Mark spoke incessantly, describing the grandeur of the float parade, how meticulously it was designed, how unique it was, and how it embodied the heart and soul of the entire Novit Town.
The tourists in the carriage were infected by his enthusiasm, letting out bursts of expectant murmurs and discussions.
However, Holmes and Watson felt a chill silently creeping up their spines.
The pocket watch brought them to Novit Town at this time; it was absolutely impossible that it was to let them peacefully enjoy a relaxed and pleasant Carnival.
Something terrible was bound to happen at this Carnival.
Just then, a clear and enthusiastic female voice came from the front-side, breaking the heavy atmosphere between the two.
"Excuse me, may I bother you two for a moment?"
Holmes and Watson turned their heads toward the sound simultaneously.
A young woman stood in the aisle, leaning slightly, looking at them with a proper and friendly smile.
The woman was about twenty-five or twenty-six, with short, dark chestnut hair cut neatly, making her fair face and bright blue eyes look particularly spirited.
She wore a casual yet stylish khaki trench coat, paired with a simple white T-shirt underneath, and a professional-looking DSLR camera hung around her neck.
She exuded an aura that was capable, intellectual, and possessed the free-spirited nature of a traveler.
"I heard Mark's introduction just now; it was so fascinating, and seeing how attentively you two were listening, you must be very interested in the culture of Novit?"
Her smile was natural, carrying an affinity that could easily close the distance between people.
"My name is Lika, and I am a freelance writer for 'Global Wanderer' magazine. I came here specifically to cover the Novit Carnival."
As she spoke, she pulled a simply designed business card from her trench coat pocket and handed it over.
Watson, out of politeness, subconsciously reached out to take the business card. The paper felt smooth to the touch, and it was printed with Lika's name, the magazine's logo, email, and phone number.
"'Global Wanderer'? It sounds... like quite a good publication."
"A freelance writer, that must be very interesting, being able to... uh, travel everywhere."
Watson tried hard to make his tone sound like an ordinary tourist who was somewhat curious about travel writing.
"It's just enough to make a living."
Lika smiled modestly, her gaze lingering on Watson's face for a moment before turning to Holmes, whose demeanor was colder and more stern.
"What should I call you both?"
"My name is John Watson, and this is my friend, Sherlock Holmes," Watson introduced.
"Mr. Watson, Mr. Holmes, a pleasure to meet you."
When Lika's gaze met Holmes's gray eyes, which seemed capable of piercing through a person's heart, her smile did not change in the slightest; it remained flawless.
"Miss Lika."
Holmes nodded slightly, his voice flat and calm, his gaze sweeping quickly over Lika.
But Holmes caught a stagnation of a fraction of a second, a very subtle, defensive pause instinctively produced by the one being scrutinized.
Deep in her eyes, a trace of extremely concealed scrutiny and assessment flashed by, which was definitely not the curiosity of an ordinary travel writer toward strange tourists.
Her standing posture appeared to be casually leaning against the back of the adjacent seat, but in reality, her center of gravity was stable, ready to exert force at any moment.
The trench coat was well-tailored, but when she handed over the business card just now, the hem of the coat lifted at an extremely small angle with the movement, revealing a dark brown, thick leather outline on her belt—it was definitely not an ordinary wallet or key case.
Relying on his years of experience dealing with Scotland Yard, Holmes could be almost certain that it was the strap buckle of a meticulously designed pistol holster.
"Just call me Lika."
Lika seemed completely unaware, her smile remaining bright.
"Is this your first time in Australia? Judging by the accent, you sound British?"
"Yes, we are from London."
Watson replied, trying his best to make his voice sound relaxed.
"It's our first time traveling here, everything is very novel."
"Especially this... bus."
He glanced at the monotonous scenery flying past outside the window.
Lika nodded in understanding.
"Long-distance travel must be very exhausting."
"However, Novit will be a surprise. I am particularly fascinated by such places that blend historical legends with modern celebrations."
