【Gah——】
Once again, the cawing of crows rang out.
The once vibrant black pool is now still, frozen in place like a stagnant pool. Its surface is covered with paintings of various colors, making it seem as if it were something real, even giving a sense of depth and perspective.
At this moment, we were already standing on the edge of exiting the third exhibition hall, and the distance to the archway was only a dozen or so steps back.
"But it's strange."
Sheng tilted his head in confusion, exchanging a glance with Xiaoxi, who also looked puzzled: "Logically speaking, there shouldn't be crows in 'Starry Night', right?"
"Maybe it's because of something that wasn't specifically depicted in the painting." I didn't dwell on it. "Of course, it's also possible that it was that guy's doing. Didn't this just happen once before?"
For the sake of my reputation, please allow me to make a clarification.
Admittedly, one of the things we demons love to do most is deceive others. However, our deception is more based on truth than lies. Interfering with pre-set tests, like weaving false lies, is an act against my aesthetics.
Please stop slandering me on this point, otherwise I will have the right to take measures to protect my reputation, including but not limited to violent means that you may not want to see.
Thank you all for your cooperation.
For the first time since its appearance, the demon [Mephisto]'s voice was devoid of laughter, instead becoming exceptionally serious and earnest.
Like the other three, we didn't try to push the smiling guy to his limits, and instead focused our attention back on the immediate emergency.
At times like these, having one more person willing to remain neutral is better than having one more enemy in the open, even if the enemy's hidden goals are not exactly benevolent.
The half-inserted crowbar, tentatively extended, disappeared into the black pool as before. When it was risked to step on it, even the defensive barrier emitted a bright light, which shattered and extinguished after a few rapid flashes.
The small spells, Molotov cocktails, and air blades used did have some effect, but the problem remained the same: they only treated the symptoms, not the root cause. In no time, everything returned to normal, and even the colors that had fallen off were restored to their original state.
However, perhaps it is precisely because of the colors that appear on the surface that the reason why this "painting" was restored is also clearly shown to us: just like the black pool is constantly flowing, this physical painting is also flowing. The dots and lines flow slowly like ripples, filling the gaps between each other, smoothing out the attacked areas, and eliminating the damage.
【Gah——】
Once again, the ominous cawing of crows echoed urgently.
On the materialized "painting," the colors move even faster, creating a dizzying and nauseating sensation.
This time, we finally identified the source of the sound.
It was a sound from the depths of the sky. Against the bright background, the black crow seemed like an invisible object that could not be closely observed, hovering in mid-air. Its wings were jet black, but its head resembled a chaotic fuel washing tank, covered only by a layer of grayish-white veil, like pale moonlight shining through a "painting," making it difficult to discern its contents.
A sudden thought flashed through my mind: As summer was about to end, I was told that the crow who had come with Miss Aisha had suddenly disappeared in the miniature garden.
Is there any connection between these two?
Before I pondered it further, the memory of the related words became vivid again: "A crow will hurt you, but a cat won't."
At the same time, the senses that had spread the moment I noticed the crow's appearance also received the necessary feedback: there was indeed a feeling, like the flow of magic, on the crow. However, this flow of magic was extremely subtle and obscure; it was almost imperceptible unless I observed it carefully.
Unsurprisingly, this is the key to breaking the current predicament.
I turned sharply to Sheng and asked her, "Are there any cats around here? Paintings or collectibles are fine too."
"What?"
Sheng stared wide-eyed in astonishment, and it took him half a second to react before he shook his head vigorously: "No, I don't remember having any cat-related items here... Oh right! If it's really like what that guy said... 'Saint Jerome in the Study'! If I remember correctly, there's a little cat hidden on the floor tiles of that painting... Uh, but even if we needed that painting now, we don't have it on hand."
"...Then there's nothing we can do."
I also knew that this was just a desperate question, so I could only shake my head and dismiss it from my mind, no longer thinking about it. Admittedly, I could use Transfiguration to transform into a cat, but that would also mean giving up most of my self-defense and spellcasting abilities. Not to mention, the magic power I currently possess is not enough to support the activation of this spell for an extended period of time.
At that time, I'm afraid I'll really become a fresh fish on the chopping block, no, cat meat.
I asked Xiaoxi and Jian Gui questions in turn to confirm whether they could see the crows flying and hovering in the sky, and whether they could hit its location with a long-range attack. Shan and Sheng, who had switched back to their baseball bats, did not have ranged combat capabilities, so they only needed to watch out for the black water pool spreading again.
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