Shade quietly chatted with the young scholar about today's weather. Professor Katia studied the oil painting with considerable interest, while Leisha tidied her hair.
After not too long, the gloomy-faced male servant returned with a tall maid and invited the four of them to meet Mr. Jude in the study.
The maid they were meeting for the first time seemed about the same age as the male servant. She was somewhat plump, but wore the same gloomy expression.
Shade understood them well. Anyone living in such an old, oppressive house would inevitably develop emotional problems. That was why Shade paid close attention to ventilation and sunlight at home, lest the Cat that often stayed indoors develop psychological issues.
But at least Mr. Jude's house had no inexplicable bloodstains. Blood Echo could not detect any obvious crimson aura.
Led by the two servants, the group of four left the entrance hall, passed through the living room, and then went upstairs.
Not only was the entrance hall unlit, but the entire house had no lights on. Perhaps that was a special habit of Ring Arcanists; after all, abnormal mental states were commonplace among Ring Arcanists.
The living room was empty. Several newspapers lay on the tea table, while the stairway walls displayed oil paintings in unusually oppressive colors. Unlike the paintings in the entrance hall, those by the stairs mostly used cool-toned pigments, filling their canvases with distorted patterns. Yet Professor Katia could analyze their origins in great detail. According to him, this was Coldwater Port's distinctive local painting style, which had fused with abstract art decades ago and produced several great abstract painters from Coldwater Port.
They finally reached the second floor, where the dampness was just as heavy. The four visitors straightened their clothes. The male servant carefully knocked, and