"For example, the process Mark mentioned earlier where the 'sheep god' belief was replaced and superseded by the mother goddess black goat belief is full of the tension of cultural integration and is excellent material for writing."
Her topic naturally led to the core of the Novit faith, her blue eyes seemingly observing the reactions of Holmes and Watson casually.
Especially Holmes; his silence and sharp gaze made her feel an invisible pressure.
Holmes did not respond, but his heart stirred slightly. Mark had clearly said that the locals discovered the 'sheep god' was the mother goddess black goat.
Why was Lika saying that the 'sheep god' belief was replaced and superseded by the mother goddess black goat?
He did not speak out to refute her, but just looked at her with a calm gaze, as if waiting for her to continue.
Just as Lika was about to speak, attempting to probe further, a small commotion and a girl's crisp exclamation suddenly came from the back of the carriage.
"Oh my! I'm sorry! I'm truly very sorry!"
A vibrant young female voice rang out, carrying obvious panic and apology.
Holmes, Watson, and Lika turned their heads to look at the same time.
They saw that in the aisle in the middle of the carriage, a girl was in a flurry.
The girl looked to be in her early twenties, with beautiful blonde hair tied into a fluffy bun, a few stray hairs playfully sticking to her smooth forehead. She was wearing a hoodie with cartoon patterns and jeans, exuding an aura of youth.
At this moment, she was blushing furiously, apologizing repeatedly to a passenger next to her.
In her hand, she still held a paper cup with a chain coffee shop logo; a lot of the dark brown liquid in the cup had spilled, dirtying the light-colored coat of the passenger next to her, and some had splashed onto herself as well.
"It's okay, it's okay, it's just a little coffee."
Although the middle-aged female passenger who was splashed looked a bit displeased, she still waved her hand and pulled out a tissue to wipe it off.
"I am so sorry! I'll help you wipe it off right now!"
The middle-aged female passenger's kindness made the girl even more flustered. She quickly put down her almost empty coffee cup and frantically rummaged for tissues in her canvas messenger bag.
Her movements were a bit large, the strap of her messenger bag slid off her shoulder, and the things in her bag were brought out with a clatter, scattering onto the aisle.
A few bags of snacks, a cartoon coin purse, a lipstick, a dog-eared travel guide, and a palm-sized hard card, thick in texture, with edges shimmering with iridescent light.
The card spun and landed, precisely, at Holmes's feet.
"Ah! My card!"
The girl exclaimed, ignoring the other things, and immediately bent down to pick it up.
Almost at the same time, the gazes of Holmes and Watson fell on that card.
The card was gorgeously designed, printed with the words "Novit Carnival VIP Exclusive," with a background of brilliant fireworks and blurry outlines of floats.
However, the most eye-catching thing was the embossed insignia in the center of the card: the side profile of that black goat with a twisted posture and hollow pupils!
Holmes bent down naturally, his slender fingers picking up the card first.
The moment his fingertips touched the black goat insignia on the card...
Hum!
An extremely slight, yet very clear tremor, as if coming from the depths of the soul, penetrated all the noise in the carriage and reached Holmes's ears.
Even stranger was the VIP card in his hand; the embossed black goat insignia in the center of the card, without any warning, suddenly lit up with a layer of ominous, faint dark red halo.
The red light flowed within the lines of the insignia like a living thing, lasting less than half a second before it suddenly extinguished, as if it had never appeared.
Watson stood beside Holmes and saw it clearly; his eyes widened instantly, and his heart almost skipped a beat.
He subconsciously gripped the cane, and the blood-drop gem embedded in the cane sword's handle seemed to, through the cane itself, transmit a trace of warmth like a resonance!
Lika's gaze swept lightly over the card in Holmes's hand, seeming not to have discovered anything unusual.
Until she caught the fleeting, subtle change on Holmes's face.
Although Holmes's facial control was perfect, that momentary stagnation and the astonishment that flashed in the depths of his eyes did not escape her eyes.
The professional smile on her face faded for an instant, and a trace of gravity and inquiry flashed in her blue eyes.
This card... has a problem! This man named Holmes is also definitely not simple!