The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 315: The Beginning of Change

It wasn't the rattling of the carriage that made Lu Li's eyes slip from the page.

The first line consisted of a single, strange sentence, repeated twice.

Lu Li couldn't tell if Remi was emphasizing her gratitude by repeating the phrase, or if she was thanking him twice for two different kinds of help.

But one fact was clear.

This was a reply.

Remi and Jimmy had received Lu Li's letter and had written back.

The carriage came to a sudden halt. Lu Li glanced up and looked out the window. Several other carriages blocked the road ahead, and beyond them, a commotion was brewing. He paid it no mind and returned to his reading.

The second line was just as ambiguous, hinting at something more.

[We found the right way to get out of our difficult situation, and it's all thanks to the information you provided.]

[Just as you said, Jimmy's problem is related to his other body. I can't solve it completely, but thankfully, I can alleviate it. And this method might be useful for you too, Lu Li.][Remember how I mentioned a possible way to restore one's Mind Level? I used that method, and after I tried it, Jimmy felt much better. He knows you provided the analysis and asked me to thank you. I told him that was too formal... We're good friends, aren't we?]

[In his current state, Jimmy can't walk much or appear in large cities. We plan to travel a bit farther and stop at the Sentry Post to rest for a while, until Jimmy feels better.]

[We don't know how long we'll have to stay in town, so to keep you from waiting too long, I decided to tell you about this method—the one for restoring your Mind Level.]

The carriage shuddered slightly and started moving again.

In the second half of the letter, Remi had written something strange.

Lu Li could read and understand the words, but their strangeness seemed to cast a lead-gray shadow over everything.

There was nothing unusual about the text itself; the peculiarity was in its content.

In the letter, Remi informed Lu Li that the way to restore one's Mind Level was to... consume anomalies.

Yes, consume them.

And what was truly strange was that this method could actually work.

At the end of the letter, Remi expressed her hope for a reply from Lu Li.

After turning the letter over and finding no other writing on the back, Lu Li folded it and tucked it into his pocket.

Lu Li would think about it, but he wouldn't act rashly.

His Mind Level hadn't reached a critical point yet, and he needed to verify how effective this method truly was—for instance, whether anyone had ever tried something similar.

Considering that the first generations of spirit exterminators were constantly exploring this field, it was possible they had made similar attempts.

After a while, the carriage reached Elm Street. Through the drizzling rain, Lu Li saw the Night's Watch tearing down the contaminated houses.

Having passed Elm Street, the long carriage entered the Elm Forest.

...

As evening approached, the carriage drew up to the cliff and stopped near an earthen slope.

Lu Li tied the reins and headed toward the cliff face.

He heard a distant tapping sound, which came and went. As it did, Anna materialized beside him.

She informed Lu Li that nothing unusual had happened since he left, and the Jones brothers had been working in the cave the entire time.

"And Enni?"

"Her aura is protected by the Elm Forest, but she's still asleep and isn't responding to me..."

As he neared the cave, Lu Li heard the tapping more clearly. Anna vanished again and followed him inside.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

The incessant thudding echoed through the cave. Gathered in the depths, the Jones brothers struck the stone walls with their pickaxes, sending chips of rock flying and occasionally striking sparks.

Large chunks of stone were piled in a corner and also outside the cave entrance.

The cave's interior was already taking shape, and a half-meter-deep pit had been dug into the floor. If they kept up this pace, they would likely finish by tomorrow evening.

In the light of an oil lamp, Lu Li's shadow stretched deep into the cave. Sensing his approach, the Jones brothers paused their work and looked over at him.

The eldest brother lowered his pickaxe and walked over to Lu Li. He was shirtless in the cool cave, and heat radiated from his powerful frame.

"Making good time?"

"Faster than we expected. The cliff isn't solid rock; there's a lot of soft earth and gravel. If we're lucky, we'll be done by noon tomorrow," the eldest brother replied, breathing heavily. A drop of sweat rolled from his forehead into his eye, making him squint.

Lu Li nodded.

"Then I'll pay for two days."

A wide grin spread across the eldest brother's face.

"Do you know any craftsmen?"

Lu Li's generosity had brightened his mood, and he answered quickly:

"Of course! What do you need done?"

"I need a seawater distiller installed in the fireplace."

"Sorry... what was that?"

"I need a good, efficient craftsman."

"Alright. When do you need him?"

"This evening, when we return to the city, take me to him."

"No problem."

After their brief conversation, the eldest brother returned to the depths of the cave and resumed his work. Lu Li, meanwhile, left the noisy cavern and began moving furniture from the carriage inside, stacking it in a corner where it wouldn't obstruct the workers.

The Jones brothers, marveling at Lu Li's strength, wondered why he needed all these things.

After spending a few minutes unloading the carriage, Lu Li and Anna returned to the vehicle. The noise inside the cave made it impossible to stay there for long.

Anna held one of the books Lu Li had bought, looking pleased. Lu Li turned up the lamp and picked up that day's newspaper.

[Zenster Has Lost Contact!!!]

Lu Li froze before reading any further and opened the other newspapers.

[Zenster Attacked by an Anomaly!]

[Zenster on the Allen Peninsula Loses Contact!]

Lu Li scanned the articles. The news was more or less the same: four days ago, Zenster had been suddenly attacked by some terrible creature, and then all contact was lost. Only a few had managed to escape.

The Investigator Weekly had already published this news on Monday, and the three papers from today seemed to be briefly recounting old news.

Perhaps this was done so that ordinary people, upon hearing about the creature, wouldn't fall prey to it, or perhaps to avoid causing mass panic. None of the papers mentioned the true culprit behind Zenster's fall: a terrible, faceless giant.

Lu Li had thought this story wouldn't appear in the regular papers but would instead spread by word of mouth, gradually making its way through the populace.

But all three newspapers had simultaneously published information about the terrible incident in Zenster.

The simultaneous publication of this news by three major outlets was too suspicious, as if they had received some kind of order to release the information to the public.

In these actions, Lu Li sensed a certain haste, as if someone was trying to rectify a situation after their plans had been disrupted.

He lifted his head and looked out at the gray world beyond the carriage window. On the horizon, illusory tentacles stretched deep into the clouds.

Had the changes already begun...?