The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 415: Blood Vessels

Belfast, Port Roadster.

Several children played on the damp, brown sand, far from the water's edge.

The storm had ended half a day ago, leaving behind a cool, almost chilly Belfast.

Low, dense rain clouds still hung over the city like a patchwork quilt, and every so often, a fine, cool drizzle would begin to fall.

In the distance, Port Roadster seemed to have come alive after a long lull. The harbor and bay were crowded with ships, and the faint blast of their horns carried to the shore every few seconds.

The cheerful laughter of the children brought life to the wet brown sand, while their mothers, further from the shoreline, searched for clams and seaweed to supplement their food supplies before the next rain.

Every rainy season was especially hard on the poor, and this year was no exception. The price of flour had soared to unimaginable heights, forcing people to mix it with sawdust just to feed their families.

Only the carefree five- and six-year-olds, not yet burdened by the hardships of life, could find genuine joy in their games.

Crooked squares were drawn in the sand, and the children hopped between them. If someone misstepped and landed on a line, a burst of laughter would erupt before the game continued.

...Thud—Lu Li landed on another dark island.

A dull sound echoed from beneath his feet, as if he had stepped onto flesh.

"Flesh" was just a metaphor. Although the walls around him pulsed with a dim, deep red light, as if alive, the surface underfoot was solid and gave off no unpleasant odor.

Standing in the darkness, Lu Li paused for a moment and looked at the next island, two meters away.

This was the last foothold. The nearest dark patch was a dozen meters away, surrounded by the pulsating red glow.

"A dead end," Lu Li said.

"I will create a new island beneath your feet..." the Mother of the Swamp whispered.

"Will the Old Mother of the Swamp not notice?"

"Small changes will not draw her attention..."

As soon as the whisper faded, a new island began to emerge from the darkness in front of the last one.

"Follow the islands as they appear... You will reach the head of the Old Mother's shell..."

Lu Li silently watched the island form. "You do realize humans can't fly."

"Is she above your head?" the Mother of the Swamp whispered, a hint of confusion in her voice.

"Something like that. On the wall."

A brief pause followed. Lu Li watched as the shadow slowly expanded, connecting with the final dark island.

The walkable area grew slightly larger.

Pressing one hand to his stomach and clutching the statuette of the Mother of the Swamp in the other, Lu Li stepped forward.

Now, every time a new dark patch appeared, Lu Li would step onto it, and the previous one would vanish.

These changes inevitably reminded Lu Li of the traps within the tree trunk. Other than the dim rays of light being replaced by dark islands, there was no difference.

Lu Li continued on his way in silence. As he delved deeper into this space, the wide passage grew steadily narrower, and the flat surface beneath his feet began to rise, as if he were walking up a slope.

"What does this red glow mean?" Lu Li asked.

The narrow passage gave him a better view of the pulsating walls. The complex, rune-like patterns looked more like wood grain than pieces of flesh.

"The body that the Old Mother of the Swamp can feel..."

"And what about the areas that turn to shadow?"

"The body that I control..."

That explained why Lu Li could move through the Old Mother of the Swamp's shell unhindered.

The blood-red passage had numerous offshoots. Some were too narrow to pass through, while others were as wide as the place where he had first fallen.

Seven minutes into his journey through the shell, Lu Li encountered a servant of the evil god, just as he had expected.

This creature was unlike any he had seen before. It was the size of a fist, with a beetle-like carapace, which reminded Lu Li of the Old Mother of the Swamp's description. But the strangest thing was that, in place of a head, it had a living human face.

The creature floated out from the depths of the bloody passage, like a balloon with a human face, capable of evoking one's deepest fears.

Lu Li stopped. The Mother of the Swamp whispered, "Stay on the island. It won't notice you..."

Following her advice, Lu Li froze. The Face-Worm drew closer, slowly drifting toward him.

Lu Li's hand tightened on the grip of the First Pistol, ready to draw it at a moment's notice. But just then, something unexpected happened.

As if drawn by an unseen force, the Face-Worm descended to the edge of the dark island and, like a candle brought to a flame, began to melt rapidly, merging with the dark surface.

As the Face-Worm's flesh dissolved, it returned the small patch of darkness to its original blood-red color.

It was repairing the passage.

When the Face-Worm had completely vanished, silence once again reigned, leaving only a small imperfection on the dark island.

"What was that?" Lu Li asked, making sure the danger had passed.

"The power of the Old Mother of the Swamp... It flows through her shell..."

Lu Li considered a possible analogy. "Like blood in a human?"

"You could say that..."

It all fell into place. The pulsating, blood-red walls around him were the blood vessels of the Old Mother of the Swamp.

And that immediately raised a new question: there was usually a lot of blood...

"Are they her servants too?"

"They are a part of the Old Mother... As I once was... Don't worry... I have diverted most of them away from you..."

But some still slipped through.

As he continued on his way, Lu Li noticed that the Face-Worms were appearing more frequently, perhaps because he was moving further from the edge of the shell. Each time one appeared, the Mother of the Swamp would create a dark island next to the creature so it could merge with it.

But that wasn't the only problem. The bloody passage was becoming more winding and difficult to navigate.

"Where are we now?" Lu Li asked.

"If we use your terms... in the neck region..."

He was already close to the shell's head.

Lu Li peered into the depths of the bloody passage. For now, there were no Face-Worms in sight.

"We need to stop," Lu Li said.

Although his Mind Level detector had been clicking nonstop since he entered the shell, Lu Li was unwilling to take risks just to save time.

"Why... We must remove the seal before the Old Mother of the Swamp discovers us..." A note of anxiety crept into the Mother of the Swamp's whisper.

"It's simple. I don't know how to remove the seal," Lu Li replied, checking the three spirit pistols in his holster. "Until I find a way, going any further is a bad idea."

The Old Mother of the Swamp had already been trapped once; there was no reason she wouldn't guard the place where the new Mother of the Swamp was sealed.

Most likely, as soon as Lu Li approached that place, the Old Mother of the Swamp would become aware of his presence, and it would all be over.

Because they were inside her shell.