[Comprehensive Classics] Detective Mary

Blackwood's tall body blocked the entrance of the altar, and he stepped towards Mary step by step.

There are enemies in front, and countless "eyes" staring at her behind.Those motionless gazes from all directions were like a ray, and the invisible pressure made Mary's hand holding the fire folder tremble slightly.

"I'm curious," Blackwood's tone was very relaxed, as if he was still in a bright literary salon, joking with Mary, "A secret staircase without any light source dares to take steps, aren't you afraid of the dark, Mary Miss?"

Now Mary preferred to be afraid of the dark herself, so that she would not have to discover these scenes herself in a moment of hesitation.

Mary, caught in the middle by Blackwood and countless eyes, neither entered nor retreated.She could only watch as Blackwood approached her with unhurried steps, viscous liquid and shattered worm corpses laid a thick layer under his feet, every step of the man was accompanied by the corpse bursting and crushing The sound of pressing, just this movement is enough to make Mary's stomach queasy.

"There's nothing to be afraid of in the dark," Mary taunted, "Those who have ghosts in their hearts will feel scared."

It's a pity that her voice has changed, and it doesn't sound so convincing.

Blackwood was very calm: "Indeed. We came from the darkness, and we will return to the darkness eventually. What's so terrible about the darkness? So, Miss Mary—"

He moved.

When Blackwood accelerated towards Mary, her inner alarm was loud, but Mary, who had no combat experience, was naturally no match for Blackwood.Jazz lost the last distance between him and Mary in an instant, Blackwood grabbed her wrist and snatched the torch from Mary's hand.

"Let us return to darkness for now."

With that said, Blackwood threw the torch to the place and stomped out the only light source in the room.

The flames disappeared, and Mary's eyes went black.

At the same time, she clearly felt that those countless "eyes" staring at her had disappeared.There was no movement in the dark room except for the breathing of the two of them, until Mary's eyes gradually adapted to the pure black environment and gradually recovered her vision.

She could only see Blackwood's face close at hand, and the dark interior was obscure, but she could feel that the eyes on the ceiling and walls had indeed turned away and stopped looking at her.

Suddenly Mary realized.

"It's fire," she whispered. "Besides the devil's heel, the other condition is fire."

"What?" Blackwood frowned.

"Sikes and Henry saw countless eyes in the hallucination, so they went crazy," Mary looked up at Blackwood with disgust, "because they set the devil's heel on fire in the altar, and the flames in the hallucination attracted these... …worm."

Therefore, when Mary walked into the altar holding the fire folder, the worms that felt the light or heat poured out and shed their bodies.

The illusion of the devil's heel will disturb all senses of people, and the scene of countless worms bursting open to reveal "eyes" has already made Mary feel uncomfortable, and this is just a visual effect.It is not uncommon for Sykes and Henry to go straight into madness when the feelings are infinitely magnified and confused with each other.

And Mr. Holmes didn't see the hallucination about the eyes after lighting the devil's heel, probably because he didn't do it in the middle of the altar hall.

Without firelight, worms will naturally not be attracted.

Mary's thoughts turned rapidly: "Are you also afraid of these worms? Otherwise, you wouldn't have snatched my fire book in the first place."

"I respect them." Blackwood replied.

He used a passive form, his tone was cold, and the inexplicable arrogance in it brought back the physical discomfort that Mary had just dissipated because of the disappearance of sight.

Bad luck for her.

Mary took a deep breath, and suddenly realized the situation she was in: it wasn't that she took the risk to face Blackwood, in fact, even if she chose not to agree to his invitation, and not to go with him to Mr. Brownlow's house to visit little Oliver to no avail.Mary had been targeted as early as when he appeared from Pemberley Manor and talked to her on the grounds of Philip Luther.

Unless she can defeat him before the "Final Gathering" on the third day of this month and make his actions public, no matter how Mary chooses, she will come to this point.

——This is like a game with a predetermined ending. No matter which branch Mary chooses, she cannot avoid reaching the same ending.

The thoughts in her heart were intertwined with the fear brought by the "eyeballs" in all directions. Even though Mary no longer believed in ghosts, under the strong impact, she still felt an inexplicable chill rushing from her tailbone to her forehead.

"so."

She said, "You want to take me as a sacrifice?"

Blackwood raised an eyebrow.

"Don't underestimate yourself, Miss Mary," he said, "You always like to belittle yourself, but I won't sacrifice you, it's too wasteful, you have a higher value."

Sir Blackwood who said these words was still polite and friendly in his usual manner. However, under the darkness, all Mary could see was the outline of his face. The man's browbones covered his eyes. The eye sockets are like black holes that cannot be seen clearly.

