novelraw Chapter 509: A Haven for Children
Chapter 509: A Haven for Children
That wasn't all. On the back of the note, two more events were described.
[New Event in the Belfast Region: Strange Sounds at the Power Station]
[Difficulty: Unknown]
[Information Level: 5%]
[Known Information]
[5%: Night shift workers at the power station have gone missing. Indescribable, strange sounds can be heard on approach. Listening to these sounds causes a decrease in one's Mind Level.]
[Investigators in the area are advised to use their own discretion in deciding whether to investigate or avoid this event.]
...
[New Event in the Belfast Region: Cultists]
[Difficulty: Unknown][Information Level: 0%]
[We know nothing about this despicable group. They have seized the church on Kontner Street and are hiding inside. The appearance of cultists in the city at a time like this bodes ill. Beware of their insidious plans.]
[Investigators in the area are advised to use their own discretion in deciding whether to investigate or avoid this event.]
...
[The following information concerns an evil spirit. Reading it may cause a decrease in your Mind Level. Investigators are advised to decide for themselves whether to read on.]
[New Incursion in the Belfast Region: The Uninvited Guest]
[Information Level: Complete]
[The Uninvited Guest appears as a tall, dark silhouette in a wide-brimmed hat. Its appearance and origin are difficult to determine. Water drips from its body. The first recorded appearance was in the town of Selina on the west coast of the main continent.]
[Ritual: It appears at a residence and knocks on the door. It will knock three times within fifteen seconds, with three raps in each knock. Regardless of whether the residents hear it, after the third knock, if the door has not been opened, the Uninvited Guest will break into the house and kill everyone inside.]
[Countermeasure: Open the door before the third knock and invite it inside. The Uninvited Guest will turn around and leave.]
[If any investigator is interested in the backstory of this evil spirit or has additional information, they may contact the local investigators' base or a Trader.]
"It's getting more and more dangerous here," Anna whispered. The worst part was that they couldn't leave for the Lennon Archipelago.
The contents of the note were chilling.
And what it implied was even more so—it meant that the investigators were already stretched too thin to investigate these new events.
She looked at Lu Li, waiting for his decision.
"Let the other exorcists in the city handle these events," Lu Li memorized the information about the evil spirit's incursion, put the note away, and released the black crow.
He had no intention of getting involved, at least not right now.
Having just dealt with Richard, he felt both physically and mentally exhausted. Lu Li needed a good night's rest.
Anna nodded slightly. It might have been wrong, but she was relieved that Lu Li wasn't going to take the risk.
"When we get back, there's something we need to discuss."
Lu Li's words made Anna freeze. She stared silently at his calm face for a few seconds before nodding quietly.
"Alright."
...
The sewer, "House of the Little Ones."
Aside from the young scout on guard duty outside, all the members of the group were in the camp, gathered around a fire.
"I want some canned food."
"Me too."
"Vir, Vir, is it the kind with fruit?"
The children were all shouting at once.
Vir, with a pair of large glasses perched on her nose, looked helplessly at her assistant, Mela—the same girl who had brought Lu Li here. Mela understood and began to quiet the younger children.
"Mr. Lu Li, who came here just now, wants to take us to the city. There's a clean, warm house there, a real one. We won't have to scavenge through trash or wear other people's clothes anymore. We won't have to breathe in smoke, sleep on damp blankets, and our feet won't hurt every day. And the kind Mr. Lu Li will take care of us."
Vir was just trying to coax her brothers and sisters, but as she spoke, her own voice began to tremble with excitement.
The youngest girl, who had been picking at her toes, raised her hand and asked, "Will Mom and Dad be there?"
Vir looked at her with pity and said gently, "No, but we'll all be there. Maybe there will be other kids from the neighborhood to play with."
As soon as she finished speaking, the children, who had just been quieted, erupted into noise again.
"I want to go!"
"I want fruit preserves!"
"I'll listen to Sister Vir."
"Hurry up and call brother back."
This time, Vir didn't try to quiet them. After waiting for the noise to die down, she said, "Mr. Lu Li has already left, but he promised we could go to him tomorrow. We'll spend one more night here, and tomorrow we can move into our new home."
"I'll go tell little Jimmy!"
A small boy jumped off his bed, pushed open the iron door, and ran outside.
The other children also started jumping on their beds, their joyful shouts echoing far.
Vir, with a tenderness and wisdom beyond her years, clapped her hands and said, "We can pack the things we want to take with us, and tomorrow morning we'll go to Mr. Lu Li's. Don't take too much, or Mr. Lu Li will get angry."
"Oh!"
Mela was the first to rush to her bed.
The other children, as if playing a game, also began to rummage through their belongings. The cheerful atmosphere dispelled the sadness of soon leaving their "home."
The boy who had run to tell Jimmy the news returned, followed by a surprised "little scout." However, poor Jimmy was sent back to his post by Vir, to the laughter of his younger siblings.
Soon, a little girl with a missing left arm approached Vir with a blue toy bear that was missing an ear. She held it up and asked, "Can I take the bear?"
Vir stroked Kiki's head. "Of course, you can."
Then, two more of her younger siblings came up with questions, and Vir answered them patiently.
Knock... knock-knock...
A dull knock sounded at the door. Mela, who was counting the coins under her pillow, looked up, clutched a few shillings in her hand, and ran to the door, ready to open it.
"Wait, Mela..."
Vir suddenly stopped Mela, who was about to open the door.
Something suddenly seemed strange to her. She had just sent little Jimmy back to his post; he couldn't have returned so quickly, and he never knocked like that...
Knock... knock-knock...
At that moment, the second knock sounded.
Vir turned and gestured for her brothers and sisters to be quiet, pulling Mela back.
The children froze as one, staring at the door and waiting for the third knock.
Knock...
The knock had barely sounded when a child's cry came from outside.
"Vir, why aren't you opening up!"
Some of the children jumped at the unexpected sound. Vir breathed a sigh of relief but still asked cautiously, "What are you doing here?"
"Mr. Lu Li is back!" little Jimmy shouted excitedly.
"Mr. Lu Li!?" Vir exclaimed in surprise and opened the iron door.
Standing behind the door was the same upright figure.
"Something has come up, so I hope you can come with me right now," said Lu Li.
"Yes, sir, we just decided," Vir turned, looked at her brothers and sisters, and then said firmly to Lu Li, "We'll go with you."