Ms. Moriarty wants to save Beika Town today too.

"By the way," after getting the promise, Mao Lilan asked happily, "Miss Winnett, did you also hear about the armor that appeared in the art gallery in the middle of the night?"

"Armor that appeared in the middle of the night?"

"Well, it is said that the guard saw it during his night patrol. It was a suit of medieval armor, moving in the exhibition hall."

Winnet smiled, "Maybe someone did this on purpose to create a topic. Judging from what happened just now, the operation of the museum is not very good." She began to explain from a pertinent perspective. She didn't believe in the existence of ghosts. She turned her eyes to the collection of the museum. Although some works were from unknown painters, they all had artistic characteristics and a sense of age. For example, Mount Kilimanjaro, candles burning in flames, and paintings similar to Edward Mond's expressionism.

Even viewers who don't understand art can feel the life and connotation of these paintings. Winnet was moved and stopped in a hazy impressionistic meadow scene.

This reminded her of the time she spent with Shirley in the United States.

"There are so many beautiful paintings. It's great to be here...the colors are so beautiful," said Mao Lilan.

At this time, Kogoro and Conan also walked over, but the two had no interest in these paintings.

"Does this painting remind you of anything, young lady?"

"It just happens to match the scenery in my mind. When I see it, it seems that the scene in my memory has changed." Winnett didn't look back, but just nodded gently, "There are no gorse flowers, nor silver dandelions all over the sky, but there is a cool breeze on my face and the person sitting next to me."

"Haha, that's great. It comes from a German painter... After reading Storm's works, I developed a yearning for rural nature, but the meaning of the works he painted is no longer limited to the countryside. Art has incomparable value only when it is given to people who know how to appreciate it and can resonate with it."

After saying these words, the old man behind Winnet walked towards Mao Lilan, who was delighted with the work and folded her arms.

Seeing Mao Lilan admiring a portrait painting, he walked over with a smile.

"Do you like it very much, young lady?" the old man said, "I like it the most too. No, I should say all the works here. I like them all. They are like my children. They are so cute!"

"Um, who are you?"

"Oh, sorry, I'm rude! My name is Ochiai, I'm the curator here, hello."

"It turns out to be Mr. Curator. I'm so sorry."

"Okay, please enjoy it slowly." Director Ochiai was about to turn around and leave.

Soon, he saw an employee dismantling the picture frame.

Director Ochiai's eyes widened, and his gentle expression became a little ferocious. He roared:

"Kubota, what are you doing? You must wear gloves when handling your work. I've told you several times! Did you forget?!"

Kubota?

This surname aroused Winette's interest. She remembered that one of the contents of the commission was to deal with the man named Kubota.

"I'm sorry." Sweat broke out on Kubota's face.

"You don't have to do it," Director Ochiai ordered. Then he turned to look at another staff member who was sorting the artworks, "Iijima, I'll leave this to you."

"Yes." Iijima replied.

Winette now knew who the client was. The emails contained photos of Kubota secretly selling art in the museum, as well as his private dealings with Manaka, who had acquired and renovated the museum. As for the other client, it was Manaka, who had agreed to keep the museum but went back on his word and planned to convert it into a hotel.

Winette paid attention to the staff and she clearly saw Kubota leaving his post with an unhappy and vicious look on his face.

Winnet had intended to investigate a bit, but she gave up the idea. She loved the artworks here, and Kubota and Manaka were the ones who destroyed them.

Then, the corners of her mouth curved up.

……

ps: carrying private goods.

202 Between Hell

Winnett edited a text message and asked Clyde to check the changes in the art gallery. With her financial resources, she didn't need to spend too much effort. A little trick would be enough to make the real boss lose most of his business.

Speak of the devil, he appears. A short, fat man with a treacherous face and shiny hair walked into the corridor.

"Oh, just like usual, there are not many people."

"Boss Manaka." Director Ochiai greeted.

"This place will be closed in ten days," said Manaka arrogantly, "I'll trouble you to take good care of it for a while, hehe... take good care of these rusty pieces of junk."

Shinaka's face was full of sarcasm and viciousness.

He turned to the entourage standing next to him and asked, "Mr. Designer, where are the design drawings?" Then the two of them left together.

After hearing this conversation, Mao Lilan came to the side of Director Ochiai enthusiastically and asked, "Is this art museum going to disappear?"

