On a moonlit night, in a single prison with dim candlelight, Ed calmly rested his arms on the wheat bran pillow, feeling completely bored.
He was not worried that the so-called "crime" would really be established. The remaining tea soup and scattered holy oil on the handkerchief could largely prove his innocence.
The rest is nothing more than coordination and communication between the branch and the headquarters of the Divine Bureau in Silver Mist City. After all, the Bureau is not monolithic.
There was a ticking sound outside the window, which was the sound of water dripping from the steam engine drainage pipe and splashing on the iron grating frame. When Ed counted the 412th drop, the door finally opened.
As expected, it was Mr. Eaton’s slender gray figure that caught his eye:
"Sorry to cause you trouble again." Ed sat up and said politely, "The matter is rather complicated. Please allow me to explain it to you briefly..."
"It's okay, I've already seen the interrogation record." Out of habit, Eaton took off his hat before speaking, "Are you injured?"
"Uh, no." Ed was stunned for a moment, then shook his head.
"That's good, come out with me."
Mr. Eaton handed Ed the crow cane and hat, along with a bag containing the other confiscated items.
"How is Sir Reed?" Eddard asked. If you want to track Mr. Smile, he may be a breakthrough.
"The injury is not serious. It has stabilized after treatment by Rowan, but he has never been able to regain his independent consciousness. Mr. Smile's personality has been parasitic in his body for too long, and the original personality has almost died."
"...can only eat liquid food and has a weak response to light stimulation. Other than that, Sir Reed is just a living corpse now."
"That's it, then... hiss..." Ed was still about to say something, but suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his left leg, which made the muscles twitch and tremble. If it weren't for the support of the cane, he would almost fall to the ground.
The bone injury in his left leg has not fully healed yet. It seems that the chase in the garden maze was too intense and caused an old injury to relapse.
"Well, with your current condition, it may be difficult for you to return to the team and continue participating in the mission for the time being."
Mr. Eaton noticed his strangeness, turned around and said:
"I will give you permission to extend your vacation for two weeks and take care of Charlotte's safety."
"Okay, got it."
Ed nodded. Due to the trauma, Charlotte had to be cared for. 'Byakuya' had been taking care of her before. If he could fill the gap, the sissy would be free to do other things.
"By the way, there is one more small problem..." he said with a guilty look on his face, "I shouldn't be asked to compensate for the damage to the maze garden at the hotel..."
In order to take a shortcut to keep Mr. Smile, he cut down the maze garden into a one-way street. It should cost a lot of money to repair it again.
"Of course, the Bureau of Divine Investigation has special compensation funds to deal with this situation." Eaton nodded expressionlessly, "But your year-end bonus may be affected to some extent."
Oh no……
…
"I repeat..."
The sissy licked the lipstick on her lips and was about to continue speaking, but was stopped mid-sentence by Ed's gesture:
"No, no, no, I can already memorize it -"
"Take the transparent capsules in the blue pill box once in the morning and evening, one tablet at a time. If Charlotte begins to suffer from severe narcolepsy, immediately stop taking the capsules in the blue pill box and take the granules in the red pill box instead. , once a day, one pack at a time..."
"Notify Dr. Rowan when the dose is less than the seven-day requirement. In addition, always carry an emergency syringe of laudanum with you. Use it as soon as Charlotte starts laughing uncontrollably. If the opium The tincture is ineffective, so stay away from the scene immediately and wait for support.”
After reciting it in one breath, Ed sighed:
"Seriously, do we need to confirm three times?"
This wasn't some complicated instructions that needed to be memorized over and over again, and besides, he had already written them down on his notepad.
"It's better to be in trouble than to have an accident. It may be a trivial matter to you, but for some people whose brains are full of rust..."
Bai Ya raised his eyebrows, shook his head and said:
"Let me tell you this, the first two medicine boxes contained capsules, until the mentally retarded Anvil got the colors wrong, causing Charlotte to sleep for three whole days even though she was already suffering from narcolepsy."
"Uh..." Ed was dumbfounded.
This can also be confused. Could it be that the big Mr. Anvil is color blind?
"I'll be careful. Is there anything else I need to pay attention to?"
"The most important thing is to keep Charlotte positive and take her out for a walk if she's feeling down. Just be careful and don't go to places that are too noisy."
"clear."
"Then I will set off to report to Mr. Eaton. I will leave the base to you for the time being. By the way, I have two bottles of aged whiskey hidden in the bottom of the second shelf of the counter. If you need it, you are welcome. "
Sissy stepped on the straps, gave Ed a wink, and slipped out the door before Ed could even raise his middle finger.
Blue pill box, red pill box, and syringe storage belt bag...
Ed checked the quantity again and confirmed that the dose exceeded seven days before putting these items on his body.
Well, let's go and see how Charlotte is doing.
He packed the pills and water glasses on the tray and walked upstairs. The faded handrail seemed to have been washed by the pure white light of the morning, as smooth and bright as a church icon.
Charlotte's room had a fresh garden smell. The blue hydrangeas that used to be as bright as butterflies have turned into a dull blue, dejected, and the new buds have not yet bloomed.
The only hydrangea still blooming was a bunch of cuttings in a vase, blooming desperately blue like bubbles.
"Charlotte."
"Ah, it's Mr. Waikolo. What's the matter?"
Charlotte turned around, still wearing the white mask on her face. Under the mask are wounds that will never heal.
"Actually, there's nothing wrong. Bai Ya asked me to deliver the morning medicine. Mr. Eaton plans to transfer him there, so I will stay with you these days."
Ed wanted to give a friendly smile, but suddenly realized the question and stopped immediately.
"Okay, I'll be right over."
A gust of morning breeze blew by, causing Charlotte's short dark blue hair to flutter slightly. She put down the kettle and wiped her forehead with the back of her hand:
"strangeness……"
Her empty eyes stared at the hydrangeas in the vase, seemingly confused:
“Why do cut flowers bloom longer than those left on the stem?”
"I guess it's because 'cutting off the branches' slows down the growth of the plant. After all, withering is also part of the plant growth process."
Ed realized that it might not be a good idea to say this, so he changed the subject:
"... Of course, I'm just guessing. After all, I'm not a botanist. It will bloom again in midsummer."
"Withering..." Charlotte moved the vase carefully, and a petal fell gently to the ground.
"Are there flowers under the sky that will never wither?" There was a little loss in her eyes.
"Um--"
Ed looked into Charlotte's eyes and pondered for a moment:
"Speaking of which, I actually saw it once."
