Chapter 95: Cecity

Chapter 95: Cecity

Murphy’s words echoed at the dining table. Both royals looked at the investigator, who seemed to stare deep into their eyes, watching their every emotion, reading them as if a book had been given a life to read.

Prince Roosevelt’s eyes narrowed into icy slits; the fork clinking against the plate was the only sound that broke the tension in the room. "Your tongue ventures into dangerous territory, sir. Our Crown funds many charitable endeavors, not just the ’cathedral’, or the ’clinic’. We only do this to maintain order and solace for the lower classes of our royal Clockwork city. To imply anything more than that is not only an impertinence but also a slander that we, royalty, do not tolerate."

Platinum smiled again, but that time it didn’t reach his eyes. "Indeed, Your Highness. The Detective must possess some vivid imagination. Perhaps that damp morning air had affected his senses." He turned his gaze back to Murphy. "You speak of murders, Detective Law. I reassure you that you walked into a house of charity. We made machines to close our doors. We give people a reason to do innovations. Why look for shadows when the light of progress is so bright?"

Murphy caught the briefest flicker of movement in the shadows behind the Prince’s chair. His shoulder wound throbbed beneath his shirt, yet he stared at them for a few minutes, then closed his eyes.

"Progress usually means saving human lives." Murphy murmured as he stood up slowly and adjusted the brim of his fedora. "This one leaves dead bodies and empty clinics. If you insist that you weren’t behind it and did it only for charitable reasons, I suppose I can’t judge you then."

He reached his hand in his pocket and pulled out a ring. "I also suppose this is a coincidence that I found this."

Prince Roosevelt stared at the ring and closed his eyes for a few seconds. "This is not ours."

"If you say so, I’ll get good money from this for living. What do you say?" Murphy gave a cold smile.

Prince Roosevelt merely picked up his teacup once more and took a sip. "Take it as a gift; we permit you to use it however you wish. We shall pray for your clarity, Detective Law. And we hope that you do not lose your way in the dark you so desperately seek."

Murphy turned his back on the royals, walking out as the massive doors groaned open to let him back into the indifferent morning sun. You can catch a poor killer and keep him behind the cells. You can also catch a higher-up, but you can’t keep them behind cells long. Only way to stop them— He removed his hand from his revolver. Is to give them what they never wanted to see.

Murphy Law walked through the gates of the Roosevelt estate. The guards didn’t look at him, of course; they had been told to ignore him.

He stopped at the edge of the street, pulling his fedora lower. The ring was still in his pocket. The royals had not taken it, maybe to keep the truth hidden. They are behind it, but why are they killing? He pondered and leaned against a wall, waiting for a carriage.

Finally, he saw one and moved in.

In half an hour, he reached near the Cathedral.

The Hitten Cathedral loomed ahead, its spires piercing the sky. Outside, people were gathered; it had been getting decorated as he walked toward them. One of the people looked back at the investigator behind, and Murphy called out. "Can I know why it is getting decorated?"

The man holding stained-glass lanterns paused, wiping sweat from his brow as he sized up. "You aren’t from around here, are you, sir?" the worker asked, pointing up toward the Cathedral. "Tonight is the Festival of the Silent Sun. Once a year, the Cathedral provides free food, blessings from the Father, and fine clothes."

​Murphy’s eye caught the decorations of the Cathedral, ribbons, balloons, and colorful festoon.

​"Free blessings," Murphy repeated. "And what do they ask in return?"

​"Not a single copper!" the worker laughed, turning back to his work. "Just your attendance; it’s for the Lord."

​Murphy turned away, his piercing grey eyes scanning the exterior. As he bypassed the main entrance, he tapped into his inner perception.

It had been 77 days and 77 murders; by my knowledge, they had taken out all the organs a human has with distinct kills. Today is also the festival and the 78th day... so I’m the last target, and the only organ that hasn’t been taken out is the brain. Murphy fixed his coat, then slowly entered inside the Cathedral. That means something is going to happen here... but what?"

