Merlin followed Curator Eru into the Fossil Museum, where a hidden space lay within. With a gentle press on the wall, an opening appeared on its outer side, seemingly leading straight underground.
It was a secret underground passage. Merlin had not expected Curator Eru to have quietly built a basement in the mere dozen or so years since coming to Stone City.
The basement felt cold and damp, but there was no smell of dust, suggesting that someone went down there frequently. Merlin followed Curator Eru for a while and soon came to a stone door.
There were mechanisms everywhere, too. This clearly had to be a very important place.
Rumble.
As the stone door opened, the basement revealed itself. It was extremely spacious. The moment Merlin entered, he caught a pungent smell of blood mixed with various potions. The stench was so unpleasant that his nose twitched involuntarily.
The basement looked very untidy. A slick layer of grease coated the gray floor tiles, making them look disgusting, and rats squeaked nearby.
Several square tables stood in the middle, topped with clear glass vessels that seemed to contain something. Merlin could not help frowning at the clutter. But when he glanced at Eru beside him, he found the curator gazing at everything with nostalgia, as though all these things were precious to him.
Seemingly noticing Merlin's confusion, Curator Eru said calmly, "Young Master Leo, this is my laboratory. You must understand that, to someone devoted to studying Parasitism, a laboratory is the most precious thing of all. Unfortunately, the Black Bat Army is coming in force this time. Otherwise, I could have moved the laboratory as well."
Clearly, Eru had not come because of Count Stanwen. He had already been planning this for some time.
"What is a laboratory for?