Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 468 - 468 Three hundred and twenty-five

468: Three hundred and twenty-five.

Standing at the heart of the swamp.

468: Three hundred and twenty-five.

Standing at the heart of the swamp.

The most bizarre and grotesque regions were now behind them, Lu Li’s path now only stretched through the Banyan Jungle and toward his destination.

He passed by a dark pond, which, unlike the boisterous streams he had traversed, was as silent as an abyss, its depths unseen.

The clearing beside the pond seemed easier to navigate than threading through the banyan clusters, but Lu Li chose not to go near it.

Because the Shadow Figures avoided that place.

The dim glow of the oil lamp moved on, gradually distancing itself from the pond.

Back in the stillness of the pond, faint whispers of resentment bubbled up, unwilling to be silenced.

Traveling in silence through the uncanny jungle, where the sky was hidden from view, it might have been ten minutes, or it might have been several dozen minutes, before she finally felt Lu Li slowing his pace.

Were they nearing the center of the swamp?

Jojo thought to herself, looking forward as she lifted her head.

Contrary to what she had expected, it was merely a narrow clearing within the banyan jungle, with rotting leaves carpeted the ground, providing a mud-like touch.

Lu Li pointed to the ground, signaling that they could rest here for a moment.

Jojo slowly exhaled a heavy breath, directly sitting on the decomposing leaves that felt like soil.

She saw Lu Li sitting on top of his suitcase, quietly eating the remaining dried meat.

A piece of dried meat was handed to her, and Jojo, taken aback, pushed it away.

A wave of sorrow spread through her heart, dulling her senses.

Lu Li hadn’t yet finished eating, setting aside two pieces before he continued following the Shadow Figures after resting in the clearing for a few minutes.

This time, they encountered no further misfortunes.

After about ten minutes, their destination was vaguely in sight.

The banyan trees receded on both sides, the massive banyan tree in the center of the clearing now reflected in their eyes.

It was more magnificent and vast than it had seemed from the deck of the ship, far surpassing human conceptions of trees and even buildings, and its sky-obscuring canopy made one feel extremely insignificant.

Compared to the enormous banyan tree, Lu Li and Jojo at its foot were indeed as insignificant as ants.

The Shadow Figures had disappeared without a trace, leaving only Lu Li and his companions to face the godlike giant banyan tree alone.

But they were not alone.

In the dimly lit clearing under the canopy that blocked the sky, countless petrified figures kneeled.

They encircled the giant banyan tree, hands clasped as though in prayer, directed towards the colossal tree, towards the Mother of the Marsh.

Lu Li’s black pupils slowly became hazy, and for a moment, a scene overlapped with the present—one under a gloomy sky, beneath the dark green of the massive banyan tree, where numerous figures knelt, surrounded by humans, Shadow Figures, Six-legged Monsters, Night Devils, and many servants of the Evil Gods that Lu Li had seen—all adopting the odd posture of prayer, their muttering voices merging into one, echoing beneath the massive banyan tree.

After a brief few seconds, Lu Li’s eyes regained clarity, and the hallucination he had experienced was replaced by the scene before him.

Lu Li turned his head, Jojo’s expression also shifting from clarity to confusion as she emerged from the previous illusion.

“What was that just now…” Jojo couldn’t help but lower her voice, as if afraid of disturbing the praying presences beneath the banyan tree.

“I don’t know.”

From this point on, the knowledge Lu Li possessed was no longer of any use.

This was unknown territory.

But they were not fighting alone.

Lu Li took out the sculpture from his pocket and, after the consciousness of the Mother of the Marsh descended, he said to the statue, “I have arrived.”

[You have kept the covenant…

My servant…

will come to guide you…

wait here…]

The Mother of the Marsh left behind a whisper and departed from the statue once more.

“It told us to wait.”

Lu Li and Anna Jojo muttered to each other, and began their calm wait.

In the third minute of their wait, a patch of darkness stirred beneath the banyan tree.

It was a figure in a black robe, with a vast cloak trailing behind, as if cloaked in a formless human-shaped mist.

The figure in the black robe passed through the kneeling stone-like figures and stopped in front of Lu Li, its covered face difficult to discern.

An amalgamation of men, women, elderly, and children’s voices emanated from the black robe: “Honored guests, my lord has decreed that we come to welcome you.”

Jojo instinctively took a half-step back, as it…or they began to speak, Jojo was suddenly overwhelmed with an uncontrollable sense of fear.

Lu Li was much slower to react, for the Sanity Value Counter did not chime, signifying he could ignore the negative effects of the voices.

And it was this very “slowness” that lay at the heart of his cooperation with the Mother of the Marsh.

“Please, lead the way,” nodded Lu Li.

The silhouette of the black robe remained motionless, and both Anna and Jojo felt as though they were being watched, as if its gaze from beneath the hood was fixed upon them.

“They are not included,” it said.

Anna materialized, her crimson eyes narrowing into a dangerous curve.

Lu Li calmly asked, “And what reason is that?”

“Humans lose their sanity like wild beasts under my lord’s aura, slowly transforming into servants of my lord, or turning into madmen…souls full of spite.

Her aura is like the fireflies of the night, but it cannot withstand the brilliance of my lord’s full moon, she can only maintain sanity, unable to aid my lord…”

“So you’re saying she can enter?

Regardless, I will follow Lu Li,” Anna replied coldly.

The outline of the black robe paused briefly, and the chorus of male and female, young and old, resonated: “My lord has no objections.

Two guests, please follow me.”

“What about me?”

Jojo, fighting the surfacing terror, addressed Lu Li and Anna.

Lu Li nodded and said to the silhouette of the black robe: “Can you ensure her safe departure from here?”

“If it is the guest’s wish,” the black robe silhouette bowed slightly.

“The friend of the guest, please wait here.

The Shadow Figures will bring an oil lamp and guide you safely out of the swamp.”

“Can I bring the Spirit-Calling Gun inside?”

“Of course,” the black robe silhouette answered.

Lu Li turned his head toward Jojo: “You should leave now.”

Reluctantly, Jojo nodded; she knew she had reached her limit.

Yet, the thought of being alone filled Jojo with inevitable anxiety and unease.

After all, since Oliver’s death, she had been on her own.

Regardless, they eventually parted ways.

“I’ll wait for you in Rose Town,” said Jojo, holding the gun case given to her by Lu Li, watching as Lu Li and Anna followed the black robe towards the Banyan Tree.

Her figure appeared solitary and meek.

…

“Were you once human?”

Lu Li looked around at the kneeling petrified servants before asking the silhouette in the black robe.

It had emerged from the darkness, and only the peculiar could disregard the terrifying catastrophe of the dark night.

“Not quite,” the silhouette in the black robe replied.

As they neared the grand Banyan Tree, Anna became increasingly unstable, yet Lu Li, unaffected, suddenly halted.

The black robe silhouette leading the way stopped as well.

Lu Li looked at it and said, “Before we proceed, tell me which Evil God you are opposing.”

Lu Li had inquired once before, but the Mother of the Marsh had not directly answered, only informing Luli that any description of the unknown Evil God would draw its notice.

Lu Li was the secret ally of the Mother of the Marsh, in case it became aware

“At this moment, letting you know everything poses no worry of it being alerted.”

The silhouette in the black robe nodded slightly as countless whispers arose.

“The enemy of my lord, the original ruler of the Shadow Swamp…”

“The Mother of the Marsh.”