Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 372 - 372 229

372: 229.

They truly exist 372: 229.

They truly exist Through the desolate pathway between graveyards, the church in the distance gradually reduced to mere outlines in the drizzling rain.

Lu Li retrieved a carriage from a nearby carriage station and decided to upgrade it to a stretch model, driving towards the cliff but not in a straight line.

He planned to exchange some shillings at the True Library, then purchase some supplies on the way to bring to the warehouse on Elm Street and the cliffs.

The weather, much calmer than the previous days, brought more visitors to the library.

After presenting his request to Reiss, Reiss did not refuse and helped Lu Li find two Exorcists interested in a trade, exchanging investigation points at a ratio of 1:11 for nearly 9000 shillings in cash.

This sum was enough for Lu Li to buy ample supplies.

First was the furniture.

Lu Li headed to a second-hand store to pick a metal single bed that wouldn’t suffer from humidity and mold, as well as a desk and wardrobe.

The desks and wardrobes were only available in wood.

Following the recommendation of the second-hand store clerk, Lu Li chose a slightly better quality oak.

The cave was fairly dry and, with the world collapsing, there was one advantage: no bugs to worry about, like woodworm.

Next were bookshelves.

Considering that after the disaster struck the outside world would become extremely dangerous and hard to venture out, Lu Li needed enough means to pass the time.

Simply stacking books together or stuffing them into boxes would soon make their pages stick and blur, making them hard to read.

Then, he needed essentials for settling on the cliff: a fireplace.

He couldn’t keep making open fires at the refuge.

A steady fireplace that could provide warmth, light, and cook food was essential, and since the craftsmen were readily available, Lu Li just needed to transport the fireplace to the cave and connect the exhaust.

As for other supplies like toilet paper, oil lamps, cups, bowls, forks, and other essentials, Lu Li had already planned them days ago, but they were not available at the second-hand store; he had to go to other shops.

The funeral lasted less than an hour, so Lu Li still had plenty of time to buy supplies.

Driving the carriage from one store to another, the stretch carriage’s compartment was gradually filled before its weight became too much to enter Elm Forest, and Lu Li stopped his efforts, heading to the last store.

Grocery store.

The wooden crates stacked at the door had increased by a row compared to his last visit a few days ago.

But the store was not busy, and no customers were visible.

With the weather easing, people were rushing out to work and look for food.

The store clerk still remembered Lu Li, who came forward with a smile to fetch the boss, and Lu Li presented his shopping list: two cases of pork and peas canned goods, two cases of beef canned goods, and one case of canned fruit.

Although the latter tasted poor, it was the only food with long shelf life Lu Li could think of to supplement sugar and vitamins.

Honey would have been better, having a near-permanent shelf life, but after insects nearly went extinct, its price had skyrocketed, only affordable for nobles who might occasionally feature honey-roasted meat at banquets.

Faced with a major client, the boss generously maintained the price from a few days earlier for Lu Li—if it were today’s prices, each case of beef canned goods would cost Lu Li an extra 45 shillings.

The boss had the clerk carry the goods to the carriage, and as Lu Li followed him out under the eaves, a lazy meow rang beside him.

“Meow~”

Lu Li glanced sideways.

On the damp cobblestone, a black cat sat under the eaves, its dark pupils dilated into ovals, looking at Lu Li and issued another lazy meow.

“Meow~”

The black cat’s fur was completely drenched, and dirt clung to its wet fur, sticking to its slender body.

Next to it on the ground, some empty, damaged cans were scattered.

After moving the cans, the clerk walked back under the eaves and said with a smile, “Local stray cats, sometimes we put damaged, inedible cans under the eaves for them to eat.”

Lu Li nodded, withdrew his gaze, and boarded the carriage to drive away.

…

The door creaked—

A light sound came from the door.

Lu Li’s figure appeared behind the door and paused slightly before it.

The scene inside the Detective Agency was fully displayed.

The sculpture sat motionless on the sofa under the window, holding a book that seemed to have been flipped through about thirty or forty pages.

Lu Li’s eyes slightly lowered as he shifted his gaze and closed the door behind him, walking toward the desk.

Focusing too much on the sculpture would affect its ability to do its own task, such as turning the pages of the book.

Three newspapers and a letter were neatly placed on the desk, and the floor had a somewhat darkened tint, as if someone had just cleaned it.

Lu Li knew who had done this.

After the peculiar rain, the sculpture seemed to come back to life and become more animated.

He walked to the desk, picked up the envelope, the book title on it was Raimy & Jimmy.

They had sent a letter again, and this time it was likely a “reply.”

If what the merchants had said was true.

Without hurrying, Lu Li placed the envelope back on the desk and turned to enter the bedroom.

His clothes had gotten somewhat wet from the rain during the flower offering, and he needed to change.

Removing his clothes piece by piece, Lu Li occasionally heard the faint sound of pages turning from the living room.

A few minutes later, after changing into dry clothes, Lu Li stepped out of the bedroom.

“I will be back with Anna this afternoon.”

Lu Li said to the sculpture, picked up the three newspapers and the letter from the desk, and left the Detective Agency.

The door closed, footsteps receded behind it, and the Detective Agency returned to silence.

Only the rustling of the drizzle and the occasional sound of pages turning remained.

…

The bookstore.

Not the small one at the start of Sailor Street, which was too small and stocked with old books that only old people liked to read.

This one was more commercial, bigger, and more comprehensive.

“I need some books on wilderness survival and also, stories suitable for a young girl to read.”

Lu Li stated his needs, and the clerk led him to the corresponding shelves.

While Lu Li could pick the former by himself, the latter had to be recommended by the clerk.

The clerk’s recommendations were all relatively popular novels with good sales, which Anna would probably enjoy.

A few minutes of selection later, Lu Li bought ten books in total, four for himself and six for Anna, at a total price of 454 shillings, the former being slightly more expensive.

The price wasn’t much, as the books were not affected by the current price hikes and even saw a slight decline — after all, with the rainy season approaching, no commoner would waste money on novels.

Holding a stack of books, he returned to the carriage.

As the wheels turned, Lu Li took out the letter.

The true situation regarding Raimy and Jimmy would be fixed as soon as Lu Li opened the letter.

If the content was like the previous ones, where Raimy “spoke on her own,” it would indicate that they were fictional, merely ordinary characters within a book, who might fade over time, or perhaps not.

However, they would not appear in reality, not being visible to Lu Li.

But if the content of the letter was some kind of response…

it would indicate that they had already begun to make contact with reality.

This would mean things were progressing as the merchant had said: they were appearing in the real world through Lu Li.

The letter unfolded in front of him, and under the dim glow of the oil lamp beside him, Lu Li looked down.

“Thank you for your help, thank you for your help.”