Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 182 - 182 Thirty-nine

182: Thirty-nine.

The Curtain Falls on Shadow Town 182: Thirty-nine.

The Curtain Falls on Shadow Town The old woman was not a qualified respondent, although she had an excellent grip on the suspense of the story—yet until now, she hadn’t explained the two mysteries she’d presented.

Anna, whose curiosity killed the cat, was beginning to lose control of her emotions.

“So, let’s talk about the thing outside the window first.”

Fortunately, Lu Li was a man of strong will, not easily swayed by external factors.

“The thing outside the window is related to the depths of the swamp; you might as well go directly to the second question,” the old woman said slowly.

Lu Li remained silent, his calm black eyes fixed on the old woman’s eyes.

“Don’t look at an old woman with a fading memory like that,” the old woman chuckled, revealing a mouth missing a tooth, and then she waved her hand and said, “Alright, I’m speaking too slowly.

So, you’ve come to Shadow Town, you’re a detective; you must have heard some of the town’s rumors, right?”

Lu Li asked, “The Shadow Figures and Six-legged Savages?”

“Yes, but don’t take them as creatures like us just because their names contain ‘people’,” the old woman resumed her nostalgic and ambiguous tone, speaking slowly.

“No one knows what they are…

only that ever since the town was built, these creatures started appearing in every dark corner of the town like shadows.

They hide and spy on the passing residents.”

“Didn’t those people consider moving elsewhere to establish the town?”

Leaning back in the wooden chair, the old woman said with an ironic tone, “You would probably have to ask the local families and the mayor about that.

Maybe back then, people and nobles thought it was too expensive to relocate.

After all, it was just frequent disappearances and deaths, not as serious as moving.”

“Are they from Shadow Swamp?”

“Most people believed so at the time because only Shadow Town had these creatures, until someone spotted a Shadow Figure on the edge of the swamp.

This made many leave the town, but others chose to stay.

Sometimes poverty is scarier than those fearsome creatures,” she said with a sigh.

Extracting a lady’s pipe from the pocket of her red sweater, she gestured towards Lu Li, “Do you mind?”

“I do.”

Ignoring his response, the old woman picked up a crude oil lamp from the dining table, tilted the pipe to light the tobacco, and puffed a few times until smoke came out of her mouth.

Only then did she sit back in her chair, satisfied, “My mother was one of those who stayed.

They later discovered that the Shadow Figures, the Six-legged Savages, or whatever else came out of the swamp only moved at night, hated lighted places, and it seemed that as long as people did not venture into the depths of the swamp, the creatures did not actively harm humans.”

“That’s why I remind strangers to draw their curtains at night.

We might be used to them, but you certainly are not.

If you scream loudly and startle them, I cannot guarantee what might happen.

You could consider them a bunch of kids who like to play deadly practical jokes.”

“Even though they weren’t deemed dangerous, people still felt anxious and frightened.

Until one day, for some reason, Shadow Town became well-known.

It started with adventurers who heard there were monsters in Shadow Town, so they came to explore.

Then came government officials and scholars claiming to study animals, and more and more people followed.

Nobles, the wealthy, the young.

What scared the townspeople of the swamp, others found novel and exciting.

People flocked to Shadow Town daily, which is why there are so many taverns outside.”

“And then?”

“And then…”

The old woman paused, not answering Lu Li right away.

The tobacco in the pipe glowed red, and the next moment, thick white smoke emerged from the pipe and rose, obscuring her squinting eyes.

“Years went by, decades even, until the recent Nighttime Disaster struck, and no more tourists came to town.

As you’ve seen, outsiders here are now just passing traders,” she coughed a few times after chuckling, adding, “Perhaps the current Nighttime Disaster originated from Shadow Swamp.”

As the smoke cleared, the old woman knocked out the pipe and put it back in her sweater pocket, slowly getting up to say, “The food is almost ready, I’ll go serve it.”

After the old woman returned to the kitchen behind the bar, Anna’s voice whispered in his ear, “It sounds like the locals turned the swamp creatures into a money-making tool…

maybe the ones spying on us are them.”

“Maybe.”

At least in the well-lit hall of the tavern, he didn’t feel the same sense of being watched as before.

Anna remained silent because the old woman was already coming around the bar carrying a pot steaming hot.

Thud.

A pot still bubbling and steaming with soup was placed on the table, and the old woman scooped up a bowl for Lu Li with a ladle.

There were chunks of rabbit meat and Light-illuminating Fruit that had turned brown and were cooked so soft they were shriveled.

The rising steam carried a wonderful aroma that whetted the appetite.

“32 shillings, it will be added to your room charge.”

It was somewhat expensive, as the pot of meat soup was worth the shillings an adult had to work 12 hours to earn.

But this was the price Lu Li paid for asking questions.

“If you need bread, I can offer it as usual, but only the rye kind.”

“No need.”

“Alright, suit yourself,” the old woman said as she removed the towel that served as a pot holder.”Oh, by the way, if you’re not sleepy after eating, you could go outside for a walk.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Li looked up at her, to which the old woman said indifferently, “It’s bright outside, and quite bustling too.

Ever since the gas lamps were installed, everyone got used to taking a stroll in the evening.”

Lu Li turned his head toward the window, looked at the well-lit wide street outside, where shadows of passersby were intermittently visible.

“When people gather, they’re less afraid.”

Having said that, the old woman turned and went back to the kitchen.

Lu Li returned his gaze, picked up the spoon beside the wooden bowl, scooped up the meat soup, blew on it to create ripples, and then took a sip.

“How’s the taste?” Anna asked curiously.

“Not bad.”

The soup had a slight tanginess, perhaps from the Light-illuminating Fruit.

The pot was only as big as two palms put together, so it didn’t hold much meat soup.

After about ten minutes, Lu Li finished the last bowl, and only a few overcooked fruits remained in the pot.

He stood up and left his seat, planning to take a walk outside.

…

The continuous warmth spreading from his stomach helped Lu Li fend off the night’s cold.

The gas lamps casting faint glows on both sides of the road were spaced fairly apart, and due to the relative width of the street, it wasn’t as bright as one might expect.

There were many people on the street, local residents as well as caravans and merchants staying overnight.

With the sundown, the street vendors who shouted their wares added some liveliness that dispelled the gloominess brought by the darkness.

As usual, Lu Li headed straight for the newsstand not far from the Big Wave Tavern.

“What can I get for you, sir?”

The young newsboy, who was sorting old newspapers, put down his papers and turned with a smile.

Behind him, on one of the protruding pages from the stack of old newspapers, a bold headline flickered briefly.

[The Scam of Shadow Town—]