"Yes, the previous boss had to sell the art museum to Mr. Manaka due to the bankruptcy of his company..." Director Ochiai sighed.

In his opinion, there was no room for maneuver in the current situation. There was only one way left. He looked at this art museum that was like his child and was extremely reluctant to desecrate it, but there was only one way left for him to stop Shinaka - to kill him.

At this time, Iijima came over and interrupted, "The previous owner sold it to that guy because Mr. Manaka promised to continue to run the art museum." He turned back to look at Manaka with disgust, his eyes burning with anger, "As a result, not long after that guy bought it, he wanted to renovate this place into a hotel..."

Suddenly, the armor helmet that Kubota was carrying fell to the ground.

Bang.

Manaka turned around and looked at Kubota, "You should be the Kubota, right? I've heard the rumors about you, you guys better get the money together quickly! Hahahaha!"

When Kubota heard Manaka's laughter, he was so angry that he threw the helmet he had just picked up onto the transport truck.

Winette saw this and guessed that Kubota's secret search for Manaka had failed. His hatred was also something that could be used.

Conan, who was watching the whole thing, thought that Director Ochiai's angry roar was coming again. However, contrary to his expectations, Kubota's action of throwing the helmet off did not anger Director Ochiai.

You were so angry just now...why?

"Greedy guy..."

Conan heard the whisper and looked up to find Winette standing behind him. Although she was smiling, she gave him a chill, as if a corner of the cold blade wrapped in the old scabbard had been exposed.

too horrible.

Conan felt a chill down his spine, thinking how scary Xiaolan looked when she was angry. He couldn't help but sigh in his heart, women are really scary creatures.

Seeing Xiaolan's high interest, Conan knew that he couldn't leave the art gallery for a while, so he started to look around with Maori Kogoro. Each exhibition hall was basically built in a circular shape, and the four of them were not close together. Winnett would occasionally talk to Maori Ran and discuss their views on the artworks.

“It’s very religious.”

In the exhibition hall "Between the Sky", Mao Lilan sighed.

"No, it's about ancient Greek mythology," Winnett said. "I'm not sure, but it should be the story of Nemedes being captured. He was captured by Zeus and became a wine boy for the gods... These reliefs should be the scene of the condor capturing Nemedes."

There is a second half to the story that Winnet didn't tell us, which is that Zeus has an almost absurd love for Nemedes.

She was too lazy to talk about vulgar and unclean things, and just acted like a half-guide accompanying the three people to visit the exhibition hall.

"Sister Winnet, you know so much..."

After being influenced by heraldry, classical mythology, local customs, maritime history and other contents, Conan also developed a sense of admiration for Winnet because of her erudition.

"Well, it has something to do with my love of reading. 'Modern theology is heresy' is what the older generation always said, so during my college years, I mainly focused on reading and studying miscellaneous subjects."

"Ah ha ha……"

Conan smiled awkwardly when he heard such words from a pastor of a modern church with a theology degree.

Winnet felt that although Conan was a little adult, he did not show the sharpness and intelligence he had before. She thought that it might be the result of an accident.

Maori Kogoro was a little surprised to hear that Winnett had graduated from college. "So Miss Moriarty, you have already graduated from college. You look almost the same age as my daughter."

"Mr. Maori, this kind of talk can easily be mistaken for flirting." Winnett said with a smile, "But, some people have indeed said that I look younger than my actual age. Thanks to this, I am quite popular among children."

After saying that, Winnet looked at Conan with a smile. The latter shook his shoulders, touched the back of his head and laughed dryly.

After the tour of the Ocean Hall came to an end, the four of them went to the next place together. The entire art museum was like a radiating circle, with several branches, each leading to an exhibition hall. In front of the road they were on, there was a sign that said "No entry except for relevant persons."

"No trespassing," Mao Lilan muttered, opening the tourist guide, "There should be another room in front of this."

"Okay, let's forget about that and let's just go around in a circle quickly," Kogoro Mouri urged.

Winette could see that he and Conan were getting impatient. However, the sign in front of her made her feel even more concerned. Just as Mao Lilan said, it was indeed written in the manual that there was a "hell room" here. If it was a temporary maintenance, there should be a special mark on the notice board of the museum.

She felt something was wrong.

