Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 739 - 739 258

739: 258.

Thorns blocking the road stretch ahead 739: 258.

Thorns blocking the road stretch ahead “It’s just…

like being in a dream.”

Moray stared at the Shilling on the table, whispering in disbelief that he got them so easily.

But he also felt a bit worried: “Are you sure it’s true?

That the plant disease is caused by those heretics, and they’re plotting something bigger…?”

If it’s false, they should run away now.

If it’s true, this money is well-earned, but it doesn’t bring happiness…

“Who knows.” Parker replied drunkenly while holding a bottle.

“Uh…” Moray looked back at the Shilling on the table, feeling a bit eager.

“Take your reward and put it away, don’t let those guys find it.”

“No.

You should take it.”

“What?

This isn’t—” Moray was about to argue, but Parker interrupted rudely.

“Why not?

Anyway, it’s going to be used for drinking hic—”

“Alright…

I’ll set this money aside and only use it to buy drinks for you and me,” Moray said, licking the taste of alcohol from his lips and reaching for them.

Parker then pushed his chair open, staggered to the tavern door.

“Where are you going?”

Parker raised his head and downed the last drop of wine, holding the bottle while speaking without turning back: “I’m going to go home, have a proper rest for a day, and then…

continue drinking.”

“Alright, see you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow.”

Shoulder pushing open the wooden door, the swaying Parker disappeared behind it.

…

“Tawei Town is…

here.”

A delicate finger poked northeast of Luo Lei Castle, about thirty miles away, not too far.

“Should we go now?

I think it’s better to resolve things here first…”

“Why.” Lu Li observed the yellowing map, asking calmly.

“The believers are making a big plot, we need to stop them, after all, that’s our goal, isn’t it?

As long as we disrupt Luo Lei Castle’s plot, their conspiracy will be like a machine without gears and stop.”

Emin wasn’t clear about Lu Li’s true motives, but her suggestion was equally valid: Aunt Mary was in the hands of the believers, disrupting their plot could delay her impending harm.

However, if they went to Tawei Town now, they might be able to meet up with Anna.

“This way we can also help that assistant lady.

The believers’ attention will be drawn away, allowing her to act better,” Emin added.

Emin’s words persuaded Lu Li.

They returned to the Exorcists Association.

Knowing Lu Li decided to stay and help, the exorcists were visibly pleased; having someone to share the pressure is always good, especially when there are only two Demon Slayers here.

However, they were not optimistic about Lu Li solving the plant disease.

The plant disease had spread for at least over three weeks, during which they found no solution.

The branches protruding from bodies were clipped off, only to grow new ones elsewhere soon.

The exorcists attempted constant “cleaning” of the branches on a patient not long infected, but it only resulted in the patient being covered in scars and suffering from anemia and extreme pain.

The infected continued to grow buds and branches.

“We can’t feel any curse or parasite from them, as if the plants sprouting are a part of their bodies…” One exorcist sighed.

None of the exorcists were fools.

They quickly suspected that the plant disease affecting locals might be related to local people, thus beginning an investigation into the origins of the infected and the history of Luo Lei Castle, unfortunately finding no useful clues.

“How many are infected.” Lu Li asked.

“A total of seventy-eight people, now only fifty-six remain, all arranged on the second floor of the association.” an exorcist replied.

“Can plant disease infection lead to death?” Emin asked puzzled.

“No…

You’ve seen the patient infected the longest; she’s still alive.

It’s…

for other reasons…” The exorcist’s mood became low, not hiding the previous events from Lu Li.

“At first when the first infected was discovered, the Lord’s Mansion snatched him up, portraying him as a terrifying monster, then was treated as a monster and placed on the gallows…”

“You use gallows to deal with ‘monsters’?” Emin interrupted the exorcist’s narrative.

“No…

we all knew he wasn’t one of those monsters, but the Lord’s Mansion needed the people to be brave, while infected patients couldn’t think or resist…”

The exorcist bitterly continued: “The poor patient was strangled on the gallows, but soon some soldiers and civilians who had been in contact with patients showed similar conditions.

After killing a few more patients, people realized it was a terrible plague.”

“The dead infected?”

“All burned.

We feared the corpses would contaminate the land.”

“So you haven’t done any autopsy or dissection?”

“No…”

The exorcist shook his head.

That sounded like something a doctor would do, not the exorcists.

Lu Li asked them to find a doctor who could perform surgery, and a patient capable of undergoing surgery.

An autopsy might not help them find the truth, but it could help eliminate part of the falsehoods.

Surgical mortality rates in the early industrial era were high, with patients primarily dying from bleeding during surgery or post-surgical infections and various complications.

Therefore, the exorcists forcibly selected a patient “willing to cooperate” with the surgery, and they described him as “a scumbag who hurt innocent little girls out of desire,” and that the poor little girl also became infected.

Clearly, they were prepared for the patient’s death.

This shabby man struggled and shouted like a mad dog when bound to the operating table, but fell into deep sleep after a doctor’s anesthesia injection.

The surgeon was a “foreign doctor” who had lived in Luo Lei Castle for over ten years.

“Local” was a stringent condition, such as needing to be born in Luo Lei Castle.

But to be safe, the doctor and the spectators, including Lu Li, wore splash-proof clothing.

The doctor removed the patient’s upper clothing, revealing numerous un-healed wounds on his body surface, some already oozing pus.

“See those wounds?

Patients infected for more than ten days grow so many branches, but he’s only been infected for three days.

The more they resist pulling off branches, the faster they grow.”

The muffled voice from behind the exorcist’s mask explained: “His wounds have nothing to do with us, they’re caused by the infected themselves.”

“I’m about to start the surgery, take a step back.”

The doctor kindly reminded, slowly slicing the patient’s chest and abdominal skin with a sharp scalpel.

Blood oozed out, and the doctor wiped it away with cotton, continuing the surgery…

or rather, dissection.

Of course, the doctor knew the patient’s identity.

Peeling back skin and fat layers, the doctor’s voice of disbelief came from behind a blood-stained mask: “Incredible…

All his organs are fibrous…”

“Fibrous?

What’s that?” The exorcist asked.

Lu Li quietly observed.

The organs exposed to the air were not pathological fibrosis, appearing more like coarse wood fibers.

“It’s like turning into cork,” the doctor explained simply.