Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 841 - 34. The Town Situated in the Chest Cavity

Chapter 841: 34. The Town Situated in the Chest Cavity

The dagger was thrust toward the chest, but Anna stopped it.

"Even if it’s fake, I don’t want you to get hurt..."

Anna whispered softly, her outline suddenly dissipating like mist, enveloping Lu Li. Her regretful words echoed by his ears.

"Hurry and find me..."

...

The clouds shrouded the sky.

The Dark Wilderness was almost at dusk.

Lu Li’s outline emerged on the Dark Wilderness.

An incomprehensible content, like whispers or written words, surfaced in the depths of his mind.

[Lighthouse]

[The one who manipulates delirium in front of you is like a clumsy clown playing tricks, and the illusion that is no different from reality appears before you like a poorly produced play full of loopholes. You are like a lighthouse piercing through the fog, guiding the lost souls.]

[You can see through most illusions and face the truth.]

[——You have received their favor, yet how can you naively believe there’s no worry]

The Emerald Dream bestowed Lu Li with a Cursed Title.

While the negative remains unknown.

Lu Li observed his surroundings and found himself at the site where the caravan was attacked. The traces from more than ten days ago had not yet disappeared. People, or strange beings, had taken useful items, but the damaged car frames and iron cages were still discarded in the wilderness, uncollected.

The mottled dark land was either stained with blood or the ashes from burning.

From the orientation of the caravan wreckage, Lu Li discerned his direction and walked toward the Ghost Town.

There is always a gap between reality and illusion.

When Lu Li could look out at the Ghost Town, the outline in the distance was not a town on the wilderness——

It was a gigantic skeleton that could be called a Leviathan, with the dwarf mountain it rested on appearing as tiny as a mound in contrast.

More than half of the skeleton was buried deep underground. Even so, the rib bones protruding from the ground were as thick as houses, extending nearly kilometers into the sky. The elongated skull rested atop the dwarf mountains.

The Ghost Town was located right inside the ribcage, seemingly protected by the curved ribs.

The Emerald Dream only fabricated the Ghost Town from Lu Li’s imagination but didn’t present the real Ghost Town.

After gazing for a moment at the fantastical skeleton and the eerie town within the ribcage, Lu Li withdrew his gaze and approached the skeleton.

The closer he got, the more he realized the impressive length of over a dozen miles this skeleton spanned and the sense of security it exuded——compared to it, the Ghost Town seemed as small as a young beast sheltering under a giant creature or a child seeking refuge from rain under an eave.

It seemed that because of its existence, Lu Li was able to walk alone from the perilous wilderness into the safety zone of the town.

Perhaps due to the unparalleled sense of security Ghost Town itself possesses, or because of its connection to Midnight City, stagecoaches and travelers became no longer rare or scarce, resembling a bustling town.

Most of the carts were drawn by Mycelium Horses, but some compartments that appeared to belong to aristocrats or wealthy merchants were drawn by other creatures.

Creatures beyond comprehension.

Hyena-like creatures, as large as horses, with five heads growing tumor-like.

Something resembling a heavy fog, a raincloud, with no fixed shape, only a pair of purple lights showing through the mist.

A group of dwarf-like small creatures that chattered away in human language, though in a disordered manner incomprehensible, pulled the carts wearing harnesses.

Every aspect seemed to drag Lu Li from the time of the Olden Days back to the real world.

Within five miles of the town, the rib bones, like pillars reaching into the sky, were close at hand.

Humans beside it were as small as dust.

Having passed through the natural barrier formed by the ribs, the entrance to the Ghost Town was within sight. But like in the dream when he arrived at the Ghost Town, Lu Li faced the same problem: he didn’t know the rules of the Ghost Town.

Following a group into the town, Lu Li approached a guard, pulled down his hood, and asked, "It’s my first time in Ghost Town. May I know the town rules?"

"Don’t be scared."

The guard, clad in an armor style unique to the Olden Days but now useless, replied.

"There are many... mischievous little guys who will suddenly jump out to scare you——"

As the words fell, a small clay figure, no bigger than a finger, crawled out from the gap in the breastplate, screaming at the guard.

The guard was startled and choked.

Some people who turned to look because of the scream habitually withdrew their gaze.

"You’ve said too much, hee-hee-hee——"

The clay figure laughed and jumped to the ground, slipping into the town and disappearing.

"So don’t get scared, screaming will get you teased by them."

Perhaps due to Lu Li’s appearance, or maybe because the guard was bored on duty and needed to pass the time, he added, "Also, don’t anger these little guys, or the Church won’t spare you."

Lu Li inquired further about a tavern to gather information, and the guard recommended he go to the Cape of Good Hope Tavern, advising him to mention his name to the innkeeper so no one would dare mislead him with false information.

Of course, the guard would earn a little introducer’s fee, too.

After thanking him, Lu Li headed to the Cape of Good Hope Tavern—it was in the middle of the narrow, elongated Ghost Town.

The patrons of the Cape of Good Hope Tavern were a mix of locals, outsiders, and merchants taking a temporary rest.

Events occurring in the Dark Wilderness could usually be heard about here, although it came with a price.

Lu Li walked into the tavern, and the black robe shrouding his outline drew some wary glances, as common folk wouldn’t typically hide their appearance.

But as Lu Li brushed off his black robe, the wariness faded, and the gazes turned into keen interest.

The tavern keeper, while guessing the origin of this clean and noble-looking man with black hair and eyes filled with mystery, asked, "Hello honorable guest, what do you need?"

"Hans recommended I come here, to make some inquiries."

The tavern keeper grinned broadly, "Whether it’s the deep stories of Ghost Town, Midnight City’s secrets, or the origin of the little guys, you can learn about them all here."

What the tavern keeper mentioned indeed interested Lu Li, but he only had 212 Shillings, not too little, but not quite enough either.

Lu Li had to skip over such interesting pieces of information and asked instead, "The whereabouts of the caravan from Leviathan Town to Weird Town on the first day of Eternal Night."

The tavern keeper’s smile widened further, "You’ve come to the right place; the only survivor from the caravan is resting in a guest room right now."

Could there be others who escaped from the Emerald Dream?

Was it the caravan leader who held the Cursed Title?

The tavern keeper called for a staff member to get someone from upstairs, then informed Lu Li, "From your intelligence transaction, I will take a ten percent share, with half of it going to Hans."

This was the tavern’s rule.

Of course, the parties could leave the tavern to conduct their transaction, although once outside, nothing was the tavern’s responsibility.

After waiting for a moment, a sudden clamor erupted from upstairs. Dust trickled down, and customers looked up in surprise.

Bang——

Someone tumbled down the stairs, crashing into a wooden table and knocking over plates and wine bottles.

A agile figure leaped down from the second floor, landing on the person rolling down, making the latter arch his body and spew a large amount of filth, fainting away.

A woman drew a dagger from her thigh and swung it at the unconscious man.

"Hey, no fighting in the Cape of Good Hope Tavern!" The tavern keeper shouted a warning.

"Then is stealing allowed?"

The woman mockingly replied without turning her head, continuing to swing the dagger, cutting open the man’s shirt pocket to retrieve her belongings, along with the man’s possessions.