The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 370: Three Calls

A curtain of water concealed the entrance to the cave. The damp air seeped inside, staining the ground and walls near the entrance a darker shade than the interior.

"I didn't think you'd find this place."

Lu Li, dressed in a wool coat, stepped out of his room and calmly regarded the Trader standing at the mouth of the cave.

The Trader's appearance here was unexpected, but in a way, it was a good thing. At least now Lu Li could contact him without having to go near the city.

Lu Li had no intention of buying anything. After learning the current price of Deep Sea Stone, he sold the Trader the story of the Shadow Puppeteer.

This earned Lu Li three hundred and fifty investigation points and an answer: the story was indeed part of a series called "Nightmare."

Although the source of the Trader's information remained a mystery, he had no reason to lie.

With the transaction complete, Lu Li watched the Trader until he disappeared behind the curtain of water. Then he turned to Anna. "It's time for us to go."

It wasn't yet time to hide in the shelter. As long as the disaster hadn't struck, he needed to gather as many supplies as possible.

Anna flew out of the cave to say goodbye to Enni. Lu Li tidied the bed and poured the warm water from the iron kettle into the fireplace.The glowing embers cooled quickly, releasing a hiss of steam and smoke.

After extinguishing the fire, Lu Li picked up the radio receiver and the novel Anna hadn't finished, untied the horse, and left the cave.

As he descended from the clifftop, he once again felt the unfamiliar, unsettling emotions of the forest around him.

The washed-out mountain road was treacherous. If not for Anna, Lu Li would have had to wait out the storm on the cliff.

The carriage moved silently among the twisted, withered trees of the Elm Forest. Suddenly, Anna turned her head, staring into the thicket.

"There's something in there. I don't like this feeling."

Lu Li followed her gaze. In the rain, the forest shadows blurred together. He could see nothing strange, nor could he detect any unusual smells.

"How far away is it?" Lu Li asked.

"It feels far, but it's somewhere in the Elm Forest."

Lu Li recalled the map of the Elm Forest drawn by Barton.

"Quiet Hill is in that direction," Lu Li said. "About seven kilometers from here."

Perhaps Anna's unease was coming from Quiet Hill. Even before things had taken a turn for the worse, the place was known for its grim stories, and no one dared to go there.

"The Elm Forest is our territory," Anna declared, her cold crimson eyes narrowing.

"Not yet."

Lu Li replied that the weather was too severe. Any sane person would avoid going there in such a storm.

Anna nodded, suppressing the urge to deal with it immediately.

It took the carriage two hours to reach Elm Street. Another hour passed before they returned the horse and carriage to the rental agency and finally made it back to the detective agency.

The caretaker, who was sitting by the building's entrance, hurried to let Lu Li in.

This profession typically emerged in apartment buildings during the rainy season. These houses, built by the first settlers, were so old that even constant repairs couldn't keep up with their decay. During heavy downpours, the interiors would often flood. No one wanted to live in a house that offered no guarantee of safety, not even the homeless.

Therefore, responsible landlords would choose a "caretaker" from among the tenants during the rainy season to watch for leaks and other problems. As compensation, the caretaker's rent was reduced.

The building's caretaker was a thin, middle-aged man. A persistent smell of fish clung to him; he was likely a sailor.

The caretaker informed Lu Li that several wooden crates had been delivered that morning by a nobleman's carriage. The crates were left in the hallway in front of the detective agency's door.

He also mentioned that the agency's phone had been ringing nonstop all morning.

Lu Li declined the caretaker's help, took out his key, and opened the door. The caretaker watched, dumbfounded, as the crates floated into the air and were carried inside the detective agency.

The door creaked shut.

Lu Li walked over to his desk.

The crates, still hovering, moved to a corner of the room.

Lu Li sat down and called the telephone exchange. To his surprise, he had received more than one call yesterday.

There had been three calls.

From Tesla, JoJo, and Marcus.

Lu Li called Tesla first. His servant answered and explained that Tesla was at the base, but he would pass on the message.

Hanging up, Lu Li called JoJo.

Again, the person he was calling didn't answer right away. But soon, JoJo's anxious voice came through the receiver. "Lu Li! Is my brother with you?"

"No. Has something happened?"

"My brother is missing!" JoJo exclaimed.

Lu Li asked calmly, "Who told you that?"

"The head of the merchant caravan. He came to me yesterday and said Oliver ran off with his goods. I know Oliver is a coward and greedy, but he would never do something like that! Something must have happened!"

"Where was he last seen?"

"I don't know. Someone said they saw him near the caravan while it was loading, and then he disappeared along with it."

Intuition told Lu Li that Oliver's disappearance might be related to the supernatural, but it wasn't certain.

Oliver's job was to wait for caravans from the mainland near Tenebrae, by the Shadow Swamp, and then guide them to Belfast.

Accidents were not uncommon on such a long journey, nearly three hundred miles.

"Report it to the police first," Lu Li told JoJo.

"Alright. Thank you!"

JoJo quickly hung up.

As soon as Lu Li set the receiver down, the phone rang again.

It was Tesla. He had news about Richard. "We found Richard three days ago, but he escaped. He's most likely returned to the Allen Peninsula."

"Be careful, just in case. That madman might come after you again, especially since you've been marked."

Though the bloody tentacle had vanished after entering Lu Li's forehead.

Tesla hung up quickly. It seemed he was dealing with some kind of trouble.

Lu Li frowned.

There was still no news about "the door," as if everyone had forgotten it.

Lu Li hesitated, not in a hurry to dial the third number.

But soon, the phone in the detective agency rang once more.

Lu Li picked up the receiver, and a familiar, self-assured voice came through the speaker:

"Hello, Lu Li! You must be busy! You won't find a more dedicated exorcist in all of Belfast! I heard you solved Baroness Joseph's problem? Excellent! Congratulations to you, and congratulations to me! After all, we agreed on a nine-to-one split. You remember that, don't you? Hahahaha..."

This was why Lu Li had hesitated.

The fifty thousand shillings were already spent.