417: 274.
Petra’s Testant 417: 274.
Petra’s Testant Lu Li knew who, or rather what, it was.
The existence neither Anna, Baron, nor Petra could sense: the Door.
Its last appearance traced back to Seaview Cliff, almost four weeks past, the continuous situation had almost made Lu Li forget about it.
So today, the opportune Door descended once again.
Lu Li almost responded to it, after all, no one could be specially vigilant all the ti, it was Baron and Petra’s strange reaction that saved him.
“I’m fine, just a hallucination brought on by low Sanity Value,” Lu Li explained to Baron and the others, then whispered in a voice only Anna could hear: “It’s the ‘Door’.”
The chilling air dissipated slightly, and vanished in an instant; Anna’s eyes flickered as she surveyed the basent: “Did it leave?”
“Yes.”
The Investigator’s Headquarters had still not replied regarding the “Door.” After the Shadow of Puppetry event ended, Lu Li planned to go ask Tesla.
If he could survive the Shadow of Puppetry ceremony.
At afternoon tea ti, the Head Maid brought the nutritious porridge prepared in the kitchen to Baron, Petra, and Lu Li, who had the least injuries.
The nutritious porridge did nothing for the cold, but a bowl of hot porridge made Lu Li feel much better, though the coughing persisted.
As ti passed, the heavy rain made the outside light so dim by four in the afternoon that they needed to light an oil lamp.
They heard that the rain would briefly cease the next morning, only to be followed by a massive storm cloud looming over the sea.
It was nearly the usual ti for Lu Li and others to “finish work,” but today was an exception.
The real plot would only begin after dark.
And it might well be the conclusion.
The Head Maid brought dinner to the three in the basent.
[Most of the people in the mansion had already entered into sleep.]
[Sara quietly slipped out of her blanket, changed into clothes suitable for moving about, and snuck to the woodshed in the backyard.]
While they were eating dully, obscure ancient sounds abruptly echoed in everyone’s minds.
Baron pursed his lips, threw his fork and knife onto the plate in front of him, and looking up at the butler said, “She’s coming, just go.”
The butler instantly refused: “I will stay.”
Baron pushed away the plate, then raised his hand to push the butler: “Your presence here is useless, you will only distract .”
The butler ultimately could not overco the Baron’s stubbornness, agreed to leave, while taking away their unfinished dinner.
Lightning on the staircase lengthened the butler’s shadow, with the closed door blocking the sound of rain and the thunder just beginning to sound.
Only a few faintly flickering oil lamps remained in the basent.
A few minutes later, Sara arrived along with the obscure ancient sound.
[“Miss, please spare , everything was forced by the Family Head, I didn’t betray you, I didn’t kill Adam!” Maid Irene sobbed and pleaded.]
[The oil lamp in her hand cast a side shadow on Sara’s indifferent half-face.
Unmoved by her once closest friend’s pleas, Sara withdrew her gaze from examining Lu Li and Petra and stood in front of the long table.]
“Unless you kill first, it won’t hurt you,” Anna whispered to Lu Li in a cold tone.
“Yes.”
Sara set down the black oil lamp that emitted no light at all and ignored the three people chained to the wall, starting the Resurrection Ritual before them.
[“Moss…
flesh…
candles, and a spell…” Sara muttered the necessary materials, clasped her hands together, and began to recite the spell she had morized countless tis.]
The eerie whisper echoed in the chilly basent, and in the obscure, ancient tone of the description, the surroundings beca distorted and dimd.
What appeared in Lu Li and the others’ line of sight was Vinson’s body beginning to show patches of black spots that expanded and rged into one, darkening Vinson’s entire corpse black.
When Vinson’s body was completely transford into a dark hue, he…
or it, stiffly sat up.
[The cloudy, lifeless eyes, the rigid movents, the cold skin—the figure that sat up in front of Sara sent her spirits plumting.
She had failed once again.
[The servants’ screams and exclamations were particularly piercing, and Sara nearly wanted to kill the risen Vinson a second ti—though she didn’t do so.
Temporarily, it could serve as an assistant, perhaps to lift the servants onto the altar.]
Sara did not rush to experint; she began to organize the process and outco from several previous rituals, trying to pinpoint the key problem preventing true resurrection.
But she was rely a newcor stepping into the mysteries, unable to think of anything, thus relying on the most foolish but also most useful thod: to continue trying.
Directed by Sara, the “Vinson” approached Petra, who was in the corner—
“I never thought we would et again this way.” Petra initiated the conversation, her gaze turning to Sara.
“Miss, is this why you killed your closest servants?
To resurrect your lover.”
Facing imminent death, Petra appeared calm and composed.
[“Closest?
What an ironic term.” Sara sneered, watching as the severely injured Petra was lifted onto a makeshift table by “Vinson” and secured.]
“Yes, although I don’t understand why you wish to hurt us, we indeed are your closest ones.” Lu Li spoke up at this mont: “For example, after Petra was attacked by the controlled Lola, his first choice was to inform you rather than to get dical treatnt.”
His words were futile; Sara, already overwheld by obsession, could hardly listen to anything.
[Sara took a hemp rope from a corner of the basent and placed it around Petra’s neck.
Previous rituals had led to substantial blood loss; this ti, she intended to prevent the loss of blood—]
“I already lost too much blood during the day,” Petra reminded Sara.
[The servant’s words made Sara give up the idea of hanging, but that was all.
Sara began to sar moss on Petra’s body and arrange candles; she had a new idea.]
[What would happen if the Resurrection Ritual was perford while Petra was still alive?]
At that mont, Petra suddenly began to laugh.
[“What is it?” Sara paused briefly and looked up to ask.]
“I’m laughing at why it only occurred to now,” Petra said with a bitter smile.
[“Occured to what?”]
“Can I say my last words?” Without waiting for Sara to respond, Petra tilted his head towards the other two by the wall: “Lu Li, Aileen, listen, these are my last words.”
“After this is over, find my friend and tell him to go ahead and pursue boldly.
There may be deep rifts and contradictions or even hatred between them, but there’s always a chance for change, don’t give up because of opposition.
Rember, enemies and friends will be rembered, while only strangers are forgotten.”
The content of Petra’s last words was inopportunely tid.
He looked deeply at Lu Li, his eyes conveying a particular significance, and asked: “Got it?”
“Yes,” Lu Li nodded to him.
“Good.” Petra smiled, withdrew his gaze, looked directly at Sara, and faced his imminent death calmly.
“Begin,” he said.
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