Chapter 6178 - 5189: Soul Machine Arcadia (46)

Dr. Henry picked up the white cat and led him to a small room behind the library’s reading room. It looked like another office of his, but the atmosphere was entirely different from the tower. The room was narrow and cramped, and the lighting was dim. Shiller’s nerves were tight; he could sense the presence of some mysterious force here.

"Since that incident happened two years ago, I realized that the human race must be vigilant, and in all imaginable ways, respond to the arrival of those terrifying existences. Simply avoiding them is not the solution; we must seek knowledge to confront monsters from those texts filled with evil forces and pollution."

Shiller couldn’t help but want to give him a thumbs-up. Dr. Henry was one of those rare individuals with a firm religious belief, yet very open-minded in the field of scientific exploration. He always advocated that humans shouldn’t stand idly by, crying and waiting for God to save them, but instead actively explore and learn forbidden knowledge, even using this knowledge to combat monsters.

Therefore, he allowed those he trusted to enter the library, read certain very dangerous ancient texts, decipher the secrets on them and use technology. This created many legendary investigators, allowing the human race to survive terrifying disasters time and again.

And he himself was obviously the one who went the furthest on this path, not only obtaining old seals imbued with mysterious power but also mastering a wealth of information about the Outer Gods and Old Day Dominators.

Dr. Henry took out a ladder and climbed to the top of the bookshelf, but a white cat was faster than him. Shiller jumped to the top of the bookshelf in a flash, and Henry patted his head and said:

"How could I forget you. Help me take down that book with the blue cover, be a bit careful."

Shiller glanced down; there was a thin blue booklet on the shelf. He lightly twitched his nose and didn’t smell any scent of pollution. So he extended his paw, nudged the booklet out a bit, jumped up to catch it with his mouth, and landed steadily on the desk below.

Henry took the booklet and began reading it, Shiller wanted to go over and see it too but was swatted away by Henry, who said:

"If you can’t read, I wouldn’t mind letting you take a look, but if you can understand it, it’s better to stay away."

Shiller didn’t insist and began to patrol the room. Just then, the bell rang. During his few days at Miskatonic, the bell rang three times a day: six in the morning, twelve at noon, and six in the evening. These were also the times for waking up, lunch breaks, and end of classes.

Henry’s actions paused; he seemed to sense something, looked out the window, then stood up, removed his glasses, looked through the window at the bell tower, and said:

"Since Tibbers killed that monster, the bell tower has had some issues; for about a week, the bell wouldn’t ring. Looks like my guess was right."

Shiller squinted his eyes; if Arrogant were here, it would be great. He’s very adept at being a detective and solving these mysterious cases, possibly providing some inspiration for the old curator. But unfortunately, Shiller couldn’t figure it out right now.

Wait, although Arrogant wasn’t here, Constantine was. Constantine was called the Hell Detective and was very knowledgeable in this area; he should have a way to crack this mystery. So Shiller walked towards the door. Henry was engrossed in his research and didn’t pay him any mind.

Shiller wove his way to the psychology department; it was morning, most people had just woken up, and there were few on campus. Shiller sniffed around and soon locked onto Constantine’s direction; sure enough, he found Constantine, who hadn’t woken up, in the attic of this building.

"Wake up," Shiller called.

Constantine turned over and continued sleeping, so Shiller had to walk over and slap him twice. Constantine was a bit dazed from the hits, instinctively turned over showing his belly intending to retaliate, but upon seeing Shiller, he came to his senses.

"What’s wrong?" Constantine asked, "Weren’t we supposed to meet next week?"

"There’s a puzzle," Shiller said, "it’s related to the dog I’m looking for."

Then Shiller narrated the Dunwich Horror Incident to Constantine and shared his and Dr. Henry’s guesses. Constantine listened thoughtfully, washing his face with his paw while speaking:

"It’s a glaring logical problem. The twin brother who turned into a monster called to their father at the time of death, and Yog briefly appeared. Similarly, when the brother Wilbur was bitten to death by the dog, it’s likely he also called for Yog, so why didn’t Yog appear?"

Shiller pondered as well. Yog didn’t come in full body, but even a projection is a terrifying existence. The aftermath of the Dunwich Horror Incident has never ceased, evident from the old curator’s frequent nightmares.

Such an existence, they can go wherever they please, there’s no reason for him to come when his brother died but not come when the elder brother died. Moreover, the elder brother died far more miserably than the younger one. It’s better to say the younger one returned to the father’s embrace, while the elder brother truly got bitten to death by the dog.

"Perhaps Miskatonic University has something that Yog dislikes," Constantine concluded, "from my experience, there’s nothing on Earth that can prevent the descent of an Outer God, but there could be something that makes them feel disgusted, making them unwilling to manifest."

"That clock," Shiller said, "Dr. Henry told me, for a week after Wilbur’s death, the bell in the bell tower wouldn’t ring."

