Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 626 - 626 One hundred and forty-five

626: One hundred and forty-five.

Later on 626: One hundred and forty-five.

Later on Lilia Toyalargon.

For decades, the woman who always called herself nameless began to refer to herself as Lilia Toyalargon.

Nevertheless, she remained just an ordinary old woman, dressed in commoner’s old clothes, with the traces of years etched upon her face.

She was grateful for the message that Lu Li brought, and served him as if she were a maid.

It wasn’t until Lu Li assured her that Anna would take good care of him that he could dispel this old woman’s only idea of repayment.

Lilia seemed to notice that Lu Li was very interested in Princess Roland’s past, so she told him everything she knew and subtly inquired about Princess Roland’s current situation.

Even though she knew that this ancestor had become a “Divinity”, Lilia, who was just a commoner besides her bloodline, knew nothing of the secrets.

Once Lu Li explained the cost of knowing about the abnormalities, Lilia smiled wryly and replied that she was old and there was nothing left to cling to, including her own life.

So, Lu Li told her about the system of oddities, and briefly explained the origin of the Mother of the Marsh and the subsequent division between the new and old Evil Gods in Shadow Town.

In the meantime, Lu Li and Anna felt the presence of a faint watchful sensation descending around them, as the Mother of the Marsh sensed her name being mentioned.

Evil Gods usually possessed such ability.

The stronger the entity, the stronger the sense, and if it was an ancient Evil God that had existed since antiquity, merely mentioning its name could instantly rob one of consciousness with chaos and evil.

The Mother of the Marsh, having been forced to divide, had accepted Old Mother’s legacy, but the division and confrontation had drained her powers to less than half.

She could barely notice when her own existence was being discussed.

The reason she sensed them this time was because Lu Li bore her mark.

An intangible consciousness enveloped Lu Li in the darkness, extending two invisible threads towards Anna and Lilia.

The consciousness approaching Anna was shredded by her aura before it could get close, while the one encircling Lilia then returned to Lu Li, leaving behind a fragment of a faint voice at the bottom of his heart, which silently dissipated.

[Familiar…]

Lu Li informed Lilia that the Mother of the Marsh had just visited, and her eyes surged with blood, “If I can’t make it to Marsh Road to tell Princess Roland, let her know that her descendants have never forgotten the glory of their ancestors.”

“I will.”

Lu Li promised, his eyes following the excitedly trembling old woman as she left the room.

For the rest of the afternoon, Lu Li did not go out and stayed in his room.

Anna could not understand his intentions.

If staying in was just to understand the council’s proceedings, they could have known all this through merchants atop the cliff.

There was no need to risk coming to the Inland Royal City.

After all, most of the Exorcists gathering in one place meant that those wise oddities and Heretics couldn’t possibly remain indifferent.

“I was planning to go out, but the Main Affinity Continent’s hostility toward oddities is beyond my expectations,” Lu Li replied.

Evening came, and the street lamps were lit one by one, dispelling the encroaching darkness.

“Because of…

me…?” Anna muttered sadly, then remembered something else, “So, do we go back now?

I always have a premonition that something bad is about to happen.”

“That’s why we’re staying here,” Lu Li said.

He shared the same unease, which is why they were at the end of this street, close to the city gate.

And a city wall couldn’t stop Anna.

After dinner, night fell completely, highlighting the vibrancy of the City of Endless Night.

Anna looked out the window at the bustling crowd on the street and suddenly suggested they take a walk outside.

They would not go far—

Lu Li agreed to Anna’s request, returned upstairs to greet Lilia, took an oil lamp and a “lighthouse”, and left the inn.

As the night lights came on, the afternoon’s drizzle made everything moist, the cobblestone road shimmering with a hazy gloss, faintly reflecting the outlines of the street lamps and passers-by.

The dampness and slight chill penetrated the nostrils, and the aroma of the Arlen Kingdom was utterly different from that of Belfast—weightier, richer in heritage.

There are many specialties here, and button dolls filled with black cotton and scrap fabric have unexpectedly become popular.

The vendors tie the dolls to a rope and hang them up with a stick.

This tradition originates from people who settled new land long ago; they hung dolls at their doorsteps to signify that the household had an owner.

Anna suggested buying one to hang outside the shelter, so Lu Li spent 5 shillings on a button doll with brown braided hair styled like a little girl’s.

The coarse linen fabric for skin and button eyes could not imbue the doll with any eerie vibe; it was just an ordinary trinket.

Having pocketed the button doll, Lu Li and Anna, who had reached the crossroads, prepared to return.

At this moment, a commotion suddenly arose from the street ahead.

…

Knock knock knock—

“Mrs.

Jonathan?”

A middle-aged couple stood at the door, gently knocking.

“Perhaps they are not home,” the bald husband said, as there was no light from within the windows.

His wife said in surprise, “But when I visited this morning, I spoke with Mrs.

Jonathan…”

“They might have some urgent matter; let’s come back tomorrow,” he suggested.

“Hmm.” The wife lowered her hand and, almost without thinking, pushed at the wooden door.

Creek—

A crack appeared as the door swung open, allowing light from the oil lamp to peer through the gap.

“The door isn’t locked?” the wife asked, astonished, “Could something have happened to the Jonathan family?”

The smile faded from the husband’s face as he looked around, spotting a police officer not far off.

He hastily pulled his wife over and said, “Officer!

A friend of my wife’s family is without light at this hour; they should be at home.

Could you please check on them for us?”

The officer looked towards the dark windows the bald man pointed out and nodded.

“Five children of the Royal City, fearing the dense fog, went to light a fire; flames lapped their bodies until death, leaving five as four.

Four children of the Royal City, banded together meeting disaster; one devoured, marked with blood, four left as three.

Three children of the Royal City within their homes met misfortune; a corpse suddenly from the sky, leaving three as two—”

A group of children reciting something ran past in pursuit of each other.

The officer glanced at the children weaving into the crowd, feeling somewhat uneasy.

He had already heard this rhyme many times today… It seems like all the children had suddenly learned this nursery rhyme that made the adults uneasy.

Shaking his head, he walked up to the door with the oil lamp, gently pushing open the door with his foot.

Creek—yaa—

In the drawn-out creaking sound, an arm holding an oil lamp reached into the house, followed by the careful entrance of the officer and the couple behind him.

Whoosh—

A formless wind swept through, disturbing the field of dandelions blooming in the room; they lifted off from the field, rising aimlessly, drifting everywhere.

The Sanity Value Counter on the officer’s wrist didn’t react, which relieved some of his unease.

Moving forward quietly, the edge of the lamp’s light suddenly revealed a strange black object, shriveled like a mop head.

It was covered with a fluffy substance that resembled dandelion fluff.

The air around it also seemed to have a layer of mist, too hazy to see clearly.