Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 422 - 422 Two hundred seventy-nine

422: Two hundred seventy-nine.

Hell 422: Two hundred seventy-nine.

Hell “Literarily speaking, it might be referring to this being the third story.”

“Let me think…

A third installment to a work titled ‘Nightmare’?”

“Hmm.”

“A series of stories?

It feels like there’s a deeper meaning…” As a nobleman, the baron was more sensitive to such conspiracies.

“We should be safe now, right?

The story has already ended.”

The baron suddenly felt uneasy, as if some presence was spying on them.

“Perhaps,” Lu Li replied.

Weird occurrences are hard to deduce with reason and logic, just like no one expected that Lu Li and the baron would be saved simply because of a cough from the sick Lu Li.

If Sara had chosen to kill Lu Li first, Petra might not have had to die.

But without Petra’s dying words as a hint, lacking the identity of the “mother sent to look after her,” all three of them might have been killed by Sara.

“That must be it!

These stories are interconnected; otherwise, there’s no explaining why the plot of Adam and Sara falling in love never appeared!”

The baron felt like he was getting closer to the truth: “That part of the story might appear in other stories, like the second installment!”

“Perhaps Adam was the devil in disguise,” Lu Li offered another possibility.

The terrace suddenly fell into silence, with only the whistling of the wind remaining.

“No way…” The baron suddenly found it hard to breathe.

If that were the case, then this whole story would be a scheme of the devil against Sara—to take her to hell.

“The devil could become Uncle Andrew and make Sara forget he had died, and of course he could become Adam, fall in love with Sara, and make her change drastically through death,” said Lu Li.

Tempting mortals into sin and pulling them into hell indeed seemed like the workings of the devil.

Speaking of the devil…

“Does hell really exist?” Lu Li asked, looking at the butler; he knew the baron knew nothing.

Although this world was filled with all sorts of weirdness and the ghosts of those who had died, Lu Li had never thought of associating them with the religiously rich idea of hell.

If hell really existed, did that imply heaven existed as well?

In a world on the brink of collapse, where was God?

“Are you referring to hell as in religion, or hell as a reality?” the butler countered.

“The real one.”

“The place where people reportedly go after they die, filled with magma, sulfur, and crumbled buildings—there’s no difference between hell in religion and the real hell.

It’s just that the latter lacks the devils we hear about in religion.”

“Then how do you distinguish the real hell?”

The butler looked at Lu Li: “That’s something an exorcist like you would be good at.”

“Me, good at it?” Lu Li had never known what an exorcist was supposed to do, nor had anyone ever taught him—after all, he began calling himself an exorcist after he got the Spirit-Calling Gun.

The butler’s gaze at Lu Li became strange: “Many exorcists claim they can communicate with the dead in hell, relaying messages between them and their friends and family back on earth.”

“Is that true?”

After a brief silence, the butler answered, “You may want to ask your colleagues.”

“I will,” Lu Li said, thinking of Hades; he could ask him about the truth of this matter, and continued asking, “What about heaven, then?”

This time the butler’s answer was certain: “It exists only within religion.”

It’s normal for those in the abyss to conjure up visions of light, but this was truly a message of despair.

Facing the threat of the weird, the people in this world had not a single ally.

After some thought, the butler told Lu Li, “You can learn more about these matters from the investigators within; they know far more than we do.”

Lu Li nodded.

The butler, Lulu, turned back to find the baron still immersed in thoughts of the devil’s conspiracy: “Don’t worry, baron.

It’s just a fictional story.”

“I’m not worried; I just think Sara is pitiable,” the baron waved his hand to show he was fine and then looked down at the legs missing below his shins.

“Well, it seems I’m in a similar situation.”

Sara might be pitiable, but even more pitiable were those unrelated victims like themselves.

The wind on the terrace was getting stronger,

However, the Baron wanted to stay a while longer, as she knew that, once back, Lu Li would likely leave Baron Manor.

“What do you want to do next?” the Baron asked.

Lu Li pondered.

The four pieces of Deep Sea Stone had been delivered to the warehouse on Elm Street a few days ago, almost enough to lay down a 10 centimeter thick layer of protection against the abnormal at the refuge.

So, next, Lu Li planned to gather as many supplies as possible.

He hoped the prices for canned goods hadn’t risen too sharply.

“Stockpiling supplies, and then hiding and observing the situation.”

The mansion steward nodded slightly.

Lu Li’s behavior would avoid danger to the greatest extent.

She would do the same in his place.

She planned to contact the United Organization of Exorcists later and arrange for the Baron to join the refuge plan to ensure the continuation of the family before the impending crisis.

“Supplies?

What exactly do you need?” the Baron’s voice rose in pitch.

She felt she could be of help.

“A large amount of canned goods,” Lu Li’s voice arose simultaneously with the Baron’s question.

If he could solve the last problem here, that would be ideal.

“Lulu,” the Baron looked up at the steward.

“By tomorrow at the latest, the items you requested will be delivered to the Noble Detective Agency,” the steward said formally.

“May I come to see you?” the Baron asked, propping his chin.

“Your current physical condition does not suit moving around,” the steward intervened.

After a moment’s thought, the Baron changed his question, “May I come to see you when I feel uneasy and frightened?”

The steward found herself without an excuse to prevent him.

“I’ll be moving away soon,” Lu Li replied.

He had already received too much from the Baron and it would be difficult for him to keep receiving things —

“Moving away?

Where are you going?”

“Elm Forest.”

The Baron gestured to the steward, “Buy Elm Forest and give it to Lu Li.”

“Elm Forest is unclaimed land, it belongs to no one,” the steward replied.

“That’s a pity,” the Baron regretted.

The chill wind began to blow endlessly through the terrace, with the dark clouds above the sea drawing even closer to Belfast than before.

Lu Li was ready to leave.

Although staying at Baron Manor was more conducive to healing his wounds and there was plenty of food, Lu Li no longer had much time to waste.

The carriage stopped in front of the mansion.

The Baron and the steward, on a brand new wooden wheelchair, watched as Lu Li stepped into the carriage and the curtain fell.

Clip-clop, clip-clop—

Amid the crisp sound of horseshoes, the carriage circled around the fountain pool and headed toward the gates.

“He did save my life,” the Baron grumbled discontentedly as he watched the carriage disappear.

“And you didn’t even send something along with him.”

“We have already paid the fee,” the steward responded to the Baron with her usual poker face.

“The life of the renowned Baron Joseph is only worth fifty thousand Shillings?” the Baron became more dissatisfied, suddenly having a great idea, “How about gifting him an entire street?”

“…Please halt your actions of selling off your property.

I have prepared a gift for His Excellency Lulian in the carriage, and he wouldn’t accept it anyway,” the steward said.

…

“Thank you, I accept it,” Lu Li said, taking the gift box handed over by the coachman and nodding his thanks.

The gates of the manor opened, and the carriage slowly drove out of Baron Joseph’s Manor.