Neverland

Earl Robert's butler spoke very little. He walked in front of Xu Muzhou calmly and restrainedly to guide him, his eyes lowered obediently, and he did not secretly spy on the master's guests.

Logically speaking, Neverland is also an island ruled by castles, but Xu Muzhou walked in the corridor, but felt that this kind of building was different from the ones he had seen before.

Earl Robert's castle is closer to a medieval building. The corridor is not very spacious, and it can only accommodate two people walking side by side. The floor of the corridor is also covered with a thick wool blanket of the same size as the living room.Xu Muzhou took a look and found that the blankets in the corridor were woven with scenes similar to pastoral scenery.

It's just that the weaving is very abstract, if Xu Muzhou hadn't found the patterns of plane trees and streams along the trunk, he probably wouldn't have recognized them.

On the walls on both sides of the corridor, there will be a silver candlestick every one or two meters. The small silver tray extends from the wall. The vines are wrapped around the handle of the candlestick, and the deep shadows are cast by the firelight.

The overall tone of this castle is too dark, Xu Muzhou thought.

Whether it is the red and green wool blanket or the dark brown walls, the castle is drawn into an inexplicable gloomy temperament.

There are rooms on the left and right sides of the corridor of the castle, and the walls on both sides of the corridor are also sealed. Even if it is a blue sky, this corridor does not have any way to receive light.

Xu Muzhou took a careful look, and found that the row of candlesticks had been wiped very clean, and even the wax oil in the tray was only a shallow layer, and it seemed that someone took care of it at any time.

That earl is probably a Virgo, Xu Muzhou thought.

Earl Robert's study was also on the third floor. The housekeeper brought Xu Muzhou to the third floor, and Qian stopped at the wide wooden door at the end of the corridor.

The housekeeper bowed slightly to Xu Muzhou, motioned him to wait a moment, and then turned his head and knocked on the door.

"Master." The butler said, "The young master of the Russell family is here."

Russell is the surname that Neverland chose for Xu Muzhou. Xu Muzhou had seen it on the invitation before, so he was not surprised. He stood behind the housekeeper without saying a word, and turned his hands impatiently. walking stick.

There was no sound from inside, but a crisp rattle.

What kind of operation, Xu Muzhou thought in confusion.

This kind of bell ringing is usually used by nobles to call maids. Not to mention that in noble manors, the butler has a higher status and is qualified to face the master and wait for orders. Just because there are guests standing outside the door, Robert will not Should respond this way.

It's too arrogant, Xu Muzhou thought.

The housekeeper was not surprised, he bowed slightly towards the door, and then stretched out his hand to open the study door, and made a gesture of invitation to Xu Muzhou.

"My master invites you in, young master," said the butler.

Earl Robert's study room was very large, and the roof was raised a lot. Xu Muzhou subconsciously looked up due to occupational disease, and felt that the roof of the study room was at least four meters high.

Although the earl's study is large, it doesn't look empty inside. Except for the large solid wood desk near the window, there are huge bookshelves on the left and right walls that reach the ceiling, which are full of books, and a short ladder Just beside the bookshelf, it is probably used to access the books on the upper shelf.

Probably because it has nothing to do with the main task, Neverland did not translate the bibliography on the bookshelf. Xu Muzhou glanced over and felt that the densely packed English letters seemed to hurt his eyes.

Xu Muzhou withdrew his gaze and looked at the two-meter-high window facing the door.

The moonlight was just in the sky, and the nearly perfect moon was covered by dark clouds, covering most of the moonlight.

Under the tall wooden window, a man was sitting in front of the window. He was wearing a dress similar to the oil painting, and the golden chain tassels on the epaulettes hung down and half covered his shoulders.A thick blanket was covered on his knees, and a wooden walking stick with a round head and a pointed bottom and a silver handle was slanted on the right arm of the chair.

He has a very good posture, his shoulders are straight, his fingers are crossed on his knees, and he is quietly looking out of the window.

Earl Robert's chair was placed facing the window, Xu Muzhou stood three steps away from his desk, and could only see half of his tall and straight back.

Xu Muzhou stood there, looking at him quietly - this Earl Robert seemed to be of some age, Xu Muzhou could see a little gray on his temples.

"Master." The butler stood at the door, pulled the doorknob, and reminded: "This is the young master of the Russell family, and he is one of the guests at your banquet."

The epaulettes on Earl Robert's shoulders shook slightly, he raised his hand and waved, saying, "You go out first."

Xu Muzhou was startled.

The butler tactfully closed the door, Count Robert lowered his eyes, picked up the cane that was at hand, put it across his lap, and then stretched out his hand to hold the heavy wheels of his wooden chair.

It wasn't until then that Xu Muzhou realized that he was sitting on an old-fashioned wheelchair.

Earl Robert turned around on his own while supporting the wheelchair under him, and looked at Xu Muzhou.

He did not bow, but put his right hand on his chest, and said casually: "Welcome, Young Master Xu."

——It's Yan Cen.

However, Xu Muzhou was completely dumbfounded.

When he heard Yan Cen's voice, until the moment Yan Cen just turned around, Xu Muzhou had already recognized him and was very sure of his judgment.

