Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 377 - 377 234

377: 234.

Finish and Unusual 377: 234.

Finish and Unusual The sea breeze blew over the cliffs.

The withered trees shielded the cave from the sea breeze, and as the afternoon approached, the sound of excavation gradually ceased.

The Jones Brothers piled the last heap of rubble outside the cave, their bodies emanating warmth, and watched as Lu Li walked into the cave for inspection.

Deep within the cave, an area had been carved out according to Lu Li’s requirements, presenting a relatively flat space.

The wall of the cave revealed cross-sections of rock and soil layers, and with the furniture scattered around the entrance, the place finally took on a hint of liveliness.

The corner’s cellar oozed a dark, gloomy atmosphere, its space no larger than two cubic meters.

Lu Li’s original plan was for ten cubic meters, but obviously, such a request couldn’t be fulfilled in just a few days—however, two cubic meters for a cellar was basically enough for use and could be expanded over time.

Lu Li’s gaze swept between the walls; the current space was enough to lay Deep Sea Stone that was ten centimeters thick, but if switched to one meter thick, the height and length would need to increase.

But there were two pieces of news that were neither good nor bad: the cost of one-meter-thick Deep Sea Stone was beyond Lu Li’s means, and even ten-centimeter-thick Deep Sea Stone was quite a stretch.

After the inspection, the Jones Brothers breathed a sigh of relief, picked up their tools, and returned to the carriage.

Before departing, Lu Li picked up an empty tin can by the edge of the cave—it was the can that limping Barton had discarded last time.

He handed it to Anna to fetch a can of seawater from the cliffs below, then Lu Li headed towards the carriage.

Waiting by the carriage until Anna returned, Lu Li took the can filled with seawater, placed it properly, and climbed onto the carriage.

“I need a stonemason,”

Putting away the book that Anna had half-read, Lu Li controlled the carriage as it left the cliffs, heading out of the forest.

The Jones Brothers exchanged glances, and the eldest said, “We also do stonemason and carpentry work usually…

If it’s not too complicated, you can hire us.”

A client who doesn’t haggle or micromanage and who pays promptly is someone all workers are willing to cooperate with.

After a few seconds, Lu Li’s voice drifted from outside the carriage curtain into the compartment: “The stones in the box, I want to lay them on the excavated cave walls.”

The brothers had a deep impression of those smooth squared stones, and after some thought, the eldest nodded, “Lay them on the walls?

That’s not difficult.”

Lu Li repeated, “Yes, lay them on the cave walls.”

“All the walls?” The eldest was taken aback.

“Yes.”

“Alright…

You can hire two people, and we’ll have it done within a day.

Or hiring four of us would be faster; it will take only half a day, and 40 Shillings will be enough.”

“That’s fine.”

The eldest turned back to glance behind him but only saw his three brothers sitting against the carriage and the rear of the carriage.

He thought for a moment and then said to Lu Li, “Shouldn’t we go back to the cave to take a look?

Also, those stones seem to be not enough.”

Lu Li was as succinct as always: “No need, we’ll talk about it tomorrow.”

It was getting late, and any further delays would make it difficult to leave Elm Forest before dark.

Although Elm Forest seemed to have softened its stance towards him, nobody could guarantee that it would remain so after nightfall.

…

On Elm Street, as the sky grew dim, a carriage slowly emerged from the gloomy forest.

Lights from oil lamps glimmered through some of the houses on the street, as the carriage took the Jones Brothers back to their home and then returned near Sailor Street to drop off the carriage, and Lu Li walked back to Sailor Street.

Passing by the marketplace, most of the sellers had closed their shops and dispersed, leaving only a few who charged such high prices for blankets that one would wonder if Shillings had suddenly devalued.

“`

Yet, Lu Li still supplemented with some ingredients, which, although pricey, offered much better value for money than canned goods.

Back at the Detective Agency, Anna wound up the springs for the radio and alarm clock, then entered the kitchen to start the stove and heat up the meal amidst the sound of the radio.

The sound of frying and talking came from the corridor outside, and over time, the smell of burning wood drifted out of the kitchen.

Half an hour later, Anna brought the hot pork and potatoes and the bread, which had re-fluffed by absorbing the meaty broth, to the table.

Just as Anna was about to put out the stove, Lu Li stopped her, carrying the can of sea water and the distiller into the kitchen.

Anna knew what he was planning to do.

She slipped over to the desk and picked up the phone, calling her good friend Daisy periodically, as usual.

Soon, Anna’s crisp voice could be heard from the living room.

At these times, her mood would become noticeably brighter and more vivacious than Lu Li had ever seen her in life.

Although the cost of a phone call was expensive, Lu Li never interfered.

He knew that it helped delay Anna’s descent into the abyss, where she would become a cold presence devoid of consciousness.

Setting the half-filled tin can on the blazing stove, Lu Li lifted the distiller, set it up above the can according to its purpose, and then placed a wooden bowl beneath the outlet pipe.

As time progressed, the murky sea water in the tin can began to boil, releasing steam with a faint fishy odor, most of which entered the distiller above.

The distillation process was slow, and it took several minutes of boiling before the first drop of distilled water fell into the wooden bowl.

Soon thereafter, the second drop, the third drop, and more fell in quick succession…

After about fifteen minutes, the boiling water in the tin can was nearly depleted, and the wooden bowl had accumulated about half a bowl of distilled water.

Removing the tin can and emptying the residual distilled water from the distiller, Lu Li turned his focus to the wooden bowl.

The distilled water in the wooden bowl appeared relatively clear under the glow of the oil lamp, and upon smelling it, there was no scent of rust or any suspicious color.

The old craftsmen had taken rust-proof measures on the distiller.

Taking a sip, the warm distilled water left a slightly astringent taste in his mouth, along with a hint of a fishy smell so faint it was almost negligible.

What more could one ask for than to have clean, safe water to drink in a post-apocalypse?

The water source issue was solved.

“Hmm… I’ll ask Lu Lili, he knows everything.”

Anna’s voice rose from the living room at this time.

Lu Li put the distiller away and walked out of the kitchen, just as Anna came toward him.

“Daisy seems to have encountered something strange,” she said, frowning as she briefly informed Lu Li of the situation on Daisy’s end.

Daisy was studying at Messel Music University, and a few days ago, one of her professors showed the students an ancient book he had obtained during a lecture.

He claimed it was a precious book, the diary of a bard from hundreds of years ago, detailing his life story—although it was written in another language, and he was still in the process of deciphering the text.

The professor invited several interested students to join him in deciphing the diary’s contents in class.

Daisy, always aware of many things because of her ghost friend, had been feeling that something was not quite right, so she shared her suspicions with Anna during a recent call.

After hearing Anna’s story, Lu Li walked over to the desk, picked up the phone, and said to Daisy on the other end, “Keep as far away as possible from that professor and the people he frequently interacts with for now.

If you notice him acting unusually, call the police.”

“Hello, Lu Li, call the police…?” Daisy, who had just had time to say hello, paused.

“Yes, they’ll know who to contact.”

As he finished speaking, Lu Li’s gaze suddenly fell on the radio, which had started making a racket.

“`