My esoteric uncle Jules

Chapter 179 Spacetime Connection
Before this, Jules never imagined that he would be trapped here for two whole months.

He had no way to contact the outside world, and apart from secretly digging tunnels as in the original story, he couldn't see any hope of escaping.

The progress of the underground work is similar to that of the original work—there has been progress over the past few months, but it can be described as extremely limited.

With all his supernatural abilities suppressed, he was frustrated to find that all his attempts ultimately led to failure.

Although the jailers were rigid, they always managed to cast cold glances at him whenever he made a bold attempt.

"How about you commit suicide?"

After this absurd idea came to him, Jules sadly discovered that it seemed to be one of the few things he could do besides digging holes.

However, rather than taking matters into his own hands, he preferred to have the prison guards finish him off after attempting an escape.

If he delayed any longer, he feared that the world would undergo unpredictable changes when he woke up.

After a deep sleep, Jules was awakened again by a commotion outside his cell.

"what happened?"

He immediately became alert.

In the past, this prison was always deathly silent, and no loud noises were allowed.

Last time, he tried to call out to Edmond Dantès, who might be there, but to no avail and was even warned by the jailer.

But the noise coming from outside sounded like people were talking.

"That's interesting... Could things really be turning around?"

Jules' eyes flickered slightly, and he decided to wait and see.

……

London is often shrouded in mist and rarely sees sunlight, but the Tower of London is different.

Despite being a gloomy and terrifying prison, the surrounding environment was excellent, and most of the time it was even sunny.

The surrounding lawns were neatly trimmed, and the air was filled with the dampness of the Thames River, mixed with a faint floral fragrance.

If one didn't know what the inside of the Tower of London looked like, it would be impossible for anyone to connect the inside and outside.

Not far away, Holmes observed all of this and said calmly:

“I have passed through here before, but I have never had the chance to go inside.”

Beside him, Rutos was also watching this way. Hearing Holmes' words, he shook his head and smiled helplessly:

"This can hardly be considered 'fortunate'..."

At this moment, both of them had disguised themselves to make it easier to get away with it.

To avoid any potential mystical investigations, they decided to use the simplest and most direct physical method, relying solely on makeup and props.

Through disguise, Holmes's new face now has sharp features, and paired with a dark gray suit, he looks like a serious royal official.

Rutos's face now bears several deliberately added scars, and his eyes are sharp, like those of a seasoned mercenary.

Anyone who knows them will at most think they look familiar or friendly, but will never associate them with the real people.

"Do you remember our mission?"

Holmes whispered to Rutos, his fingers lightly stroking the silver badge in his pocket—a token given to him by the prince.

Rutos nodded slightly:
"On the surface, it's an inspection of the defenses, but in reality, it's an investigation into any possible traces of Jules. Don't worry, I've been here before, but as an investigator from the Anti-Suppression Bureau, so I know a bit about this place."

At this point, he thought for a moment and said:
"However, to avoid my former colleagues possibly recognizing me, I will try to keep a low profile and you will be mainly responsible for the negotiations."

“Of course, my friend, that’s no problem at all,” Holmes replied with a smile.

The two walked side by side toward the main entrance, their steps steady and their demeanor composed.

The guards saw them from afar and their eyes immediately became wary.

One of them stepped forward, raised his hand, and shouted:

"Halt! State your identity!"

Holmes remained unmoved, not even pausing in his steps, and simply pulled out the silver badge engraved with the prince's crest from his pocket, casually saying:

"The Prince of Wales's special envoy has been ordered to inspect the defenses of the Tower of London."

The guard took the silver medal, examined it carefully, and his expression changed slightly.

He turned and whispered to his companion beside him:
"A prince's token? Are they really special envoys?"

His companion frowned and whispered:

"The insignia is genuine. Don't cause trouble, let them through."

The guard returned the silver medal and respectfully stepped aside.
"Sirs, please come in. The detective on duty today from the Anti-Suppression Bureau will come to receive you."

Holmes nodded slightly, put away the silver medal, and walked into the Tower of London with Rutos.

