"Do you... feel like something is wrong here?"
There was no use for Shad to explain what he had heard in a reasonable way, so Professor Katya took the initiative to speak.
Leicia looked at Shade, who blinked and signaled her not to speak first:
"It's definitely not right. It's so abnormal. In fact, this house itself gives me a bad feeling."
As he spoke he walked towards the window and then lowered his head to examine the statue with the broken arm.
However, even with Xia De's strength, he was unable to lift the statue. When he tried to turn the statue, blood actually dripped out of the statue's mouth.
The statue itself is just an ordinary object, which seems to use a very clever mechanical device to allow it to spray liquid. This kind of bad taste decoration once again proves that Mr. Jude is definitely problematic.
Seeing the strangeness of the statue, the alert old professor also walked to the window vigilantly, looked outside, and then asked Xia De to look at the door.
Xia De quietly walked to the door, leaned against the door and listened to the sounds outside, raised his finger to signal everyone not to speak. After confirming that no one was there, he carefully grasped the door handle and shook it, and then found that the door was locked from the outside.
"There's something strange indeed!"
The professor of folklore was very alert. He asked his students to try to push the window. Then the reporter and his assistant explained:
"Those of us who study folklore often encounter all kinds of strange things, so we must be cautious. This Mr. Jude may be strange..."
"Teacher, the window can't be opened."
Mr. Scott said anxiously.
"Don't be anxious, don't be anxious about anything!"
The old professor scolded, then picked up the cane leaning against the chair. He held the cane with his left hand and the handle with his right hand, and pulled it hard, and unexpectedly pulled out a very thin rapier, which seemed to be shining even in the dim light at this moment.
Seeing Xia De and the reporter looking over curiously, the old professor explained:
"As folklorists, it is normal for us to carry weapons when we go out for research."
Then he said to his students:
"Although you have done well in school, you still have a lot to learn if you want to become an excellent folklorist."
Judging from Mr. Scott's expression, he didn't know that his teacher had such a thing in his cane.
"Oh well."
Xia De was stunned for a moment, reached into his coat, and took out a black revolver, and explained:
"As a journalist's assistant and bodyguard, it's normal for me to go to such a dangerous neighborhood and carry such a weapon... Don't worry, I have a legal gun license."
The explanation in the second half of the sentence reassured the scholars.
After everyone felt that something was wrong, Professor Katya tried to break the glass of the window to escape. But breaking the glass would make a loud noise, and once someone rushed in, it would be impossible for the four people to escape from the broken window in an instant.
The professor held his dangerous weapon and searched for the gap in the window, trying to pry it open, and muttered that there was no crowbar in the room. Shade and Leicia looked at each other, and after confirming the plan, Shade suggested:
"Now that he has locked us up here instead of rushing in with a group of people to kidnap us, this means that they will not attack us in the short term. Why don't we search the study first to confirm what is wrong with Mr. Jude, and then make plans."
Staying in a dangerous place is one of the most dangerous parts of horror novels, but for Shad and Leicia, the current situation is still under control. Even Shad did not have the opportunity to get close to confirm Mr. Jude's identity, and Mr. Jude was even less likely to know that they were ring wizards.
The professor accepted Shad's advice, and perhaps because he saw the pistol, he felt that his side was still safe.
The four of them searched the study together. There wasn't much on the desk, but it would take a long time to search the bookshelves on the three walls.
"Leave the bookshelf to me."
The professor said confidently:
"I have been in contact with books for many years, and I am familiar with the books on the bookshelf. I can definitely find them faster than you."
So Shade searched the desk, Lecia looked through the coffee table over there, and the two scholars searched the bookshelf.
The desk was tidy. Next to Mr. Jude was a novel about the adventures of the New World, with a leaf inside as a bookmark. It was of little value. There were four drawers on the left side of the desk and a drawer and an open cabinet on the right side.
As expected, all the drawers and cabinets had locks, but they opened automatically when Shade pressed them lightly.
"There's another gun here."
He opened the drawers on the left side one by one. In the top drawer was a paper box, which contained a pistol of a model that Shade could not tell and several bullets. The old professor knew how to use a pistol, so Shade gave it to him. In the second drawer, there were some scattered bottles and jars, and Shade immediately realized that these were materials for casting spells.
The third and fourth drawers on the left side contained documents and letters in file bags. Shad flipped through them and found that they were all related to Mr. Jude's antique business.
So he reached out and opened the top drawer on the right. There was nothing unusual when his hand touched the drawer, but just as he opened a gap, a shriveled severed hand stretched out from the gap, flew up and stabbed at Xia De's throat.
"Um?"
