Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 329 - 329 186

329: 186.

Trade 329: 186.

Trade Anna and Count Dracula fundamentally differed.

The former had truly existed in this world and possessed a human identity.

As for Dracula, from the moment his consciousness was born, it existed within a painting, devoid of memories of having a mortal form—or perhaps it was never human at all.

However, it was necessary to wait for the merchant to appear to confirm which kind of existence it was, after all, only humans could become ghosts.

On the way back, Lu Li passed by the burnt library, unchanged since his last visit and still attracting no attention.

As he passed, Lu Li felt an innocuous sensation of being watched and recalled the resentful spirit hidden in the basement beneath the ruins.

Lu Li tilted his head slightly, hearing a faint humming sound in the void beside him that only he could discern.

With Anna there, he no longer needed to avoid contact with this resentful spirit.

But not now, Lu Li was waiting for a better incident.

For example, the situation in the basement being discovered by the investigators’ base and the issuance of a case.

Before nightfall, Lu Li, who walked, returned to the Detective Agency.

Anna slipped into the kitchen to light a fire and cook while Lu LI propped the silent portrait of Count Dracula behind the door, nestled close to the Deep Sea Stone.

The sky outside the window had become completely dark, and the two oil lamps lit inside the Detective Agency cast a faint glow.

It wasn’t as bright as the electric lights at Mary’s house, but it brought a sense of warmth.

After a while, Anna brought out pork boiled with potatoes and steamed fish at the same time.

The aroma of meat soup mixed with the scent of fish stimulated the appetite, but the flavor… at least the pork and potatoes stew was consistent with Anna’s usual standards.

The taste of the steamed fish wasn’t great, but at least Anna had learned to remove the guts and scales, making it palatable.

Not to mention the surging nausea after dinner.

Following dinner was rest time; after washing up, Anna brought an oil lamp to the bedroom, threw herself onto the bed and covered herself with the blanket—despite not being able to feel the blanket’s softness and warmth.

“Goodnight.”

Anna called out towards the outside of the bedroom.

There was no answer; Lu LI lay flat on the sofa with his arm draped over his forehead, seemingly asleep.

The Detective Agency grew quiet.

Occasional gusts of wind would cause dense droplets to hit the window, creating a series of crisp sounds.

Hu…

The wind seemed to penetrate the Detective Agency, wandering, lightly lifting things with no weight.

Like the white cloth covering the portrait.

The white cloth lifted slightly, then settled back down,

Hu…

Another gust of wind, stronger than before, made the white cloth billow, revealing a corner of the portrait.

This breeze was odd, for the curtains didn’t stir at all.

Hu…

The wind grew stronger still, lifting and lowering the white cloth, causing it to slide down a small length in silence.

Hu…

Hu…

Hu…

A rhythmic wind noise persisted in a corner of the Detective Agency.

Perhaps a few minutes, maybe a quarter of an hour later, the final gust blew, and the white cloth shrouding the portrait began to slide downward, revealing the visage of a middle-aged man on the painting, gasping slightly.

Dracula hadn’t a moment of joy before his entire face froze.

It saw, beyond the painting, a sculpture’s expressionless face staring intently at itself.

What’s with that black-haired man…

why does his home have everything!?!

The mute Dracula watched the sculpture in despair and silently closed its eyes.

As an entity of the gallery, Dracula was, of course, aware of this companion’s traits.

The falling white cloth was picked up by an artistically poised yet colorless hand and placed back over the oil painting.

The Detective Agency receded back into quiescence.

This time no peculiar wind sounded.

…

5:30 a.m.

While the sky usually began to brighten at this time of day, today it remained somber.

Thick clouds obscured the sky, and the sound of rain poured into the Detective Agency.

Without needing Anna’s call, Lu Li, who had an internal clock, woke up on time and quietly listened to the sounds of the neighbors in the Long House.

“What’s this, you’re already awake.” Anna emerged from the bedroom without a sound and saw Lu Li open his eyes.

She muttered a phrase and pulled back the curtain on the sofa.

“The rain is so heavy…

and it’s still the Mutant Rain?

Looks like we can’t go outside today.”

Anna, rubbing her eyes, said as she walked into the kitchen to prepare breakfast for Lu Li.

It was all leftovers from the night before, just needing to be heated up.

Mutant Rain…

Lu Li looked out at the somber sky, the deep color of the clouds felt oppressive.

People had already started to walk on the streets.

Didn’t they know the dangers of the mutant rain, or was there something else at play?

Lu Li rose from the sofa, took a few minutes for physiological needs and cleanliness, then sat back down at his desk, picked up the phone, and dialed Tesla.

“Lu Li?

What is it?” Tesla’s gentle voice came through quickly.

Lu Li inquired about the specifics of the effects of the mutant rain.

Tesla pondered for a moment and then said, “The Mutant Rain is the least impactful of the current three disasters.

It can only transform inanimate objects without consciousness and cannot transform living beings.

If we get wet, at most we might catch a cold, so don’t worry.

Just be cautious of the anomalies that the Mutant Rain creates.”

“I remember you urgently need money.

Each area will issue special events after the Mutant Rain falls, inviting all investigators in the region to deal with the anomalies, then reward them with contribution points by the headquarters.

If you’re interested, you can exchange a messenger to follow you.

It will record all your actions.”

“I understand.”

After hanging up the phone, Lu Li returned to the dining table and sat down.

Anna, who had prepared the meal and was waiting for a while, cautiously asked, “We can’t go out today, can we?”

“We can go out, but we can’t go to the Elm Forest,” Lu Li replied.

“Oh.” Anna nodded in understanding of Lu Li’s decision.

The visibility outside was too poor, and with the long stretch of forest road, they might end up wandering the woods all day and end up with nothing.

“But what do you mean we can go out?”

Lu Li shared the information from the call with Anna, whose eyes lit up with excitement, “I want to go too!”

She had been eager to demonstrate her ability to protect Lu Li for a long time.

“Mhm.”

Lu Li put down the ladle and took a sip of meat soup from the wooden bowl.

Anna, somewhat excited, asked, “When are we going to do it?”

“We’ll wait for the merchant or the crows,” Lu Li answered.

Merchants and messengers usually come sometime after dawn.

After finishing breakfast, Lu Li waited in the Detective Agency for a while.

Perhaps the approval hadn’t been completed yet, or the heavy rain had affected the flight speed, as the knock on the door occurred before the tapping on the window.

Water dripped down from the wet garments, and a small puddle formed on the floor around the boots.

“Are you looking to trade?” The voice came from behind the damp scarf, straight to the point.

Lu Li nodded and inquired about the price of the Deep Sea Stone.

“899 contribution points.”

That’s equivalent to 8990 Shillings.

Just three days had passed, and the price of the Deep Sea Stone had gone up by 110 Shillings.

And this time, Lu Li didn’t have any discounts.

Lu Li nodded, took the portrait covered with a white cloth from behind the door, and handed it to the merchant.

“Do you take a living anomaly?”