The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 413: Under the White Light

Waves of darkness swirled around Lu Li, slowly consuming the faint glow of the oil lamp.

The light, a symbol of safety, was gradually fading.

An ominous whisper echoed through the darkness, as if something malevolent and unseen were watching Lu Li with greedy eyes.

Fifteen meters away, a faint white light streamed forth, dispelling the darkness like a sacred radiance.

Perhaps this was the light the Mother of the Swamp had prepared for him.

However... Lu Li glanced at the encroaching darkness and its almost palpable malevolence. Reaching the source of that white light would be like announcing to every creature in the dark: "I am here."

The path he had taken was gone, swallowed by the impenetrable gloom.

It was as if two different spaces existed—one inside the giant fig tree, and one outside.

Just then, the flame in the lamp flickered several times, growing even weaker, though there should have been enough kerosene to last for half a day.

Death awaited Lu Li in the dark.Before the lamp went out completely, Lu Li took a step forward, toward the faint white light fifteen meters away.

The flame in the lamp shrank under the onslaught of darkness, and the circle of light around Lu Li narrowed until his shadow dissolved into the oppressive blackness.

Suddenly, a light breeze stirred.

The weak flame in the lamp was instantly extinguished, and Lu Li should have been plunged into utter darkness. But in that same instant, his figure appeared at the edge of the white radiance.

The malevolence retreated, hiding in the darkness beyond the light, but it continued to wait.

Lu Li turned his head and looked back, a flicker of alarm in his dark eyes.

He didn't know if these creatures were a product of the Night Calamity or if they were tied to this place...

Most likely, the latter. For the brief moment he was in the dark, Lu Li felt it was far more aggressive here than during the Night Calamity... Perhaps if he had remained in it for even a second longer, it would have consumed his body and soul, just as it had consumed the lamp's flame.

Whatever the case, he was safe for now.

"You've come at last. I have been waiting for you," a quiet whisper sounded. It wasn't in his head, but echoed within the radiance, and like the light, its source was invisible.

"This is merely an imprint of my memory," the Mother of the Swamp whispered.

Her words made Lu Li fall silent. He listened to the whisper as he took out his flashlight and switched it on.

A beam of light flared, but just like the lamp, it died after a few seconds as if it had broken.

Putting the flashlight away, Lu Li took out a box of matches and struck one.

The sharp scent of sulfur mingled with the smell of smoke. The match burned steadily, but even if its flame wasn't consumed by the darkness, it wouldn't have lasted more than a few seconds.

"The light will illuminate your path. Follow it," the Mother of the Swamp whispered.

Lu Li hesitated, then opened the lamp's windproof glass and touched the match to the wick.

The lamp didn't light, and the match burned down and went out—whether on its own or for some other reason, he couldn't tell.

Done fiddling with the lamp, Lu Li looked down at his feet.

The cross-section of the wood confirmed he was indeed inside the giant fig tree. The tree was so immense that the annual rings in the wood resembled steps leading into the distance.

"You will find an answer to your every question in the next light. Go to the light; it will lead you to me," whispered the Mother of the Swamp.

With those last words, the whisper faded, and silence fell under the white light.

As soon as the whisper stopped, a new, faint white light began to flicker ten meters ahead in the darkness.

That was where Lu Li was meant to go next.

Though the space between the lights was dark, it wasn't plunged into absolute blackness, and Lu Li could safely reach the next source.

After a slight pause, Lu Li headed toward the second source of light.

Climbing the ring-like steps, Lu Li reached the second light source. He glanced back to see the first light gradually dimming and vanishing. Once again, the whisper of the Mother of the Swamp sounded.

"From time immemorial, the Mother of the Swamp has been the mistress of this part of the Shadow Swamp. Even before the northern part of the swamp was occupied. Her power was not born of human belief, as they say. She existed long before people began to worship her."

Ten meters ahead, a third source of light began to shine, signaling the end of the whisper.

Lu Li didn't understand why the Mother of the Swamp was breaking her story into fragments. It seemed strange, but there was no turning back now.

Besides, he had come here to help her.

Upon reaching the third source of light, Lu Li heard the whisper continue as soon as the previous light went out.

"She protected the creatures living in the swamp, and in return, the people paid her with their faith and their souls. Until the colonists from the mainland arrived on this land."

After listening to the whisper, Lu Li headed for the fourth source of light. Glancing back before the second light completely faded, he noticed that his path wasn't straight.

He was moving along a winding trajectory, as if following the pattern of a constellation.

"The self-satisfied humans brought with them a faith never seen before. Though the Mother of the Swamp did not understand it, she accepted the new followers and allowed them to build a city on the edge of the swamp."

On the way to the fifth source of light, a deep fissure appeared, resembling a bottomless abyss. If one considered the fig tree's trunk as a whole, this was probably an "annual ring."

Without lingering at the edge of the chasm, Lu Li jumped across the three-meter gap and landed under the fifth source of light.

"But over time, the connection between the people and the Mother of the Swamp weakened. They no longer needed to worship her to survive. Especially after those damned exorcists forbade them from doing so and forced those who lived in the swamp to leave their homes..."

Lu Li frowned slightly and walked toward the next source of light.

"Fortunately, the Mother of the Swamp was not born of faith, and the departure of her followers only weakened her, it did not destroy her. And then, a being like a scattering of stars sent down a particle of its consciousness from the heavens and offered the Mother of the Swamp the chance to become its servant..."

The Mother of the Swamp, a being that even exorcists couldn't handle, was merely a servant? And what was this star-like being?

Lu Li continued on his way.

"Even before a mere particle of its consciousness, the Mother of the Swamp dared not resist. She agreed to become a servant and prepared to receive its power. But at that moment, an unexpected guest arrived... It was you... The Mother of the Swamp was intrigued by your appearance and felt a sense of respect for you. You were so weak, yet you carried their aura..."

Their aura...

Lu Li didn't understand what the Mother of the Swamp meant.

The aura of the In-Between? Of the bloody swamp? Or of the "door"?

Lu Li headed for the next source of light to find out the truth.

"To the Mother of the Swamp's disappointment, you left quickly. And she herself was betrayed and sealed beneath the earth... Until you returned once more and chose to cooperate with the traitor... Now I understand. You are not one of them... You are just a pathetic little thief who has stolen a drop of their great power!"

The whisper instantly twisted into a vicious roar, and the white light, which had resembled a sacred radiance, turned a bloody red.

The same color as the sky over the swamp...