Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 610 - 610 One hundred and twenty-nine

610: One hundred and twenty-nine.

Gather 610: One hundred and twenty-nine.

Gather The bustling streets scattered the sights and sounds encountered along the way.

Surprisingly, the strange invasion seemed not to have troubled Arlen Royal City, at least the worry was not evident on the faces of the city’s residents.

Perhaps because it was the Royal City, the citizens here dressed more conservatively and in older styles, almost all in dark colors.

No one would dress in the tailcoats and top hats that were common in Belfast, appearing frequently among the middle and upper-class citizens as everyday attire.

The drawbacks of the massive influx of population into the city were already apparent, with heaps of household trash overwhelming the garbage bins in the alleyways and foul-smelling sewage flowing across the drainages.

Only when they reached the streets lined with lampposts, where the buildings looked more like works of art, did the scene improve.

The investigator base of Arlen Royal City was located in the former Xius Public Library.

Like the one in Belster, it was hidden underground.

Investigators were accustomed to calling this behavior of building bases underground “walking with the shadows,” and they believed it helped maintain the fine qualities of an investigator: curiosity and vigilance.

However, the main reason was that investigators were mostly lone wolves who disliked trouble.

Instead of establishing an investigator base in a busy area and dealing with curious residents, they preferred to hide away like mice and do their own thing in solitude.

Arlen Royal City was bigger than expected, and it took them nearly an hour on foot to arrive at the former Xius Public Library, which had now been demolished to make way for the construction of a luxurious four-story mansion.

Anna pushed Lu Li around the construction site but failed to find the entrance to the base.

Anna could go underground to search, but that might bring unnecessary trouble.

When they circled the site for the second time, drawing the attention of the guards there, Lu Li stopped Anna’s efforts and asked her to take him to see the shops on the surrounding streets instead.

The clue appeared quickly, on the street adjacent to the former Xius Public Library was a quaint shop called “Curiosities and Sundries.”

Unlike the other shops on this street with display windows, this store was narrow and void of windows, seemingly so dim inside that it required lighting an oil lamp.

No merchant would arrange their business this way.

“Push me in,”

Lu Li said, as Anna pushed him into the shop.

“Welcome,”

said an old man in a tailcoat behind the counter, glancing at Lu Li and noticing the investigator badge, “Unfamiliar investigator, you can go in through the basement.”

Lu Li nodded.

Suddenly, all the clocks on the counter began to spin wildly, their hands firmly pointing at Lu Li standing at the door—or rather, at Anna behind him.

“My assistant,” Lu Li had to explain.

“A vengeful spirit…” the old man’s murky blue eyes flashed with complexity, “It’s best not to let your assistant enter the base.”

“Why?” Lu Li asked.

The old man did not answer Lu Li but asked, “I smell the scent of seawater…

did you come from the Ailen Peninsula?”

Lu Li nodded.

The old man seemed to guess their origin and said slowly, “People on the mainland are more conservative and stubborn, influenced more deeply by the Exorcist Association and the Exorcist families, including prejudices and hostility.”

Put another way, on the Ailen Peninsula, people were more receptive to new things.

Although walking with the strange was odd, it could be understood.

However, the hostility towards the strange was deep-rooted among the people of the mainland, and it was difficult to convince and make them understand that a strange creature would not harm humans.

“Including you?”

Lu Li asked, he did not want to leave Anna on her own, even though she had long become stronger than himself.

“I am an old man, and I was once an investigator,” the old man simply answered.

Investigators are more adept at embracing new things, while an old man is more forgiving— he had made his stance clear.

“Thank you,” Lu Li said, then turned to Anna and spoke, “You stay here.”

Anna hesitated a bit, then Lu Li added, “There won’t be any danger at the base, and I will come back soon.”

She had no choice but to agree, watching as Lu Li stood up from his wheelchair, accepted the cane handed over by the old man with thanks and slowly walked towards the basement.

Once Lu Li’s figure disappeared down the steps, Anna moved her concerned gaze away only to find the old man observing her.

“I seldom see vengeful spirits that get along with humans,” the old man initiated the conversation.

“Is it just seldom?” Towards anyone other than Lu Li, Anna reverted to her indifferent and icy demeanor.

“Indeed, there are some…

They are all remarkable beings,” the old man said with emotion, “I hope you can stay true to yourself,”

Anna showed no reaction to the old man’s preaching.

The old man let out a light bitter laugh, then continued to ask, “Are you here to attend the Exorcists’ Council?”

After a moment, the figure enveloped in Anna’s cloak gave a slight nod.

The old man turned and rummaged at the edge of the counter, finding a pen.

After wiping the dust off with a handkerchief, he tossed it to Anna, “Take this.

It can help you conceal some of your scent, as long as you don’t get too close to exorcists with sharp senses and those buildings.”

When the pen was half a meter away from Anna, it halted mid-air.

Sensing the aura, the clock hands in the shop began to tremble violently.

Only when a pale, ethereal hand under the cloak took hold of the pen did the clock hands return to a calm state, moving back to their original positions, with only the minute hand slowly pointing in Anna’s direction.

Anna noticed that the uncontrollable aura that she usually emitted was being blocked by the pen, and what remained was negligible, perhaps even less than a ghost’s.

With it, she could approach Lu Li without being warned by that annoying counter…

“Thank you,” Anna’s tone carried a hint of warmth.

The old man smiled kindly and waved his hand, indicating it was no big deal.

Meanwhile, Lu Li had arrived at the investigator’s base and was assisted by a member of the United Organization to the resting area.

The investigator’s base in Arlen Royal City was like a library—the shelves against the walls in the hall were filled with books.

The crystal chandeliers cast down a bright and gentle radiance.

Considering a library once stood here, it was not surprising that the base was arranged this way.

In many ways, this place was far superior to the Belfast base, except for the similarly sparse staff.

Lu Li did not look for the local investigator in charge.

The United Organization member could tell him simple things, such as the specific details and location of the Exorcists’ Council.

“The Council is tomorrow at ten in the morning, at the Kingdom Elders’ Council Hall.

All exorcists who arrive can participate, but you may not be able to get in due to the large number of exorcists who will attend…

You certainly don’t have to worry; senior investigators like yourself can definitely attend the Council.”

“So there will be many exorcists there…” Lu Li murmured thoughtfully.

The United Organization member took it as a question: “Of course, this is the grandest council of them all.

Even the Elders’ Council Hall capable of holding thousands of people isn’t big enough…

The heads of the three major organizations, Legendary Scouts, True Vision Nightwatch, and investigators will all be present.”

“Perhaps most exorcists from the Arlen Kingdom and neighboring countries will come!”

Pride colored the face of the United Organization member.