novelraw Chapter 205: The Trial
Chapter 205: The Trial
July 13, Monday.
The Andreis brothers' repair shop.
Nothing had changed since his visit two days ago.
In the distance, Port Roadster was a faint silhouette against the rain-swept beach.
A figure in a black coat, holding an umbrella, approached the workshop's awning. He closed the umbrella, shook off the water, and stepped inside.
A few minutes later, in the recreation area of the Investigators' base beneath the workshop.
An Alliance employee placed two cups of milk in front of Lu Li and Tesla, then departed.
After watching the employee leave, Tesla turned his gaze to Lu Li, tapped his cane on the floor, and said, "I'm on duty at the base this week."
"Has my trial been scheduled?"
"Yes. I thought it would be later, to give you more time to prepare.""It makes no difference."
Lu Li didn't need to prepare—or rather, he was always prepared.
Tesla didn't get straight to the point, easing into the conversation. "By the way, we have the results for the others who took the trial with you. Guess who joined us."
"Who?"
"Frank."
Lu Li had no intention of guessing, and Tesla didn't bother to hide the answer. He smiled softly. "Unexpected, isn't it?"
Lu Li nodded. "Why him?"
"A strong spirit and a thirst for adventure—those are qualities an Investigator needs, and he has them. The others weren't bad, but they each had flaws that prevent them from becoming Investigators. Recklessness, cunning, paranoia... Still, we recommended they try their luck with the Alliance."
The three organizations needed the best, and the Alliance's standards were less demanding.
"But Frank isn't like you. He's just a young woodcutter, and we're trying to train him as quickly as possible so he can gain the necessary knowledge before his own trial."
Lu Li hadn't forgotten why he was here. Waiting for Tesla to finish, he asked directly, "So, what is my trial?"
Tesla smiled without a word. He removed his milky-white gloves, pulled a neatly folded piece of parchment from his pocket, laid it on the table, and slid it toward Lu Li with his fingertips.
"Read this first."
Lu Li took the parchment and, as he unrolled it, asked, "Will I be the only one who knows about the trial?"
"The regional supervisor and relevant staff are also aware. The parchment is just a tradition."
Lu Li nodded and looked down at the unrolled parchment.
[Trial for Promotion from Trainee Investigator to Investigator]
[Difficulty: Simple - (Special)]
[Location: Reefs 120 nautical miles southeast of Belfast]
[Hurricane Arthur formed there. Your task is to travel by vessel to the vicinity in the evening and investigate the circumstances of Arthur's appearance. This is a special trial: upon arrival in the designated area, it will be automatically completed. Any evidence discovered will count as an additional reward.]
Judging by the parchment, Lu Li didn't need to find any evidence; simply reaching the designated area was enough to pass the trial. The last part of the text, however, was puzzling.
"Finished reading?" Tesla asked, taking a sip of milk.
Lu Li set the parchment aside. "For the most part."
"Any questions?"
"This isn't a standard trial, is it?" Lu Li pointed to the word "Special" in parentheses. During the introductory trial for investigators, his tasks had involved finding clues.
Tesla nodded. "Correct. That's why it's marked as special."
Was it because it was at sea?
Lu Li didn't ask that question, posing another instead: "What makes it special?"
"Usually, Investigators are assigned to investigate a situation on-site, and the organization evaluates their performance based on the information they retrieve. Providing comprehensive information is considered a perfect completion. But 100% isn't the limit, as we can never know everything. That's why the completion percentage can exceed that, as it did for you in the introductory trial."
"Besides those, there are special trials with less rigid objectives. Like yours, which is more of a reconnaissance mission: get to the location, assess the situation, and return."
It sounded simple and easy, but only on the surface.
Night, sea. Either word alone was enough to make one shudder, let alone the two combined. Especially with the shadows of Hurricane Arthur and the Kodasserlsen incident still lingering.
"So the difficulty isn't the trial itself, but the journey to complete it?" Lu Li clarified.
A flicker of undisguised admiration appeared in Tesla's eyes. "Exactly. The farther you get from civilization, the stranger things become, especially in the unexplored depths of the ocean. Daytime is one thing, but you'll be heading into open water after dark."
"Why at night?"
This was Lu Li's second question. Operating during the day would be safer.
Tesla looked into Lu Li's dark eyes, his voice taking on a particular weight. "The Exorcists have provided us with information that the hurricane forms in the evening."
Lu Li frowned, catching Tesla's meaning. "But it only started moving toward the coast the next morning."
"Yes. And that is precisely why we need to investigate."
"How will I get there?"
"The base will contact some fishermen, and they will take you to the location this evening. But the area is full of reefs, so they will stop at a safe distance and lower a boat for you to approach."
The mission's difficulty was rated "Simple," just like the other trials. This meant the greatest danger would lie in the moment Lu Li was alone in the boat, approaching his destination. The second greatest danger was the fishing vessel's journey there and back.
Another problem was the lack of an escape route. On the vast, open sea, there was virtually nowhere to run when faced with danger.
Over the past few decades, anomalies had begun to appear in the ocean depths, bringing disaster with them. The water was no longer azure, and dead fish washed ashore. Fear of the ocean grew, and ships rarely ventured far from the coast. Only steel giants and desperate pirates dared to traverse the seas at night.
To say nothing of the primal fear of the unknown that the ocean itself inspired in people.
Yet Tesla still saw no emotion in Lu Li, as if this trial were no more difficult for him than a stroll to the detective agency. It seemed Lu Li needed neither comfort nor encouragement.
Tesla chuckled. "Your standard Investigator equipment is ready. You'll receive it as soon as you're ready to depart."
"When do we leave?"
"You can set out any time in the next three days," Tesla replied.
"Then today."
Lu Li's decisiveness caught Tesla slightly off guard. He couldn't help but ask, "So soon?"
Lu Li raised his cup of milk and, bringing it to his lips, answered, "It makes no difference."