novelraw Chapter 377: The Safe Lennon Archipelago?
Chapter 377: The Safe Lennon Archipelago?
The clatter of hooves was nearly lost in the roar of the downpour. High, pointed roofs, characteristic of Khimfast’s architecture, offered shelter from the powerful gusts of wind.
In the Terraces district, the white buildings seemed gray and lifeless under the sheets of rain.
The carriage pulled up before a restaurant that was still open. Lu Li handed JoJo a cloak and 300 shillings. “Buy enough food for tonight and tomorrow,” he said. “And get something we can take on the road.”
JoJo understood what to do without another word.
“I have my own money—all my savings,” JoJo said, taking the cloak but ignoring the shillings. She patted her pocket. “What do you want to eat?”
“Meat.”
“Got it.”
JoJo threw on the cloak and pushed open the carriage door. A wave of cold, damp air washed over her. She rubbed her hands together and leaped to the ground, sending up a spray of water.
“Once you’ve bought the food, come find us at number 66,” Lu Li’s calm voice called after her.
The restaurant was at number 12, just two hundred meters down the street.Without looking back, JoJo waved a hand and pushed open the restaurant door, from which the bright light of electric lamps spilled out. The carriage slowly pulled away from the curb.
The carriage came to a stop before house number 66 in the Terraces district.
The lights on the ground floor were off; only a dim glow filtered from a second-floor bedroom window.
Lu Li reached for a cloak, but then seemed to recall something. He instead grabbed his suitcase and backpack and stepped out of the carriage into the downpour. The raindrops, which should have pelted him, parted above his head, split by some invisible force. They streamed down around him as if from the edges of an unseen umbrella.
Lu Li climbed the steps to the front door and pressed the bell. A moment later, he heard footsteps descending a staircase inside.
“Who’s there?” came Aunt Mery's gentle voice.
“It’s Anna and Lu Li,” he replied.
The footsteps on the other side of the door hastened, and then it swung wide open.
Aunt Mery, wearing a cream-colored silk robe, stared at them in surprise. She rose onto her tiptoes to embrace Lu Li. “Oh, my goodness! What brings you here?”
“We were just passing through.”
“Hurry, come in,” Aunt Mery urged, glancing quickly up and down the street before stepping aside to let them pass.
After closing the door, Aunt Mery led them into the living room and switched on a lamp. The room was instantly filled with a soft glow.
“And where’s Anna?” Mery asked, looking around.
Within the halo of the electric light, Anna’s ghostly silhouette materialized. “Aunt Mery.”
Aunt Mery’s expression softened. It seemed as if she understood something just by looking into Anna’s eyes. “You’ve grown so much...” she said softly.
She turned to Lu Li. “Did you come straight from Belfast? Have you eaten yet?”
“JoJo has gone to get us some food.”
Aunt Mery nodded. Then, as if remembering something, she asked, “Where are you headed?”
“To Tenebrae.”
“Tenebrae...” Aunt Mery frowned. “Isn’t that the town near the Tenebrae Swamp? I thought it vanished...”
“That’s why we’re going.”
Aunt Mery nodded thoughtfully. “Please be careful. Is there anything I can do to help you?”
“No.”
“You should at least warm yourselves up,” Aunt Mery smiled. She took Anna by the hand, guided her to the sofa, and then headed to the kitchen to prepare some coffee.
Lu Li sat down beside Anna, the sofa cushions sinking under his weight. Anna leaned against his shoulder, weightless.
It almost felt to Anna as if she had a physical body; otherwise, where was this fluttering in her chest coming from? She struggled to hide a smile.
Lu Li glanced around the room. Much had changed in Aunt Mery’s house since his last visit. Personal belongings were gone, and the rooms were so immaculate they looked as if someone had just moved in.
“Are you planning to leave?” Lu Li asked.
Aunt Mery returned to the living room with two cups of coffee and handed one to Lu Li.
“I plan to travel to the Lennon Archipelago,” Aunt Mery said, her gaze resting warmly on Anna as she leaned against Lu Li. “A friend of mine, an exorcist, told me the shelters are reserved for the nobility, exorcists, and their families. I don’t qualify. But the Lennon Archipelago has very few anomalies. It’s safe there.”
“She told you the Lennon Archipelago is safe?”
“Yes. She said many people are thinking of moving there once the storm subsides.” Aunt Mery sighed. “If it weren’t for all the terrible things happening, who would ever want to leave their home?”
The journey from Port Roadster to the Lennon Archipelago took at least one to two weeks. Even aboard a modern, comfortable ocean liner, spending half a month at sea was no small feat.
It seemed the rumors about the safety of the Lennon Archipelago were, in fact, being spread by the three major organizations.
Did they truly believe that nowhere else was habitable anymore?
It was a shame the telephone lines were down due to the storm; otherwise, Lu Li could have called Tesla to get the full story.
“What about you? Will you be staying on the Allen Peninsula?” Aunt Mery asked suddenly, a hopeful note in her voice. “We could travel to the Lennon Archipelago together and settle there.”
Lu Li fell into thought.
As the world gradually unveiled its true nature, his clifftop shelter no longer felt quite so secure. The idea of an archipelago, far removed from all the chaos, was deeply tempting.
But first, Lu Li needed to confirm whether it was actually true.
After a moment of thought, he replied to Aunt Mery, “When we return, I’ll look into it. If it’s true... we can go to the Lennon Archipelago. If we don’t come back, you’ll have to make your own decision.”
Aunt Mery frowned. “Is Tenebrae truly that dangerous...?”
“We have to be prepared for anything.”
The atmosphere grew tense for a moment, but then Aunt Mery, ever the caring guardian, began asking Lu Li and Anna about their lives, and the mood soon lightened.
At one point, while Aunt Mery was asking Anna what she had been up to, Lu Li suddenly remarked, “JoJo has been gone for quite some time.”
“Your friend?” Aunt Mery glanced out the window. The street was empty under the dim glow of the lamps. “Where did she go to get the food?”
“To number 12, in this same district.”
“‘Huntley’s Delicious Steaks’?” Aunt Mery confirmed. After Lu Li nodded, she murmured, “Little Huntley usually has an order ready in half an hour. It’s been... forty-five minutes now.”
“Are there any strange rumors circulating in Khimfast?” Lu Li asked as he stood up. Anna, who had been leaning against him, nearly slid off the sofa.
“Strange rumors... Yes, there is one,” Aunt Mery said, her expression changing as she recalled something. “They say the ghost of a young girl haunts the dark alleys. She asks passersby for help, but whether they try to flee or offer assistance, she drags them into the shadows with her.”
“That’s the same vengeful spirit,” Anna said, looking up at Lu Li.
Lu Li walked over to the suitcase he had left in the entryway, carried it to the dining table, and opened it.
Inside lay three silver flintlock pistols, each one looking more like a work of art than a weapon.
Lu Li lifted them out one by one, sliding them into holsters he fastened to his belt and thigh.
“I’ll go with you,” Aunt Mery declared, reaching for a woman’s coat hanging on a rack.
“Stay here.”
The lid of the suitcase clicked shut. Lu Li’s calm, dark eyes met hers.