Albus Medici... Lumian repeated this name in his heart while looking at the member of the "Iron Cross", a little surprised by the sudden appearance of his full name.
In the gathering convened by Gardner Martin, Albus never said his last name, and Gardner Martin did not introduce it. Now, when he faced Puyver Sauron, he actually reported it.
full name.
Is this to pretend to be more real? Lumian's eyes swept over Albus's face and found that when Count Puyver said the surname "Medici", he did not hide his ridicule at all, as if he was laughing at this.
A member of the Sauron family.
"Charles Dubois." Lumian stretched out his right hand and politely announced his name.
Albus shook his hand quite casually, with an obvious smile in his eyes.
He said:
"I have heard your name, a generous patron of the arts."
This member of the Iron Cross placed an emphasis on "generous."
"Then I have to thank my sponsor." Lumian made a pun.
To other guests, the "sponsor" he mentioned was his father, the wealthy family, and as a member of the "Iron Cross", Albus would naturally understand what he really meant.
After exchanging pleasantries with Lumian, Puyver Soren led him to the sofa area.
There were not many participants in this gathering, and they were all familiar faces, including Puyver's cousin Heloise, the novelist Anoly, the painter Mullen, the critic Ernst Yong and the poet Elitte.
After everyone chatted for a while and had some snacks with black tea, Count Puyver looked around.
He suggested with a smile:
"How about we have an adventure today?"
"Adventure?" Albus looked up at the ceiling and asked with a hint of ridicule, "Adventure in the bedroom?"
What he means is that although the Red Swan Castle is not small, it could house the main members of a family and station hundreds of soldiers in its heyday, but there is no area suitable for adventure, and everyone cannot go to the bedroom:
An adventure with a Trier flavor, right?
This kind of teasing made everyone happy. Puyver Sauron coughed lightly and said:
"You may not know that Red Swan Castle also has a huge underground area.
"In the era when it was built, the first thing that needed to be considered was its role in war. Without a large-capacity cellar and a tunnel for evacuation at critical moments, it was obviously unqualified.
"In the past few hundred years, each generation of my ancestors has repaired or expanded the underground part, making it more and more like a maze, more and more like the place where some horror stories take place, even for people like me who are in the Red Swan Castle
When you grow up, your understanding of it is limited to the commonly used parts.
"Our goal this time is to go deep into that underground maze and find one of my ancestors.
There is an earl's crown in a certain room in the free coin collection. It is inlaid with many rubies and you can recognize it at a glance.
"Whoever finds that earl's crown will be the king today."
Going deep into the "underground labyrinth"...scenes suddenly emerged in Lumian's mind:
People who continue to harm themselves in Red Swan Castle...
Screams of unknown origin...
A bronze coffin surrounded by countless white candles....
Palms with dark red and almost black blood vessels protruding...
A dry, blackened heart with some blood leaking out...
The things behind seem to be hidden in a hall underground!
In an instant, Lumian had a clear understanding:
Puyver Sauron's temptation has really come!
He controlled the urge to look around, and instead of looking for Gardner Martin who might be hiding, he set his sights on Albus Medici.
This member of the "Iron-Blooded Cross" said with a "tsk-tsk" smile:
"Sounds interesting, this is the game of the brave!
He seemed to be worried that others would oppose such a risk, so he started to speak out:
Anyone who doesn’t want to participate is a coward!
Count Puyver added:
"Don't worry, if you lose your way and can't find the way back, just ring the bell in the room, and a servant will come to find you and take you out of the underground."
"No problem." Anoly, a short and fat novelist, said jokingly, "I am actually looking forward to something, so that I will have excellent writing materials."
"For example, "The Last Day of Anoli"?" Lumian joked.
He has attended many gatherings of the "Black Cat" art organization, and knows that the novelist Anoly and the poet Elitte are people who can tease and ridicule, and they will not be angry at all - the former's taboo is not to praise other writers.
, the latter was only angered by Intis's social status quo and practical problems.
Anoli took a sip of black tea and muttered:
"The old guys at Intis Literature Academy will like this theme very much."
Seeing no one objected, Count Puyver stood up and said to all the guests:
"We divided into two groups to adventure, and we could do some activities alone along the way.
"One group will be led by me, and the other group will follow Ciel. These are those who have been kings in the past three months. "Raise your hands if you are willing to join Ciel."
"Me!" The first one to raise his hand was Albus Medici, and Lumian thought he would follow Puifo Sauron to complete the mission of the "Iron Cross".