As he took a step forward, suddenly he saw someone walk through the back door. He wore a mask, a peacock mask. Murphy turned his steps toward the man, who glanced back, but Murphy hid quickly. But the man’s shoulder shook as he turned back to the path, leading toward a small door underground.

A man stood there, a mask hidden behind his back. Murphy jumped on a wall, his boots balancing him on a hole, and then he pushed himself forward toward a canopy and gripped it tightly. Slowly, he moved close to the man who seemed to look around. He hung by the canopy on top of the man, and the shadow formed beneath. The man on the ground glanced at the shadow then quickly looked up, but he couldn’t look longer. 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

Murphy jumped and launched downward with a crushing force and landed on his head.

With a punch in the man’s gut and a chop on the neck, he knocked him down unconscious and pulled him toward the backyard.

He took the man’s mask, then bound him tightly with ropes and covered the guard’s mouth shut with a fabric. Which he found in the basement; he shut the door tightly and locked the man behind.

Finally, he moved, wearing the cult’s mask. A maddening grin crossed over his face behind it. My heart is beating with a cold excitement. Mo Fei wanted to step back and calculate the escape route, but Murphy Law’s fingers twitched on the grip of the revolver, desperate to see how the stage would end even if it’d cost him his life. The obsession was too hard to control as Murphy slowly walked toward the underground door.

He opened the door and saw the stairs reaching downward. A whole basement stage, but under a church, even at festival time...

With slow steps, he descended downward in the basement. For a few moments, darkness spread, but as he went down, the light reached him. Lanterns were planted on the walls, burning the oil as the acrid sting of an extinguished wick surrounded the air.

As he went deeper, the surface finally flattened. Murphy scanned the whole place, a large hallway, a church built under a church. That wasn’t a basement for sure

As he walked through the hallway, he saw figures walking in with crimson robes that hid their faces, to be exact, the masks.

"That is not a holy church or something... Who are they praising?"

Murphy stopped behind a wall as he heard a person stop near a large gate. Two guards wearing human-looking masks raised their hands and curled their fingers in an O shape, then moved it toward their eyes and closed it shut and whispered in a deep voice that warned the man. "Do you have the password?"

The man opened his mouth, but the guard ahead stopped him and said, "No, not that way." He raised a finger toward the man. "In my ear."

Murphy heard their talk as he spoke the password in their ears. "Tch, I can’t hear, but if I enter without the password... someone ahead may ask me again; my current purpose is not to kill everyone here before I find out."

He stepped back, his clothes changing its shape into a professional coat. Finally, he waited for a while as Mo Fei whispered in his mind. "Divine Serpent, tell me the password."

"Great Master, I can’t."

"Why?"

"For the plot purpo—cough—lord, there is something different about this cult."

Mo Fei paused upon hearing its words. "Like what?"

"They aren’t a cult of Ascended." The Serpent hissed.

Mo Fei observed for a few seconds. "I knew that already when I saw the murdering methods. They almost seemed to give pleasure to something." He muttered under his breath. "Divine Serpent, are you talking to Kiyori?"

"Yes. Great Mistress has been talking continuously for the concluding half an hour to me."

A low chuckle escaped his mouth, Murphy’s cold face cracking, but it returned soon. "For now, ignore her and do what I say; listen to the password clearly."

"Yes, Great Master, I shall first tell it to the Great Mistress."

"Listen, you can do that later."

"But Great Master."

"Urgh, whatever you want to, just get me the damn password first."

The Serpent hissed then its voice faded, for a minute or longer, then a soft whisper echoed again. "I’ve returned, Great Master."

"Great, the password?"

"I’m going now."

"Yes, go."

"Yes, I am."

"Okay?"

For a few moments no voice came, then another masked figure came forward, and the guards made the same gestures; soon the man entered.

The Serpent’s voice echoed behind his mind, and it whispered. "Cecity Obnubilate."