The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 634: A Solution for a Problem of Memory

Whoosh!

A ferocious storm burst down the chimney, and a frigid draft swept into the fireplace, making the flames dance wildly.

Foul weather, foul news.

After reading the article in the newspaper, Lu Li passed it to Remi.

"The Third Calamity..." Remi's voice grew heavy.

It sounded far more hopeless than the Plant Calamity and the Night Calamity.

The anomaly detector lay on the table next to the radio and the black cat perched beside it. Lu Li picked up the instruction manual. Compared to Albert's prototype, the new detector felt more like an anomaly fused with mechanical parts—it wasn't powered by electricity, but by perception, much like the device that measured one's Mind Level.

It registered evil spirits beyond the Shadow Stealing Fire and the Visible Song that Albert had recorded; the new Calamity, Silence, was also among them. Their corresponding sounds were the ringing of small bells, a soft humming, and the tolling of a large bell.

When the anomaly detector sounded, it meant the corresponding evil spirit was near.

This was only the beginning. In time, the detector would be able to register the frequencies of more evil spirits."Humanity never conquered the sea, but it can still sail through the storm"—this line was engraved on the detector's wooden case. It hinted at the answer: through wisdom and tools.

Jimmy, Amper, and the children were sheltering from the rain in the cave. Remi, lacking a physical body, periodically left the cave to check that the cabin wasn't leaking and that Anna's and the saplings' little houses were still intact.

The sculpture was huddled by the fireplace, seemingly cold, wrapped in a coat it had stolen from Lu Li.

Noon during the storm was as bleak as evening. As the clock hand began its descent, the sleeping Anna opened her eyes.

Lu Li, sitting in a wooden chair, turned his head to watch her stir.

"Good morning," Anna said weakly, sitting up in bed. The blanket slid off her translucent body.

"It's already afternoon," Lu Li replied, closing his book and sliding it to the edge of the table.

The black cat, who had been sitting there, lifted a paw and pinned the book down.

Anna hadn't managed to solve the problem of the foreign memories, only to alleviate the symptoms, for instance, by strengthening her sense of self.

"I feel as if Sarah is still alive..." she said, her brow furrowed in confusion. "She's constantly influencing me through her memories."

"A person is made of memories," was all Lu Li said in response.

There was a famous paradox in the Kingdom of Ellen: Mike loses his memory, and Tom receives it. Who, then, is Mike—himself, or Tom?

The debate had spawned a host of similar questions: if a Mike who hadn't lost his memory were copied, would the copy be Mike? If Mike and Tom swapped memories, who would be who?

But for Anna, it was simpler. She needed to treat Sarah's memories as a thrilling, long, fantastical adventure. Even if that story changed her, the changed Anna would still be Anna.

The most important thing was for Anna to maintain her own identity, to not confuse Sarah's memories with her own or consider them a part of herself.

That was difficult, because...

"I want a body," Anna suddenly declared, her tone serious.

Because much of what she saw in Sarah's memories was what Anna now craved.

The experience of having a body in Ellen Royal City had sparked this desire in Anna, and Sarah's memories had only fanned the flames.

It seemed that to finally break free from Sarah's influence, obtaining a body so that Anna would no longer envy her was also a viable option.

So Lu Li called over Remi, who had just returned to the cave, and asked her how a spirit could acquire a body.

"It's complicated..." Remi sifted through the knowledge inherited from past scholars and answered.

Complicated, but not impossible...

"Is there a way?" Anna's voice was still faint. No one knew what she had endured while immersed in her own consciousness.

"Yes, it's a ritual that allows the bodiless to regain a physical form," Remi said, hesitating slightly before her gaze flickered away from Lu Li. "But it's sinister... as sinister as what Sarah did to resurrect Adam."

Remi didn't think Lu Li would agree to such a thing for Anna. She suddenly regretted having answered so quickly.

"What is this ritual?" the weak Anna asked with interest, leaning against the wall of deep sea stone.

Sighing inwardly, Remi explained, "It's a ritual of shaping... That evil god was short on followers. It would send servants, disguised as humans, into cities to entice people and bring them back to its domain to be transformed."

"So we still have to find an evil god," Lu Li observed.

"Not necessarily, if we can master the ritual..." Remi regretted speaking even more.

She didn't want to see... a disagreement between Lu Li and Anna.

"What's the price?" But Lu Li had already asked the question.

"...A body. The fresher, the better."

The servants were merely nourishment for the evil god.

Lu Li had understood this clearly ever since the incident in Tenebrae.

With the exception of a few mysterious, eccentric evil gods with no interest in the outside world, most followed their instincts, expanding their influence through malice and blood.

Every evil god possessed similar powers, though their methods varied.

For instance, the one Remi had once served used a shaping ritual, having its servants disguise themselves as humans to lure others away.

Other evil gods distributed books that concealed their warped consciousness; those who read them would be mutated by the perverse knowledge, gradually turning into followers or servants.

Or they would send servants in the guise of beautiful maidens into cities to seduce men. After becoming pregnant, they would return to their domains to give birth to a new generation of servants.

Remi described the side effect of the "shaping" ritual.

The ritual was similar to a ghost's possession, but after the transformation, the body's appearance would change to match that of the one who had entered it. The duration varied, usually depending on the body's state of decay, but it rarely exceeded two weeks—it could last longer, but a body exuding a foul stench and crawling with maggots could not go unnoticed in a city for long.

This meant the bodies were disposable, unsuitable for long-term use...

And that was the source of Remi's regret.

Lu Li would inevitably face a difficult choice, as would Anna.

It was like the story of "The Gifts of the Spouses": the husband sold his watch to buy his wife a comb. The wife sold her hair to buy a chain for his watch.

If it had ended there, it would have been a touching, albeit bittersweet, tale.

But if they had found themselves at odds...

"Let's try the first method first," Lu Li told Anna.

"The first method...? What is it?" Anna asked curiously.

"Evil gods have the power to seal or erase memories," Lu Li said, looking calmly at Anna, awaiting her response.

It would be enough to eliminate the source—Sarah's memories. Then Anna would no longer be susceptible to their influence.

"Forget..." Anna lowered her eyes, her emotions difficult to discern. "Alright."

Although Sarah's memories inevitably affected her, and this solution brought a pang of sadness and disappointment, Anna was more afraid that one day, Sarah's memory would cause her to harm Lu Li.

The Mother of the Swamp was their only choice. She had a good enough relationship with Lu Li and the others, and she was someone they could negotiate with.

But this meant they would have to leave the cliff once again, setting out as soon as the storm passed.