It was a large oil painting with black and red as the main colors, hanging on the wall closest to the spiral staircase.
Just like most of the oil paintings in this "mansion", it looks blurry and chaotic, with rough and weird lines and color blocks all over the surface, making the viewer feel dizzy and unable to distinguish any meaningful content.
It's like graffiti made by a madman who loses control in hallucinations.
However, when Duncan's eyes stayed on the picture and stared at it for a long time, he suddenly discovered that something in the chaotic and dark color blocks seemed to be slowly changing - lines emerged from the shadows, and chaotic colors
During this time, things gradually become discernible.
It was like there was a burning flame, and something like a ship's hull was wrapped in the flame. It was passing through the sky from the thick clouds and falling towards the sea. The sky was divided into two by the flame, and the sea was boiling and rolling under the impact of the flame.
, and behind the flame, there was another piece of dark red chaos, pressing over gloomily as if it was constantly chasing the approaching doomsday.
The entire picture was still blurry, and everything was in an extremely abstract and confusing state. However, just such a blurry scene made Duncan's eyes change slightly in an instant.
He subconsciously recalled the scene he had seen in the vision before - the burning three-shuttle-shaped spacecraft falling from the sky and falling into the sea during the explosion and disintegration.
Duncan stopped, turned around and looked at the scene on the painting carefully.
Soon, he discovered that the scene in the painting was not exactly the same as what he saw in the illusion - the spaceship he saw in the illusion had a distinct style, and its transcendent technological level and huge momentum could be seen at a glance.
, however, the "thing wrapped in flames" in the oil painting is only a hazy hull. The hull even looks like some kind of wooden structure, and the flames around it are more like simply burning, rather than behind the starship.
Push the flame.
This gives people a feeling, as if a mad painter living in the Middle Ages accidentally saw a spaceship in the future era in a dream, but could not understand how it existed, so he could only exhaust it when he woke up the next day.
My own limited knowledge and imagination, relying on the superficial impressions left in the dream, restored the specious picture on the canvas.
The headless butler's voice came from behind: "Guest, are you interested in this painting?"
“…Where do all the oil paintings here come from?”
"They've been here since the beginning, guest," the headless butler said.
"In the beginning?" Duncan asked with confusion, "When did it begin? When this 'Alice Mansion' was born? When 'Alice' became the hostess here?"
"From the beginning of time," said the headless butler patiently, "before everything else."
What kind of answer is this?
Duncan frowned subconsciously, feeling that the headless butler's answer was as good as unsaid. However, he stared at the polite figure, but could not distinguish any emotions from the other person's posture - this headless man,
There are no expressions or eyes, only polite and decent words, with empty courtesy.
After thinking for a moment, Duncan asked two more questions: "...Does this oil painting have a name? Do you know what it depicts?"
"There is no name. Every painting here has no name. They exist naturally and do not need names or interpretations. As for the things described in the pictures... I'm sorry, this is beyond my knowledge."
"Aren't you the housekeeper here? Don't you know the situation in this mansion?"
"I am just a servant. This mansion has countless secrets. It guards these secrets, and that is not an area that a servant should understand."
Duncan's mouth trembled.
He had the urge to light a small fire on the butler, but the next second, he forcibly controlled this dangerous thought.
Because this is the "Alice" mansion, and this butler is part of the mansion - you must be very careful when moving here to avoid causing any harm to Alice.
Duncan took a gentle breath to calm down his mood, and glanced at the other oil paintings hanging in the corridor - there were countless oil paintings here, painted with countless incomprehensible colors.
But none of the other oil paintings changed under his gaze.
"...Let's go," Duncan finally withdrew his gaze and said to the headless butler with a hint of regret, "take me to the 'garden' you mentioned."
The headless butler bowed slightly, turned around and continued to lead the way. He led Duncan across the platform on the second floor, down the spiral staircase, then turned and walked towards the depths of the hall on the first floor - there was a short passage there.
, leading to the back garden of the mansion.
However, Duncan stopped in front of the passage, and turned back to glance curiously in the other direction across the hall - at the end of the long red carpet, stood an extremely tall and majestic dark wooden door, with slender wooden doors on both sides.
The window seemed to be overgrown with thorns.
That looks like the "entrance gate" to the entire building.
"What's outside that door?" Duncan asked suddenly.
Hearing these words, the headless butler's body trembled visibly. The next second, his always gentle and calm tone became panicked for the first time: "You must never become interested in that door, guest!