"What’s the deal with that clock?" Constantine asked, "If it’s just an ordinary clock, it shouldn’t make Yog feel repulsed."

Shiller shook his head but still said, "There are no ordinary things in this university. That clock might be connected to some entities or might have some symbolic mysterious power."

"I think it’s more likely the latter," Constantine said. "Yog is already the highest rank among the Outer Gods, theoretically he shouldn’t fear others’ power. It might be that the clock represents the force of linear time endlessly moving forward, and that could be what Yog dislikes."

Shiller thought for a moment. Although in the realm of the Outer Gods, Yog is considered easygoing and a master of order, it doesn’t mean he controls the kind of order the human race does. First of all, the timeline he created isn’t a linear one but curves and whirlpools, totally different from the human concept of time, which never returns.

So, a clock that constantly reminds of the passage of time day after day might just be something he dislikes. Not to mention, a blade of grass in Miskatonic University could be a collection of the earth’s essences, so the chimes that ring daily in students’ and teachers’ ears are naturally not simple.

"I think you can try taking a doghouse and a dog bowl to the Bell Tower," Constantine said. "When the bell rings again, there might be some changes. But be very careful, once you open the door, what comes out might not be just the dog."

"It’s too dangerous," Shiller sighed.

"That’s why you must be present," Constantine said. "If any contamination leaks out, or if some monster emerges, you can whip it with your tail. These scattered pollutants are not a match for Nya’s power."

Shiller nodded. It seemed that was the only way. He returned to the old curator’s office, but it was empty, so Shiller went to the doghouse and found the old curator tidying up Tibbers’ house and bowl.

"I think taking these things to the Bell Tower might work," the old curator said. "In Christian legends, the church’s bell can dispel evil forces. If Miskatonic University’s bell doesn’t work, then I’ll take him to the town’s church."

Though the old curator came to this conclusion from a religious perspective, it was undoubtedly a shared path. But Shiller quickly blocked Dr. Henry, meowing continuously and pacing with a sharp tone as if warning him.

Dr. Henry put down what he was holding, picked up the cat, or more accurately held its two front paws, letting the cat dangle like a long strip. He looked into Shiller’s gray eyes and asked:

"Are you worried about danger?"

Shiller promptly nodded. Henry thought a moment and said:

"I’ll bring the runes, but I’m not sure if they’ll work. Or do you have another way?"

Shiller struggled a bit, and Dr. Henry let him down. Then Shiller leapt onto his shoulder, giving a gentle meow. Dr. Henry stroked his tail, remembering when he found the cat, its tail seemed broken, and he had splints on it for several days until it recently healed. It was hard to imagine what had broken the tail of such a clever cat, and Dr. Henry imagined many thrilling situations, no less than what he’d experienced during the Dunwich Horror Incident.

"It seems you’re quite a cat with stories." Dr. Henry said, "If you want to come with me, then let’s go. Hopefully, we can rescue Tibbers."

A man and a cat, carrying Tibbers’ former belongings, headed to the school’s Bell Tower. The Bell Tower wasn’t far from Henry’s residence, southwest of the library. They walked up to the top floor where the large clock was located. Opening the door, they were met by dust; Henry coughed.

He assembled the doghouse, placed the bowl inside, then opened his suitcase, first taking out sweet flag to purify the place, then sprinkling salt around to exorcise. He also put on the pocket watch. Shiller had heard Dr. Henry say the pocket watch was left by his deceased wife and might have the effect of faith empowerment.

After all this hustle, it was still not time for the next chime. Dr. Henry seemed to lose himself in memories looking at Tibbers’ dog bowl, and when he came around, he found Shiller with a brown paper bag in front of him. Inside was bread, butter, and milk, evidently the breakfast provided by the university for staff.

"Oh, you thoughtful little guy," Dr. Henry pulled the cat into his arms, giving it a good rub. "If we can really save Tibbers, you’ll be great friends with him. There won’t be anything that dares bully you anymore."

Shiller was somewhat helpless; Dr. Henry, like many kind-hearted people around him, was very sure that Shiller was a pitiful little victim, thinking he was bullied by something, leading him to this state. But given that he was now a cat, people’s outpouring of sympathy, at most, meant being picked up for a good rub rather than attempting psychological counseling, it wasn’t too hard to accept.

Sure enough, Shiller wouldn’t shortchange himself; he’d already eaten his fill in the cafeteria. Dr. Henry also noticed the grease around his mouth and took a handkerchief from his pocket to wipe it off, then said:

"Next time you sneak sausages, remember to take only one of each flavor. You’ve finished all the black pepper ones, of course, Mrs. Ed can tell something’s wrong. Remember to wipe your mouth after eating, or if she catches you, she’ll surely lock you in a cage."

Shiller rubbed against the handkerchief; he didn’t care about those things, whichever flavor tasted good, he’d gorge on it. After all, he was a cat now, and cats do what they want.