The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 1023: The Underdwellers' Mining District

A merchant named Antoni had responded to their call, bringing the migrating party scarce food and medicine.

The grateful man had his companions distribute the food, then personally gave the medicine to a young boy. His own demeanor calmed as his aura began to recover.

"Are you sure you want to take them with us? We'll be slowed down, and we won't earn many academy points."

The spider-girl approached Lu Li, who was standing nearby, calmly waiting for the group to rest.

Her blunt words reached the ears of the migrating party. The people, who had just begun to eat with relief, slowed their chewing, awaiting their sentence.

"It's fine," Lu Li responded.

"It's your decision."

The spider-girl had no love for those who scorned her, but now, she was Lu Li's knight.

"Your Excellencies, thank you for your help..."

The weary man rose and walked over to Lu Li, expressing his gratitude once more. He even included Ida, whose body was monstrous but whose face was delicate."Everyone, it's time to move."

The people suppressed the urge to finish their food, stood up, and followed Lu Li, skirting the underdwellers' mining district by following the edge of a marshy lake.

"You're different from the others... Lu Li," Ida whispered from beside him.

"No prejudice, a respect for life... that's why we chose you..."

"A pity..."

Ida seemed to lament some non-existent future. With a rustle of her arachnid limbs, she moved away from Lu Li to scout the path ahead.

The underdwellers were sure to have secured their mining district.

Thus, as they neared the mining district, the dangers of the Swamps receded, except for the man-eating bogs themselves. Still, wandering silhouettes could be seen scattered around the district's outline.

"Ida."

Lu Li called back the spider-girl who was scouting ahead. Together, they removed their academy emblems and changed into worn-out clothes they had requested from the migrating group.

Ida complained as she put on the sour-smelling clothes, but she soon understood Lu Li's reasoning.

Shifting silt rose from the bog beside the path, forming a vague mud puppet.

"State your purpose, civilians."

Even for a creature made of mud, it radiated arrogance.

Having been prompted by Lu Li beforehand, the group's leader answered humbly:

"Your Excellency, we are from Cotton-Town... we wish to—"

Sploosh—

The silt collapsed back into the bog, the mud puppet dissolving into the mire, unwilling to hear them out.

On their way to the mining district, they encountered several waves of patrols. Time and again, their disguise as a migrating party allowed them to pass through the cordons.

The identity of these creatures and the target of their search were clear: participants.

The details about the exit from the Forbidden Zone were similar to those for the entrance, so the appearance of other participants wasn't unexpected. As a result, some participants lingered around the exit like hyenas, preying on others to earn academy points.

The mining district, controlled by the underdwellers, prohibited fighting, so the hyenas could only prowl the perimeter.

Their disguise as a tattered migrating party allowed them to enter the mining district unimpeded.

Lu Li protected the migrating group, and in turn, the migrating group protected them.

The road leading deeper into the mining district was blocked by a wooden wall, and the perimeter had been turned into a market street by these underdwellers, who resembled wealth-loving fairies.

Leaving Ida and the exhausted migrating group to rest, Lu Li followed the wooden signs that were posted everywhere, arriving at the center of the market street.

"Central Station of Midnight: Passage."

A spiral passage leading underground was fenced off with a grate, and a short underdweller was waiting for Lu Li to approach.

"A ticket to the Central Station is 10 shillings. You can pay with goods. If you have nothing, you'll have to work for three days. Food and lodging provided," the mole-man said, its light-sensitive eyes on its flat face staring at Lu Li.

"Is the exit here?"

The underdweller leaned forward and sniffed the air.

"Of course not, but we have information about the exit."

"What do you need?" Lu Li asked.

"We need you to do something for us," the underdweller grinned, baring filthy yellow gums.

"Find an opal deposit. The opals will be ours, and the information will be yours."

Opals were a specialty of the Swamps. Though the raw gems didn't need refining, the deposits were scattered.

"How many shillings for the information about the exit?"

Lu Li didn't have time to waste or to complete various prerequisites.

"How much can you offer?" The underdweller's teeth were almost fully exposed, its smile reminding Lu Li of Gades.

"10,000 shillings."

"The north of the Swamps. There are many undeveloped opal deposits there."

"10,000 Anomaly Currency."

"Deal!"

...

On the way back to the migrating group, someone was following Lu Li.

The person made no effort to hide, and even when Lu Li turned to face him, he approached calmly.

"No offense, Your Excellency Lu Li, but we need your help," the believer said, bowing respectfully. A badge on his chest read "Union of Divine Cities."

Lu Li watched calmly, waiting for the man to explain his purpose.

The ten factions of the Tournament of Ten Powers had been scattered randomly throughout the depths of the Swamps. This meant two things: the earlier they entered the Swamps, the higher the probability of meeting comrades, and that certain areas would have a higher concentration of a particular faction's members.

The Academy of Giant Trees had entered the Swamps early due to its low ranking, but unfortunately, this underdwellers' mining district was not their territory.

The Alliance of Bloodline Families dominated the vicinity. While they didn't go out of their way to hunt other factions, they had no qualms about eliminating participants to gain academy points.

The underdwellers' mining district had become a trap. Approaching participants were eliminated by roaming members of the Alliance of Bloodline Families. Those who were lucky enough to use secret arts to slip into the mining district faced an unavoidable fact: they were now trapped here and couldn't leave.

Thus, some of the trapped participants had united to break the blockade.

"The Union of Divine Cities, the Five Knightly Orders, the Council of Nobles, and your Academy of Giant Trees—we're all part of the breakout alliance."

"You don't need my help," Lu Li stated flatly.

"It's not that simple..." the believer from the Union of Divine Cities said regretfully.

"We can't trust each other... The Knightly Orders and the Council of Nobles are in conflict, the Council of Nobles despises the Union of Divine Cities, and the Academy of Giant Trees and the Knightly Orders have a secret pact... We're like wet sand squeezed together—it will fall apart at the slightest touch. Only you can turn that sand to stone, because your reputation is unparalleled and persuasive."

"I'll think about it."

Lu Li replied simply. He had no intention of leaving just yet.

The believer from the Union of Divine Cities misunderstood something and added frankly.

"If you're planning to complete the underdwellers' task, don't trust them. They'll only give you a Saying, as meaningless as a fortune-telling. You'll get no help from the Saying; its only purpose is that when you find the answer, you'll remember the Saying and think it was right all along."

In the distance down the street, the migrating party saw Lu Li returning, and Ida approached with a rustle of her articulate limbs.

"I can tell you a secret..." the believer from the Union of Divine Cities whispered, as if having made some great decision.

"A clue about the Cursed Title of the Swamps."

Ida drew closer, eyeing the black-robed believer from the Union of Divine Cities with suspicion.

Lu Li thought for a moment, then gave a slight nod.

"Come with me."