The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 585: Conversation

"The old man didn't tell me. A deity's name is taboo, even if it's already dead."

"Prada..." Lu Li whispered. The name could belong to anything—a product, a town, or a person...

As he uttered the word, Lu Li felt a faint response, a slender thread of connection to the inverted city overhead. The sensation was so elusive it felt like an illusion, one that only surfaced when he focused on it.

"Do you know the Ancient God's name?" Anna asked, her warm hand sliding into Lu Li's. Their fingers intertwined.

"I'm not sure, but it might be connected. It was written at the end of the exam paper," Lu Li mused.

"I couldn't see what it said. The paper was shrouded in a kind of mist," Anna replied. She gently stroked his hand as if playing with a doll and began to tell him what had happened.

Anna couldn't see the inverted city, but her nature as a vengeful spirit offered her a degree of protection. At least within "Paradise," where specific rules were in effect, the only real threat to her came from humans.

Just like Lu Li, Anna had been assigned a role by the city's guardians: a professor at Shyutes University. Realizing she was trapped, and worried about Lu Li, she had made her way to the university they had visited the day before. The situation hadn't been as clear then; people were still trying to hide and disguise themselves. Chaos and violence reigned, befitting the name "Paradise."

On her way to Shyutes University, Anna came across a dying old demon hunter. He had understood the rules from the start and had disguised himself, but he'd had the misfortune of being attacked by a deranged anomaly that mistook him for a human. Even though he was one of the most powerful exorcists, he was still human, with all the frailties that entailed, and had barely escaped with his life.

They say knowledge makes a person less prone to extremes. While not always true, the saying fit this old man. Anna's appearance, and the fact that she showed no aggression, moved him to an act of kindness. He shared his conclusions with her, along with... his final words."'Don't fear the darkness of the setting sun; tomorrow it will rise again as always.' He spoke as if he was warning me..." Anna recalled the strange tone in the old man's voice before he died, as if his words meant more than just their current predicament.

This human form had returned feelings Anna had long since lost, and the newly regained emotions were even more intense. She was more passionate, more sensitive than she had ever been in life. The Anna of before, the vengeful spirit, would never have bothered to bury the old man.

After burying him, Anna took the exorcist's emblem that symbolized his status and went to Shyutes University. Then Lu Li appeared... but she didn't recognize him.

"Your face, your clothes, your voice... they all belonged to someone else," Anna said softly.

The disguise worked both ways. To humans, the anomalies appeared human. To the anomalies, the humans appeared changed. That was why, even though she knew Lu Li's name, Anna hadn't revealed herself. Instead, she had simply watched him, helping him in the dining hall, for instance.

Anna only recognized Lu Li when she saw the questions on his exam paper—and the flowerpot. She knew he had a talent for growing things.

She told Lu Li what she had intuitively grasped about the nature of the exam. That information had come at a cost—a portion of her power, as if it had been siphoned away from her.

It was hard to say whether this was a good thing or a bad one. The loss of power slowed her descent into the Abyss, but it also left her more vulnerable—just like Lu Li...

"How did you recognize me?" Anna asked, her curiosity piqued.

"I can see the city above us." Lu Li tilted his head back, his gaze fixed on the inverted city veiled in mist. In its reflection, a figure in a white dress sat right beside him.

"The city?" Anna murmured, leaning against Lu Li. She looked up but could only see the gray mist.

Lu Li explained to Anna about the inverted city and the true nature of the anomalies.

"Why can you see it?" A flicker of unease went through Anna. Being unique often led to trouble, even if the inverted city gave Lu Li the advantage of telling humans and anomalies apart.

"Perhaps it has something to do with human nature," Lu Li answered. "Who do we turn the exam papers in to?"

"The rector's office."

Both threads led back to the mysterious rector of Shyutes University.

But did the rector know the truth? Or was he simply trying to deal with the anomalies in his university?

One thing was clear: Shyutes University was still operating normally, and whatever the rector had planned hadn't happened yet. Lu Li would have to remain at the university until the results were announced.

"Why did you go to the kitchen?"

"You remember Investigator Tristan, don't you? He used to be a cook..."

Lu Li answered Anna's questions as they waited. Time ticked by, and more students who had finished the exam began to appear in the garden. Most of them headed back to the wooden houses in the rear courtyard.

"So what did you do after you arrived?" Anna asked.

The garden was no longer private enough for conversation, so Lu Li picked up the flowerpot and, with Anna, returned to his room in the wooden house.

But Lu Li had overlooked one crucial detail: the anomalies considered themselves the hunters.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

An insistent rapping sounded at the door, accompanied by cries for help.

"Is anybody there? Please, open up! There's a monster chasing me!" Of course, whatever was on the other side of the door wasn't human.

"Hide in the wardrobe and stay there," Lu Li instructed, pointing to the wardrobe in the corner.

Knowing that Lu Li had already dispatched several anomalies, Anna obediently slipped into hiding. Lu Li walked to the door and opened it.

A young woman stood on the threshold, her hand still raised as if she had just finished rapping on the wood.

She lowered her hand, an unnatural expression twisting her features. "Are you human? There are monsters in my room, and I'm so scared. Can I wait here with you? Please..."

"Come in."

Lu Li stepped aside, holding the door open.

"Thank you so much," the thing said, trying to mimic joy and relief, but it couldn't control the distortion of its features. The resulting grimace was grotesque, like a poorly made mask.

The door slammed shut.

The door slammed shut. Only Lu Li and the creature remained in the room, and the atmosphere was anything but romantic.

"How should I thank you, I wonder?" it purred, advancing on Lu Li as he backed away. Its voice was soft, the false smile still plastered on its face.

"By eating you, for instance." The voice turned chillingly cold.

In that same instant, a wave of cold paralyzed the creature.

A look of pure astonishment froze on its face. "You're..."

"I'm not," Lu Li replied calmly, pressing the Atonement to the creature's cheek.

A piercing shriek was cut short. Ten seconds later, the body slumped to the floor.

Lu Li holstered the spirit pistol and shoved the body under the bed, feeding it to the impatient, desiccated claws.

Anna suggested they continue—with her help, Lu Li could gather his "harvest" of humanity much faster. But Lu Li refused.

"Why?" Anna asked, confused.

"They ate Tristan," Lu Li explained. "Killing too many of them might interfere with the rector's plan."

Anna was disappointed, but her regret was fleeting. The university was teeming with anomalies; they just needed to be more discreet.

The residual consciousness of the Ancient God surely wouldn't mind if they helped it "clean house."