Now that Lady Melo already reached this point, she no longer hid it, nodding: "They are, and they’re all made from the skin of infants’ backs."
Upon hearing this, not only Siber was speechless with shock, but the other Talented Ones were also rendered silent.
Following this logic, the size of the paintings would correspond to the age of the infants?
So, the smaller the painting, the younger the infant might have been, perhaps even newly born or not yet a year old?
Thinking of this, their eyes turned to a nearby painting.
Its size was roughly equivalent to two adult palms together, considering a woman’s hands. The painting was very small, depicting an innocent, cute little child... but now, no one felt that there was a single trace of innocence or playfulness on it.
Looking at the joyful smile of the child depicted in the painting, Amisha even covered her mouth, showing signs of retching.
The others’ reactions were much like Amisha’s; although their bodies were unharmed, the psychological impact they suffered was something they couldn’t mend in a short time, maybe remembering it for several years, maybe decades...
At this moment, Angel, at the forefront, showed no change in expression, but what was on his mind remained inscrutable to outsiders.
Angel: "Is this what you call art?"
The other end of the Mind Ribbon: "Huh? What did you see? Gallery or specimen corridor?"
Angel: "Gallery."
Dox: "Oh, is it those paintings made of skin? Well, perhaps it’s art in the realm of the perverse. But to me, it’s barely there as art."
Angel: "So, you don’t consider yourself a pervert?"
Dox: "I haven’t reached that level yet. But honestly, these people who play around with the human body are pretty elementary. I’ve seen a Carabit wizard’s lab; that was truly eye-opening. Those..."
"I don’t want to hear those unrelated details." Angel paused: "So what was the art you mentioned before? Human body roulette?"
Dox: "Of course not. Didn’t I already show you my imitation piece? That’s art!"
"Inverted Man?" Angel asked quizzically.
Dox responded with some excitement: "Your ultimate goal is those two Talented Ones, isn’t it? If you understand me, then you’ll know why I say that’s art! I believe you understand me; after all, we’re friends, right?"
Perhaps feeling the statement was too presumptuous, Dox quickly added, "Of course, even if you don’t understand me, we’re still friends. Between friends, some spiritual distance is good, like couples; it leaves more room for imagination."
Angel: "..." Room for imagination? More like room for delusion!
Ignoring Dox, Angel found a small relief from the dialogue with him that lifted his gloomy spirits a little. He was now curious, what could Dox call art?
Would Bruiser and Golos be able to survive under such art?
...
After passing through the skin gallery that made everyone shiver, they finally saw the staircase leading upwards.
Every few steps up the stairs, a person stood by the side. From here, there seemed to be about eight people.
These people held various bizarre items, be it strange clothes, shoes with metal spikes, or small bear knives with blood channels...
Undoubtedly, they were all serving the Princess.
When the Princess went up to the second floor, would she change clothes by these steps, as she went upstairs?
Even though there were people on the stairs, their skills were not very high, allowing Angel and the group to ascend without being noticed.
Once on the second floor, Angel turned right and entered another corridor.
This corridor had no paintings, but occasionally there were pots of blooming flowers on both sides. These flowers either had poisonous scents or were carnivorous.
Their purpose was self-evident.
Covered under an illusion, the group did not see the power these flowers held. However, after Lady Melo’s explanation, their hearts, once put at ease, once again hung suspended.
Indeed, there was no part of the Princess Castle that could be simple.
With this thought, they arrived at the end of the flower corridor and found a double door. Next to the door was a heart-shaped tag thoughtfully telling them what lay ahead: Specimen Room.
The writing was wobbly, like it was written by a child.
Upon seeing the word "specimen," everyone felt a shudder. What kind of specimens would be in the Princess Castle? Human bodies?
While the others were still mentally preparing, Angel didn’t hesitate, and pushed open the door.
Though called a specimen room, it was actually a specimen corridor, ending with stairs leading to the third floor. The Princess’s chamber was on the third floor, so they had no choice but to pass through this specimen room.
Earlier, during Angel’s chat with Dox, the gallery and specimen corridor were clearly mentioned.
At least in Dox’s view, the two were likely equally important.
So, what kind of specimens might be here?
As Angel stepped in and took his first glimpse, his pupils slightly constricted. Despite earlier speculation, seeing it in reality was still emotionally challenging.
All along the walls were densely packed skulls.
These skulls were all infant’s. Some male, some female, with skin in various hues, arranged according to a color spectrum, a form of compulsiveness also showing an obsessive perversion.
Even Angel nearly revealed his emotions, while the others were even less able to cope.
Some retched, others went weak at the knees, and some even wept in fright.
Fortunately, they hadn’t eaten much in recent days, or they might vomit all over. Despite this, some of them did vomit bile, but under Angel’s control, it was evaporated by Earl Mi’s fire.
Lady Melo looked grim; even unafraid of human heads, she was likely being challenged by her fear of clusters.
Seeing the immobile group, Angel sighed, infusing the surrounding illusion with some power to soothe emotions.
Though it did help calm them, their faces were still pale, reluctant to move forward. Because the infant skulls had open eyes, walking among them felt as if being watched.
"All of you, get moving. Those of you with weak knees, get support from others. You have to see, whether you want to or not," Lady Melo demanded harshly. "Or would you prefer the Princess to serve you after she’s finished dining?"
Perhaps Lady Melo’s threat was effective, as everyone eventually moved forward.
The specimen corridor was about as long as the gallery; along the way, Angel had a better understanding of what perverse "art" truly meant.
It started with infant skulls, then progressively older from children to teenagers, to young adults, middle-aged, and finally, the last section comprised entirely of the elderly.
And these people’s expressions varied from weeping to laughing, all specially processed, resembling the living.
The transition was very natural, and hair color and skin tone followed the spectrum order. Ignoring the fact that they were "skulls," the corridor’s colors were bright and... lively.
However, few might understand this kind of "art." At least among this group of Talented Ones, there wasn’t anyone who could.
Perhaps, back then, Gu Yina and Feng Man, whom Angel brought back, could understand?
Passing through the brightly oppressive corridor, the staircase to the third floor appeared before them.
This stairway was devoid of people, but appeared equipped with traps. Only by stepping on certain spots could they ascend to the third level; failing this would trigger traps that led to a lower floor in a kitchen for slicing and bone breaking.
Angel eyed the staircase, quickly understanding the situation.
All the safe spots were positioned for jumping around. Either left, right, or even skipping a step.
From the landing points, it resembled the playful hopping route of some intellectually challenged children.