One of the first side quests players can undertake Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is”The Blood Bulls,” an optional mystery about secrets hidden within a fascist camp. It reveals itself during “The mummy of the stolen cat“the first major post-tutorial mission, which has Indy traveling to Vatican City in search of the giant that attacked him and stole his university's museum. Before he gets there, though, he'll have to navigate a series of historic buildings absolutely full of blackshirts, who will attack the American intruder on sight.
While he does this, Indy can unlock”The Blood Bulls” upon coming across a discarded note asking for the cleaning of a hidden passageso that rat droppings don't cause a famous guest to slip and fall. From there, you'll have to follow clues to its location and solve a quick puzzle to access what's inside. Here's how to find and solve “The Blood Bulls” in Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.
How to find the passage next to the fireplace
Finding Russo's note
As you navigate Castel Sant'Angelo on your way to the Vatican, you will eventually pass through an area called the Courtyard of the Angel. This area has what is probably the densest concentration of enemies in the entire level, so carefully sneak or knock out the patrolling fascists before proceeding to the offices on the right. At the table in that first office, you will find the Russian Note, which officially unlocks “The Blood Bulls.”
Finding the fireplace
The most prescient part of Russo's Note mentions one “ticket“next to a fireplace – find and unlock that is your next objective. Sure enough, there's a fireplace in the same room where you found Russo's Note, with what looks like a poorly hidden passage right next to it. But don't waste time – this isn't the fireplace you're looking for.
Instead, you'll want to turn 90 degrees to the left and proceed to the next office at the other end of the short hallway. In fact, you will also see a small fireplace burning there, along with two paintings of bulls on either side of a faded fresco.
How to unlock the passage
Solving “The Blood Bulls”
On each side of the fresco in this second office is a painting of two bulls, one white and the other red. Get a little closer and you'll notice that the paintings can be rotated, but first you'll have to learn the solution. For that, check the nearby table to find a business card with two bulls emblazoned on it. Pay attention to its orientation and color; Indy will verbally note that the two are face to face.
Although you can complete this puzzle during your first visit to Castel Sant'Angelo, you can also return later.
In case you haven't already guessed, you will have to rotate the paintings until the two red bulls are facing each othermirroring the image of two red bulls on the card you found on the table. With this, the fresco should open and you can proceed to the hidden passage to claim your reward.
“The Blood Bulls” Rewards
Firstly, to simply solve this puzzle, you will receive 100 adventure points. They are effectively equivalent to what other games might call experience or skill points, and can be spent on any number of character upgrades that Indy finds in the game's books. On a table to your right as you enter the passage is the Letter of Cesare Borgia, a historical document that will give you another handful of AP.
Go up the stairs through the secret passage and pull the lever to open a gate. Additionally, you will find a small ration chest that can be opened to obtain 100 lire – the Italian currency of the time. Continue along the path to find a second lever, which opens a second gate and places you back in the main area of this level, allowing you to proceed with your main quest. You can also use this section as a shortcut or refuge when you return to this area later.
And just like that, you've solved your first optional mystery. There are several others like this scattered throughout the game, so always keep an eye out for mysterious notes, suspicious entries, and other unexplained phenomena as you play. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.