I'm doing well, you?
Are you sure?
Wood looked skeptically at Little Anubis, who was currently circling Peterson while tugging on his leash—after the Opet Festival procession, the Egyptian Gods led by Isis had left New York, yet for some reason, this Little Anubis had appeared at the entrance of the Master Private Art Museum, specifically demanding that Wood "take responsibility."
—Fine, your Little Anubis is certainly not a well-behaved child.
Peterson gave a dry laugh, pulled out several identification documents, handed them to Wood: "Something Boss Jason asked me to give you."
This is—
Wood took the credentials and found they were a permanent residence permit, a Special Consultant work permit for the Special Events Investigation Department, two bank cards.
—Boss hopes you can work for us long-term. One of these two cards is for your fixed salary, the other is for your additional benefits.
Peterson explained, "Because the nature of the work is so specialized, our department's casualty rate has always remained high, so the Boss provides very good salaries and benefits to the employees.. It just so happens that your situation is also unique, making you a perfect fit for us.."
Does the Boss know about this?
Mister Master?
Yeah.
Wood nodded.
Peterson instantly lowered his voice, hinting sneakily, "What Boss Jason means is for you to come over to our side.. um.. to get a double salary.. you know.. after all.."
Mhm.. I get it! I get it!
Wood understood perfectly and nodded repeatedly.
Neither of them noticed that Little Anubis was by their feet, tilting his head, his pointed ears twitching slightly.
Author's Note:
----------------------
Note: The Opet Festival is also known as the Valley of Opet Festival. The Egyptian government held an official reenactment in 2021; videos can be found online by searching for "Opet Festival celebrations." The song being sung here is the "Hymn to Isis." The Goddess Isis has a very long tradition of worship in Egyptian history; during the Ancient Greek and Roman periods, an "Isis cult" trend even spread across the entire Mediterranean region. Therefore, although she is an Ancient Egyptian Goddess, his followers were widespread throughout the Mediterranean.
Thanks to readers "Carp," "Chubby Mermaid," "If You Don't Study Hard, You'll Work in a Factory," "Raise a Feifei-ing," "Lianfeng," "moonlit," "a," "Sun and Moon Triple Ring" for providing nutrient solution.
Chapter 14 Gabriel and the Gargoyle (1)
Chapter 14 Gabriel and Gargoyle (1)
The night at the Orphanage was exceptionally quiet, with only the faint whimpering of the wind as it blew through the corridor.
The boy Arthur was woken by the urge to urinate. He tossed and turned on the bed for a long time before finally fumbling his way down from the iron bunk bed and carefully stepping out of the room.
Moonlight filtered through the high windows, barely illuminating the path to the restroom. The corridor was dim, the portraits of saints and shrines of the Virgin Mary on the walls seemed to transform into some unwatchable, dark entities amidst the flooding shadows.
Arthur moved cautiously along the wall. After turning the corner, he saw a familiar figure—Benjamin, his best playmate, who was walking toward him in pajamas.
("Hi—")
Arthur wanted to call out to him, but he suddenly shut his mouth.
Under the moonlight, Benjamin's eyes stared straight ahead, devoid of any light, his gait was exceptionally strange—stiff and slow, like a marionette. What unsettled Arthur even more was that despite standing directly in front of Benjamin, Benjamin walked straight ahead as if he couldn't see him at all.
(Is he sleepwalking?)
Arthur subconsciously held his breath and moved aside as Benjamin passed by him.
Benjamin marched forward stiffly like a ghost, only stopping when he reached the Unicorn Brass-framed Floor Mirror at the end of the corridor.
Arthur stared at Benjamin tremblingly, while the reflection in the mirror met Benjamin's gaze with an equally expressionless stare.
And then—
Something terrifying happened.
The mirror surface rippled like water, "seeping" out thick, pitch-black shadows.
The black shadow had no definite shape, appearing as a mass of flowing darkness that extended twisted, arm-like appendages, slowly coiling around Benjamin as he stood before the mirror, as if both kissing and predating.
Benjamin did not struggle at all; he stood there like a wooden statue, accepting everything.
In the next second, the dark shadow suddenly recoiled, Benjamin, standing before the mirror, vanished before the polished glass as if he had been sucked inside.
There was nothing at the end of the corridor but the mirror, its Unicorn Brass-framed Floor Mirror shimmering with a cold, inscrutable light under the moonlight.
Arthur, in the corner, already had freezing hands and feet, his urge to urinate replaced by the chill clinging to his back. He scrambled and crawled back to his room, hiding himself under the covers until the matrons of the Orphanage rang the morning bell.
Clang—Clang—Clang—
The sacred bell tolls, shattering the terrors of the night.
Because he had wet the bed last night, Arthur was lectured for half an hour by Theresa Matron, who looked after the boys, before being taken to the church for morning prayer.
