Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 482 - 482 1

482: 1.

Return to Rose Town 482: 1.

Return to Rose Town Ande Town harbor.

Locals proudly call it Andest Port, even though the harbor hardly qualifies for such a title.

A steamboat docked in the narrow harbor, with the only passenger carrying a suitcase stepping off onto the port.

“There is an Exorcist carriage waiting at the town entrance, you can head over to Rose Town from there, and we will continue searching for survivors along the coastline,”

the steamboat’s first mate said, his hand respectfully placed on his right chest as he responded.

The first mate had seen two silhouettes on the beach merge into one as they approached, so he knew this man possessed mysterious, magical powers.

“Perhaps there are no survivors left,” Lu Li doubted there were any living people left in Shadow Swamp.

The first mate stood upright and said with a smile, “We must try anyway, what if we find a survivor just like you?”

“Thank you.”

Lu Li nodded in gratitude, watching as the first mate returned to the deck.

The distant sound of the ship’s horn echoed, black smoke billowed from the funnel, and the steamboat sailed out of the harbor.

Withdrawing his gaze, Lu Li walked past a dock that moored only a few small sailboats, where four dark figures awaited him.

These people were draped in black cloaks that covered their entire bodies; their faces were covered with ominous Bird Beak Masks, and the pitch-black eye holes were challenging to look directly into.

Lu Li pulled out an investigator’s badge from his chest and approached his masked followers, stopping.

Only one of them approached him, saying, “Investigator, we are the liaison personnel from the United Organization of Exorcists, tasked with escorting survivors to Rose Town.”

“We need to go there too.”

“You are?”

“My assistant,” Lu Li responded.

Hiding only harbored disasters, giving Anna a formal identity would avoid many unnecessary troubles.

Anna then materialized, the muffled breath inside the Bird Beak Mask hesitated, and respectfully said, “Please follow me.”

Three silhouettes remained at the dock, waiting for any possible survivors, while Lu Li followed the speaking masked figure toward the town entrance.

Under the bleak overcast skies, the silent streets bore no signs of life.

Doors of the houses lining the road were tightly closed, windows either obscured by curtains or barred with wood.

Smoke rising from chimneys indicated that people still lived in these houses; the residents had not been dispersed.

This was by no means a good sign.

Instead of being evacuated from the town, they were hiding in their houses, awaiting their fate, which somewhat indicated that the United Organization of Exorcists was no longer able to manage the finer details.

A piece of floral curtains lifted slightly, revealing eyes filled with both fear and curiosity, stealthily peeking outside, watching Lu Li and the Bird Beak Mask pass by the street.

Lu Li and the eyes behind the curtain locked gazes until he passed by.

“What’s the purpose of the mask?” Lu Li withdrew his gaze.

Apart from the initial Bird Beak Mask encounter, this was his second time seeing them.

“It’s protective gear made by the United Organization to prevent epidemics and mild contaminants.”

Large numbers of bodies typically indicated a potential outbreak of the plague.

“Has there been any change in Shadow Town?” Lu Li inquired.

“Yes, four hours ago the Eyeball Lighthouse at the entrance to Shadow Town collapsed.

Followers of the Evil God fought among themselves, and in the end, the Mother of the Marsh’s followers won.

They dragged the bodies back to the swamp—” the liaison’s casual tone suddenly paused, thinking of a possibility, and excitingly asked, “…was it… was it your doing?!”

“More or less.”

The liaison respectfully bowed, saying, “Your fame will be known by everyone on the Ailen Peninsula.”

Ande Town was slightly smaller than Shadow Town; they quickly reached the town entrance, next to a mound of earth.

A carriage awaited there, the coachman looking at the pair with restrained respect.

The liaison handed Lu Li a rudimentary medical kit: “This contains bandages, alcohol, and cleansing supplies.”

“Enough, thank you.” Lu Li caught the rudimentary medical kit and boarded the carriage.

“You’re welcome.”

Under the watchful gaze of the figure in the bird beak mask, the carriage turned and set off along the dirt road toward Rose Town.

Anna placed the suitcase containing Sequence 1 in the farthest corner of the carriage.

Lu Li unbuttoned his shirt, unwound the bandages around his abdomen, revealing the wound.

The dried mud covered the wound.

Lu Li opened the medical kit, poured some water onto a clean towel, and began wiping around the wounded area.

The bumpy ride occasionally made him touch the wound, causing him to frown.

Anna, frowning as well, said from outside the carriage, “Steady it a bit.”

“Uh…

okay…

Miss.”

A hesitant reply came from outside the carriage.

After cleaning the muddy area around the wound, Lu Li inspected the newly reopened wound.

There was no redness, pus, or infection.

As he took the alcohol disinfectant Anna handed him, Lu Li spread out the bandage but was stopped by a pale, ethereal hand.

“Let me do it.”

Anna was already fairly comfortable being intimate with Lu Li—at least on the surface.

Anna wrapped the bandage well, her fingertips sliding to cut the bandage, and then buttoned up Lu Li’s shirt.

“Rest for a while.

We still have a way to go to Rose Town.” Anna put away the medical kit and said.

“Hmm.”

Lu Li drank some water, leaned back against the side of the carriage, and quickly fell asleep.

In the slightly swinging carriage, Anna quietly watched Lu Li’s profile.

She leaned forward slightly, reaching out her hand to touch him.

Tick—Tick—

The accelerating clicks of the Sanity Value Counter snapped Anna back to alertness.

She withdrew her hand, her form gradually fading.

…

“We are almost at Rose Town,” Anna’s voice rang by his ear.

Lu Li slowly opened his eyes and sat up, rubbing his brow.

He pushed open the carriage window, and with the cool breeze, the outline of Rose Town became visible.

The bustling and warm streets of Rose Town resembled a market.

Residents evacuated from around Shadow Town had been accommodated here, hired workers bustled about transporting luggage and goods, and police officers and the United Organization’s watchmen were maintaining public order.

This carriage from Ande Town stopped at the entrance, where Alliance personnel went ahead to announce their arrival.

After a brief wait, Lu Li saw Tesla’s figure emerging in the town.

“What are you doing here?” Lu Li asked.

“Come with me,” Tesla said to Lu Li, smiling as he glanced toward the empty space beside Lu Li.

“With such a major event occurring on Ailen Peninsula, I had to get involved.”

The lively streets alleviated some of the oppressiveness.

Leading the way, Tesla asked, almost inquiringly, “The incident at Shadow Town, was it related to you?”

“More or less,” Lu Li’s answer remained unchanged.

“It’s a long story; I’ll tell you when the merchant arrives.”

“Okay, the merchant is on the steam train; we’ll head there directly,” Tesla nodded.

“Train?” Lu Li repeated softly.

“Yes, the train.”

At the road junction, Tesla stopped and gestured for Lu Li to look.

At the end of the road, a steam train with a smokestack spewing thick smoke stood at a station platform that beckoned to travelers.

Just then, a cart passed through the intersection ahead, with two figures seated atop it blocking Lu Li’s view.

In an inadvertent glance, atop the cart, Jojo, lonely and hugging her knees, listening to Fran’s incessant chatter, saw Lu Li near the intersection.

She broke into a radiant smile, stood up, and waved enthusiastically in his direction.