Japanese Noh masks, African-style grotesque masks, Western-style ornate masks, Chinese-style classical masks...
Masks of all kinds are displayed on the counters or on the surrounding walls, just like a mask museum.
"Wow... this is amazing. There are so many masks here."
The crowd dispersed and gathered around the masks that interested them to admire them.
Naturally, Conan is no exception.
However, when he walked to a counter, he suddenly found a small remote control not much bigger than his hand placed on the edge of the counter below.
The two buttons above are like the opening and closing doors of an elevator.
Conan curiously clicked the button with two arrows pointing outward, representing "open". The next moment, the red curtains behind him suddenly opened, making him turn around subconsciously.
“…!!”
When Conan saw the densely packed masks placed on the bookcase-like display case after the curtains were opened, his pupils couldn't help but shrink.
And it wasn't just behind him, the curtains behind everyone else opened automatically, revealing the same arrangement as behind Conan.
Without exception, every layer of the display case was filled with pale masks with eerie smiles.
"Why are there so many?" Xiaolan couldn't help but exclaimed as she looked at the masks around her.
"What exactly are these masks..." Kogoro Mouri looked around, as if hoping someone would come and answer him.
"These masks are all 'Shawbul's Masks'."
At this moment, an old woman in a red coat stood at the door where Tang Ze entered the hall, followed by a lady wearing glasses and a suit, who looked like the other party's secretary.
Her hair has turned gray and the wrinkles on her face are clearly visible, but as a woman in her sixties, one has to say that she is indeed well maintained and has an elegant temperament, worthy of being the former "Oriental Canary".
"Ah, you are Ms. Sufang Hongzi!"
After seeing the woman, Maori Kogoro quickly greeted her: "Hello, I am Maori."
"Hello." Su Fanghongzi returned the greeting and smiled at the crowd, "It is truly a great honor for you all to take the time to visit us despite your busy schedules."
The female secretary behind him nodded to everyone, but did not show any intention of introducing herself.
"What do you think?" Meanwhile, Sufang Hongzi had already come up to Maori Kogoro and said with a smile, "This is my most prized possession. Isn't it pretty?"
"Well...this..." Kogoro Mouri looked at the strange masks around him, scratched his head, and found it difficult to express his compliment.
"You just mentioned 'Shawbel's Masks,' are they the ones on the wall cabinet?"
Before Kogoro Mori could answer, Nagahara Haruka stepped forward, looked at Soho Akako with a slightly serious expression and asked.
"Yes, these masks are the legendary 200 masks completed by the famous Spanish sculptor Chobel Candres shortly before his death."
It can be seen that Su Fanghongzi seemed very complacent when she said this, and was obviously very proud of this collection.
But unlike Sufang Hongzi, after hearing her answer, Nagara Haruka looked at Sufang Hongzi with a serious expression and said, "But I think you should know that "Xiaobul's Mask" is also known as the Cursed Mask."
These words sounded like thunder in the ears of Ayako, Conan and his friends, because the threatening letter they had received before was signed by "The Messenger of the Cursed Mask".
And now they have encountered a collection called "Cursed Mask", which is really weird.
"Um...why are these masks called 'cursed masks'?"
Kogoro Mouri, who was standing by, looked at Soho Akako with some confusion and asked.
"It's simple, because Shaubel Candress was a sculptor whose end was tragic."
Su Fang Hongzi smiled upon hearing this and explained, "Although Xiao Buer is talented and gifted in teaching, he fell into a trap set by his jealous brother.
In the end, his status, reputation, and property were all taken away.
After being betrayed by his brother, Xiaobul Condres completely despaired of human nature, and he seemed to be possessed by some strange thing, and kept carving these masks.
And just after he finished carving the 200th mask, he ended his own life by suicide.
The masks he carved were scattered around his body, all stained with his blood.
From that scene, it looked as if the masks had killed him and were drinking his blood."
"Although his reputation was rehabilitated after his death, these masks were dispersed and fell into the hands of different people..."
At this point, Nagaharu's face looked a little grim as he said, "But things started to get weird after that. Most of the people who had the masks ended up in tragedy..."
Glancing at the masks around her, the fortune teller said with a serious expression and a hint of fear, "One of the people I know is the general manager of a bank in England.
The day after he got one of the masks, he fell off his horse and died.
Another collector was a French jeweler who was attacked by robbers at home and was shot multiple times and died.
Later, no one knew when it started, but the legend of the mask spread all over the world.
People believe that these masks are cursed, and that the resentful blood of the sculptor "Shawbul Condres" turned them into cursed masks.
They will suck the blood of every holder just as they sucked the blood of their former master.
Once this legend spread, the mask became something that everyone avoided.”
"Hey, is everything alright, Ms. Sufang? You've collected 200 "Cursed Masks" now!"
After hearing what the fortune teller, Miss Liangyao, said, the superstitious Matsudaira Mamoru looked at Sufang Hongzi with a panicked expression: "Are you sure this is okay?!"
"Thank you for your concern, but don't worry."
Su Fang Hongzi smiled upon hearing this, "I'm very aware of this curse. When I was collecting them, I had already asked a powerful psychic to seal the curse carried by these masks."
"This whole thing is getting weirder and weirder."
When Conan heard several adults, all of whom were well-known figures in certain fields, seriously discussing superstitious and metaphysical things like "Cursed Mask", he could only laugh speechlessly.
But from Tang Ze's point of view, this is indeed quite nonsense. After all, how can "metaphysics" be as reliable as "science"? !
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