The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 318: The Calm Before the Storm

The soundproofing in the Jones brothers' house left much to be desired, and their muffled voices seeped through the wall.

After a brief meeting with them, Lu Li made his way to the old craftsman's home.

The interior of the hut was as cluttered as ever. The old craftsman sat on a small bed in the corner, a pipe clenched in his hand. Squinting at Lu Li through clouds of smoke, he gestured toward the door and said, "Take a look. See if it'll do."

The howling wind outside the window seemed not to bother the old man in the slightest.

Lu Li turned his head and picked up the device the craftsman had indicated.

Roughly soldered metal pipes twisted into a fanciful shape, forming something reminiscent of ancient runes.

Ignoring the contraption's crude and peculiar appearance, Lu Li found two pipes on either side of the "runes" and figured out how it worked: it was meant to be attached to a fireplace. The rising steam would enter the right pipe, condense on the metal walls, and trickle down the left pipe into a basin placed below.

The distiller was assembled from iron pipes and wooden parts. With prolonged use, rust was inevitable, but it was still a better option than lead pipes.

"Reinforced it, just as you asked. If there's anything wrong with it, bring it back. That'll be 40 shillings," the old craftsman rasped, clearing his throat.

Lu Li set the apparatus down and, retrieving 100 shillings, placed them on the table beside the craftsman."Make three more," Lu Li said, stepping back from the acrid smell of tobacco.

The old craftsman glanced at the 100 shillings on the table, paused for a moment, and said, "Thank you."

Lu Li had already turned, and picking up the distiller, he walked out of the hut.

To his surprise, the rain had stopped, and the cold droplets were no longer falling.

The Jones brothers were waiting by the cart with their day's supply of food.

They all climbed into the cart, and Lu Li took the reins, slowly guiding it onto the road.

...

The Elm Forest.

Silence reigned in the cart. The brothers were lost in their own thoughts, their mood undoubtedly influenced by the oppressive atmosphere of the forest.

At one point, one of the brothers asked Lu Li, "Do you know what happened in Zenster?"

The eldest brother didn't have time to stop him. He hastily tugged his younger brother back and apologized to Lu Li, while at the same time hoping for an answer...

"I can't tell you."

Lu Li's response disappointed the eldest brother.

"Why not?" another couldn't help but ask.

Lu Li looked at him and answered calmly, "It's not that I can't, but that you mustn't know."

The three brothers wanted to say something, but the eldest stopped them. He seemed to have understood something and asked, a questioning note in his voice, "Is it because of... that...?"

In the minds of most people, anomalies were something dreadful, not to be spoken of aloud. While it was true that merely mentioning some of them could lead to disaster, most could be discussed without fear.

But ordinary people, of course, couldn't distinguish between them.

"Yes."

"Is it really an anomaly..." someone exclaimed, but immediately clamped a hand over his mouth to keep from saying the word.

The eldest brother was in turmoil, but he pressed on. "Will Belfast be attacked too...?"

"I don't know," Lu Li replied.

That was why he was building a shelter.

Silence once again descended upon the cart, broken only by the clatter of the wheels and the ominous howl of the wind through the treetops outside.

In this grim atmosphere, the cart finally arrived at the cliff.

The Jones brothers returned to the cave, and soon the clang of their tools echoed once more.

Lu Li and Anna spent some time visiting Enni, and then, while the visibility was still good, he climbed the cliff to survey the surroundings.

From the cliff, the view on three sides was magnificent.

The sea, the bay, the port, the entire city, and even the oak grove on the other side of the bay—it was all laid out before him like a map.

Ships, including a number of small boats, were scattered across the leaden-gray, lifeless sea. They stayed close to the shore, a few dozen or hundred meters out, fishing for what scarce catches they could find.

The port was quiet, perhaps because most of the ships had already set sail. Only a few cargo vessels, passenger liners, and fishing schooners were moored at the docks.

After admiring the landscape, Lu Li returned to the cave, chilled by the sea wind.

The sounds of work continued unabated, but the Jones brothers were clearly distracted.

Fortunately, the bulk of the work had been completed yesterday, and the remaining tasks should only take another day.

After observing them for a short while, Lu Li descended from the cliff. Anna thought he was returning to the cart, but he walked past it and headed down the slope.

"Where are you going?" Anna asked, following him.

"To look around and get acquainted with the local Tree-Lord," Lu Li replied, glancing around.

As an outsider who planned to spend a considerable amount of time here, Lu Li felt it necessary to introduce himself to the local master of the woods.

Having said this, Lu Li listened intently, as if waiting for something, but aside from the unchanging emotions, there was nothing in this dead forest of withered trees.

No ethereal voice directed Lu Li to the Tree-Lord.

However, finding it wasn't difficult. After a few minutes, Lu Li felt the emotions of the forest intensify.

Ahead, among the trees, an elm appeared, far thicker than those surrounding it.

As Lu Li drew closer, the emotions, which had significantly weakened after Enni entered the forest, became distinct once more.

They still didn't fully trust Lu Li.

Lu Li stopped a few meters from the Tree-Lord, looked around, and then turned to leave.

He had come simply to pay his respects, and now the visit was over.

In any case, they had plenty of time ahead of them to get to know each other.

Returning to the cart by the cliff, Lu Li found Anna fiddling with the distiller, not understanding its purpose. Lu Li didn't bother to explain. Anna sat down beside him and continued reading her book.

Lu Li picked up the three newspapers from that day and scanned through them.

The first two pages of all three were dedicated to the events in Zenster and the loss of contact with the Fallow Lands. Unlike the Investigator Weekly, these reports were missing many crucial details.

Or rather, the information had been redacted to a level deemed acceptable for ordinary citizens.

Among the other news, Lu Li noticed a strange, short report.

[A delegation from the Lennon Archipelago departed from Port Hasko three days ago]

Their destination was the Allen Peninsula. They had originally planned to arrive at the port of Zenster, but after it was destroyed by the terrible faceless giant, they had changed their destination to Port Roadster.

And even in such a situation, they had not chosen to turn back.

Lu Li's gaze lingered on the article for a moment before he moved on to the weather forecast.

Light rain was expected today and tomorrow, but it was set to intensify the day after.

The meteorologist predicted the start of the rainy season in three to five days.

The slight delay in the rainy season offered people a brief respite, a little more time to prepare for what was to come.