"Thank you! Thank you so much!"
The girl finally squeezed through, took the card from Holmes's hand, her face still flushed, and her eyes filled with gratitude.
"You scared me to death; it would have been such a hassle if I'd lost it! This is the grand prize I won from a meal lottery! Everything is free during the entire Carnival, and I even get the best viewing spots!"
She rubbed the card against her clothes like it was a treasure, carefully tucked it back into her canvas bag, then let out a sigh of relief, revealing a bright, unclouded smile as she introduced herself to Holmes, Watson, and Lika.
"My name is Anna! Thank you all so much! I was so clumsy just now."
Her smile was like unobstructed sunlight, warm and direct, instantly dispelling the eerie atmosphere caused by the card's anomaly just moments ago.
Watching her innocent demeanor, Watson's tense nerves subconsciously relaxed a little.
Holmes, however, remained unmoved; his gaze merely lingered on Anna's vibrant face for a moment before sweeping over the VIP card she had carefully tucked away.
Finally, the corner of his eye extremely discreetly swept over the faint outline of the holster beneath Lika's trench coat once more.
"It was nothing, Miss Anna."
Holmes's voice returned to its usual calm, distant tone.
"Just call me Anna!"
Anna's smile widened. She looked at the attire of Holmes and Watson, which was clearly different from the surrounding tourists, and asked curiously, "Are you here for the Carnival too? Where are you from? You don't look like locals."
"Yes, Anna."
Watson replied, Anna's cheerful personality making him feel an inexplicable sense of ease.
"I am John Watson, and this is Sherlock Holmes. We... are from London. This is Miss Lika; we just met as well."
"From England? Wow, that's so far! Welcome to Novit!"
"It sounds like you are a local, Miss Anna?" Holmes suddenly interjected.
"Oh, I'm not! But even if I'm not a local, I can still welcome you."
Anna playfully stuck out her tongue, then turned her head and saw Lika writing and drawing in a notebook.
"Wow, is Sister Lika a writer? That's amazing! And what about Mr. Holmes and Mr. Watson? What do you do?"
"Consulting Detective," Holmes said concisely.
"I'm a doctor," Watson added.
"A detective? A doctor?"
Anna's eyes lit up, as if she had discovered a new world.
"That sounds so cool! Like characters in a novel!"
She seemed completely unaware of what this combination of professions might imply in certain contexts, feeling only pure curiosity and excitement.
Lika stood to the side, wearing a composed smile again, but her eyes shifted discreetly between Holmes, Watson, and Anna.
"Attention, fellow travelers!"
The tour guide Mark's voice sounded through the microphone again, filled with the excitement of impending arrival.
"We are about to enter Novit Town! Please pack up your belongings and prepare to get off the bus! The real Carnival is about to begin!"
The bus slowly decelerated, passing a huge welcome sign decorated with colorful wool and the black goat insignia—Welcome to Novit! The Land of Wool and Joyful Carnival!
The street scene of the town came into view.
On both sides of the street were low, colonial-style buildings, mostly painted white or beige.
At this moment, to welcome the Carnival, almost every building was newly decorated, with colorful pennants fluttering in the breeze, connecting both sides of the street.
On windowsills and under porches, decorative balls made of pure white, fluffy wool could be seen everywhere, like clusters of soft clouds.
However, amidst this wave of wool-themed decorations, another symbol was equally striking, even carrying a sense of omnipresent infiltration: the black goat insignia.
It was printed on shop windows, fashioned into metal badges pinned next to inn signs, painted on temporary colorful road signs in the middle of the street, and even woven into the patterns of some large wool tapestries.
There were many pedestrians on the street, mostly dressed in casual tourist attire, with expectant smiles on their faces.
Most of the local residents were wearing T-shirts printed with the Carnival logo or the black goat insignia, busy setting up the final decorations or enthusiastically waving to the arriving tourists.
The air was filled with the aroma of barbecue, the sweet scent of pastries, and a smell mixed with hay, livestock, and a musky odor.
The bus stopped in front of an inn that looked somewhat aged, with a huge sign hanging above its porch: "The Golden Fleece Inn".
Next to the sign, a striking black goat metal insignia was also nailed up.
Standing at the inn's entrance was a slightly plump middle-aged woman wearing a traditional tartan skirt, smiling warmly and greeting the tourists getting off the bus.
"Alright, distinguished guests!"
Mark was the first to jump off the bus and stood beside the door.
"This is our base camp for the next few days, The Golden Fleece Inn. The landlady is ready to welcome everyone!"
"You can check in first, drop off your luggage, and have lunch in the inn's restaurant. The landlady has prepared authentic Novit-style barbecue for everyone!"
"The afternoon is free time; you can stroll around the town and soak in the atmosphere before the Carnival!"
"We will meet at the inn entrance at 7:00 PM to go to the main Carnival square for the grand opening bonfire party! Remember, 7:00 PM, don't be late!"
Carrying excitement and the fatigue of the journey, the tourists got off the bus one by one. Holmes, Watson, Lika, and Anna also followed the crowd off the bus.
Stepping onto solid ground, Watson couldn't help but gently stomp his feet, as if confirming that he had truly returned to the real world.
The sunlight shone down on him without obstruction, carrying a dry, scorching heat in its warmth, completely different from the cold, damp air of London.
"Wow! Finally here!"
Anna took a deep breath, her face full of excitement. She adjusted her canvas bag and turned to look at the three of them—Holmes, Watson, and Lika.
"We're staying at the same inn! That's great! Mr. Holmes, Mr. Watson, Sister Lika, see you in the restaurant later? I'm starving!"
She pointed at the inn's entrance, full of energy.
"See you later, Anna," Lika responded with a smile, while Holmes and Watson nodded.
Holmes's gaze, however, did not linger on the inn but instead looked past the crowd, toward the depths of the town.
His sight caught several figures wearing dark, uniform-style clothing, with striking black goat armbands on their left arms.
They were scattered throughout the streets, seemingly maintaining order or guiding tourists, but their gazes sharply scanned every arriving outsider, their eyes cold and bearing a sense of scrutiny and surveillance.
Especially when their gazes swept over Holmes and Watson—these two foreigners with "vintage" attire and distinct temperaments—they lingered noticeably longer.
Watson also noticed those unfriendly gazes. He calmly adjusted his stance, naturally switched his cane to his other hand, and turned his body slightly toward Holmes, like a silent precaution.
Lika, following Holmes's gaze, also saw those people wearing the armbands. Her eyes narrowed slightly, then returned to normal.
She just whispered a sentence, as if talking to herself, or perhaps as a reminder: "Believers of the Mother Goddess Church... they really are 'enthusiastic,' maintaining the town's order so diligently."
There was a hint of imperceptible coldness in her tone.
Just then, the landlady of the inn greeted them warmly. She first exchanged greetings with Mark, then looked with a beaming smile at the small group of people—Holmes, Watson, and the others—who had clearly gotten off the bus together.
"Welcome! Welcome to Novit, and welcome to The Golden Fleece Inn! Are you all together? Come, please come in! The rooms are all ready!"