Getting out of the car and stepping onto the stone square in front of the museum, Heidi couldn't help but take a deep breath, the cool and slightly salty sea breeze blowing, as if it also blew away the exhaustion and anxiety she had accumulated after working for a long time, bringing her a hint of relief.

The young psychiatrist hadn't taken a vacation for almost a month, and had been dealing with manic cultists almost every day for a while, and she even felt that the madness in the minds of those cultists had gradually infected her spirit, making her have to fight insomnia and dreams every day lately.

Thankfully, today she finally didn't have to think about the crazy cultists and their deformed minds.

Another gust of sea breeze blew from the end of the street, blowing the hem of Heidi's skirt, and she lifted her hand to hold down her long skirt and wide-brimmed hat on her head, and looked up at the large white building with its streamlined dome and beautiful wings.

The Maritime Museum in the Cross Quarter is one of the largest museums in the city-state of Poland – and one of the most legendary.

Heidi strode towards the museum, and in the crowd not far away, a guide was introducing the background of the museum to visitors, and the penetrating voice of the guide reached Heidi's ears:

“…… Originally the property of the Parr Brothers Ocean Trading Company, this large building was originally the property of the Parr Brothers Ocean Trading Company, and at its height it was the largest storage center in Purland and was seen as a symbol of the commercial prosperity of the city-state of Purland, but a drastic change in 1822 changed the fortunes of the building forever......"

Someone duly asked, "What happened?" ”

"It is supposed—it is only said that on the way back, one of the ocean-going freighters owned by the Parr brothers encountered a strange thick fog, and in the thick of the fog the hapless freighter saw a ghostly ship burning with flames, and passed by it......

The ship narrowly escaped the fog and even returned to the port safely, but the shadow of madness remained in the hearts of every crew member at the time, and quickly spread throughout the entire fleet of the Parr brothers, and in the months that followed, all the ships under the Pal brothers' name began to suffer terrible disasters, and crew members continued to mutiny, disappear, and even perform bloody sacrifices to please unknown gods......

“…… Ships on a long voyage are caught in storms in supposedly calm seas, or hit icebergs in warm seas, and mutinous sailors detonate explosives on board, sabotage boilers, and even hunt down their colleagues...... Strange disasters like this repeated again and again, and finally completely destroyed the business of the Parr brothers, causing their marine trading company to file for bankruptcy reorganization at the end of the same year......

After that, the Parr brothers divided the remnants of their company's property and donated some of it to the city-state authorities, including the building in front of us...... It was renovated several times since then, and its functions changed several times until 1855, when it was finally transformed into a maritime museum, which continues to this day.

It is said that to this day, the shadow of almost a century ago still lingers in this maritime museum...... Occasionally, the shadows of the Parr brothers return to the museum and stay in their offices from the past, or employees in the uniforms of the Maritime Trading Company appear in the exhibition area, bewildering visitors to ask for the location of the office......

"Of course, of course! These are just rumors, the museum has been inspected and blessed by the clergy of the church, and there is a team of guards stationed to ensure that there are no extraordinary disasters, so you can visit with confidence - but if you are really interested in these terrifying and bizarre legends, you can also go to the 'adventure room' on the side of the museum, but you will need to go to the square church to undergo a temporary baptism and will test before experiencing the secret room project......"

The voices of the guide and the tourists faded away, and Heidi walked past the crowd, but suddenly felt a little heavy on her feet.

A century-old maritime trade warehouse, a catastrophe-stricken fog of the far seas, a cursed fleet, hovering in the shadows of the museum......

Heidi, who has been dealing with cultists every day and has heard a lot of "rumors" through various official channels, suddenly feels that it doesn't seem like a good idea to use the museum as a vacation sightseeing project...... If you have the time, you might as well go to the lower town, or follow your father's tricks and visit the quirky antique shop.

But after less than two seconds of struggle, the young psychiatrist suddenly made up his mind and strode towards the main entrance of the museum.

More than half of the horror stories in this world are full of sea fog, ghost ships and mutinous sailors, there are ghost stories in museums, and there may be more scary things in antique shops than ghost stories—how could she, a psychiatrist who deals with neuropathy all day long, be afraid of this?

No one could stop her from enjoying the vacation she had been waiting for! None of the evil gods of subspace can do it!

Determined and walked like the wind, Miss Psychiatrist strode through the ticket gate, through the doors of the museum, and into this ancient building, which was nearly a century old.

There were fewer visitors to the museum than expected, and perhaps because it wasn't a public holiday, the lobby on the first floor of the venue was even a little deserted.

Several hall guides guide visitors to the main exhibit area, and at the end of the lobby on the first floor, a huge whale skeleton and elaborate models of various sea ships are fixed to the towering walls, and a docent dressed as a captain introduces a few children to the knowledge of early sail warships.

Two girls, who looked to be only sixteen or seventeen years old and probably still in school, walked together to the door to the main exhibit, talking and laughing along the way, and seemed to be on good terms.

The venue is brightly lit and the atmosphere is pleasant.

Heidi breathed a sigh of relief and followed the two young girls to the main hall where the main exhibit was located, ready to enjoy the quiet time.

Then, she smelled a little weird.

That smells...... It's as if something is burning......

……

Near Cross Block, Duncan stepped out of a steam bus and bought a recreational magazine at a nearby newsstand, ready to pass the time.

The investigation in the vicinity of the factory ruins did not make much progress, and after Shirley and Ah Dog left, he wandered around the Sixth Block for a long time, asking the locals about something, but it was clear that it was impossible for ordinary citizens to get a glimpse of the truth behind the "Veil", and all the residents of the Sixth Block remembered was the official information, and everyone believed that the decline of the neighborhood was due to the chemical pollution left behind by the factory and the neglect of the city-state authorities - not unlike what the old man in the sun had revealed.

The truth is covered in a veil, the records of reality have been tampered with, and the city-state authorities have only revealed doctored information, but Duncan cannot conclude that the "Veil" is the town hall or church of the city-state of Purland on this basis alone, because in this world where there is a transcendent phenomenon, a powerful anomaly or vision has the potential to blindfold everyone.

In the face of powerful anomalies and anomalies, even the so-called "reality" is a canvas that can be smeared and tampered with.

Now it seems that the source of that "veil" is not in the factory, maybe not even in the sixth block, and if this so-called "source" is a fragment of the sun, then it should be hidden in the depths.

Until more clues are available, the investigation will not proceed.

Duncan sat down on a bench by the side of the road, casually reading the pastime while thinking about the future.

The Suncultists were searching for the Sun Fragments, and they had disturbed the city-state; Nina's memories and dreams faintly point to the fragment of the sun, and there is a very likely connection between her and the fragment; Through the mask of the sun, he glimpsed the appearance of the real sun, and the unspeakable thing that looked like an evil god had seen him and pleaded with him for help......

Before I knew it, I seemed to have fallen into a messy mass of threads.

The city-state of Purand, the first landing point of this civilized society in this world, thought it was a peaceful, prosperous and tranquil place, but he didn't expect this "first stop" to be so unpeaceful.

Duncan sighed and shook his head slightly, and just then, out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly saw a strange cloud of smoke rise over a nearby block.

There was still a faint glow of fire rising from the smoke.

Duncan was stunned for a moment, and got up from the bench, and noticed that there were many people in the street who also saw the smoke and fire, and many pedestrians stopped to stop, and then he saw someone running through the street in a panic, and heard someone shouting:

"It's on fire! The museum is on fire!! ”

(End of chapter)