The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 148: A Quiet Night

Catherine had never seen such a perfect physique.

None of her five ex-husbands, nor any of the laborers who came into the tavern for a drink with their torsos bared, had ever compared. They all had either repulsive bellies or coarse, unattractive muscles. But here before her was a flawless body, like a work of art in a museum...

She was glad she had managed to secure an opportunity to watch Lu Li wash himself for the small price of some hot water and a bowl of hot soup—a welcome comfort in the cold storm.

Her only regret was that Lu Li, even while bathing, had not taken off his shorts.

The sound of running water stopped. Wreathed in steam, Lu Li emerged from the misty bathroom. He took a towel from the old woman waiting by the door and dried his wet, black hair.

“When will the food be ready?”

“As soon as you’ve changed into dry clothes, you’ll find it on your table,” the old woman replied, reluctantly tearing her gaze from Lu Li’s chest as she returned to the main hall.

After drying his hair with the towel, Lu Li tossed it into the sink and put on the clean clothes that had been laid out for him.

A minute later, now dressed, Lu Li returned to the hall. On the same table where he’d eaten dinner the previous night, a steak, chicken soup, red wine, and a candle were waiting. The old woman, moving faster than Lu Li, had managed to change into a red dress that had probably once suited her very well.

The scene was only missing a bouquet of roses to be a true romantic dinner.Under her watchful gaze, Lu Li walked to the table, took his portion of steak and soup, and also picked up his oil lamp.

“Thank you.”

With a word of thanks, Lu Li turned and headed up the stairs.

He opened his door, and a single black strand of a woman’s hair fell from the doorjamb.

Lu Li entered the room, nudged the door shut with his shoulder, and walked over to the table to set down the food and the lamp.

Anna was still resting, unmoving. Lu Li supposed this might be how all ghosts rested.

Outside the window, the rain continued to pour, but the wind had eased slightly, its piercing whistle no longer so distinct. After extinguishing the candle, Lu Li sat down at the table.

On a rainy night, sitting by the window, Lu Li ate slowly, watching the flashes of lightning.

The sudden bursts of light allowed him to see the quiet town under the rain, the Shadow Swamp in the distance, and also some curious illusions brought on by his lowered Mind Level.

Even specially trained individuals struggled to maintain their sanity in the face of these illusions. They were everywhere, appearing without warning. Unlike most people, Lu Li regarded them calmly, retaining a sense of curiosity about the unknown.

Of course, one could also call it recklessness.

This world was not kind to the curious.

After watching the storm for a while, Lu Li shifted his gaze to the flashlight lying near his soup bowl.

The flashlight was small, only two fingers wide. Its body was made of a wood-like material, with a smooth surface covered in strange rings reminiscent of a tree’s annual rings. It combined elements of mysticism and technology, evoking a steampunk aesthetic, much like the Spirit Gun.

Lu Li had already tested it. The beam was dim, reaching a little farther than an oil lamp but illuminating a much smaller area.

Its value lay in providing light in the darkness, preventing it from completely swallowing everything. That is, if it worked reliably.

The figure in the bird-beak mask, when mentioning the flashlight, had said “an invitation for an invitation,” and the Inquirer's reaction had also been rather strange. This meant the flashlight was a kind of pass.

The Inquirer was a trainee investigator. The figure in the bird-beak mask had taken Lu Li’s invitation and most likely used it to bring the Inquirer to some sort of meeting. Perhaps one could temporarily assume the masked figure was an investigator... a real one.

A sign of membership in the Investigators’ organization?

A sprout grew from the steak on his plate, blossoming, bearing fruit, and rotting within seconds. The fruit fell onto the steak, its skin split, and a mass of tiny spiders spilled out. They scattered and vanished into the void.

Waiting until the illusion infecting the steak had faded, Lu Li calmly picked up his fork, cut off a piece of meat, and put it in his mouth.

The taste hadn't changed, though the meat had cooled a little.

After spending a few minutes on his meal, Lu Li took the dishes downstairs to the main hall, then returned to his room to wring out his clothes and hang them on a hook behind the door.

Then, Lu Li once again picked up the *Guide to Tenebrae* and began to read it from the beginning by the dim light of the oil lamp. If one ignored the excessively flattering descriptions of each town leader and the clearly fabricated stories, the guidebook was quite interesting and a good way to pass the time.

Anna woke around eleven o'clock at night and took over the watch from Lu Li.

Lu Li asked her a few questions and received answers to all of them.

When her energy was depleted, Anna was forced to sleep.

While asleep, Anna could still sense the world around her, but only within a very limited radius—just a few dozen centimeters.

Her sleep was like ordinary sleep, but without dreams. Anna could wake up at any moment, just as she had now.

She could rest in the In-Between.

Over time, her powers grew slowly but steadily.

Having finished his questions, Lu Li and Anna switched places. Lu Li covered himself with his wool coat, and Anna picked up the *Guide to Tenebrae* that Lu Li had just been reading.

“Good night,” Anna said softly.

Lu Li didn’t reply, simply pulling the coat over his head.

The rainy night once again fell silent.

The wind died down, and the frequent flashes of lightning in the clouds gradually receded, leaving only the downpour.

Anna quietly drew the curtains, hiding the near-total darkness outside. The soft glow of the oil lamp illuminated her face. From time to time, the rustle of pages could be heard.

...

When the sky began to fill with a cold light, Lu Li woke up as if on cue.

He parted the curtains. The rain was still falling, evidenced by the rivulets of water on the glass and the patter of drops. But it was no longer as furious as it had been the day before.

The hurricane had moved deeper inland, leaving destruction in its wake.

From his second-floor window, Lu Li could see what had become of the town. Torn-off roofs, toppled trees, and debris were everywhere. The awakened residents were already beginning to clear the streets and repair the damage. A long line of freight wagons snaked down Trio Street below.

Thanks to its elevated position by the swamp, Tenebrae hadn't flooded during the storm, though some of the unpaved streets were difficult to walk on.

Lu Li put on his coat, took his umbrella, and headed for the door. Anna wanted to go with him, but he stopped her.

He just wanted to go out and buy a newspaper.

However, as he was closing the door, Lu Li noticed Anna become translucent, trying to follow him discreetly.

Saying nothing, pretending not to have noticed her, Lu Li went downstairs.

The old woman, Catherine, wasn't at the counter. A young man named Jack was dozing there instead. Six o’clock on a cold morning was no time for an elderly woman.

Lu Li opened the door and stepped out of the tavern, greeted by the cold, damp air.

Lu Li’s breath misted in the air. It was quite chilly.

Opening his umbrella, Lu Li descended the steps, crossed Trio Street, and approached the newspaper kiosk on the other side.

The newsboy was busy clearing away branches and water from around the kiosk. He told Lu Li that today’s papers hadn't arrived yet. When the boy offered to deliver one, Lu Li gave him the name of the Great Wave Tavern.