The Secret Cult Chronicles of the Decaying Lake Manor

"etc."

George reached out and grabbed the shoulder of Inspector Douglas, who was leading the way, and pointed in that direction.

"Inspector, did you see the dark figure under that tree over there?"

The inspector stopped and looked in the direction George had indicated.

"there?"

He narrowed his eyes slightly, but his expression quickly turned to doubt, and then to denial.

At the edge of that woodland, which appeared unusually tranquil under the autumn sun, there seemed to be nothing amiss amidst the dappled light and shadows and the occasional rustling of branches in the wind.

He paused for a moment, then recited a short prayer again.

The inspector's brown eyes slowly cleared, turning into a transparent, glassy color, and swept over the area George had pointed to once more.

A moment later, he turned his head and looked at George with his eyes, which were now mostly white.

"George, honestly, I didn't see anything..."

Seeing George's expression, he added, "You probably used up a lot of energy just now. Perhaps it was an illusion caused by the light and shadow, or maybe you were under a lot of mental stress? This is quite common."

Lieutenant Bates also came over, looked up at the direction George pointed out, and then shook his head at George.

"If I'm not mistaken, there's only wind and woods over there, George."

"...Maybe I'm seeing things," George finally said slowly. "Sorry, I might be being a bit neurotic."

"I understand." The inspector patted George on the shoulder. "Let's go, we need to get back as soon as possible."

They continued on, but George's gaze lingered for a final second as they passed the woodland.

The shadows of the trees were dim, and all was deathly still.

He suppressed his unease and quickened his pace to catch up with the group.

Back at the main gate of Paradise Island, Douglas once again used the cross to clean up the remaining insects in the porch and entrance, and the group finally stepped into the relatively safe interior.

Mrs. Hughes was directing several maids to nervously spray something near the foyer when she saw them return, especially when she saw Arthur Tumbert being carried by Bates and Carson still babbling on. Her worried expression turned to shock.

"Master Arthur is unconscious? Mr. Carson... what happened to him?"

She strode forward, her gaze sweeping over the chattering butler's face as if he were a complete stranger.

George quickly gave a brief explanation: "Arthur Tumbert was affected by the insect swarm outside and has only fainted temporarily from exhaustion and fright; Mr. Carson was also frightened at the docks and may need a good night's rest."

He then instructed Mrs. Hughes to arrange for reliable people to immediately send Carson and Arthur Thompson back to their respective bedrooms and have them looked after.

Mrs. Hughes quickly accepted the instruction: "Yes, sir. I'll arrange it immediately."

She turned to the two male servants beside her and whispered a few words of advice.

Soon, the unconscious Arthur was carefully carried up to the second floor.

Mr. Carson, under Mrs. Hughes's gentle but firm persuasion, was helped downstairs by two male servants.

He was still muttering something like, "The ship's mooring ropes need to be replaced with new hemp ropes."

After seeing the two off, George continued, "Where is the old lady?"

"Miss Moore gave Mr. Albert a bottle of medicine to calm the old lady down. She added it to the old lady's tea, and now she is asleep."

Mrs. Hughes lowered her voice and said, "The maid said Miss Moore stayed by the old lady's side until she fell asleep."

George nodded, his opinion of the inspector's granddaughter changing once again.

"Inspector, Bates, we need to discuss our next move as soon as possible. Please come with me."

George turned to the two men behind him who had finished tidying their clothes and led them through the first floor to the temporary alchemy room.

On the way, he randomly found a servant and asked him to invite Miss Moore to join them.

After Inspector Douglas entered, he closed the door behind him, and a serious expression immediately appeared on his face.

He walked to the alchemy platform and sighed, "Alright, now we can get down to business."

"Inspector, what exactly is this 'comedian' you mentioned earlier?" George asked first.

The inspector glanced at George, then slowly spoke.

"The Jokester is one of the five Void Source Sivi. Most countries officially recognize and rely on the orthodox Sivi in ​​order to counter the Void Source Sivi, who are in a state of opposition or even hostility. This is because their power lies in the Abyss Criterion—the most dangerous criterion representing the unknown."

He then brought up another being.

"It is generally believed that there are four 'Lightbringers,' and our Kingdom of Britta's chief savior—'The Man of Light and Shadow'—is one of them. He is also known as 'The Night Watchman,' 'The Shadow of Light and Silence,' and 'The God of Illumination and Dispelling Darkness.'" The inspector's tone became solemn.

"He is the master of 'order,' 'enlightenment,' and 'light,' and is the primary force by which we resist the encroachment of chaos and darkness."

"And the 'comedian' is the master of the 'absurd unknown,' the 'opposite of order,' the 'cruel fallacy,' and the 'god of laughter and destruction.'"

The inspector's expression turned cold: "One of the most prominent characteristics of His power is its ability to amplify, distort, and even reverse repressed traits within humanity—essentially used by evildoers to cause destruction."

Just then, there was a gentle knock on the door.

George went over and opened the door, and Miss Kelly walked in gracefully.

She scanned the room: "So these are all the people in the manor who know what lies beneath the surface of the world?"

When she saw the room full of alchemy equipment, her eyes lit up slightly, as if she wanted to say something.

Before she could speak, the inspector continued speaking.

"I've seen many similar cases regarding the impact of 'The Comedian'."

"Some people were originally law-abiding and dutiful, but after being influenced, they became serial killers; some people suddenly wanted to eat something different, so they actually killed their own neighbors to cook; some people spent most of their lives dutifully, but then turned around and rushed off with explosives..."

The inspector didn't finish recounting the last case, but instead concluded, "In short, the power of the 'comedian' is like throwing a boulder into a calm lake, stirring up all the silt at the bottom."

Miss Kelly interrupted, "Grandfather, just tell me the solution."

The inspector general breathed a sigh of relief: "The most urgent task is to clean up any remaining contamination on 'victims' like Mr. Arthur, and to dispel the 'comedian' forces that are affecting the entire area. The methods are not simple."

"The former requires alchemical potions with specific effects. And I'm not good at alchemy." The inspector spread his hands.

"Moreover, I did not bring the necessary ritual implements and materials with me on this trip, nor did I have the corresponding 'spirit interference indicators'—I cannot perform a high-level purification ritual in this area without causing even more uncontrollable consequences."

He looked at George, his gaze heavy: "George, with your father currently unable to take charge, can you, as the heir, find a way to resolve this disaster?"

"If I cannot control the situation on my own... for the safety of the manor and the surrounding area, I will have to consider sending a formal distress signal to the Anti-Corruption Bureau and requesting a special task force to handle such incidents."

George remained silent.

A large-scale request for assistance from the Anti-Corruption Bureau means that internal family affairs will be exposed.

This is quite different in its approach from the Viscount's warning in the note that "if the High Court representative causes the situation to get out of control, you may be informed as a last resort..."

He quickly sorted through the available information and resources in his mind.