The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 446: The Appearance

Amid the stream of carriages heading for Belfast, a lone coach traveled in the opposite direction. It passed the once picturesque, now mist-shrouded Agate Lake, continued toward Sugard Mountain, and, after rounding it, proceeded along its far side.

"We won't reach the Swamp Road until morning. Do you want to rest for a bit?" Anna asked, clearing away the last of their meal.

"Let's wait a little longer," Lu Li replied, peering out from under the carriage's canopy. The advancing twilight was cloaking everything in a grey haze. The mysterious shadow that had been watching over Belfast was no longer visible.

When the darkness finally congealed, constricting the dim glow of the oil lamp inside the carriage and filling the air with ominous whispers, Lu Li retreated inside.

He settled onto the blankets Anna had spread out. Anna extended the aura of a vengeful spirit around them, taking care not to let it touch Lu Li.

"There are no anomalies or pursuers nearby," she whispered.

"Perhaps they're far away, or maybe they're tracking us in a way we don't know about."

Lu Li's words sparked a thought in Anna. "What if he can hear our conversations and knows our plans... Maybe he won't try to stop you from going to the continent?"

"I hope not," Lu Li answered. "That would mean losing our only lead."

But perhaps he had a special way of tracking Lu Li’s whereabouts. For example...Lu Li's gaze drifted to the roof of the carriage. He could see the Bloody Tentacles descending from the heavens. What if someone else could see them too...?

If that were the case, Lu Li could say with certainty that Richard was behind it all.

Wrapped in his woolen coat, Lu Li quickly fell asleep. Anna relentlessly projected her aura, repelling any anomalies that drew near.

The silence of the night was broken only by the patter of rain on the carriage roof, the occasional clicks of the Mind Level counter, the groan of the wheels on the wet road, and the flickering flame of the lamp.

Lu Li woke up several times during the night.

"Can't sleep?" Anna asked softly as Lu Li opened his eyes for the fourth time.

Lu Li glanced around. The presence that had woken him was already gone. "I heard a whisper."

Anna’s scarlet eyes narrowed.

"It’s a projection from the In-Between," Lu Li said.

Waking up to a whisper right in your ear is not the most pleasant sensation.

"Remi and her brother mentioned a way to restore one's Mind Level..."

"Now isn't the time," Lu Li replied calmly, closing his eyes as if nothing had happened. "I'll get used to it."

Perhaps Lu Li was indeed getting used to it, or maybe the whispering had simply stopped. He didn't wake again until dawn.

"Where are we?" he asked.

"We'll be in Roostown soon."

The rain was still drizzling, and a chill seeped into his bones.

Flipping back the canopy, Lu Li stared at the gloomy sky for a long time.

"Did you notice something?" Anna asked quietly.

"The tentacles have changed position."

The Bloody Tentacles hanging from the clouds had always been positioned over other continents, far from the Allen Peninsula. The closest one was over the Main Continent.

Perhaps they could move, but due to the immense distance, their movement was nearly impossible to perceive, much like distant stars.

But now, the tentacle over the Main Continent had shifted slightly, and its previously blurry outline had become sharper.

As if it had moved closer to the Allen Peninsula.

Anna grew thoughtful. "Does that mean whoever wants you to stay is most likely connected to Richard?"

Lu Li stepped out of the carriage and looked at the other two tentacles. It might have been an illusion, brought on by the difficulty of orienting oneself in the wilderness, but their positions had indeed changed.

One of them had become even sharper than the one over the Main Continent, as if... it had already reached Belfast.

"Perhaps," Lu Li whispered.

Ahead, the deserted town of Roostown came into view.

Two days had passed since the events in Tenebrae, but Roostown, the closest settlement, had yet to recover from the horror. The streets were nearly empty, and a squad from the Night's Watch continued to patrol the town, keeping an eye on the southern part of the Tenebrae Swamp.

The carriage rolled slowly down Roostown's main street.

If the letter-sender wanted to contact Lu Li again, Roostown was their last chance. Beyond it lay the ruins of Tenebrae, and a new letter appearing there would seem far too suspicious.

But as the carriage crossed through Roostown and the town gradually faded behind them, the "messenger" never appeared.

"There will be other opportunities," Anna reassured Lu Li, though she knew he didn't need comforting.

After a few more minutes on the muddy road, they saw the blurred silhouette of a ruined city in the distance, shrouded in a veil of rain.

This had recently been the center of a whirlwind of events—Tenebrae.

As the carriage drew closer, Lu Li and Anna could make out more details.

The joint exorcist squad was busy with the aftermath—searching for survivors and cult members, cleansing the area of contamination, and burying bodies to prevent an epidemic.

"Are we going around Tenebrae?" Anna asked.

"Yes."

Although Anna was in no danger with Lu Li, it was best to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Wrapping himself in a blanket, Lu Li climbed out of the carriage, took the cold reins in his hands, and steered the horse toward a fork in the road to take a different path.

"The southern part of the Tenebrae Swamp is the Mother of the Swamp's domain. What about the northern part?" Anna asked, recalling something important as they neared her domain.

Lu Li didn't have time to answer. The growing creak of wheels sounded from behind them.

An empty cart quickly caught up to Lu Li's carriage. Realizing what was happening, Lu Li pulled on the reins. As the carriage came to a stop, a young man with chestnut hair called out to him, "Excuse me, are you Lu Li?"

"Yes."

Lu Li studied the young man carefully. He wore a worn canvas jacket, and his hands, clutching the reins, were calloused.

"I was instructed to give you a letter," the young man said, reaching a hand inside his jacket.

In that same instant, Anna appeared.

"Anna," Lu Li said, and the aura of a vengeful spirit enveloped the young man, freezing him in place.

The young man froze with wide eyes, struggling in vain to break free and scream. Anna frowned and gestured for him to be silent.

A flicker of doubt crossed Lu Li's eyes. He looked away from the young man and unfolded the letter.

Its contents were nearly identical to the letter he had received on the ship, only instead of a warning about the sea, this one cautioned him against traveling to the continent.

Lifting his head, Lu Li saw Anna interrogating the terrified young man, who had even wet himself in fear.

After asking a few questions, Anna frowned and floated over to Lu Li. "It seems he's not the one we're looking for..."

"Right."

He was just an ordinary resident of Roostown.

"Did you call me because you had already guessed?" Anna asked, having realized something.

After a slight pause, Lu Li answered calmly, "I just wanted you not to kill him."