Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 694 - 694 213

694: 213.

The Story of the Mother of the Marsh 694: 213.

The Story of the Mother of the Marsh The heretics who had been wandering the beach for many days chose to attack the Ghost Prison in the midst of a storm.

And they succeeded.

The prisoners should have already escaped or fallen into an even greater predicament devised by the heretics.

Either way, the incident at the Ghost Prison was going to plunge the stabilizing Ruins of Belfast back into chaos.

Anna and Lu Li rushed back to the cliff top amidst the rampant destruction to inform the Jimmy Siblings, then went to patrol the edge of the Elm Forest, vigilant for fools who might wander this way.

“You’re back so soon…” Raimy thought they wouldn’t be back until tomorrow.

“Is the trouble resolved?”

“Yes.”

Anna said that Sara’s consciousness no longer existed, leaving only memories, and Lu Li had no reason not to believe her.

Averting his gaze, Lu Li looked towards the rain curtain covering the cave entrance.

…

The storm blurred the contours of the Elm Forest, its near eve’s dimness twisting the withered branches like extended black claws.

Anna moved through the withered woods, searching for ghosts that might have strayed into the Elm Forest.

“Do you want to seal away those memories?” Anna asked the black mist that enveloped the entire estate, including the “self” across from her.

From the pervading darkness around came a whisper from the Mother of the Marsh, “This is what we agreed on…”

“I’ve changed my mind; I want to keep the memories,” Anna said calmly, just like a second Lu Li.

“Why…” The black mist surged, conveying the Mother of the Marsh’s bewilderment.

“Because what affected me was never Sara.”

Anna no longer avoided the desires of her heart.

Or rather, Sara had never revived; everything was a side effect produced by the entanglement of her own obsession and Sara’s memories.

“It’s a rich and complicated tale, but it no longer affects me.”

Anna had always longed for a body.

The intrusion of the Inner World’s essence had once made her drop her fixation, but her experiences in Arlen Kingdom had changed that.

How could she forget the moment she met Lu Li?

His face, his body, made her exult, made her blood race.

Emotions burning hot enough to melt her and touches so delightful they almost made her heart burst from her chest, none of which she had ever experienced in her previous eighteen years of life.

Anna couldn’t articulate whether it was Lu Li who brought these feelings or if regaining something lost was so wonderful, but she was immersed in them.

Until Prada awoke, destroying everything and yet protecting them.

Everything was taken from her again.

Anna, bereft of a body, was like color fading from a patchwork, the world no longer bursting with hues.

Thus the obsession that had once dissipated took root in the depths of her heart, after dealing with Sara, it quickly sprouted from her memories and even assumed Sara’s form, conversing with her in the depths of her consciousness…

“I…

cannot understand…” The Mother of the Marsh, far removed from civilization for hundreds of years, seemed much more foolish on this matter.

“Read some stories, or look through the memories of your servants, and you will find the answer,” Anna replied without telling her the details.

“I have two personal requests.”

“What are they…”

“Conceal our conversation; act as if everything had been carried out according to the agreement.”

“And the other…”

“Tell me how to possess someone.”

Anna stopped at the edge of the forest, her white, bare feet floating above the filth-ridden mud.

In the dimness ahead, the silhouette of ruins faintly emerged.

The torrential rain fell, passing through Anna’s spectral body.

It could neither bring sensation nor take away warmth, except for the tightened pale lips.

“I have never lied to you.”

“Only this time….”

…

The raging storm lasted for three days, and in the deep of one night, it quietly turned into a drizzle and left the land.

However, its negative offspring still affected the clifftop.

For instance, the heavy clouds, like lead, refused to dissipate, the weather was frighteningly cold, and even frost appeared on the morning of the following day.

Except for the fiercely burning flames, everything outside seemed as though winter was approaching.

The death of all the crops due to the weather made Raimy feel regret, subsequently pouring all her emotions into Annie.

Annie could hardly be considered strange, as it possessed no unusual powers besides child-like simple emotions.

But it could not be considered an ordinary tree either, since the moment it took root in Elm Forest, it became a part of the consciousness of the forest.

However, it had not yet grown to be a towering tree that could shelter the clifftop residents.

Annie was still very weak, a sudden drop in temperature or a hurricane might extinguish the light kindled in the heart of the tree.

Annie’s cabin had been dismantled, but the walls on both sides of the sea had been left to block the biting cold winds from the ocean.

Jimmy had already started using the stove, and the woodshed behind the cottage was filled with branches broken by the storm, while the larger trunks were piled up by the cave, resembling a lumberyard.

The Ghost Prison could also be counted as one of the consequences of the storm—at least those Heretics had chosen the storm to travel to the island for a reason.

To guard against the escaped ghosts and the Heretics discovering the clifftop, Anna had reduced her daily hunting time and would not venture far from Elm Forest.

However, the prey had increased, and many of them were large-sized creatures.

Anna needed more bones to be thrown at the edge of the forest.

It seemed she had broken free from Sara’s shadow.

Although occasionally she would hold a book, not turning a page for tens of minutes, Sara’s memory no longer affected her.

Of course, there might still be some remnants and influences, but which child that has read a heroic novel would not whittle a piece of wood into the shape of a longsword, pretending to be a hero running through the streets?

“What does the Mother of the Marsh look like?”

Raimy was very interested in that Evil God from the marsh.

As a “scholar,” she never knew that an Evil God symbolizing chaos and disorder would cooperate with humans, even getting along amicably.

As the words fell, the light around them twisted and darkened for a moment, then returned to normal.

The flames in the fireplace burned fiercely, and a consciousness not belonging to this place hovered through the cave.

The Mother of the Marsh sensed their conversation.

As an Evil God, it could of course sense the presence of those who spoke of it.

Moreover, Lu Li bore its mark.

Since Lu Li felt neither hostility nor erosion, he began to tell the Jimmy Siblings and Aidanvoya the story of the Mother of the Marsh.

From accepting Jojo’s plea to go to Shadow Town, to finding Oliver, then seeking cooperation with the Mother of the Marsh, and helping it deal with the Old Mother.

This was an epic adventure, and Lu Li’s title of “He who Knocks the Evil God’s Death Knell” was in recognition of this experience.

Even the gaze of the Mother of the Marsh did not waver, as if it too was listening, watching from another perspective the events that had unfolded not long ago.

“Do Evil Gods also possess humanity….” Raimy murmured to herself, thinking about something.

Lu Li looked up, as if making eye contact with the ethereal presence of the Mother of the Marsh: “It’s related to another story.”

It seemed the Mother of the Marsh did not mind being discussed, so Lu Li went on to tell the story of the Mother of the Marsh’s past, the story of Princess Roland.

The calm voice flowed through the cave, and every resident of Elm Forest liked this long-missed tranquility.

Except for Annie.