But when Yan Cen completely turned around, Xu Muzhou suddenly became uncertain again.He clearly recognized Yan Cen's face, but when he looked carefully, he always felt that it didn't look like it.

Yan Cen's original face is not a typical European aristocratic appearance anyway. I don't know whether it is because of the modification of Neverland or the application for identity. Yan Cen's original cheek contour seems to have been slightly trimmed. It's not obvious. If you have to identify it, it's probably because the original contours of the eyebrows and eyes have deepened.Because of this, the bridge of his nose looks even higher, and his complexion is a little strangely pale. At first glance, he really looks like a nobleman.

Xu Muzhou's previous judgment was not wrong, but this "earl" was not a middle-aged man over half a century old as he had imagined. Although he had gray temples, he looked only about 40 years old. Being old is more like a sense of vicissitudes left by life changes.

Because of the built-in translation system, Xu Muzhou didn't know whether Yan Cen was speaking Chinese or another language. He just felt that his tone of speech and habit of pauses and accents were different from usual.

The dark clouds dissipated quietly, and in the tree-shaped candlestick placed in the corner, a candle burned to the bottom and quietly extinguished in the candlelight full of trees.

A single candle will not have any effect on the lighting in the room, but Xu Muzhou clenched his palms for no reason.

For a moment, Xu Muzhou couldn't tell whether it was Yan Cen or Count Robert in front of him.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Yan Cen pinched the cane on his knee and turned around, laughing softly.

He slid the wheelchair forward and approached the large desk, then opened a drawer on the left side of the desk, and found a lighter inside.

There was a triangular candlestick on the corner of the desk, Yan Cen stretched out his hand, lit the three candles one by one, and then blew out the musket in his hand.

The candlelight illuminated a small area around Yan Cen's body, and Yan Cen's right index finger tapped on the armrest again and again.

"What?" Yan Cen said, "You don't recognize me?"

Maybe it was the light that made Xu Muzhou see him more clearly, or maybe it was Yan Cen who finally smiled, Xu Muzhou's oppressive feeling captured by the aura just now dissipated most of it, and he relaxed his tense muscles without a trace. Shoulder, walked over to Yan Cen.

As soon as he was relieved, other emotions came up in an instant, Xu Muzhou walked up a few steps, and half knelt on the ground to touch Yan Cen's leg.

"Why are you in a wheelchair?" Xu Muzhou frowned and asked, "Are you hurt?"

"The reason for the identity of the character." Yan Cen said: "Count Robert has been disabled for more than ten years."

"Disabled?" Xu Muzhou raised his voice: "Then your leg is fine, do you still feel it?"

"I'm fine." Yan Cen held his hand dumbfoundingly: "What are you messing with... I won't be able to walk, it's just that I need to work hard."

"Ah..." Xu Muzhou reluctantly let go when he heard that he wanted to maintain his identity, but he still couldn't help complaining, "Can't you choose a good identity?"

"Is the earl okay?" Yan Cen asked back: "In this manor, no one is more suitable for action than me."

"Well, that's right." Xu Muzhou tapped his knee in a cool tone, and complained, "You are indeed 'suitable for action'."

"Besides, there are other reasons for choosing this identity." Yan Cen didn't continue, but smiled, and changed the subject lightly: "Speaking of which, I found some clues to the mission."

Xu Muzhou knew he was changing the subject, but there was nothing he could do.

Xu Muzhou suddenly thought of an important question, quickly patted Yan Cen, and asked, "Wait a minute, the task is for Countess Robert...have you met her?"

"That's what you said." Yan Cen paused, took Xu Muzhou's hand, and motioned to his knee with his eyes: "...Get up and talk."

"I can't get up." Xu Muzhou complained, "My legs hurt, these boots are too difficult to wear."

Ever since meeting Yan Cen, Xu Muzhou had completely let go of his ideals. He sat down on the ground with his legs paralyzed on the floor, and stretched out his hand to beat his sore calf.

Yan Cen saw that he was really too lazy to move, so he didn't insist, and said again: "About Countess Robert, I have to tell you some bad news...she died."

"...again?" Xu Muzhou paused for a while when he tapped his calf.

"Obviously, yes." Yan Cen shrugged: "And, she was killed."

Xu Muzhou was tired from sitting, so he simply leaned on Yan Cen's leg, bent his knees and squeezed the muscles on his legs.

"Okay." Xu Muzhou sighed: "I'm getting used to it, what is her obsession this time? To find the murderer to avenge her again?"

Yan Cen didn't answer his first question, but jumped straight to the second.

"There's no need to look for the murderer." Yan Cen looked down at him, "I've already found it."

"Hmm...?" Xu Muzhou raised his head and asked blankly, "Why are you moving so fast this time?"

"Because Earl Robert has the habit of keeping a diary." Yan Cen took a thick cowhide notebook from the desk and shook it in front of Xu Muzhou's eyes.

"Wait a minute." Xu Muzhou suddenly had a bad feeling: "This murderer..."

"It's Count Robert." Yan Cen said calmly, "That is, 'I'."