Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 604 - 604 One hundred and twenty-three

604: One hundred and twenty-three.

The only gathering place 604: One hundred and twenty-three.

The only gathering place Watch Town.

This town, once prosperous because of Belfast, eventually disappeared with the destruction of Belfast.

The grey, abandoned streets were silent, with miscellaneous items, clothes, and newspapers piled up on the desolate and chilly streets, and shops were in disorder as if they had been looted.

However, some residents still chose to stay in this town where they had lived for decades.

Anna pushed a wheelchair over the cobblestone path, occasionally catching a gaze from the blurred windows by the roadside, followed by hurriedly and frantically drawn curtains.

As she passed by a ready-to-wear shop, Anna paused to pick up a black cloak dusted with grime from the shattered display window and draped it over herself, concealing her phantom body.

Moving forward, the remaining residents no longer panicked and drew curtains at the sight of Anna.

Minutes later, they reached the Detective Agency of Hades, downstairs—its second-floor windows still broken as they were when they left.

Lu Li picked up the oil lamp and pushed into the lobby; the crisp sound of the wind chimes hanging behind the door failed to attract the attention of the host.

After searching the area, Anna informed Lu Li that Hades was no longer there.

“Let’s check the basement,” Lu Li said.

They reached the door to the basement, but collapsed earth prevented Lu Li from progressing, sealing off the basement tightly.

Anna passed through the earth to investigate and came back with a smirk curling at the corner of her lips, “A space has been cleared around the door.”

Clearly, Hades had already hidden in hell, taking his “treasures” with him.

It was hard to say whether Hades was smart or foolish.

To some extent, hell was indeed safer than above; at least the enemies there were not ethereal, inscrutable, and peculiar.

But Hades also amassed utterly useless Shillings, instead of exchanging them for food and resources.

Of course, if Hades was ruthless enough to himself, he wouldn’t lack “food” in hell.

“Let’s go to Himfast,” Lu Li said, for there was no need to linger in Watch Town any longer.

However, as they turned to leave the building, a slow knocking sound suddenly came from outside the door.

Thud—Thud-thud—

Dark eyes fell on the wooden door that wasn’t locked.

“I’ll check it out,” Anna whispered, walking to the wall to pass through it, then returning to Lu Li’s side with an icy expression.

“It’s an Uninvited Guest.”

“Push me over,” Lu Li said.

Evil spirits rarely appeared during the day, their luck wasn’t very good.

But it wasn’t too bad, either; at least it was a known evil spirit.

The second round of knocks was already ringing out.

Pushed to the door, Lu Li reached out to grasp the doorknob and opened the sheltered door.

A tall figure stood in the doorway, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, with a light grey overcoat dripping along its hem, gathering a puddle of water at its feet.

Its face was hidden in the shadow, making it difficult to glimpse its features.

“Please come in,” Lu Li invited it.

The Uninvited Guest did not respond and then left, like a stranger who had knocked on the wrong door.

No surprises occurred.

Anna suppressed the surging aura and soon after the departure of the Uninvited Guest, she pushed Lu Li away from the house.

“Its essence was deeper and purer…”

On their way to Himfast, Anna was still reminiscing about the essence she had felt on the Uninvited Guests, “Like a rule.

We must follow its rules…”

This was the “Evil Spirit Ritual” the Exorcists talked about.

Anna possessed rituals too, but the rituals of the resentful spirits were not as intense and irresistible as those of the evil spirits.

A dozen minutes later, the outline of Himfast appeared on the horizon.

“Shall we enter the city?” Anna asked softly.

Lu Li nodded slightly.

Himfast was building a wall—not the towering walls of the warfare era centuries ago, but low ones that adults could easily climb over, fence-like.

Some of the completed walls had oil lamp posts standing on them.

They would encircle Himfast, acting as a barrier of the city after nightfall, keeping the strange at bay.

A few hundred meters from the city, Anna reined in all her essence and pushed Lu Li through the low wall entrance.

A team of Exorcists was stationed on the road towards Sugard Mountain; they were surprised and wary of Lu Li and Anna’s arrival, but the attitude turned into respect after they knew Lu Li’s identity, allowing him and Anna to enter the city.

After the destruction of Belfast, with Himfast becoming the only Faust on the Ailen Peninsula, a large number of people flocked to the city.

The once City of Art had now become busy and noisy, the crowd on the streets entirely dispelling the quietness stained on Watch Town.

All houses were used, numerous wooden barracks were being erected in empty spaces, farmlands, purely decorative wide roads, even the estates of nobles were occupied by these unsightly buildings, with fences and withered trees, shrubs, and fountains completely dismantled.

City Hall staff were shouting at every street corner: Citizens who could shelter newcomers would receive food and kerosene subsidies, plus the safety in numbers.

Even more densely built than the houses were the streetlights and drainage facilities.

Light could bring safety and dispel the strangeness in the eerie mists.

Last night, the eerie mist had spread nearly 50 miles down Sugard Mountain.

If the spreading speed remained unchanged, Himfast’s nights would be shrouded in eerie mist within a week.

Passing through the bustling streets, Lu Li and Anna arrived at Aunt Mary’s house.

The white birch door was plastered with several layers of notes, instructing the homeowner to go to City Hall upon return.

On their way here, many unoccupied houses had similar notes posted.

If there was no response before the arrival of the eerie mist, these houses would be considered ownerless and offered to newcomers.

Aunt Mary had already entrusted the house to them before she left.

Therefore, Lu Li found the City Hall personnel at the corner, handed over the keys and the deed, and told them that there were some canned goods stored in the basement.

To prevent certain accidents and because shelters were not suitable for hiding, Lu Li and Anna were still the owners of the house.

They could reclaim their house whenever they needed.

Lu Li then visited Anna’s former home.

Like other estates in Himfast, the fences were torn down and wooden barracks were erected in the gardens.

Aside from that ancient building, Anna could no longer retrieve past memories.

The only thing that might bring back Anna’s memories was the place where her bones were buried, but neither Lu Li nor Anna had the intention to go there.

Half an hour later, they left Himfast from the other end.

When they were far enough from the city, Anna picked up Lu Li and flew straight west.

On the ground below, sparse caravans of people moved along the road like ants, their unanimous destination being Himfast.

Only near Shadow Swamp did the caravans appear, heading towards the Main Affinity Continent.

At eight o’clock in the morning, the dark silhouette of Shadow Swamp loomed in the distance.

Anna landed on the outskirts of Shadow Town, with only ruins and scorched earth left of the town ahead.

The highest standing structure was the church’s half-collapsed spire, which was also their reason for coming here.