Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 483 - 483 2

483: 2.

Immigration Fever in Lennon Islands 483: 2.

Immigration Fever in Lennon Islands Woo——Woo——

The whistle sounded over Rose Town.

Thick black smoke belched from the steam train’s chimney, merging with the overcast sky.

The busy platform bustled as the steam train slowly moved.

Tesla, leaning on his cane, stood behind the door, waiting for it to close.

Once the steam train pulled away from the platform, he lowered his head and returned to the warm, luxurious cabin lined with a carpet.

As the regional head and the greatest hero of the Shadow Town incident, they had the privilege of riding in the first-class cabin.

“Since the Night Disaster, the Elders’ Council had suspended the steam train, but now, under special circumstances, people are flocking to ports capable of long journeys, seeking refuge in the Lennon Islands.”

He sat across from Lu Li, removed his wide-brimmed hat, and hung it on the coat hook beside the window, smiling kindly at Jojo and Fran, who curiously looked over from the adjacent seat.

They had already met.

“It will take us to Belfast, but before that, it will enter Arlenbeth County and travel along the northern coastline of the Ailen Peninsula.”

Lu Li suddenly asked, “Will we pass through Zenst?”

“Yes… that city has already been abandoned.”

Lu Li didn’t dwell on the train’s route for long and turned to ask, “Is it true about the Lennon Islands?”

“Pretty much.” Tesla picked up the coffee pot and poured two cups of coffee, pushing one steaming cup towards Lu Li.

“Drink something hot to warm up.

The oddities in the Lennon Islands are indeed far less common than those in the three regions of the Main Affinity Barren Lands.

So far, we haven’t found the reason, possibly because it’s too fragmented and isolated, beyond the reach of the oddities.”

Lu Li, who had recently bathed in the shower room and still covered with a blanket, sat opposite with his hair still damp: “Do you have today’s newspaper?”

Tesla called the waiter and asked him to bring a copy of the day’s newspaper.

While waiting for the waiter to return, Tesla asked, “In the end, did the Mother of the Marsh win?”

They had observed that the Followers of the Mother of the Marsh had retreated back to the jungle, while the Followers of the unknown Evil God had vanished without a trace.

“Yes.”

Lu Li answered briefly.

Tesla continued to inquire, “Do you know who the unknown Evil God is?”

“The Mother of the Marsh as well.”

Leaning back in his seat, part of Tesla’s attention drifted outside the window to the passing scenery, he looked surprised as he stared at Lu Li.

“Wait for the merchant to come.”

As mentioned before, the story was too long, and Lu Li didn’t have the energy to tell it a second time.

“Alright, but you have indeed piqued my curiosity,” Tesla chuckled helplessly, shifting his gaze to the waiter returning from the noisy adjacent cabin.

“Thank you.”

Lu Li took the two newspapers handed over by the waiter and spread them out to reveal their leading headlines.

[Lennon Islands Migration Fever]

[People are flocking to the Lennon Islands!]

The content of the two articles was similar; due to increasing oddities, more and more seldom-visited areas became dangerous, and towns and villages disappearing from maps were on the rise, leaving the nobility and many of the middle class anxious and in search of a safe place.

The Lennon Islands came into view, where oddities were scarce and the scattered islands naturally isolated it from the mainland.

Combined with the Queen’s invitation and recommendation from Exorcists, the Lennon Islands became the hottest immigration destination.

The fervor and the dangerously deep sea meant that tickets for far-sea cruises to the Lennon Islands had been raised to 1500 Shillings each, and those were just for third-class cabins.

This was destined to be a costly means of transport only affordable by middle-class individuals or ordinary people who had sold their homes and traveled alone.

Aside from the Lennon Islands, the Barren Lands had also become relatively popular.

The Barren Lands were sparsely populated, with most of the local people concentrated in a few coastal cities.

Perhaps it was the concentrated crowds that made it difficult to discover anomalies dispersed throughout the Barren Lands, or perhaps there truly were fewer anomalies because few accounts of anomalies wreaking havoc there had been reported.

Thus, the Barren Lands became the second choice for those seeking refuge who were also short on money, or those hoping to use the Barren Lands as a stepping stone to smuggle themselves into the Lennon Islands.

This was also why the steam train had risked resuming operation.

Large numbers of people from the Ailen Peninsula were flocking to the port, ready to leave.

“What do you think?”

After setting down the newspaper, Tesla asked with a smile.

“The food problem is still not solved,” Lu Li replied.

After the plants stopped growing, whether the Lennon Islands could support a large population was an unknown factor.

“Don’t worry, the Lennon Islands aren’t suitable for farming, but their fishing industry is almost as bustling as Belfast’s.”

Lu Li countered, not showing the same optimism as Tesla, “What if the fish are gone too?”

“So far, fish and some scavengers are our only stable food sources,” Tesla replied helplessly to Lu Li, “If the fish are gone like you said, where we are doesn’t make much difference anymore.”

The unseen is more despairing than the seen.

Those who died from anomalies were far fewer than those who died from starvation.

“Has the reason for the plants’ cessation of growth not been investigated yet?” Lu Li asked.

After a moment of silence, Tesla answered Lu Li, “It has been investigated.”

Tesla’s expression indicated that the result was not a pleasant one.

The silence lasted for several seconds, broken by Jojo seated on the other side of the compartment.

“Should we leave for a bit?”

She felt that the upcoming conversation was not suitable for outsiders like herself and Fran to hear.

Tesla, unmindful, said, “Not at all, but are you sure you want to know the cruel truth?”

Before Jojo and Fran could respond, Lu Li said, “They’ve lost their last relatives and survived a day in Shadow Town.”

Lu Li’s direct speech might have made the subjects uncomfortable, but that was just his style.

With an apologetic look, Tesla quickly waved off any concerns to Jojo and Fran, who slightly bowed, “I apologize deeply, I was too rigid.”

After expressing his apology, Tesla told the waiting Lu Li.

“It’s an evil spirit.”

Taking up his coffee cup, Tesla blew on the rising steam but did not drink, instead slowly saying, “The Imperial Academy’s Agricultural Research Department on the Main Affinity Continent could not identify the precise problem, they only confirmed that seeds could grow indoors, the more sealed the environment, the better the growth conditions.”

“Then, the Exorcist Association joined the investigation, they detected contaminants, or rather the aura of the Inner World, in the wilted plants.

Subsequent investigations found the same origin aura in all plants.

They named this evil spirit, which invades all plants, the Beginning of Extinction.”

“A pessimistic name,” Lu Li remarked.

Tesla, noncommittal, continued, “Currently, the demon slayers are tracing the pollution’s origin, the initial source is likely the evil spirit’s own body.

However, it might be the worst case scenario—this evil spirit has no physical form.”

As his words concluded, the noisy clamor broke the quietude of the first-class compartment.

Glancing sideways, Tesla looked towards the tall figure entering the compartment with a bowed head, smiled, and said, “It seems I will get to know what happened in Shadow Town.”