The air inside the tower was cold and damp, the stone walls were etched with the marks of time, and the echoes of boots pounding the ground came from the depths of the corridor.

But according to Rutos, this is not actually part of the Tower of London at all; it's just an outer shell.

The two continued walking, the stone path making a dull sound under their feet.

A moment later, a middle-aged detective in a black uniform strode over with a professional smile on his face.

He was tall and straight, but his eyes held a scrutinizing quality.

"Are you two special envoys of the Prince? I am Inspector Hall of the Defense Bureau stationed at the Tower of London, responsible for the daily affairs of this area. I heard you are here to inspect the defenses?"

Holmes nodded, his tone calm:
“Indeed. His Highness the Prince has ordered us to check on the progress of the defense upgrades to ensure the Tower of London is completely safe.”

Hall smiled, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his eyes:
"The security upgrade is underway. The reinforcement of the walls and the rotation of sentries have all been arranged and will be fully implemented soon. If you two wish to conduct a patrol, I can lead the way."

Holmes smiled slightly, his tone unhurried:

"The prince's authorization is sufficient for us to enter the dungeon. Detective Hall won't make things difficult for us, will he?"

Hall raised an eyebrow:

"Of course not. Since you have the prince's authorization, please follow me."

He turned and led the way. Holmes and Rutos exchanged a glance and followed silently.

The corridor was dimly lit, and the torches in the corners flickered, casting long shadows.

However, unlike ordinary prisons, everything here appears much more exquisite and magnificent.

Rutos admired it for a while, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

According to his knowledge, the Tower of London was once a palace where the king lived, and was later converted into a prison.

Even today, one can still see traces of the prison from back then.

Holmes, on the other hand, kept his chin in his hand, looking thoughtful.

Soon, they wandered downstairs and arrived at the entrance to the dungeon.

The heavy iron gate was engraved with complex runes, but unlike ordinary prisons, it did not exude a cold aura; instead, a wave of heat rushed out.

Hall pulled out a bunch of keys and opened the iron door, the heavy metallic sound echoing in the corridor.

He turned around and said:

"The dungeon holds serious criminals, so please be careful when you inspect it."

Holmes nodded, his gaze sweeping over the runes on the iron gate:
"These runes, were they engraved by the Anti-Suppression Bureau? They look relatively new, but the iron gate is quite old."

Hall smiled casually:

"It wasn't there at first, but later, the Steam Church upgraded and renovated this place, so they added more runes." "Oh? What's their purpose?"

"It's just for reinforcement, to prevent prisoners from escaping. Please come in, both of you."

He pushed open the iron gate and went in first.

At that moment, Holmes had a strange feeling.

In his mystical perceptions, the part of "knowledge" belonging to Hall disappeared.

It was as if, in that short period of time, the other person had not crossed an iron gate, but an entire world.

"Something interesting..."

He chuckled softly and followed Hall into the dungeon.

……

The distant commotion gradually became clearer.

Jules had only wanted to see what the commotion was all about, but as it drew closer, his eyes widened.

"Why does this voice sound...something familiar?"

The noise consisted of multiple voices, but two of them sounded somewhat familiar to him.

After a moment's thought, he found the source of the familiarity.

Holmes, Rutos? He was puzzled; how could he hear their voices?

Could it be that he's been here too long, causing mental instability and auditory hallucinations?

However, as the voice drew closer, Jules became certain that he was not hallucinating; it was indeed Holmes and Rutos!
The two of them appeared to be talking to someone, and judging from their words, it sounded like a detective from the anti-crime bureau.

This was, so far, the most hopeful sound he had ever heard in this cold prison cell.

Jules was eager to shout, but reason told him it wasn't the right time.

"Judging from the sound, they're heading this way... Let's wait and see what's going on." His eyes flickered slightly.

The sound quickly approached, and Jules leaned his head against the iron railing, gazing excitedly at the corner of the corridor not far away.

The sound was very close.

At the same time, the voice of the unfamiliar detective from the Anti-Suppression Bureau entered his ears with perfect clarity:

"...To be frank, the Tower of London is actually exceptionally sturdy and doesn't even require many people. Most of it can operate independently without outside interference."