In the Church, Arthur saw Benjamin once again.
He stood near him, his cheeks bearing a lingering, sleep-deprived daze, as the sunlight filtered through the Church's stained-glass windows onto Benjamin, casting an indescribable eeriness over him.
Arthur felt a chill run down his spine once again. Taking advantage of the moment the Priest was focused on reading the Bible, he poked Benjamin's back.
Hmm?
Benjamin turned to look at Arthur, his eyes filled with unease and terror.
Ben, you.. you last night..
Last night? I slept very well last night, but..
“.. But what?”
Arthur's heart leaped into his throat once again.
I had a terrible dream. In the dream, I.. I saw you getting up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, as you passed that Unicorn Brass-framed Floor Mirror in the hallway.. a dark, shadowy thing emerged from the mirror and, dragged you inside, then I woke up.. When I woke up, I realized I had nearly wet the bed..
“..”
Arthur froze, cold sweat crawling out of his pores like countless icy insects, his heart thumping wildly in his chest as if it would shatter his ribs and leap out at any moment—
(Why! Why would Benjamin have such a strange dream.. it's exactly the same as what I saw! But, but..)
Arthur did not dare to think too deeply about it, stiffly following the Priest's voice to complete the sacred prayer.
Soon, the prayer ended.
The children from the Orphanage followed the Matrons' guidance out of the Church, heading noisily toward the cafeteria, with Arthur and Benjamin among them.
Suddenly, Arthur felt a chill run down his spine. He turned his head abruptly, only to see an indescribable, twisted black shadow perched upon the cross atop the Church spire.
As if sensing Arthur's gaze, the dark shadow turned its horned, deformed head toward him and gave him a slight smile. Then, it spread its tattered, bat-like wings and soared silently into the sky against the morning sunlight, rapidly vanishing into the horizon.
Arthur stood there, unable to move for a long time.
Slap!
Someone tapped Arthur on the shoulder. Arthur turned his head instinctively and saw everyone on the grass—whether it was the Priest, the Matron, Benjamin, or the other children from the Orphanage—all smiling at him, with the exact same expressions they had shown him before the Monster flew away.
(Ah—!)
A soul-tearing scream erupted within Arthur's skull.
..
..
Morning Light filtered through the gaps in the curtains, illuminating the messy living room: hand-woven cushions lay scattered in the corners, the leather sofa had been torn open by sharp claws to reveal the stuffing inside, the Huaxia Zitan Museum Shelf lay overturned on the floor with expensive handicrafts strewn everywhere, some even shattered; the trash can had toppled over by the coffee table, the fruit peels, scraps of paper, small umbrella wrappers thrown in last night decorated the expensive handmade carpet like colorful ribbons.
One of the culprits sat innocently on the lacquer tea table, his pointed ears drooping and his tail lightly thumping the floor; meanwhile, the detestable Egyptian Mummy Cat drifted in mid-air, wrapped in bandages, with a mischievous glint flickering in his sunken eye sockets.
“You—"
Are you trying to hit me? If you damage my mummy body, you won't be able to afford to compensate me for the rest of your life!
Upon hearing this, Wood's anger instantly subsided, his emerald eyes looked at the Egyptian Cat Mummy pitifully: ".. Please, don't bully me."
Impossible! Ever since you brought that stupid dog back, I have never wanted to forgive you!
The Cat Mummy, who called herself the Goddess Bastet, lifted his shriveled little head.
But—
Wood cast a cautious glance at the ajar door of the Bedroom.
A man's voice came from behind the door.
Wood, who are you talking to?
I—
Wood glanced at Little Anubis, who tilted his head and stared at him unblinkingly with his watery, round eyes.
I really didn't do what happened in the living room..
Honey, I know you're a good child, but right now—
Why is the Living Room such a mess?
Master's voice rang out from above.
Wood looked up and saw the man's elegantly sculpted jawline, and—his cheeks instantly flushed red, he hurriedly averted his gaze and said with feigned concern, ".. Even though the room is kept at a constant temperature, Boss, your physique is indeed so good that keeping it covered is a loss to the whole world, but Boss.. so early in the morning.. won't you really, really catch a cold?"
(If he doesn't cover up soon, I'm afraid I won't be able to stop myself from licking him!)
You're actually worried about me catching a cold at a time like this?
Master was speechless, pointing at the mess on the floor as he asked, "What excuse have you prepared this time to protect your troublemaking dog!"
The one causing trouble in the Living Room wasn't Little Anubis!
Wood blurted out.
It's not it? Then who is it?
It's—
Wood tried to implicate Bastet, but the cunning Egyptian Mummy Cat had already disguised himself as a victim, lying amidst the mess with bandages wrapped around him and an oversized dog chew toy pressed against his body.
Wood: ".."
Little Anubis: [..]