Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 454 - 454 311

454: 311.

Deal with the Evil God 454: 311.

Deal with the Evil God Lu Li retrieved the two Spirit-Calling Guns he had given to Jojo, as one of the holsters had fallen into the trash can along with the sculpture of the Mother of the Marsh, with no place for Sequence 2 to go, for now, he placed it on a cabinet close at hand.

Then he took an oil lamp out of his suitcase, lit it, and placed it at the back of the basement, dispelling the darkness, allowing the entire basement to be clearly seen.

After these preparations, Lu Li removed his coat, which Jojo and Fran, puzzled, threw to the ground.

They doused it with kerosene before striking a match.

Perhaps aware of what was about to happen, it was as though some consciousness had awakened amidst the obscure low voices that began to slowly resonate throughout the basement.

“Why…

refuse power…”

Jojo and Fran looked at Lu Li’s coat in astonishment—was it…talking…?

“You are so weak…

I will grant you power…” The low voice whispered temptingly.

“That’s not power.”

Lu Li replied calmly, releasing the match from his fingers.

Spinning as it fell, the match touched the coat, and the moment it made contact—

Whoosh—

A blue flame spread over the entire coat, the flames growing steadily, carried up from the ground by the breeze from the Shadow Swamp.

The coat, soaked in kerosene, burned intensely.

In an instant, the light twisted and darkened, countless whispers filled the basement, and then all at once everything went quiet again.

In Jojo’s eyes, reflected Lu Li and the flames.

The fire drove away the chill, but Jojo couldn’t feel a trace of heat.

The breath carried by the whispers filled her with trepidation and fear, as if faced with a natural predator.

Fran felt the same.

What they had experienced was merely an insignificant portion of that entity’s aura.

So this is the Evil God…

a deity…

Jojo thought, engraving the image of Lu Li, standing calmly next to the burning coat, deep in her mind.

Minutes later, the last ember extinguished, leaving only charred remains and ashes where the coat had been.

“What happened?” Jojo asked then.

“The mark of the Mother of the Marsh, it tried to seduce me into becoming one of its Followers,” Lu Li explained as he pulled a spare coat from the open suitcase and put it on.

Just like last time, The Mother of the Marsh had left its mark on him.

There might have been more, but that was all Lu Li could do for now.

Jojo, puzzled, inquired, “Why you?

Ordinary people like us are clearly easier to bewitch…”

“That’s why it chose Mr.

Luli and not us,” Fran answered with a bitter smile as he emerged from the terror of being preyed upon.

“It doesn’t care for us.”

“Is that so…” Jojo suddenly understood.

She knew Lu Li was much more mysterious than she had imagined, but then a terrifying realization struck her, “Does it already know we’re hiding here!?”

Fran also glanced nervously at Lu Li.

“It doesn’t matter now,” Lu Li said.

Because they had nowhere else to go.

Above ground, the Followers fought on, while the far end of the secret passageway led to the domain of the Mother of the Evil God.

“I’m sorry, I was too naive…” Jojo held her head in regret.

It wasn’t until now that she realized what they were facing, gone was the logic she had lost over her brother’s disappearance.

“If by chance, you must escape.”

“Think back carefully, where is the most likely place your brother would hide at this time?” Lu Li ignored Jojo’s almost resigned words and turned to Fran: “Villagers have taken shelter in this basement before; they might have moved somewhere else.

Think carefully, besides the church, where else could they hide?”

“Um…”

The basement fell into silence after he spoke.

The silence lasted a few minutes until it was interrupted by the sudden recollection of a chewing sound.

The smell of jerky wafted through the air, and Fran, having not eaten for a day, couldn’t help but salivate.

Hunger gnawed at his stomach painfully.

A piece of jerky was handed to him.

Surprised, Fran looked up, swallowed his saliva, and quickly said, “Thank you.”

With both hands, he took the jerky Lu Li handed to him and was about to put it in his mouth when a disquieting tremor suddenly emanated from the sturdy underground chamber.

Slow, dull vibrations arose from deep within the earth, as if a heart was beating leisurely, with something awakening in the depths of the ground.

Snap.

The jerky slipped from his grasp, and Fran trembled with fear, “The eye, that eye has opened…”

“The Black Lighthouse?”

“Yes…

every time that eye opens, the monsters in the town become frenzied, attacking and destroying everything…”

The dull tremors that spread throughout the entire town persisted, with Jojo and Fran clutching their chests, feeling extraordinarily uncomfortable.

Even Anna said she felt unwell, with the slow heartbeat influencing her emotions.

Only Lu Li remained completely unaffected.

Something unknown was occurring above ground, with faint howls and monstrous cries drifting down into the underground chamber.

But no monster appeared.

After a dozen minutes or so, the pulsing sounds gradually faded.

“It lasted longer this time…” Fran said, panting and drenched in cold sweat, “It started with just a few seconds, then it grew longer and longer…”

It seemed as if some entity was slowly awakening.

The Mother of the Marsh should still be in the Shadow Swamp…

Could this be related to that unknown Evil God?

As the pulsations from beneath the earth’s surface subsided, Jojo and Fran began to recover their composure.

“It’s terrifying.

When it sounded, I felt my heart beating in time with the slow rhythm…” Jojo’s heartbeat was unsettled, seemingly easing the previous negativity.

“Any clues coming to mind?” asked Lu Li.

Loss filled Jojo’s eyes as he shook his head, about to say something, when a whisper slowly cascaded through the underground chamber.

“I can help you find him…”

Not yet free from the disturbing heartbeat, Jojo and Fran were once again frozen by the breath exuded by the low whisper.

“Where is he?” Lu Li spoke, searching for the source of the voice.

“You must do something for me…” The Mother of the Marsh, it seemed, was no longer adamant about making Lu Li one of her Followers.

Fingering the holster of his Spirit-Calling Gun, Lu Li looked towards the corner of the basement from where the low whisper emanated.

Next to a suitcase, he found a sculpture of the Mother of the Marsh covered by clothing, now emitting an alluring deep purple glow.

“Does your change have to do with what just happened?”

The Mother of the Marsh’s whisper came slowly, “I struggle to control it…”

This was the reason the Mother of the Marsh had changed her mind.

After a brief silence, Lu Li didn’t reject outright, “Is this a trade or cooperation?”

“What’s the difference…”

Lu Li replied, “I fear it’s difficult to cooperate with an Evil God whose honesty is unknown.”

“Is that why you refuse power…” the whisper of the Mother of the Marsh carried a hint of confusion.

“Yes.

Your power is not pure; it would turn those who gain it into one of your Followers.”

“Is that not desirable…” the whisper of the Mother of the Marsh conveyed puzzlement.

“For you it makes sense, you bestow power, they offer up themselves.” “To me, it’s no different from trading one’s soul with the devil for the sake of revenge.”

The whispering fell silent for a moment, leaving only the sculpture flickering with dark purple light, a silent testament that the Mother of the Marsh had not yet departed.

Several minutes passed before the murky whispers rose once more.

“From the memories of my servants, I have come to understand your thoughts…

As you said…

this is a trade…”