Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 234 - 234 Ninety-One

234: Ninety-One.

The True Reason for Being Sober 234: Ninety-One.

The True Reason for Being Sober “I have nothing more to teach you.”

Tesla could only sigh inwardly that Lu Li was indeed well-suited to be an Exorcist, if Lu Li’s Sanity Value didn’t deviate too much from the qualifying line…

Tesla planned to give Lu Li a chance.

“Touch the branch with your hand, it will change after you touch it, depending on the state of your Sanity Value.”

Lu Li nodded, raising his hand toward the dark branch on the tabletop, his fingertip touching the rough surface of the branch.

An indescribable murky aura entered his mind through his fingertips.

In a blur, a bizarre illusion emerged in his mind.

It was a huge banyan tree with lush branches, its canopy like an umbrella, and its thick trunk layered with ice, dark as ink.

Not only the trunk, but the branches and leaves were also pitch black, forming this gigantic dark banyan tree.

At the edge of the image, in the distance, there were faint human constructions.

The illusion lasted only a few seconds before it shattered like bubbles.

Across the table, Tesla stared at the tabletop.

Lu Li followed his gaze, and a branch-shaped ash remained on the table.

It was still raining today, but there was no wind, and the ash was not blown away like yesterday.

Lu Li sensed something from Tesla’s expression, “Is it bad?”

“Not very bad.”

Tesla shook his head, his fingers rubbing a silver ring on his index finger.

“It’s quite bad.”

…

The overcast sky, the drizzle falling, the umbrella making faint pattering sounds, and half a face appearing below the edge.

Lu Li, holding a leather paper package, walked on his way back to Sailor Street.

He walked near the gutter, his pace slow, indicating he was thinking.

Lu Li still remembered the shock on Tesla’s face when he calmly stated that he had already entered the Hallucination Phase.

“Why didn’t you say it earlier?”

“You didn’t ask.”

Both sides had misunderstood one thing.

After the first failure, Lu Li thought that Tesla’s organization had realized the stage of his Sanity Value, while Tesla thought Lu Li’s condition was not severe.

After all, he seemed too normal.

Behaviors expected of a patient whose Sanity Value had reached the Hallucination Phase: madness, sensitivity, distrustful of everything, questioning all things.

Except for the last point, none had appeared in Lu Li.

Unable to resist his curiosity, Tesla asked, “Do you now see those things, hear those things, perceive those things?”

“Yes.” Lu Li’s eyes flickered as he inquired, “Can you elaborate?”

Once the Sanity Value drops to the Hallucination Phase, projections from the Inner World will appear around, accompanied by whispering and murmuring echoes in one’s ear.

Most people become neurotic under such circumstances.

But not Exorcists.

Most Exorcists who deal with strangeness do not fear hallucinations.

Like Lu Li, they know these are projections that cannot harm them.

Though they occasionally cause some trouble, such as making it hard to distinguish during a battle or causing insomnia due to the whispering.

But that’s not all.

These projections and sounds bring with them the aura of their original forms.

This is not an aura that humans can withstand, a murky aura that, even if only one percent is brought forth by the projections, is enough to drive one mad.

This aura infects the person, causing their Sanity Value to continue to drop until they go mad under the pressure or survive this phase, advancing to a more terrifying stage of Sanity Value…

This is why, in the early stages when Sanity Value had not yet materialized, the Demon Slayers suffered great losses.

Nowadays, people can judge their condition with Sanity Value tests, take rest, and recuperate, allowing themselves to move out of the Hallucination Phase.

It could be said that the aura is the true horror of the Hallucination Phase—

But this had never happened to Lu Li.

The only things that appeared in Lu Li were hallucinations and auditory hallucinations.

He could not perceive even a trace of the murky aura they brought.

Perhaps it was related to not being a person from this world?

Lu Li pondered thoughtfully.

“I will send this matter along with your documents to the regional branch.

Frankly, if you didn’t appear perfectly normal, this document would probably have been rejected here.

I appreciate you, which is why I need you to survive even more,” he said.

“Will I be unable to join the investigators?” Lu Li asked.

“Chances are high.

You know the negative effects of decreased Sanity Value have plagued us for centuries.

Your situation is a very important discovery, if it can be generalized, we won’t be completely suppressed by the strange anymore,” he explained.

“However, the branch might send someone to pester you with incessant questions, which could be quite tedious.”

“No problem,” Lu Li replied.

Lu Li couldn’t see any downside to it.

He could gain knowledge, receive compensation, be protected by the investigators, and help make the world safer.

“Will my Sanity Value continue to be tested?” he asked.

“Yes…

likely in the next few days.

We need to first figure out what state you are in at this moment,” he answered.

“What will we use next time to approach that Banyan Tree?”

“It’s a tree branch… wait, how did you know it was a Banyan Tree?”

“When I touched the branch, I saw it,” Lu Li responded.

“Remarkable supernatural perception,” he murmured.

“What is supernatural perception?” Lu Li queried.

“That’s internal information.

I can’t tell you now, not until you join us,” he explained.

Lu Li didn’t press further and instead asked, “The Senge that appeared in my room yesterday, is he one of the investigators?”

“Yes, an investigator passing through Belfast had a cameo appearance.

He had a good impression of you, so I came myself for this test,” he responded.

“I have no more questions,” said Lu Li.

Lu Li knew when to stop and didn’t ask endlessly.

Tesla glanced towards the counter; his coffee hadn’t arrived yet.

He turned his gaze back to the departing Lu Li, “Don’t rush off, there’s something on you.”

He leaned forward, using a parchment dense with intricate text as a handkerchief, to wipe Lu Li’s sleeve.

It was clean.

Suddenly, Lu Li felt the surrounding light dim and a malicious whisper encircled him.

But just as quickly as it came, the hellish moment vanished, and the light returned to normal.

It was as if nothing had happened.

“There,” Tesla settled back into his seat and folded the parchment.

“What was that?” Lu Li asked.

“The mark of the Mother of the Marsh.

You didn’t think you could wander into the Evil God’s Territory as if it were your own garden, did you?”

Tesla’s words reminded Lu Li of his initial statement: You are decisive, fortunate, and very brave.

One dares to enter the Evil God’s Territory and “almost” come back unharmed.

Was this the reason he said “almost”?

“I don’t have a garden,” Lu Li stated.

He didn’t have money.

“That’s not the point… Anyway, next time you enter the Evil God’s Territory, even if just passing by, remember to come back and remove the mark.

Otherwise, it will be troublesome.

They use this method to leave marks on people passing through the territory and then ensnare them,” he explained.

Snap—

The sole of his shoe stepped into a puddle, splashing water around.

Some landed on his trouser leg, cold to the touch.

Lu Li came back to his senses, looked up at the familiar street, and walked towards the Long House ahead.