Mary bit her lower lip.

His words sent a message to Mary: even if the overtures are true, so is the recruitment, and even Sir Blackwood's polite but unsuccessful proposal may be true.

"Now," said Mary tentatively, "you're still trying to get me in."

"of course."

Blackwood made no secret of his thoughts: "The Illuminati will cherish every talent, Miss Mary, especially a lady like you whose vision is ahead of the times."

When the word transcending the times was mentioned, Mary shrank a little guilty, which was taken for granted by Blackwood as fear.

"Do not be afraid."

The man's broad palm landed on the side of Mary's face, and with his thumb he wiped away the slime left by the worm's body.

"I won't hurt you, Mary," he whispered in Mary's ear, "Although I admit that I decided to meet you after investigating you first, but your intelligence is worthy of anyone's recognition, it's a pity that you were reborn as a lady, Otherwise it will do a lot.”

Just know that.

Mary was not surprised by Blackwood's words, she looked at him coldly: "Then what if I promise you to join the Illuminati now?"

"Then you must have underestimated my vigilance, Miss Mary," Blackwood laughed, "You think I will believe it? You chose Sherlock Holmes as early as at the banquet, didn't you? But it doesn't matter, anyway, you have now It fell into my hands, and I have plenty of time to make you trust me."

In the end, he lowered his voice and added: "Trust me with all your heart."

Mary: "..."

You pervert!

What Blackwood said made Mary feel disgusted. She closed her eyes and felt that she couldn't talk logic with the leader of the cult.

"In that case."

Mary had no choice but to say, "You want me to join the Illuminati, but until now I don't know what you guys do."

Blackwood: "Holmes didn't investigate? That's all he is."

"At least it has been investigated that you are the leader of a cult, and your sacrificial ceremony and research have never been successful," Mary retorted unceremoniously. "Your people easily confessed to Holmes, each other, sir."

"..."

In the darkness, the veins on Blackwood's forehead tensed.

"Want to know what I do, of course, you have the qualifications."

He didn't waste his energy arguing with Mary. The tall man firmly grabbed Mary's arm and dragged her away from the altar hall: "Follow me."

They didn't return the same way, until they walked out of the altar hall, Blackwood dragged Mary towards the opposite direction of the secret staircase, and she noticed that there was another exit at the blind corner of the staircase.

It was a long corridor.

Without the flashlight, Mary could hardly see anything.But Blackwood, who was also in the dark, was walking like flying. He was still dragging Mary, and she was dragged staggeringly in the narrow and low corridor.

The air was still damp and sticky, and they never left the ground.

And with the deepening, the cold wind is not only mixed with water vapor.An unbearable stench gradually emerged and became more intense, and when they walked out of the narrow corridor, Mary felt that she had almost lost her sense of smell.

"It seems that your Illuminati members are not treated well." Mary said coolly.

"A member of the Illuminati?"

Blackwood stopped.

With a flick of his arm, half tugging, half tugging, he basically brought Mary up to him.Blackwood pushed her coldly: "Take a good look, Mary, and see if this is where members of the Illuminati stay."

She was pushed against the door, and the heavy wooden door was knocked open by inertia, making a heavy creaking sound.

Mary, who lost her center of gravity, staggered backwards until she leaned against the railing.The moment the door was opened, a bright light suddenly flashed, and Mary subconsciously blocked the light with her hands.

After she got used to the light, what appeared in front of Mary was a huge... prison cell.

Mary stood on the second floor, and almost immediately determined that the stench in the air came from the prison on the first floor, and she could see all the scenes at a glance——

Blood, corpses, maggots and reptiles after decay, countless scenes that seem to be seen in hell are gathered in one place, and there are all kinds of bloody people hiding in the cage. Mary can't tell the difference at a glance. Whether those able-bodied prisoners were dead or alive.

Hearing the sound of the door opening, those staggering figures hovering between the prisons suddenly stopped, and raised their heads, revealing one after another wearing strange masks and being extremely well protected..."things" that seemed human but not human.

Startled, Mary subconsciously stepped back.

But she staggered a few steps and bumped directly into Blackwood's chest.

"I thought there was nothing to be afraid of," Blackwood said. "That's still beyond a woman's reach, isn't it?"

Human experimentation.

Yes, Mary should have thought of it earlier, Blackwood is so concerned about the position of human beings in the universe, so is there anything surprising about his so-called research involving human experiments.

More valuable clues and details can be obtained from these victims, but Mary really can't bear it.

She closed her eyes and looked away.

"Since you say," swallowed Mary with difficulty, "I'm not like them, Blackwood."

"You're so clever, Mary, can't you guess?"

