The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 324: The Banquet

The clatter of dishes drifted from the kitchen.

The weather had been pleasant for the last two days, and Anna had opened the kitchen window a crack to let the irritating smoke escape the detective agency, though she herself was immune to it.

The anomaly that had silently descended upon the city last night had inevitably brought consequences, and what was worse, it had appeared at the worst possible time.

Soon, Lu Li and Anna left the detective agency and headed for a carriage. Along the way, they saw many anxious people and police officers handling the bodies of the deceased.

On stretchers covered with white sheets lay mostly the homeless, but some bodies were also being carried out of houses.

The previous anomalous fog had not resulted in such horrific casualties. At least, not among the civilian population.

Ultimately, soaring prices had forced residents to conserve kerosene, and many, trusting to luck, lit only candles or a single dim lamp. When the anomalous fog descended, the sudden darkness claimed them in their sleep.

The homeless under the streetlamps had suffered the most. The wind would occasionally lift the edge of a sheet, revealing a hand riddled with bite marks, a disfigured face with empty sockets, a body covered in large, purple-black growths, or limbs twisted at unnatural angles.

No one knew what they had endured before they died, nor could anyone confirm the exact number of casualties—many victims were reduced to fragments of flesh or a bloody pulp, while some had vanished without a trace.

Watching the scene unfold from the carriage window, Anna grew somber, despite herself. She had thought she could remain indifferent.“The city is becoming more dangerous,” she sighed.

Anna became increasingly convinced that Lu Li's decision to create a shelter was incredibly farsighted. His choice of location in the Elm Forest, in particular, had indirectly saved her life. Not to mention, thanks to their improved relations with the forest, it could become a true sanctuary for them in the future.

Having hired the carriage, Lu Li had it take him to the quarter where the Jones brothers lived, stopping directly in front of the old craftsman's home.

One of the distillers was ready, but that wasn't why Lu Li had come. He asked the craftsman to make a stone door that would provide the tightest possible seal.

The craftsman explained that a standard door could provide a snug fit, but it was impossible to create one that would merge seamlessly with the wall.

Lu Li was prepared for this and didn't let it bother him. After all, the Deep Sea Stone wall had windows for light and ventilation, and while they were sealed with slabs of the same stone at night, small gaps inevitably remained.

Once he was done, Lu Li collected the finished distiller, returned to the carriage, and headed to a general store. He bought an assortment of tools—a hammer, an axe, glue—along with pots, bowls, and other necessities, then set off for the Elm Forest.

The road was still muddy, but the puddles had dried, and the tracks of wagon wheels were clearly visible on the forest path.

The carriage stopped at the base of the cliff. Anna telekinetically lifted their purchases and followed Lu Li into the cave.

The incessant roar of waves crashing against the cliff slowly faded the deeper they ventured into the cave. Beyond the glow of the oil lamp, the silhouettes of furniture they had moved in days ago stood in the darkness. Deeper still, a dark wall loomed.

The cave was still. No uninvited guests had come during the night.

Lu Li turned up the gas lamp to its brightest setting and set it on the windowsill. Then, he lit an oil lamp and carried it into the shelter.

At last, the cave was bright enough to see things as more than just vague shapes.

Next, Lu Li started moving their belongings from the cave into the shelter. He barely lifted a finger, watching with amusement as Anna eagerly floated the sofa and bed into place, only occasionally telling her where to set them down.

Before long, all the furniture was in place.

The bed was situated in one corner of the shelter, with the sofa next to its headboard and a wardrobe beside the sofa. The dining table sat beneath the window, while a desk and chair occupied the opposite corner. The fireplace stood between them, though it seemed shorter than it should, as the Deep Sea Stone hearth had yet to be installed.

Anna moved the nine crates of canned food and the tools they didn't currently need, such as the extra distiller, down into the cellar.

With everything in place, the shelter felt a bit more cramped, but it had also gained a semblance of life. Still, the absence of personal touches made it look like a place long abandoned.

“I like it here,” Anna said, sinking into the soft sofa and glancing around with curiosity.

The shelter was like a small stone cottage nestled deep within the cave. Now, it finally felt like a real home.

Or, as Anna would have put it, a “home.”

“I'm going to Baroness Joseph's estate alone tonight. You can stay here and finish getting things settled,” Lu Li said, tracing the line of the solid stone wall with his oil lamp.

“That's not fair!” Anna leaped from the sofa as if she'd been stung. “I want to go, too!”

“Alright,” Lu Li conceded without turning, his attention still fixed on the cracks in the wall.

Anna grumbled for a moment, then looked over at Lu Li and muttered, “It would be wonderful if we had enough light in here.”

She was still displeased that no natural light could penetrate the shelter, forcing them to use lamps even on the sunniest of days.

“If no light gets in, why did you even make windows?” Anna asked.

Having finished inspecting the wall, Lu Li lowered the lamp. “To prevent claustrophobia,” he answered.

“What does that mean?”

“People can't stay in a dark, enclosed space indefinitely.”

The windows let you see the light from the outside.

“I think I understand...”

After organizing the shelter and letting Anna rest for a while, Lu Li and Anna returned to Belfast by carriage.

As darkness fell, a carriage departed from the detective agency.

The surface of Agate Lake mirrored the multicolored lights that lined its shore.

A fleet of carriages stood at the gates of Baroness Joseph's estate. The banquet was set in the vast garden, the grounds brilliantly illuminated, and the air buzzed with voices and activity.

Up here on the hill, it was a world apart from the city below.

Lu Li had the carriage stop by the side of the road. With Anna having completely concealed her aura, they walked toward the gates.

A guard stopped Lu Li. After asking for his name, the man said politely, “You don't appear to be on the guest list, sir.”

“I'm an exorcist,” Lu Li replied.

The guard hesitated for a moment before stepping aside. “Very well. You may go in.”

“Thank you.” Lu Li nodded and walked into the bustling estate.

“Another one, walking willingly to his doom,” the guard muttered as Lu Li walked away, but the lively sounds from the estate swallowed his words.