It's the end of September.

Early morning.

Paris, France.

In the fog, the early newsboys have begun to walk the streets and alleys, singing today's selling point in a clear voice:

"Grotesque Nights Issue 39! There's a new work again! There's Lu's new work again! ”

The shouting of hawkers made their way through the block.

A carriage suddenly stopped,

"Kid, give me a copy of 'Grotesque Night'."

The one who spoke was Jules Verne.

The newsboy looked up through the window of the car and saw that there was more than one person sitting inside, so he sold: "There are so many gentlemen, I'm afraid it won't be enough to buy only one copy, right?" ”

Verne laughed,

"Okay, let's have three servings."

The newsboy smiled proudly, handed over the magazine, took the money and said, "It's sold out, it's time to go to school~"

After speaking, he ran away in a puff of smoke.

Compulsory education in Paris has led to newsboys having to work part-time jobs in the morning and evening.

That's certainly a good thing.

Verne said to the coachman, "Let's go." ”

The carriage continued.

On the other hand, François and Poincaré each took their own "Grotesque Nights" and read them with great interest.

Poincaré sighed: "I have to admit that Marcel's style is closest to Lu. Moreover, there is a faint feeling that the blue is better than the blue. ”

Verne smiled "hehe",

"It's obviously the best fit for you."

Francis chimed in: "That's right. In the last issue of the magazine, we all 'impersonated' Lu, and as a result, readers recognized it and sent letters to the magazine to make fun of it. Only your article "The Haze of Truntemut", no one has discovered the author's true identity. ”

Poincaré spreads his hands,

"That's because I'm not famous as a writer."

In the last issue of "Grotesque Night", several authors published the Cthulhu Mythos under the name of Lu,

Although deliberately imitated, the deep-rooted style of writing is not easy to change after all, and it is inevitable that it will be recognized by book fans.

Only Poincaré, who wrote prose, was spared.

Poincaré sighed,

"I'm not happy if I don't get recognized."

The other two laughed.

After a while, Verne said: "Rest assured ~ rest assured ~ this issue of "Grotesque Night" is released, and the problem will be solved. ”

The last time they used the pseudonym "Lu", in order to pay homage to Lu Shi,

Because Lu Shi is so generous, he released the set of settings,

Although there is almost no filling content in it, it provides a system of outer gods, old gods, and old rulers, laying a solid foundation for the authors' secondary creation.

Expressing gratitude to Lu Shi is the proper meaning of writers.

But this kind of performance art is enough to do it once.

Otherwise......

"We don't want to rub on Professor Lu's fame."

When he said this, Verne was upright.

Poincaré pouted,

"I don't know which brother wrote 'Count Sandorf.'"

"The Count of Sandolf" is a "tribute" to "The Count of Monte Cristo",

The author is none other than Verne.

Verne was thick-skinned and shrugged,

"In "Count Sandolph", there is both rubbing and paying tribute, it is the relationship between you and me, and I and you. You know. ”

Poincaré gave each other a blank look,

(ˉ▽ ̄~) cut ~~

The three of them chatted for a while.

Gradually, the carriage stopped.

Their destination is the Musée d'Orsay,

It is located in an old railway station built for the 1900 World's Fair in Paris, making it an excellent venue for exhibitions.

Western art from 1848 to the early 20th century is exhibited in the museum.

Although it is nowhere near as famous as the Louvre, it is also a must-stop for artists visiting Paris.

This place is temporarily the stronghold of French Cthulhu writers,

They also gave the makeshift organization a nickname—

Olympiad Society.

Poincaré looked at the pocket watch,

"Eight o'clock when we made an appointment with Master Monet?"

Verne nodded,

"That's right. Plenty of time. ”

The trio walked towards the building next to the museum.

In fact, they wanted to ask Picasso to illustrate the Cthulhu Mythos.

After the exhibition of the series of paintings "The Great Writer - Lu, When the New Book Goes Away", the art world recognized a new form of painting -

Cubism.

It is a pictorial language with conflict and distortion at its core, and it is best used to draw the unspeakable in the Cthulhu Mythos.

But the French writers call themselves the "Orsay Society", how can they let the Spaniards get involved?

They want to make sure that the Society's French blood is pure.

The three entered the room.

At this time, Roland was already there,

Across from him sat an uninvited guest who was not a member of the Society.

The two seemed to be arguing, and their faces turned red.

Roland said: "Mr. Bergson, that "Brain in a Jar" is the work of Professor Lu! Absolutely true! ”

Bergson was suspicious,

"Really? You're not going to be dumping, are you? ”

Roland sighed helplessly,

"I have no reason to lie to the alumni!"

Bergson said, "Haha! You are, there is a famous saying in our Paris Normal High School, 'The best to deceive is often your own people'. ”

!

Ten thousand grass and mud horses galloped through Roland's heart.

But that famous saying can't be miscalculated,

Cauchy, Fourier, Hermitt......

