Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 528 - 528 Forty-seven

528: Forty-seven.

The sixth believer 528: Forty-seven.

The sixth believer What happened next was no different from the previous level.

The swiftly passing time made it impossible for Lu Li to warn the priests arriving at the church one after another.

At dusk, the familiar glow of fire lit up outside the church.

To absolve himself of his sins, Jonah set a massive fire that buried the historic church and his sins under fierce flames.

Taking the oil lamp, Lu Li turned and pulled open the wooden door.

Endless nothingness surged from all directions, and the lonely wooden door stood starkly in the abyss.

The traces of the walls were completely erased, leaving only fragments of stone steps twinkling like stars that extended downward like constellations.

Even if Lu Li could ignore any assault on his mind, the oppressive march toward destruction made him slightly uncomfortable.

Taking a deep breath, Lu Li, with the oil lamp in hand, ignored the surging darkness around him and, stepping on the scattered stars, walked to the final wooden door.

Turning his head, Lu Li was captivated by the sight below.

At the original passage’s corner, a passage extending downward came into view.

This passage was clearer than those on the upper levels, and Lu Li could even faintly sense the thick, fishy sea wind blowing from within.

The space seemed divided into two distinctly different areas.

Somewhere, a voice warned Lu Li that this was not a place he should tread at that moment.

In the previous test, Lu Li had seen similar passages on the last level, leading to unknown places.

This coincidence plunged Lu Li into thought.

Perhaps the passages were connected in some way, maybe…

they were coherent.

The moist passage, permeated by the sea wind, had each step slightly higher than the one before, making one wonder if moving continuously downward would eventually lead to a drop too high to return.

Regardless, this was irrelevant to Lu Li at the moment.

Grasping the doorknob, Lu Li entered the confessional, bathed in a gentle, warm light, to face the final test.

…

[The end of time is imminent] the admonition on the wooden wall read.

The morning church was enveloped in a fine mist, and the light piercing through the stained glass windows bathed the statues in sanctity and solemnity.

At the very start of the morning, perhaps Lu Li still had a chance to change everything, although no matter what choice he made, events would inevitably slide toward the abyss..

Noisy footsteps came from outside the church, and several figures pushing a wheelchair appeared at the door.

They passed by the confessional and walked straight to the front row of benches.

The priest appeared before them, and a conversation ensued.

However, their discussion was not going smoothly, and soon excited reprimands echoed in the hall.

The figure in the wheelchair seemed to dislike the sight of the argument, turned the wheels, and moved away from them.

Just as Lu Li thought, the wheelchair aimlessly roamed the church and finally stopped in front of the confessional, casting a curious glance.

However, the figure in the wheelchair did not intend to confess anything to the confessional; after retracting the curious gaze, they planned to leave.

A piece of paper stretched out from the wide orifice, drifting leisurely, and landed on the legs of the figure who had not yet left.

[Who are you]

“Are there still people in Tafeng City who don’t know me…” a voice tinged with self-deprecation spoke up.

By the sound of it, the figure in the wheelchair seemed to be just a girl.

[Eyes do not see the essence of a person]

Lu Li’s response carried a divine undertone.

“If you are here to persuade me to maintain hope, I have been doing so for over a decade, and people have always been saying that in my ear, thank you for repeating it once more.”

The words sounded somewhat sharp and harsh, but the girl’s gentle voice meant she was just calmly stating the fact.

[I do not know who you are, but if you have issues, I hope to listen and help you]

“A foreigner then…

This is no secret in Tafeng City.

Many people know about my situation…

but I do not wish you to hear a story riddled with malice…”

The gentle-voiced girl then spoke peacefully about herself.

Those solitary tragedies, enough to pain one’s heart, were articulated coherently by the girl.

When her mother was traveling to her father’s domain, the jolts of the journey caused a premature birth.

The scent of blood at her birth attracted a great bear from the forest.

Despite the guards’ desperate defense, the bear, desperate after a harsh winter, tore open the carriage and bit off the legs of the newborn girl.

The guards who rushed in drove the bear away, but not before it licked the infant’s face, causing the flesh of the girl’s face and one eye to vanish.

The tragic circumstances of her birth did not defeat her, after all, she had never seen the light.

The subsequent close brushes with death and struggles with night blindness were briefly mentioned by the girl.

If there were beings favored by the gods, the girl outside the confessional would surely be the opposite of such beings.

“If you hear anything else besides this, it’s not true,” said the girl, her tone seemingly conveying her emotional composure.

[Are you a believer?]

“No, it’s just that my father, Viscount Rivis, was once fervently devout for a period,” the girl, looking at the people arguing in front of the bench, sighed softly, “because of me.”

Lu Li vaguely understood why Viscount Rivis had seized the priest blocking the carriage previously.

After hopes were shattered, not everyone could remain rational.

Facing the miserable girl, Lu Li could think of no reason that could redeem her and enable her to redeem others.

[I need your help]

Lu Li decided to try anyway.

The girl holding the paper replied with a hint of astonishment, “I am physically disabled, and yet you believe a disabled person can help you.”

This seemed like a hint.

As if a test through the words of the girl told Lu Li: This approach will not work.

How could someone trapped in confinement possibly extend a hand to others.

[Not for me, but for those who need help]

Holding the paper, the girl fell into a brief silence before looking up and responding to Lu Li, “I don’t know what you want to do, but if it really is a good deed… I will try my best to do it.”

For a long time afterward, no paper came out of the confessional, nor was there any sound, as if no one had ever been inside.

Only when the nearby argument was nearing its end and the Viscount prepared to leave this infuriating place did a piece of paper full of writing slide out from the wide gap.

The girl took the rough paper and read its contents.

“Can you speak?” suddenly asked the girl.

[No]

“Then, do you have a cigarette?”

[Why do you ask]

“I’ve always wanted to try it.

I’ve seen those who smoke momentarily forget their troubles.”

[I don’t smoke]

“Goodbye, Father.

I will try to do as you said… if they really happen.”

The girl, pushing her wheelchair, approached the approaching Baron and others.

“What are you holding?”

Viscount Rivis, known for his “arrogance” and who had just berated the priest, gently asked as he pushed the wheelchair.

“A paper with strange contents, I’ll tell you about it in a moment.”

“Alright.”

The father and daughter, accompanied by guards, left the church.