The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 576: Masquerade

A faint whisper from the depths of Lu Li's mind informed him of his new identity: a student at Shutes University.

This method of assigning roles reminded Lu Li of the Shadow Puppeteer. The difference was that the Puppeteer, like a director, controlled the plot and narrative, while the "Master" of this place, after defining one's role, interfered no further.

Lu Li could do whatever he wanted, even abandon his role entirely.

However, he alone would have to bear the consequences of such a decision.

At the gates of Shutes University, an old man sat on a wooden chair in front of a small guardhouse. But this was not the same old man Lu Li had seen yesterday.

In the inverted city, he appeared as a hunched figure covered in thick, dark-brown fur, like a rat hidden beneath a cloak.

The creature watched Lu Li, and its murky eyes seemed to hold a malevolent intent. However, Lu Li, after only a moment's glance, calmly walked into the university, as if he had always been a part of it.

A few students were strolling through the garden, despite the late hour. After the appearance of the inverted city, time had lost its usual meaning.

"Second floor, third classroom... third row, middle seat..."

Following the instructions of the inner voice, Lu Li entered the correct room. Glancing at the dozen young faces in the classroom, he saw no one he recognized.Lu Li took his seat. On the desk before him lay a notebook and a quill.

Opening the notebook, Lu Li saw his name on the yellowed pages.

This was the notebook of "student Lu Li."

But as Lu Li tried to read its contents, a plump hand snatched the notebook away. A hulking, door-like figure had appeared beside him.

Leaning over Lu Li, the stranger waved the notebook and asked, "Tell me, new kid, what's written in here?"

The whispers in the classroom died down, and the gazes of all the "students" turned to Lu Li.

Lu Li calmly raised his head and, instead of answering, turned to a girl with a cheerful demeanor sitting to his right. "Where is his seat?"

The girl, propping her cheek on her hand, pointed a finger behind Lu Li.

Lu Li then turned back, took the notebook from the massive figure, and asked, "Tell me, human, what does your notebook say?"

The big man, of course, didn't look at his own notebook. Unable to answer Lu Li's question and fearing the consequences of a mistake, he muttered something unintelligible, dropped the notebook, and sullenly returned to his seat.

Lu Li picked up the fallen notebook, opened it, and saw only simple literary excerpts, nothing of note.

The girl to his right, however, who had been watching Lu Li with interest, seemed to have noticed something, and the corners of her lips curled into a smile.

Lu Li's troubles were temporarily resolved. The buzz of voices returned to the classroom until a teacher stepped up to the lectern.

"Hello, students. I am your professor of anomalistics, Gabriyel Bern."

The middle-aged man introduced himself.

Lu Li frowned. Kig Fule was supposed to be teaching this course... could he have not survived?

"Professor of anomalistics? Are you going to teach us how to fight ourselves?"

Laughter rippled through the classroom. It came from those who didn't hide their true nature, or from those who were pretending to be them.

Professor Gabriyel Bern paid no mind to the students' audacity. In the end, whoever he was, he couldn't actually teach these "students" anything.

He simply opened his textbook and began to read aloud.

No one was listening. The students were all occupied with their own affairs. Observing them, Lu Li noticed some of them had repetitive tics. One young man, for example, constantly rubbed his eyes, as if checking they were still in place. Another girl couldn't control her chewing muscles; her mouth kept opening, and drool trickled out.

A strange equilibrium settled over the classroom: the professor paid no attention to the students, and the students did not disturb the professor.

A few minutes later, the silence around Lu Li was broken by a paper ball that landed on his desk. It bounced, rolled, and came to a stop.

Lu Li glanced at the one who had thrown it—it was the same girl. Unfolding the crumpled sheet, he read: "The one who heralded the death of an evil god... Lu Li, I know you. How did you end up here?"

Lu Li looked at the girl in silence, crumpled the note, and said nothing in return.

Soon, a second paper ball landed on his desk: "I shouldn't trust strangers, but you're an exception. My brother told me about you many times."

Lu Li hesitated, then wrote a short reply: "Who?"

Upon receiving his response, the girl, as if relieved, wrote a new note and tossed it to Lu Li: "You must know him. Kig Fule. You were at the gathering with him just yesterday."

She claimed to be related to Kig Fule. She recognized Lu Li. She mentioned yesterday's gathering.

It all seemed to indicate that she could be trusted.

However, the inability to see the truth in the inverted city and what Lu Li had witnessed on his way to the university made him suspicious of everything. Even the ability to see the inverted city itself was not enough to warrant trust.

On the way, he had encountered numerous creatures disguised as humans. It seemed they had retained the consciousness of their past lives, or perhaps they possessed an intelligence similar to that of humans. They masqueraded, communicated, and were impossible to distinguish from real people.

Even if this was the result of "survival of the fittest"—that creatures unable to impersonate humans had already been eliminated and couldn't enter "Paradise"—the situation was still hopeless.

Because there were thousands, if not more, of these intelligent beings roaming the city.

They could be ghosts, cultists, or servants. In any case, they could easily kill a human.

After Lu Li's reply, notes began to pass between their desks. The girl was trying too hard to prove her identity. Lu Li responded to her, but until he could see the truth in the inverted city, he had no intention of admitting that he was Lu Li or that he was human.

"What do you want to know? I'll tell you everything I can," the girl wrote, as if sensing Lu Li's distrust. She told him about herself, filling several notes.

She identified herself as Doreen Fule of the Fule family and told Lu Li many secrets known only to exorcist families, as well as details about her cousin.

There were no contradictions in her story, and everything seemed logical: like Lu Li, she had been assigned a role at Shutes University by the "Master." When she arrived, her brother Kig Fule was already dead. Terrified, she could only hide until Lu Li, whom she recognized, appeared. Now she wanted to team up with the only person she had found, to escape this dreadful place together.

The lesson turned out to be shorter than expected. After twenty minutes, perhaps even less, Professor Gabriyel Bern announced that the class was over.

Lu Li stood up and walked out of the classroom. Doreen Fule followed him.