These well-known graduates of the Paris Normal School have either stabbed their own alumni in the back academically, or stumbled on the alumni in the administration of the college.

It is dangerous to be the enemy of the high division of Paris;

Being an alumnus of Paris Normal School is fatal.

All kinds of grievances and hatreds here are enough to write a long story.

Poincaré stepped forward and recognized the visitor with a glance,

"Little Henry, why are you here?"

Henri Bergson was a French philosopher and writer.

During his college years, Bergson began to embrace materialism and was critical of the Kantianism that society admired, writing On the Immediacy of Consciousness.

Interestingly, he was also the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1927, and his work was "The Theory of Creation and Evolution".

And that's a philosophical work,

The confusion of the Nobel Prize at that time was evident.

Bergson said: "Old Henry, is that 'Brain in a Vat' a work of yours? ”

(PS: Both are named Henry, Henri Bergson, Henri Poincaré)

Poincaré shook his head again and again,

"No, no, how is that possible?"

Bergson was surprised,

"Is it really Lu's work? So, he is still a philosopher? ”

Poincaré laughs,

"You know, I'm good at the philosophy of mathematics. If you talk to me about that, I can only mention some relatively superficial concepts. ”

Bergson mused, "Surely you've seen 'Brain in a Vat,' right?" ”

Poincaré nodded repeatedly,

"Of course."

"Brain in a Jar" is short in length and the plot is not complicated.

Named after Albert M. From the perspective of Professor N. Wilmas,

At the beginning of the story, Arkham reports on the appearance of unidentified objects in the river after the flood, and subsequently, Wilmas receives a letter from Eckley, who says that he has evidence of the existence of these monsters.

Wilmas visits Eckley on his farm and finds Eckley unable to move in his chair.

In Eckley's description, this monster can take out human brains and put them in a vat and carry them on interstellar travel.

……

His real name is "Murmur in the Night", and he is the author of H· Works by P. Lovecraft.

Lu Shi made appropriate modifications and changed the name.

Bergson groaned,

"If that monster does exist, the human brain can be removed from the body and put into a container, and the brain can still transmit information to keep it normal sentient and functioning......"

Roland interrupted: "Wait! What do you mean by 'normal perception and functioning'? ”

Bergson stepped forward and gave Roland a hand.

Roland: "Ah! "With a bang,

"What?"

"The so-called 'normal' is like this," Bergson said. If I pinch you, you will be in pain and you will scream. ”

Roland: "......"

Still don't understand.

Bergson continued: "For the brain that was removed, it seemed that people, objects, and the sky still existed, and their own movements and body sensations could all be input by monsters. ”

Roland was curious,

"So what?"

Bergson showed a "unteachable" expression and said, "What do you say? Suppose that kind of monster exists, I ask you, are you really alive now, or are you hallucinating from a brain that has been placed in a container? ”

A question that confused everyone,

“……”

“……”

“……”

There was an eerie silence at the scene.

If you think about it carefully, "Brain in a Jar" seems to be a very deep philosophical question.

Bergson explains: "So, Lu's revelation is a very advanced thought experiment. Of course, I am in favor of materialism, which is different from his point of view. However, I can't argue with the brain in the vat. ”

He stroked his hair,

"Look."

Poincaré was puzzled: "What to see? I only saw the scalp. ”

"That's what it's about, hey!"

"I haven't slept well for more than a month because of 'Brain in a Vat,' Bergson said, and my hair fell out in handfuls," Bergson said. ”

Roland coughed lightly,

"When you get older, hair loss is normal, and it has nothing to do with other factors. If you look at the British, they start to be bald in their thirties, can't they all accept it calmly? ”

Bergson: "......"

I want to really take out the other person's brain.

"Actually, I don't think Professor Lu thought that much when he wrote 'Brain in a Vat'. He's a science fiction writer, and it's inevitable that he has a lot of ideas. It is not difficult to find that "Brain in a Jar" is based on some existing scientific theories. ”

Bergson glanced at him,

"I see, you're dizzy when you study mathematics."

Poincaré raised his eyebrows,

"What do you mean by that?"

Bergson replied: "It is very simple, no matter how advanced science is, the skeptical nature of this question can be explained by other thought experiments, so it is a philosophical proposition." ”

Poincaré gently twisted his beard with his fingers,

After thinking about it for a long time, he realized that he couldn't refute the other party.

So

"Philosophy indeed."

He had to admit it.

Bergson praised sincerely: "Professor Lu is worthy of being a literary hero of the time, and even his philosophical skills are so profound. ”

The people of the Orsay Society looked at each other,

Could it be that

Is Lu really a philosopher?

Bergson was curious,

"Roman told me just now, Lu left you a canonset? Can I take a look? ”

"Of course."

