The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 408: A Whale Belongs in the Sea

Before coming to Tenebrae, JoJo had thought only craftsmen and madmen spoke to metal.

Now, she understood Lu Li—and even found herself agreeing with his actions.

Lu Li's voice echoed down the corridor, then faded into silence.

The reverberations died away, but no answer came.

Was it useless, then?

Anna’s mental projection and abilities were useless against metal, and it seemed there was no other way.

Before they could decide on their next move, however, JoJo gently tugged on Lu Li’s sleeve and whispered, "There’s a wall ahead..."

Lu Li followed her gaze. The glare from the oil lamp made it difficult to see, so he held it to the side and peered into the gloom of the corridor.

The thick, viscous darkness seemed to recede, and far in the distance, the faint outlines of rusted walls and a corner emerged.

Just moments ago, the corridor had seemed endless.The ship had answered him.

Lu Li turned his head. Anna gave him a slight nod and started toward the corner.

The corridor stretched on. An old freight elevator stood like a rusted cage, and the numbers on the wooden cabin doors had long since rotted away.

The rotten floorboards held the impressions of their footsteps.

If they kept straight ahead, they would be back on deck.

"Let's go," Lu Li said, heading for the exit.

JoJo lingered for a moment, casting a sorrowful look toward the cabin at the end of the corridor where Oliver lay, before hurrying to catch up.

Droplets of water condensed in the damp air of the passageway. They fell, only to shatter against an unseen barrier before they could touch Lu Li.

JoJo felt a light chill on her cheek. She blinked, her eyes fixing on the exit to the deck, now only about fifteen meters away.

The blood-red light of the sky spilled onto the stairwell.

JoJo relaxed slightly, reassured that the living ship had truly let them go.

But...

JoJo couldn’t help but glance back at the dark corridor behind them.

What had killed her brother? The ship... or was it something else?

The blood-red light from the deck cast a long rectangle on the corridor floor. At the edge of light and shadow, a pair of wet rubber boots appeared.

Lu Li, oil lamp in hand, reached the foot of the stairs and looked up.

In that instant, everything changed. With an unbearable groan of wood, the door leading to the deck slammed shut, plunging them into darkness as the last sliver of blood-red light vanished.

Anna instantly fell back to Lu Li’s side, shielding him and JoJo with her aura.

She glanced upward in surprise and whispered, "I can feel them... many servants of an evil god are approaching."

"Yes."

Lu Li sensed the encroaching threat as well.

By sealing the exit, the ship seemed to be protecting them.

Silence fell over the dark corridor, broken only by a deep, muffled sound from within the ship, like the drawing of a heavy breath.

The unsettling quiet didn't last long. A few minutes later, Anna spoke. "They’re gone... heading toward the swamp."

The servants’ strange behavior matched what the Mother of the Swamp had told them.

"Servants of the Mother of the Swamp, or the unknown evil god?"

"Their aura is repulsive... It’s the unknown evil god."

Lu Li nodded. He turned his attention back to the ship itself. "Thank you for your help."

As his voice echoed down the corridor, the door to the deck began to creak slowly open.

This time, their exit was unimpeded, and they returned to the deck without incident.

The gurgle of the stream was distinct once more. On either side of them stretched a lifeless forest of fig trees.

Lu Li gazed into the distance, but the dense canopy of fig trees obscured his view. After a moment's hesitation, he asked JoJo to remain on deck while he and Anna ascended to the upper level.

With no desire to explore the sealed captain's bridge, Lu Li climbed to the highest vantage point and looked out toward the swamp again.

The canopy of dry branches below resembled a lead-gray ocean. At the heart of this lifeless sea rose a colossal fig tree, a true wonder of nature.

The surrounding fig trees seemed mere saplings in comparison. It was as if this titan was the root from which all the others had sprung. High above it, blood-red lightning crackled through the dark clouds.

There, in the very heart of the swamp, lay the domain of the Mother of the Swamp. And that was where they were headed.

Anna let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. From the moment she laid eyes on the colossal tree, an oppressive weight had settled over her. She felt as though she wasn't looking at a tree at all, but at some mysterious and malevolent god.

So this is the difference between me and an evil god...

Anna thought to herself. After returning with Lu Li to the lower deck, she gently lowered them both off the ship and into the stream.

Before they left, Lu Li didn't forget his promise. He once again assured the ship that he would keep his word.

The ship remained silent, an inanimate object once more, as if everything that had just transpired had been nothing but an illusion.

But none of them believed it was an illusion.

Lu Li and his companions returned to the bank, stopping a short distance from both the ship and the fig trees.

The Shadow Guide appeared silently, hiding behind a cluster of fig trees about fifteen meters away.

Lu Li looked at the dejected JoJo and said calmly, "This is as far as you can come with us. The Shadow Guide will lead you away from the Shadow Swamp and Tenebrae. If you can, wait for us in Roostown."

JoJo froze, the meaning of his words taking a few seconds to sink in. She shook her head. "You helped me. Now it’s my turn to help you."

"There's nothing you can do to help," Lu Li replied bluntly.

It was the truth. Even Lu Li himself was a burden to Anna.

Without him, it would be far easier for Anna to reach the heart of the swamp. But without him, she would have no reason to go at all.

"Fine... The truth is, I just don’t know where to go..." JoJo sank to the ground, hugging her knees. She still couldn't accept her brother's death and blamed herself for being so helpless.

She couldn't even retrieve his body.

"I don't want to go with that... that thing," she muttered. "Please, let me stay with you. If I get into trouble, just leave me..."

Having lost the person closest to her, JoJo seemed to have lost the will to live.

She had nothing left to fear.

"If you don't want to go, then stay," Lu Li said quietly, unsure how to comfort her. "Eat something to get your strength back. Then we’ll head for the giant fig tree."

JoJo felt neither hunger nor thirst, but she did as Lu Li said, forcing down some dried meat and drinking half the water from her flask.

After a brief rest, Anna surveyed their surroundings. The lifeless fig trees, the rushing stream, the enormous ship... Her gaze finally settled on Lu Li, who was calmly eating a piece of dried meat.

"You said you would send it where it belongs."

She looked at Lu Li, and together, their gazes shifted to the ship resting in the stream a few dozen meters away.

"Where is that?"

Lu Li swallowed the last piece of dried meat, washing it down with a gulp of icy water from his flask. "A whale belongs in the sea," he answered.

Anna’s gaze fell upon the silhouette of the ship, reflected in her crimson eyes. "A whale..." she whispered.