Blackwood grabbed Mary by the shoulders.

"I'm not a sacrifice," Mary tried to break free, but her strength couldn't shake the shackles of an adult man, so she could only force herself to hold back the discomfort and said, "then there must be a sacrifice."

"I've said long ago that you are of higher worth."

"What do you want to do with me?"

"The sacrifice is used to summon the avatar of Azathoth."

"……what?"

"That's how my father made me, Mary."

The man held up her chin with his other hand, and his tall body covered it: "Unfortunately, my mother has nothing but piety, so his ceremony failed, Azathoth did not come, my mother I was born. He saw me as a failure, but guess what? The failure took his place and I had to succeed."

In the well-lit prison, Mary finally saw Blackwood's expression clearly. He who said these words was almost ferocious, even more eerie than in the darkness.

"I've been wondering what's wrong," he said. "After searching hard, I think the answer should be in the ceremony. How can a ceremony that is not devout be favored? Let alone my mother, a mortal woman , The mind is chaotic, what qualifications does she have to give birth to the incarnation of Azathoth? No, the mother must be an extraordinary person, a woman."

At this point, Mary understood everything.

She showed a disgusted expression: "You really have a brain problem, Blackwood! After reading so many books, the more I read, the more superstitious I become, do I have to thank you for looking after me?"

"of course."

"You should be honored, Mary."

No matter how Mary struggled, it was useless, and Blackwood firmly controlled her: "At first I just heard that there was a woman who helped Holmes defeat James Moriarty. I didn't pay special attention to you, Mary. But with After investigation, I found that you are indeed very bold, and definitely not a woman of this era. There are not many female authors who pick up a pen without being blindfolded by love and creating with a man's penis. Don't you feel ashamed?"

The pen is a metaphor for the penis, a nineteenth-century literary theory by Jared Manley Hopkins.Even with female writers such as Jane Austen, Mrs. Gaskell and even the Bronte sisters, the Victorian literary world did not believe that women could touch the essence and truth of literary art.

Like this sexually harassing phrase, Victorian critics believed that true art came from "masculinity" (*see note), which women were not born with.Blackwood knows literature, and he also knows art. This sentence is by no means used to anger Mary, but it comes from the heart.

It's finally telling the truth, isn't it?

"You don't care about Philip Luther's articles at all." Mary frowned.

"A woman, how far can you go?"

Blackwood said coldly: "Can you guarantee that your identity will not be exposed? I found out your real identity easily, Mary, and this is no secret in your social circle. Since Sherlock Holmes can Why can't I win you over with Philip Luther's articles and hypocrisy?"

"False." Mary repeated his words.

"Do you think that a man like Sherlock Holmes, who despises any woman, would treat you—"

The man's last words were interrupted by Mary's slap in the face.

Mary is now under the control of others. Mary Bennet is just a normal woman with little strength. Even if Blackwood has no helpers, it is easy to subdue her.So ever since he appeared in the altar hall, Mary has been suppressing her disgust as much as possible, trying not to provoke him, in case she is attacked.

But now, Mary couldn't help it.

It's okay to look down on her, look down on her works?Or even slander Holmes, the only person in this world, in this day and age, who can calmly extend his right hand to her as a sign of respect?

Even if Mary died, she must defend this insignificant dignity.

"Blackwood."

Anger rushed to her head, but dilute the fear and tension lingering in Mary's heart. She looked at the tall man coldly: "You are delusional, even if you throw me in the prison below and cut me open, you will be killed in the next day." In my eyes, you are not half as good as Sherlock Holmes."

Blackwood: "..."

The man touched his face, a fierce look flashed across his brows and eyes, but he was suppressed in the end.

"It's ok."

He grabbed Mary's skirt: "I don't care what you think, Mary. You will be grateful to me when you are pregnant with my child, when the incarnation of Azathoth comes to the world."

"Do you know why Holmes chose me to be his assistant in the pursuit of clues, Blackwood?" Mary asked coldly.

Blackwood tilted his head.

Mary: "Because I don't believe in any ghosts. What you're talking about is just complete nonsense to me."

Blackwood sneered.

He let go of Mary and waved to the back of the railing.

"Since you speculate that there will be sacrifices in the ceremony," he said, "how about guessing, who are the sacrifices?"

As Blackwood's voice fell to the ground, the door of the prison on the first floor opened, and a shrill but resolute voice sounded: "You bastards!! Let me go!! Let me go!"

Mary's eyes widened suddenly.

"Dawson!"

She yelled out, and jumped directly to the side of the guardrail.

The one who was dragged in by the masked guards was the young Dawson who had always been the leader among the Irish workers.

