Skull Museum

Dr. Morgan said that among the questions he asked that day were some that were "not so easily known by ordinary people," so he was pleasantly surprised when Hope answered them.

Hope became alert; he felt he should find a reason to explain himself.

But Dr. Morgan went on to say that he therefore believed he must have encountered an... amateur occult enthusiast.

Dr. Morgan then asked Hope if she didn't like hearing about cults.

Hope wouldn't admit it, he couldn't admit it—how could a fascination with the mysticism possibly dislike hearing stories of cultists?

He said his discomfort was just from being in the sun.

Hope wanted to slap herself.

Dr. Morgan is not a normal person; a normal person would not be so enthusiastic towards someone they have only met a few days ago.

Dr. Morgan seemed to have already considered Hope a friend, Hope could sense a hint of admiration for the white-haired man in his eyes.

The doctor was overjoyed after hearing what Hope said, saying that it was a good time during the summer vacation, as most of the professors at the school had gone home to rest, and most of the security personnel had also taken a break, leaving the library with weak security.

It just so happens that someone tried it yesterday; places that ordinary people couldn't go before are now accessible, so it's a good opportunity to broaden Hope's horizons.

Hope said that wasn't a good idea.

Dr. Morgan said there was nothing wrong with that.

Hope said... Hope didn't say anything, Dr. Morgan, with his strong grip, carried Hope to the library.

This is a single door located on the third floor of the library. It is painted brown and is no different from other doors in the library. There are no guards or warning signs.

If I had to say something, its location is somewhat remote, far from the library.

"This is one of my favorite places in the entire Miskatonic University," Dr. Morgan said.

He Door Opening, and the room he had described as "a room that ordinary people couldn't enter" wasn't even locked.

There were no lights inside, not even a window.

After adjusting to the light for a while, Hope saw that the room was full of things that looked like display cases.

"This is a small museum," Dr. Morgan said softly.

Hope sensed that he was deliberately making his voice low to create a terrifying atmosphere.

Unfortunately, the effect was not good, and it instead made Hope wary.

He bent down to look at the items in the display cases, but Dr. Morgan refused to tell him what they were the whole way.

He shivered.

Even though he had anticipated Dr. Morgan's exaggerated voice, the dim lighting, the old display cases, and the things inside still made him instinctively feel somewhat uncomfortable.

It was a complete human skull, with some patterns carved on it.

He went to look to the side.

Another human skull, unlike the others, had no patterns on it, but part of it was filled with gold metal, Hope was unsure if it was gold.

"A... human Skull Museum?" Hope asked.

"More or less," Dr. Morgan replied.

"But that's not accurate. This is a Cultist Skull Museum. The two skulls you're looking at now belonged to the leaders of the Cult Evil God. Look at the patterns on their skulls. These were radical lunatics who peeled off their own scalps while they were still alive."

Upon closer inspection, Hope discovered that next to the two skulls were two pieces of paper with their names affixed: Christopher Livingston and Bruce Garcia.

"Isn't this a bit too... extreme?" Hope said.

"Extreme tastes?" Dr. Morgan said.

"This is actually a long-standing tradition at Miskatonic University. During the tenure of its first president, Ward Phillips, nearly two hundred years ago, cults were rampant in the New Federation, and skulls were hung in front of the school gates back then."

As Dr. Morgan walked forward, he introduced the skulls to Hope, knowing them intimately and able to name them accurately without looking at the labels.

He stopped only when he came to an ordinary skull without any patterns.

This skull, and the next one, are both without patterns, fillings, or damage.

They don't look ferocious; compared to their counterparts, which are covered in patterns or cracks, they are rather ordinary.

Among the skulls of cult members, some even had a somewhat handsome appearance.

"Its name is: Skull No. 1," Dr. Morgan said.

"This name doesn't have any special meaning; it's just a random code name given to it because the school lost its records in an accident."

"However... if I remember correctly, it might be the oldest one in this museum. Most of the skulls from Principal Ward Phillips' time have long been lost or discarded, but Professor Rice discovered it by chance."

They moved on to the next skull, another one without patterns.

Professor Morgan explained, "Oliver came from the Dunwich area. He was executed by Professor Armitage himself, not far from Arkham."

Professor Armitage... at least a third of the collection in this room came from him; he truly is a legendary killer.

Coming from Dunwich, doesn't that mean we're from the same hometown and work together...?

Oliver... that sounded somewhat familiar; Hope felt like she'd heard it somewhere before.

Oliver has no surname; the label on his skull only bears his first name. Among all the skulls in the Cultist Skull Museum, Skull No. 1 has the least information, followed by Oliver.

... The missing information about Skull No. 1 is due to its age and improper preservation, but Oliver seems to have no reason for it... Dr. Morgan did not provide a reason...

Hope awaited Dr. Morgan's explanation for the missing information about Oliver, but Dr. Morgan paused for a moment.

He quickly recovered and put his arm around Hope's shoulder. "Just you wait and see, I won't do any worse than Professor Armitage!"

Whether it's academic achievements or other accomplishments... Hope believes he can do it, but before that, Hope needs to consider whether to stay away from him.

They both forgot about Oliver and continued walking.

This doesn't seem to be a very important matter.

Dr. Morgan naturally changed the subject. "Do you know Elizabeth?"

Um?

Hope suddenly realized.

By the way, Dr. Morgan knew Elizabeth.

"Brown hair?"

"Yes, it's her. She mentioned you to me yesterday," Dr. Morgan said. "She said your name is Hope."

"Hope Love," Hope replied instantly, having already considered this possibility when he thought about how Elizabeth knew him, "But I prefer to be called Love."

"But she calls you Hope..." Dr. Morgan shook his head. "Okay, Love. She said you're from Dunwich?"

"I have absolutely no connection with cults."

Dr. Morgan paused for a few seconds. "Oliver has been dead for over forty years. Dunwich indeed somewhat backward, but no one suspects there are cultists there."