Chapter 541 Invitation


    ??When she came to the door of Duanmuhuai''s apartment again, Mary seemed a little nervous, but she still took a deep breath and knocked on the door.


    "who?"


    “It’s me, Mr. Duanmu, Mary Clarissa.”


    “Oh, come in.”


    Soon, the door opened, and Mary saw a maid with long brown hair standing there and saluted to herself. She didn’t know much about this maid. She only remembered that she was responsible for flying the plane to send them out when they were in Antarctica. Of course, at that time, Mary was focused on her best friend, but now, she also respectfully greets the maid. After bowing, the latter welcomed Mary in. When she was led by the maid to the living room, Mary could see Duanmuhuai sitting on the sofa, flipping through a lot of letters in his hands out of boredom.


    “Yo.”


    ?Seeing Mary, Duanmuhuai waved to her in an ungentlemanly manner, and then threw the letters aside.


    “There are so many things going on in the Old Continent. What era is this? There are tea parties, dinner parties, dinners... Do you think these people are just sitting around with nothing to do?”


    “Is this an invitation to you?”


    Hearing Duanmu Huai''s complaint, Mary somewhat understood. Although she had two aristocratic ladies, Xia Li and Ashelika, as friends, she was only a middle-class student. Even if she had learned similar banquet etiquette, she did not want to I will use it in this regard. What''s more, this kind of banquet is usually attended by noble ladies in the social world. Girls like Mary who think about work after graduation rather than getting married and having children don''t need to care about this connection.


    “You just treat me like a peep show...what about your friend?”


    "Ah, Charlie, everything is fine. She is currently recuperating in a sanatorium. She also wrote to me before..."


    “Oh, that’s good.”


    ? Duanmu Huai nodded, and then began to turn over the letter in his hand. Looking at Duanmu Huai, Mary suddenly felt a little nervous. This was normal. Although Charlie lost her memory and Ashelica didn''t know his existence, Mary knew that her friends could live a familiar daily life again. Life is all thanks to this kind gentleman. Not to mention that he spent a lot of money for all of this - although Miss Lorena once told Mary that these were the duties of the Tribunal, Mary was not the kind of girl who didn''t know how to repay kindness.


    So, she also hopes to introduce Duanmu Huai to her two friends, so as to... What identity is better?


    At this time, Mary suddenly realized that her and Duanmu Huai''s identities seemed a little unclear.


    Logically speaking, I should be considered his client in the first place? But in fact, as the client, Mary did not give Duanmuhuai any compensation. On the contrary, Duanmuhuai spent a lot of money for her and Charlie, which was an astronomical sum. So much so that I can’t even figure out who the client is.


    friend? If you want to be a friend, then...


    “Tea, please.”


    Just when Mary was thinking hard about this, her thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of the maid. The latter took the tea cup, nodded to the maid to thank her, and then looked at Duanmu Huai again.


    “Mr. Duanmu.”


    "Um?"


    “That’s it…how do you say it…”


    ?Although she knew that Duanmu Huai didn''t care about these etiquettes, Mary was still cautious and spoke as politely as possible.


    “It’s going to be a holiday soon. Asherika and I are going to the sanatorium to visit Charlie. Asherika will go with her fiancé Mr. Howard. If you have time, would you like to come with us..."


    ?Speaking of this, Mary also felt that her logic was a bit confusing. Indeed, Mr. Howard was Ashelika''s fiancé, so it was okay for him to meet with Charlie. But it seems that the relationship between myself and Duanmu Huai is not that kind of relationship...


    ?As expected, Duanmuhuai didn''t seem to be very interested in this.


    "I won''t join in the fun when you girls are having a party. Just have fun."


    “It’s...ok.”


    ?Hearing Duanmuhuai''s answer, Mary also sighed silently in her heart, and at this moment, Duanmuhuai suddenly made a "suspicious" sound.


    “Baskerville? That’s interesting.”


    "Why?"


    “Have you ever heard of this name? Mary?”


    “Ah, yes.”


    Hearing Duanmuhuai''s question, Mary nodded.


    "The Baskerville family is one of the very famous upper-class families. I have heard of it..."


    “No, no, no, I didn’t mean that...”


    “Ah, you mean the Baskervilles’ devil dog?”


    As a Twist native, it is certainly impossible for Mary to have read the great detective’s documentary novel, let alone forget it—in fact, the reason why she is familiar with the Baskerville family is precisely because of this story. In other words, this story is known to everyone in the upper and middle classes of Fog City.


