Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 857 - 50. Civilization of the Weird Times

Chapter 857: 50. Civilization of the Weird Times

"Is it really possible?!"

Puxiu raised his head in surprise, sneaking a glance at Katerina: "Will Miss Katerina agree...?"

"It has nothing to do with me," Katerina said indifferently.

She only wanted to reach Midnight City, get the reward for "selling" Lu Li, and start a new life.

Puxiu’s tail lifted just a bit, asking dejectedly: "But how will I enter Midnight City..."

Midnight City forbade the entry of the strange, or at least, so it seemed on the surface.

Lu Li’s gaze fell on a rat alien not far away.

They inquired about the way to smuggle into Midnight City. The group of rat aliens, whose talent was digging holes, thumped their chests and said they could safely and quickly take people to Midnight City, but the exorbitant price made them give up—Katerina’s entire money wasn’t enough for Puxiu to be smuggled into Midnight City.

Katerina wouldn’t give all her money either.

Puxiu had to stay in the old sewers, waiting for Lu Li to attain enough shillings or status to come and take it away from the old sewer.

Lu Li borrowed some money from Katerina and rented a nearby tavern room, letting Puxiu wait for them there.

The big sister continued to follow, proudly claiming that the Midnight City church folks couldn’t discover her.

"Don’t die, little guy."

Katerina bid farewell to Puxiu and, with Lu Li, set off on the old sewer towards the surface.

There were many companions in the old sewer. Some wore hunter’s leather armor, some were in civilian linen clothes.

Katerina grew more and more eager for the sight of Midnight City and her money.

"Remember to return the money I lent it,"

when Katerina said to Lu Li, as they could smell the breeze blowing in from the Dark Wilderness.

The oppressive stone walls disappeared overhead. The night sky, obscured by clouds, lay exposed upon the ground with the breeze carrying the scent of the Dark Wilderness.

A magnificent city, unfettered by walls, sprawled ahead.

Rows of houses extended, with the lower ones forming the outskirts of Midnight City, and as they got closer to the center, the buildings grew taller and brighter.

Mysterious black towers were scattered throughout the city, with beams of light like lighthouse searchlights skewering the low, thick clouds, illuminating the night sky.

There is no night here.

At the city’s very center stood quietly a hundred-meter tall bronze statue of the Lady of Midnight, cloaked in black robes.

"She’s more beautiful than in the picture..."

Katerina gazed at Midnight City, murmuring to herself.

In the weird era where humanity barely clung to life, such a magnificent and unobscured city standing in the Dark Wilderness was enough to render one speechless.

It further solidified the gratitude and faith towards the Lady of Midnight who protected them.

Humanity was building a new civilization on a land ravaged by strangeness.

As beautiful as roses.

And as fragile as roses.

Lu Li would not forget the fate of the once Arlen Kingdom.

He turned back at this moment, looking in the direction from which they came.

His gaze passed over the old sewer, towards the distant eastern sky. Weak glows like fireflies flickered in the air.

A creature with enormous wings named Flying Yaga wandered the skies.

Withdrawing his gaze, Lu Li and Katerina, who was almost becoming a believer, headed towards Midnight City.

"What are those towers?" Lu Li asked.

They seemed out of place with the surrounding buildings, adding a lot of mystique to the city.

"I don’t know... Could it be the church?"

The closer they got to Midnight City, the more people there were accompanying them.

Pilgrim believers gathered, joining the Midnight City nuns in a chorus.

The big sister in the hood hid away from them.

"The Lady of Midnight came to earth."

"Her mercy sprinkled, forming places the strange dared not tread."

"She needs no human praise."

"Only hopes the seeds will take root and sprout."

"Blown by the wind, fallen by the rain, written out, she is everywhere—"

The song reminded Lu Li of the rules Puxiu told them about Midnight City: Do not speak ill of the Lady of Midnight in any form.

The believers of the Midnight City church differed from those in the small towns along the way.

Those believers were colder, distant from people, because they needed to wear a veil of mystery to maintain their dignified enigma.

Midnight City did not need that.

Setting foot on the bustling streets of Midnight City, Katerina’s steps suddenly became hesitant.

She didn’t know how to find a "buyer".

The City Lord? The church? Or the nobility?

Katerina was a hunter.

And hunters had their own ways of dealing with problems.

Katerina stopped a passing mycelium horse-drawn carriage, and the coachman warily pulled out a short sword, loudly inquiring of the presence in the carriage: "I come from Tang Ge Town and want to know how to find the City Lord or the church nobility!"

After a slight pause, an elderly reply came from the carriage: "Tang Ge Town? Is it the town where the rule is not to harm oneself?"

"Yes."

After a brief wait, the aged voice continued: "First question, Midnight City is a parliamentary system, with no City Lord’s Mansion. Second question, which church are you looking for? If it’s the Midnight Lady Church, it’s easy to find. Last question, you can visit those nobles in the manor."

The slow and orderly response made one can’t help but imagine the figure of an elderly scholar.

"Are you from the nobility or the City Hall?" Katerina asked.

"City Hall? Maybe," the old man replied ambiguously.

A withered arm extended from the gap of the opened carriage door, holding a parchment business card.

The coachman took the card and handed it to Katerina, who then passed it to Lu Li: "What does it say?"

[Kleinse University]

[Professor of Archaeology]

[Nuno Alexandrovich]

"It’s a business card, and the carriage holds a university professor."

"A university professor..."

Katerina seemed to have heard this term somewhere.

"So does it mean a person with money?"

"One could say so."

"Good." Katerina clenched her fist and, lowering her voice, told the old professor in the carriage: "I know clues about pure humans."

The old professor’s voice slowly came out: "Pure humans? You should seek out the powerful rather than a scholar."

Katerina frowned: "Aren’t you interested in pure humans?"

"It’s complicated..." A low sigh came from the carriage: "Forget it, come on up, we’ll talk back at the academy."

Katerina didn’t respond, instead gazing at Lu Li.

"If his identity is true, he is more trustworthy than many nobles," Lu Li answered her hesitation.

Moreover, the scholar’s identity could help Lu Li learn some things.

Sensing Lu Li’s inclination, Katerina agreed to get on the carriage and go back with him.

They didn’t enter the carriage, just sat at the edge with the coachman.

The coachman picked up the reins, and the hooves clattered on the cobblestones, resuming their journey.

Lu Li looked up at the towers scattered across Midnight City, turned his head, and asked: "What are those black tower buildings?"

The old professor’s answer soon came from the carriage.

"We call them Alchemical Towers."