manynovel Chapter 284 History is the past of a tower.
Chapter 284 History is the past of a tower.
Chapter 286 History is the past of a tower.
"Who is this butler in the black robes who looks like the Night Demon? Have we got a new guest at the mansion?"
As soon as she went upstairs, Officer Jenny noticed the middle-aged man who was alone in the living room on the first floor.
"The maid and the others aren't here. Are they preparing dinner? Speaking of which, the guest Master Meidan is supposed to be entertaining today seems to be a big businessman. Is it possible he's already here? And this gloomy-looking man seems to be waiting for something. Could he be Hayden's henchman? If so, where is the businessman himself?"
As Officer Jenny paid her respects, the Sinnoh Champion, who had been walking upstairs alongside her, had unknowingly left her side.
"Don't overthink it. Just ask him directly."
After leaving those words, Zhu Lan went to find the guests in the living room.
"Hello, are you also a visitor to this Forest Mansion?"
In her everyday state, Zhu Lan showed no airs of a champion and greeted the other party in a calm tone.
However, upon seeing the person approaching, the black-clad steward instantly became alert, involuntarily narrowing his eyes. He remained polite, though his hand instinctively dropped to his side, but he didn't reach for the Poké Ball hidden beneath his black butler's uniform.
"Are you perhaps the Sinnoh League's Cynthia Champion?"
"Yes, commissioned by the Alliance, Ms. Officer Jenny and I plan to conduct an on-site investigation of this mansion."
May I ask who you are?
The man in the butler's uniform replied, flattered, "I really can't address you as 'Sir'. I'm just Mr. Hayden's bodyguard and driver. Oh, Mr. Hayden is that guy from Zhuqing City—."
"The founder of Hayden Pharmaceuticals, we've heard that name from Mr. Medan. But what about your own name?"
"The company has regulations for security personnel like us," the man said hurriedly. "We can't reveal our real names while on duty, to prevent malicious individuals from using it against us. You can just call me Aying."
"Are you all this professional?" Officer Jenny muttered to herself.
Zhu Lan nodded in satisfaction: "Okay, Mr. A-Ying, it's a pleasure to meet you. Where is your employer now?"
"The master is discussing something with Mr. Meidan."
Manager Aying glanced warily towards the second floor, then, as if realizing she had broken some taboo, quickly looked away.
He added, "However, my employer doesn't want anyone to interrupt their conversation."
"Is it a secret meeting? That makes sense. Master Meidan instructed the maids to entertain the guests before noon, so it must be something very important to discuss."
Zhu Lan glanced at the tightly closed door in the center of the second floor, then her gaze returned to Steward A Ying in front of her.
"Mr. Hayden and the owner of the Meidan Mansion may be conducting some important research in the mansion, but we're not interested in that. What we care about is the Forest Mansion itself. Mr. Aying, do you know anything about the history of this building?"
'
"To be honest, I don't understand—"
The man, who was either a butler, a bodyguard, or a driver, scratched his head.
"Well, I basically oversaw the construction of this building."
"Huh? This isn't right!" Officer Jenny almost jumped up.
"Didn't this mansion appear in the Hundred Generations Forest over a hundred years ago? We asked Miss Nagisa of the Hundred Generations Gym, and the legend of the haunted mansion in the forest has been circulating since the very beginning of Hundred Generations City. Could it be that we've come to the wrong mansion? Or are you actually an old monster who has lived from a hundred years ago to the present?"
"How is that possible?" Ah Ying gave a wry smile.
"This Forest Mansion is indeed the haunted mansion that has been rumored for a long time. However, the staircases, floors, and interior decorations you see now were almost all built by the master himself two years ago."
"You mean, this Forest Mansion was renovated two years ago?"
The champion of Bamboo Orchid frowned with some concern.
The house has undergone renovations, which means that the original details of the building have likely been demolished or altered, and it's uncertain how much of the mythological significance will remain. Furthermore, after this major renovation, Officer Jenny's plan to investigate traces of Akatsuki's past life is also likely to be completely ruined.