    ??The legend of the devil dog, the curse of the Baskerville family, the great detective and the conspiracy story behind it, not to mention the fact that it was specially compiled into a book and published as a masterpiece...


    “That’s right, the Baskerville family’s devil dog.”


    ?Duanmuhuai raised the envelope and shook it at Mary.


    "It seems that the famous detective was not able to completely solve this problem, and now it has fallen into my hands again."


    "Well…………"


    Hearing this, Mary frowned.


    "I remember...at the end of the novel, Mr. Holmes and his assistant Watson should have caught the prisoner. In fact, the Baskerville family did not suffer any curse, and the so-called devil dog was only a slightly larger one. The whole incident was actually a case created by the criminal who coveted the Baskerville family''s property and took advantage of that rumor, wasn''t it?


    “The novel is like this, but the reality seems stranger than the novel...”


    Duanmuhuai opened the letter and read it carefully.


    "It seems I have something to do. Do you want to come with me?"


    “Uh…this…”


    It is impossible to say that Mary was not moved at all. She was a loyal reader of that book. Among other things, just being invited by the legendary Baskerville family made her quite happy. Not to mention, as of now, this matter seems to have some inexplicable relationship with the legend of the devil dog.


    ?But in the end, missing my friends still overpowered my inner joy.


    "Feel sorry………"


    “Okay, actually it’s understandable.”


    Duanmu Huai shook his head.


    ?Sure enough, there are still many things going on here on the Old Main Road, and it''s quite romantic. After all, this is a case that Sherlock Holmes has been involved in... Although from the current point of view, he may have overturned?


    ?Of course, maybe not?


    ??In any case, he is still a D-class personnel at present. Although the Antarctic incident has caused a lot of trouble, because Duanmuhuai destroyed most of the evidence, the foundation did not give him enough upgrade authority. From the current point of view, this case is more suitable for me. Maybe after getting rid of this trouble, I can be promoted to C level?


    In this way, we are only one step away from the stable anchor of reality.


    ??While Duanmuhuai was preparing to investigate the matter about the devil dog in Baskerville, Mary had already taken the train with her friends and embarked on the road to visit Charlie at the resort.


    “Bang, bang… bang, bang… bang, bang…”


    ?Sitting on the train, listening to the rhythmic sound of the tracks, Mary sighed silently. To be honest, as a student in the History Department, Mary is not without her own ideals. Although she has also thought about becoming an archaeologist like her mother, she now has some new ideas. In fact, when Duanmu Huai invited Mary to join the Tribunal, such an idea had appeared in Mary''s mind.


    ?Perhaps... I and Mr. Duanmu will be like Watson and Holmes?


    In Fog City, the birthplace of Sherlock Holmes, legends and stories about him are naturally widely circulated. It''s just that in addition to Holmes, Watson''s existence is also highly sought after by everyone - in fact, for many people, although they all aspire to become Sherlock Holmes, if they really have to choose, Watson is obviously a safer target.


    Following Sherlock Holmes, recording the cases he experienced, and publishing them in books is also a deep-seated romance among many young people.


    It’s just that……


    ?Holmes...


    Thinking of this, Mary showed a wry smile. After spending so long with Duanmu Huai, she also discovered that although the other person was in the name of a detective, he was actually completely different from the famous detective who seemed to know almost everything. Indeed, he also knows a lot of knowledge that others don''t know, but compared to Sherlock Holmes, how can I put it... That gentleman doesn''t seem to care about intelligence. On the contrary, many times he prefers to confront the other party directly, and then use... Violence completely defeated it.


    ?This is completely different from Sherlock Holmes...


    If you were Watson, how would you describe a story about him?


    ?It can’t be written that he smashed other people’s heads with a cane...


    ?But this seems interesting?


    ]]


    ?However, Mary, who was immersed in thinking, did not notice that right next to her, her friend, the petite Ashelika, was puffing up her cheeks and looking at her dissatisfied.


    ??Mary''s expression...does it really have something to do with men? !


    ?Seeing her friend''s cheeks flushed and looking out the window with a smile on her face, Ashelika couldn''t sit still. Although she is indeed the youngest of the three, compared to Charlie and Mary, Ashelika has already been engaged to a trader in the New World and is currently in love. From this point of view He said that although she was the youngest, she had far more experience in love than Mary and Charlie.


    but………


    How unhappy...!


    Looking at Mary''s side face, Ashelika silently clenched her fists. How dare you take action against Mary, the most important person in Ashay...! There is absolutely no way to forgive!