Because they were searching the ringmaster's desk, Shade had already been on guard. As soon as the severed hand appeared, the woman's voice in his heart reminded him. Shade raised his right hand upwards, and moonlight flew out of his hand, accurately splitting the severed hand into two pieces.
Because everyone else was checking other places, no one noticed this scene. It was not until the severed hand fell to the floor with a thud that Lecia and the scholars noticed this.
"Oh~"
Mr. Scott, who saw this scene directly, covered his mouth to prevent himself from shouting. Professor Katya also had an ugly look on his face. He didn't expect such a thing to appear. Leicia came over worriedly:
"This Mr. Jude really has quite a collection of strange things. Mr. Watson, are you okay?"
She was explaining the origin of the hand.
"I'm fine. I just touched something strange and took it out. I didn't expect it to be this. I was scared."
This severed hand is an alchemical item. It is probably a drawer that will fly out and strangle people's necks as long as it is pulled open. This kind of thing is very dangerous to ordinary people without knowledge, but it is just a piece of cake for the ring magicians.
"Keep looking. I'm afraid Mr. Jude really has a big secret."
Xia De said, Professor Katya nodded and whispered something to her student, probably to comfort him not to be scared by the broken hand. Leicia said softly:
"Before I came, I arranged some personnel nearby for safety. I have a steam bomb on me. Once the bomb explodes, the Coldwater Harbor garrison will surround this area within 20 minutes."
"I understand, but don't do this unless it's absolutely necessary, otherwise you won't be able to explain why you are here."
The cooperation between the royal family and the Zaras Academy of Literature is not official, which means that the Orthodox Church does not know that Princess Leicia is a ring mage.
"No problem. Aren't you curious about why I carry a steam bomb with me?"
"Isn't it the same with Dorothy?"
Shad said.
There was nothing else in the drawer containing the severed hand, and the top drawer on the right was just a simple anti-theft measure. In the end, only the cabinet on the lower right was left, and when it was opened, there was actually an iron-gray safe inside.
This kind of safe requires rotating the combination and key at the same time to be opened. Shade touched it with his hand and even felt some elements, which means that there are other unknown ring wizards protecting this safe.
"The key to the door."
Carefully touch the surface of the safe with your fingers, and you can clearly feel a force resisting the effect of the spell.
Xia De narrowed his eyes and carefully controlled his spirit to keep the spell running. Now he felt as if he was pushing a stone against an invisible force. Fortunately, the power of the safe was limited after all, and the power of the spell came from Xia De. So after a few minutes, with the sound of gears running and chains clicking from inside the safe, the keyhole and the rusty combination disk started to turn at the same time.
After a click, the sound of the piston popping open was clearly heard, and then the door of the safe opened automatically.
"Is opening a safe also a skill for a reporter's assistant?"
Mr. Scott, who heard the sound of the safe opening nearby, asked in surprise. The drawers might not be locked, but it was really abnormal for the safe to be opened like this:
"There was a note in the drawer with the combination written on it, and I found the key under the cabinet. This taught us a lesson: don't write down the combination casually."
Xia De explained vaguely, then looked inside the cabinet:
"oh!"
His cry of surprise successfully diverted the young scholar's attention.
The first thing he took out was an oil painting. There was nothing wrong with the painting itself, but the problem was the content on it. This was not an abstract painting, but a very realistic one, even close to line drawing. A reef stood abruptly on the turbulent red ocean, and on the reef was a terrifying creature with a human body and a fish tail.
It had the face of a human woman, but it was uglier than anything Shade had ever seen. The entire upper body seemed to be covered in a layer of mucous membrane, but it also looked like a layer of transparent scales.
The fishman's expression as he looked out of the picture seemed like he was smiling cruelly, but also like he was staring at the person looking at the painting. The red ocean, the black reefs, the dim sky, and the pale fishman, although the painting itself was an ordinary object, the sense of reality made Shade feel creepy.
The upper body of the merman in the picture is at least 80% similar to the merman after the captain of the Fishbone Pirate Ship transformed. This is the follower of the evil god.
"Oh! The mermaid in the painting is blinking!"
The young scholar who saw the painting at the same time as Shad wanted to scream. Leicia immediately looked towards the door, and Professor Katya hurried over and covered her student's mouth.
At least half a minute later, Resia, who was leaning against the door, shook her head slightly, meaning that it was safe for the time being. The professor let go of Mr. Scott's mouth, and the latter's face was pale with fear, his eyes bulged out due to nervousness, and the blood in his eyeballs was as if he hadn't slept for three days.
Just a few minutes ago, this was a very healthy and energetic young man.