The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 204: Map of the Real Allen Peninsula

However, he was still 1,050 shillings short.

"How much is this information worth?" Lu Li asked, wanting to test something. He recounted the previous day's incident at the True Library—the same information he had already dispatched by crow earlier that morning.

After a moment of silence, the Trader replied, "Partial information on a spirit of defilement. That can cover 150 shillings."

"What if that information is already out there? I've already told the Investigators."

Lu Li had no intention of deceiving the Trader. He knew that either the Investigators or the Trader could verify the information and discover the overlap.

Especially if the Investigators offered a better reward. Getting paid by the Trader only for the Investigators to refuse payment would be a net loss.

"We accept duplicate information, but it must be based on personal experience," the Trader replied.

"Any information will do?"

"Anything related to anomalies."

The Investigators hadn't been interested in many of the cases Lu Li had encountered, but now he could use them to trade with this man.In the future, after finishing a case, Lu Li could potentially get paid twice—once by the Investigators and again by the Trader, even if the Trader's payment was small.

Lu Li began to recount, in detail, every encounter he'd had with ghosts and anomalies since arriving in the city—everything except for Anna, the Door, and the Bloody Tentacles.

Each piece of information was only worth a few dozen shillings, some even less, but he had plenty to share. More than ten reports earned him a total of 450 shillings. The Trader had immediately offered 150 shillings for the information about the spirit of defilement, the girl with the umbrella, and Lu Li still hadn't mentioned his biggest piece of intel: the Shadow Swamp.

His account of the Shadow Swamp, which he’d saved for last, earned him another 300 shillings. Now he was only 50 shillings short.

Instead of paying the difference, Lu Li decided to take the amount on credit.

After receiving the books and maps from the Trader, Lu Li noticed the man wasn't preparing to leave.

"Would you care to see this week's special offers?" the Trader asked.

"What do you have?"

Lu Li set his new items on the table and turned back.

"A special offer from the Investigators: the Investigator Weekly. It's like a newspaper, detailing significant news from every region. It comes out once a week. A four-week subscription costs 400 shillings."

That was 100 shillings per week, for a single issue.

An ordinary newspaper cost just one shilling.

It was certainly expensive, especially since Lu Li's weekly pay was only 350 shillings. Still, he subscribed for four weeks. On credit, of course.

"Today is Saturday, so your first issue will be delivered on Monday," the Trader informed him.

"Anything else?"

"A special on the Spirit Gun. This week, it's just 350 shillings, and it comes with three free Silver Bullets."

"...Go on."

"It's information exchange week. This week, you get a 10% bonus on any information you trade, plus a discount."

So, of the nearly 900 shillings Lu Li had just earned from his stories, 10% had been a bonus.

It seemed that trading information with this man wouldn't be very profitable.

For now, at least.

With their business concluded, the Trader shouldered his enormous, battered rucksack and departed. Lu Li went back to the table, ready to examine his new maps, when Anna emerged from the kitchen.

"Let's eat first."

She carried in a pot, its handle wrapped in a towel. A soft sizzle from within suggested it was piping hot. After setting it on the table, Anna rubbed her earlobe. When she noticed Lu Li's inquisitive look, she admitted with a touch of embarrassment that she was just copying how their neighbor acted when she cooked.

Lu Li sat down at the table and tucked into the "hearty" meal Anna had prepared.

He wasn't sure if Anna's cooking skills had actually improved or if it was just the new ingredients and spices, but the meal was genuinely tastier than before. It was more like... actual food.

Lu Li broke apart yesterday's bread—now cold, dry, and hard—and dropped the pieces into the meat broth. Then he ate the stew of broth and meat from his wooden bowl.

Lowering his bowl, he saw Anna trying to suppress a joyful smile.

"It's better, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"See? It wasn't my cooking skills. You just weren't buying enough ingredients."

Lu Li said nothing. After washing his hands, he returned to the table and undid the top button of his shirt, letting the heat from the hot stew dissipate. Then he picked up the books.

The Trader had brought exactly what Lu Li needed. Four of the five books described the customs, traditions, and history of the various continents. The fifth, however, seemed familiar.

"Steps of Mankind."

It was the very same book he had read in the True Library, the one that had left such a strong impression on him.

Now he wouldn't have to buy another copy.

Lu Li read through "Steps of Mankind" again before placing it on the shelf behind him with the other four books. Then he picked up the special edition map of the Allen Peninsula.

He unfurled the large parchment, which covered half the table. There was no smell of animal hide; it had been properly dried and treated.

The map clearly depicted the Allen Peninsula, showing its mountains, seas, and fields.

Lu Li took out the official version of the Allen Peninsula map. It was a quarter of the size, with all its markings reduced to simple symbols, and printed on material no thicker than ordinary paper. It looked as if a gust of wind could tear it to shreds.

Lu Li cleared a space at the edge of the table and laid the official map down to compare it with the special edition.

He first looked at the eastern part of the map, where Belfast was situated. On the detailed map, the city was drawn to scale, and even the Andreis brothers' repair shop was marked.

The Night's Watch base was marked next to the city hall.

Bases for both the Night's Watch and the Investigators were scattered across other regions, predominantly in the cities.

Lu Li's gaze shifted westward, to a region shaded in light gray. It was the Shadow Swamp. A curved symbol was drawn over it in dark red ink.

It marked the domain of an Evil God.

Lu Li spotted the same symbol in three other locations on the map.

This meant that the Allen Peninsula was home to four territories like the Shadow Swamp, each the domain of an Evil God.

Ruins, danger zones, areas that eroded one's Mind Level, the lairs of Evil Spirits, stationary anomalies, and the bases of the three organizations—Lu Li could distinguish them all by the shape, color, and position of their symbols. These points of interest were scattered all over the Allen Peninsula, including on its islands and even in the depths of the sea. Spread out on a map that covered half the table, they didn't seem overly dense.

But, as the Trader had said, this was only the map for the current month. The three organizations on the Allen Peninsula were constantly destroying anomalies, only for new ones to appear in their place.

And this was only the Allen Peninsula, an area less than a fifteenth the size of the main continent.

Lu Li spent the rest of the day quietly studying the books and the map. Anna tried to take an interest in what he was reading, but soon decided that her storybooks were far more entertaining.

No one disturbed Lu Li, and he absorbed the knowledge rapidly, growing ever more aware of the dangers this world held.

This peace lasted until July 13, two days later.

The Investigators posted an assignment for Lu Li, the trainee investigator.