    Ashelika knew that this was not unfounded. After all, the other party had told her this before when she met a child wandering on the street.


    “Sister Mary, she is the lover of a great boss!”


    To be honest, Ashelika wouldn''t want to believe such nonsense if she could, but the other person was also Mary''s friend, and he swore that he saw Mary and a man on the street late at night. Ashelika was very worried at that time. She had been wondering if there was some despicable man who took advantage of Mary''s distress over Charlie''s unconsciousness to get in and seduce Mary.


    Originally, Ashelika planned to find time to talk to Mary in detail, but then, Charlie, who was in a coma, suddenly disappeared and regained consciousness when she came back. A series of things happened before it was too late for Ashelika to be happy, plus three people... The relationship was back to the same relationship as before, so she temporarily put the matter behind her.


    ?But now on the train, seeing her friend showing the expression of a girl in love still made her unhappy!


    Who is it? A "bewildered man" who takes advantage of a vulnerable girl and despicably gets close to her!


    It is clear that Mary is not interested in things between men and women, but he takes advantage of the fact that she is like a lost child to play with her!


    ?This kind of man! Absolutely unforgivable! !


    …………A sneeze!!”


    ?Duanmuhuai sneezed heavily and rubbed his nose.


    “Are you okay, Lord Knight?”


    Hearing the sneezing, Lorena stuck her head out and looked at him, while Duanmuhuai shook his head.


    “It’s okay, someone is probably talking about me.”


    As he spoke, Duanmuhuai looked at Lorena.


    “Have you finished reading?”


    “Ah, yes, I’ve finished reading it.”


    ?Hearing Duanmuhuai''s question, Lorena put down the book "The Devil''s Dog of Baskervilles" in her hand and nodded.


    “Judging from the content of the book, it was the illegitimate son who wanted to fight for the family property, so he used the legend of the Baskerville family’s devil dog to commit the crime. And at the end of the novel, wasn’t the criminal also caught?”


    “Yes, this time the police also investigated from this angle.”


    Duanmu Huai knocked on the file in front of him.


    ??Since the incident of "The Devil Dog of the Baskervilles", the Baskerville family has become famous in the foggy city, and in a long series of events since then, the so-called curse seems to have completely disappeared because of the appearance of this novel. But just a few years ago, similar things happened again among the Baskerville family.


    To put it simply, the Baskerville family was attacked by a dark, huge demon dog in the manor, and several people have died as a result. These included the previous Baskerville patriarch, his eldest son and wife, and then his eldest grandson... After receiving the report, the police initially followed the description in a similar novel to investigate to see if anyone was deliberately raising hounds to kill people, and The local police also set up a perimeter and joined forces with the Baskerville family guards to try to catch the black dog.


    The problem lies here.


    Their encirclement was successful, and then... there were heavy casualties.


    According to the police and survivors who were on the scene at the time, what they encountered was a black hound that looked larger than a human. It was invulnerable and moved in and out of the fog. Those police who tried to stop the black dog were directly killed. Crash and die. On this night alone, thirteen or four policemen and guards fell under the claws of the black dog. Because of this, they specifically asked the Wudu police for help, and then Chief Lestrade turned the case over. Introduced to Duanmu Huai.


    ?This is also the reason why Duanmuhuai received the invitation from the Baskerville family.


    “But that’s not important. If it’s a criminal case, it doesn’t matter to us.”


    ?Duanmuhuai bluntly denied the possibility of any real events - the Trial Chamber does not exist to deal with ordinary murder cases.


    “Let’s trace back to the origin of the Baskerville family’s devil dog incident. You should have seen it in the book.”


    "Well, according to the records, the Baskerville family''s legend about the devil dog comes from a ridiculous ancestor of theirs. They kidnapped a girl and tried to torture her. Then the girl ran away in fear. The ancestor who found the girl running away was furious. Dogs were sent to chase, and they also rode horses to chase. Eventually, people found the bodies of the girl and the Baskerville ancestors beside a strange altar. At that time, someone also saw a terrifying black dog biting the ancestors. Later, it was rumored that the evil deeds of Baskerville''s ancestors had brought about curses and punishments..."


    “Except for the useless literary and artistic processing, what do you think?”


    "Um…………"


    Facing Duanmuhuai’s question, Lorena thought for a moment.


    “Perhaps the ancestor of the Baskerville family wanted to perform some kind of cult ritual, and that girl was the sacrifice?”


