Chapter 317
Twenty minutes earlier, Holmes had walked past Feng Bujue and sat down next to the professor and placed his cigarette box on the table. "How did you know the professor has a partner?"
Feng Bujue smiled. "There are six chairs here, aren't there?"
"Just because of that?" Moriarty asked.
"Is that not enough?" Feng Bujue leaned back in the chair and opened his arms. "Your pursuit of accuracy and order has become your instinct. How could a meaningless item appear in your 'psychological world'?"
He knocked lightly on the table twice. "Theoretically, assuming all four of us travelers from another world arrive here, counting yourself, there will be five people, so why is there a sixth chair? Simple, because there is one extra person."
"Then, how did you know the extra person has to be the professor's partner and not another guest?" Holmes asked.
"Because my guess was that the extra person is you," Feng Bujue replied.
"Huff." Holmes puffed out a smoke ring. "You managed to find out from the magic mirror that the professor is the boss here, and after watching that scene, you predicted the professor and I would exist in this dimension. I can understand that, but why would you think me and the professor could be partners?"
"He's right," Moriarty concurred. "Normally, the public perceive us as mortal enemies."
"You're both dead," Feng Bujue said plainly. "So, how could you be enemies?"
"Interesting… do continue." Holmes smiled.
"A relationship like 'enemies' is built on a mutual respect and approval of both parties. Because a fated enemy… can only be found but not begged for," Feng Bujue said. "In contrast, a friendship is much easier to manage. It only requires mutual understanding and tolerance of the other's bad habits. You two might be fated enemy but not nemeses. Of course, there has been hatred between the two of you… but what does that matter after death? In this world, birds of a feather flock together. Aside from the identity of criminal mastermind and detective, you two are very similar, and if the conditions permit it, the chance is high that you might seek common ground."
Moriarty's expression did not change much, but he said coldly, "If your argument could be more cultured in your choice of words, I would clap for you."
Feng Bujue shrugged and had no comment.
"Then… how did you manage to come up with the conclusion of a 'psychological world'?" Holmes asked.
"It was the magic mirror who told me," Feng Bujue replied. "Before I even asked the second question, the Magic Mirror asked me if my second question was, 'who is the owner of these two psychological worlds?'" Feng Bujue said with a smile. "When he said that, I didn't need to ask anything else."
Feng Bujue narrowed his eyes at the professor. "Your brain, your rules. And it's clear that my actions are limited in your constructed world."
He was naturally referring to the sealed inventory.
"None of the things that I have 'brought' into this world can be used." He took out the folding knife from his pocket and placed it before him. "And when I returned to my own memory space, not only could I use the items that I originally had, I could even use the items I took from you. I believe… that is because the items I gained in this world have become part of my 'memory'.
"The dimensional shift between these two worlds should have nothing to do with any physical phenomenon, or else the stuff in my pockets would have been lost in the rapids already. In my memory space, the items were wet due to the water in the tub."
"Hmm… Not bad," Holmes concluded. "But not completely accurate either."
"Do tell," Feng Bujue prompted.
"This… I shall let the professor explain it to you," Holmes replied.
Moriarty looked right at Feng Bujue and said darkly, "This is not a world inside my brain but a space constructed by a collective consciousness. Mr. Holmes and I appear to have the strongest will among the others, so we have the control and thus became the owners of the space."
"So, that's the truth." Feng Bujue nodded. "Then, can I make this assumption? If, even just for few seconds, my will manages to mentally overpower the two of you, will I become the owner here?"
"Indeed," Moriarty admitted with a chuckle. "Feel free to try. Once you master the rule of this space and can overwhelm us in terms of will, should you wish, I will pop like a balloon with a snap of your finger."
"Then… what is the 'rule' of this space?" Feng Bujue asked.
"That is for you to find out," Moriarty answered. While they conversed, a person suddenly materialized in the chair next to Feng Bujue. It was none other than Ambitionist.
"Erm… where am…" Ambitionist saw the personal quest being ticked in the tab, and he got it instantly. "Is this the seventh floor?"
"Welcome to the Detective Club." Feng Bujue cut before the professor to welcome the new guest.
"Brother Feng…" Ambitionist looked around. "Who are these two?"
"Hmm? You don't know them?" Feng Bujue said to himself. "Then, this means… the experiences in our personal memory spaces were all different."
When Ambitionist heard that, he asked, "Brother Feng, did you not run into Peter Pan?"
"I encountered things like a magic mirror and succubus," Feng Bujue explained.
Ambitionist sighed. "Sigh… I ran into a balding old man who called himself Peter Pan and spent half an hour talking about life."
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