On a large round table where four people were seated, there were three typewriters, a large pile of manuscript paper, some sample periodicals, and many books spread out, with small red and green slips of paper sandwiched between them.

In the following conversation, Sally became the main force. She and the professor started with an interesting story about their work at the newspaper, and then talked about some strange stories that had been published in the newspaper. Sally is a big fan, and some of the stories left the professor stunned, and it was only by her reminders that she remembered what year and which edition they were published.

Grandin joked and interjected at the right time, and gradually learned some information, such as "Rat Tail Alley" is a newspaper that the professor founded after his retirement, and its name comes from the alley behind Armitage Road.

"At that time, I just wanted to get the newspaper out as soon as possible, and I didn't think much about other things, so in the end I simply borrowed the name of the alley behind."

Professor Armitage pointed to the back of the room and explained energetically.

With his black tea in his hand, Grandin stood up and walked through the bookshelves to the bay window, from which he could see the backyard of the house and the alley called 'Rat Tail' not far away.

The backyard of a single-family house is lush with vegetation, and because of the lack of care, it is no longer possible to distinguish between ornamental plants and wild grasses. He noted, however, that one of the wellheads was buried in weeds. In the shadowed corner of the backyard, there is also a downward arch that looks like an underground storage room.

But wouldn't it attract thieves if things were put there? The wooden fence in the backyard doesn't seem to provide much protection, not to mention the fact that it is next to a dark alley where you can escape if you succeed in stealing......

Grandin looked at it and found a number of security issues.

The path leading from the back door to the underground storage room was overwhelmed by weeds, which was a testament to the fact that people often passed by, so it didn't look like it was abandoned.

"You see, it's that little alley, it's called Rat Tail Alley. When I was a child, I was afraid of this alley, where there was no sunlight all day, but I had to walk through it every day to go to school. Professor Armitage walked up to Grandin and looked side by side with him at the dark alley, "Maybe that's why, because of my childhood fears, I chose the same name when I started a newspaper about weird stories." ”

Is the best way to get rid of fear?

Without waiting for Grandin to ask, the old professor spoke again:

"Oh, Ruth brought homemade muffins, it's her specialty, so why not let us have a snack and talk."

"That's exactly what I was expecting, and with a delicious black tea and delicious dim sum, the afternoon will be enjoyable."

Grandin turned, and followed Professor Armitage towards the round table. Before leaving, the professor closed the curtains.

The muffins were fluffy and not sweet, and they did taste great, and Grandin ate them as he thought about where to start the conversation.

"Professor Armitage, I love the horror stories that are serialized in the newspapers, and the one that impresses me the most is the 'Disappeared People'." "It's so horrible that I even wondered for a while that it really happened. ”

Very well, Miss Cylie. It seems that you have not forgotten your mission.

Grandin put down his teacup and answered:

"My favorite is 'The Endless Passage', which is also very real and makes you feel like you've experienced an adventure. I'd love to meet these authors, but the authors of these stories seem to be anonymous? ”

Professor Armitage put the half-eaten muffins on a small plate, and then said regretfully:

"All of this is a story that has been passed down for hundreds of years in Enmat, and I'm afraid it's hard for us to see the author of those stories again."

"I was afraid that the stories would disappear over time, so I just put them together and put them in the newspaper in the hope that more people would read them. Of course, along the way, I also made some adaptations to make them more in line with the times......"

"Mr. Professor, your adaptation gives them a soul. I don't know if you have any references when creating? Because...... They're all too real. ”

Grandin first complimented, then asked.

"If you want to talk about references...... Indeed there is. ”

Armitage thought for a moment:

"For example, in the article 'Passages without Ends,' I referred to the cobweb-like passages under the old house in Emmat."

As he spoke, he picked up the white porcelain teacup, and then explained again without waiting for Grandin to continue asking:

"The underground passages in Enmat, according to my research, were built by the inhabitants hundreds of years ago to escape pirates...... At that time, Enmat was nowhere near as prosperous as it is now, and piracy was rampant. So they came up with the idea of connecting every house with an underground passage. ”

"When pirates come ashore to raid, the inhabitants take refuge in underground passages and, after gathering, rely on the complex passages to resist. I think Enmat's brave folk customs were also formed at that time. ”

He sniffed the aroma of black tea and took a sip of satisfaction.

"To satisfy my own curiosity, I had explored deeply, but found that most of the passages had been blocked by masonry, and some had collapsed entirely. After barely exploring some distance, I almost got lost in it, and the expedition was put on hold. But I still wrote a good story based on the Enmat channel. ”

Professor Armitage summed it up.

"yes, that's a good story."

Grandin echoed, his spirit unusually quiet, and there was nothing suspicious about Professor Armitage's words.

After drinking the tea, the three of Grandin took their leave, and the old professor personally sent them downstairs.

"Thank you for your hospitality, goodbye."

Grandin took off his hat in greeting, the old professor smiled and waved, and the fat maid stood by the aviary in the front yard and saluted with her skirt raised.

She's just cleaning out the aviary? Shouldn't you also clean up the moss in the corner of the wall and the weeds in the backyard?

The thought crossed Grandin's mind, and his heart rippled.

......

"Professor Armitage is amazing." Seli, who fulfilled her desire to chase stars, looked back at the three-story building from time to time in the carriage.

"It's amazing to be able to start a newspaper on your own." Grandin hesitated, "But in him, there seems to be a sense of disobedience. ”

Mr. Armitage served them with Marquis tea, and it was clear from the furnishings of his house that he was very wealthy, but he lived in the old North Point district, which was full of poor people? Even if he doesn't care about his quality of life, what about safety? A house walled by a wooden fence was not safe, and it was only him and the fat maid in the house.

