Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 306 - 306 163

306: 163.

Deep Sea Stone 306: 163.

Deep Sea Stone After the Black Crow Messenger flew away, a merchant paid a visit.

This tight scheduling was exactly what Lu Li, pressed for time, desperately needed.

This merchant was still not one of the two merchants Lu Li had seen before; his worn scarf was a yellowish-brown striped pattern.

Of course, it was also possible that the merchant was always the same person, just wearing a different colored scarf each time.

Before throwing out the shopping list, Lu Li first asked the merchant for information about stones that could block spirits.

“It was a first-generation Exorcist with a very long name who used this kind of stone in the construction of the Ghost Prison,” Lu Li added information about the stone.

The merchant said the name of the stone: Deep Sea Stone.

Because it was found in the deep sea.

“Could you tell me more about it?” Lu Li wanted to learn more information to analyze whether the Deep Sea Stone was suitable for constructing refuges.

“If you need it.”

The first-generation Exorcist who discovered the Deep Sea Stone was named: Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno Crispiniano de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Maria Picasso.

Just as Tesla had said, the first-generation Exorcist’s name was long enough to fill a line.

And about the Exorcist, the inaccurate part was—his name wouldn’t fit on one line.

Aside from the joke about the difficulty of writing his own name in school, people usually called him Pablo or Picasso.

He discovered an eerie reef just a dozen meters below the sea surface during a voyage; this was highly unusual.

They were in the deep sea, with the nearest land nearly a thousand miles away from the sailboat.

Even if it was impossible to measure the exact depth of the sea here, it could be estimated to be over three thousand meters deep.

An appearance of a reef in such a location was a highly unreasonable phenomenon.

As an Exorcist, Pablo thought there was a problem here.

Perhaps it wasn’t a reef but something bizarre.

However, he was just a regular passenger on this transcontinental sailboat and had no authority to command it.

Pablo noted the coordinates and upon nearing the land, he contacted the Exorcists Association.

They sailed out again, returning to the coordinates.

The circumstances were not as bad then as they are now, such as the sunlight.

Under good visibility conditions, the entire water mass below cast a rich, dark shadow, as if some colossal creature lurked at the bottom of the sea.

Pablo believed that the thing underwater was not living, otherwise it would have left this area days ago.

Thus, Pablo put on his gear, leaped into the sea, and sank close to observe it.

Upon closer inspection, Pablo confirmed it was some sort of underwater reef.

He broke off a small part and returned to the surface to analyze it.

During his research, Pablo discovered the special power of this stone—it could block any material that ghosts could pass through.

Even the higher-level apparitions couldn’t penetrate the Deep Sea Stone.

Through further testing, Pablo confirmed that as long as the Deep Sea Stone was 10 centimeters thick, it would effect a barrier against ghosts.

Although increasing the thickness would enhance the effect, the difference was minimal.

A Deep Sea Stone one meter thick only enhanced the effect by 0.5 times compared to one that was 10 centimeters thick, and 10 meters thick only increased the effect by 0.2 times more than one meter thick.

The thicker the Deep Sea Stone, the more negligible the effect.

The Deep Sea Stone obviously held significant value, and subsequently the Exorcists Association began mining and measuring it.

The reef was much larger than they had anticipated; rather than calling it a reef, calling it a mountain was more accurate.

The height of this mountain standing in the deep sea, due to limited industrial capabilities, was last measured twenty-three years ago.

The Demon Slayers’ Association adjusted the original measurement depth from 1,328 meters to 1,822 meters.

This data was not the height of the Deep Sea Stone Mountain, but rather the measurement was limited because the iron chain used was only that long.

Aside from constructing several Ghost Prisons, Deep Sea Stone was usually used by Exorcists to preserve important items.

However, not all Exorcists viewed this positively.

Some Exorcists believed that the Deep Sea Stone Mountain was some kind of seal, suppressing some terrifying entities.

This theory didn’t gain traction, as even after hundreds of years, the overall thickness of the mined Deep Sea Stone Mountain was only a few dozen meters, still representing the least part of the “mountain top.”‘

These hundreds or even thousands of tons were insignificant compared to the entire mountain of stone.

“So, a 10-centimeter thickness offers the best cost-effectiveness, and a 1-meter thickness is next?” Lu Li asked.

Getting confirmation from the merchant, Lu Li continued, “How many shillings for one cubic meter of Deep Sea Stone?”

“One cubic meter?”

Perhaps unable to grasp the concept of one cubic meter, or perhaps waiting for some kind of message, the merchant paused after asking.

“A piece of Deep Sea Stone that is one meter long, one meter high, and one meter wide.”

Lu Li prompted.

A 10-centimeter thickness was Lu Li’s minimum standard.

If funds allowed, he would consider a 1-meter thickness.

Although arranging the space was an issue, safety was the priority.

“8,800 shillings,” the merchant replied.

Anna, who was eavesdropping nearby, cooperatively showed a mix of surprise and astonishment.

“I remember it wasn’t that expensive,” Lu Li frowned and said.

Affording to build a Ghost Prison or structures with Deep Sea Stone, the price shouldn’t have been so high.

“That was the previous price.”

“Why is that?” Lu Li pondered, wondering if someone else had the same idea as him.

“Deep Sea Stone is becoming increasingly difficult to mine each day, and the three major organizations are also buying it.”

Anna, who listened in, appeared to understand.

After all, the deep sea had become very dangerous, and the stone near the surface at the Deep Sea Stone Mountain had already been mined out.

The remainder was tens of meters below and difficult to mine, making it inevitably expensive.

The three major organizations were also purchasing Deep Sea Stone…

Lu Li’s dark eyes slightly narrowed as he considered a deeper possibility, then asked, “Is there a possibility for its price to decrease?”

“It will only become more expensive.”

1-meter thickness of Deep Sea Stone was entirely ruled out by Lu Li, and even so, the 10-centimeter thickness of Deep Sea Stone was still beyond what he could afford.

If Lu Li wanted to build a shelter measuring ten meters in length, ten meters in width, and five meters in height, he would need four cubic meters of Deep Sea Stone.

Just the cost for the stone alone would cost Lu Li a price of 35,000 shillings.

A 1-meter thickness of Deep Sea Stone would add a zero to that figure.

Lu Li’s current total assets, including a credit limit of 100 investigation points, could barely afford one cubic meter of Deep Sea Stone.

“Apart from Deep Sea Stone, are there other materials with a similar effect?” he asked.

“There are, but the prices are even more expensive.”

Lu Li dismissed the notion of finding an alternative and instead asked, “Can I use my 10% discount?”

“Yes, the price of one cubic meter of Deep Sea Stone will be reduced by 880 shillings.”

“Start with one cubic meter.”