The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 203: The Trader

[The Mother of the Swamp has taken notice of you]

[Go to the Friendship and Love Repair Shop in the Snow Quarter. Show them my item; have them remove the mark.]

[Hurry, don't let the mark become a brand.]

[Remember, don't return to Tenebrae until the mark is removed. Something is wrong here. If I don't retrieve my item within a week of you receiving this letter, inform the repair shop. They'll handle it.]

[There's a basement in my house. Give everything inside to them. The rest is yours.]

The handwriting was illegible, the text brief. The water-soaked paper had buckled, and the blurred letters were difficult to decipher. The message was fragmented. If Lu Li hadn't learned from Tesla that the "flashlight grants Lu Li the right of inheritance," he would never have understood the final sentence.

This letter was the genuine version of the previous message from the "Door," written by the figure in the bird-beak mask.

She could hardly have guessed, however, that in just a few days, Lu Li had rid himself of the Mother of the Swamp's mark and become an investigator.

Lu Li pulled the previous letter from the "Door" out of the farthest drawer of his desk and compared them.

The two sheets of paper were identical; the torn edges and the diary's contents matched perfectly.Mail delivery from the vicinity of the Shadow Swamp to Belfast took about three days. The envelope was postmarked: sent on the evening of July 7th from the An's Village post office.

Lu Li had received the forged letter from the "Door" on the morning of July 8th.

It seemed the "Door" was fully aware of everything happening around Lu Li, knowing about events connected to him that he himself was oblivious to.

This was all becoming stranger and more mysterious.

Putting the letters back in his desk, Lu Li picked up the second one. A sharp, sneeze-inducing scent of perfume wafted from the envelope—its source was obvious.

Without opening it, Lu Li placed Mrs. Slav's love letter with the others.

Having dealt with his correspondence, Lu Li returned to the sofa, picked up the last unread newspaper, and began to read.

From the kitchen came the sound of bubbling and the aroma of meat.

Outside, a carriage rumbled past.

There was a knock at the door.

It was the third time someone had knocked on the detective agency's door that day.

Anna was dicing half a carrot, planning to add it to the pot ten minutes before it was done. Hearing the knock, she peered out of the kitchen again. Seeing a tall figure in worn clothes with a backpack on the threshold, she cautiously stepped back.

"This is what you asked for."

Lu Li closed the door and looked at his tall guest.

Lu Li couldn't tell if this was the same Trader as last time. The height was the same, but the clothes were different, though still composed of numerous layers.

Standing by the door, the Trader removed his backpack and took out a stack of books and albums.

"Five books, four maps—official and internal. The cost is 17,350 shillings, or you must provide information of equal value."

From the kitchen came the clatter of a dropped spoon.

"Don't forget to wash it before putting it in the pot," Lu Li said, glancing toward the kitchen. He then turned back to the Trader, his brow furrowed. "That's too expensive."

The newest Light steam-powered automobile cost 19,500 shillings, and a detached wooden house in the Coastal Quarter was no more than 7,000.

A muffled voice answered from beneath a worn, brown woolen scarf: "The internal maps and the maps of the Fallow Lands are expensive."

"And without them?"

"350 shillings."

That was the price for five books and three maps—not too high, not too low, close to the market rate.

"The four maps—are they for each continent?"

"Yes."

"How much for the official map of the Fallow Lands?"

"1,000 shillings."

"Why so expensive?" Lu Li asked thoughtfully.

"There is very little information about the Fallow Lands," the Trader replied.

"And the map with special markings?"

"4,000 shillings."

Lu Li's telephone had cost about as much as a single map.

"Do you have an internal map of the Allen Peninsula?" Lu Li asked, lowering his sights.

"1,000 shillings."

This time, the price was within Lu Li's reach.

But before buying, Lu Li wanted to clarify a few details. "How does the internal map differ from the official one?"

"It marks the existing domains of Evil Gods, ruins, hazardous zones, areas where one's Mind Level drops, the locations of Evil Spirit entities, stationary Anomalies, and the bases of the three organizations."

"Existing... The maps are updated?"

"The maps are updated in the first week of every month. Information on the aforementioned elements is revised, added, or removed."

"To get an updated map, do I have to buy a new one?"

"Yes."

It didn't sound very cost-effective, but buying a local map could help Lu Li avoid danger and learn more about the current situation on the Allen Peninsula.

"Can I pay with contribution points?"

"Yes. Five books, three maps, and the internal map of the Allen Peninsula cost 135 investigation points. After deducting your points, you'll have..." The Trader paused, as if receiving information or recalling something, then continued a few seconds later, "...negative 85 investigation points."

Investigation points were probably just another name for contribution points. Perhaps the exchange rate was one to ten shillings, but that didn't matter.

"Can I go into debt on contribution points?"

"Trainees and regular investigators can go into debt up to 100 investigation points with no set repayment date. The debt is automatically deducted once you earn more points."

Investigation points were clearly more useful than shillings, so Lu Li decided not to use either them or his money for now.

He walked over to his desk and took one of the few items from an empty shelf—a stone mask.

The Anomaly, obtained from the owner of the Haunted House, radiated a faint aura. Lu Li certainly wasn't going to put it on to test its properties, so, not knowing its exact purpose, he had kept it until now. This was a good opportunity to have the Trader appraise and buy it.

"How much is this worth?"

The Trader took the stone mask. Beneath his wide sleeves were worn leather gloves, though no skin was visible.

The Trader rubbed his fingers over the lines and grooves on the mask's surface, freezing again for a few seconds before saying in a low voice: "Altered by a ritual, a low-level Anomaly. It allows one to significantly enhance perception and be perceived by a specific Evil God, as well as slightly enhance perception and be perceived by surrounding Evil Gods."

"I can offer 300 shillings. If you have no other items to trade, you'll need to pay an additional 1,050 shillings."

300 shillings wasn't bad, but Lu Li still asked, "And if the appraisal is wrong?"

"We estimate the approximate value of an item. If, after the transaction, it's discovered that the item is worth more, we will compensate for the difference on our next visit."

Lu Li nodded.

"That would be fine."