I created the myth of the Great Old Ones.

It seems that Stone has also chosen the profession of "detective," but unlike Trist's violent detective, his ability is to truly facilitate the solving of cases.

"This ability isn't that convenient. For example, right now, if I want to track that mud monster, I need to get in touch with a part of it. That sounds a bit obvious, which is why I didn't use this ability right away."

A clap of thunder sounded, and the flash of lightning illuminated Stone's profile, once again casting half of his face into shadow.

"However, if it is confirmed that this was done by that mud monster, I now have an idea."

He said.

Chapter 632 Let's get real.

Obtaining a piece of the Sludge Monster is certainly difficult.

Stone, who had fought alongside the mud monsters, knew very well that while these monsters appeared to be everywhere like mud, each of its mud spots was actually a complete entity, never leaving a trace as it moved. Not to mention, the ones in this mansion might no longer be the original mud monsters.

The mud monsters that Lu Ban saw at Nanhua Private Renji Hospital, in the wasteland, and in the ruined city were clearly not the same species, and there was a continuous evolutionary relationship between them.

For example, the original species of the Wasteland were native to the Wasteland, directly derived from the original Great Old Ones' kin. However, after being modified and integrated by humans, they developed powerful mimicry abilities and could even disguise themselves as humans and transform into insect swarms.

Meanwhile, the private Renji Hospital in Nanhua has evolved the ability to create a certain kind of alien space, through which it hunts humans and seizes their souls.

As for the creatures in the "Glass Flower" quest, they are already able to communicate and cooperate with humans to a certain extent, becoming tools for humans.

These different types of mud monsters may have evolved in different directions, and Lu Ban doesn't know which one appeared first.

The creature in this Stormy Mountain Villa is clearly of even greater importance, at least strongly related to Daoist Heming. According to Lu Ban's understanding, Daoist Heming had also met another Great Old One who had suffered severe corruption. The mud monsters he created or summoned were probably far beyond the level before.

"It's difficult for us to find it using a portion of this silt, but there's something else."

Stone said.

"Gao De's corpse."

"...You mean his internal organs?"

Xia suddenly realized.

"That's right, Gao De is dead. His internal organs have disappeared. They need to be put somewhere. If that mud monster swallowed him, then by tracking Gao De, we can pinpoint the location of his internal organs."

Stone said that even if the internal organs had been fused and assimilated by the Sludge Monster, they were still God's internal organs. Since the Sludge Monster was watertight, the only option was to start with this poor dead man.

With that in mind, the three of them immediately went to Gaode's room.

The body hadn't disappeared; it still lay on the bed in that miserable position. Since a whole night had passed, and it was windy and rainy outside, the environment was damp, and Gao De's body had begun to decompose, emitting a strong stench of decay in addition to the smell of blood. It was like a salted fish that had been left on a chopping board for several days without being processed; just one whiff of it would make you want to vomit.

The smell had even spread into the corridor.

Stone frowned slightly, took out a mask and gloves from his coat pocket, put them on, and went to the body.

Immediately, Stone materialized the booklet in his hand, and at the same time, his gloved right hand reached out towards God's corpse and grabbed a clump of rotting flesh.

"gross."

Lu Ban commented.

"Don't be nosy."

Stone glanced at Lu Ban. The rotting flesh in his hand was mostly decayed, a semi-solid paste, and the sight of it sticking to his hand was utterly repulsive. In Lu Ban's world, if a normal person touched such things, they would probably need to wash for three days and three nights to shake off the psychological impact.

At the same time, a few lines of text and a simple sketch appeared in Stone's notebook.

Stone quickly realized that this was a floor plan of Stormy Mountain Lodge, and the floor plan indicated the location of the underground wine cellar.

Gao De's internal organs were stored in the wine cellar.

As for the condition of the internal organs, it's hard to say.

The three of them exchanged glances.

It's still morning, and there are still several days until the night of the summoning of spirits, so they have plenty of time to conduct their investigation.

Stone first approached the old butler, expressed his desire to investigate the Stormy Mountain Lodge, and obtained the key to the underground wine cellar.

谷韂

The underground wine cellar is located downstairs. Every estate has such a wine cellar. Sometimes, the wines stored in these cellars are part of the estate's value. Some wealthy people will even buy an entire villa specifically for the rare wines stored in the cellar.

However, Stormy Mountain Villa clearly does not have such a claim.

The wine cellar here is unremarkable, even rudimentary. The further down you go, the damper it gets, with moss and peeling paint clearly visible in the corners.

The further down you go, the stronger the fishy smell becomes, as if the buildings were salvaged from the sea. It seems as if the place is soaked in seawater, and even the air becomes humid.

Lu Ban simply didn't believe that fine wine could be stored in such an environment.

It's good enough that it doesn't get moldy.