"Heh, that's true, but any automation ultimately still needs human intervention as a safety net, doesn't it?"

"Haha, the Prince of Wales is indeed farsighted..."

The voices of conversation came from around the corner, but Jules was stunned.

He stared blankly into the empty corridor, but the sounds kept getting closer.

How could this be? Why can I hear sounds but not see anything?

Jules suddenly had a hunch—he felt that this fragment of the Sixth History might be a reflection of a place in the waking world, and that he and they were almost overlapping in a mystical sense.

Based on what the detective had said earlier, and combined with his own previous speculation, he made a judgment almost immediately.

The fragment of The Count of Monte Cristo corresponds to the Tower of London in the waking world!
He recalled what the Prince of Wales had said before: the people of the Steam Church had "seized" a portion of Mansholm and used it as a prison.

Perhaps this is why he was able to establish contact with Holmes and his team in some sense.

As the sound drew closer, Jules knew he couldn't delay any longer.

Perhaps this is my only chance.

He leaned his head against the iron bars and whispered in the direction of the sound coming from the corridor:
"This is Jules, can you hear me?"

The volume was controlled so as not to attract the attention of the jailers.

After calling out several times, Jules realized that they seemed not to hear him at all.

The voices of Holmes and his companions grew closer, but their voices remained unchanged despite his shouts.

"Damn it... what do we do?"

Jules paced back and forth anxiously—since the only communication between the two was through sound, and the other party couldn't hear him, what should he do?
"Wait... got it!"

He suddenly remembered the bottle of blue silver ink.

While all other items have become ordinary, only it still retains its power!

Without hesitation, Jules summoned the bottle of Blue Silver Ink with a thought.

He lightly dipped his finger in the ink and began to write.

……

Holmes and Rutos followed Inspector Hall along the dimly lit corridors of the dungeon.

The torchlight flickered on the stone wall, casting shadows of varying lengths. The air was thick with the smell of heat, completely masking any damp, musty odor that should have been present.

The dungeon cells stood side by side, with occasional low coughs or the scraping of chains coming from behind the iron bars, but most of the time, there was only deathly silence.

Holmes's gaze swept across each cell door, ostensibly checking the guards, but in reality secretly searching for traces of Jules.

Although there were many runes on the wall, most of them were blurry, with only a few emitting faint fluctuations, which made him secretly wary.

Rutos remained silent, his sharp eyes observing Hall's every move.

As they walked, they came to an empty prison cell.

An empty cell is not surprising; what is surprising is that, despite being completely empty, a heavy lock still hangs on the iron bars.

Meanwhile, unlike the scorching heat that permeated the area, a faint coolness even seeped through the cracks in the door.

Holmes stopped, his gaze falling on the cell door, and asked casually:

"Detective Hall, is this cell empty?"

Hall turned his head and glanced at it, his tone calm:

"Yes, it has been vacant for a long time. However, according to regulations, this cell has always been under strict guard."

Holmes raised an eyebrow, his tone tinged with curiosity:

"Why are they so strict about guarding an empty space? Is there something special about it?"

Hall smiled and shook his head, saying:
"I don't know either, it's just an order from above. The Tower of London has some old rules, we just follow them."

Holmes nodded, seemingly unconcerned, but his gaze lingered on the cell for a moment longer.

The cell was empty except for a stone bed and a broken oil lamp. The walls were covered with scratches, but there was nothing else.

He secretly memorized the location of the cell, vaguely feeling that it was related to Jules' disappearance.

The empty cell was locked so tightly; something was clearly wrong.

Hall didn't pay much attention to this—to him, there were plenty of strange things in the Tower of London, one more wouldn't make a difference.

Just as the group was about to leave, Holmes suddenly slowed down and fixed his gaze on the wall of the empty cell.

In the dim firelight, a word suddenly appeared on the wall—"Dark Raven".

The writing was done in blue-silver ink, emitting a faint sheen, as if it had just been written.

Upon seeing this, Holmes' pupils dilated in shock:
"This is... Jules's anti-suppression bureau codename?!"

(End of this chapter)