The Master of the Strange Realm

Jenkins smiled at the three young men who sat on the ground, turned around and ran deeper into the alley.

(Chocolate running...)

".....The above conclusions fully prove that the man seen last night was the disguised black-robed man."

The old man stood in front of the fireplace of the antique shop and said the conclusion, while Jenkins nodded in agreement at the counter.

"So, the deceased Mr. Stuller was also killed by him? The black-robed man finally started to kill innocent people?"

He put the blame on himself without any psychological burden.

"From the current investigation, the situation is more complicated. The church and the police joined forces to investigate the situation around the deceased and found some very surprising situations. This is the investigation report, you can take a look."

Because the murder case involves the gifter, the efficiency of the investigation is very high. Even if it was only one night, the things that the middle-aged gentleman said yesterday evening have been sorted out. This is also related to the fact that the case committed by Stuller was not secret. What the police gentlemen lacked was only their own initiative and outstanding imagination.

"So, can we be sure that the black-robed man took away A-03-02-4491?"

This surprised Jenkins very much, because the eyesight of the three young men who saw him should not be enough to find the abnormality of the eyeball in his hand.

"During the six months that the deceased was hiding, he had frequently visited some..."

The old man glanced at Jenkins and continued: "He visited some prostitutes. Because of close contact, some of them found that his two eyes were different colors. When one of them faced the light, you could vaguely see the pattern. Since the eyes are limited and such unique characteristics are known, it is not difficult to find the specific number. And since the black-robed man took the initiative to appear, we are more certain that this is a strange object."

Jenkins nodded in ignorance. After he went home last night, he tried to destroy the strange object in various ways, including his own candle flame, but no method was useful.

He melted some silver with flames, wrapped the eyeball in it and buried it in the basement. This is quite risky, because the original bone was sealed, and the mental pollution would not radiate outward, but this one has nothing.

But this is the only way for the time being. Unless A-03-02-4491 is thrown directly into the church of the Orthodox Church, it is more dangerous to hide it in other places. But discarding the strange object will cause the black-robed man's action pattern to collapse, and the church will begin to doubt the black-robed man's true purpose every time he appears in the past. You know, so far that person has used various means to collect strange objects, so discarding it is absolutely impossible.

Even if there is only a one in ten thousand possibility, Jenkins must not let the church doubt his identity.

Dad continued to talk, not noticing that Jenkins was thinking about a mess.

"It is certain that before the black-robed man found the strange object directly, the people of the Magic Eye Collection Association had already discovered something about the magic eye. Don't look at me like that. Although divination doesn't work for the black-robed man, it is still useful for others. The results here show that the black-robed man was involved in this matter two hours before the murder was reported to the police. Before that, it was the evil cult organization Magic Eye Collection Association that interfered with this matter."

"No need to take the blame."

Jenkins was a little happy in his heart, but the corners of his mouth just rose and were consciously restrained, so he asked again:

"Do you know who it is?"

"This is not difficult to trace. The clues last night showed that when looking for things related to the deceased, the magic eye collector did not hide his appearance. The specific comparison and investigation work is still in progress, but there will be results before the end of this month."

The old man looked a little tired. Jenkins didn't know what time he returned to the antique shop last night. He tried to persuade the old man to take a rest this morning, but the old man didn't agree.

"I'm still young, what's the big deal about staying up late?"

He said so at the time, and Jenkins didn't dare to object.

The interrogation of Boglo Stippy, the cultist nicknamed the Eye of Stillness, who was captured last week, also made some breakthroughs. The church got good news, that is, there were actually only three magic eye collectors who came to Nolan this time. Although the purpose was to find an important magic eye, this illegal organization had more important actions in Harman County, Cheslan Kingdom, so there were only three gifters who came to Nolan.

Of course, there should be many ordinary believers who cooperate with these three people, but as long as the gifters are solved, the danger of these ordinary believers will be reduced immediately.

