The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 445: Luring Out the Puppeteer

Lu Li didn't leave the "Avitanis" immediately.

He sought out the first mate—a man with thinning hair and an aquiline nose—and described the appearance of the sailor who had delivered the letters.

The first mate replied that no such crew member was on the ship. He suggested that someone had been impersonating a sailor and promised to report the matter to the captain.

The matter was no longer Lu Li's concern. He disembarked and set foot once more on the soil of Belfast.

Hiring a carriage, he, along with Anna and their luggage, left Port Roadster.

"Was that a letter from Daisy?" Anna asked, wanting to know the reason for the sudden cancellation of their trip.

Lu Li didn't answer, simply handing her the letter.

"Mortals who strive for harmony are mired in the mundane, unaware that life is born of blood and darkness... Lost sheep seek a quiet refuge, oblivious to the encroaching gloom... Ominous clouds have enveloped the world, the flame of civilization is fading..." Anna read aloud softly. The first part of the letter seemed to describe the current state of the world, but it had no direct connection to Lu Li.

"The stars descend upon the Fallow Lands, the Nameless Ones awaken, the spawn of darkness crawl from the abyss, the whispers of the void grow ever louder..." Anna continued.

"The flame is extinguished, the light fades...""The ancient being sleeping in the ocean's depths is about to awaken. A curse will fall upon those who have defiled the flesh of the Nameless Ones. The tentacles in the clouds will guide its way, the seawater will become its vessel..."

"But even as the flame dies, embers remain..."

"The earth will protect the cursed..."

"Stay on land—it is the only way to escape the curse."

The letter ended there.

"I thought it was from Daisy again, that our paths had simply diverged..." Anna folded the letter and handed it back to Lu Li along with her own. "Is the writer warning you not to go to sea?"

Lu Li opened the letter from Daisy and read it.

The author, posing as Daisy, was asking Anna for help. Her teacher had turned into a monster and killed many people, and now he was hunting her.

"More likely, he wants me to stay here," Lu Li replied, pondering the letters as he steered the carriage around a slow-moving wagon.

The first letter might have been sent with good intentions, but the second one certainly was not.

"Is there a connection to the letter I received?" Anna asked. Both were delivered by a non-existent sailor.

Lu Li looked up. "They were written by the same person."

"He doesn't want me to leave, and he doesn't want me to discover his purpose, so he sent the letter in Daisy's name to lure us off the ship. But he miscalculated. And at the risk of being exposed, he sent the second letter to delay us."

"Who wants you to stay?"

Who knows about his existence and the Bloody Tentacles? The circle of suspects was narrowing.

"Tesla... or Richard?" Anna suggested.

And the most important question: was the letter telling the truth?

Lu Li recalled his trip to Atoll Reef. He hadn't encountered the "ancient being from the ocean's depths" then, but he had indeed come close to dying at sea.

"Perhaps we shouldn't have left the ship so quickly," Lu Li said. "If we had waited a little longer, whoever is behind this would have shown up a third time."

"An observer in the shadows is difficult to spot," Anna replied. "What do we do now?"

"We'll put on a show."

Ahead, the street was blocked by police, among them the black-uniformed figures of the Night's Watch once again. After detouring around the block, Lu Li continued, "We'll leave the Allen Peninsula by land."

Via the Swamp Road, which leads to the main continent.

If whoever is behind this doesn't want Lu Li to leave, he will appear again.

"But first, we'll verify the information about Daisy."

A moment later, a soft, hesitant sound came from Anna within the carriage.

Lu Li had no intention of handling this himself. Although Oliver and JoJo, who could have taken the case, were already gone, he had another candidate in mind.

Back at the deserted detective agency, Lu Li picked up the telephone receiver and began to dial, sinking into a silent wait.

Anna lit a kerosene lamp, its dim light filling the empty, cold living room.

Finally, a familiar voice cut through the crackle of static.

"Lu Li."

"Of course, of course, who else would call me besides the damned operator but you... I mean, you need something?"

"A strange incident at the Bellerèd Academy of Music. A professor turned into a monster and is hunting his student. I need confirmation of this information and any details on a student named Daisy."

"Uh... you know I'm usually the one finding cases for you, not the other way around..."

"Double the fee," Lu Li replied calmly.

"You'll have it in half an hour!"

Before hanging up, Marcus added in a mysterious whisper, "Here's a secret... this world is about to end!"

"And?"

"Eh... looks like you already know? Well, you're an exorcist, ha ha... I was just thinking, once I save up enough money, I'll find a place to hide. What about you? Staying in Belfast?"

Lowering his gaze, Lu Li answered, "To the main continent. As soon as you get me the information, I'm leaving Belfast."

"Oh, what a shame, the main continent is outside my territory... Alright, I'll get on your case. Don't forget about the double fee!"

After hanging up, Lu Li called the investigators' headquarters again. An Alliance employee reported that Tesla had never shown up at headquarters and had left no messages for him.

Placing the receiver back on its cradle, Lu Li sat at the desk and waited for the call.

"Are we still going to the Lennon Archipelago?" Anna's soft voice broke the silence that had settled over the detective agency.

"Until we deal with the Bloody Tentacles, it's better to stay here."

Lu Li could neither confirm nor deny the information in the letter. Until the truth was revealed, traveling by sea was a dance with death.

Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long.

As soon as Marcus delivered the information, Lu Li would head for the Swamp Road to lure out whoever was trying to obstruct him.

Outside, it began to grow dark. The hands of the alarm clock, taken from a suitcase, showed 5:20 in the evening. Seventeen minutes after his call with Marcus, the phone rang.

"It was a lot of trouble, but I found everything out. Just like you said, a professor at the music academy turned into a monster and attacked the students. Your exorcists are investigating the scene now."

"As for the girl named Daisy... I don't know who she is to you, but I'm afraid this next bit of news will upset you. She died yesterday."

Lu Li looked up at Anna, who had also heard the news. Her crimson pupils flashed for an instant before quickly returning to calm.

"How do I get you the fee?"

"Leave it under the second blue trash can on Whistle Street, beneath a brick. You'll pass right by it on your way out of Belfast."

"Alright."