The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 1020: Prelude to the Tournament of Ten Powers

Mildred Humphrey was only half right.

The final faction arrived in Midnicht this morning. All the factions for the Tournament of Ten Powers had been officially announced. In addition to the eight teams from last year—the Academy of Giant Trees, the Five Knightly Orders, the Council of Nobles, the Pantheon of Bloody Madness, the Pantheon of the Web of Conspiracies, the Midnight Church, the Alliance of Bloodline Families, and the Old Sewer Front—two new factions were added this year: the Union of Divine Cities and the Secret Cult of the God's Chosen.

Lu Li was already familiar with the first, and the second was composed of the sons of the God's Chosen from the Midnight Church.

The senior students soon discovered that Lu Li had returned to the Trunk Level, and rumors of his participation in the Tournament of Ten Powers began to spread.

Lu Li's arrival further electrified the atmosphere at the academy, which was already buzzing with anticipation for the tournament. They hoped he could help wash away the shame of the Academy of Giant Trees, which, despite being the organizer, had finished in last place for several consecutive years.

"Want to know why the academy failed last time?" Claire asked, crossing her arms in Lu Li's room.

"Because I wasn't a senior yet."

"Tell me about the Lower Academy."

Lu Li ignored Claire's self-praise, though she did indeed possess such strength.

"There's not much to it. The upper level accepts people like you and me, while the Lower Academy takes in outsiders, 异人 (yìrén -異人), and even anomalies. The most important thing is that they identify as human. I have to admit, the students from the lower level are generally stronger than those from the upper. We only avoided last place in previous years because the Lower Academy exists.""But don't trust them too much... This isn't prejudice; their mental states are just extremely unstable due to severe contamination."

"You can believe in them, but never trust them completely."

Lu Li neither confirmed nor denied her words.

When a group isn't a collective consciousness, there are bound to be outliers. Just as there are madmen among humans, there will also be sages among them.

Shortly after Claire left, Lu Li headed to the Swamps. It was his last visit to the swamp hut before the Tournament of Ten Powers.

Seven anomalies were crowded into the pen, more than in previous weeks. Because of the upcoming tournament, the Lords had to "restock the food supply" for Lu Li.

After dealing with the seven anomalies, Lu Li lingered for a moment to inquire about the current state of the Tournament of Ten Powers before returning to the Academy of Giant Trees.

After expending some to save Blitz Tyler and then replenishing his reserves several times, Lu Li still had 34 units of Humanity left.

The next day.

Only one day remained before the start of the Tournament of Ten Powers.

The atmosphere on the Trunk Level grew increasingly tense. It was said that the dueling arena was packed with spectators and participants, and the cheers that erupted with every announced result could be heard even on the surface.

At Claire's invitation, Lu Li went to the alchemy lab. Vice-Dean Kris still wasn't there.

"My mother prepared these for us."

Alchemical items and potions were laid out on the alchemy table. As Claire sorted through them, she explained their uses to Lu Li.

A guiding needle, unaffected by any conditions; a reconnaissance potion that, when sprayed, would reveal the terrain in a radius of two and a half kilometers; an enhanced version of the developing potion; and a sleeping bag that combined the effects of Red Copper and an alchemical mat.

These items, prepared by Vice-Dean Kris, seemed to vaguely hint at the tournament's format.

At noon, a gatekeeper gathered the invited student participants in the assembly hall.

Lu Li sat in the back, but no matter where he was, the halo of his reputation always made him the center of attention.

The surrounding students stared at him. Ernie Hamilton Wayne, a professor of mysticism at the Academy of Giant Trees whom Lu Li had met in the alchemy tower, nodded to him in greeting.

The purpose of the meeting was to select a team leader for the academy's upper level.

Lu Li was undoubtedly the best candidate. However, he declined the role. Professor Ernie Hamilton Wayne didn't insist and passed the leadership to Yorgen Wright.

Yorgen Wright was a leader among the senior students in his own right. His origins from the slums and his firm grasp on his human identity were enough to make him trustworthy. If not for Lu Li, he would have naturally become the team's leader for the tournament.

However, everyone knew that the academy's upper level had another leader: Lu Li.

The point of appointing a leader was so the students would obey their commands, but Lu Li could achieve that without any official title.

"A king without a crown..."

Claire whispered, leaning against the wall and picking at her nails.

Next, Ernie Hamilton Wayne elaborated on the details and dangers of the Tournament of Ten Powers, all of which Lu Li already knew.

Afterward, Lu Li followed Claire back to the alchemy lab, the number Ernie Hamilton Wayne had mentioned still echoing in his mind: 582 participants.

And that was just from the upper level of the Academy of Giant Trees.

The number of participants wasn't unusual; in past years, the number of upper-level students in the tournament had been about the same. What troubled Lu Li was another figure—every year, more than a third of the students died in the Tournament of Ten Powers.

"I can't understand why human strength is wasted on internal competition," Lu Li said calmly.

"Uh, Professor Ernie Hamilton Wayne is misleading you. The death toll isn't actually that high..."

Claire hesitated.

"The professor just wants us to be vigilant and not let our guard down."

Claire seemed to be hiding something, some truth that had been concealed and distorted.

She didn't confess, and Lu Li didn't press her further. In any case, the answer would be revealed tomorrow.

The mysterious Lower Academy and the other nine factions would also be revealed.

For many students, it would be a sleepless night.

...

The long night receded, and morning awakened the slumbering Academy of Giant Trees.

After washing up, Lu Li left the washroom, returned to his room, and checked the Book of the Apocalypse, his stomach, and his spirit pistol. Then he opened the door and headed for the lift in the Mixed Zone.

The senior students were gradually gathering. Lu Li scanned the group and noticed Kiruet and Margaret standing off to the side.

"It's our turn."

Claire whispered beside him. Lu Li averted his gaze and stepped onto the lift.

The continuous, gloomy descent came to an end, and a dim yellow light filtered into the lift.

From above, one could see the vast Swamps. Below, the Safe Zone was dotted with empty black specks.

The unfamiliar dean wasn't there, Vice-Dean Kris wasn't there, the leaders of the nine factions weren't there, and the participants from the nine factions weren't there either.

Even the Lower Academy wasn't here.

Silence and the crowd mingled strangely, presenting a bewildering scene to the pensive students of the Academy of Giant Trees.

On the ground, Lu Li saw many familiar faces: the mysticism instructor, Ernie Hamilton Wayne; Helmund; the divination instructor, The Nameless Lady; the combat arts instructor, "Wild Lion" Ray; Montmis, veiled under a gray cloak; Professor Grey, emphasizing his dignity; and many other professor-instructors he had never seen before.

"Was it like this before?" Lu Li asked, turning his head toward Claire beside him.

"No..."

The lift descended into the Swamps' Safe Zone, and Yorgen Wright led the team off.

"Once you enter the fog, you will be randomly teleported deep into the vast Swamps. The faster you find the exit to the next stage, the higher your score will be," Ernie Hamilton Wayne announced loudly, pointing at the swirling gray fog the students were approaching.

"Defeating participants from other factions will earn you additional points..."

Ernie Hamilton Wayne's voice faded to a whisper as Lu Li stepped into the churning fog.

The students vanished into the hazy mist.