Detective Agency of the Bizarre
Chapter 869 - 62. "The Third Expedition

Chapter 869: 62. "The Third Expedition

The Ghost Mask stared at the clay jar of the same size.

"This is not premium clay!" the Big Sister screamed.

"It really is."

"No, it isn’t!"

"You haven’t opened it to see yet."

"It’s not!" The Big Sister covered her nose with her fingerless puppet hands. "Clay doesn’t smell this bad!"

The unsealed clay jar was emitting a faint musty stench like rotten moss from a grave.

"I understand now."

Lu Li nodded gently. His understanding of "premium clay" was somewhat different from theirs.

Picking up the clay jar, Lu Li opened the wooden door and handed it to the guard outside, asking him to inform Dean Loren to look for odorless clay, and if possible, to bring several different types of clay.

Returning to the room, the Big Sister stood arrogantly with her hands on her hips on the table.

Lu Li couldn’t get rid of it for the time being.

However, even if the clay was found, the Big Sister might not return to Ghost Town... finding clay seemed more of an excuse for her to sneak out.

"Can you tell me about Ghost Town?" Lu Li asked.

The Big Sister was not as guarded as she was at first: "What do you want to know?"

"What is the divinity of Ghost Town?"

"I won’t tell you!"

The Big Sister screamed and pounced, skillfully climbing up to Lu Li’s unresisting shoulder, disappearing behind him.

Still, it would take some time to learn anything from its mouth.

Moving to the window on one side of the room, the crowd gathered at the estate gate had scattered due to the night, and by tomorrow at dawn, they would come again, eager to see Lu Li.

Dean Loren advised Lu Li not to contact them. Midnight City was not a monolith; it was a mixture of various types of people, from the bottom, middle class, to the upper class, and missionaries of different faiths.

Their desire to meet Lu Li was not purely innocent.

Swish—

Lu Li closed the curtains and returned to the fireplace, glancing at Katerina, who was drinking red wine at the table, her eyes slightly glazed: "Aren’t you going back?"

"Are you going to sleep?"

"Yeah."

"Can I sleep here?" Katerina swirled her wine glass, the firelight reflecting in her eyes.

Puxiu held its breath, its face turning back and forth between Lu Li and Katerina.

"Better not," Lu Li replied.

"Why can it stay?" Katerina pointed at Puxiu.

"He’ll sleep on the carpet."

"Alright... hic!"

Katerina shrugged indifferently at the rejection, as if speaking casually, then tilted her head back to finish the remaining wine, standing up a bit unsteadily and leaving the room.

Soon, the sound of Katerina returning to her room could be heard through the walls. Shortly after, a faint whisper-like singing began.

"Miss Katerina might have something on her mind," said Puxiu, perking up its ears.

"Why?"

"The book says... people who are troubled would sing to vent their emotions after drinking," Puxiu sat on its hind legs. "Mr. Luli, do you know what’s troubling her?"

"A sense of unreality," Lu Li said.

"A sense of unreality... you mean Miss Katerina is afraid that these things are false?"

"Yeah."

"Why would she feel that way?" Puxiu asked confusedly: "Is it because everything now is so different from when she was a Hunter?"

"I, too, wonder if this is a dream or an illusion, but not as severely as Miss Katerina..."

"We encountered the Emerald Dream on our way," Lu Li and Puxiu mentioned what happened before entering the old sewers.

Like previously mentioned, no one could prove to Katerina that this was real because everything real could be judged as false.

Only time could dilute everything.

The singing next door gradually faded as the drunken Katerina fell asleep.

Puxiu was also preparing to rest.

"See you tomorrow, Mr. Luli."

It pulled a blanket from the couch, circled on the carpet in front of the fireplace, and lay down, the blanket fitting perfectly over it.

In the "crackle" of the fireplace, a peaceful night passed.

Lu Li was woken up by Puxiu.

It was gnawing on the firewood, trying to throw it into the dimmed fireplace, but its aim was poor, the flying wood hit the edge of the fireplace, awakening Lu Li.

"Good morning, Mr. Luli!"

Hearing the rustling on the bed, Puxiu wagged its tail and turned to speak.

Faint light crept from the curtains, the clock in the corner pointing to eight.

Lu Li buttoned the top two buttons of his shirt and walked over to Puxiu, picked up the firewood and threw it into the fireplace, then went to the window and pulled open the curtains.

The crowd that dispersed last night had gathered once more at the gate, though for now, there were only a dozen people.

Light spots swayed around the window, as if someone was spying with a telescope.

Lu Li stepped away from the window.

Katerina was still asleep, she drank quite a bit yesterday, slipping into a deep slumber. Although red wine didn’t have as much alcohol as those cheap distilled liquors, it was still too much for someone who almost never drank, so much so that it wasn’t until Dean Loren knocked on the door for a long time that she groggily awoke.

"Please prepare yourself, we will be going to Monte Theatre to watch ’The Third Expedition’ in an hour."

Which was a show created based on Lu Li’s experiences.

"Puxiu wants to go too," Lu Li said.

Dean Loren thought for a moment and said, "That’s fine, but it shouldn’t be exposed to the crowd, so it’s best to put a cloak on it. We’ll prepare one."

In Midnight City, many hid their identities under cloaks.

Before the cloak was lifted, no one knew if it concealed a person or a monstrosity.

"By the way, will you have something to say?"

"No."

Lu Li declined to partake in the public speeches or any related engagements; he simply wanted to be an audience member and watch his story unfold.

"I will get ready then."

Dean Loren exited the room.

Back in the hallway, turning around, Dean Loren suddenly saw Professor Nuno Alexandrovich, smelling of herbs, standing in front.

"Nuno..."

"This is a betrayal, you can’t treat a hero like this!"

Professor Nuno Alexandrovich sternly accused.

"Shh..."

Dean Loren had to call the guards to take Professor Nuno Alexandrovich away from the door, whispering to him: "Listen, Nuno, this is for the good of all of us. Do you understand!"

"You’re exploiting him!" Nuno Alexandrovich, whose faith seemed tainted, growled with bloodshot eyes.

"This isn’t exploitation; even if it is... it’s exploitation that benefits everyone! Don’t let pollution affect your consciousness, think carefully, could His Excellency Lulian be forced by us, could he do something he doesn’t want to?"

Nuno Alexandrovich’s bloodshot eyes showed a hint of pain: "...I’m... trying to maintain my thoughts."

"No one is forcing His Excellency Lulian, and he wouldn’t be forced by us... your current obsession is influenced by the pollution on your left hand..."

Dean Loren patiently spoke to Nuno, whose mental state was quite poor.

"Are you coming, Nuno? Though I think you should rest well—"

Professor Nuno Alexandrovich shook his head at this time: "I want to go."

"In the last moments of life, I want to watch him be known by everyone..."