The Musgrave Ritual

The next morning, the mist in London had yet to dissipate.

Ye Yan had just finished breakfast and was lifting his teacup to sip the last of his black tea when he heard hurried footsteps coming up the stairs. Jules rushed up two steps at a time, clutching a copy of The Times that still smelled of printer's ink.

"This morning's paper." Jules spread the newspaper out on the dining table and tapped his finger lightly on a spot on the front page: "Something happened at St. Pancras Church."

The lead-printed headline struck the eye:

<Centennial Library at St. Pancras Church Catches Fire Overnight>

"How could it be such a coincidence..."

Ye Yan muttered to himself, his gaze lingering on the words "severely damaged" in the report.

Although his reason told him this accident had nothing to do with him, an inexplicable sense of unease still welled up in his heart. After all, just yesterday, he had been in that very library studying Sanskrit texts under Archbishop Alvin.

Ye Yan couldn't help but imagine how the Light Servants of the Sanctum would view this matter.

An outsider had just left, and the church's century-old library had suffered such a disaster; he wondered if they would consider him a jinx.

He set down his teacup and decided to go to the church to see for himself.

Seeing him stand up, Jules frowned and asked, "You're going to St. Pancras Church?"

Ye Yan nodded, reaching for his umbrella.

"Alright." Jules waved a hand at him: "Then I'll take the day off to watch the shop for you. Go and come back early."

Pushing open the front door, Ye Yan was about to step down the stairs when he saw Dr. Watson emerging from next door.

"Ye, are you heading out?"

Ye Yan stopped on the bottom step and nodded slightly: "I heard the library at St. Pancras Church caught fire, and I was just going to check on the situation."

Upon hearing this, Watson immediately waved his hand.

"You needn't worry. I just spoke with Archbishop Alvin over the phone; the damage to the library is not as severe as the newspaper reported, and the important texts have been properly secured. He specifically requested that you follow the original schedule and continue your lessons next week."

Ye Yan paused, the unease in his heart easing slightly: "Did the Archbishop... mention the cause of the fire?"

Watson shook his head.

"The Archbishop didn't say much, only that it was an accident."

Ye Yan pondered for a moment; the doubts in his heart had not fully dissipated, but he did not press further.

"By the way." Watson took a letter from his pocket: "Sherlock sent this and asked me to pass it to you, saying that the matter you inquired about earlier has yielded results."

Ye Yan took the letter, feeling a hint of chill as it touched his hand.

He was about to open it, but Watson reached out to press his hand down: "Sherlock said it would be best if you read this in a quiet place."

Hearing this, Ye Yan raised an eyebrow and tucked the letter away.

"I understand."

He looked at Watson, who was preparing to take his leave, and asked as if in passing: "Speaking of which, what case has Mr. Holmes been busy with lately? I haven't seen him for several days."

Watson stopped in his tracks.

"It's a long story." He observed the surroundings and lowered his voice instinctively: "Last week, Holmes received a plea for help from Sir Reginald Musgrave, a classmate from his Cambridge days. The letter mentioned that a series of strange events had occurred at their family estate.

Considering it might involve family privacy, Sherlock accepted the commission and went to Hurlstone Manor alone to investigate."

Hearing the doctor's description, Ye Yan immediately realized this was the case of the Musgrave Ritual.

In the original work, Holmes received this case four years after graduating from university, solving the mystery of the Musgrave family's century-old treasure by deciphering an ancient ritual.

Now, the plot had changed.

Holmes had received this case two years later than in the original, and the process of solving it would certainly not be the same.

Especially since this case involved an ancient family ritual known as the "Musgrave Ritual."

The question-and-answer record of this ritual was, in the original work, actually a cipher containing the location of the Musgrave family's hidden treasure. However, in this world, the supernatural was closely tied to rituals; it was very likely a genuine, unknown ritual.

This might be the reason the detective had been unable to solve the puzzle—the supernatural was interfering with his logical judgment.

"Dr. Watson, how long has Mr. Holmes been gone?" Ye Yan asked.

"About three days," Watson replied.

"Has he kept in touch with you during this time?" he pressed.

"Yes, we stay in contact every day. Sherlock informs me of the investigation's progress via telegram. Today, he even mentioned discovering some interesting traces in the manor's cellar."

"Is that so?"

Ye Yan fell into thought involuntarily.

Seeing Ye Yan's still-taut jawline, Watson smiled.

"Ye, I know what you're worried about, but it's alright. After the Administration's review, the butler's disappearance and the mad maid's escape have nothing to do with the supernatural. Although this missing persons case is strange, it is just an ordinary case."

"You're right." Ye Yan let out a long breath, his tense shoulders finally relaxing: "I was overthinking it."

Since both Holmes and Watson felt there was no issue, then he was likely just being overly cautious.

This was Holmes, after all—the man who could walk away unscathed even from Moriarty's traps and always find the truth. What could a mere treasure-hunting puzzle do to him?

In this world, there is almost no puzzle that could stump that great detective.

Ye Yan offered Watson a relieved smile.

"Doctor, if you receive any new information tomorrow, please let me know. I am also quite interested in this case."

Watson nodded, his eyes crinkling with a smile.

"Certainly. Sherlock says he will be back by the day after tomorrow at the latest, and we can go to a concert together then."

Ye Yan watched Watson's figure disappear around the corner before returning to the bookstore.

Jules was organizing books and looked up in surprise at the sound, his feather duster hanging in mid-air.

"Why are you back so soon?"

Ye Yan smiled, hanging his top hat on the rack by the door as he replied, "I ran into Dr. Watson just as I stepped out, and learned from him that nothing happened at the Sanctum."

"So the library..."

"The newspapers were just exaggerating. Archbishop Alvin even specifically asked Watson to pass on the message that next week's Sanskrit Class will proceed as scheduled."

"That's good then." Jules's voice grew a little lighter. "I was worried it might affect your study progress."

Ye Yan's gaze swept over the neatly arranged books on the shelves, then he suddenly stopped. "Uncle Jules, please watch the shop for me for a moment. I need to go upstairs to take care of something."

"Alright, alright, go ahead." Jules shrugged nonchalantly and waved the feather duster in his hand. "I was planning on taking time off anyway, so it doesn't matter if you stay in your room all day."

Ye Yan nodded and turned to head toward the second floor.