Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 630 - 630 149

630: 149.

Night at Ryko Farm 630: 149.

Night at Ryko Farm From afar, people continuously left the convoy in unease and regret, heading to farms to escape potential dangers.

However, not everyone could safely reach their destinations.

Many stray sparks scattered across the flat plains extinguished, then never lit again.

The farm only had a two-story wooden house, a barn, a cattle shed, and a woodshed, clearly insufficient to house hundreds of people.

Most gathered around the bonfire to warm up, and gradually, faint cries of despair spread around the fire—for the invisible hope and for the families in the Royal City.

At the window on the second floor of the wooden house, Lu Li and four exorcists were conversing.

“A city turned upside down?

I’ve never heard of it either,” Avar Montes looked to the other perplexed exorcists, his spirits sinking, “This means the situation in the Royal City is really bad.”

The Mist of Strangeness was invading the Royal City massively, which was undoubtedly terrible news.

“We still have a chance,” one exorcist’s eyes lit up with determination, “At least half of the exorcists on the continent are in the Royal City.

They will find the trouble and deal with it.”

This optimism usually appeared among civilians who knew nothing about the strangeness, but from a certain perspective, it made some sense—human fists would clench together, whereas the strangeness usually would not.

The exorcists didn’t counter the morale-boosting statement but a question arose simultaneously in their hearts.

What if the strangeness had come for this reason?

Wooo—

The moaning sound of the wind passing through edges and gaps deepened their mood.

The wind had picked up.

Lu Li’s gaze was drawn to the flames outside the window, skewed by the wind.

The wind blew from the direction of Ailen Peninsula to the south, the coastline closest to the Royal City.

The reason for the Mist of Strangeness’s impending intrusion into the mainland tonight was found.

As the wind grew stronger, the exorcists, without having gathered any useful information, returned to the ground to evacuate the crowd.

They took the elderly and women with children into the two-story wooden house, placed the horses in the cattle shed, and the men took their luggage and hid in the barn.

It was drafty from all sides, but still better than the unprotected open ground.

The bonfire on the open ground connected those hiding in the wooden house and the woodshed.

If it went out, they would become isolated islands in a dark, deep sea, mere tens of meters apart.

They had to keep the bonfire lit.

The kerosene carried by the convoy was enough to last until dawn, but it was not suitable for burning.

The young men dismantled the unnecessary clutter from the woodshed and the wooden house, and found hundreds of pounds of damp wood and a dozen pounds of coal in the basement to keep the bonfire burning.

They also pulled two horse carriages upwind to shield the bonfire, allowing it to burn as stable and long as possible.

The attic became a gathering point for the exorcists; its four slanted windows allowed them to observe the external situation well.

Their spirits were low; the only consolation now was that the fierce wind made the Mist of Strangeness sparse.

The dispersed visibility faintly allowed people to see about a mile from the farm, where clusters of firelights, disoriented by the fierce wind, were approaching like ants.

To the exorcists’ astonishment, Lu Li suddenly left the wooden house with his assistant and moved towards the farm exterior, approaching those dimly flickering lights because of the fierce wind.

They watched that similarly faint light move closer to other lights, bringing them together, gathering the dispersed lights into one.

“Thank you, you’ve done enough,” Avar Montes gratefully acknowledged Lu Li’s actions.

When Lu Li and Anna returned, they were followed by several horse carriages and dozens of civilians.

There were still civilians scattered across the plains, but without any light, Lu Li could not find them.

Further afield, the convoy on the roads was dispersed by the eerie Mist of Strangeness and the fierce wind into clusters of horse carriages.

These people were arranged in the wooden house and barn, making the farm even more crowded.

No one complained; they would rather have the farm stuffed to the brim, then worry about whether the crowd would attract the monsters.

The newly joined civilians soon calmed their emotions due to the comfort and care from the first group.

Faint voices of conversation arose from the barn and the living room of the wooden house.

In the attic above, the exorcists were discussing whether the farm was safe.

Danger originated from Arlen Kingdom—the farm was only five miles from the Royal City, a distance that was neither too close nor too far.

“Are there any other houses nearby?” Avar Montes asked.

A night watchman unfolded a map obtained from the villagers, “Fourteen Farms is a dozen miles away from us, far enough but too far.”

Over two hundred villagers who believed in them might not be willing to follow, and there weren’t enough resources to relocate.

“So we stay here, just prepare ourselves, and if the Mist of Strangeness spreads from the Royal City, we’ll retreat to Fourteen Farms?” Avar Montes’s questioning gaze settled on Lu Li.

“That’s possible.” Lu Li, in his wheelchair, raised his hand to touch his eyelid.

“Are you tired?” Anna asked with concern.

“A bit.”

From within her cloak, Anna’s indifferent voice came out, “Sorry, we need to go back and rest.”

A middle-aged female exorcist nodded, “Of course, leave the night to us.

If there’s anything too troublesome to handle, we will call you two.”

The farmhouse’s master bedroom was arranged for Lu Li and the others, while Lilia chose to stay downstairs with the other villagers.

Even though it was the best room in the farmhouse, there was nothing there but wooden frames and a thick layer of dust.

Soon, three sets of footsteps descended from the attic, and Lu Li also fell asleep in his wheelchair.

Nearing midnight, the buzzing conversation downstairs gradually faded away, overshadowed by the sighing sound of the wind blowing through the branches outside the window.

…

“I miss Mommy…”

A little boy snuggled into his grandfather’s embrace.

The grandfather patted his back and said nothing.

“I miss Daddy too…and Sister Maria.” Not far from the grandfather and grandson, a little girl lying in her mother’s arms followed.

The people in the living room couldn’t fall asleep, and more and more children and elderly woke up, quietly listening with their eyes open, or asking their elders.

The unease of the group intensified their discomfort, and they approached Avar Montes to inquire about the current situation in the Royal City.

“I’m not sure either,” Avar Montes sighed, pointing towards the distant, foggy glow, “See that firelight?

The convoy is still blocked outside the Royal City, the city gates must still be closed.

Compared to them, we’re already lucky.

At least we won’t be affected by the cold wind and have a warm, safe house to stay in.”

“How are things progressing?”

“What happened in the Royal City?”

The women and elderly clamored with questions, and Avar Montes bitterly explained that they couldn’t leave the farm since dangers were everywhere in the dense fog.

So they thought of pleading with Lu Li again, hoping he could help them investigate.

Avar Montes couldn’t persuade these mercy-seeking villagers and was about to say something when suddenly the bedroom door opened.

“I heard your discussion.”

The cabin fell silent, dozens of eyes turned towards the figure in the cloak standing by the door, waiting for an answer.

“But why would you think we’d take that risk a second time?” It was as if a chill had spread from the bedroom, the shadow under the cloak sweeping over the people.

“For you.”