    “Yes, I think so too.”


    Duanmuhuai snapped his fingers, which is why he brought Lorena with him. What they are investigating now is not an ordinary murder case, let alone a criminal case - as Duanmuhuai said, a criminal homicide case It has nothing to do with them, the Inquisition is more concerned about the evil hidden behind it.


    Just leave it to Sherlock Holmes to deal with the murder of a mere inheritance. What does it have to do with them?


    “So, do you think the ceremony was a success or a failure?”


    “So far...I suspect the ceremony has failed.”


    Lorena opened the novel in her hand again.


    “Perhaps there is a problem with the steps, or there may be something wrong that causes the summoned monster to bite back on itself..."


    "Yes, this group of cultists have no other skills, except their ability to commit suicide."


    Duanmuhuai curled his lips. Basically, the magic in the world of Cthulhu is like this. No matter what magic you use, basically the summoner will be killed as soon as you activate it.


    ?For example, the cultist they met in the manor summoned a viper, and then he swallowed the cultist who summoned him in one bite.


    There are basically countless similar things, so it is not difficult to understand the first reaction of Duanmu Huai and Lorena after seeing this.


    “In short, this is the current information.”


    Duanmu Huai reached out and touched the black cat and white rabbit that poked their heads out of his pocket.


    “As for the rest, I think we’ll find out when we get there.”


    ?After that, Duanmu Huai and Lorena came to the Devon County Police Station and reported their identities. Then, they were taken to the morgue responsible for storing the corpses.


    “Frankly speaking, I am not a person who believes in myths and legends.”


    ??The fat forensic doctor was wearing a white coat and walking in front of Duanmuhuai. He moved his steps with difficulty and spoke.


    “But to be honest, what I saw this time really scared me.”


    “You also participated in the siege that night?”


    “No, of course not.”


    The fat forensic doctor shook his head.


    "With my size, I just went to deliver meat to the other party. But no one in Devon could forget what happened that night, the gunshots, screams, shouts... To be honest, this peaceful place has never been so peaceful. It had never been so noisy before when I was called by the emergency call and it was already like this..."


    “So, do you have any clues that you can provide about the Baskervilles? Including the previous victims?”


    “Oh, of course.”


    ??The fat forensic doctor came to the desk, then stood on tiptoes with difficulty, opened the top of the filing cabinet, and took out several autopsy reports.


    "Let''s go in order. The first is Old Baskerville. He is a very respected doctor and a very decent man. He was found lying on the path outside his manor in the early morning. There were no external injuries on his body. , the test result was a heart attack - for an 80-year-old man, this is actually not an accident. "


    “So it was filed as an accident?”


    “Of course, the police conducted an investigation and came to the conclusion that the old Baskerville went out for a walk, suddenly fell ill on the way back, and then collapsed... It is ordinary and ordinary, so it is not surprising.”


    As he spoke, the fat forensic doctor took out a file again.


    "Next was his son, Mr. Childs, who died in the evening, after dinner. According to testimony, he and his wife went for a walk after dinner and never came back. As it got darker, the others Becoming worried, they went out to search and found the corpses of two people - their necks had been torn open, and their bodies were horrific. It was obvious that they had been attacked by some kind of large animal. However, I think you also know that there is nothing large in this place. There are not even a few animals, not even wolves.”


    After saying this, the fat forensic doctor took a breath.


    "Then there was their son Fred. He was very angry and sad about the death of his parents. He believed that it was the work of wild beasts, so he took hounds, summoned a team of people and a large number of hounds to go up the mountain, and vowed to find the murderer. That **** of his parents.”


    “Then he sent himself away too?”


    "Yes."


    The fat forensic doctor sighed helplessly.


    “His head was beaten to a pulp, and the autopsy showed that he should have been crushed by a bear. God, I never knew there were bears in Devon!”


    “Then it seems that this has nothing to do with the devil dog.”


    "Oh, that''s right, but many people who went up the mountain at that time testified that they did not see a bear, but a terrifying black hound that was taller than a human. Then we set up a trap and tried to capture it. That beast......"


    After saying this, the fat forensic doctor paused and took a breath.


    “Okay, facts speak louder than words, you will know after reading it.”


    As he spoke, the fat forensic doctor came to the morgue and opened the door.


    I’ll update it once a day. It’s better to have a good rest and sleep. I’m still coughing, my mouth and tongue are irritated, and my stomach feels uncomfortable after taking too many medicines... I need to take less medicine...


    (End of this chapter)