Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 825 - 18. Wanderer’s Tavern

Chapter 825: 18. Wanderer’s Tavern

"You’d better not eat these things; they’re too polluted. Only those without money would eat them."

Katerina finished speaking and then lowered her voice to ask again, "Are you really... hmm?"

She didn’t say the word, worried that the ears in the tavern might hear it.

"Asking the same question repeatedly won’t change the answer."

Lu Li had a good idea of what pure humans referred to: high humanity and high Sanity Value.

Maybe there were also genetic issues, but in the world of the mysterious side, science hardly mattered.

Lu Li’s words bolstered Katerina’s confidence. She dropped her worn-out bundle onto the table, making a sound like stones colliding.

The tavern owner behind the counter approached, and Katerina tore open the bundle, revealing the unilluminated Fluorite Mine inside.

"How much are these Fluorite Mines worth?"

"Did you go to the mine? Are those Mantis Ghosts still there?" The middle-aged owner with deep dark circles around his eyes rolled his eyeballs, his hunched back making him seem gloomy and unapproachable. "8 Shilling."

"Information needs to be bought and this is too little." Katerina wasn’t a rookie Hunter, giving away information easily.

The middle-aged owner lowered his head, dug out his right eyeball, and placed it on the wooden table. Four slender and nimble legs extended from the bottom of the eyeball, scuttling over to the bundle, inspecting it in circles.

"11 Shilling, including the information. No more, such a quantity simply won’t sell."

He said, catching the eyeball attempting to escape, weirdly re-inserting it into the socket, rotating a few times until it aligned with the other eye.

"Deal."

Katerina retrieved some still warm Shilling from the leather armor on her chest, found 20 Shilling, and gave it to him: "Get me some black bread."

"Black bread? That stuff’s expensive and won’t fill you up." The middle-aged owner turned to look at Lu Li, seeming like he was going to slice a layer of meat off while whispering, "A new face who’s never appeared in town before..."

"He’s... my cousin, don’t think about targeting him." Katerina warned, pinching her left eye, ready to pull out a Homogeneous Item at any moment.

The middle-aged owner ignored Katerina’s threat, giving Lu Li a sinister smile, "You two don’t even have the same hair color."

"So, he’s my cousin." Lu Li met his gaze calmly.

"Bee Sting, you’re too tense." The middle-aged owner grinned, no longer dwelling on hair color, and turned back to the counter.

"He’s the tavern owner, Old Pete. We all call him a hyena because, just like a hyena, he’s sharp and cunning." After Old Pete walked away, Katerina whispered, keeping her gaze on his back. "We must never let him know when we’re gathering information."

"Why not choose a different tavern?" Lu Li asked.

"Because other taverns aren’t open to hunters like me." Katerina spoke with no hint of disappointment or other emotion, merely stating a fact.

Though the term Hunter sounds glamorous, even though many Hunters’ reputations could rival legendary Exorcists, and they might even be regarded with respect by the church, authorities, or nobility, most Hunters had nothing to do with that.

Most hunters were better known as: Scavengers.

They’re at the lowest tier of human society, wandering around towns to eke out an existence. The only moment of luxury in their lives is when they sell themselves.

Then they go to their deaths.

Katerina wasn’t of that sort, but she wasn’t far off.

"I know a Hunter we can trust; he comes to the Wanderer’s Tavern every two hours." Katerina glanced towards the tavern entrance, "He should be here soon."

Two minutes later, Hyena Old Pete brought over the black bread and some change, giving Lu Li one last deep look, especially at his perforated linen shirt and coat that was obviously taken off a dead man.

But he didn’t probe further.

The hard, cold black bread was difficult to cut even with a knife; its uneven black surface resembled dried bark. It was poor in taste, expensive, and offered no advantages other than being "cleaner."

By comparison, the neighboring table held a plate of steaming, fragrant meat that even the chaotic tavern atmosphere couldn’t mask. But Katerina told Lu Li, "You wouldn’t want to know what kind of meat that is."

It might be human, or it might be something odd.

Lu Li ordered a cup of boiling water, managing to soak and soften the black bread before consuming it. The black bread, mixed with wood chips, provided a good deal of sustenance, at least enough to stave off hunger.

"I’d like to take a bath and change clothes." Lu Li looked towards Katerina.

"That’s too extravagant."

Though Katerina said that, she still got a room and a barrel of hot water for Lu Li; together they cost less than the black bread.

"Need some entertainment, dear cousin?"

Old Pete leaned over the counter, speaking as Lu Li approached the staircase, "With three breasts, four legs, a Dwarf, or name your preference, only a little extra cost."

"Not needed." Katerina answered on Lu Li’s behalf. "When Mole arrives, have him find us in the room."

Ascending the old wooden stairs to the dim second floor of the tavern, the corridor echoed with loud noises from an unknown room. Before entering their room, a scantily-clad woman in sheer fabric emerged from the adjacent room.

The woman’s lower abdomen bore two spider-like slender legs, as long as her forearms, which could retract and extend. Passing Lu Li, she batted her eyelashes at him, with a cheap, pungent perfume trailing as she descended the stairs.

Entering the room, the confined, dim space held only a single bed. The lampshade contained a weakly glowing fluorite.

Lu Li walked to the window, gazing outside.

The sky hadn’t changed, with rings of lava still dripping downward.

Katerina lifted the fluorite, carefully inspecting the floor, walls, and ceiling for gaps, as well as for any eavesdroppers.

Ten minutes later, the wooden bucket filled with hot water was delivered to the room, and Katerina paid for the room and water, locking the door.

"You still use Shilling as currency?" Lu Li departed from the window.

"Yes. It was your currency back then, right?" Katerina tucked the remaining Shilling into her chest. "Maybe because they can’t produce more, or out of nostalgia for the past, people still use Shilling. In some places, they use Strange Currency or gold."

The mention of Strange Currency reminded Lu Li of something; he retrieved the matte polygonal stone from his pocket, given by an existence in the fog.

"Is this it?"

Katerina examined it for a moment, shaking her head, "I’ve never seen Strange Currency either... If it is, it would be worth many Shilling, but I don’t recommend trading it."

Strange Currency held much higher value than Shilling, and virtually no one was willing to exchange Strange Currency for Shilling.

The bucket of water steamed, and Lu Li began removing his clothing.

Katerina didn’t seem inclined to leave. She sat at the bed edge, even carefully observing Lu Li’s body for any malformed organs.

When he was down to his shorts, Lu Li paused, with the piece from the Doomsday Apocalypse in his pocket, and stepped into the wooden bucket.

The hot water opened his pores, washing away his fatigue.

Lu Li took a deep breath, sinking below the water, his short black hair floating like seaweed.

This chapter is updated by freew(e)bnovel.(c)om