The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 450: Even in Hell, I Will Be With You

It was as if a gust of wind swept through the room, making the flames of the candles arranged around the rug bend for an instant.

The old woman opened her eyes. The handkerchief in her hand began to shrivel and char before his very eyes, leaving behind scorched marks.

Stepping into the room, Lu Li caught the distinct smell of sulfur. When the woman spoke, the stench grew even stronger, more pungent.

It seemed he had found the source of the smell that had clung to the crow.

— She is not at peace... — the old woman said slowly, addressing the man who waited with tense anticipation. She held the charred handkerchief out to him, passing it over the ring of candles. — She was a very loving mother. She asked me to tell you to take care of Hani and Henry.

The man took the handkerchief. His fingers brushed against the old woman's hand, and he instantly recoiled as if burned. — And the bank check from Ruth's Bank? Did she tell you where it is?

— It's inside Henry's toy horse, — the old woman replied.

— Right, thank you so much for your help! — The man bowed, hurried past Lu Li, and quickly exited the House of Spiritual Divination.

The old woman's milky eyes settled on Lu Li. Her ghostly gaze was unfocused, yet he had the distinct sensation that she was looking right at him.

— Hello, young man, and... — her gaze shifted to the figure beside Lu Li, — ...the lovely young vengeful spirit.She could see Anna.

Anna slowly materialized, her expression impassive. A protective aura enveloped both her and Lu Li.

The old woman offered a friendly smile, one that seemed completely at odds with her unsettling gaze. — Don't worry, I'm a medium. It's no trouble for me to see souls. Are you here to contact deceased friends or relatives?

Lu Li approached the old woman, stopping just outside the circle of candles. He produced his investigator badge. — Investigator Lu Li, from the Allen Peninsula. I'd like to ask you a few questions.

Lu Li doubted the old woman had truly been to Hell, but the heat radiating from her was palpable.

Then again, it could just be the warmth from the candles.

— Of course, — the old woman gestured to a chair. — We haven't had an exorcist from out of town in a long time. Must have been at least a week.

Her jest went unanswered. Lu Li remained standing and got straight to the point. — Have any suspicious outsiders come to town recently? Or has anything unusual happened?

— One moment, I'll ask the town's guardians... — the old woman replied slowly, closing her eyes.

Lu Li felt a shift in the dimly lit room. The presence was reminiscent of the Elm Forest's consciousness, but more ephemeral, more spectral—like spirits from old legends.

They seemed to gather around the old woman, as if whispering amongst themselves.

— Suspicious people and events... — The old woman began to slowly repeat what she was hearing. — ...bad... rot... came alive... sweaters... two days ago...

She spoke in broken phrases. After a few moments, the spirits dispersed, and the old woman opened her unnerving eyes. — I've found something. It might be who you're looking for. But he died yesterday.

— Died?

Lu Li immediately thought of the two Bloody Tentacles. Perhaps they had found a new host.

— They told me... a missing postman was found two days ago in a shack on the coast. Two murdered townspeople were with him. It all started when he found a diary; the next day, he disappeared. The police investigating the case read that diary and... they went mad. It was the source of the contagion.

The old woman continued, — If you want to learn more, go to the police station. The Alliance hasn't arrived yet, so you have time to investigate. But be careful. Don't read the diary...

She understood that Lu Li was working alone.

— Thank you, — Lu Li said. He turned to head for the station.

The old woman stopped him, a note of approval in her voice. — Young man, you have the potential to become a medium. Have you ever considered it? It can be dangerous, but as a medium, you could see beyond the veil of life and death.

— Not yet, — Lu Li replied.

But then Anna, who was usually silent around strangers, unexpectedly asked, — If he became a medium, would his eyes become like yours?

— Why do you ask? — the old woman inquired.

— I wouldn't want those eyes, as dark as night, to disappear, — Anna replied calmly.

The old woman smiled. — Is that so... Of course. I would be glad to teach the first ghost to become a medium.

— Then when we've finished our business here, we'll return, — Anna said.

Lu Li suspected why Anna wanted to learn about being a medium, but he said nothing.

The old woman waved a dismissive hand. — It's not difficult. Just a few words.

— A few words? — Anna asked in disbelief.

— It's a gift.

The old woman spoke as if uttering an immutable truth, and then she explained to Anna how to become a medium.

Her method was the same one Tesla had described to Lu Li: the key was to "approach death." Since Anna was already dead, all she had to do was take an object belonging to the person she wished to contact in Hell and recreate the moment of her own death. To return, she simply had to break the illusion.

When she finished her explanation, the old woman noticed Lu Li looking at the scratches on her sleeve. — These lesser demons are like pesky insects. And they can smell the living.

— And how do you approach death? — Anna asked, her gaze falling on the wooden chair and the basin inside the circle of candles.

— There are two ways: the true and the false. The true way is with something that can actually kill you: drowning, suffocation, slitting your wrists. The false way is to recall the most terrifying image of your own death... That is what I fear most.

The old woman continued, — When I was a girl, I was captured by cultists. They bound me, laid me on a sacrificial altar, slit my veins, and waited for me to bleed out as a sacrifice to some evil god.

Only then did Lu Li notice a deep scar beneath the woman's tattered sleeve, one that not even her wrinkled skin could conceal.

— Meow! — The sound came abruptly. A black cat emerged from the shadows and, leaping over the candles, settled beside the old woman.

The old woman stroked the cat's head and smiled at Lu Li. — Just an ordinary stray. After the Plant Calamity, she had nothing to eat, so she came to me. A medium and a black cat... it's a fitting combination, isn't it?

— Now, go on. Attend to your business.