The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 412: Alone

Lu Li didn't answer the cloaked figure's question, listening silently to the story.

The figure didn't press him, continuing the tale of the Mother of the Swamp.

The nascent, true Mother of the Swamp had secretly gathered her strength. And just as the old Mother of the Swamp prepared to receive the power of a celestial being, the new Mother usurped its might, plunging the old one into a deep slumber and sealing her shell in the depths of the swamp.

Reborn from the old shell, the new Mother of the Swamp also received the "fairytale"—or rather, the "fairytale" became part of her consciousness. This manifested in a change to her appearance: she now had the upper body of a woman.

It also manifested in an act unusual for an Evil God—cooperation with humans.

The new Mother rejected the old one's servants, keeping only those who were not inclined toward murder—or, in other words, those who retained a "spark of humanity."

For example, the shadow guides and the six-limbed monsters.

The ficus trees could loosely be placed in this category. They possessed no humanity, much like plants, guided only by instinct and obeying the will of the Mother of the Swamp, guarding this bog.

Lu Li thought of the giant ficus tree but remained silent.

The story, of course, did not end there.The followers of the old Mother of the Swamp began to weave their intrigues, attempting to awaken their patroness.

They were partially successful.

Evading the new Mother of the Swamp, they infiltrated Tenebrae and, by sacrificing the town's inhabitants, attempted to summon the old Mother of the Swamp with a blood ritual.

However, the new Mother of the Swamp uncovered their plot, suppressed the old Mother's awakening, and sent her servants into Tenebrae to confront the conspirators.

Lu Li had seen what followed with his own eyes.

When the cloaked figure finished the tale, Lu Li calmly observed, "You say the new Mother of the Swamp possesses humanity, yet she did not save the people of Tenebrae."

How many survivors were left in the once-crowded town? Ten? Or twenty?

The cloaked figure replied with a certain implication in its voice, "That is precisely why you humans call beings like my mistress Evil Gods."

They are not human, after all.

She might not pay mind to an anthill in her backyard, but neither would she protect it from a downpour.

After a short pause, Lu Li asked, "Who are you?"

"The collective consciousness of my mistress's followers."

The cloaked figure bowed slightly, and a chorus of voices answered in unison.

Lu Li didn't comment on the answer. His gaze slid past the figure and settled on the dark hollow of the giant ficus tree. "Tell me how I can help the Mother of the Swamp."

They moved toward the giant ficus tree again. Anna lifted her head. The roots dangling from its crown resembled columns stretching to the sky. Against the backdrop of this giant, Lu Li and Anna seemed tiny and insignificant as they approached, as if they had wandered into the ruins of a land of giants.

Lu Li saw a strange and majestic picture in this. Anna, however, felt a pressure emanating from the giant ficus, like a predator poised to strike. Just being near the tree made her feel as if her mental projection was on the verge of dissipating.

The cloaked figure stopped at the foot of the ficus. A dark opening in the trunk, dozens of meters high, resembled the entrance to ancient ruins. Turning back, the figure answered Lu Li's question: "Follow the call of your heart."

"Be more specific."

Lu Li was not satisfied with such a vague answer.

The cloaked figure inclined its head, and a female voice spoke once more: "We cannot feel, imagine, or comprehend the battle between our mistress, the old Mother of the Swamp, and the ficus. Our mistress gave us no instructions."

In other words, there was no "right answer."

Having finished answering Lu Li, the figure turned to Anna, whose crimson eyes were flickering anxiously. "The guest's companion must remain here. Only the guest may proceed."

Anna, her aura and emotions unstable, replied coldly, "This is not what we agreed upon."

"The guest is not susceptible to the influence of our mistress, the old Mother of the Swamp, and the ficus, but you are. You must have noticed."

"Your mistress agreed to let me go with him. Has she changed her mind?"

Anna wanted to add something, but Lu Li suddenly asked, "Is she right?"

Anna hesitated, her crimson eyes darting away, not daring to meet Lu Li's gaze. "Uh... yes."

"Stay outside and wait for me."

Anna looked up, displeased, but saw only Lu Li's calm face as he continued, "If I don't come back, find Mary's Aunt. Go with her to Tesla; he'll help you get to the Lennon Archipelago."

Anna clenched her fists. For the first time, she defied Lu Li. "If you don't come back, I'll destroy this place."

"And then you'll find Mary's Aunt," Lu Li repeated.

Anna stared intently at Lu Li, then nodded.

"Fine."

Finally, Lu Li turned to the cloaked figure. "I can't stay in the dark for long."

The cloaked figure bowed its head. "My mistress knows that as a human, you cannot withstand the Night Calamity. She has taken care of it. Wherever you are, light will be with you."

"The light won't go out?"

"Only if my mistress loses. But in that case, the old Mother of the Swamp is unlikely to leave you alive."

Lu Li said nothing more. He exchanged a look with Anna and stepped into the dark opening in the tree trunk.

Anna and the cloaked figure remained where they were, silently watching as the man with the oil lamp vanished into the darkness.

...

JoJo felt a little calmer.

When Lu Li and Anna disappeared behind the enormous ficus roots, panic had seized JoJo. But soon, a six-limbed monster approached with an oil lamp, and a shadow guide appeared, pointing the way for her.

Despite her fear, JoJo began to understand why Lu Li had never been prejudiced against monsters.

Taking the lamp, JoJo followed the shadow guide down the deserted path.

Now she no longer had to navigate the dangerous ficus forest. The trees on either side of the path grew at a safe distance.

Recalling the way they had come, JoJo figured they were heading south. If the path continued straight...

She gazed into the distance.

The coastline?

As JoJo pondered, a faint, barely discernible call echoed down the quiet path, where only the sound of her footsteps had been heard.

"JoJo..."

JoJo's mind went blank for a moment. She froze, staring in the direction the voice had come from.

Dozens of meters away, on the path bathed in a blood-red light, a dark, shambling figure appeared.

The garbled call reached JoJo again. Without a second thought, she drew her spirit gun and aimed it at the approaching figure.

Suddenly, as if carried on the wind, the voice became clearer.

"Sister... I... I'm here..."

JoJo froze, not believing her eyes. A familiar figure was running toward her, hunched over.

"Brother... Brother?!"

She could already make out Oliver's face.

JoJo couldn't understand how her dead brother could be standing before her.

Tears streamed down her cheeks. She watched the approaching Oliver, whispering his name.

"Brother..."

Her fingers slowly uncurled, and the hand holding the pistol fell to her side.