Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 592 - 592 One hundred eleven

592: One hundred eleven.

Ashes 592: One hundred eleven.

Ashes At dawn, the Mist of Strangeness that enveloped Belfast quietly receded, revealing the largely ruined city.

The echoing church bell had stopped ringing at midnight, the all-consuming flames hadn’t died down until dawn, and lights could be seen everywhere.

Thick smoke hung over the city, impossible to dissipate, and the pungent smell of smoke even drifted to the cliff top of Elm Forest.

“Achoo—”

Outside the cabin, Jimmy himself sneezed forcefully and then leaned back in the lounge chair even weaker than before.

After Lu Li woke up, he no longer needed to guard the door.

His sister had sent him out of the cave to watch for any strangeness that might appear atop the cliff.

But perhaps, it was the distant city that attracted them more, maybe because Anna and the siblings hadn’t concealed their own presence, or maybe it was the shelter of Elm Forest and the refuge that kept them safe.

Throughout the night, nothing happened on the cliff top.

Jimmy’s gaze returned to the sea.

In the deepwater area outside the bay, the initiators of all these happenings, three monsters that produced the Mist of Strangeness, were sinking into the water.

“You don’t need to hold me like this.”

Lu Li’s calm voice came from behind, and Jimmy turned around to see Lu Li being held by Princess Anna, and Raimy standing by with a smile in her eyes.

“You’re too tall, it would be awkward on my back,” Anna said, well-prepared with an excuse.

“You could lift me using your abilities,” Lu Li replied.

Anna stayed silent for a moment, avoiding eye contact with Lu Li, “It’s not safe.”

Lu Li didn’t try to convince Anna further, who was caught up in a fairy tale mindset of “princess saves the prince,” and looked ahead.

Jimmy himself leaned in the lounge chair, the monster’s body lying beside him, and strange waves arose in the distant sea, as if something had been there before, but now only the spray and whirlpools remained.

“Good morning,” Jimmy greeted weakly, raising his hand.

“Good morning,” Lu Li nodded slightly, looking towards the unvanished ripples on the sea surface.

Jimmy told Lu Li about the strangeness that had appeared on the sea surface before, which matched the rumors Lu Li had heard about the “creatures spewing the Mist of Strangeness.”

Gazing at the ruins of Belfast in the distance, he remained silent.

Belfast was the most prosperous city on the Ailen Peninsula, and the severity of this strange invasion far surpassed the recent Zenst massacre.

And it could be foreseen that the tragedy of Belfast was going to, or had already, occurred in all human cities.

Humanity’s much-praised muskets and cannons were of no use against these strangeness.

The era of humans was receding.

“Let’s go back and rest, you’re not fit to be out here right now,” Anna whispered, sensing Lu Li’s mood.

“Take me to see Annie.”

Lu Li wasn’t ready to go back yet.

The construction of the refuge was purely practical; living long term in the cramped, dim depths of a cave was detrimental to both body and mind, and might even reduce Sanity Value.

Anna carried Lu Li to the trunk of Annie, and upon the closeness of Lu Li and Anna, Annie exhibited joy and affection, her tentacle-like instincts gently touching them.

“She seems to like you better,” Anna said.

Annie hadn’t been this excited when she came.

“It might be related to vitality,” Lu Li closed his eyes sensing Annie’s presence.

It was still weak, the nearby elm consciousness’s care only kept it from withering.

However, over time, Annie’s instincts would evolve into consciousness, extending its influence increasingly far until it covered the entire Elm Forest.

By then, this place would truly be “home.”

“Let’s go back,” said Lu Li.

“Also, I need a wheelchair.”

It wasn’t about the embarrassment of being held by Anna; it was simply inconvenient.

Anna looked somewhat disappointed, “Wait, I’ll go back to the city and find you some food supplies, and a wheelchair.”

Lu Li still hadn’t returned to the cave refuge, as lighting an oil lamp in daylight was too much of a luxury under the circumstances.

Raimy took another lounge chair from the cabin and placed it next to Jimmy’s.

Gently, Anna placed Lu Li in the lounge chair.

Lu Li turned his head and observed closely the fusion point between Jimmy and the monster’s body, then looked away.

Lu Li slowly raised his hand, being careful not to move too quickly and cause his body to “fall” down.

“Is there something itching?” Anna asked.

“Rotting wood box, I need to get some information from the merchant.”

Although Lu Li did not know whether he could summon the merchant anymore.

“You need to rest now.” Anna placed Lu Li’s raised arm back down.

“I am resting.” Lu Li gently tapped the armchair’s armrest to indicate his current condition.

Anna had no choice but to take out the rotting wood box from Lu Li’s pocket, open it, place it next to his hand, and told him that she had summoned the merchant last night to inquire about the price of the Deep Sea Stone.

“We can’t install the shelter’s door for now,” Anna said.

“Maybe we can.” Lu Li murmured softly, pondering.

The arrival of the messenger crow would take some time, and it might not even arrive.

Anna seized the moment to look at the Jimmy Siblings, “I’m heading back to Belfast for a while; I’m leaving Lu Li in your care.”

“We’ll guard him with our lives,” Raimy replied calmly as if answering a trivial matter.

“Be careful, don’t venture too deeply into the city, and come back if you can’t find what you’re looking for,” Lu Li said.

He spoke a lot possibly because it was Anna’s first time acting alone.

“If you encounter any survivors who could use a hand—”

Anna suddenly pressed down her hair, bent down close to Lu Li, and her cold lips lightly touched his forehead.

“I will.”

The moment was brief; Anna pressed her lips together, left the cliff top, and drifted towards the distant city.

Lu Li seemed slightly dazed until Anna disappeared from sight, gradually relaxing his tense body due to the discomfort.

Withdrawn his gaze, he noticed Raimy looking at him, her face poised to speak yet hesitating with a smile.

“What do you want to say?” Lu Li asked.

“Your relationship is enviable,” Raimy’s sincerity was evident in her eyes.

Lu Li did not reply, while Raimy casually looked out to sea, murmuring, “The ingredients…

It’s been a long time since I’ve cooked, since that incident.”

She didn’t expect this casual remark to elicit a response from Lu Li.

“You can cook?” Lu Li asked.

“Yes.

It might never have been written that way in the stories.”

Lu Li pondered for a moment, “Once Anna returns, the food’s on you.”

Raimy smiled, “No problem.”

The messenger arrived several minutes later, waited until the crow had torn and eaten the rotting flesh in the wooden box, then Lu Li asked it to contact the merchant.

Ten minutes after the crow left, a tall figure with an exaggerated backpack arrived at the cliff top.

This led Lu Li to contemplate the merchant himself and the existence behind him.

What were these entities that weren’t human, roaming among the Exorcists, after?

But before asking anything, Lu Li first traded the information he knew to the merchant.

“I have some information about hell, are you interested?”

After a brief pause, a voice full of interest replied stiffly from beneath a scarf.

“That’s exactly what we need.”