More importantly, this organization came to Nolan City and had nothing to do with any other conspiracy. Combined with the intelligence obtained through some secret channels, the Church of Knowledge and Books can conclude that the Magic Eye Collection Association is in the Nolan Parish, has no connection with any other illegal organization, and is not involved in other conspiracies for the time being.

The moment Jenkins learned the news, he really wanted to praise loudly that this is a worry-free organization.

Compared to the entangled liars who believe in the Prince of Lies, the craftsmen who release the gear germs, the looming witch house, and the Life Sharing Alliance who don't know what they are doing, this organization with a direct purpose and simple personnel structure is really a model among cults.

"I am really confused. I actually praised them."

Jenkins shook his head hard, then reached out and grabbed the chocolate's dangling tail, and then brought his thoughts back.

Of course, the cat whose tail was scratched would not give up. It turned around and pounced on him. Jenkins put down the pen in his hand and went to catch it, almost knocking over the ink on the side.

Seeing a man and a cat messing around in front of the counter, Dad smiled a little. After all, it was rare to see Jenkins doing anything other than serious business.

Chapter 303 Chapter 298 Counterfeit Shop

"I don't seem to have seen the reward for the man in black robe increase."

After finally calming the cat and scratching its chin, Jenkins asked again.

"It can't be so fast. This thing only happened yesterday afternoon. But in any case, he did steal a strange object. We can't tell whether the death of the deceased Si Tu Le is related to him. The reward will definitely be Improvement, but the exact scale can only be determined after the investigation is completed. Pass me the pen..."

Yesterday, I also informed my dad about the script writer’s deal. But he didn't think that gentleman was strange. After running this store for so many years, Dad had seen many weirder people. Most of them are ordinary people, but precisely because they are ordinary people and cannot come into contact with the extraordinary, their awe and curiosity give rise to those weird and even perverted hobbies.

Especially rich people who have money and time.

Dad even told Jenkins about a big businessman who purchased an ancient female corpse in Nolan City about five years ago. At that time, even the Orthodox Church suspected that he was the white glove of a gifter who did not understand the rules. However, after the [Church of Death and Doomsday] intervened in the investigation, they discovered that that person was just...

"Do you need me to tell you what he wants to do?"

"No, no, no, don't tell me, I'm afraid of nightmares."

Jenkins still remembers his father's malicious smile at that time.

"So, what exactly did you do yesterday?"

He was still curious about this matter, but he was afraid that it was confidential, so he asked in a roundabout way long after the conversation between the two began.

Seeing Jenkins's attitude, his father chuckled:

"Don't be like this, it's not a secret, especially from you."

Put down the pen in his hand, fold the document he was writing in half, put it in a kraft paper bag, seal it, and then said:

"A two-story residential building in the south of the city needs to be renovated. When digging the basement, a strange thing was accidentally 'excavated'."

"dig?"

Jenkins noticed he hesitated to use the word.

"Yes, digging is not accurate, because the appearance of that strange thing is related to space. It will only appear in areas with an area between 72 square yards (approximately 60.2011699 square meters) and 50 square yards (approximately 41.806368 square meters) ), in a sealed space with an independent door. During the renovation process, the basement happened to meet this requirement, so A-01-1-0034, Mr. Mischief’s counterfeit shop, appeared.”

"Mr. Prankster?"

The pen in my hand slipped and I almost wrote the wrong word. He didn't expect to hear this name again. So far, the only items from the Mr. Prank series he had encountered were A-11-5-2071, [Mr. Prankster's Toy Ticket] and B-07-4-8848, [ Mr. Prankster's Prank Pocket]. But being able to put a name or code name into the name of a special item is definitely not a simple character.

"Sir, can you please explain this word? I have seen some items with the prefix Mr. Mischief in the information before, but I couldn't find anything when I tried to search for the information again."

"Of course I can't find it. The church's information about Mr. Prankster in this diocese only contains the two pages at the bottom of the Gate of All Things. Even the Holy See doesn't know much about this creature. It is not a god itself, nor is it a god. Any of the numbered ABC series, but scarier..."

