Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 313 - 313 170

313: 170.

Sanity Value more dangerous than expected 313: 170.

Sanity Value more dangerous than expected Just like last time, the Sanity Value test still involved a lengthy explanation from Tesla.

Tesla gestured for Lu Li to touch the dark tree branch again.

The moment his fingertip made contact, inspiration accompanied by the Homogeneous Item penetrated the void.

A fleeting sense of cold malice emerged around him, only to vanish as Lu Li withdrew his hand.

Sshh – Sshh –

Suddenly, rustling sounds reminiscent of wind-blown leaves arose around the dining table.

Under the watchful eyes of the two by the table and the Alliance Personnel polishing glasses behind the bar, lines and gashes began to appear on the surface of the dark tree branch, even more scarred and battered than before.

Seconds later, the rustling ceased, and the dark tree branch ceased accumulating new marks, revealing pits and depressions even more dreadful than the one gnawed by Hades.

“Your problem has gotten more serious…” Even though he was prepared, seeing it in person still caused Tesla to furrow his brow deeply, his gaze falling on Lu Li: “But you seem to be holding up relatively well.”

“Aside from more frequent hallucinations, I don’t feel any other changes,” Lu Li replied, lowering his eyes to glance at his milk but making no move to drink it.

Tesla noticed something: “Is there something wrong with the milk?”

“If you saw an intestine with moving fur swimming in your milk, you wouldn’t want to drink it either.”

“I can imagine,” Tesla’s frown gradually eased, and Lu Li’s composure spread to him.

He picked up his coffee cup, which was no longer scalding hot, and just as he brought it to his lips, he paused and looked up to ask, “Is there a hallucination in my coffee?”

Although not visible, drinking a cup filled with a hallucination was still somewhat unsettling.

“No.”

Tesla drank reassuringly from his cup.

“What stage am I approximately at?”

He had just set down his coffee cup when he heard Lu Li ask.

Tesla looked at the dark tree branch on the dining table, which no longer exuded its essence and had become merely a common, broken branch, and responded, “You’re at the stage transitioning from mid to late phase.”

Quantified, it would be around 70 to 80.

Below 70 would mean transitioning to the second phase.

The lowering of Sanity Value was largely related to the Soul Ferry.

Even though the decline in Sanity Value was slow on the ship, he had spent an entire night there.

A sudden warning came from across the table, “You must pay attention to your Sanity Value now, it’s very dangerous.

Later, I will submit a request to the committee, and before your Sanity Value is restored—”

The voice cut off abruptly as he suddenly remembered that all the Sanity Value Lu Li had lost was True Sanity Value and could not be recovered.

“You could pretend not to know anything,” Lu Li said calmly, looking into Tesla’s hazel eyes.

“I am the person in charge of the Belfast region.”

As he spoke, hesitation surged through Tesla’s heart.

Without a doubt, as the regional head, Tesla was responsible for all the investigators in that area.

When an investigator’s physical and psychological condition became unsuitable for the work, he was responsible for making arrangements for that investigator.

But as someone who looked favorably upon Lu Li, like a “senior,” Tesla was keenly aware that Lu Li was engaged in something that was significantly important to him, even to the extent of ignoring his own Sanity Value condition.

Just as Lu Li felt bewildered when faced with the bizarre, Tesla now empathized with that bewilderment—he did not know which choice would harm Lu Li.

Perhaps both would.

“I have come to understand that those groups of hallucinations in the second phase of Sanity Value will start seeing me, is that so?”

Lu Li’s questioning voice rose, with an abrupt shift in topic, but Tesla inwardly breathed a sigh of relief for not having to make a decision, reminding, “Yes, but the term ‘illusion’ is no longer precise.

Another word is more suitable to describe them: ‘projection’.”

‘Projection,’ to put it plainly, is casting the exterior appearance of a certain existence outward.

Compared to illusions, it undoubtedly seems more real.

“Because they have become more real to me?” Lu Li asked.

“Yes, you can even ‘interact’ with the monsters from the Inner World.”

The term interaction here is anything but pleasant.

“So can they hurt me?” Lu Li asked again.

Tesla thought for a moment before responding, “If it were anyone else asking this question, I would say yes.

Even though the projections of the Inner World cannot directly harm us, their pervasive aura and indescribable forms can bring a person to the brink of collapse.

Especially the former, many excellent investigators have not died in the line of duty, but from the aura released by the Inner World projections as their Sanity Value dropped.”

It’s a problem with no solution, akin to how a vengeful spirit inevitably becomes an evil one, the drop to the first stage in Sanity Value inevitably leads to a continuous decline due to the aura of the Inner World.

Usually, at this point, the choices waiting for Exorcists are only two: either the True Sanity Value has not dropped much, and due to rest, the Sanity Value returns to normal, and then they either continue working or retire; or the True Sanity Value has dropped significantly, and even after resting, it does not return to normal, despairingly watching the Sanity Value decrease day by day, the illusions becoming more real by the day, eventually succumbing to madness and dying in agony.

Even Exorcists with the strongest wills can’t resist the onslaught of True Sanity Value.

Too many excellent Exorcists have died because of their Sanity Value.

“However, you are different.

You cannot perceive that aura, you can’t feel the most terrifying aspect brought about by the drop in Sanity Value.

It’s just that I’m not sure if you would still be immune to these in the second stage?”

But Lu Li was thinking of other problems, “If I enter the second stage, will the existences of the Inner World gather around me upon seeing me?”

He imagined a scene surrounded by layers of dark, monstrous shadows.

If that were the case, it would be difficult for him to go about his business.

“It’s not that exaggerated.”

Seeming to glimpse Lu Li’s thoughts, Tesla said, “The Inner World is not a single layer.

It is composed of countless strata of strange worlds piled on top of each other, and they are not always overlapping with the human world.

Instead, they alternate frequencies like a radio, shifting in and out of sync.

You often handle Homogeneous Items, so you must have noticed that at times there’s a great deal of malice in the void around you, and at other times, very little, sometimes something new emerges, and at times, it disappears.”

Lu Li nodded; the illusions he was currently seeing were close to that.

They appeared abruptly at irregular intervals, existing for a brief period before vanishing again.

Having cleared up the confusion, Lu Li prepared to leave the base.

“What are you planning to do next?” Tesla asked, looking up at Lu Li, who was standing up.

“Earn money.”

Tesla fell silent briefly, then shook his head with a wry smile, “Although I don’t know what you need that much money for, I wish you can achieve your goal soon.”

“Thank you.”

Lu Li nodded at him, circled the dining table, and walked toward the conduit passage behind Tesla.

With a nearly imperceptible sigh, Tesla picked up his coffee cup and took a small sip.

At that moment, the receding footsteps suddenly doubled back.

Tesla turned his head, looking curiously as Lu Li returned, drained the glass of milk that was his, and then left again.

This time he truly left.