Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 734 - 734 253

734: 253.

The actor takes the stage 734: 253.

The actor takes the stage The food in the second-class cabin and the third-class cabin is only mashed potatoes and fish cakes.

The good news is that they are supplied in unlimited quantities, so you can eat until you’re full, as long as you don’t take any away.

The fish cakes taste worse than expected.

Although they smell tantalizing after being fried, making one’s mouth water, the overwhelming fishy taste and the bitterness from unremoved gall bladders make them hard to swallow.

However, for civilians who rarely eat meat, this is quite a sumptuous dinner.

What could be more satisfying than eating to the brim?

Lu Li did not eat much, but Emin Grolyn seemed quite interested in the fish cakes, devouring piece after piece, almost an adult man’s portion.

During this time, The Time of Silence visited, and the alarm that rang urgently brought the boisterous and lively restaurant to a sudden dead silence.

People’s faces still bore the emotions of a moment ago, their eyes filled with unease.

A few minutes later, the alarm rang again, signifying the end.

The restaurant was filled with sounds of relief, as the atmosphere gradually eased, but it was difficult to restore the initial liveliness.

After the meal, Emin Grolyn sucked her fingers, bashfully complained to Lu Li that her stomach was now bloated.

She noticed that Lu Li was not accustomed to the food, so after returning to the cabin, she shared some fruit with him.

The Ashuli was to arrive at the Barren Lands on the West Coast in a day, so it was important to get enough rest.

At 8 PM, Emin Grolyn closed her Pharmacology book and put it back on the bedside table, beginning to take off the outermost cloak.

Underneath was a casual outfit that outlined her nice figure.

She quietly glanced at Lu Li, who was reading the Study of the Weird, and slipped under the covers.

A rustling noise was heard, and a pale arm emerged with her top and pants in hand.

Emin Grolyn seemed overly open.

Or rather, overly trusting of Lu Li.

“Good night, Mr.

Luli.” Emin Grolyn, snuggled under the covers, said shyly with only her head exposed.

The cabin returned to silence, as Emin Grolyn received no response from Lu Li.

“Mr.

Luli?”

After a few seconds, Emin Grolyn couldn’t help but break the silence.

“What,” Lu Li calmly looked up.

“Why didn’t you…

I thought you didn’t hear me say good night.”

The warmth beneath the covers seemed to increase, as the silhouette beneath them stretched out a bit.

“I heard.”

“Hmm…

but you didn’t respond…” Emin Grolyn said quietly, aggrieved, covering her mouth and nose, leaving only her blinkingly long-lashed eyes visible.

“…Not used to it.”

“Why is that?” Emin Grolyn asked curiously.

If the three organizations hadn’t merged, this curious girl would probably be a candidate for an investigator.

“Some personal reasons.”

“Alright then…”

With Emin Grolyn’s disappointed murmurs, the cabin became quiet again.

Occasionally, footsteps and voices would come from the corridor, but as night deepened, only the occasional “creak” of deformation from inside the ship remained.

Nearing 9 PM, Lu Li closed the Study of the Weird.

Opposite, Emin Grolyn seemed to have fallen asleep, her cheeks bearing a sweet smile.

Lu Li took off his black coat, hung it behind the door, and lay down in the slightly cool covers, entering dreamland.

As time passed, apart from the two bustling restaurants and the bold couples lingering on the deck under the searchlights, and the busy lower boiler level, most areas of the Ashuli had fallen silent.

The Ashuli quietly sailed across the calm, fog-covered sea.

Without any surprises, this calm would last until the eerie fog lifted after dawn—

In the dead of night, a sudden clamor of hurried, frantic footsteps echoed outside the cabin in the corridor.

Along with it came the loud shouts of the crew.

“All passengers remain calm, do not bring the oil lamp near the porthole, close the curtains, stay in the cabins, and do not go out!

All passengers remain calm, do not bring the oil lamp near the porthole, close the curtains, and stay in the cabins!”

Passengers woke up, unable to resist opening their doors to peek outside, but all they could see were crew members shouting the above commands rushing past.

“What’s going on!?” Emin Grolyn, now awake, asked Lu Li, who moved the oil lamp away, in panic.

“Might have encountered something.”

Lu Li turned down the brightness of the oil lamp, hooking his arm around the bedpost to avoid falling if the ship suddenly lurched.

Emin Grolyn mimicked Lu Li and clung to the bedpost.

The bedding slipped off her, revealing her youthful figure clad only in a vest top.

“All passengers remain calm, do not bring the oil lamp near the porthole, close the curtains, stay in the cabins!”

The crew shouted as they ran down the corridor again, and then the cabin fell into absolute silence.

It didn’t last long before the ceiling lights suddenly dimmed.

Buzz—

The sailing Ashuli cut off all electrical power, the lights at the portholes and on the deck faded piece by piece from the stern to the bow, finally merging into the night.

The silent Ashuli floated quietly on the sea like a massive iceberg.

In the anxious fear of all the crew and passengers, time slowly passed by.

The sea, hidden by the curtains, was shrouded in darkness.

Creak—

The resonating sound of the ship’s deformation was clearer in the silence, as the hull tilted slightly but soon stabilized.

As if some massive presence was swimming past the Ashuli, stirring underwater currents.

With low Sanity Value but high humanity, Lu Li could sense more: a vague, oppressively massive aura was surrounding the bottom of the Ashuli.

Its broad back scraped gently against the bottom, causing the Ashuli to shiver slightly.

Its perception was dull, unaware of the large amount of food this floating object carried, or perhaps it was uninterested.

Soon, the obscure aura receded, the sea calmed.

A few minutes later, the light above flickered on, the ensuing illumination dispelling the passengers’ oppression and unease.

Emin Grolyn seemed to breathe a long sigh of relief, then curiously glanced at Lu Li’s hand resting on his waist: “Is that your weapon?

The Spirit-Calling Gun?”

“Yes.”

Lu Li adjusted the oil lamp brightness back and put it away.

Emin Grolyn seized the moment to grab her cloak, blushing as she barefooted onto the floor, opened the cabin door, and peeked out.

Many other passengers were also in the corridor, asking about what had just happened.

The crew member approached, Emin Grolyn called to her and asked, “What happened just now?”

“Just a small trouble, miss, everything is over.

Please rest well,” the crew member replied formulaically, and answered every questioning passenger in the same way after that.

This incident was just an interlude, and none of the over two thousand crew and passengers had the misfortune of encountering calamity.

But there were still casualties.

For instance, some crew and passengers died unexpectedly during The Time of Silence, and there were evil spirits sneaking aboard the Ashuli for a meal.

Encountering such an event on the first night of a seven-day-six-night voyage was not a good omen.

The passengers’ anticipation for their new homeland was considerably shaken.

However, this had nothing to do with Lu Li and Emin Grolyn.

On the second evening, the Ashuli approached the Bridgehead Port on the West Coast of the Barren Lands.