Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 729 - 729 248

729: 248.

Night represents danger 729: 248.

Night represents danger “Miss Selika, is there anything you need help with?” The restaurant waiter politely inquired.

As cruise ship staff, they remembered the first-class and most second-class passengers.

This pair was especially easy to recognize.

“Prepare one…

no, two meals.

Do you have milk and juice?” Each word Selica Darel uttered was accompanied by a sibilant sound, like wind passing through a narrow gap.

The waiter had to lean forward a bit to hear what she was saying in the restaurant: “Uh…

no juice, madam, but we do have some milk.

Would you like us to deliver it to your suite?”

“No need, I’ll wait here.”

“Alright, it won’t take long, madam.”

The food was prepared swiftly.

Selika Darel carried the tray back to her room’s door and gently pushed open the carved wooden door.

A man sat in the armchair in front of the fireplace.

Rare pitch-black hair, and even rarer, mysterious deep eyes like black gems.

He wore a black coat left unbuttoned, revealing a white shirt that subtly outlined the contours of his chest.

His head slightly bowed, as if in thought.

The burning fireplace behind him cast his outline, as if coated in a warm hue.

Selika Darel couldn’t help but pause at the door, unwilling to disturb this picturesque scene.

Time quietly flowed until a breeze from the hallway wafted into the suite, causing the fireplace’s flames to flutter, making shadows dance.

The man in the painting was disturbed, frowning aesthetically as he looked calmly over.

“Lu Li…”

Selika Darel couldn’t help but softly murmur.

“What’s wrong, Selika,” a deep and gentle voice sounded, calling out Selika Darel’s current name, pulling her from the intoxicating beauty.

“I went to fetch dinner back.”

Selika entered the room, placed the tray down, and went to close the door.

The breeze was shut out in the hallway, and the fireplace flames became steady once more.

“I saw milk at the restaurant, so I got some,” Selika noticed Lu Li’s gaze towards the milk and offered an explanation.

Lu Li nodded slightly, leaving the soft sofa: “I need to go to the third-class cabin, you stay here.”

“Third-class cabin?”

“Passengers aren’t aware of the dangers of night sailing,” Lu Li replied, refusing Selika’s request to follow.

“After eating, ask a crew member for some gauze and alcohol to treat wounds, or wait for me to return.”

Carrying an oil lamp, Lu Li left the first-class cabin and went to the deck.

The cold sea breeze ruffled his hair and clothes, and there were only a few sailors on the deck, huddled with oil lamps, inspecting.

The dense night enveloped the cruise, outside of the roiling darkness, there was only the sound of waves and wind.

Lu Li turned into the ship, heading down the much-narrower corridor towards the dining hall indicated by a sign.

The Reslin also provided dinner for third-class passengers.

Usually mashed potatoes or fish cakes, but since it was free, most passengers wouldn’t miss it.

The ship’s dining hall was packed with diners, people gathered around round tables, talking loudly.

The aroma of food mingled with smoke and alcohol, swirling around the oil lamps into a haze.

Here felt safer than above.

Stepping into the restaurant, Lu Li seemed to intrude upon a lively, bustling scene.

Lu Li avoided the diners and headed towards the center of the restaurant.

“I’m an exorcist, and I need to borrow this table temporarily.” Lu Li said to the diners, waiting for them to stand and make room, he stepped on a wooden chair, using it to stand on the round table, his head nearly touching the canopy.

The diners in the restaurant looked up, the noise gradually lessened until it fell silent.

“My name is Lu Li, an exorcist.”

Lu Li calmly met the gazes of the people looking up at him: “This ship has hidden something: night sailing might attract anomalies.”

The ship’s dining hall erupted into a buzzing clamor, but before it spread into a chaotic panic, Lu Li’s voice rang out again: “Though the occurrence rate of anomalies is low, the possibility exists.

Just in case, it’s advised to have two people stay awake and two light sources in each cabin.

Don’t be alone and don’t make noise.”

Subsequently, Lu Li reminded them in another manner on how to deal with phantoms.

For instance, if you see something resembling ghostly claws, stomp and strike.

If there’s a rhythmic knock from outside the door, it invites the presence outside in.

If you hear an eerie song, close your eyes until the singing fades away.

This manner of discussing phantoms wouldn’t lower Sanity Value, though the principle was incomprehensible.

Lu Li finished sharing all he knew about the phantoms and, as the dining hall sat in The Time of Silence, he stepped down from the wooden chair and onto the floor, headed towards the exit.

His actions disturbed the overseers of the Reslin.

The captain, accompanied by the first officer and several crew members, met him at the dining hall.

“You can’t do this, sir, please return to your room—” the captain said to Lu Li with a grim face.

He looked around the now-silent dining hall, his face growing even more somber.

If Lu Li wasn’t a first-class passenger, he might be facing the captain’s wrath rather than restraint.

“Senior Investigator Lu Li, I can do this.” Lu Li showed the Three-Eyed Black Crow Badge and calmly stated.

“Then you should inform the first-class and second-class passengers of this matter.”

The captain recognized the Three-Eyed Black Crow Badge, the mysterious exorcists who always frequented dangerous places always carried it.

His tone softened a bit, though his face remained unpleasant, and whispered a reminder: “Your Excellency Lu Lian, the controller behind the Fourteen Shipping Company is an Earl’s family.

Your actions break the rules and affect business, possibly displeasing the Earl…”

“Does he know the dangers of the night sailing?” Lu Li asked.

Of course, he knows.

The captain thought, but such a thing couldn’t be said out loud.

“Mr.

Exorcist, we can go to the Captain’s Cabin to talk.” he politely suggested.

“No need, do you have a pen?”

The captain wasn’t sure what Lu Li intended, but he still obtained a pen and parchment for Lu Li.

Lu Li signed the parchment and handed it to the puzzled captain.

“After landing, give the note to the Earl and tell him I’ve acquired the Fourteen Shipping Company.

The money can be claimed from the merchant, he knows who the merchant is.”

Lu Li had no intention of replacing the passengers in a confrontation with the crew, as that would bring many unnecessary troubles, as well as waste a lot of time.

Acquisition was more time and effort-saving.

After thinking for a moment, Lu Li added: “If you think you’re capable enough, you can become the chairman of the company.

My requirement is to cancel the night sailing, and all company profits are handed over to the merchants.

If you need money, ask them for it.”

The captain stared blankly at the parchment, which bore only a signature and nothing else.

In the past, he would’ve certainly thought it a poor and unfunny joke.

But…

what if it was true?

This exorcist seemed to possess an unquestionable kind of magic.

With an Adam’s apple shifting, the captain took the parchment with both hands.

If this existence really had the ability to acquire the company, he would go from being a cruise captain to the chairman of a shipping company…

“Of course…

after we dock, I’ll go to see the Earl…” The captain’s voice was somewhat hoarse.

Lu Li nodded gently and left the restaurant without lingering.