Dad suddenly stopped talking. Seeing that Jenkins still looked expectant, he closed his eyes and drew the Holy Emblem on his chest, and then chanted softly:

"Knowledge is valuable, and the light of wisdom drives away darkness; knowledge is valuable, and mortals should fear the unknown."

This is a sentence in the religious classics of the Church of the Sage. Jenkins came here and memorized it very well, so he understood that it was telling him that it was better not to know some things.

"So what exactly does that counterfeit shop do?"

He wisely gave up on matters related to Mr. Prankster, and instead asked about the strange thing that was just mentioned.

"It was a store that sold counterfeit goods, that is, a fake store. Only one person was allowed to enter at a time, and the interior of the store was different in everyone's eyes. The person who managed the store was a poorly made puppet, but he couldn't Find out if you have a soul. The reason why it is called a fake store is because all the items sold in the store are fakes of the special items that people who enter the store have seen. "

Seeing that Jenkins was puzzled, his father patiently explained:

"In other words, if I enter the store, what is sold in the store will be counterfeit products of all the ABC series special items I have seen. The performance of those counterfeit products is generally worse than the genuine ones, and the malicious effect will be doubled, and It can only be used once and irreparable damage will occur, and this cannot be changed in any way.”

"So what price does he charge?"

Jenkins asked hurriedly, guessing things like souls and emotions in his heart.

But the answer is not these.

"Stories, to be precise, original stories."

The old man looked up at Jenkins, who indeed showed a surprised expression.

"The puppet in the store needs customers to provide stories that have never appeared in the world. If you ask it why it wants these, it will explain that this is the request of its owner, Mr. Prank. The puppet will evaluate the story to determine what customers can buy."

"What about the weird characteristics? I noticed that the safety rating of the fake store is 1."

"Normal storytelling-buying-leaving, there will be no problems, including the use of those fake props, there will be no problems beyond their own effects, after all, the price has been paid. But if you don't tell a story after entering the store..."

He touched his chin. The old man didn't grow a beard. It is said that this can make him look younger. Jenkins tried to grow a beard. In addition to being opposed by Chocolate, he also found that even with a beard, he would not look mature. The actual age of this body is too different from the appearance age.

Of course, this is also related to the immature personality of the soul occupying the body.

"After entering A-01-1-0034, if you do not shop within 30 minutes, that is, if you do not tell a story, or if the story does not satisfy the puppet's needs, then the puppet will regard you as an unwelcome guest. At present, even a demigod-level gifter is not a match for the puppet. It will expel the unwelcome guest from the store in the form of a puppet."

Section 304 Chapter 299 Psychics and Nobles

"Puppets? Is that what I understand..."

"Yes, turn living people into puppets and throw them out. This transformation is not impossible to eliminate, but the current method... Sorry, this is confidential, because it involves other weird things. In short, the bodies of living people who are expelled from the store will be turned into puppets, and their souls will be trapped in the store forever."

"In what form will they be trapped in the store? Clerks? Goods? Or even stranger states?"

Dad smiled:

"I find that you have a rich imagination. Is this a necessary talent to become a writer? But neither is it. The souls stranded in the store will be thrown into the fuel furnace by puppets as energy supplements for the operation of the store. Although the two people who enter the store consecutively must be at least 10 hours apart, if two customers really enter the store consecutively, and the former does not tell the story, then the guests behind can see that scene."

Jenkins nodded, and understood the role and characteristics of A-01-1-0034.

"Then as long as we let people who can tell stories enter the store, won't this store be very useful?"

If Jenkins is allowed to enter, he vows to move all the useful things inside. But he immediately thought of something else:

"Wait, ABC is included, so I might encounter..."

"It's not that simple, how can strange things be used by us mortals?"

The old man shook his head with a warning tone.

