The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 147: A Guide to Tenebrae

"Right."

Inside the Big Wave tavern, Lu Li answered the old woman curtly.

"For you to walk out of that swamp in one piece... it's a miracle," the old woman remarked. She was clearly terrible at small talk, which likely explained why her tavern was the least popular on the street.

"The job is done."

"Right."

Lu Li kept his answers short.

The old woman, a pipe clenched between her teeth, glanced up from behind the counter. Her eyes swept over Lu Li, from his dripping hair down to the puddle forming at his feet. A look of impatience soured her face. "Your carriage is in the stable. Get up to your room. If the roof's leaking, tell Jack. I've got hot water and medicine, but it'll cost you."

"Do you have today's newspaper?" Lu Li asked. He was after something else.

"No newspaper. Want a book?"

"That will do.""Wait here."

The old woman disappeared into the kitchen and returned a moment later, tossing Lu Li a copy of "A Guide to Tenebrae."

Lu Li caught the guide, picked up an oil lamp from a table, and headed upstairs.

The old woman barked after him, "Jack! Get down here and wipe this floor!"

Jack, the same server from the day before, grabbed a bucket, gave Lu Li an embarrassed smile, and hurried downstairs.

Retrieving the key from under the floor mat, Lu Li unlocked the door. The scent of damp wood greeted him. He stepped inside, lamp in hand, and set it on the table.

The door clicked shut. Anna appeared in the room and threw herself onto the bed.

"I'm so tired..."

She lay on the bed as if she were alive, her hair fanned out across her face, her translucent white legs dangling over the edge.

The only giveaway was her dress, which phased right through the bedsheet.

Anna lay there for a few seconds, then sat up abruptly. She tucked her legs together, a faint blush on her cheeks, and smoothed her hair. In an instant, she was once again the elegant porcelain doll from her portrait.

She had suddenly remembered that Lu Li was still in the room.

"Get some rest. I'll keep watch."

Lu Li took off his backpack, one he had specifically chosen for its waterproof fabric. Unzipping it, he found the contents slightly damp but not soaked through.

At least his prized flashlight was still working.

"Mm... you must be more tired than I am, right?" Anna asked, still blushing as she stole a glance at Lu Li.

The room was quiet, save for the howling wind and drumming rain outside the window.

The relative silence was unsettling for Anna, who was used to the constant noise in her ears.

She watched him set his pack on the edge of the table and shrug off his tattered cloak. "I slept a little on the way out of the swamp," he said. "I'm fine."

The alarm clock on the table read 7:25. It had taken them nearly an hour and a half to make it back to Tenebrae through the storm.

Anna pinched her thumb and forefinger together, indicating a tiny amount of time. "Then I'll just rest for a little bit, and then I'll relieve you."

"Alright."

Lu Li didn't bother changing out of his cold, wet clothes just yet; they clung uncomfortably to his skin. He had a spare set in the carriage and would change after fetching some hot water to wash up.

And some hot food.

Of course, Anna could see how exhausted Lu Li was. She felt a pang of guilt, mixed with a flicker of secret delight.

Such insincere concern...

Anna lay down on the narrow bed, folded her hands over her stomach, and closed her eyes.

It was the first time Anna had rested outside the In-Between, and it felt strange, but Lu Li’s presence was a comfort. She could have slipped back into her own realm to rest, but the thought of leaving him alone in the room seemed... pathetic.

As she drifted off, Anna’s slight fidgeting ceased, and she became perfectly still.

Lu Li glanced at the sleeping Anna, watched her silently for a few seconds, and then looked away.

A ghost's slumber was much like a human's, save for the absolute lack of movement.

The chill from his damp clothes kept him rooted to the spot. He idly flipped through the "Guide to Tenebrae" until something caught his eye. He froze, his finger hovering over the edge of the page.

Lu Li remained frozen for a long moment, rereading the passage carefully. Finally, he looked away, his mind processing what he’d just read.

Opening a drawer, he lit a spare candle. Leaving it in the room, Lu Li went out with the oil lamp.

The door closed quietly. The faint candlelight wavered for a moment before steadying.

Nearby, the "Guide to Tenebrae" lay open to the fifth page, which described one of the local delicacies.

[Lightfruit]

[The fruit of a plant that grows in humid environments with sufficient sunlight.]

[Habitat: Swamps]

[Maturation Period: Three months]

[Appearance: Grows at the base of trees in the swamps. The unripe fruit is green, turning brown when ripe. When boiled, the unripe fruit also turns brown.]

[The first settlers of Tenebrae discovered this fruit in the Shadow Swamp. After consuming it by accident several times, they discovered its hallucinogenic properties and identified it as the Lightfruit they knew from elsewhere. Previously, people who consumed Lightfruit found that this fruit, typically used in medicine for anesthesia, possessed a surprisingly pleasant taste, and they began adding it in small quantities to their food as a flavor enhancer.]

[After this practice led to several unpleasant incidents, the first head of Tenebrae, Mr. Johnson, forbade it. However, some residents continued to secretly consume Lightfruit for its taste. Mr. Johnson was a kind and merciful man and did not wish to punish the residents. He magnanimously forgave those who secretly consumed the fruit and, for the sake of his people, personally took up the search for a way to avoid the hallucinations.]

[One day, while Head Johnson was resting under a tree in the swamp, searching for the fruit, a fruit fell on his head. Head Johnson picked it up and recognized it as an unripe Lightfruit.]

[Head Johnson wondered why the fruit fell down instead of up, and why it had fallen directly onto his head. Head Johnson decided it was a sign from above. He thought: if a ripe Lightfruit causes hallucinations, what will happen if I eat an unripe one?]

[Head Johnson gathered the unripe Lightfruits and, to keep them intact, wrapped them in his clothes and returned to the town.]

[Head Johnson prepared a dish with the unripe fruits and decided to try it himself. When they learned of this, the residents gathered at his house to dissuade him. But Head Johnson said, "Every one of you is my citizen, and I will not let you take this risk." He then ate the dish he had prepared.]

[Before everyone's eyes, Head Johnson first praised the dish's flavor, and then, to everyone's astonishment, discovered that the hallucinations that had long plagued the residents did not appear!]

[The great Head Johnson found a new source of income for Tenebrae. Even decades later, the residents of Tenebrae still add unripe Lightfruits to their food. Let us all thank Head Johnson for everything he has done for Tenebrae!]