The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 407: The Cold Body

"I should have known sooner..." JoJo whispered, unable to hold back her tears.

She had braced herself for her brother's death, but confronting the reality of it was an agony beyond endurance. Grief sliced through her heart.

Lu Li, an oil lamp in hand, stood at the entrance, his face still impassive. His gaze swept over the extinguished hearth and lamp, the scattered empty and full tin cans, the unused charcoal, and the strange marks on Oliver's body.

Oliver had not died of natural causes.

JoJo knelt beside her brother, whispering indiscernible words. Lu Li waited patiently. He thought it would take JoJo a long time to manage her emotions, but she soon stood up, wiped away her tears, and walked over to him.

"Can we take Oliver's body?" she asked hoarsely.

"Where to?"

JoJo fell silent. They were deep in the Shadow Swamp, barely surviving themselves. How could they possibly carry a body out of here?

There was no point.

"Can I say goodbye to him? Just for a few minutes," JoJo pleaded.Lu Li held out the lamp to her. "We have time."

"Thank you."

Nodding, JoJo took the lamp, returned to Oliver, knelt beside his body, and folded her hands.

A quiet prayer filled the cramped cabin, echoing out into the corridor.

"Life is like a fading flower, but also like one in bloom..."

"Our fate is set from birth. We come from dust, and to dust we return... Such is the law of life."

"The end does not mean oblivion... Everything you did will remain in people's memories. The body will decay, but the spirit is immortal..."

"I, Joan, pray that Oliver's soul may ascend to a realm without pain or suffering..."

"May the soul of the departed rest in peace..."

The final words of the prayer dissolved into the air. JoJo closed her eyes and wept quietly.

In the depths of Lu Li's consciousness, a soft whisper sounded: "...How... touching..."

"You should know this," Lu Li replied, "it's a standard prayer for churchgoers."

"...Churchgoers?... I do not answer their prayers..."

"Why?"

"...Their desires are absurd and strange... They covet my power... They curse one another... They want wealth and women... They offer a paltry devotion... I have no interest in it..."

"But most Evil Gods accept any offering."

Unlike other anomalies, Evil Gods are born from human emotions.

An Evil God is a confluence of negative emotions, a consciousness that may or may not exist until enough people begin to believe in it and make sacrifices. Then, absorbing the desires of its believers, the Evil God is born.

Lu Li recalled something. "The first settlers of Tenebrae, who worshipped the Mother of the Swamp, believed she protected and guarded the town. You call yourself the Mother of the Swamp. Does that mean you're the so-called 'good Evil God' from the legends?"

This assumption seemed highly likely. It was the only way to explain why the exorcists of the Allen Peninsula paid no attention to an Evil God living right next door.

Because the Mother of the Swamp was a "good Evil God."

A "good Evil God" is a relative concept. They are not human and are not bound by human rules. They cannot be judged by human standards of good and evil.

They simply guard their territory, paying no mind to the people who pass through.

Like a pair of eyes watching ants at their feet.

They might harm people for some reason, but compared to other Evil Gods, they are practically harmless.

In a world spiraling toward ruin, exorcists had no time to deal with such harmless beings.

The Mother of the Swamp did not answer Lu Li's question. She whispered of something else: "...I can feel it... you are close now... In the very heart of the fig tree forest... I will wait for you there..."

"Are you leaving again?" Lu Li asked.

"...It sensed something... It is resisting... I must concentrate..."

"Leave a piece of your consciousness behind. I'll contact you if something happens."

After a brief pause, the Mother of the Swamp replied: "...Hold the statuette... I will feel your call... And one more thing... It... was not I who brought it here..."

"It?"

"...The ship... The one you are inside..."

Lu Li turned abruptly to Anna. "Do you feel anything?"

Anna, who had appeared beside JoJo when she began to pray, sensed nothing out of the ordinary. But she knew Lu Li wouldn't say such a thing without reason. Closing her eyes, she extended her aura, only to be stopped by the cold, damp walls.

It was strange to feel the cold and dampness through her own aura, as if it were touching the walls.

"The walls are blocking my aura..." Anna whispered, stunned.

Lu Li looked at JoJo, who was still praying beside Oliver's body. "Are you finished?"

JoJo opened her eyes. Tears had washed away the grime from her face.

"What's wrong?" she asked, having overheard Lu Li and Anna's conversation.

"Plans have changed. We need to leave."

Unsure if the ship knew they had discovered it, Lu Li didn't reveal all the details.

"Alright."

After a moment's hesitation, JoJo rose, swayed on her feet, and, taking the lamp, went over to Lu Li.

Without another word, under Anna's protection, they quickly retraced their steps.

The lamp was returned to Lu Li. At first, JoJo kept looking back, feeling as if her brother were watching her from the darkness. But she soon noticed Lu Li was walking much faster than usual, and, understanding why, she followed him in silence.

Suddenly, Lu Li stopped.

JoJo, nearly colliding with him, looked up and heard Anna's whisper: "The path is gone..."

The corridor below the ship's deck stretched onward, the darkness seeming endless.

They had walked a considerable distance and should have reached the turn by now.

But the rusty corridor just kept going straight, with no end in sight.

"You still don't feel anything?" Lu Li asked Anna.

"I can tear it apart," Anna replied coldly.

She felt as if the ship were toying with them.

"You can't tear through steel," Lu Li countered, recalling the fleeting sensation he'd felt when boarding the ship. "I'll try."

Lu Li looked into the darkness, as if someone were there.

"I don't know why you're here, in the swamp, but I can help you get out."

His voice echoed down the dark corridor. A few seconds passed, then ten more... Nothing happened.

Lu Li continued calmly, "The Mother of the Swamp, the mistress of the Shadow Swamp... is my... ally. I may not be able to help you, but she can. Let us go, and I will ask her to send you where you need to be."