The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 252: Gades, the Bank, and No Interest

In the brief moment the lid was open, Anna and Lu Li saw stacks of shillings inside the small chest.

Four stacks of hundred-shilling notes, bearing the face of Macdonald II, nearly filled the chest, which was about as deep as a man's palm.

If they could get their hands on that chest, they could reinforce the shelter not by ten centimeters, but by a full meter.

Unlike the composed Lu Li, Anna didn't hide her excitement, which seemed to make Gades count the money even faster. He didn't even finish his seventh recount before slapping fifteen hundred shillings onto the counter, turning away to avoid witnessing his loss.

Lu Li swept the money from the counter without recounting it.

Hearing the rustle of cash disappearing into a pocket, Gades flinched and couldn't stop himself from pleading, "Promise me you'll take good care of them. Don't let them get moldy, and don't handle them too much..."

In the lamplight, Gades's wrinkled face seemed to have aged a decade.

"I will," Lu Li replied.

Having achieved his goal, Lu Li saw no reason to linger. Besides, his presence seemed only to deepen Gades's distress.

Jingle-jingle...The bell chimed, and Lu Li's figure vanished as the door swung shut.

The tavern sank back into semi-darkness.

Gades couldn't relax. He glanced around nervously before pulling a gnawed black branch from under the counter.

The malice that filled the tavern gradually became visible, but the chilling aura, the one that felt close to a vengeful spirit, was gone.

They were really gone.

Gades let go of the branch and breathed a sigh of relief, reluctantly tucking the last few shillings back into his chest.

If he had known the kid would get so formidable in just two months, he would have charged less. Now, instead of a six-fold markup on the Spirit Gun, he'd only made a third of that. It was practically a major loss!

Torn by grief, Gades suddenly froze.

He remembered Lu Li's first visit. Back then, upon hearing the price, Lu Li had shown no emotion, haggling only slightly before buying the Spirit Gun.

A chill ran down Gades's spine.

What if that generosity had just been part of a long-term plan to get the money back?

The thought gnawed at him. He hadn't just overcharged for the Spirit Gun and the bullets. What if Lu Li discovered that the information he'd bought for a thousand shillings wasn't worth the price...

Even though Gades considered it a fair exchange, mutually agreed upon.

Pacing nervously behind the counter, Gades abruptly came to a decision.

No! He couldn't stay here!

...

"How many more shillings do we need?" Anna whispered as they walked down the bustling street.

"Enough for now," Lu Li replied.

He even had two or three hundred shillings left over.

But it was only a temporary reprieve. Lu Li still needed at least three more cubic meters.

The sum of twenty thousand shillings was far too large for Lu Li to gather by running errands or raiding Gades's personal bank.

Even completing missions wouldn't be enough.

Even if Lu Li completed a simple mission with a perfect score, he would only earn five hundred contribution points. Clearly, being an Investigator could make a man knowledgeable, but not wealthy.

Lu Li needed to find another source of income, such as...

An icy chill prickled his skin. Lu Li turned his head slightly and saw a figure in a black uniform emerging from the crowd.

The armband, emblazoned with a wide-open black eye, was unsettling.

The Night's Watch officer stared intently at Lu Li—or rather, at what was beside him—and slowly reached for his belt.

Lu Li understood his intention. After a moment's thought, he pulled the Investigator badge—the one depicting a three-eyed black crow—from his pocket and pinned it to his coat lapel.

The officer stopped, his gaze shifting from the badge to the presence beside Lu Li. He lowered his hand, gave a nod to his "colleague," and melted back into the crowd.

"He saw me," Anna's voice sounded.

"I know."

Lu Li suspected the Night's Watch officer wasn't on a specific mission, but was more likely on patrol or searching for something.

Perhaps he was looking for the vengeful spirit terrorizing Belfast? Or maybe just on a routine patrol?

Either way, it was safer now.

On the way home, Lu Li stopped by a department store, remembering Gades's warning about the true rainy season. He bought five liters of kerosene and a case of fruit conserves, the price of which had risen.

After returning to the detective agency and dropping off his purchases, Lu Li went out again for groceries. This time, Anna didn't follow, apparently having had her fill of the outdoors.

A few minutes later, Lu Li returned. Anna took the groceries from him and disappeared into the kitchen, from which the sound of boiling water could be heard.

Hanging his coat on the rack, Lu Li rolled up his sleeves and went into the kitchen, turning on the tap.

Beside him, Anna was dicing a washed carrot, her movements far more skillful than before.

They stood nearly shoulder to shoulder in the small kitchen, which was filled with a subtle atmosphere of domestic comfort. Anna's eyes brightened, and a little thought blossomed in her heart, compelling her to inch closer to Lu Li...

But Anna met only empty air. She stumbled, looking up in surprise at Lu Li's retreating back.

Lu Li dried his hands and returned to his desk.

As he did every day, he wound the alarm clock, leaned back in his chair, and contemplated how to make more money.

It was clear that money was hard to come by, and Lu Li didn't have much time: maybe a year, maybe six months, perhaps even less.

Taking on missions was the most obvious and profitable method, but also the most dangerous. The Shadow Swamp and Atoll Reef had left an indelible mark on Lu Li's memory.

Though much of that was simply due to his bad luck.

So, what else could he do? Where else could Lu Li find a large sum of money?

The moment the thought crossed his mind, a tempting image appeared before his eyes: Baroness Joseph.

The newspapers reported her fortune was in the millions. A single party at her estate could probably cover the cost of four cubic meters of Deep Sea Stone for Lu Li.

Due to legal troubles, the young baroness who had once paid him a visit hadn't bothered Lu Li for some time. But he suspected that as her court case drew to a close, she would return to her unfinished business.

Assuming she was still interested in him.

Resting his chin on his hands, Lu Li mulled over how to get money from Baroness Joseph.

Anna came out of the kitchen, having put a pot on the stove and covered it with a lid. "What are you thinking about?"

"Women," Lu Li answered.

???

Lu Li briefly explained his train of thought. Anna pouted and, as if to spite him, exclaimed, "My family has hidden treasure!"

Feeling Lu Li's calm gaze on her, Anna momentarily forgot that the treasure story was just a fairy tale her mother used to tell her. She declared stubbornly, "I can't say it's a whole fortune... but there's a lot of valuable stuff!"