Chapter 55: Chapter 55: The Soup for Dinner
Fenna’s expression, devoid of surprise, certainly did not fool Heidi, a “mental therapist” who often collaborated with the church. She immediately guessed something from the Judge’s reaction.
After a moment’s hesitation, she cautiously asked, “It seems… that there’s a significant issue with this incident?”
Fenna nodded. “A significant issue indeed.”
Thinking to herself, Heidi quickly spoke while packing up her medical kit, “I’m off tomorrow, and I might be for a while…”
“Ms. Heidi, you may have already been linked to this case,” Fenna glanced at her. “I’m sorry, but everyone present at the scene, including myself, was once exposed to some form of cognitive pollution. The mental issues you’ve seen in these heretics happened to all of us too, only… thanks to the Goddess’s blessing, the contamination wasn’t deep, so now we’ve ‘awakened.’”
“Damn, I knew this job would lead to something like this,” Heidi said, stopping her packing. She touched her forehead. “I should have listened to my father and taken over his business as an antique appraiser, or even my mother’s suggestion of becoming a history teacher at a public school in the Cross District. That would have been much safer than dealing with heretics.”
“Look on the bright side, at least your current job allows you to maintain a decent living in the Upper City District,” Fenna shook her head. In Heidi’s company—a friend of similar age and a longtime acquaintance—her demeanor was much more approachable than with her subordinates. “But let’s talk about your findings. They might help the church and the city hall get a handle on the situation.”
“It’s actually quite straightforward, an obvious inconsistency,” Heidi sighed, revealing the clues she unearthed from the heretics’ subconscious, “On the night of the sacrificial ritual, a sacrifice went berserk in front of the Ancient Sun’s totem and somehow sacrificed the officiating priest instead. Based on the clues we found at the scene, the one who triggered the disorder was actually a ‘corpse’ that had been sacrificed before. He came back to life and walked up to the altar, right?”
Fenna nodded. “Of course, I remember it clearly.”
“That’s where the problem lies… If this sacrifice had already been offered once before, then why didn’t any of the heretics on the scene recognize him? Ordinary heretics might be one thing, but why didn’t the priest himself recognize that the sacrifice in front of him had been sacrificed by his own hands not long before?”
Fenna slowly furrowed her brow. “The heretics witnessed a sacrifice that had been offered once before reappear before their eyes yet no one perceived anything abnormal… Their memories had been tampered with, their cognition distorted.”
“We didn’t notice this glaring inconsistency either, did we?” Heidi spread her hands with a bitter smile. “In fact, until an hour ago, I hadn’t realized that I had overlooked such an obvious issue. And only now have I learned from you that my own mental state had also been affected.”
Fenna fell silent for a moment and turned to face the heretic who was still in a daze.
Under the dual hypnotic effects of heavy doses of neurotropic drugs and potent incense, the heretic swayed his head slightly, gazing blankly at the tall lady before him.
Fenna suddenly turned back and asked, “Was the heretics’ mutual slaughter after the chaos of the ritual also due to cognitive confusion?”
“Yes, in their memories I ‘saw’ some flickering images,” Heidi replied. “These images seemed to have left a very strong impression on them, making them firmly believe that other attendees of the ritual were possessed or controlled by evil spirits. They didn’t think they were slaying their fellows, but believed they were exorcising the evil spirits within them…”
“This is probably a warning from their soul’s instincts—heretics are still followers, and behind them, there’s a malevolent Ancient Sun ‘blessing’ these people. When bizarre and immense dangers emerge, these blessed followers are likely to sense something,” Fenna analyzed based on her experience. “Their crazed delusions more or less hinted at the truth, unfortunately, those untrained commoners didn’t know how to interpret these warnings and fell into collective madness instead.”
Heidi, looking seriously at Fenna, hesitated a few times before finally speaking cautiously, “So… what’s really behind all this? Something even more sinister than that Ancient Sun?”
Fenna thought for a moment, then shook her head gently, “Better not to ask, Heidi. Your connection to this case isn’t deep, but if you delve further, some irreversible bonds might be formed.”
“Alright. Since even you, as a Judge, say so, I’d better protect my own life,” Heidi said, picking up her now packed medical kit. “I really need to take a break… Don’t worry, I’m not running away. There’s an exhibition at the Marine Museum in a couple of days that I’m quite interested in.”
Fenna nodded. “Visiting the Marine Museum is a good way to relax, and the Goddess’s blessing is also imbued in those exhibits.”
Heidi smiled, picked up her medical kit, and walked towards the door, but just as she was about to push it open, she suddenly stopped and looked back at Fenna uncertainly, “You’re sure… the pollution really subsided?”
“Rest assured, of course it has,” Fenna spread her hands in resignation. “It’s just some ‘residual effects’ we caught up with. You’ve stayed in this tranquil Underground Sanctuary for so long, the Goddess’s blessings have already cleansed the impact on you.”
“I’m relieved then,” Heidi finally exhaled, pushing open the door. “See you next time, Judge Fenna.”
Fenna watched as Ms. Heidi left the room.
Beside her, the Sun Cultist, bewildered by the potent incense and neuro drugs, half-opened his eyes and stared blankly at Fenna.
Modern civilization’s drugs, incense passed down from ancient times, the serene environment of the sanctuary, and the Sun’s “blessing” deeply embedded in the soul, these chaotic powers entwined, converged, creating subtle influences within the heretic’s body.
In the heretic’s eyes, Fenna’s figure appeared hazy and blurred.
He saw this Judge standing in front, her posture erect and resolute.
He saw a vague silhouette standing behind Fenna, nearly transparent, surrounded by green flames.
This tall illusion stood quietly behind Fenna, its face expressionless.
…
Duncan sat expressionlessly in the chart room, watching the doll Alice busying herself in front of him.
She brought over a large tray, on it shiny tableware, and a steaming bowl of soup.
It smelled, possibly, like fish soup.
Clearly, after getting more familiar with the environment aboard the Homeloss, this doll lady had come up with a new idea, to “do something for the captain in her own way.”
“Dinner?” Duncan curiously watched the doll as she set the tableware and fish soup in front of him, “How did you suddenly think of making this?”
“I finished organizing the kitchen’s pantry, then saw the…fish in the bucket,” Alice said, her face full of smiles and pride, “There’s a lot of work on the ship I can’t help with, but cooking, I can definitely do. From now on, I’ll cook for you.”
“It’s the thought that counts,” Duncan didn’t quite know what to make of this odd doll, but faced with Alice’s sincere smile, it was hard for anyone to refuse. He was just a bit curious, “But as a doll, can you cook?”
“I can learn; it seems quite simple,” Alice replied matter-of-factly, “Just ask Mr. Goathead about the basics; he’s told me lots about cooking…”
Duncan expressionlessly glanced at the nearby Goathead, then back at Alice.
A wooden sculpture and a doll made from an unknown material, neither equipped with a digestive system, yet here they were discussing cooking—one daring to teach and the other daring to learn?
He didn’t know what to feel but took the soup spoon and stirred the fish soup, thinking at least it smelled right. However, the next moment, his action froze.
After a moment of silence, he fished a long, silver-white hair from the spoon.
“Your hair fell into it.” Duncan said expressionlessly.
“Ah, it’s not that I dropped my hair in it,” Alice immediately waved her hands, “My head fell in… But don’t worry, I fished it out right away, all by myself, without any help!”
Duncan: “…?”