Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 724 - 724 Two hundred forty-three

724: Two hundred forty-three.

Hasty Farewell 724: Two hundred forty-three.

Hasty Farewell [The situation is getting worse by the day.]

[I am looking for a hiding place, but unfortunately, the Detective Agency is already empty, and you and Mr.

Luli are not here.]

[The remaining resources are scarce, I plan to go to the other side of the mountain, hoping that Watch Town still has something left.]

[I will leave a mark on the window, if you come looking for me, there should be my second letter there.]

The scruffy handwriting indicates Aunt Mary was not at ease when writing this.

The envelope is covered in dust, as if it has been there for a while.

“She should be in the Lennon Islands,” Lu Li said with a frown.

The Avitanis they took had successfully reached the Lennon Islands long ago, there was no reason for Aunt Mary to remain on the Ailen Peninsula and leave a letter.

“Maybe something unexpected happened,” Anna said, her scarlet eyes falling on Lu Li, “Lu Li…

I’m worried about Aunt Mary…”

“We’re going to Watch Town,” Lu Li said.

Aunt Mary is either in Watch Town or has left a mark there, it won’t be too hard to find.

“Could it be a trap?” Raimy mused.

A normal person wandering around the old city streets filled with eerie presence?

That sounds a bit strange.

“Maybe this letter was already in the mailbox before Belfast turned to ruins?”

“Possibly, but we still have to go.”

Regardless of whether it’s a trap, Lu Li and Anna cannot ignore it.

“When are you setting off?” Raimy asked as Lu Li donned his coat.

Lu Li pulled open the drawer, taking a flashlight oil lamp and the “lighthouse”.

“Now.”

…

The gloomy sky appeared as if smudged with pencil, casting shadows.

The twisted vortex in the southern part of Belfast still existed, viewed from above it seemed more grotesque and vivid.

Staring for too long, even if it does not possess weird power, will cause one’s Sanity Value to decline.

Anna took Lu Li to the Shore of Agate Lake, making a brief stop at Baron Manor.

After the cave and safe house were expanded, they could almost accommodate all the books from the library.

They were still there, and Anna planned to take them to Seaview Cliff when they returned.

However, as Lu Li was about to leave the library, an empty jar rolled out from the corner behind the shelves.

“Who’s there?” Anna shouted coldly, as Lu Li looked with dark eyes.

In the dim corner, a huddled figure slowly emerged.

“Human?” Anna whispered.

It was a hunchbacked, filthy woman covered with a blanket.

A large part of her lower lip was missing, making her recessed jaw look like a monster.

“You…

who are you…” came a drafty inquiry, the woman lowering her head not daring to look at Lu Li and cloak-covered Anna.

“Same as you,” Lu Li said.

The appearance of kin seemed to rekindle hope in this pitiful person, who, without doubting Lu Li’s words, excitedly rushed up to embrace him.

Lu Li thought Anna would stop her, strangely Anna did nothing, allowing the woman to rush into his arms.

Her body and shoulders trembled incessantly, perhaps out of excitement, or perhaps because of the cold aura suddenly emanating from Anna.

Lu Li withdrew from the woman’s embrace, not minding the grime and bloodstains on his clothes, he pointed to her lower lip, “Your wound has reopened.”

Wounds in the mouth are destined to be hard to heal, in fact, the woman was lucky not to have been infected as it was only anemia that made her face pale.

She paid no mind to the reopened wound, Lu Li frowned and tore a few pages from the book at hand, casually covering her lower lip.

“Come with me to the second floor for treatment,” Lu Li said.

The incident with The Shadow of Puppetry led to the addition of an infirmary on the second floor of the manor, where there should still be clean gauze and alcohol.

Aileen indeed kept the infirmary.

The gauze was sufficient, and about half a bottle of alcohol remained.

Lu Li first disinfected the woman’s wound, then wrapped it with gauze.

Although the wound might reopen with excessive movement or eating, at least there was no longer concern about bacterial infection.

After bandaging, the woman began to recount her experience.

Her name was Selika Darel, a survivor of Belfast.

She had encountered several groups of survivors but was forced to leave due to many accidents, even losing her lower lip because of one survivor.

She had been hiding here and there, and a few days ago hid in the manor until Lu Li appeared.

“Why don’t you leave Belfast,” Lu Li asked while glancing around the infirmary, realizing there were many things that could be taken back to Seaview Cliff.

Selika Darel’s voice quivered, “I heard other places are worse, that Himfast is full of monsters and broadcasts to deceive survivors into thinking it’s safe, luring them over…”

“I don’t know where you got that information,” Lu Li replied to her, “but Himfast has no monsters, it’s a gathering place for the people.”

“Really…”

“Yes.”

Lu Li withdrew his gaze, focusing on Selika Darel, “We are heading to Watch Town, we might pass by Himfast.

You can head there, or come with us.”

“…Thank you, I won’t be a burden to you.”

Next, Lu Li introduced Anna’s identity to Selika Darel, and upon learning Anna was a wraith, she merely trembled slightly, showing no further fear.

This survivor was unexpectedly resilient.

Taking Selika Darel and a roll of gauze, Lu Li and Anna left the manor, reaching Watch Town before nightfall.

…

Creaaaak——creaaaak——

The rusty sign at the tavern’s entrance swung in the wind.

Watch Town was desolate and dilapidated.

Many survivors had scavenged here, leaving behind a mess.

Fortunately, they were not interested in destruction, only breaking open a few wooden doors and windows.

The cold wind swept by as Lu Li and the others walked through the empty streets, soon spotting a mark drawn with oil pen on a window on the second floor of an inn.

Lu Li had seen this symbol at Madam Anne’s Art Gallery before.

“That was once the symbol of our family…” Anna said.

Lu Li walked to the inn’s door, pushing open the door that was ajar.

Dust rustled down, drifting in the glow of the oil lamp, the creak of the wooden floor breaking the silence in the hall.

But as the echoes of footsteps faded, they once again surged back.

“Your heart is beating fast,” Lu Li remarked, tilting his head slightly.

In the silent hall, Selika Darel’s heartbeat was like the distant thud of a drum.

“Sorry, I’m still very excited…”

Selika Darel lowered her head, her dirty hair tangled like braids hiding her eyes.

Lu Li diverted his dark eyes, stepping onto the wooden stairs to reach the second floor, finding the room where the window was marked.

Like most of the houses in town, the inn was almost devoid of valuable items after being ransacked by survivors.

If wood wasn’t so ubiquitous and cumbersome, even the beds and cabinets might have been dismantled.

However, Aunt Mary’s letter was surprisingly not lost—it was on the windowsill, visible upon entering the room without the need to search.

The letter was layered with dust, and an invisible hand picked it up, dusting it off as it floated towards Lu Li.

Anna took the oil lamp from Lu Li’s hand, silently watching as the envelope was opened.