Vanessa's expression showed no surprise, which didn’t escape Heidi’s notice. The “spiritual healer,” who often collaborated with the church, quickly guessed something from the judge's reaction. After a moment of hesitation, she cautiously asked, “It seems like... there are serious issues behind this incident?”
Vanessa nodded, “Very serious.”
Heidi thought for a moment while packing her medical kit and quickly said, “I’m off tomorrow, and it might be a while before I...”
“Ms. Heidi, you might already be connected to this matter,” Vanessa glanced at Heidi, “I’m sorry, but everyone who was at the scene, including myself, was exposed to some kind of cognitive pollution. The mental issues you found in those cultists actually happened to each of us, but... thanks to the goddess's protection, we weren’t deeply affected, so we’ve ‘woken up’ now.”
“Damn, I knew working in this field would lead to trouble sooner or later,” Heidi finally stopped packing her medical kit and rubbed her forehead. “I should have listened to my father’s advice to take over his business as an antique appraiser, or at least listened to my mother and become a history teacher at the public school in the Cross Street area... That would be much safer than dealing with cultists.”
“Look on the bright side; at least your job now allows you to maintain a decent life in the upper city,” Vanessa shook her head. In front of Heidi, who was of a similar age and had known her for many years, her attitude was much more approachable than it was with her subordinates. “Now, let’s hear about your findings. This might help the church and the city hall grasp the situation.”
“Actually, it’s quite simple, a clear inconsistency,” Heidi sighed and shared the clues she dug from the cultists’ subconscious. “On the night of the sacrificial ceremony, one of the offerings lost control in front of the sun totem and reversed the sacrifice, attacking the priest who was hosting the ceremony. According to the clues we found at the scene, that ‘offering’ who caused the chaos was actually a ‘corpse’ that had already been sacrificed. It walked up to the altar after coming back to life, right?”
Vanessa nodded, “Of course, I remember it clearly.”
“Then here’s the problem... Since this offering had already been sacrificed once, why didn’t any of the cultists at the scene recognize him? It’s one thing for ordinary cultists not to recognize him, but why didn’t even the priest himself recognize the offering he had sacrificed not long ago?”
Vanessa slowly furrowed her brows, “...The cultists saw the offering that had been sacrificed not long ago appear again, yet no one noticed anything strange... Their memories have been tampered with, their perceptions distorted.”
“Even we didn’t notice this obvious inconsistency at the time, did we?” Heidi said with a bitter smile, spreading her hands. “In fact, even until an hour ago, I didn’t realize I had overlooked something so obvious, and only now do I know from you that my own mind had been affected.”
Vanessa fell silent for a moment and turned to face the cultist who was still in a dazed state.
The cultist, heavily sedated by a large dose of nerve drugs and strong incense, merely swayed his head slightly, staring blankly at the tall woman in front of him.
Vanessa suddenly turned back and asked, “Did these cultists start killing each other after the ceremony went out of control because of cognitive confusion?”
“Yes, I ‘saw’ some flashing images in their memories,” Heidi replied. “These images seemed to have left a strong impression on them, making them believe that everyone else at the ceremony was possessed or controlled by evil spirits. They didn’t think they were killing their fellow cultists; they thought they were driving the evil spirits out of their companions...”
“This is likely their souls instinctively trying to warn them—cultists are still worshipers, after all. There’s a dark sun behind them that ‘blesses’ these people. When a huge and strange danger appears, these blessed worshipers are likely to sense something,” Vanessa analyzed based on her experience. “Their crazy hallucinations actually hinted at the truth, but unfortunately, these untrained ordinary people couldn’t understand the significance of these warnings and instead fell into a state of collective frenzy.”
Heidi looked at Vanessa, who had a serious expression. After hesitating a few times, she finally spoke cautiously, “So... what exactly is behind this matter? Is it even more sinister than that ancient sun?”
Vanessa thought for a moment and gently shook her head, “It’s best not to inquire further, Heidi. Your connection to this matter isn’t deep yet, but if you learn more, some unbreakable ties might form.”
“Alright, since even you, the judge, say so, I should prioritize my own safety,” Heidi said as she picked up her packed medical kit. “I really need to take a break... Don’t worry, I’m not running away. In a couple of days, there’s an exhibition at the Ocean Museum that I’m quite interested in.”
Vanessa nodded, “Visiting the Ocean Museum is a good way to relax. The goddess’s blessings are also present in those exhibits.”
Heidi smiled and headed toward the door with her medical kit. Just as she was about to push the door open, she suddenly stopped and turned back, looking at Vanessa with concern, “I mean... has the pollution really faded?”
“Don’t worry, it has definitely faded,” Vanessa said helplessly, spreading her hands. “We just encountered a bit of ‘residue.’ You’ve been in this tranquil underground sanctuary for so long; the goddess’s blessings have already cleansed the effects you experienced.”
“Then I’m relieved,” Heidi finally relaxed and pushed open the door. “See you next time, Judge Vanessa.”
Vanessa watched Ms. Heidi leave the room.
Beside her, the sun cultist, still dazed from the strong incense and nerve drugs, half-opened his eyes and stared blankly at Vanessa.
The modern drugs, the ancient incense, the peaceful sanctuary environment, and the sun’s “blessings” deeply rooted in their souls—all these chaotic forces tangled together, creating subtle effects within the cultist.
In the cultist’s eyes, Vanessa’s hazy figure was reflected.
He saw the judge standing tall and firm in front of him.
He saw a vague shadow standing behind Vanessa, a nearly transparent illusion surrounded by flickering green flames.
This tall illusion stood silently behind Vanessa, expressionless.
...
Duncan sat expressionlessly in the chart room, watching the doll Alice busying herself in front of him.
She brought over a large tray, which held shiny dishes and a big bowl of steaming soup.
It smelled like fish soup.
Clearly, after getting more familiar with the environment on the Lost Home, this doll had come up with a new idea to “do something for the captain in her own way.”
“Dinner?” Duncan looked curiously at the doll as she set the dishes and fish soup in front of him. “What made you suddenly think of doing this?”
“I finished organizing the kitchen’s pantry and then saw the... fish,” Alice said with a bright smile and a proud look. “There are many tasks on the ship I can’t help with, but cooking should be fine. From now on, I’ll cook for you.”
“That’s a good intention,” Duncan wasn’t sure how to respond to this strange doll. Facing Alice’s sincere smile, it was hard for anyone to refuse. He was just a bit curious, “But as a doll, can you really cook?”
“I can learn! It seems pretty simple,” Alice replied as if it were obvious. “For the basics, I can just ask Mr. Goathead. He told me a lot about cooking before...”
Duncan expressionlessly glanced at the Goathead beside him and then at Alice.
One was a wooden carving, and the other was a doll made of unknown material. Together they couldn’t even form a complete digestive system, yet they were trying to study cooking—one dared to teach, and the other was brave enough to listen?
He didn’t know how to feel about it. He just picked up the soup spoon and stirred the fish soup in the bowl, thinking at least it smelled right. However, the next second, his movements froze.
After a moment of silence, he reached in and pulled out a long silver hair from the spoon.
“Your hair fell in,” Duncan said expressionlessly.
“Ah, I didn’t drop my hair in,” Alice immediately waved her hands. “My head fell in... But don’t worry, I pulled it out right away, and I didn’t need anyone’s help!”
Duncan: “...?”
(End of Chapter)