After leaving the attic with Mr. Oystercatcher, Gilan returned to his room.
He took off his clothes, changed into a thin, striped cotton pajama set, and silently lay down on the soft, comfortable bed. With his head resting against two pillows, he gazed at the moon outside the window to his right.
The serene, brilliant moonlight spilled over the desk like water and fell across the floor, bathing the room in a cool, grayish-white glow.
Faintly, he could hear footsteps coming from the street outside the apartment building—the clack of leather heels against the stone pavement, the occasional rumble of a passing carriage, and the soft laughter and conversation of men and women.
When the wind blew, the dove trees outside swayed and rustled.
Before I knew it, I'd been here for almost a week.
Gilan sighed inwardly and slowly closed his eyes.
...Iridescence. Dream.
After a while,
in the hazy darkness, he saw a beam of iridescent light descend from above. The colors twisted and shifted, gathering into the crooked words "Apocalypse Dream." In the blurred vision, the phantom image of a black film reel flickered into view.
A label was affixed to the reel. It read Black Lake.
After dinner, Gilan had asked Mr. Stork to let him examine the Black Lake reel, using observation as an excuse. He had wanted to touch it with his own hands for this very moment.
He needed to dream, to obtain guidance about the film.
Gilan's breathing gradually steadied, and he slowly drifted off to Dreamland.
In the dream, he sat alone in the spacious, oversized public carriage and arrived in Fayelane Town with Fima.
But this time, he didn't stay at the Black Lake Inn with Fima. Following his instincts, he headed south through the desolate streets where the inn stood.
Along the way, he again felt eyes watching him from the shadows.
The watchful eyes came from dark alleys, behind the windows of houses, and even from passersby brushing shoulders with him.
Gilan knew that the Lake God Cult had long since infiltrated the entire town. Their informants were everywhere.
But this was only a dream. He ignored the watchful eyes and walked without restraint through most of the streets and low buildings. Near the Bright Moon Beverage Factory, he found a three-story, square building painted gray-black.
That was the Fayelane Library.
From the indistinct librarian at the entrance to the hall, he learned that the library was more than a hundred years old. It had been established almost as soon as Fayelane Town began to be built.
Gilan entered the library. In a corner of the second-to-last bookcase on the right, on the top floor, he found a large, black-brown leather-bound book. This was the dream's final destination.
It seems this book will be the key to solving the mystery.
He had a sudden realization.
Gilan tried to open the book, but it was as if the whole thing had been welded into a solid brick of iron. It wouldn't budge.
Just then, he suddenly noticed more than a dozen impassive figures slowly emerging from behind the dozens of towering bookcases around him. They carried logging axes and were coming toward him... All of them wore identical Reindeer Masks, their eyeholes a blood-red void.
The library's third floor had somehow been surrounded by Cultists of the Lake God Cult!
Gilan took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes.
His consciousness was like a dense fog, collapsing toward the depths of his mind beneath a wash of iridescent light, until it became a tiny black dot—
Then he suddenly opened his eyes.
At once, the gray light of dawn from outside fell upon his bleary eyes.
Chirp, chirp...
Chirp-chirp-chirp...
A few rock pipits perched on the branches and the outer windowsill, singing sweetly.
"It's already the next morning," Gilan murmured, coming to his senses.
He didn't hurry out of bed. Instead, he stared blankly at the ceiling.
Do I need to find that book on the library's third floor? But I'll have to watch out for those Cultists. That was the warning the Apocalyptic Dream gave me.
Gilan thought.
Then let's see. I'll find out whether you can stop me...
Time passed quietly, and soon it was time for the second Movie Day.
The members of the Record Society gathered once again in the storage room on the first floor of the apartment building.
After two days of rest, everyone had more or less recovered, except for Miss Seagull, who still had a slight headache. They were also ready for the second viewing.
"Please check the weapons and belongings you've brought with you. The viewing is about to begin."
Mr. Stork stood leaning on his Steel-core Cane and spoke gravely.
The others responded and, after checking their belongings, nodded to Mr. Stork one after another.
"According to the plan we discussed, we'll split up once we enter the Black Lake film. Mr. Oystercatcher and Miss Sparrow will investigate the local Tourism Bureau. Miss Seagull and I will investigate the Public Security Bureau, while Mr. Snowy Owl will go alone to the library to look for relevant clues."
This was the plan Gilan had worked out with Mr. Stork.
As he spoke, Mr. Stork walked to the projector and raised his hand.
"We'll meet again at the Black Lake Inn at noon in the film."
He flipped the switch. With a click, the shutter began to turn.
Hiss, hiss...
The light from the projector shone on the screen, and everyone looked up attentively.
After a brief daze, they found themselves back on the moving public carriage.
"Thank you so much for being willing to travel all this way with me to Fayelane to look for my parents."
As always, the heroine, Fima, recited her line.
Afterward, she once again took the sparkling water from her bag and offered it to everyone.
But this time, Miss Sparrow didn't open it. She smiled apologetically at her companions and quietly set the little glass bottle aside.
The carriage stopped outside the Black Lake Inn. After getting off, everyone told Fima they wanted to look around. Instead of following her into the inn, they split up on the spot and headed in three different directions.
After saying goodbye to his companions, Gilan walked down the street alone.
The feeling of being watched had clung to him ever since he got off the carriage.
But he showed no sign of it and simply walked quickly.
Thanks to his experience in the Apocalyptic Dream, Gilan didn't take any wrong turns. He went straight through the streets and alleys, reaching his destination, the Fayelane Library, in just over ten minutes.
He climbed the concrete steps and entered the library.
To the right of the hall's entrance, a white-haired old man with cloudy eyes sat behind the front desk. He lifted his gaze from an adult magazine in his hands and stared at Gilan.
He seemed to be the librarian.
"Out-of-town visitor? If you want to read any books, you'll need to get a temporary library card. It costs two Dormarks."
Of course, Gilan had no local currency on him.
He smiled at the old man.
"Hmph! If you've got no money, then get out! Every book in here is a precious cultural relic. You rude, uncivilized outsiders have no idea how many good books you've dirtied, damaged, and ruined!"
The white-haired old man sneered, revealing a mouthful of crooked, yellow teeth.
BANG!!
The old man suddenly shuddered, his expression freezing in place like a photograph.
A bloody hole burst open between his brows. The force knocked his head backward, and he toppled to the floor.
The chair and his body crashed down with a loud clatter. Blood and brain matter seeped across the smooth floor, forming a large pool.
Gilan blew on the barrel of his snub-nosed revolver, his face cold. A wisp of smoke drifted away.
"You rotten old bastard. You wanted to set me up?"
He went around the front desk and bent to touch the corpse. Then, without looking back, he headed for the stairs.
The old man's corpse began to decay rapidly, then crumbled into dust and blew away.
Gilan had long since guessed that the old man was a member of the Lake God Cult. If Gilan went upstairs, the man would immediately send word, and the Cultists would come running.
"Hmm. It'll only buy me a little time, but that'll be enough."
Gilan climbed the stairs, revolver in hand, and murmured softly.
"Once I've read that book, I'll take care of you lot."