The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 544: Before Departure

Lu Li was known for his meticulous planning—a trait that had been evident ever since he first established their shelter.

So, he had already begun preparing for their departure in two days, with Anna taking charge of most of the arrangements.

Lu Li and Anna planned to be away from the clifftop for at least three days, which meant they needed to prepare enough food for Jimmy and the children in advance.

Heeding Tesla's warning, Anna avoided any encounters with cultists and their servant anomalies. She hunted along the outskirts of the Elm Forest and, at the same time, searched for a wheelchair for Lu Li, who refused to be seen in town being carried in her arms.

Although the gain in Humanity was minimal, Anna soon returned with the bodies of two anomalies. Among her haul, however, there was no wheelchair for Lu Li.

Lu Li stopped her from venturing deeper into the city. Before reaching the gathering, they would have to pass through Khimfast, where they could buy a wheelchair.

Alternatively, they could stop at Baroness Joseph's estate—perhaps Aileen would have a spare one.

After eating a little, Lu Li retired to the shelter to rest for the rest of the day.

Sleep aided the fusion process for both his body and soul. Ideally, he would be fully recovered before they had to leave.

During the night, Lu Li woke several times from thirst, only to fall back into a deep sleep each time.The next morning, Lu Li slowly came to.

The fog that had enveloped the shelter had dissipated, revealing a grim, overcast sky hanging over the land.

Anna supported Lu Li as he walked from the clifftop to the cave entrance, the damp sea breeze sweeping across the rock and rustling his clothes.

Glancing down at his feet near the recliner, Lu Li noticed a thin, faint sprout pushing up through the soil. There hadn't been any significant changes in the past day—perhaps because he hadn't spent much time on the recliner.

Anna went to check on the other transplanted sprout and, upon returning, gently shook her head. "It's withered."

Perhaps if they had planted it further out, beyond the cave, it would have died even sooner.

Ever since Lu Li had obtained the Book of the Apocalypse, his Humanity had begun to influence the world around him, bringing about almost mystical changes.

"Plant them in pots," Lu Li requested calmly.

It was foreseeable that if he kept them near him at all times, the sprouts would one day grow into proper herbs or even small trees—either of which would signify new life.

There were no pots on the clifftop, so Anna decided to bring some back during her next hunt.

Because of the nature of his Humanity, Lu Li now preferred to rest beneath Enni's tree rather than at the cave entrance.

Only the ever-guileless Enni seemed to rejoice in his presence, and the surrounding elm trees appeared to respond with a uniquely warm atmosphere.

Perhaps they would soon see new shoots emerging from the withered branches.

Around noon, Anna left to hunt, leaving Lu Li and a no-longer-so-frail Jimmy—who was just starting to get used to a peaceful life—to relax in their recliners and listen to the "Evil Spirit Watcher" broadcast.

Anna returned shortly after. With a dull thud, the enormous carcass of an anomaly crashed down at the edge of the cliff, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"It looks like you caught an elephant," Jimmy couldn't help but remark. This catch would be enough to feed them for a whole week.

But Lu Li's brow furrowed, and he said in a low voice:

"It's not dead."

While Anna had been away, the gain in Humanity had been just as meager, and the anomaly she had brought back looked anything but "inconspicuous."

Just then, Remi, who had approached the carcass, suddenly sensed something. Her lips instantly stretched into an unsettling smile as she let out a piercing shriek, like the cry of a banshee.

Anna instantly moved in front of Lu Li, shielding him with her body.

A terrifying wave of power radiated from Remi, spreading across the area. By the time it reached Lu Li and the others, however, it had faded to a barely audible squeak.

The anomaly's body nearby was not so fortunate. Under the force of the shriek, a smoky shadow burst from it and instantly disintegrated, like a sheet of paper in a downpour.

Remi caught her breath and turned to the others. "Anna didn't finish it off. The monster itself was being controlled by that shadow. It was the real master—a parasite."

A flicker of alarm crossed Anna's eyes—she was terrified that her carelessness could have led to a disaster for Lu Li.

Losing the shelter would mean being left with no safe place at all.

When it came to Lu Li, Anna could never remain indifferent.

"It's alright," Lu Li replied quietly. "It's not a servant of an evil god. I don't sense any trace of pursuit."

The incident served as a reminder for Anna: anomalies couldn't be treated like ordinary game. Their death didn't always mean the end.

Their powers were too strange and multifaceted. Calling them "strong" was merely a convenient label for humans, but it was far from the truth.

In any case, there was no longer a need to hunt before they returned from the gathering.

Remi transplanted the withered and the living sprouts into pots, placed them next to Lu Li, and imagined a future where the clifftop was covered in greenery, and the Elm Forest came alive with lush foliage and creeping vines.

Sometimes she wondered—what if Lu Li's Humanity grew ten, or even a hundred times stronger? Could he awaken green shoots everywhere, causing dead branches to become overgrown with vibrant wildflowers?

On that day, Lu Li would become... almost a god.

Evening fell. On the surface of the sea, three mountains of black flesh rose, formed from fragments of decaying bodies. With their movement, a menacing fog once again crept in, blanketing the coast.

As the darkness shrouded the ruins of Port Roadster, Lu Li returned to the shelter with the potted plants.

He placed the pots on the small table by his bed. The withered sprout was beginning to revive, while the other had almost completely unfurled its leaves, on which droplets of water still glistened.

The encroaching fog covered the entire Elm Forest and seeped into the cave, but it stopped at the entrance to the shelter, yielding to the light of the fireplace and a dim lamp.

Night had come.

By this point, Anna had prepared everything. In a traveling chest lay a change of clothes for Lu Li, three spiritual pistols, two cans of preserved beef, and a bottle for boiled water.

Anna kept their entire supply of shillings with her—for now, they could still be used as real money in human settlements.

But with each passing day, bartering grew more important; paper money would soon be worthless.

[...In three days, the exorcist gathering will begin in the capital city of Ellen... The largest event of its kind, and likely the last time all the exorcists will ever assemble...]

Anna wound the spring on the radio receiver as far as it would go, turned the volume down to a near whisper, and walked over to the bed, tucking the blanket up to Lu Li's chest.

"Good night."

Anna gently kissed Lu Li on the forehead.

Absolute silence fell over the cave.

The children slept huddled tightly together near the shelter, while a candle still flickered in Jimmy and Remi's small house.

Sometimes, indistinct screams echoed across the empty sky from far away—gusts of wind carrying terrifying fragments of voices from the city.

But none of this hostility could penetrate the depths of the cave, into its secure shelter. Here, Lu Li was protected, and he slept peacefully.