Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 251 - 251 108

251: 108.

True Sanity Value 251: 108.

True Sanity Value “Anomalous perception abilities, also known as supernatural perception… or intuition.

Unlike Sanity Value, which can manifest in stages, it’s just a concept, so we usually only describe it vaguely,” he said.

“The higher one’s intuition, the easier it is to detect the realities hidden beneath what appears to be real, such as the anomalies around them.

The good news is that they don’t need to use a Homogeneous Item to have a certain level of perception, but the bad news is that they’re more easily corrupted by anomalies.”

Lu Li did not believe that his intuition was particularly high; without the Spirit-Calling Gun, he seldom discovered anomalies on his own: “Is it possible to acquire intuition later in life, perhaps as a result of decreasing Sanity Value?”

Tesla appeared pensive, “It’s very likely, as the decline of Sanity Value affects intuition, and indeed, your Sanity Value is in the second phase.”

“Therefore, I will extend the time before your official promotion, so you can rest and relax during this period, trying to recover some of your Sanity Value.”

Concerning Sanity Value, Lu Li made further inquiries.

The information he acquired so far was roughly the same, but there was one critical contradiction: whether Sanity Value could be restored.

From Hades and Night Watchman Joel, Lu Li understood that the decline in Sanity Value was irreversible.

However, the snippets of information from the investigators hinted at the possibility of its recovery.

Lu Li needed to know the precise and true information.

“In fact, we usually divide the decline in Sanity Value into two types, normal Sanity Value reduction and contamination-induced Sanity Value reduction.

The former is caused by emotions, the latter by anomalies.”

The first type of Sanity Value decrease is close to the literal meaning of Sanity Value, so it could be called a mood value.

It’s linked to people’s emotions and environments: sadness, gloom, pain, as well as dark, frightening, or lonely environments all contribute to the decline of Sanity Value.

Various phobias are included, too.

This type of decline can be recovered through relatively positive emotions and environments.

For example, warmth, happiness, love, or bright, lively, and bustling surroundings.

This recoverable type of Sanity Value has no special term; it’s simply referred to as Sanity Value.

The first kind of Sanity Value only results in an irreversible decrease in one situation: when a person is intensely and continuously immersed in negative emotions and environments.

For example, if all family members die violently or die one after another.

This will permanently lower the person’s Sanity Value or, in other words, the threshold of their Sanity Value.

For instance, it might drop from a full value of 100 to 90, or 80.

Even if it recovers later, it can only go back to 90 or 80.

To put it in simpler terms: if a person has been in a negative mood for a long time or suddenly suffers unbearable severe pain, even if they recover, it’s unlikely they will be as cheerful as before.

Unless that person is of an indifferent nature.

So, in this respect, the decline of the first kind of Sanity Value varies from person to person.

A person with photophobia might experience a continuous decrease in Sanity Value due to exposure to sunlight, while a lunatic might not see any change in their Sanity Value despite laughing out loud at a family tragedy.

The second type of Sanity Value is not biased.

No matter your age, sex, wealth, or status; regardless of being a noble or a beggar, an Exorcist or a Demon Slayer; as soon as you come into contact with it, the threshold of your Sanity Value will irreversibly decrease.

It’s commonly referred to as the True Sanity Value, or contamination from the Inner World.

“To say it’s absolute is somewhat extreme, but unfortunately, we have yet to find a way to restore True Sanity Value,” Tesla said with a sigh, because of the True Sanity Value, many outstanding investigators were forced into retirement or became insane—

Tesla’s words abruptly halted.

Something dawned on him, and he gazed, with an expression of surprise, through his glasses at Lu Li sitting across the table.

Lu Li remained calm and composed; his inner self and expression impenetrable to any emotion.

Joy or terror, neither ever surfaced in this man.

Which meant that all the Sanity Value he’d lost so far…

Was entirely True Sanity Value.

Creeeak—

The sound of a wooden chair scraping back hastily rose and then stopped abruptly.

The walking stick Tesla had lifted was now grasped by Lu Li.

The delicate silver chain of his monocle swayed, as Tesla quickly said, “Your situation is dangerous now.

Most investigators in your position are already preparing to retire.”

Lu Li watched Tesla, his dark eyes as deep as an abyss: “You said ‘most investigators.'”

“The rest are either dead or mad!”

“I won’t go mad.”

“But your Sanity Value will decrease.”

“I will stop in time, should I deem myself at risk.”

“`

“…”

Tesla and Lu Li exchanged looks, his striking black eyes as ever filled with calm.

These were not the eyes of someone who had made a mad decision.

“This doesn’t fit your personality,” Tesla slowly lowered his cane, and Lu Li’s hand relaxed in turn.

“What drove you to insist on joining the investigators, dealing with peculiarities, even at the cost of reduced Sanity Value…”

“The true understanding of this world, and money.”

In the distance, one of the wooden doors opened, and a tall figure leaned out halfway, “It seems like you’re having a dispute, do you need my help to ease the mood?”

“Beat it, big guy,” Tesla said irritably.

“Alright then.”

Tristan withdrew back behind the door.

Tesla sat back in the wooden chair, smoothing out his ceremonial dress that had become wrinkled from standing up excitedly.

“I disagree…”

He looked at Lu Li, his eyes weary and somewhat uncomprehending.

“But it seems I can’t change your mind.”

…

“I disagree too!”

Anna slapped the table hard, but no sound emerged.

After Lu Li returned to the Detective Agency, and relayed the day’s events and decisions to Anna, her emotion was even more agitated than Tesla’s.

“The reason.”

Lu Li fetched a can of cane sugar from the kitchen, sat down at the desk, and used a spoon to scoop some sugar into the milk.

The milk was a jug prepared by Alliance personnel at Tesla’s request for Lu Li.

Not much, but just enough for Lu Li to drink it all before it spoiled.

“It’s…it’s just too dangerous!”

Agitated, Anna couldn’t find a proper counterargument right away.

“I will stop in time when I deem it’s too dangerous,” Lu Li repeated the phrase again.

Anna was about to argue when there was a knock at the door.

The postman delivered the newspaper Lu Li had ordered for the day.

Anna concealed herself, while Lu Li opened the door to receive the paper.

“Hold on a moment.”

Lu Li called the postman back as he was about to leave.

“I have a letter to write; could you send it out for me?”

The postman pulled an envelope from his moss green canvas bag and said with both hands in white gloves, “No problem, sir, where would you like to send it to?

The fee is 5 cents for the Neighboring County, 10 cents for other counties but within the Earlen Peninsula Duchy.”

“Arlenbeth County.”

Lu Li returned to the desk, picked up a fountain pen, and wrote the recipient’s name on the envelope.

[Raimy & Jimmy (Recipients)]

“`