He was startled when he heard Mary's voice, and looked over according to the reputation, just in time to see the guards quietly appearing from behind Mary, grabbing her firmly.

"Miss Mary!"

Dawson couldn't help struggling, and was dragged by the tightly wrapped guards who seemed human but not human to the blood-stained experimental table in the prison.

"Miss Mary," even in such a critical situation, Dawson still raised a bright smile, "don't worry, Miss Mary, Mr. Holmes knows you are here, and he will come to rescue you!"

As soon as Dawson mentioned Holmes, Blackwood's face darkened immediately.

"Bring the medicine here," he said decisively, "I wanted you to be a sacrifice tomorrow, why don't I let you try the medicine today."

"You let him go!"

Mary became anxious when she heard this, but she was held tightly by the guards and couldn't move at all.

"Let him go, Blackwood," cried Mary, "what kind of a thing are you to use innocent people as guinea pigs?"

"Miss Mary!"

Dawson raised his voice again and shouted: "Don't worry, Mr. Holmes will come! He has been sending us to protect you in secret. It doesn't matter if I'm discovered, he will come himself—"

The masked guard lit the kerosene lamp beside the laboratory table. Even though it was so far away, Mary could faintly smell the familiar stench. It was the devil's heel!

They brought a jar, and Mary clearly saw that there were worms in the jar that were exactly the same as those on the wall of the altar, writhing desperately.The guards opened the jar, strangled Dawson's throat, and poured all the worms and medicine into it.

"no no!"

Mary screamed, "Dawson!"

The guards immediately dispersed and disappeared without a trace.

Dawson, who was choked by the potion, couldn't help coughing, turned over and fell under the laboratory table, Mary couldn't stop shouting: "Pick your throat with two fingers, Dawson, spit it out!"

However it was too late.

The young man lying on the ground still called Mary's name, obviously he was the one who took the medicine, but Dawson kept saying over and over again to reassure Mary that Holmes would come.

Until all his voices became muffled and hoarse, and logical sentences began to crumble.

The young man's body twitched on the ground, twisting and curling up as if he didn't feel pain. Dawson's throat made a loud noise, no matter how much Mary shouted a warning, it was useless.

The only remaining instinct made Dawson obey Mary's instructions. He stuck two fingers into his throat, which gave Mary hope, but the scene that followed was so horrible that the unconscious and sane youth couldn't help digging He licked the base of his tongue until the blood was dripping, and the dark red liquid flowed down the back of his hand. He wanted to spit out the worms and the potion, but he couldn't.

Mary closed her eyes.

She really didn't dare to look at the next scene, it hardly seemed like the human voice was coming from the first floor.Those terrible voices became weaker and weaker until they disappeared.

Blackwood was very disappointed: "It's still one step away, throw it out."

Only then did Mary open her eyes. Her vision was blurred by tears and she couldn't see clearly: "What kind of result do you want?"

Blackwood looked condescendingly at the weeping Mary.

"Forget it," he ordered, "there is only one spare left, pull it in and start the ceremony directly tomorrow."

The door to the prison on the first floor opened again.

The person dragged in this time did not scream or resist, his voice was full of fear: "You, what are you going to do? I am Sir Blackwood's friend!"

"So as a friend," Blackwood said loudly standing on the second floor, "I need something from you."

"What, what?"

The man who was limp on the ground raised his head. It was Wickham who had just arrived in London.

The author has something to say: [Victorian critics believed that true art came from "masculine characteristics" (*see note)] This theoretical narrative comes from the nineteenth-century female literary criticism book "The Madwoman in the Attic"

I didn’t think it was disgusting enough yesterday, but there are many girls who think it’s disgusting enough _(:3∠)_ Okay, considering the feelings of most readers, I’d better delete this episode.This chapter deletes some descriptions of corpses and prison scenes. Anyway, it has nothing to do with the progress of the plot. It just introduces what medicine Blackwood has researched using the devil's heel, what experiments he has done, the devil's heel used by Sykes and Henry, and the old man. The devil's heel Fu used was actually not the same medicine.

Blackwood said he believed in Azathoth, but what he believed was the answer he got after looking through the materials.The ceremony has been failing, even if there is no materialistic restriction, it is enough to prove that this person did not study correctly, and even the information is wrong.Besides, in the materialist worldview, only ghosts can be recruited from outside gods.Girls who don't know what this thing is don't need to worry, just treat it as a god of other religions.

And today a girl said that at the end of the last chapter, there will be a battle wheel... so appropriate!It's Mary's essence fighting the five scumbags, the battle round is like the beginning of this chapter, well, the props were taken away at the beginning hhhhh