the relative movement of people when walking. Gentle but inevitable.

His vigilance increased greatly, and his inexplicable intuition told him that this person seemed to be looking for something?

The exchange between everyone's eyes quickly ended. Mr. F was still sitting behind the stage, with his eyelids lowered, and continued:

"Visitors must get their number plate first."