"Athena and Ruth have solved it. The remaining Anna's oil paintings and sculptures will not attack people. It's enough to have professionals who have joined the job and explain the situation to them clearly. The gallery can operate normally in the future."
Turn off the gas valve of the oil lamp and the flame will go out due to depletion of oxygen.
In the slightly deserted early morning light, Lu Li stood by the door and continued: "By the way, one of the arms of the sculpture was broken during the exorcism yesterday. Please ask someone to restore it."
"Okay, okay... Thank you so much, Mr. Exorcist, you saved the future of our Madam An Lei Art Gallery. I think your actions will definitely make this gallery more popular with local residents." Benjamin said.
He said excitedly, holding his hands.
"So it's time to talk about compensation."
"Uh..." Benjamin's smile froze and he changed the subject: "How about we go to the gallery first?"
"Can."
Lu Li nodded and did not object to Benjamin's acceptance. This was in line with common sense.
After closing the door, Lu Li and Benjamin walked deeper into the corridor.
"This painting is called "The Pride of Khros", which is the scene when Khros III was sent to the gallows by our ancestors."
Benjamin seems to be interested in introducing each painting, and will introduce it to each exhibit when he passes it.
Lu Li was not interested in this and kept walking. Benjamin had to drag his bloated body to follow, skipping a few exhibits that were too late to describe.
It wasn't until he passed Anna's portrait that Lu Li stopped.
Benjamin's eyes lit up, and he explained diligently: "This painting is called "Mrs. Anlei's Daughter", but we usually just call it "Anna". It was Mrs. Anlei who personally painted it in her own manor when Anna was sixteen years old.
You can see the artistic lines and colors, and the darker tones give it a special beauty of this era..."
While Benjamin was chattering, Lu Li approached the portrait.
He had not yet looked closely at the portrait.
The place depicted in the portrait is in a manor, and you can see the dark green and light pink flower beds on both sides of the path and the mansion in the background.
Anna was sitting in the manor chair, her bare hands gently pressing the hem of her skirt. She was wearing a white gothic pleated dress as delicate as a doll. The posture of an aristocratic girl could not hide her lively atmosphere.
Some fine particles are scattered all over the oil painting, making the canvas a little uneven. Perhaps because there are no protective measures, the pigment has been oxidized, making the oil painting somewhat distorted and dim. But as Benjamin described, this distorted and darker color gives the painting a unique and unique feel.
Anna has a special mottled beauty.
"Mrs. Anlei is a famous painter in Himfast. After she passed away due to illness, this gallery was handed over to me by her family members. As an art businessman, I know Mrs. Anlei's story very well.
Value, especially after her death er...I mean after she couldn't paint."
"There are many collectors who will be interested in these works, such as the one in front of you. As long as you deal with the supernatural issues it derives, I think you will be able to sell it for a big price."
Benjamin chattered endlessly from oil paintings to Mrs. Anlei, and from Mrs. Anlei to value, finally revealing part of his intention.
Lu Li looked away, turned to look at Benjamin, frowned slightly and said, "What do you want to say?"
Under that gaze, Benjamin felt his body go cold, but he had to bite the bullet and said, "I want to give this painting "Anna" to you to offset part of the commission fee."
He did this not only because he was stingy, but the most important point was: he had no money.
It has to be said that Belfast is a place with no artistic atmosphere. The air here is only pungent smoke and the lingering smell of fish, and there is no soil for art to take root and flourish.
Especially after word spread about the gallery's paranormal time.
Yesterday, there were only fourteen tourists in the whole day. With a ticket price of 5 shillings, the next day's income was 90 shillings. In addition to paying the salaries to three employees, he also had to bear the expensive rent——
Benjamin pinned all his hopes on getting rid of the ghost hazard.
But with Lu Li's emotionless eyes and silence, his mood gradually hit rock bottom.
"Can."
Benjamin raised his head in surprise, and his eyes, which were usually squeezed into slits by fat, opened as wide as ever. He saw Lu Li holding on to the frame, planning to take off the oil painting, and he looked a bit familiar - Lu Li saw that Anna was so at ease.
.
Benjamin was very smart. He turned around and ran towards the depths of the corridor. After a while, there was some faint movement from the second floor. After a few dozen seconds, he came back panting, holding a layer of white cloth in his hand.
Lu Li took it and placed it right in front and behind the portrait.
"Then please continue." Benjamin said out of breath.
Lu Li took a deep look at Benjamin, said nothing, and followed him forward.
Having seen through his intentions, Benjamin stopped introducing the other collections in a subtle way - and he really needed a break to breathe.
"When did Anna die?"
When Benjamin's breathing was no longer rapid, Lu Li asked aloud.
Benjamin thought for a while and replied: "About half a year ago."
"How old were you then?"
"Eighteen years old."
During the conversation, Benjamin walked to the sculpture. As expected, Benjamin deliberately slowed down.
Lu Li ignored Benjamin and looked at the sculpture, then noticed that the severed arm that was supposed to be in the arms of the sculpture was missing.
"Where's your arm?"
Benjamin held his breath and quietly took a few steps back.
The sculpture didn't answer, maybe because it hadn't woken up yet, or maybe it couldn't speak.
Looking around the sculpture, Lu Li couldn't find any trace of the severed arm, so he turned to look at Benjamin.
"If I find a severed arm, I will definitely send it to your detective agency!" Benjamin assured quickly, as if the sculpture had already been owned by Lu Li.
Lu Li's expression remained calm, but his tone rose slightly, with a hint of irony: "You sold two ghosts to an exorcist and asked the exorcist to pay for them?"
Benjamin lowered his head in shame.
"I want these two things. How much will you pay for the rest?"
"250 shillings!" Benjamin raised his head and answered quickly.
Lu Li shook his head gently: "300."
Benjamin nodded and said: "Okay."
Lu Li said: "But just in case, I have something to inform you. I'm not sure if the sculpture is willing to leave with me, so if it sneaks back to the gallery at night, I need you to pay the corresponding remuneration."
"no problem!"
Perhaps because he knew that his behavior was really wrong, Benjamin agreed readily.
To a certain extent, this was a win-win situation. Benjamin solved his financial problems and the hidden danger of ghosts, while Lu Li exchanged 700 shillings for two ghosts who were fond of him.
Benjamin was not stingy in the end. He rented a carriage, sealed the sculpture in a wooden box, and asked the carriage to take Lu Li all the way back to the detective agency.
When Lu Li returned to the deserted detective agency with the long box where the sculptures were stored and the oil paintings, even Lu Li couldn't help but feel a trace of confusion in his heart at this moment.
Why do you end up bringing two ghosts home when you go to exorcise demons yourself?
