The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 132: Entering the Swamp

The road cutting through the Shadow Swamp was a simple affair of packed earth. It was raised slightly above the mire, just enough to keep it from being swallowed by the floods of the rainy season.

As the caravan left Tenebrae behind and started down the swamp road, red cords appeared, tied to the withered trees lining either side. Some were bright and new, while others had faded with time, bleached pale or stained a grimy black.

The caravan leader, a frequent traveler on this route, explained they were left by passersby hoping to ensure a safe journey.

Near the swamp’s entrance, these makeshift charms were plentiful. But as the caravan pressed on, leaving the relatively normal plains behind and plunging deeper into the wetlands, the world on either side of the road dissolved into a lifeless, shadowy expanse. The red cords grew scarcer, until only the ones that had blackened completely remained, dangling from the branches of twisted, desiccated trees and swaying in the faint breeze.

They looked like contorted human figures, waving at the caravan as it passed.

It seemed Lu Li’s unique black eyes and quiet aura made him quite popular—among the women... and the men.

The caravan leader was a stout, full-figured woman with chestnut hair. She warmly invited Lu Li to ride in her wagon, chattering the entire way about things she thought might capture his interest.

She spoke of the ghostly silhouettes and Six-Armed Savages that were common knowledge to anyone who traveled this road, and of an abandoned cluster of wooden houses, just barely visible through the dead trees deep in the swamp, about a mile or so from the road.

“They say the Shadow Swamp wasn’t always like this,” the chestnut-haired woman said, her eyes fixed admiringly on Lu Li’s profile. “A long, long time ago, people used to live out there. But then nature turned dangerous, and the swamp became uninhabitable.”

Then, she felt an unpleasant chill emanating from a corner of the wagon.Lu Li merely nodded, saying nothing. His dark eyes reflected the swamp’s murky depths, capturing the image of that ancient, dilapidated cluster of wooden houses, overgrown with green moss.

After traveling for about eight to ten kilometers deeper into the swamp, the five-wagon caravan slowly ground to a halt.

This was as close as the road would take him. The Bloody Tentacle lay somewhere off to the side, and he would have to venture into the swamp on foot to find it.

The chestnut-haired woman gave Lu Li a simple wooden staff and warned him to be careful. Some patches of ground, though they looked solid and covered with fallen leaves, were actually bottomless bogs that could swallow a person in an instant.

“Thank you,” Lu Li replied politely, accepting the staff.

“Where can I find you later?” the woman asked, stepping subtly closer and breaching the customary distance kept between strangers.

After a brief silence, Lu Li answered, “Belfast. The Bizarre Detective Agency.”

He didn’t offer a business card, as he saw no reason why his path would cross with the chestnut-haired woman’s again.

Besides, there was something in her gaze that signaled trouble on the horizon.

And as a rule, Lu Li detested trouble.

“I’ll remember.”

The woman reluctantly climbed back into her wagon, her longing gaze fixed on Lu Li as he stood by the roadside. She watched until the wagon pulled away and his figure shrank into a tiny black dot in the distance.

Lu Li averted his eyes and walked to the edge of the road, staring out into the swamp.

Anna materialized beside him, her expression a mixture of resentment and pique.

"Oh, stop it! You and your irresistible charm!"

Anna desperately wanted to say the words aloud, but she was too embarrassed to actually voice them.

A thin layer of mist hovered over the swamp. The faint impression of the Bloody Tentacle was barely visible in the haze, descending toward some point in the marshland before him.

For a swamp nearly a hundred kilometers wide, this spot was far from the center, not even deep within its heart.

In years past, the swamp had been a vibrant green expanse. Trees had blotted out the sky, and reeds as tall as a man could easily swallow a lost traveler. Its lush vegetation and wild fruits had made it a paradise for small animals.

But the climate had changed all that. Now, not a single trace of green could be seen in the lifeless, marshy forest. Only the occasional croak of a frog or the chirping of some unknown insect from a clearing brought a flicker of life to the desolate landscape.

Twisted, dead trees exposed their gnarled roots, their forms blending with the damp earth and stagnant pools to create a walkable, if treacherous, surface.

The true rainy season had not yet arrived. When the strong winds and downpours came, this place would once again be submerged beneath a vast sheet of water.

All except for the road he stood on.

And the greenery, which would never return.

Lu Li’s gaze lifted toward the depths of the sky. A dark cloud was drifting in from the east; it looked as if another rain was imminent.

Entering the swamp at such a time seemed like a poor decision. But waiting for a rain of unknown duration to pass was an even worse one—especially if it meant having to take up residence in Tenebrae.

“Let’s go.”

Lu Li spoke, then descended the slight embankment from the roadside, his feet landing on ground covered in a thick layer of rotting leaves.

A soft, yielding sensation traveled up from the sole of his shoe. Lu Li pulled his foot back and looked at the shallow print he had left.

It would hold.

Anna floated behind him, her senses on high alert. She scanned their surroundings, ready at a moment’s notice to yank Lu Li out should he step into a mire.

But Lu Li was exceedingly cautious, probing the ground ahead with the staff. They left the relative safety of the road and entered the tangled thickets of the swamp without incident.

The natural light began to grow strange. Dappled sunlight filtered through the gaps in the dead branches, casting the swamp in a dim, murky gloom. The insect sounds that had been audible from the road had faded at some point, and now, an unnerving silence reigned.

The dark, cold, and lifeless atmosphere did little to faze Lu Li. He moved steadily through the contorted trees, occasionally glancing up through a sparse patch of branches to realign himself with the faint impression of the Bloody Tentacle before continuing on.

The silence stretched for more than ten minutes.

The path underfoot grew progressively more difficult. Stagnant pools of water blocked their way, and uncertain of their depth or true breadth, Lu Li had to either find a way around them or carefully pick his way across the intertwined roots of the trees.

Though Anna could have used her powers to lift him across, it felt like a waste to expend her energy on mere navigation.

Throughout their trek, Lu Li saw not a single blade of green grass, nor any tracks of insects, birds, or other animals.

There was only decay and lifelessness, as if the swamp itself had long since died.

The tip of his staff poked at the fallen leaves on the ground ahead. What had appeared to be solid earth suddenly rippled, like the surface of a water balloon.

Lu Li stopped and prodded it again.

His palm felt a slight resistance, and the dark gray, damp ground several meters ahead undulated with another ripple.

It was likely a hidden bog or a large pocket of water trapped beneath the turf.

Anna watched with curiosity as Lu Li carefully skirted the area. The trap was much larger than it first appeared; he had to walk more than ten meters to the side before he was safely past it.

Rustle, rustle.

They hadn’t gone far when a sound reached their ears, like the quick patter of feet scurrying over fallen leaves.

Anna whipped her head around, her clear eyes narrowing as she whispered, “Something just scurried past!”

“Probably just a small animal that lives in the swamp.”

Lu Li’s calm voice came from nearby.

Anna glanced over in surprise and saw that he was standing with his back to the direction of the sound, as if paying it no mind at all.

Then she noticed that his right hand had subtly closed around the grip of the Spirit Gun at his hip.