The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 243: Remi's Second Letter

Sometime around noon, Lu Li was stirred awake by the rumble of trucks passing on the street outside.

Lu Li opened his eyes, staring at the ceiling as he took a moment to assess how he felt. The seasickness had finally subsided after a good rest, and the sensation of being tossed on the waves was gone.

Without getting up, Lu Li turned his head, surveying the detective agency from this unusual angle, along with the fleeting visions that still flickered at the edge of his sight.

Anna, who was sitting at the desk, glanced over at Lu Li. He shifted his gaze to the sculpture by the door. "Has it been standing there the whole time without moving?"

"Hmm... I think so... I haven't seen it move," Anna replied uncertainly.

Ever since the sculpture had been brought into the detective agency, it had spent most of its time standing motionless by the coat rack. It was hard to say whether this was a good thing or a bad thing, but both Lu Li and Anna tried their best not to pay it any mind.

Lu Li asked Anna what she had been up to for the past two days. She stammered for a moment before explaining that she had started leaving the agency yesterday, seeking out other ghosts to absorb their power and become stronger. Her current strength, she estimated, was now equal to two or three of her former self.

The power of ghosts really did increase with startling ease.

Then it was Lu Li's turn to recount his experiences over the last few days.

He had already recorded everything on the Zatuumani paper, so he simply summarized what he had written.Much of the information could have impacted one's Mind Level, but as a ghost, Anna didn't have a Mind Level to worry about.

"I want to be by your side," Anna said firmly, worried by the dangers Lu Li had faced.

"Alright."

Lu Li didn't object. Now that Anna was stronger, she no longer needed his protection.

With power approaching that of a vengeful spirit, Anna could stay awake for a week with barely any fatigue. Her telekinesis now had a range of twenty meters, and she could lift Lu Li into the air and hold him there for more than ten minutes. Before, she could barely manage two or three.

As for the changes in personality that Lu Li had been worried about, he hadn't noticed any yet, but he knew he would have to keep observing her to be certain.

As they talked, Lu Li noticed a small pot on the windowsill with a freshly sprouted seedling.

"Can you guess what kind of plant this is?" Anna asked proudly, as if showing off a prize.

Lu Li glanced at the sprout. "Probably a tree sapling or a cactus."

Hearing it wasn't one of her favorite flowers, Anna looked a little disappointed, but her curiosity won out. "Why?"

"Because those are the only plants that could survive being watered every day," Lu Li answered.

The last vestiges of sleepiness finally vanished. Lu Li sat up, leaned down to pull on his boots, then walked over to the desk and sat down to attend to his affairs.

When Lu Li stood, Anna obediently gave up the chair for him. Picking up her romance novel, she settled onto the still-warm sofa.

Not that she could feel the warmth.

A stack of ten newspapers and one letter sat on the desk, about a thumb's width thick. Nine of the papers were issues of the Daily News from the last three days, along with the Investigator Weekly. The weekly was on top, showing clear signs of having been read. The other nine newspapers, however, looked almost as if they had just come off the printing press—Anna clearly had no interest in the news.

Lu Li picked up the letter first. It was signed by Remi and Jimmy, and the postmark was from Arumbed County, meaning it had been sent while they were still there.

"The postman brought it yesterday afternoon," Anna said, having been watching Lu Li the whole time.

Lu Li broke the seal and pulled out a single sheet of paper.

A scent of pine wafted from the page. The smell came from a pine needle tucked inside the letter. The pressure of being enclosed for so long had squeezed a bit of resin from it, causing it to stick to the paper and release its fragrance.

Pine trees were indeed one of the few plants that remained green in the current harsh environment. Unfortunately, Belfast's climate and landscape were not suitable for pine forests, and only a few scattered trees grew on some of the noble estates.

[Dear Lu Li, we've made it to a town in the pines.]

[Just as you said, the Allen Peninsula is truly beautiful. My brother and I have seen the sea and a forest of pine trees. To see so much green these days is a real pleasure.]

[Unfortunately, we couldn't stay for long. My foolish brother accidentally showed the monster's body he hides in to some of the locals, and to avoid trouble, we had to leave the lovely Pine Town in a hurry. Not everyone is as kind to us as you are. I heard there are no pine trees in Belfast, so I've enclosed a pine needle in this letter. I hope you like it.]

[Our next stop is Isaacs County. They say they mine for gold there, so maybe we'll be able to put a little gold dust in our next letter. Hold on a moment, my brother wants to say something to you...]

[Hello, Lu Li. Thank you for saving Remi. You're my best friend. If you're ever in trouble, please let us know.]

[Please excuse his handwriting. The monster's body has absorbed too many nutrients, and his human body has grown very weak. It's even difficult for him to hold a pen. Anyway, we'll write to you again when we reach a town in Isaacs County.]

[Your good friends, Remi and Jimmy]

And with that, the letter ended.

The "Pine Town" Remi mentioned was on the far eastern edge of Arumbed County, less than 1500 kilometers from Belfast. Isaacs County was a bit closer. Lu Li unfolded his map and found the town nearest to Pine Town in Isaacs County—a small place called Innsmouth, known for its gold mining and fishing.

This letter from Remi and Jimmy wasn't the response Lu Li had been waiting for.

Had they not received his letter? Or were they unable to receive it?

It was a question that touched upon the very nature of their existence, but for now, all Lu Li could do was wait for Remi and Jimmy to send another letter to confirm it.

Next, Lu Li sifted through the newspapers from the past three days: Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.

For the first two days, the Kodasserlsen was still listed as missing. On the third day, there was an update—not that the ship had been found, but that the military vessels sent from the Lennon Archipelago to search for it had also vanished.

People were beginning to worry, and many ships whose routes passed near the Fallow Lands and the Isle of Gaze decided to alter their course to avoid the area.

It was now almost certain that something terrible had happened to the Kodasserlsen and the other missing ships near the Fallow Lands.

As of now, most people still knew very little about the supernatural, and this was part of official policy—the authorities didn't want the public to panic, which could lead to the collapse of entire cities.

Therefore, even if there were any real news or credible information about the Kodasserlsen, it would never appear in the mainstream papers or become known to the general public.

Only ordinary news was printed there, like the story of an unfortunate family of three who died in the night from a broken kerosene lamp, or the report that Baroness Joseph's court case was nearing its end, with the plaintiff likely to be convicted of making a false accusation.

Perhaps Lu Li would find the truth in the Investigator Weekly.

With that thought, Lu Li picked up the single-page weekly and unfolded it.