The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 560: An Evening Gathering on the Western Hills

At 3:00 PM, Lu Li packed three books into a suitcase. Following a brief conversation with Lilia, he gathered the Beacon and a kerosene lamp, then set out with Anna for their rendezvous at the Western Hills.

Centuries ago, only a select few with royal permission could set foot here, but a hundred years ago, the hills were opened to the public. The summit offered a sweeping view of the sprawling, sleepless city and the star-like lake that perfectly mirrored the sky, a vista that drew residents for leisurely strolls and picnics.

That was before the first wave of the Night Calamity.

When the plants withered and died, the sky became permanently shrouded in mist, and open spaces grew perilous. No one dared to wander through the skeletal groves or along the shores of the lifeless lake in the Western Hills anymore.

At the foot of the hills stood a carriage rental station, where Lu Li left his wagon. Anna then pushed his wheelchair along the paved path, heading toward a low, gentle hill that marked the end of the street.

By the time they reached the base of the hill, the sky had already grown dim. Night was not far off.

There, Lu Li and Anna spotted a carriage parked by the side of the road. A servant drew back the curtain, and a middle-aged man in a formal tailcoat emerged from the vehicle.

He regarded Lu Li and Anna with a curious expression.

"Are you here for the gathering?"

Lu Li nodded."Then you must be the Mr. Lu Li whom Fule invited," the man deduced with a smile. As he spoke, a coachman appeared behind him, carrying a suitcase. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Henry Muffin, an exorcist of the Muffin family."

"Senior Investigator, Lu Li."

"Your exploits are the stuff of legend around here!" Henry Muffin chuckled. "It seems I'm lucky enough to meet you before anyone else tonight."

High-ranking exorcists were a rare breed, but only those with truly extraordinary achievements were remembered for generations. The Muffin family was just such a dynasty.

The immense respect Lu Li commanded stemmed not just from his rank; he had single-handedly resolved a conflict between two evil gods and destroyed one of them—a feat that not even all third-rank exorcists were capable of.

Exorcists, with the exception of the Night's Watch, were generally drawn to the unknown.

And for many, Lu Li himself—with his undeniable fame and mystique—had become that very mystery.

Henry Muffin explained that they gathered once a month to share experiences and stories. Each member was free to invite other exorcists, provided they were also part of their trusted circle. Muffin himself had been brought along by a friend.

Only four would be attending this time. Most of the capital's exorcists were currently out of the city, he added, maintaining order and helping villagers with relocations. They weren't expected back until the next day.

"I'm sure Fule and Rod will want to hear your famous story," Henry remarked, keeping the conversation going as they climbed the path that wound between withered trees toward the hilltop.

After a brief pause, Lu Li remarked:

"One of the evil gods is still alive. Discussing the incident in Tenebrae might attract its attention."

"A pity," Henry Muffin responded, his voice tinged with disappointment.

He didn't inquire about Lu Li's companion. To him, like most people, Anna appeared to be a servant or an assistant, nothing more.

After passing through a sparse grove of trees, they came upon a view of the star-lake's mirror-like surface, with the city skyline stretching toward the distant horizon.

"Fule is already here," Henry noted, pointing to a figure at the far end of the lake. They made their way around the shore to join him.

Kig Fule was busy preparing a campfire, but he looked up and smiled as they approached. "Hello, Muffin. Mr. Lu Li."

Fule was clearly pleased to see Lu Li, and his expression brightened.

Muffin's coachman went to help with the fire, while Kig Fule and Henry Muffin themselves drew closer to Lu Li.

"Only Rod is left," Fule remarked, glancing at the path on the other side of the lake.

They waited. In less than half an hour, the firewood had caught, its flames pushing back the deepening twilight.

On the streets far below, scattered lanterns flickered to life, and the evening enveloped the city in a myriad of tiny lights.

Finally, the last participant approached the fire—Rod Tesla, whom Fule and Muffin had already mentioned to Lu Li.

The name Tesla seemed familiar, and Rod immediately explained, "My uncle often spoke of you."

"Michael Tesla?"

"The very one," the young exorcist confirmed with a smile. "So I had heard about you long before this meeting."

Fule seemed to relax. Rod had a reputation for being difficult, a trait owing to his family's peculiarities as well as his own temperament, but it seemed there was no need to worry about conflict tonight.

The last of the daylight vanished behind the clouds. Below, the royal city began to glitter like a constellation as night thickened over the hills. Yet here at the fire, on the very summit, a small pocket of light continued to flicker against the encroaching dark.

The four exorcists gathered around the crackling campfire. Kig Fule was slowly turning a roast on a spit over the flames. When all eyes turned to him, he spoke. "Well then, I'll start."

Muffin remarked wryly, "Just don't repeat any of your old tales."

"Of course not. This story is specially for Lu Li."

"I heard you've been doing nothing but lecturing students lately," Muffin said, surprised.

"This is my brother's story," Fule replied with a shrug, and in the fire's flickering light, he began his tale.

In the Kingdom of Ellen, in the Tashufik district, there was a quarry that had been opened several centuries ago. Originally, stone was mined there to build a new city dozens of kilometers away. But then, deep within the earth, a rare ore was discovered.

The mining operation fell under state control, and over the next century, the quarry expanded so much that a whole village could have fit within its borders.

About sixty years ago, the ore reserves began to dwindle, and everyone assumed the site was exhausted. But then, unexpectedly, a new deposit was found. This time, it was gold.

Even though disturbing incidents had increased over the years—human remains found embedded in the rock, workers descending into madness—the authorities refused to halt the operation for such a valuable prize.

A gold rush swept through Tashufik; countless people, despite the threat of arrest and even execution, flocked to the area to try their luck.

The precious metal proved a far greater temptation than anyone had anticipated. Over the following decades, the kingdom's treasury swelled with immense wealth, and the quarry itself grew into an abyss. Its spiraling roads, like the grooves on a giant seashell, descended to a depth of three hundred meters.

An evil reputation clung to the quarry after the Night Calamity struck.

Workers began to notice the rock changing, turning into a strange, black stone. Then, a few days later, a thick gray cloud erupted from beneath the earth, blanketing the bottom of the quarry. The several hundred miners working down below that day were never seen again...