When the conflict intensifies and abnormal situations occur, it is natural to think of some special purpose. Closing a specific scene is a common method used in committing crimes.

Could it be that?

"Ms. Winnet, we are going to the next exhibition hall." Mao Lilan turned back and called Winnet.

"I'm going to the bathroom, you guys go first."

Winnet sent Mao Lilan away, and when the footsteps faded away, she crossed the "No Entry" sign and walked towards "Hell Between" - the exhibition hall was dark without lights on, and Winnet's eyesight was slightly affected - it was difficult for her to see the artworks in the exhibition hall. And in the entire exhibition hall, there was only the sound of her footsteps.

"Did you guess wrong? Or is it not time yet?"

Winnett continued to move deeper into the exhibition hall, her shoes making loud noises, as if testing something.

She stopped and calmed down.

There is the sound of breathing...

……

203 Flower of Conviction

As she paced forward again, her breathing became more rapid. This time, she clearly felt that the sound came from the outline of the armor in front of her.

Armor?

Holding the sword in her armored hand, Winnett could only think of one possibility, and then she let out a nervous low laugh.

Director Ochiai, who is waiting in his armor for Manaka's appointment, gets irritated when he sees Winnet approaching. He doesn't think Winnet is an unruly guest, but the fact is that she has entered the temporarily closed exhibition hall and will disrupt his plan to kill Manaka.

Winnet's laughter was extremely harsh to his ears.

Why are you laughing?

Director Ochiai couldn't figure out the reason. The hell exhibition room was filled with serious exhibits and there was nothing funny at all.

He fell into a sudden silence, his lips moved, thinking about a solution. He hoped that Winnet would leave, but Winnet did not do so, just standing in front of him, as if her lifeless eyes had penetrated him in this armor.

“I heard a story.”

Winnet did not expose the person in the armor, she just continued telling the story.

"In ancient legends, there is an extremely terrifying monster. If a person is harmed by the monster, the curse will spread throughout his body, and he will eventually become the same monster."

"The protagonist of the story was injured by a monster while trying to save an important person. The curse infected him, making him furious and terrifying, but he tried his best to kill the monster completely; he succeeded, but gradually lost himself in the curse."

After hearing what Winnett said, Director Ochiai understood. The implication was that he and Manaka were in the story. The little girl with impaired vision in front of him saw through his thoughts and actions.

Although he has poor eyesight, he has a heart as sharp as a mirror.

"What awaits him is for an important person to kill him," Winnett said. "It's not just this museum that needs to be protected, but also the people who trust you."

Director Ochiai still did not respond.

"It seems that you have realized it. I am too ignorant... But don't worry, this art museum will continue to operate."

Winette left.

Director Ochiai also breathed a sigh of relief. There were less than ten minutes left before the time he and Manaka had agreed to meet.

Finally, he was relieved to hear Winnet's words. He knew that his behavior was very sinful, but he had no choice. The art gallery was about to be demolished and rebuilt, and he could not listen to the words of an irrelevant girl and easily give up his long-planned plan. Everything was just as he expected. Zhenzhong came and shook his head in front of him.

When Manaka saw that the person he had invited did not show up, he turned around and checked the time by looking at his watch.

Director Ochiai, who was hiding in the armor, jumped up suddenly. He used all his old strength to swing the sharp sword high, venting all his anger and unwillingness on Manaka.

call!

The long sword slashed at Manaka.

Director Ochiai was old, and despite his high will, his powerful vertical strike only left a long and wide wound on Manaka's body, without cutting off his arm.

He turned his back to Manaka, deliberately leaving Manaka some space to catch his breath.

"Look behind you..."

Manaka heard the voice of Director Ochiai and knew who was in the armor, but he was already sweating from the pain; he looked at the wall behind him and saw a piece of paper on it. He took the paper off the wall and saw the name "Kubota" written on it and a ballpoint pen on the table.

Manaka subconsciously took out a ballpoint pen and prepared to write Director Ochiai's name on the note, but his plan failed - the ballpoint pen on the table could not write.

"hateful!"

He realized this fact after scribbling a few strokes, driven by anger and despair. Shinaka threw the pen to the ground and wanted to flee the scene, but it was too late -

Director Ochiai turned around and chopped at Manaka who was trying to stand up. He grabbed Manaka's neck, used all his strength to lift him up with one hand, and pierced his throat with the sword.