Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 830 - 23. No-Eyes People

Chapter 830: 23. No-Eyes People

Katerina’s malicious teasing didn’t last long.

The distant church was suddenly illuminated by flames blown over by the wind from the plain.

The glow of a gigantic torch spread out, even brightening the edge of the town.

"Damn it, why now!" Katerina cursed under her breath at the scene.

"What is it?" Lu Li observed the torch, almost feeling the heat of the flames.

"Disaster..." Katerina looked south. "Light Thief."

A shadow, as grand as a mountain peak, was rising from the depths of the wilderness.

"It will snuff out the sky in the final moments of dusk, continuing the eternal night for several days." Katerina’s tone carried a tinge of pessimism.

The wilderness during eternal night would become extremely dangerous, with safe zones shrinking over time. Even the most experienced hunters wouldn’t recklessly leave town during the eternal night.

Waiting for the eternal night to pass is the only option, but a huge problem lay before Katerina: she couldn’t afford to support Lu Li.

Pure humans are very particular about food, requiring low-pollution food to maintain their purity. Even the cheapest, low-pollution black bread costs nearly thirty shillings per pound, not to mention the costly clean water sources.

The combined savings of Katerina and Lu Li’s strange currency sales would only sustain them for three days. Should the eternal night last longer than that, Lu Li would have to travel to Midnight City on an empty stomach.

Perhaps it’s time to abandon greed and opt to "offload" Lu Li in Tang Ge Town. The church has no interest in pure humans, so maybe try the mayor or noble merchants.

"If you sell me to someone who will take me to Midnight City, that’s fine."

Lu Li calmly faced being traded like merchandise.

After all, their collaboration was built on mutual benefit.

Exposing Katerina’s inner thoughts caused her to shake her head in embarrassment. "I won’t do that..."

Lu Li remained indifferent, waiting for Katerina to decide.

To the south, a pitch-black silhouette was creeping and climbing, as though a dark mountain was rising from the earth.

Katerina was still worried about what to do.

Without mentioning pure humans, she had no right to meet the mayor. But saying it could mean greedy guards or stewards might take a share, or even Lu Li himself.

Waiting for the eternal night to pass was the stupidest idea. Who knows how long it would last? Pollution is everywhere; a single meal, a drink, or even a breath could make Lu Li impure.

At that point, Lu Li would be worthless.

Hiring a hunter familiar with the routes? Katerina couldn’t find a trustworthy hunter. Lies and betrayal were the rules among hunters.

"Let’s go!"

The words squeezed out from between her teeth, with Katerina’s fierce gaze like a gambler’s: "We’ve got five hours before the eternal night descends. We can make it to Leviathan Town if we hurry!"

Leviathan Town was the penultimate stop on the map. Further ahead was Ghost Town, accessible to Midnight City via the old sewer.

Once they reached Leviathan Town, Katerina would have new options—discussing Lu Li’s sale with the local church or mayor.

Thus, as people on the plain returned to the town, Lu Li and Katerina moved against the current. Some hunters recognized Katerina, witnessing from a distance as they left the town.

"The Light Thief is coming." a guard casually reminded.

"I know." Katerina replied as she headed into the wilderness.

The guard said nothing more, perhaps assuming Katerina would return before the eternal night arrived, or perhaps indifferent to the life or death of a hunter.

Initially, Lu Li could see people returning to town, but the figures grew sparse as they distanced themselves. A backward glance showed the town’s lights, guiding them like a lighthouse.

They walked relatively comfortably for nearly ten miles, reaching the boundary between the safe zone and the real wilderness, where Katerina began to slow down.

Because some crawling figures blocked the path ahead.

Lu Li thought Katerina would stop, but she continued forward, as though she neither saw the crawling shadows—she did see them, but ignored them for reasons unknown.

"No-Eyes People... a pitiful bunch," Katerina commented calmly.

The crawling shadows were close enough for Lu Li to notice more details: their bodies resembled humans, some wearing tattered rags, most wearing nothing, only covered in dust and dirt.

Their emaciated bodies were like stick insects, with empty eye sockets devoid of eyeballs, but besides the sockets, eyeballs were painted all over their bodies.

The eye-filled surfaces appeared as vividly real, only revealing their illusory nature when taut skin pulled the eye shapes into wrinkles as they crawled.

"Are they human?" Lu Li noted Katerina using people to describe them.

"Yes, those with low Sanity Value see projections of the Inner World. Some cowards gouge out their eyes, but the world’s influence doesn’t disappear, and being driven out of Tang Ge Town for self-mutilation, they can only live in harsh borderline environments. Over time, they become such entities."

Katerina spoke with a mix of sympathy and disdain: "Despite the severe pollution, they’re always on the verge of becoming aberrations, but they’re just like us."

"Will they attack us?" Lu Li asked.

Katerina nodded, saying, "Longing for companions because they cannot see. It’s ironic... they’re more united and trusting among themselves than we are."

"But they’re approaching us," Lu Li said.

Katerina momentarily froze, surveying the area, confirming just like Lu Li said—the No-Eyes People were closing in, forming a circle around them.

"Don’t attack yet..." Katerina simply warned Lu Li.

From the first day of becoming a hunter, Katerina knew the harmlessness of the No-Eyes People.

She had never heard of No-Eyes People attacking humans.

The No-Eyes People didn’t show any intent to attack. They clustered around Lu Li and Katerina, or rather... around Lu Li.

The nearby Katerina was ignored by them.

"Why..." Katerina asked in confusion.

"Let’s keep moving," Lu Li said, knowing what attracted the No-Eyes People.

Avoiding the crowd, Lu Li and Katerina stepped into a wilderness filled with faint murmurs.

The No-Eyes People lingered at the boundary line behind them, not daring to follow.

"How did you do it?" Katerina couldn’t help asking.

"Maybe they sensed my presence," Lu Li replied.

Katerina was about to say that the No-Eyes People had a dull sense of smell, but quickly remembered that Lu Li’s "sensed" referred to feeling.

The No-Eyes People are a group severely polluted and lost, yet they yearn for hope and light.

And Lu Li is the most pure human.

An indescribable emotion stuck in Katerina’s throat. She had struggled to survive since birth, unable to understand what it was, but its sudden emergence touched Katerina deeply.

Looking at Lu Li, he was gazing southward.

The Light Thief’s silhouette was more visible than half an hour ago, its black withered claws reaching out to the sky bit by bit.