My esoteric uncle Jules

Chapter 46 Matilda's Necklace

Because he had been tossing and turning for so long that night, Jules didn't even get much sleep.

Early the next morning, he got off the public carriage, holding the cane that needed to be repaired, and knocked on the door of the antique shop again.

This time, he did not sense anything unusual. The entire space gave him the feeling of being as quiet as a pool of stagnant water.

Even the once lush wisteria seemed afraid of the cold morning light and never peeked out again.

The familiar sound of a wheelchair rolling across the floor lifted Jules's spirits a little.

The shop owner's illness was cured? Doesn't that mean his cane will be repaired soon?

"Guest, you are here."

The owner's tone remained calm, as if he had anticipated everything, or as if he simply didn't have the energy to change his tone.

Walking in the antique shop, Yule's eyes subconsciously locked on the other person's hands holding the wheelchair, and asked tentatively:

"Is your illness... temporarily cured?"

"probably."

The shop owner lowered his eyes slightly and said:

"What have you thought about what I mentioned earlier? This might save you a thousand pounds. Although there is a certain premium, it is also a matter of utmost necessity."

Jules smiled:

"Of course it's done."

Hearing Jules' response, the shop owner showed a hint of surprise for the first time in a long time:

"Were you involved in the incident at Rose Manor last night?"

She actually knew about the incident at Rose Manor? Yule's eyes narrowed slightly and he said:
"Everyone has secrets, don't they?"

In his opinion, this shop owner is probably at least a second-level transcendent!
But no one knew what had happened to her. She didn't have the strength that a transcendent of her level should have. Instead, she looked like a sickly person who could be blown down by the wind at any time.

The shop owner sighed:

"If you have the fake necklace, can you show it to me?"

After a while, she held the fake necklace, her hands trembling slightly, her expression looking like she was half crying and half laughing.

It was the first time that Jules saw such a rich expression on the other person's face - he thought the other person really had a pure-blooded facial paralysis.

"Is there anything special about this necklace? Is it some hidden occult item?" Seeing the other party's unexpectedly large reaction, he couldn't help but ask.

The shop owner sighed, a self-deprecating smile forming at the corner of his mouth:

"My mother sacrificed so much for a fake necklace. Even her most precious youth was wasted in the years. In the end, everything was just empty..."

Her tone was a little depressed.

But something sounded a little off to Jules.

Why does it sound a bit like the plot in Maupassant's short story "The Necklace"?

In the original novel "The Necklace", the heroine Matilda was vain and borrowed a diamond necklace to attend a ball, but accidentally lost it.

In order to make up for the loss, she lived frugally and worked hard for ten years before she finally paid off the debt of the necklace. However, she was told that what she lost was just a worthless fake necklace, while the compensation was a valuable real necklace.

Originally, the two were only somewhat similar, but after seeing so many classic literary plots in this world, Jules was not sure whether to make a judgment or not.

With the idea of ​​testing, he said casually:
"Is your mother's name Matilda?"

The shop owner suddenly looked up: "How did you know?!"

Her expression was extremely shocked, as if she had just gotten to know Jules all over again.

Jules only felt a bit of sourness in his teeth:
"Uh, I've heard of it, I've heard of it..."

After experiencing so many shocks, he has become somewhat immune to these things.

Even though the mysterious shopkeeper with whom he had done business two or three times was the daughter of Matilda in "The Necklace", he did not find it so difficult to accept.

The shopkeeper stared at Jules for a long time, then suddenly stretched out his hand and whispered:
"I inherited my mother's name, so my name is also Matilda. What do you call me?"

Yule was somewhat at a loss and said awkwardly:

"Well, just call me Jules." Matilda did not pull her hand back, but just stared at Jules quietly.

Being stared at by her like that, Jules had no choice but to bite the bullet and shake hands with her.

It was during this handshake that he realized that Matilda's skin temperature might be even colder than that of Rose in the Titanic debris.

But she differs from Ruth in that, despite her outward appearance of lifelessness, she still possesses a living being within.

Jules gradually had a guess - perhaps, she was an extraordinary person of the Winter Code.

The principle of winter, just like its name "winter", governs silence and endings. Its transcendents can remember many things that should have disappeared or have already disappeared.

It also happened to match some of Matilda's previous behaviors, except for the unexplained abnormality of her hands that day.

After shaking hands, Matilda gently withdrew her hand and said calmly:

"Please give me the cane. I can fix it quickly. I have all the materials."

After Jules handed over the cane, he did not stop there. Instead, he fumbled in his pocket and took out another thing.

"Can you see where it came from?"

It was none other than the broken Heart of the Ocean!

Matilda took the Heart of the Ocean and saw that its shape was exactly the same as her mother's fake necklace before it was broken. She couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

"Heart of the Ocean? No, not that one. This one is also a replica. The original one should have completely disappeared."

The amount of information Matilda casually revealed made Jules scratch his head:

"What? This thing is also a replica?"

But the information he had previously analyzed could not be false.

If what Matilda said is true, then there is only one possibility——

Even if it is a replica, it has the power of the second level.

She did not answer, but walked into the darkness with her staff and the string of broken ocean hearts.

……

Xicheng District, Police Station.

"What?! Why are you abandoning the investigation?"

Officer Fate looked at the Suppression Bureau agent in disbelief, even forgetting to address him respectfully:

"You should know this is a perfect opportunity! With such a big incident happening at Rose Manor, they're obviously involved. As long as we investigate, we'll definitely find out something!"

The agent in front of him shook his head and said calmly:

"I know that Rose Manor's affairs are naturally handled by someone special, but the investigation was terminated not for any other reason but because of legal issues."

Officer Fate said in confusion:

"What laws have we violated when we investigate criminals?"

The agent said nothing, but made a list and slammed it on the table.

"This is the criminal record of the detective, our newest recruit, Jules, from the Suppression Bureau. It includes things like 'sneaking onto the Titanic without a ticket,' 'failed to pay debts and hid from them for a long time,' and so on."

"Imperial law stipulates that criminals cannot perform official duties. Therefore, his investigative authority was illegal from the outset, and all previous findings are invalid."

"How could this be?"

Officer Fate was dumbfounded: "But when entering the Anti-Suppression Bureau, there should be an inspection..."

The detective shook his head and said:

"I'm sorry, this was an oversight in our initial procedures. Those convicted of crimes are not allowed to join the Suppression Bureau until they are forgiven. For various reasons, their status as a Suppression Bureau member will be temporarily retained, but they will not enjoy any privileges until their crimes are cleared."

A playful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth:

"From now on, we officially declare that he has committed a crime and will be arrested."

(End of this chapter)