"What sound?" Silas's brow furrowed slightly. He immediately activated his Spiritual Energy and Spirit Vision, listening intently.
"Are you Priest Sotos?" Just as Silas was listening, an aged voice, lacking in vigor, came through.
Silas deactivated his Spirit Vision, turned his head, and saw an elderly man dressed in a well-tailored black suit, holding a rather short black sandalwood cane, standing before him with a spirited demeanor.
"Hello! My name is Silas Sotos. I'm the detective here to investigate the case of madness," Silas temporarily set aside the matter of the sound and said with a slight bow.
The old man nodded, looked around, and asked, "Did you come alone?"
Silas nodded. "Yes, the police station has been quite busy lately. I can handle this case myself."
The old man, upon hearing this, admonished, "Then you must be careful. He is very violent now; ordinary people cannot approach him. I had intended for you to bring a Priest to soothe Joseph's frenzied spirit."
Silas took out the pendant from his chest and said with a smile, "Coincidentally, I am also a Priest."
"Oh! That's wonderful!" the old man said, his face beaming.
Afterward, the group proceeded westward through the hall.
On the way, the two had a brief conversation.
The old man's name was Grimman Stowe. He was not only the curator of this museum but also a professor in the history department at Bayne University. At the same time, he was an expert-level historian, a knowledgeable and polite old gentleman.
"Every historical artifact can actually speak. The traces of time on them are constantly telling us about past glories and hidden knowledge submerged in time." Upon hearing that Silas was also from Bayne University, the old professor enthusiastically shared his insights.
Silas listened while smiling and nodding in agreement but didn't express too many of his own opinions.
After all, he knew nothing about history.
After advancing for about five minutes and passing through a long corridor, the group arrived at the westernmost warehouse near the gable wall.
At this moment, from behind the heavy black iron door, faint sounds of struggling and inhuman roars could be heard.
Silas instantly activated his Spiritual Energy. His eyes saw ripples with strange patterns emanating from the door.
"Has this fellow completely bestialized? The fluctuations and frequency of these sound waves have completely deviated from the range of a normal person," Silas thought in alarm.
"Truly a troubled time. To go mad to this extent, he must have been influenced by some mystical force. It seems my wish to resolve this easily cannot be fulfilled."
Here, under Grimman's instruction, the security guard opened the main door.
The inside of the warehouse was not as dark as Silas had imagined; instead, it was very bright.
The spacious warehouse mostly contained tools for restoring artifacts, such as knives, plaster, iron powder, and so on.
The high wall on the left had many windows, facing the southern sun directly. The curtains had been drawn up, illuminating the warehouse brightly.
On a load-bearing pillar in the middle, Silas saw the mad Joseph.
This was a young man who looked to be in his thirties, with messy blond hair and a considerable amount of beard on his face.
He was currently wearing a black suit, but at this moment, his clothes were covered in dust and bloodstains.
His entire body was firmly tied to the pillar. For safety, even his neck was bound, leaving only his head free to move.
However, due to his violent struggles, his skin had been chafed by the rough ropes, and blood had flowed out, smearing the thick ropes and his clothes.
Awooo! Awooo! Awooo!
At this moment, Joseph, as reported, had no rational thought. His previously emerald green eyes were filled with madness and chaos, turbid and unfocused.
His mouth was stretched wide, revealing white teeth. The corners of his mouth had even split due to excessive stretching.
He was howling while gnashing his teeth and shaking his head, like a feeding beast, seemingly tearing at something.
Seeing such a bizarre scene, Silas still felt somewhat apprehensive. The security guard beside him was already pale with fright, his expression full of dread.
The elderly Grimman was very calm and asked, "Officer Sotos, can you investigate the reason for his madness?"
Silas rubbed his chin, casually took out a notebook and pen, and asked, "Can you tell me about his identity and recent situation?"
Grimman nodded. "No problem."
"Joseph is a painter, thirty-three years old this year. He is very talented, but because his painting style is too avant-garde, no one appreciates it, leading to poverty. I accidentally discovered his talent and then invited him to the museum, both to help us appraise some ancient paintings and to assist us in restoring damaged ancient paintings. He has been working here for two years. Although his personality is somewhat introverted and shy, his interpersonal relationships are quite good, and he gets along well with his colleagues."
"Has he shown any abnormalities recently?" Silas asked after noting down the key points.
Grimman thought for a moment and said, "No abnormalities. He commutes to and from work normally every day. Oh, right! He hasn't seemed well recently, looking as if he's been staying up late. I asked about his situation, and he said he found inspiration and started painting again recently. And he said this painting will be the highest achievement of his life, that this painting will attract worldwide attention and make him famous for ages."
Speaking of this, Grimman sighed. "There's nothing to be done about it. Everyone in the arts thinks their work will bring them fame and fortune."
Silas nodded. "Yes, but reality is cruel."
"When he left work last night, his spirit was somewhat dazed. I thought at the time it was due to fatigue from staying up too late, so I reminded him. He smiled at me then, said he was about to succeed, and then left."
"And then?"
"Then, this morning, he was late for work. When the museum opened, he wandered here in a daze, then suddenly went mad and started biting anyone he saw. He was finally subdued, and we called the police."
Silas looked at the key points recorded in his notebook and thought to himself, "Then the core issue should be that painting he was working on."
"However, that painting should be at his home. I'll check this fellow's situation first."
Thinking this, Silas clutched his cane and walked forward.
"Officer Sotos, be careful. After going mad, his physical fitness has become excellent," Grimman reminded him.
Silas nodded slightly and came to a distance of less than a meter from him.
"Awooo!"
As soon as he got close, Joseph suddenly lunged forward, biting at Silas.
Unfortunately, his body was tied too tightly to move.
"Let's try the Mantra of Serenity first and see if it has any effect!" Silas said, then skillfully took out The Lunar Codex from under his church robe and began to read with a kind and solemn expression.