Of course, these can also be explained by quirks, or because of vanity, such as the Armitage house at 1 Armitage Road. There is also an explanation that Professor Armitage is extraordinary, and his status does not allow him to get too close to ordinary people.

Thinking of this, Grandin again asked his godson for confirmation:

"Ademisor, what do you think? Did you see anything from your inspiration? ”

The vehicle they chose was a light horse-drawn carriage with no fourth person in it.

Ademisor, who was rather silent, shook his head, "I didn't 'see' anything. ”

"Yes...... So let's put this thing aside and go to church. I'm going to look up some materials in the church library. Grandin put aside his doubts for a moment.

The reason why I asked Ademisol was because Grandin found that his instincts were a bit out of order after his promotion. Most of his brain's processing power is taken up by other things.

Grandin glanced at the sky outside the window, and quickly had a premonition that a storm was coming, but he didn't feel at all whether he needed to carry an umbrella right away.

It is equivalent to him sacrificing his self-safety sense in exchange for a sharper perception of the external environment.

In the end, it's because I'm not skilled enough to balance the two...... However, this can be overcome with exercise.

Grandin took out his pocket watch, the time had reached 4 o'clock in the afternoon, and they had to hurry.

St. Paul's Church in the west district of Enmat, like other churches, has a spire design and is black overall, giving people a sense of solemnity, solemnity and tranquility.

In front of it was a white staircase with a gentle slope, and Grandin stepped on the staircase with a look of shame on his face. He had been in Enmatt for a week, and he had not even entered the church once.

No, is my faith such a superficial thing? Is it measured by the number of church visits?

Grandin subconsciously defended himself, and quickly tapped his fingers on his chest, depicting the crimson moon that symbolized the goddess, and reciting at the same time:

"The goddess is merciful."

Such a pious display caused the few believers around him to look sideways, and Ademisore imitated his godfather and offered his faith to the goddess of the night.

Selie led them into the church.

As is customary, Grandin first put 10 gold pounds into the offering box. When he saw the bright light in the eyes of the priest standing by him, he thought for a moment and threw in the few notes and pennies that were left in his coin purse.

An empty echo was heard from the offering box.

They did not waste any more time, but walked along the cloister through the large and small prayer halls, the confessional room, the rest room, and finally stopped in front of a double door with an intricate pattern.

The priest guarding the gate knew Seli, and he quickly confirmed the identities of Grandin and Ademisor, and after checking that everything was correct, he opened the door to the underground.

The three men who entered the passage parted at a fork in the road, with Cylie going to hand in the papers, while Grandin and Ademisore headed for the underground library.

The temperature in the library is slightly cooler, and the lighting is ensured by bright sconces on the surrounding walls.

With the help of Ademisore and the librarian, Grandin found what he was looking for on one of the bookshelves in the far corner.

However, this information is of no use to him, and neither the architectural plans nor the local chronicles mention the transportation network that runs beneath Enmat. All the information he could find was within the last two hundred years, and Enmat's history was clearly more than that. The locals also seem to have completely forgotten that there are such places under their homes. In the face of a long period of time, human memory is completely unreliable.

Finally he found some clues in the clip of a newspaper clipping, which Grandin could not confirm when it was written, and the parchment was mottled and the ink was indistinct, and he could barely read:

"Thank you to Mr. Clifford Armitage for his outstanding contribution to the establishment of the city...... Great design...... In commemoration of ...... The central street will be named Armitage Road ......"

Professor Armitage's ancestors were actually the builders of the city? But he didn't talk about it at all today...... Could he have kept the original blueprints of the city in his house?

With some of the gains, Grandin began to look at each piece more carefully. In the moment of his own spiritual silence, he could not rely on his instincts and even used divination, but the results of divination were vague, and he was not sure if there was anything else in the library that he needed.

Later, the librarian who passed by told him that because the Storm Church had been suppressing the development of the Night Goddess Church in the local area, the information they could collect was very limited, and now the materials piled up in front of him were all of them.

Am I going to infiltrate Whistling Manor...... No, why do I think that? As long as a formal request is made, the substitutes should not refuse......

Grandin carefully put away the information he had read again.

The parchment had crumpled and cracked over the course of a hundred years, and he was worried that in the humid air of Enmat, the punishers' older materials would survive to this day.

Grandin took Ademisor to meet up with Selie. In the break room, Cylie tells him that his letter has been sent.

After leaving the church, they stopped a light carriage in the small white square next to it. As Grantin had a hunch, the sky became even darker, and after sending Sally home, the rainstorm arrived as expected. With no umbrellas on their sleeve, Grandin and Ademisore braved the torrential rain to rush into the Guns and Ranzi's Tavern, much to their dismay.

The wall lamps in the tavern were still dim and could only be lit by kerosene lamps, and the heavy rain also affected the tavern's business. The two of them hurriedly finished their dinner, a slow-roasted keelfish, a salad, and a bread. Then they went upstairs to rest, and Grandin had a kerosene lamp before leaving, and he was going to make the 'Charm of Destiny' tonight.

Although he didn't get enough rest today, his mental and physical strength was not at its best. But after his instincts fail, he desperately needs some good luck.

He felt that the Priest of Calamity potion was already affecting him, causing him to run into bad luck from time to time. However, he found that the potion was digested unusually quickly, perhaps because of the pre-play?

He thought back on his experience after crossing over, and it seemed that he had indeed brought a lot of disasters to others......