Outside that door is a place of no return, and there is no return for anyone!"
"A place of eternal doom?" Duncan's expression became serious, "Why do you say that? Is there subspace outside?"
"Subspace? I don't understand what this means... but you must not try to open that door!" The headless butler waved his hands in a panic, "This is the biggest taboo in the mansion. No member is allowed to open it under any circumstances.
That door..."
"But I'm not a member here." Seeing the other party's reaction, Duncan simply showed his eagerness to try. This was the first time he saw the headless butler so confused, which made him feel that he had found a breakthrough in intelligence.
, "And you said from the beginning that I hold the key, so I can open any door here."
"Of course you can use the key in your hand...but you must not do this!" the headless butler said in a panic. He seemed to want to show a stronger blocking attitude. However, perhaps due to some restrictions, he could only
He waved his arms anxiously one meter away from Duncan and tried his best to stop him with his words, "Don't open that door, for the sake of all the crew members..."
"What's outside that door?" Duncan stared at the headless butler with an extremely serious tone.
"Outside that door...outside that door..." the headless butler hesitated, as if desperately trying to sort out the words, "Guest, the world outside that door has been annihilated, and the end of all things is coming - the door blocks the approach of the end.
, don’t open it, don’t let the doomsday in..."
Duncan frowned, listening to the nervous and panic words of the headless butler, trying hard to piece them together with what he already knew about the world.
The world outside the door has been annihilated...the end of all things is coming...
He frowned in thought, and after a long time, he finally breathed out slightly.
"Relax, I have no intention of opening that door."
After temporarily suppressing the various thoughts in his mind, he nodded slightly to the headless butler and said.
The other person immediately breathed a sigh of relief - even though he had no head and no so-called "expression", his whole body was obviously relaxed.
"You really scared me, guest," said the butler, turning around and continuing to lead the way. "Please don't make such a joke again. We must prevent the apocalypse from crossing the door - it has destroyed the world.
Everything, this is the last barrier..."
Duncan silently listened to the housekeeper's frightened chatter and followed him without saying a word. They passed through the short corridor and finally came to a slightly narrow door - this door was
It is made of large pieces of translucent glass and reinforced with steel. The black steel frame divides the door into many large and small geometric figures. Within each geometric figure, there are many graffiti of flowers and plants, which looks...
...There is a strange atmosphere that is a mixture of fairy tale and horror.
"The mistress is in the garden, please help yourself."
The headless butler took a step forward, turned the handle of the garden gate, turned to Duncan and said.
"You won't come with me?" Duncan was a little surprised.
"The garden is only accessible to the hostess and visitors with keys, and the gardener only enters the garden when necessary," the headless butler said. "You can go in without worries. If necessary, pull the string near the door.
I will wait for you at the door."
"...I understand, thank you for showing me the way."
Duncan nodded to the weird butler and ignored the other person's reaction. Instead, he stepped forward and gently pushed the garden gate.
A slight creak broke the peace in the mansion and garden.
Duncan stepped through the door—and incredible sunlight filled his vision.
Sunlight!
Deep in this eerie mansion filled with strange shadows, is there really a garden illuminated by the sun!?
With a hint of astonishment, Duncan took a step forward, and lush plants immediately came into his eyes. The well-organized nurseries, well-constructed shrubs, and paths surrounded by green grass looked pleasing to the eye, and in this vibrant garden
Above, the warm glow...
Duncan raised his head, his surprised expression gradually turning into a frown.
He saw an extremely weird "sky" - against the pale background, many children's graffiti-like strokes floated high in the sky, depicting blue sky, white clouds and a simple sun, with many golden lines drawn around the sun
, used to symbolize the escaping sunlight.
The warm "sunshine" that illuminates the entire garden is released from the ridiculous "sun" that looks like a simple sketch.
Duncan couldn't help but feel a sense of vigilance in his heart. The sky above the "garden" no longer made him feel warm, but instead only seemed infinitely weird.
He withdrew his gaze to the sky, and with great caution, began to carefully observe the situation in the garden.
A strange color at the end of the path caught his attention.
He walked quickly in that direction, bypassing a bush and a low flower wall, and finally saw the source of the strange color.
At the intersection of several paths, in the center of the open space deep in the garden, a figure was sitting there quietly, leaning against a marble pillar covered with flower vines, as if he was falling into a deep sleep.
And there were many black thorns spreading out from the flower vines, entangled around her body.