Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 264 - 264 One hundred and twenty-one

264: One hundred and twenty-one.

The Eve of Departure 264: One hundred and twenty-one.

The Eve of Departure “I want to go too!”

Perceiving that Lu Li might not take her along, Anna grabbed the backpack Lu Li was packing and hid it behind her back as she yelled.

“No.”

Lu Li, unconcerned about the backpack taken by Anna, walked towards the bedroom and fetched a set of clean clothes from the closet.

“Why!

I’m already very capable!” Anna, always facing Lu Li as he moved, watched him walk from the bedroom to the desk and said unwillingly.

Placing the clothes on the desk, Lu Li stretched out his palm toward Anna and looked at her calmly, “If you lose your way, you might never find your way back.”

“I’ll just follow you,” Anna said, looking down at Lu Li’s hand in front of her.

Suddenly, she also stretched out her pale, translucent palm and grasped the hand whose warmth she couldn’t feel.

“…”

Lu Li quietly observed Anna for a while until she shyly averted her gaze, then stretched out his other hand.

Without thinking, Anna extended her left hand, which was hidden behind her back clutching the backpack, and grasped Lu Li’s hand.

The backpack floated behind her, held aloft by telekinesis.

Anna lifted her head, her clear eyes brimming with pride.

But a second later, pride was replaced by panic.

Lu Li, holding Anna’s hands, suddenly exerted force, flinging the weightless Anna toward the open space of the living room behind him.

Hovering in mid-air, Anna stabilized herself, not caring to tidy her disheveled hair, and charged at Lu Li’s back, yelling, “I’m going to fight you!” as she jumped onto his back and covered his eyes.

Anna knew she was weightless, so she used her ability to pull on herself, making it difficult for Lu Li to remain stable as he swayed from side to side.

“Pfft…hahahaha…”

Anna let out a burst of giggly laughter, but suddenly noticed that Lu Li was silent, and her laughter stopped abruptly.

Anna, unable to see Lu Li’s expression, thought he was angry and obediently climbed down from his back, not daring to speak, and stealthily observed his profile.

Lu Li’s calmness remained unchanged; he resumed his actions, picked up the backpack that had fallen due to Anna’s antics, and placed it back on the desk, packing the clothes inside.

Anna, reluctant, pouted and muttered, “So why won’t you take me along…”

“I’ve told you, the sea is very dangerous.”

“Aren’t you in danger too?”

“Being in danger alone is better than both of us being in danger.

Plus, your ability is less effective at sea.”

“How so!

If you accidentally fall into the sea, I can pull you out!”

“How long can you hold on to me?”

Anna was at a loss for words, silently watching Lu Li pack items into the backpack one by one.

Bitterness sprouted in Anna’s heart; she felt like a young abandoned puppy on the street, pitiful and helpless, crying out in sorrow, “Why does everyone have to leave me…

You too, Mother too…”

“I haven’t.”

Lu Li said without turning his head as he placed the separately packed oil lamp and lamp oil at the top of the backpack.

“You all say that…” Anna pursed her lips and stubbornly muttered.

Whirr—

The zipper of the backpack was closed, and Lu Li turned and said, “I won’t be gone long.

If all goes well, I’ll be back by tomorrow morning.”

While Lu Li couldn’t feel Anna’s strong dependence, he understood it.

A mere eighteen-year-old girl had died of infectious disease and become a ghost; her family was gone, her closest mother died of grief at her own death.

Anna was left alone in the world as a ghost.

Then, at that moment, Lu Li extended his hand.

“Huh?” All of Anna’s negative emotions suddenly froze, and she stared blankly at Lu Li, her eyes misty with tears, “Wait, just one day?”

“120 nautical miles, I’ll return after the survey, how long do you think?” Lu Li retorted.

“Uh…

I-I-I thought it was just a day too!” Anna stammered, her blushing cheeks revealing certain issues.

Picking up the backpack, Lu Li looked around to make sure nothing was forgotten, then turned and walked towards the door.

“I’ll make your favorite food when you get back!”

Anna suddenly gathered her courage and shouted.

Lu Li paused for a moment as he walked to the door and picked up the umbrella near it before opening the door.

Bang.

The door closed, and the Detective Agency returned to silence.

The expression on Anna’s face became visibly forlorn in a matter of seconds.

…

The gloomy rainy weather did not diminish the bustle at the port.

Sweat and the smell of fish permeated the slippery wooden planks of the harbor as bare-chested workers, drenched in sweat, carried goods off the cargo ships.

Several hundred meters away at another dock, a large white-painted cruise ship was moored at the edge of the port.

Dapper gentlemen in first class, dressed in proper suits, elegantly descended the gangway with their female partners in hand.

It was said that this ship had come from the Arlen Kingdom.

Leaning on his cane, Tesla stood by Lu Li’s side and introduced the two men before them, “This is Captain Harvey and First Mate Louis.”

“Hurry up and move the stuff off the ship!

The guests from the Alyer are disembarking and they’ll unload here soon!”

A foreman shouted as he briskly walked past them.

“A pleasure to serve you, sir,” Captain Harvey removed his cap and bowed with it pressed to his chest.

He clearly knew the identities of Lu Li and Tesla.

The dark-skinned Louis stood upright like a sentinel beside them.

“Walk and talk,” Tesla gestured forward with his cane and stepped onto the bustling, lively dock.

“Tell me the details.”

“Louis, you tell the gentlemen.”

Straight as a mast, Louis followed closely and spoke, “All the clutter and cannons have been unloaded, leaving only the harpoon gun and essential crew.

This reduced weight allows our speed to reach ten knots.

We can reach Disc Reef before dark if we leave now.”

Tesla nodded his head, turned to Lu Li, “Do you get seasick?”

“Not if the sea is calm.”

During their conversation, they reached the area where the sailboat was docked.

It was a nearly sixty meter long sailboat with a severely faded hull, giving it an aged look, standing with its masts barren without sails.

“Old fellows are the most reliable,” Captain Harvey grinned, uttering a sailor’s proverb.

“When do we depart?”

“Do you have any paper and a pen?”

Lu Li’s reply was seemingly irrelevant.

…

Anna sat alone on the sofa, the Detective Agency appeared as usual, no different from any other day.

But she felt something was missing.

Bored, she looked up, her gaze fixed on something outside the window.

Suddenly, Anna saw something, startled, she sat upright and turned to lean on the windowsill—

A green sprout emerged from the damp soil of the flower pot.

…

In the Captain’s Cabin, Lu Li finished writing the last part of the content, folded the paper and stuffed it into an envelope.

“If I do not return after three days, have someone send this letter to the Detective Agency.”

Tesla wanted to say something but remained silent, smiling as he put away Lu Li’s envelope, and walked down from the sailboat accompanied by Lu Li and the captain.

“Bon voyage.”

Standing at the dock, Tesla removed his hat and waved to Lu Li on the deck.

“Set sail!”

Louis waved the signal flag, as the sails were raised one by one.

The three-masted sailboat slowly departed from Rhodest Port, becoming an insubstantial speck in the vast, lead-grey sea.