Count Puiver was not surprised at all by this, as it seemed that this was the development he expected.
The second person to raise his hand was the owner's cousin Eloise.
Eloise, who has long brown-red hair, smooth eyebrows of the same color, bright brown eyes, and a little baby fat on her face, smiled and said to Lumian:
"I have always acted as Mr. Charles's female companion before, and I don't want to be an exception this time.
Lumian glanced at her, smiled and nodded.
In his opinion, this young lady who was not yet twenty years old was not as reserved, well-behaved, innocent and innocent as she appeared.
He once had a dream, in which he dreamed that most of the participants in the king cake game were crazy and harmed themselves or others. There were only three exceptions, namely Lumian himself, Puif Soren,
And this Miss Eloise!
Such a lady hiding a secret actually chose to follow him on an adventure in the "underground labyrinth", which made Lumian have to doubt her true intentions.
The third person to raise his hand was the poet Elitte.
His reason for holding a cherry wood smoking gun is simple:
"This is my patron!
The remaining novelist Anoly, painter Mullen and critic Ernst can only be grouped with Puyver Soren.
They immediately left the living room, came to a statue wearing full armor, and walked down the stairs nearby, which could only accommodate two people walking side by side.
The walls of the staircase were mottled, gray and dim, and as they spiraled downward, the surroundings became quieter and quieter.
After walking about three floors, Lumian and others arrived at the entrance of the "underground labyrinth".
There are a large number of wall lamps here, some connected to gas pipes, some classical in shape, burning candles, illuminating the entire five corridors fairly brightly.
Lumian looked up at the ceiling and found that the water-black stone tiles above were sleeping in the darkness, with clear gaps and slight peeling on the surface.
"Let's choose this one." Puyver took down a carbide lamp from the wall and led his team members to the one on the far left.
After Lumian got the carbide lamp, he walked straight into the corridor directly in front of him without any thought.
He felt that under such circumstances, searching for the path carefully would easily miss the target. Relying on the aggregation of extraordinary characteristics and the hidden aura of the "Blood Emperor", he would be more likely to encounter something valuable if he walked casually.
What's the reason for your choice?" Albus Medici's expression was always a bit annoying.
Lumian replied nonchalantly:
"I believe in destiny."
"I like this reason." Eloise agreed with a smile.
The poet Elitte took a puff from his cherry wood pipe and said:
"I believe it too, but only if fate favors me."
The four of them walked deeper along the corridor and saw rooms that looked like storage rooms around them.
Not long after, they arrived at a dimly lit hall with three doors to choose from.
There is also a word written on each door in ancient Fusac language:
"Hope", "Death", "Madness".
Lumian gave up thinking long ago, walked towards the "Door of Madness" without blinking an eye, and pushed it open.
There was darkness behind the door, and as the light from the carbide lamp shone in, lifelike wax statues appeared one after another.
These wax figures include men and women, and their clothes may be ordinary or exquisite, and they all show extremely painful expressions.
"Not bad." Albus raised his right hand and patted the face of the wax figure at the door with contempt.
Eloise glanced sideways at him:
"Didn't your mother teach you what manners are?"
Albus laughed:
"I don't have a mother.
Eloise was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to respond.
Behind them, the poet Elitte murmured appreciatively:
"Some people used to spread rumors that I was having an affair with a certain widow, so I secretly spread rumors that I had abducted a congressman's daughter, and was suspected of murdering a businessman. It was once linked to rumors of human meat pies, and neighbors always disappeared mysteriously.
"As long as I don't care about reputation and take the initiative to destroy it, no one can stand on the moral throne and point fingers at me."
As expected of a poet... Lumian secretly admired, holding the carbide lamp, he entered the room full of wax figures first, his destination being the exit at the end of the room.
Under the illumination of the yellowish gas wall lamp, the wax figures seemed to be alive, looking at Lumian and the others with the silent attitude of bystanders, creating an eerie feeling.
Lumian recalled the wax statue attacks he had suffered, and felt that every wax statue here could suddenly come to life and pounce on him and others.
In the indescribable silence, Albus Medici broke the atmosphere.
He said to Eloise in a relaxed tone:
"You are Puyver's cousin, shouldn't your surname be Sauron?"
"Yes." Eloise admitted frankly.
Albus asked casually:
"Which family are you from?"
Eloise turned her head, glanced at Albus Medici, then looked at Lumian in front of her, and replied with a smile on her face: