Mary's Nineteenth Century

The Crystal Skull stolen by Curator White was found easily.

It fell from the sky on its own initiative, fell on the lawn outside the broom hotel, and broke into several pieces.

"God! A crystal skull fell from the sky, what happened?"

The witness was a little incoherent, "It's broken, oh no, it's broken too well."

It is said that the Mayan crystal skull is related to human life and death, but this one is also rumored to be related to Captain Kidd's treasure. How could it be broken?

A group of people were moved upon hearing the news, and rushed out of the hotel to see what happened.

I saw a sea chart painted on the inside of the shattered black crystal skull, and sailing instructions were written in English on the side.

If shown correctly, these contents are enough for people to follow the map to reach the small island covered with black gravel, which is said to have "a crazy fortune"-from the text description of the mapper.

"Wow! I think this is true."

The Spanish collector shouted excitedly, "This inner wall painting method is like the oriental snuff bottle production method. Captain Kidd must have been to Heisha Island, but he failed to dig out the treasure at that time, so he hid the relevant information In the Crystal Skull."

The Russian bearded man nodded again and again, "That's right, the Crystal Skull was discovered in South America, and it coincides with Captain Kidd's sea activities back then."

Another French collector also laughed happily, "Who would have thought that he used black ink to paint inside the black crystal human head. If it hadn't been smashed, there would be no trace of it from the outside. With the current detection methods, the White Museum The chief must have not figured out why, we should thank the flying head ghost."

It took less than 5 minutes from the time when the foreign object fell from the sky to the gathering of the crowd, and everyone was already discussing it happily.

There was too much movement outside, and Bentley and Anfinsen inevitably put down their knives and forks and went to the street to have a better look.

Last night, they watched the complete Crystal Skull up close, and no one expected that a bunch of messy things would happen within 24 hours.

From being considered a thief in the morning, to losing the crystal in the middle of the night, this kind of big reversal came so suddenly that people were so surprised that they didn't know what else to say.

"It should be the one that was lost."

Bentley stepped forward to observe, and then asked Anfinsen in a low voice, "What do you think?"

Anfinsen also nodded, "I think so."

The final judgment needs to be carefully confirmed by Director White.

Mary and Mycroft were a few minutes late, and everyone was concerned about the newly discovered crystal drawing the sea chart, but no one cared about the 'ghost' that flew away after dropping the crystal.

Has anyone seen what the ghost looks like?

Facing Mary's question, no one could give a specific answer, but at least it wasn't too bad.

The first one to rush out of the store to watch, recognized the so-called 'ghost' as a kind of owl.

Because he had seen similar birds when he was hunting in the forest, he didn't blindly recognize it as a flying-headed ghost.But under the hazy moonlight, I just glimpsed the back of the owl, so I couldn't determine its specific species.

But does the breed of owl matter at this moment?

Looking at the crowd discussing the sea chart in full swing, these collectors have fast forwarded to discussing when to go to sea to find the Black Sand Island, and the distribution ratio after finding the treasure.

One important point was mentioned.

Only when the full moon is blood red, can those who go out to sea discover Heisha Island.

Mary saw the crowd's enthusiasm for treasure hunting increased, but she smelled a hint of conspiracy.

As previously speculated, the first explosion of the crystal skull disappearing out of thin air was to create a mysterious atmosphere, and the missing crystal quickly reappeared in a bizarre way tonight. The current situation is obviously abnormal.

"Mrs. Roman, are you going to sea too?"

Mary did not forget the black sand island and the legend of the curse mentioned by the freckle shop owner. The island that does not exist in common sense was actually drawn in the crystal skull.

"Only from the perspective of treasure hunting, I don't think there is a need to go."

Of course, Mycroft realized that there must be a monster if something goes wrong, and looking at the collectors who were enthusiastically discussing going to sea, couldn't all these people feel the strangeness of a crystal skull?

No, these people are not stupid.

Perhaps, it's just that they don't want to think about the weirdness.

Captain Kidd's huge treasure is too fascinating.

Although many people have died on the road to treasure hunting in the past 200 years, there are still people who have gone on to find it.

At this moment, a group of people in the hotel are walking on this road.

Even knowing that there may be traps ahead, greed and curiosity make people unwilling to stop.

Let's say Mycroft has no interest in finding gold, silver and jewels, but he needs to find missing intelligence officers.

Mary is also not interested in Kidd's treasure, but she also has reasons to go to sea.

To solve the puzzles on the diamond linen, will the mysterious colors surrounding the crystal skull and the black sand island be related to the "∞" symbol?Is there an organization behind it?Is it related to the death of the original owner?

"Well, then get ready, we still need to investigate the owl cemetery tonight."

Mary didn't say much, and started to eat dinner.Even if the missing Crystal Skull showed up by herself, it would not disrupt her original plan.

It would undoubtedly help more if the owl-keepers could be caught before heading out to sea, although success seems unlikely at this point.

Surveying the cemetery, this kind of thing is familiar the first time and the second time.

At nine o'clock in the night, the outskirts of the city were silent.

A carriage, three kerosene lamps, and a few handy tools.

There are three figures walking through the cemetery without grave guards.

Not only Mary and Mycroft were the night watchers, Bingley was also called to help.

Why not wait until daylight to come?

It's not that the night is too beautiful to sleep, but that there has been an incident of airdropping crystal skulls to prevent all evidence from being destroyed tomorrow.

These are hundreds of years old graves.

It is not surprising that there are all kinds of bird droppings and feather residues, but is it a bit strange to find fresh human footprints near the tombstone?

Mycroft walked around the tombstone, on which the names and dates of birth and death of the deceased were blurred by time.

There is no epitaph, and a painting is vaguely recognizable on the back.It's a patch of mistletoe, just the kind of plant you can't refuse to kiss under mistletoe at Christmas.

Mistletoe, known as the golden branch of life, represents love, peace and forgiveness.

The clump engraved on the tombstone is different.Even if most of it is blurred, it can still be seen that it is a broken branch and a leaf, completely contrary to the good meaning.

Even more oddly, compared with other tombstones, the placement of the mistletoe figure on this tombstone is particularly clean.

Mycroft reached out and brushed the engraving on the tombstone with a little force.

The next moment, I only heard the "creaking" sound of stones moving suddenly on the ground one meter away.

The moonlight is miserable.

A tomb in the cemetery was cracked, and a round hole was cracked in the ground for only one person to pass through.

"Oh! Madame, you have opened the secret door to the place of eternal sleep."

Mary squatted down by the hole and threw a branch down, only to hear a 'dong' sound soon.

"The good news is that this mechanism hole is not deep, only two or three meters. Judging from the smell at the entrance of the hole, the air coming from the ground doesn't have too much peculiar smell. Recently, people often ventilate it."

"You mean the owl-keepers live down there?"

Bentley understood, this is really a good place to hide. "Oh no! Do we have to go down and have a look now?"

Mary nodded of course, it was not her style to go too far, but it was better than no consolation Bingley. "Don't be nervous, I boldly speculate that the tenants below should have left."

As for the one who opened the cave, will he go down together?

Mycroft wore a dress, and even though he wasn't wearing an overly exaggerated pannier, he still couldn't pass through the burrow smoothly and conveniently.

"Madam, please wait a moment above. If there is any abnormality on the ground, please warn the police."

At the moment, Mary does not discuss the incompatibility of skirts and holes, and some remarks can be left for later.

"Please be careful with it."

Mycroft didn't say much, and didn't even remind him to observe carefully.Perhaps, even he himself didn't realize how much he believed in Mr. Minton's ability.

One after the other, Mary and Bingley raised their guard and went down the cave.

It was dark below, and there was only the sound of footsteps and heartbeats in the corridor.

Walking through the stone path of three or four meters, there is only a stone door that is locked from the outside.There is no rust on the copper lock, and no obvious dust.

Mary's lockpicking skills were sufficient, and she opened the door in twos and twos. Behind the door was a fifteen-square-meter room.

Single plank bed, desk, shelf, only three or four simple pieces of furniture, messy sheets, damp towels, and a few owl feathers on the table.

It is not difficult to see that the tenant left in a hurry, did not clean the room, but did not leave more personal items.For example, there are no written words, no clothes and shoes to judge a person's body shape.

"Mr. Minton, look here."

Bentley lifted the mattress, and there was a crooked line of words "Anthony LOVE Dracula" on the bed board.

"It seems to be scratched with something that is not sharp enough like a key. At least we got the name of the occupant of this room. We can call him Dracula. It sounds familiar. If I remember correctly, there was a popular vampire novel in the UK last year. , the protagonist is called Dracula."

Dracula, is that a pseudonym?

Mary didn't think owl keepers would leave real names.

Looking at the lettering again, the order of names before and after LOVE is also very subtle.Who loved whom, and did they get the same response?Also, why is the lettering hidden under the mattress instead of prominently at the head of the bed?

The answer is already very obvious.

"There is nothing else."

Mary also got under the bed and even turned the desk upside down.Focus on observing whether there are small black gravels, but no relevant traces are found.

She put away several owl feathers, which were exactly the same as those on the outer wall of Curator White. "For more information, it is necessary to ask the maid Antony overnight."

Bingley looked confused, "But will Antonie tell the truth? You have seen the situation during the day. She lies without drafting, and she has always been calm."

Will Antoine speak?

Mary clearly remembered the situation when she asked in the afternoon, and Antony subconsciously folded her hands close to her abdomen.Maybe, it's not just nervousness, but another possibility, such as getting pregnant out of wedlock.

However, the Crystal Skull disappears and reappears quickly.

After it was smashed, a nautical chart was revealed, which meant that the secret of the treasure had been revealed.

At this time, no one cares about the pity that the crystal is cracked, because it has completed its mission of delivering messages.

In the same way, Antony has completed the mission of stealing the crystal, will the lover in her heart care about her again?

"People don't stay the same."

Mary looked at the engraved words on the bed and smiled playfully, "Who would have thought that the Crystal Skull would appear by itself. This is enough to make some people's hearts look like two different people in an instant."

If it was something else, Bentley might not understand it, but this time he knew that Antony was very likely to be used by Dracula and then abandoned.

Is this pessimistic guess right?

At this moment, Bentley couldn't be optimistic, because the disappearance and reappearance of the Crystal Skull were too sudden.

Those collectors didn't know the specifics, unlike him who felt that the layout was disrupted, Dracula was obviously impatient.

It was also forced to change the plan.

The disappearance of the skeleton, which had disappeared without a trace, has been suspected of human theft. If the crystal reappears in time, and if he doesn't leave earlier, Dracula will be blocked by them.

"To Curator White's house."

Mary didn't want to give Antony time to think calmly, "At this point, Curator White should have retrieved the broken crystal, and Antony should know the latest news. We just want to care about her mood."

"Are you sure you're not going to make things worse?"

Bingley didn't ask the truth, he didn't have much sympathy for Antony, otherwise who would sympathize with him being slandered as a thief in the morning.

This night seemed a little long.

The trip to the cemetery ended without any surprises, but there was still no way to lie down on the bed and rest.

Mary and Bingley rushed to Curator White's house to express condolences without stopping.

On the other side, Mycroft was stuffed with a pack of owl food pills.

Split up to improve efficiency, and finally the job of researching owl regurgitation actually fell to him.

To this, Mycroft could not refuse.

The Crystal Skull, the Owl, the Black Sand Island, and the disappearance of intelligence personnel, these things finally came together, making people have to seriously check Shiwan.

The result was a bit unexpected.

Broom Inn, guest room.

Mycroft disassembled the whole package of food pills, and sorted the soil, feathers, bones, etc. one by one.

Most of them are on the known diet of owls, and they are the remains of voles, bats, and fish, but the mixture in a few pellets cannot be identified.There are several bone fragments and a few feathers, not belonging to any known animal.

That's weird.

Owls spit out food pellets, which are often composed of undigested food remains.Bone fragments and feathers may have come from the prey itself, or from the environment in which the prey lived.

Although Mycroft did not admit that he had the talent to be a zoologist, an animal so rare that he had never seen it was also a novelty.

On the other end, Mary's second interrogation of the maid Antony also got some unexpected answers.

As expected, Antony didn't expect the Crystal Skull to reappear suddenly, and explained everything under a big blow.

To put it simply, Antony and Dracula fell in love half a year ago.

The reason why the two had an underground love affair was that Dracula claimed to be a vampire who could not see the sun.

I usually send messages through owls, and sometimes go to the stone house under the cemetery for a date.

The Crystal Skull was indeed secretly made by Dracula at the request of Antony.

The reason is that this crystal has special healing powers and can solve his problem of not being able to walk in the sun.After that, the two will be able to be together in a fair manner.

Of course Antony knew it was wrong to steal, but she had no choice because she was two months pregnant.

She had allocated a key to the study room long ago, so she just wanted to wait for the right time.Yesterday, it happened that White was entertaining guests, and she finally decided to drink a small dose of ecstasy to successfully complete the crime.

The Crystal Skull was transported away very smoothly by the owl last night.

It was originally planned that Dracula would quietly heal with crystals in the cemetery, and it would only take a month for Dracula to propose in a normal manner before Antony became pregnant.

Things developed completely beyond Antony's imagination.

How could an owl throw a crystal in the air, how could Dracula disappear from the cemetery, and how could a crystal skull have a nautical chart painted inside?

"Anthony can't answer those questions."

When Mary returned to the hotel, what surprised her after some interrogation was that Dracula was almost a real vampire.

"Antonie saw with her own eyes that Dracula could not be exposed to sunlight, otherwise his skin would fester. And Dracula would regularly drink blood, not limited to human blood."

In 1869, porphyria had not yet been clearly defined in the medical community.

Although going back to the ancient Greek era, Hippocrates regarded people with similar symptoms as suffering from blood diseases, but most people today do not clearly realize that vampires are actually ordinary humans suffering from the strange disease of porphyria.

Even in Mary's day, not everyone knew about the rare disease porphyria.

Now, a man with vampire attributes appears in Witch Town.

He raised owls, the messenger of death, and lied that the Crystal Skull could cure diseases. It is not difficult to understand why the maid Antony would believe it.

Antony believes in Dracula, and doing things according to his words is falling into the maze of love.

Mary could not but be suspicious.Dracula, who deliberately created a puzzle, left. In contrast, a group of people planned to go to sea to find the black sand island.

"Mrs. Roman, do you still remember the legend told by the previous shopkeeper. 200 years ago, H cursed the person who pushed her to the stake, and the four men fulfilled the curse, and were bitten to death by monsters suspected of being werewolves. Werewolves and vampires are both Dark creatures, now there is a vampire Dracula on the scene, what do you think will be on the black sand island?"

Mycroft shook his head slowly, and pointed to the desk, "The answer should be related to those hard-to-distinguish broken bones and feathers. Mr. Minton, do you know them?"

On the table, there were mutilated feathers and broken bones.

Mary once went deep into the tropical jungle and saw many strange animals and their bones.At this moment, it must be admitted that nature is full of wonders, but human knowledge always has its limits.

"Unfortunately, I don't know them."

Mary shook her head, and this sentence made the atmosphere a little heavy.

Both of them were rational, and both realized one thing.

From the small town of Salem to the sea, about half a day of sailing may arrive at a mysterious black sand island, where some kind of danger is bound to lurk.What's more dangerous is that the mysterious island took the initiative to expose its traces in order to attract a group of people to the island.

If the choice is correct, the two should pack their suitcases immediately, or return to New York or Boston, like most ordinary people spend Christmas comfortably.

However, both of them have reasons for going to the island.

After a while of silence, they all understand the truth, they already understand the right option, but everyone is going to run wildly on the road of the wrong option.

"That's the end of the matter, then ask Santa Claus for good luck."

Mary broke the silence and stopped staring at the two of them.

It was late at night, and she was exhausted after a long day of running around, inspecting White's house, fighting turkeys, visiting graves, etc. It was time to rest in peace.

"It's getting late, let's just leave it at that today, and tomorrow we need to discuss with the group of people in the store how to go to sea."

Mary waved her hand as she spoke, walking towards the guest room door and twisting the doorknob. "I'm going back to my room, Mrs. Roman, don't think about it any more. Good night——"

Mycroft wanted to say good night just now, but the man who was opening the door suddenly turned around and added.

"By the way, I haven't said thank you yet, thank you for giving me the wound ointment before. Reciprocity, there is one thing that I think I should suggest to you."

Mary stepped over the threshold, turned around suddenly and said: "Two hours ago, you failed to go down to the cave in the cemetery because you were wearing a dress that hindered your movement. Since you are going to go out to sea and land on the unknown black sand island, For the sake of safety and convenience, do you want to temporarily change into men's clothes? Of course, Mrs. Roman, you don't have to force yourself to dress up as a man, everything depends on your good mood. Please consider the above."

Putting aside the seemingly serious and concerned rhetoric, Mary walked out of the room calmly, then closed the door gently from the outside very intimately, and left with steady steps.

Across the door, the room was unusually quiet.

The unspoken 'good night' caught in Mycroft's throat.

Suddenly being so 'concerned', how can I let him go to sleep at night?He couldn't help wondering, did Mr. Minton suspect something?