The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 166: The Birth of the Investigators and the Night's Watch

"That's why I'm so glad to meet a kindred spirit, especially here in Belfast," Tesla said, exhaling in relief.

"Are you also part of that small group?" Lu Li asked.

"Yes," Tesla replied, his expression softening. "I'll have to invite you to my home sometime. You can meet my wife."

Lu Li took the hint and didn't press the matter.

Instead, he turned to the topic that interested him most. "Could you tell me about the Investigators?"

"Of course. That's precisely why I'm here."

The history of spirit hunters spans over seven hundred years. By tradition, every hundred years is considered a generation, and we are now in the seventh.

In the fourth generation, about three hundred years ago, the spirit hunters divided into two groups: exorcists and spirit hunters. Then, in the sixth generation, just over a century ago, the Investigators and the Night's Watch were formed.

Until then, the Spirit Hunters Association adhered to a single principle: "We investigate, we discover, we cleanse."

They operated alone or in small groups, traveling through mountains and rivers, across seas and into cities, resolving whatever problems arose. If they couldn't handle a situation, they would call on other spirit hunters for aid.The world wasn't as dangerous back then. Aside from a few ancient ruins, most places were safe. And while many spirit hunters still went mad and perished from deteriorating Mind Levels... they held an absolute advantage at the time. Evil Spirits were mostly subjects of research, their powers harnessed for the benefit of humanity. For instance, using the Shadow Stealing Fire to extinguish forest and city fires, or predicting disasters with the help of a Black Crow. There were other studies, too, like how the Heartwood could materialize a person's Mind Level.

But over time, the number of Evil Spirits inevitably grew, their influence expanded, and the spirit hunters' advantage gradually diminished. The situation, however, remained under control.

This continued until the end of the fourth generation of exorcists, about three hundred years ago.

The great explorer Solasivia Khim set sail and discovered the Fallow Lands. His voyage seemed to awaken something in the depths of the sea, because from that point on, creatures distinct from Evil Spirits began to appear on the continent. They were called Evil Gods.

At the time, many blamed Solasivia Khim, claiming his explorations had brought disaster upon the world. Weighed down by these accusations, Khim one day left port on his beloved ship, The Zephyr, and was never seen again.

However, after an investigation, the spirit hunters discovered that Evil Gods had existed in the Fallow Lands long before Khim's arrival—for hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of years.

Solasivia Khim had most likely just carried their aura with him, making the Allen Peninsula and the continent a suitable environment for the Evil Gods to thrive.

Evil Gods, much like Evil Spirits, are chaotic by nature and are natural enemies of humanity, which strives for order. And so, two weights were now placed on the scales of Chaos.

The other two types of the four categories, Spirits of Defilement and Anomalies, appeared relatively recently, just a few decades ago. Anomalies emerged from the depths of the sea—mostly indescribable objects that are gradually spreading from the deep ocean to the shores and inland. Spirits of Defilement, however, are shrouded in mystery. Very few exorcists have ever encountered them, so information is scarce.

It is likely, however, that Spirits of Defilement will become more numerous over time, and many more people will learn of them—though that bodes nothing good.

Back then, with only Evil Spirits and Evil Gods in existence, the scales were almost balanced. The situation was still manageable for the spirit hunters, but far too many of them were dying each year in the line of duty.

Therefore, to reduce their losses, the fourth-generation spirit hunters began to move from chaos to order, striving for greater efficiency.

It was then that they split into exorcists and spirit hunters.

The exorcists were composed of less experienced members, responsible for the safety of cities and villages. The spirit hunters, meanwhile, took on the more dangerous assignments: exploring hazardous territories and eliminating threats.

This system lasted until the sixth generation. Gradually, as societies became more enlightened, centralized kingdoms and island councils began to engage with the spirit hunters, seeking cooperation and implementing more effective methods of governance. The exorcists and spirit hunters of that era started to collaborate with the authorities, eventually splitting into the Investigators and the Night's Watch.

And so, the Investigators and the Night's Watch were born.

As Lu Li already knew, these two organizations had different responsibilities. They no longer followed the "We investigate, we discover, we cleanse" principle of the old, unified organization. The Investigators focused on probing strange phenomena, gathering intelligence, and relaying it to headquarters. The Night's Watch, in turn, was responsible for eliminating the threats that were uncovered.

The Investigators investigate; the Night's Watch cleanses. The Spirit Hunters, meanwhile, continued to handle both.

The advantages of this approach were obvious. Exorcists with special talents no longer had to risk their lives on missions for which they were ill-suited. An expert in investigation, for example, no longer had to fight an Evil God, while a powerful warrior wasn't forced to infiltrate an Evil God's territory.

More importantly... they now got paid.

It wasn't that the spirit hunter organization didn't reward its members, but its internal reward system was typically used for bartering for Anomalies, resources, or information. Cashing them out for actual money was impractical.

As a result, most spirit hunters lived in poverty.

Collaborating with the authorities solved that problem.

The work of the Investigators lived up to their name. Adventurous types could travel and explore the world, sending information about any discovered anomalies back to headquarters. In return, they received rewards in the form of credits or cash, depending on the information's value.

Those who preferred not to roam could take on assignments within a specific region or continent, travel to the site of an incident, conduct an investigation, and get paid based on the value of the evidence gathered.

This intelligence was then passed on to the Spirit Hunters Association or the Night's Watch for further action. Of course, if an Investigator managed to eliminate a threat single-handedly during an investigation, that was encouraged, and they would receive the full reward typically designated for the Spirit Hunters or the Night's Watch.

Taking on assignments was not mandatory for Investigators, and their freedom wasn't restricted in the way it was for members of the Night's Watch. An adventurous Investigator could freely travel and explore the world, even if they found no anomalies. After all, the organization wasn't paying them a salary.

By all appearances, the Investigators' organization was exactly what Lu Li was looking for: a free and unregimented community.

"I'll give you more details once you join the Investigators. That's all for now. It's your turn to speak," Tesla said, finally recalling that this wasn't an afternoon tea party, but a Mind Level test.

"If I talk too much, the Heartwood Branch might mistake me for the test subject. And I haven't been able to find another branch for testing in all of Belfast."

With that, he turned and, casting aside his gentlemanly demeanor, shouted gruffly toward the backyard, "Old Man Pick, bring an easel out here! I know you're hiding back there!"