However, in the Middle Ages, wine was indeed consumed extensively by the wealthy and nobles to prevent water from spoiling. But back then, wine was more like diluted fruit juice, bland and tasteless. So, there might really be some fine wine in this cellar.

Upon arriving at the entrance of the underground wine cellar, Lu Ban could only smell the lingering salty, damp scent of the sea; there was no smell of blood or decay.

They opened the old, heavy wooden door with a key, and before them lay a wine cellar filled with oak barrels.

The air here is even better than outside, with a faint scent of oak and the smell of dust.

Mr. Browning probably didn't like drinking much.

Lu Ban tapped one of the barrels of wine with his hand, receiving only a dull echo.

It was filled to the brim, making one want to open it and taste the contents.

The three of them quickly scanned the wine cellar, but clearly, there was no trace of Gao De's internal organs or the mud monster.

Stone opened the illusory notebook in his hand.

His gaze swept over the wooden barrels, finally settling on an oak barrel in the middle of the shelf.

Stumpy pulled out his revolver and gestured with his eyes toward the oak barrel.

Sia immediately raised her hand, ready to unleash magic at any moment.

Lu Ban then took out his "Last Words," intending to deliver a powerful hymn to the Old Ones if they dared to resist, making it more authentic.

"I come."

Sia said that as the strongest of the three, she walked at the front.

The oak barrel looked ordinary, no different from any other wine barrel.

Sia first used a detection spell, but the feedback was not obvious.

She cautiously approached the barrel and placed her hand directly in front of it, her palm causing the air to distort.

Mystra's Void Burst

A devastating spell suddenly struck the oak barrel.

Before Stone could react, the barrel exploded.

There was no wine splashing, and Stone saw a person curled up inside the barrel.

The man looked to be around thirty years old, thin, with high cheekbones and dry, yellow hair. He seemed to have been forcibly shoved into a barrel of wine, and then jumped out when the barrel exploded.

Upon seeing Lu Ban and the others, he immediately raised his hands, making a gesture of surrender.

"Don't kill me. I was invited here. My name is Byron."

Chapter 633 French Military Salute

The man looked weathered and worn. Lu Ban didn't recognize him, and he obviously didn't recognize Lu Ban and the others either.

"You're Byron?"

Stone kept his distance from the other man, his revolver still aimed at Byron.

"Yes, I am Byron. I was in charge of handling Mr. Browning's Spirit Night and was invited."

The other person said, staring at the dark muzzle of Stone's gun, raising his hands in a French military salute.

"How did you end up hiding in the wine barrel?"

Sia asked directly.

“I don’t know either. I was traveling here by car when I fell asleep halfway there. When I woke up, I was trapped in a barrel. No matter how much I called out, no one responded until you appeared. It’s so good.”

Byron smiled, his white teeth contrasting sharply with his appearance.

Hearing this obviously nonsense, Stone glanced at Lu Ban and Xia.

"According to my search, Gao De's internal organs are inside his body."

"What? Mr. Gaode?"

Byron was puzzled and asked with a confused look.

"How could this be inside my body?"

"Are you a disciple of Daoist Heming?"

Stone was ready to pull the trigger. To be honest, he didn't expect to find Byron so quickly. Logically, Byron should be the culprit. If he wanted to complete the mission, the simplest thing to do was to find a way to kill Byron. Without the successor of Crane Cry Daoist, the Night of Summoning Souls would be out of the question. On the ninth day, the mission would be completed automatically. He was very pleased with himself.

"I guess so, uh, no, no, I don't count. As you know, the affairs of Daoist Heming are taboo in the capital. I've only had some superficial contact with him and know a little bit of magic. In reality, I was just someone Mr. Gaode brought in to cooperate in the play."

Byron hurriedly explained, pulling several pieces of paper from his slightly worn clothes.

"Mr. Gao De said that I should disguise myself as a disciple of Daoist Heming and perform the ritual of the Night of Summoning Souls. On the last day, I should use the magic tricks I have mastered to present Mr. Browning's last words, so that his children can get rid of this manor cheaply. When he takes over smoothly, he will give me a large sum of money."

Lu Ban took the papers. Although there was nothing on them, Lu Ban could see that there were some special marks on them. As long as they were touched with a special solvent, they would reveal words. It was a classic feudal scam.

"Isn't he afraid you'll be exposed?"

Xia frowned slightly and asked.

She didn't sense any threat from the man before her; at least, according to her mage intuition, he was less dangerous than a jackal.

“Mr. Gao said he would agree with me and act as my shill. Moreover, although I am just a wandering magician, I have indeed inherited part of the mantle of Daoist Heming, such as this.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Byron snapped his fingers.

Sparks flashed at his fingertips, though only for a moment, but that was certainly not something an ordinary person could do.

"I found a page of Heming Daoren's writings, which recorded a few simple spells. I tried it out and quickly learned it. It was thanks to this that I was able to cooperate with Mr. Gaode."

When was the last time you saw Gaode Maps?