Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 471 - 471 Three hundred and twenty-eight

471: Three hundred and twenty-eight.

Under the white light 471: Three hundred and twenty-eight.

Under the white light The surging darkness flowed beside him, slowly consuming the feeble glow of the oil lamp.

The light that symbolized safety was diminishing bit by bit.

Sinister whispers reverberated in the darkness, a malevolent gaze fixed on Lu Li beneath the oil lamp.

Several meters away, a hazy white light spilled down, dispersing the darkness like a sanctuary light.

That might be the light prepared by the Mother of the Marsh for Lu Li.

Only…

as Lu Li looked around at the engulfing darkness and the tangible malice, moving towards it was almost like announcing his presence to the entities in the dark, “I am here.”

The path he had entered through had already disappeared, overtaken by the omnipresent darkness.

It seemed as if the inside and outside of the great banyan tree were divided into two different spaces.

Just then, the oil lamp flickered several times, its flame growing even weaker.

Its kerosene should have been enough to last half a day.

In the darkness, Lu Li would die.

Before the oil lamp could extinguish completely, Lu Li stepped forward, heading toward the hazy white light a few meters away.

As darkness devoured the light, the flame within the lamp grew fainter, its brightness shrinking, and Lu Li’s shadow lost in the dark became indiscernible.

Hu—

It seemed as if a gust of air had swept through.

The tiny flame trapped in the lampshade snuffed out in an instant, and boundless darkness was about to envelop Lu Li; but at the same time, his figure emerged at the edge of the pouring white light.

The malevolent spirits reluctantly retreated, hiding back in the darkness beyond the white light, waiting for their moment to act.

Lu Li turned his head, looking behind him with a trace of caution in his black eyes.

He didn’t know whether they were a product of the night’s calamity or related to this place…

Perhaps the latter, for during his brief submersion in darkness, Lu Li felt that the darkness here was even more eager than the calamity of the night…

Perhaps, if shrouded by the darkness for even a second, they would consume his body and soul just as they did the oil lamp.

Regardless, for the time being, he was safe.

[You have finally arrived, I have been waiting here for a long time]

The low voice slowly rose, not in his mind but echoing within and throughout the light, its origin as unknown as the light itself.

[This is merely an imprint of my memory]

The Mother of the Marsh’s whisper dispelled any intention Lu Li had to speak.

He quietly listened, took out a flashlight, and turned it on.

The beam shot out, but like the oil lamp, it only stayed lit for a few seconds before it stopped working, as if broken.

Turning off the flashlight and putting it away, Lu Li took out a matchbox and struck a match.

Sst—

The pungent smell of sulfur emerged with the bluish smoke, the match burned steadily.

Yet, even though its flame would not be devoured, it was unlikely to last for more than a few seconds.

[The light will illuminate your path forward, follow it]

After a brief pause, Lu Li opened the wind guard of the oil lamp and brought the match close to the wick.

The oil lamp remained unchanged, and the nearly burnt-out match extinguished, for reasons unknown, whether it simply burned out or something else.

No longer checking the oil lamp, Lu Li looked down at his feet.

The cross-section of wood indicated that he was indeed inside the immense banyan tree, so large that its rings seemed like layers of stairs, extending into the distance.

[“Your inquiries shall also find their answers within every shimmer of light; pursue the light, for it shall lead you to me.”]

With the last whisper, calm was restored beneath the glow.

And as if corresponding to the end of the whisper, a new hazy white light slowly emerged from the darkness ten meters away.

That was where Lu Li was headed.

Though dim between the hazy white lights, one wouldn’t be entirely engulfed by darkness; Lu Li could directly make his way to the next white light.

After a brief pause, Lu Li stepped forward, walking towards the second white light.

Stepping on patterns like stairs, Lu Li reached the second white light.

Looking back, he saw the first white light gradually fading away, while the Mother of the Marsh’s new whisper slowly began to resound.

[“Since ancient times, the Mother of the Marsh has been the ruler of this Shadow Swamp.

Before the North Shadow Swamp was taken over, its power was not born from faith as humans claim.

It was because of its very existence that humans believed in it.”]

Ten meters away, the third white light lit up, signaling the end of the whisper.

Lu Li couldn’t understand why the Mother of the Marsh spread her words out like this, which made him feel something was amiss, but there was no turning back now.

Moreover, he came to assist the Mother of the Marsh.

He walked safely to the third white light; the second white light behind him dimmed as the Mother of the Marsh’s whisper continued.

[“It sheltered the beings living in the marsh, and humans also offered their recompense: their faith and souls.

Until colonizers from the mainland invaded this land.”]

After hearing the whisper, Lu Li walked straight towards the fourth white light that had been lit.

He looked back before the light behind him had faded, realizing that the path was not straight.

His way forward was like the stars in the sky, tracing a distorted route.

[“The self-proclaimed civilized humans brought a faith unheard of before, and though the Mother of the Marsh could not comprehend this belief, it still accepted them and allowed humans to build towns on the edge of the marsh.”]

On the path to the fifth white light, there appeared a chasm as deep as the abyss.

If understood through the body of a Banyan Tree, it should be a “growth ring.”]

Without lingering too long before the abyss, Lu Li leaped over the nearly three-meter-wide ravine and entered the fifth white light.

[“But with time passing by, the connection between humans and the Mother of the Marsh began to wane.

They no longer needed to believe in the Mother of the Marsh for survival, especially since those despicable Exorcists forbade them from doing so, forcing those who lived in the marsh to leave it…”]

Lu Li frowned slightly and walked towards the next white light.

[“Fortunately for the Mother of the Marsh, it was not born of faith; the departure of Believers would only weaken it, not make it vanish.

At this time, an existence akin to a cluster of stars, stemming from the deep space, descended a wisp of consciousness, telling the Mother of the Marsh that they were about to arrive, and that it could become a servant of theirs…”]

The Mother of the Marsh, this entity that even the Exorcists could do nothing about but ignore, was merely a servant?

What was this star-like existence?

Lu Li continued to move forward.

[“Even with but a strand of consciousness, the Mother of the Marsh harbored no thoughts of resistance; it chose to become the servant of the starry existences and prepared to embrace their power.

But at this time, an unexpected visitor arrived…

which is you…

The Mother of the Marsh is curious yet respectful about your origins, you are very weak, yet possess their aura…”]

Their aura…

Lu Li wasn’t sure to which the Mother of the Marsh was referring.

An Otherworld aura?

The Blood Swamp?

Or the Door?

Lu Li moved to the next white light, eager for the truth.

[“To the disappointment of the Mother of the Marsh, you left swiftly.

And it was betrayed, sealed beneath the earth…

until not long ago, you reappeared and chose to cooperate with the betrayer…

I finally understand, you are not one of them…

You are just a thief, one who has snatched but an inconsequential strand of mighty power!”]

In an instant, the whisper turned into a venomous roar, and simultaneously, the sacred light began to change, turning into a sanguine red like blood.

Just like the blood-red sky outside…