"Oh dear, it took a lot of effort when Mr. Hayden ordered us to renovate the mansion discreetly."
As if oblivious to the Sinnoh Champion's predicament, the black-clad steward continued speaking to himself—
"The master's requirements were extremely demanding. In addition to the complete renovation, we could not destroy the surrounding forest that could conceal the mansion, nor could we change the basic interior furnishings. On top of that, we had to add a basement to the mansion. If the company hadn't sent a sufficient number of Pokémon to help us airlift materials and stabilize the foundation, it would have been an almost impossible task."
"But it was eventually completed, wasn't it?"
Officer Jenny surveyed the neatly decorated interior of the Forest Mansion and exclaimed, "They even moved a whole bunch of computer equipment into the basement."
"Yes, that was also purchased to assist Professor Medan in continuing his research."
The steward proudly puffed out his chest. "In the end, we perfectly achieved Mr. Hayden's intentions, completing the mansion within three months. While preserving its exterior, we renovated the interior to a clean and habitable state. According to the master, our Forest Mansion combines wildness with the refinement of man-made structures, representing the ultimate form of a cabin in the woods—a true work of landscape art. Alas, it's a pity someone demolished a section of the exterior wall; otherwise, you could see the mansion in its perfect, hidden state. Perhaps we should suggest to the master that we transplant a few ancient trees?"
"No, no, there's nothing to regret, no need to make such a fuss." Officer Jenny was embarrassed.
Supervising the renovation of the mansion didn't seem to be part of the security personnel's job, and when Aying was assigned to work there, he wasn't asked to sign a confidentiality agreement. Therefore, seeing how interested Cyndaquil Champion from the Sinnoh region and Officer Jenny in her police uniform were in this matter, Mr. Aying naturally shared everything he knew, boasting about his great achievements.
"So, the real owner of this building is actually your employer?"
As the manager explained, the policewoman became increasingly concerned about the issue of inheriting the ownership of the mansion.
"The mansion was given to Professor Meidan after it was built. This kind of building in a remote forest doesn't even qualify as real estate."
It's unlikely to appreciate much in value; for someone as wealthy as Mr. Hayden, giving it to a partner would be a trivial matter.
"The founder of Hayden Pharmaceuticals certainly has the capital to be so capricious," Officer Jenny nodded. "But the key question is, why would that big entrepreneur specifically choose to come to such a remote forest to rebuild such a dilapidated mansion as a gift for a friend?"
"That's beyond my control as a mere manager," Ah Ying shrugged, neither confirming nor denying.
"I have a question, Mr. Ying." Zhu Lan, who had been silent all along, suddenly asked, her gray eyes turning to the wooden staircase leading to the second floor.
"Was the painting hanging next to the stair railing purchased after the renovation?"
"Of course not," the butler replied matter-of-factly.
"My employer is a rather strict perfectionist, since he requires us to completely preserve the appearance of the building's interior."
How could we possibly add new decorations on it without permission? All the furnishings in the mansion were inherited exactly as they were from the original Mori Mansion a hundred years ago.
At this moment, everyone's attention was focused on the painting hanging next to the stairs.
It was a half-length portrait of an unidentified man. For some reason, the painter chose to use reddish tones to depict the eyes in the portrait.
A sense of foreboding rose in Officer Jenny's heart—when she passed by the staircase before, she didn't think there was anything unusual about the painting, but now, upon closer inspection, it seemed increasingly eerie.
It seemed as if those eyes concealed some scarlet and insane world.
Just as the atmosphere in the hall was becoming a little strange, the large door on the second floor suddenly opened.
The door that opened was not to the owner's room in the center, but to the door on the right—the guest room where Miss Venetian was staying.
"Something terrible has happened!"
For some reason, it was the maid, Qi Na, who came out of the door, with the short-haired owner's daughter following behind her, looking bewildered.
Both girls were pale.
"We were in the room, and we heard a very heavy pounding sound against the wall! It sounded like someone was calling for help!"
Qi Na cried out to Zhu Lan in a terrified voice, her voice almost trembling with tears.