"I've told you before that you should never try to use a strange object, even if you think it's 100% safe. According to historical records, only 2% of people who enter A-01-1-0034 can walk out safely with the goods. In fact, the entire store is filled with malicious whispers and strange murmurs. Even the basement where the cultists hold rituals is not more terrifying than there. If you want to use A-01-1-0034, the first thing you should ensure is not to tell stories, but to have a high enough resistance of mind and soul, otherwise don't think you can get out after entering the store.

Moreover, which stories are exciting enough and which are just garbage are all judged by the puppet. Even if you can successfully trade with the puppet who claims to be the acting store manager, you may not be able to walk out of the store - there are copies of 'all' special things that the person who enters has seen, and there are no restrictions on those special things. I think you should understand?"

Jenkins swallowed his saliva, which means that if he enters the store, he will definitely see A-01-2-0198, a fake of [Little Girl Selling Flowers]. Even if it was a fake, even if it deteriorated countless times, it was still a girl selling flowers.

This alone was enough to dispel his idea of ​​going to see it.

In order to prevent people with ulterior motives from trying to use the fake shop to do something. Now, the entire area has been blocked on the grounds that "gas and steam pipes are leaking at the same time, and explosions may occur at any time." Even the residents were temporarily evacuated. And the existence of A-01-1-0034 is generally not very long. So far, the records show that its longest stay record is only ten days.

"Goddess, please don't let me be associated with it."

Jenkins devoutly drew the holy emblem on his chest.

On Saturday afternoon, Miss Michael came alone to retrieve the Ouija board that she asked Dad to help identify. Although Dad didn't take a nap, he was called away at lunch, which seemed to be related to the magic eye.

In short, when Miss Michael opened the door, only Jenkins was playing with the cat and reading a book.

"Good day, Miss Michael."

Putting down the history book in his hand, Jenkins took the initiative to walk out of the counter to greet him. Miss Michael waved back, and the two maids who followed the carriage also walked in, but just stood at the door of the store without following.

"Please wait here, the Ouija board is in the back, I'll get it now."

He straightened the armchair that was placed diagonally in front of the fireplace, then turned around and went to the warehouse behind the store.

The last time they met, he was still hiding in the closet. Although I didn't see anything at the time, it was still very embarrassing to think about it carefully.

"Is Mr. Oliver not here?"

"Oh, Dad was called by an old customer to check the goods. I heard that it was a batch of new goods that had just arrived, and he would not be back until the evening. But he left the results of the appraisal, and I will get it for you later."

Seeing that Jenkins wanted to go to the back, Chocolate rarely stood up from the pillow on the counter, jumped to the ground, and then rubbed his trouser legs with his face.

The man squatted down, picked it up and put it on his shoulder.

"Didn't Miss Hesha come with you?"

He asked casually, only caring for the cat, and didn't notice that the blonde girl's lowered fingers trembled.

"No, she has something else to do."

Miss Michael tried her best to restrain the desire to ask about the relationship between the two, and stood there, watching Jenkins open the door to the backyard.

She didn't sit on the chair in front of the fireplace, but lifted her hair and walked to the counter, took off her hat and looked at the book Jenkins was reading just now.

"Secrets and Desires: Ancient Psychics and Aristocratic History."

She whispered the name of the book, thought for a while, and then reached out to turn the buckled book to the front.

Since Jenkins left it on the counter, it means that this is an ordinary book. It records the aristocratic mystic researchers in the eyes of ordinary people. Of course, most of them are some vulgar and bloody stories. The bored ladies in the court and the maids and servants who are driven crazy by the rules will never forget "interesting" things like psychics.

Throughout the long history of mankind, the study of false and true mysticism has always been entangled with the nobles. Dad asked Jenkins to read this book in order to make him feel awe for the rituals of contacting the soul such as psychic while studying the history of the nobility and familiarizing himself with heraldry.

"The things have been taken. The psychic board is there, the small statues and the scepter are here, and the appraisal results written by Dad are in..."