Chapter 127: Occultist in Action
Liu Xing glanced ahead, where Caesar, leading the way, had already pushed open the doors of the cathedral, followed closely by Jigu.
In response, Liu Xing hurriedly took a couple of quick steps to catch up with Ji Wu and the others, entering the cathedral.
Upon stepping inside, Liu Xing realized that the cathedral had no windows, shrouding its interior in complete darkness. However, at that moment, Jigu's subordinates produced torches, positioning themselves at the four corners of the cathedral, each lighting a brazier. The flames illuminated the space.
Calling it a cathedral didn't quite do it justice; Liu Xing felt it was more like a place designed for ritualistic ceremonies. The interior held nothing but scattered, bleached bones, and in the center of the cathedral lay a massive magic circle, emitting a strong scent of blood. It was evident that this magic circle had been drawn with fresh blood.
Yet, it was clear that the magic circle had been abandoned for quite some time, as the bloodstains had completely dried, and the lines of the circle were broken and intermittent, making it difficult to discern its original design.
On the walls surrounding the cathedral, Liu Xing noticed numerous predominantly black murals. However, their style was exceedingly abstract, and Liu Xing admitted to himself that he couldn't make sense of what these murals were trying to convey.
"This cathedral is the only structure in the Graveyard, and during the daytime, it's impossible to open its doors. There have been attempts to forcibly open them, but those who tried were instantly killed by a mysterious force. However, once the moon rises in the sky, the cathedral's doors can easily be opened. Everyone must leave the cathedral before dawn because at that moment, the doors will snap shut, and anyone left inside will disappear forever," Luo Cong explained dutifully as the narrator.
"So, there should be some valuable items inside this cathedral, right? Have they all been taken?" He Wei asked curiously.
Komatsu shook his head and responded, "To the best of my knowledge, no one has ever obtained anything useful from this cathedral. Many believe it's just a decoration, but others think that there must be something valuable inside that we haven't discovered yet."
Liu Xing was about to speak when he suddenly remembered something: Ji Wu was an Occultist!
Quickly, Liu Xing turned his attention to Ji Wu and noticed that Ji Wu was already crouched on the ground, holding a bone in his hand.
As a doctor, Liu Xing didn't need a medical assessment to recognize the bone Ji Wu was holding – it was a human thigh bone, most likely from a male.
Liu Xing breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that Ji Wu still had some self-control and was merely examining a thigh bone, rather than delving into the magic circle.
"Ji Wu, why are you holding a thigh bone?" Liu Xing asked while planning to pull Ji Wu up. He knew he had to prevent Ji Wu from any potentially reckless actions.
Ji Wu shook his head and handed the thigh bone to Liu Xing. "If I'm not mistaken, Liu Xing, you're a doctor, right? Take a look at the patterns on this bone and tell me how they were formed. I'm not certain right now."
Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, realizing that Ji Wu had made a discovery. He took the thigh bone and examined it carefully.
The thigh bone, also known as the femur, was the longest, heaviest, and most robust bone in the human body, supporting the body's entire weight.
And now, this thigh bone displayed a set of faint patterns. If one didn't observe carefully, it was easy to overlook these markings.
Liu Xing gently ran his fingers over these patterns and noticed that they were only a few millimeters deep. Liu Xing even began to suspect that these patterns on the thigh bone were simply the result of being gnawed on by a Ghoul.
However, upon close examination of the entire thigh bone, Liu Xing discovered that while the patterns appeared scattered, they were intricately connected in some way. Liu Xing was certain that these patterns had been deliberately etched onto the thigh bone using a sharp tool or claws, likely those of a Ghoul.
For safety's sake, Liu Xing decided to contact KP Luo Luo. After all, as an Old Chinese Doctor, he had only limited knowledge of orthopedics. "KP, I'd like to perform a medical assessment on this thigh bone."
"Oh, I didn't expect your luck to be this good, finding this bone so quickly. Since player Liu Xing's Medical skill exceeds 60, this medical assessment is automatically successful. Player Liu Xing, you've discovered that the patterns on this thigh bone were created using a small tool and that the bone was subjected to high-temperature exposure," KP Luo Luo said with a smile.
Liu Xing raised an eyebrow, realizing that his decision to conduct a medical assessment had been a wise one. He hadn't noticed the high-temperature exposure on the thigh bone.
Considering this, Liu Xing surmised that this thigh bone had likely been used for some form of ritual. With that thought in mind, he handed the thigh bone back to Ji Wu and said earnestly, "Ji Wu, the patterns on this thigh bone appear to be man-made, and the bone was exposed to high temperatures after the patterns were etched. Combined with the magic circle in this cathedral, I suspect this thigh bone might be a ritualistic tool."
"I see. I was trying to convert the incomplete magic circle from the thigh bone into a flat diagram earlier. It seems like this might be an incomplete magical array. Now that you mention it, this thigh bone could indeed be a ritualistic tool, or its owner might have been a sacrifice!" Ji Wu affirmed.
Liu Xing nodded, and a possibility suddenly crossed his mind. "Ji Wu, can you draw the incomplete magic circle from this thigh bone? I suspect that this incomplete magic circle on the thigh bone is a part of the central magic circle in the cathedral!" Ji Wu raised an eyebrow and nodded, saying, "No problem. I happen to have paper and a pen in my backpack. I'll draw it for you right away."
Without hesitation, Ji Wu retrieved paper and a pen from his backpack, then crouched down and started drawing.
Soon, an incomplete magic circle was vividly depicted on the paper. Liu Xing immediately compared it to the central magic circle in the cathedral, and as expected, there were similarities!
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