Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 502 - 502 Twenty-one

502: Twenty-one.

Farewell …

Lennon Islands 502: Twenty-one.

Farewell …

Lennon Islands The afternoon bay was quiet, its leaden waters dotted with ships waiting to enter the harbor.

A massive vessel was docked at Pier No.

3, and Lu Li and his companions had arrived just in time.

The “Avitanis” cruise, one of the best choices among long-distance oceanic ships that traverse continents.

Its huge and sturdy steel hull was enough to instill an unrivaled sense of security and a sense of conquering the vast sea in anyone who saw it.

“Damn it!

Chris, move that idiot’s carriage to the side!

No animals on board!”

The port was packed with people queuing up, and a crew member shoved his way through the crowd, holding onto his cap and shouting as he made his way past the carriage where Lu Li was.

Looking back out the window, Jojo saw the crew member who had passed by stopping a passenger leading a carriage to the loading area, speaking loudly about something.

“It’s really lively…”

Jojo murmured softly to herself, recalling scenes from many years ago when the Queen of the Lennon Islands had visited the Ailen Peninsula, and throngs of people had taken to the streets, waving enthusiastically at the splendid carriage drawn by eight pure white horses.

Lu Li looked around at the surging crowd and spotted the figure of a Night Watch at the periphery.

As a gathering place for a large number of people, they had the duty to prevent the appearance of oddities here.

Redirecting his gaze, Lu Li drove the carriage to the port’s carriage line for return, and the group merged with the crowd at the port, waiting to have their tickets checked.

The crowd was divided into three embarkation points according to the class of their tickets.

The tickets Lu Li had bought were for second class, located above deck.

Slightly inferior to first class, but better than third-class cabin.

First class was the exclusive choice for nobles and the wealthy; they had the privilege of boarding early, while their luggage was taken to the loading area by butlers and servants.

The majority of the people waiting to have their tickets checked at the harbor were third-class cabin passengers, below deck in small, enclosed multi-person cabins.

The second-class passengers were middle-class like Lu Li, mostly doctors, lawyers, or businessmen who didn’t qualify for first class.

However, some chose the third-class cabin – the price of a third-class ticket had now been inflated to nearly a thousand shillings each.

“We haven’t bought tickets yet…

Is that okay?” Jojo asked hesitantly from the queue.

“Second class allows for family, but you have to bear the cost of the extra tickets.” And Lu Li had three tickets—the extra one was prepared for Daisy, Anna’s good friend.

“I’ll pay for the tickets—” Jojo started to take off her backpack, intending to pay for hers and Fran’s tickets herself.

She had some idea of the cost of tickets at the moment, her total amount of money should be barely enough.

Aunt Mary gently touched her, shook her head, and Jojo stopped, understandingly looking at Lu Li who hadn’t turned back, and slowly slung her backpack on again.

After the evacuation site was abandoned, shillings had become mere numbers to Lu Li.

Especially the gains from the Shadow Town incident, the accumulated investigation points exchanged for shillings could make Lu Li’s fortune shoot up to hundreds of thousands of shillings in an instant—

In the middle of the noisy crowd waiting to have their tickets checked, at one moment, a gust of sea wind blew through, bringing a somewhat familiar voice.

“…Captain Rohlin regretfully told me that there were no first-class tickets left.

He said Viscount Stan was willing to share a room with me – how could I possibly agree to share with that ugly, dead fat pig?

But the first-class tickets to the Lennon Islands for the next few days have all sold out, so I had to buy a second-class ticket and squeeze in with these…

poor…

people.”

Looking back at the Avitanis, Lu Li withdrew his gaze and looked back.

The noblewoman he had encountered at Himfast and Baron Joseph’s Manor was complaining to her butler a few figures behind in line.

Seemingly, this helped alleviate the embarrassment of such down-and-out nobility standing in this queue.

“It’s her…”

Anna recognized the woman whom they had now encountered for the third time.

“Hmm.”

Nodding lightly, Lu Li turned his gaze back toward the great ship in front of the harbor.

The complaining noblewoman hadn’t noticed the man a short distance away who she had encountered several times before.

After waiting for a while, the gangway of the cruise ship was lowered, and ticket inspection began.

“Only three tickets?” the crew member asked politely, assessing the three people standing behind Lu Li.

“We’ll buy extra tickets for any additional people,”

“Very well, welcome aboard the Avitanis,” the crew member returned the tickets and watched them walk across the gangway before continuing to check the next passenger’s ticket.

The teak deck turned a dark brown in the drizzle, and the quietude of the deck was quickly replaced by the surge of passengers.

They put down their luggage and returned to the deck to wave goodbye to family and friends on the shore.

In the second-class suite, Jojo, having set down her luggage, looked towards Lu Li.

“Let’s take a look around,” Lu Li, understanding her thoughts, said.

“I’ll be back before we set sail!” Jojo eagerly pulled open the door and dashed out, then she seemed to run into someone, and an apologetic voice arose from the corridor.

Click——

The door shut and was immediately followed by a knock.

Anna waved her hand and opened the door, revealing the figure of a crew member.

“May I ask if Miss Anna is here?” he asked Lu Li politely, “There’s a letter for her here.”

Aunt Mary looked puzzled towards the person next to Lu Li, who frowned and said, “Who sent it?”

Anna was a restless spirit and hadn’t shown herself; how would anyone know she was here?

“I don’t know,” he replied.

Lu Li took the letter, closed the door, and handed it to Anna, who had materialized.

Anna opened the envelope, her crimson eyes fell on the paper, and after a long pause, she folded the letter and stuffed it back into the envelope.

“Who is it from?” asked Lu Li.

“It’s from Daisy, it’s nothing,” Anna said.

Anna was bad at lying; Lu Li silently watched her for a few seconds, then looked away, saying nothing.

The letter did not dispel everyone’s sense of relief at leaving the dangerous place, not until Jojo returned to the suite with half an hour left before the Avitanis was due to leave the shore, and the door was knocked again.

A crew member delivered another letter; this time, the recipient was Lu Li.

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Lu Li unfolded the letter and then his figure remained still for a while.

“I’m afraid I can’t go with you,” Lu Li’s gaze left the letter after a dozen seconds.

“There are matters I need to deal with immediately.”

His gaze finally landed on Anna’s ethereal figure, but before he could say anything, Anna had already responded, “Wherever you go, I’ll go.”

She knew Lu Li wouldn’t do anything pointless; something must have happened.

“But——”

Aunt Mary stopped a puzzled Jojo from asking what was happening and simply asked, “After you’re done, will you still go to the Lennon Islands?”

“Perhaps,” he answered.

“Then wait for me a moment,” said Aunt Mary as she went into the bedroom, opened the suitcase, and handed Lu Li a contract, “This is the deed to the house, and there are some canned goods stored in the basement.”

Lu Li took the deed and nodded his head.

Jojo also turned and ran to the bedroom, fetched Lu Li’s luggage, and returned to the living room with a bewildered Fran, placing it at Lu Li’s feet.

She tiptoed to give Lu Li a gentle hug, stepped back from the dissipating chill, and said goodbye to Lu Li.

“We’ll wait for you at the Lennon Islands.”