Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 455 - 455 Three hundred twelve

455: Three hundred twelve.

Death knell 455: Three hundred twelve.

Death knell The oppressive aura of the Evil God immobilized Jojo and Fran as if they were facing a natural predator; they could do nothing but watch as bystanders while Mr.

Luli negotiated with the Evil God.

Lu Li was noncommittal, “What do you want me to do?”

“Enter the swamp…

help our fight against it…”

It was clear that the it the Mother of the Marsh spoke of was the unknown Evil God.

“This deal is not equal,” Lu Li frowned in response.

The Mother of the Marsh’s whisper resonated, “What do you want…”

“What can you give.”

The Divine Statue of the Mother of the Marsh slowly began to flicker, “There are some humans hiding in Shadow Town…

its minions are drawing near…

trade with me…

I will tell you how to save them…”

Trembling under the evil aura, Fran suddenly looked up, his expression becoming somber.

Lu Li shouldn’t have, nor had any reason to—for a group of strangers—

“Okay, I will help you as much as possible,” Lu Li watched the statue, “How do we seal the agreement.”

“Agreement…

what is that…”

“A rule to prevent either party from going back on their word.”

“I…

the king of Shadow Swamp…

the Mother of the Marsh…

will not break a deal…”

It seemed that contracts were mere human fabrications—or maybe they were not circulated among Evil Gods.

Lu Li didn’t press the Mother of the Marsh for a contract-like rule, because there was little point.

He and the Mother of the Marsh were not equals in status and power; even if the Mother of the Marsh broke the contract, there was nothing he could do about it.

Once the content of the deal was established, Lu Li and the Mother of the Marsh discussed the details of the trade.

In a fair exchange, the Mother of the Marsh would first help Lu Li find Oliver and rescue the trapped townspeople, then it would be Lu Li’s turn to help the Mother of the Marsh.

The townspeople were trapped in a granary a mile away, among them hid a Believer of the unknown Evil God, who had called upon the Evil God, guiding its Followers towards the granary.

“How do I save them,” Lu Li asked.

“Ring the bell in the church tower…

the minions will be drawn to it…”

And by then, with the Followers wreaking havoc on the church grounds, they would be left with only one choice: to enter Shadow Swamp.

“Pick up the Divine Statue…

it will guide you on your path…

it will not harm you,” the whisper slowly narrated.

As Lu Li approached the Mother of the Marsh’s statue, the counter on his wrist began to click.

“It’s affecting my Sanity Value,” Lu Li stopped and frowned.

“The Divine Statue contains my power…”

“Withdraw it, leave only enough power for communication.”

The purple glow on the Mother of the Marsh’s Divine Statue dimmed, the pervasive obscure evil began to fade, as if the overpowering presence that was suppressing Anna, Jojo, and Fran gradually dissipated from their veins.

The counter stopped making noise, and the Mother of the Marsh’s Divine Statue appeared to be just an ordinary clay figure, with no abnormalities.

A whisper that only Lu Li could hear echoed in his mind.

[I…

have retracted the power…]

Lu Li approached the Mother of the Marsh’s Divine Statue, the counter no longer sounding.

As his palm picked up the statue, the counter only slowly chimed, then calmed again once Lu Li put it in his pocket.

Anna’s outline quietly emerged, her expression complex, not understanding, “Is it worth it?

To fight against an Evil God to save a group of strangers who don’t even know everything you’ve done?”

“That’s not important,” Lu Li said.

He felt it was the right thing to do, so he did it.

Anna watched Lu Li earnestly, “No matter what, no one can harm you before I die.”

“Mhm,” Lu Li appeared to press his lips together in a slight smile, then approached Jojo.

Anna stood frozen, her mind not yet free from the previous moment.

Had he just…

smiled…?

“I want to go too!”

Before Lu Li could speak, Jojo exclaimed.

Lu Li nodded, not dwelling on that point any longer, and looked at Fran, “You’re no longer fit to follow us.”

His words allowed Fran, who was internally struggling, to let out a sigh of relief while simultaneously feeling an unbearable guilt.

“We’ll part ways here, and later I’ll have the Followers of the Mother of the Marsh take you out of the church, then we’ll ring the bell in the tower and enter the Shadow Swamp.”

[My servants are on their way…]

The murmured whisper arose in his mind.

Fran’s eyes reddened a bit, and he sniffed forcefully, his voice muffled as he bowed his head and vigorously rubbed his eyes, “You’re a good person.”

“How much time do we have left?” Lu Li asked the Mother of the Marsh.

It took an unusually long time for the Mother of the Marsh to reply this time.

Just as Lu Li was about to take out the statue to see what had happened, the murmured voice finally began to sound, slowly.

“In human time…

they’ll be at the barn…

in one hour.”

“That long?”

“Its Believers can’t keep calling…

The servants can’t find the place…”

“How do you know this?”

“The Shadow Figures…

They’re like my eyes…”

Lu Li thought of all the Shadow Figures he had seen on his way, “So we were discovered when we entered Shadow Town, and you’ve been observing us all along?”

“Yes…”

One hour…

Perhaps there was enough time.

Thoughtful, Lu Li looked at Fran and said, “Is there something you want to do?”

Fran blinked, then hurriedly said, “Is there anything I can help with?”

He was eager to do something to alleviate his guilt.

Lu Li told Fran about the granary and the traitor, saying, “You need to get over there, find that Believer, and deal with him.”

“Leave it to me.” Fran clenched his fist, his eyes gleaming with an emotion called determination.

“My servant has arrived…” came the low whisper of the Mother of the Marsh.

Hearing this, Lu Li turned toward the steps, with faint rustling sounds echoing and approaching.

A Six-legged Monster appeared in the glow of the oil lamp.

Jojo and Fran instinctively started, but soon regained their composure.

Their trust in the Six-legged Monster came from Lu Li.

Fran suddenly thought of something, removed the bracelet hanging around his neck, snapped the red string, and, with a sense of hope, handed the bracelet to Jojo, “This is a keepsake from my parents, they will protect you…”

“You should give it to Lu Li.” Jojo pushed it away with a smile.

A glimmer of sorrow flashed deep in Fran’s eyes, which he quickly replaced with a smile and handed it to Lu Li, bowing respectfully, “Mr.

Luli, please take this.”

Lu Li did not refuse and took it, wearing it on his wrist, and passed the oil lamp.

Fran took the oil lamp, walked over to the Six-legged Monster, and before leaving, he suddenly turned back and said, “You’ll definitely find Mr.

Oliver.”

The halo of the oil lamp dimmed as it rounded the corner, and the echoing footsteps gradually faded.

After Fran left, Lu Li and Jojo began to wait in silence.

Around fifteen minutes later, Lu Li returned to the surface, watching Anna float up to the tower.

Overlooking the hellish, blood-red Shadow Town, Anna withdrew her gaze, glanced down at Lu Li, and struck the bell hard.

Dong—

The blood rain around the tower scattered, and the deep, resonant sound of the bell spread into the distance.

Shadow Town remained deathly quiet, but something was quickly brewing, ready to erupt.

Anna floated back into the church, joining Lu Li as they returned to the basement.

The last sounds to be heard as the stone door closed were dense roars and the flapping of wings.

They might soon flood into the church and find the entrance to the basement.

But before that, Lu Li and Jojo had already entered the Shadow Swamp.