Verne handed the notebook over,

"Look. The set is public, and if you are willing to use it as a basis for literary creation, Professor Lu will be happy. ”

However, Bergson did not listen to these words at all,

I saw him open his notebook, his face full of piety, longing, and hope, almost like those swamp shaman sacrifices described in "The Call of Cthulhu".

I don't know, I really think he believes in Cthulhu~

Francis asked in a low voice, "Henry, is the question he said just now really philosophical?" ”

Poincaré asked rhetorically: "Is mathematics a discovery or an invention?" ”

Franc: ???

"What are you talking about?"

Poincaré said: "You see, philosophy is like that, and the layman cannot understand it. ”

Francis couldn't help but slap the other party,

"Just pretend!"

Poincaré smiled,

"I did pretend. Because I don't understand those questions either. Let's talk about literature. ”

He managed to divert the conversation.

A few people chatted, and several more members arrived one after another.

At eight o'clock, the sound of machinery "clanging" sounded outside.

Roland asked, "What's going on?" ”

Poincaré said: "Didn't Master Monet buy a car when he traveled to Spain? It sounds like the sound of that thing. ”

His guess was right,

Soon, the door was pushed open, and Monet walked in slowly.

Although he was old, he was in good spirits, and said excitedly: "Ladies and gentlemen, I received your telegram and rushed back without stopping. Driving during the day and painting at night, several figures have been drawn. Take a look. ”

The first to come up with the illustrations for "Call of Cthulhu".

And all the people came to me,

It was a strange creature, its epidermis seemed to be intertwined with countless tiny tentacles, each of which was lifelike, seemed to be wriggling, exuding an indescribable strange aura,

Its eyes are two large black spheres, deep and hollow.

"Hiss......"

Roland shuddered,

"It's not like that."

Monet asked, "Have you seen Cthulhu?" ”

Roland waved his hand,

"Master Monet, don't curse me! I have never seen Him! ”

Monet said, "Then you don't think it is?" ”

Roland defended: "I don't say it because your illustrations are inconsistent with the description in Professor Lu. ”

In the original text, the image of Cthulhu combines the characteristics of some animals,

The head of the octopus,

The upper body of a person,

Bat wings,

……

Its body is obese and covered in scales, its forelimbs resemble claws, and its hindlimbs degenerate into seemingly unformed wings.

Roland's finger tapped on the drawing,

"Look at this."

As he spoke, he withdrew his hand like a lightning bolt as if he didn't want to touch the filth,

"It's supposed to be scales, not tentacles."

Monet whispered, "Li, Cthulhu is an indescribable being, right?" ”

Roland let out an "um",

"That's right."

Monet added: "The features you mentioned, the octopus head, the human body, and the wings of a bat, are the statues that the protagonist of "The Call of Cthulhu" found while sorting out his uncle's relics. That statue can't be guaranteed to be authentic. ”

God "guarantees truth......

Roland was quite helpless,

"Master Monet, are you going to take the Cthulhu Mythos seriously?"

Monet smiled: "I, as a person, have always liked to substitute for it when I create. In order to paint the "Water Lilies" group, I even built a garden in Giverny. You all know that. Even the painting "Milky Way Water Lilies", I think it really exists. ”

Roland had nothing more to say.

Monet said: "Look at the other paintings, although the image in the original text has not been restored, I can guarantee that the atmosphere is very strong." ”

And the rest of them began to look at the paintings.

"This is well drawn, more majestic than I imagined the king in yellow!"

"I think we need to add a reference here, otherwise I won't be able to see the size of the outer god."

"Worthy of a master!"

……

The writers were amazed.

Monet said: "I heard that Professor Lu gave you a book of settings? I want to see it. ”

Poincaré looked at Bergson next to him,

"Little Henry."

Bergson: "......"

I don't seem to hear it.

Poincaré had to raise his voice and shout again: "Hey, hey! Bergson! ”

As soon as the words fell,

Bang –

Bergson jerked to his feet and knocked the stool down,

He muttered, "Sure enough...... Really! Professor Lu is definitely a philosopher! There's a lot of ...... involved in these images skepticism, solipsism, subjective idealism...... Each one is so subtle that you can't fault it. ”

Bergson couldn't have been more excited.

"Goo......

Poincaré swallowed, fearing that Bergson had gone mad,

After all, there are not a few philosophers who have turned into madmen.

He cautiously said, "Little Henry, why don't you give me back the set first?" Calculating the time, Professor Lu estimates that he will return to the UK in two days, and you can go to the docks in London to block him~"

Bergson's eyes lit up,

"Professor Block?"

Poincaré said: "Yes, it is the on-site discussion and face-to-face communication that can really collide with the spark of ideas." Perhaps, with his solution, those problems can be solved. ”

On the surface, that's right,

But in my heart I thought,

If Bergson really wants to go crazy, he should go to Lu Shi.

With the mentality of "dead friends do not die poor", Poincaré directly sold Lu Shi.

(End of chapter)