The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 176: The True Cause of Illusions

"I've taught you everything I can."

Tesla couldn't help but marvel at how perfectly suited Lu Li was for the role of an exorcist. If Lu Li's Mind Level hadn't deviated so far from the norm... Tesla would have been willing to give him a chance.

"Touch the branch. It will change after you touch it. The degree of change depends on the state of your Mind Level."

Lu Li nodded and reached for the black branch on the table. His fingertips brushed against its rough surface.

An indescribable, somber sensation seeped through his fingertips and into his mind. For a moment, a strange vision bloomed in his mind's eye: a colossal ficus tree with a lush canopy shaped like an umbrella. Its thick trunk, as if coated in layers of ice, was black as pitch. Not just the trunk, but the branches and leaves were all the same shade of black, forming a grim, enormous tree. Somewhere at the edge of the vision, the faint outlines of human structures were barely visible.

The vision lasted only a few seconds before vanishing like a soap bubble. Tesla, sitting opposite him, stared at the table in astonishment.

Lu Li followed his gaze. Lying on the table was a small pile of ash, still holding the shape of the branch.

It was raining again today, but there was no wind, so the ash didn't scatter as it had yesterday.

Noticing the expression on Tesla's face, Lu Li asked, "Is it that bad?"

"It's not that it's bad," Tesla replied, shaking his head and rubbing the silver ring on his index finger."It's very bad."

...

Beneath a grim sky, a fine drizzle fell. An umbrella rustled softly, half a face visible beneath its rim.

Clutching a parcel wrapped in brown paper, Lu Li walked along Sailor Street.

He moved at a leisurely pace, keeping to the edge of the pavement, a clear sign that he was lost in thought.

Lu Li could still picture the surprise on Tesla's face when he had calmly admitted to already being in the illusion stage.

"Why didn't you say something sooner?"

"You didn't ask."

They had both been mistaken.

After the first failure, Lu Li had assumed Tesla's organization was aware of his Mind Level stage, while Tesla, in turn, had presumed Lu Li's case wasn't serious.

After all, he acted completely normal.

Patients who reach the illusion stage typically exhibit the following symptoms: madness, heightened sensitivity, a distrust of everything, and constant doubt.

Aside from the last one, none of these symptoms were present in Lu Li.

Unable to contain his curiosity, Tesla had asked, "Do you see these things now? Hear them? Feel them?"

"Yes," Lu Li replied, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Could you explain in more detail?"

When one's Mind Level drops to the illusion stage, projections of beings from the In-Between begin to appear, and whispers and murmurs fill one's ears.

Most people in this situation become agitated.

But this doesn't apply to exorcists. Most exorcists who deal with the strange and unusual aren't afraid of illusions. Like Lu Li, they know these are merely projections, incapable of causing them harm. At times, they can be an inconvenience, interfering in a fight or causing insomnia with their constant whispering.

But that's not all.

These projections and sounds carry with them the aura of their true forms. It's a grim aura, one that humans cannot bear. Even one percent of this aura, emanating from a projection, is enough to drive a person mad.

This aura infects a person, causing their Mind Level to fall even further until they either go insane under the pressure or survive this stage, only to move on to an even more terrifying level...

This is precisely why, in the early days, when the Mind Level wasn't yet a tangible concept, spirit hunters suffered immense losses.

Nowadays, people can determine their condition with a Mind Level test, rest, and undergo treatment to recover from the illusion stage.

You could say that the aura is the true terror of the illusion stage.

But that wasn't happening to Lu Li.

Lu Li experienced only the sights and sounds. He didn't feel the grim aura they carried.

"Could it be because I'm not from this world?" Lu Li wondered.

"I'll send this information along with your file to the regional office. Frankly, if you didn't appear so normal, your file would most likely have been rejected on the spot. I value your potential, so I want you to survive."

"Does that mean I can't join the Investigators?"

"There's a strong possibility. You see, the negative consequences of a declining Mind Level have plagued us for hundreds of years. Your case is a significant discovery. If we can study it, we might no longer be completely at the mercy of these... anomalies."

"That said, they'll probably hound you with questions at the office. It can be quite exhausting."

"I don't mind."

Lu Li saw no downsides to this.

He could gain knowledge, a reward, the protection of the Investigators, and make the world a safer place.

"Will my Mind Level continue to be tested?"

"Yes... probably over the next few days. We need to first understand your condition."

"What will be used next time? Getting close to the ficus tree?"

"To the branch... Wait, how did you know it was a ficus?"

"I saw it when I touched the branch."

"Remarkable supernatural perception..."

"What's supernatural perception?"

"That's classified information. I can't tell you about it right now. You'll find out when you join us."

Lu Li didn't press the matter and asked, "Senger, the man who came to see me yesterday, is he one of the Investigators?"

"An Investigator passing through Belfast did us a friendly favor. When he returned, he spoke highly of you, which is why I came in person this time."

"I have no more questions."

Lu Li decided he had learned enough and stopped asking questions.

Tesla glanced at the counter—his coffee still hadn't arrived. He shifted his gaze to Lu Li, who was about to leave. "Wait, you have something on your clothes."

He leaned forward and, taking a piece of parchment covered in complex symbols, wiped Lu Li's sleeve as if with a handkerchief.

The sleeve was clean.

Suddenly, Lu Li felt the world around him darken, and malevolent whispers swirled in his ears. But it lasted only for an instant before everything returned to normal.

It was as if nothing had happened.

"There we go," Tesla said, sitting back and folding the parchment.

"What was that?" Lu Li asked.

"The mark of the Mother of the Swamp. You didn't think an evil god's domain was your own private garden, a place you could just waltz in and out of, did you?"

Tesla's words reminded Lu Li of what he had said at the very beginning: "You're decisive, lucky, and brave. You dared to enter the domain of an evil god and returned almost unharmed."

So that was why he'd said "almost."

"I don't have a garden," Lu Li replied.

He didn't have the money for one.

"That's not the point... Anyway, never mind. Next time you enter an evil god's domain, even if you're just passing through, remember to remove the mark when you get back. Otherwise, there'll be trouble. They use this method to mark people who pass through their territory, and then bend them to their will."

Splash.

The sole of his boot landed in a puddle, sending water spraying outwards.

A few drops splattered onto his trouser leg. The sudden chill brought Lu Li back to his senses. He looked up at the familiar street and headed for home.