The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 651: The Story of Jamie

The Trader's silhouette dissolved into the sparse woods.

Anna looked away and suggested to Lu Li, "You should have asked about his anomalous goods."

"The Trader only sells basic items," Lu Li replied. He had already asked. Unfortunately, the Trader was no treasure trove—his inventory was limited to the simplest of anomalies, like spirit guns or impractical daggers.

He did, however, accept other anomalies in trade.

They had more pressing matters to attend to. Silence would envelop the Allen Peninsula in less than three days. They needed to expand the cave before the Third Calamity arrived.

The shelter's security was more important than its size. That's why, during the expansion, the thickness of the Deep Sea Stone walls was being increased from ten centimeters to a full meter.

It was expected that once the expansion was complete, the shelter—or rather, the safe room—would be able to withstand most anomalies.

At the very least, not even Anna, as a vengeful spirit, could penetrate a meter-thick wall of Deep Sea Stone.

This shelter, worth a hundred million investigator points, seemed to justify its cost.

The following day, the clanging and rumbling of construction filled the clifftop.The furniture and supplies from the cellar were temporarily moved out, making room for Jimmy, who had taken on the role of the workforce.

To the claws of Jimmy's monstrous body, the solid rock was no tougher than packed sand—every swipe left three deep gouges.

The pace of the work slowed, however. Initially, Amper had been helping too.

All he had to do was curl into a ball and start spinning, and the stone wall would part like butter beneath his hard shell.

But Amper made far too much noise. The entire clifftop shook when he spun. Remi had to put a stop to Amper's destructive "help" and send him off to play in the Elm Forest—otherwise, he might have collapsed the cave before they could finish building it.

Even with just Jimmy working, the excavation was half-finished by evening.

Barring any unforeseen complications, they could start laying the Deep Sea Stone by noon the next day and move into the safe room. Working through the night would have sped things up, but the nights were dangerous with the anomalous fog.

The sky darkened, and in the distance, out over the sea, the faint outline of something seemed to emerge as the waves carried the fog toward the shore.

That night, Lu Li stayed in Jimmy and Remi's hut. Remi remained with Anna to guard Lu Li, while Jimmy was sent to stay with Amper and the children. The two huts were only a few meters apart, allowing them to come to each other's aid quickly.

Lu Li didn't go to sleep. Sitting by the fire, he took out the book, "The Voice of Grief", of which he had only read a few pages.

The author, Flo Mitchell, was unknown. At least, many of the books from Eileen's library had included author biographies, but this one's title page was blank save for the name.

The protagonist's name was Jamie—a very common and widespread name on the Main Continent. But he himself was anything but ordinary: in Flo Mitchell's fictional world, he was the youngest and most popular alchemist, without equal.

While most alchemists toiled away in their cellars over their creations, Jamie was already amassing a fortune. He had created a host of sought-after products: a hair-growth elixir that made even the bald sprout a thick mane under the sun; a sobriety potion that allowed one to drink wheat beer without getting drunk; and a perfume that provided a lasting fragrance for weeks.

And then there was his most popular creation, the Elixir of Joy, which dispelled all negative emotions.

Even the king admired these potions.

Having achieved wealth and fame by the age of twenty, Jamie suddenly felt a sense of emptiness, having lost his purpose.

A few lines later, the story jumped forward thirty years. Jamie, now nearly fifty, remained a popular lord and master alchemist, but he still hadn't found a new goal.

The realization struck him when he stubbed his toe on a table leg and broke a bone. The doctor informed him of the fracture, and Jamie understood: in his thirty years of searching, he had grown old.

Unwilling to lose everything he had achieved, he found his purpose anew. Only this time, it wasn't the title of great alchemist, but... immortality.

Legends of an elixir of immortality circulated among alchemists. A younger Jamie had scoffed at them, but now he scoffed at his past self and began his search.

To no avail.

Jamie decided to create the elixir himself, since most considered him the most brilliant alchemist alive.

And he was.

The first elixir of immortality was created quickly. Here, Flo Mitchell made a small mistake.

Apparently, the author was no aristocrat, or at least didn't understand high society well enough.

In the book, Jamie, a man of title and fortune, tested the potion on himself rather than on prisoners or slaves.

Though perhaps it was a deliberate liberty taken for the sake of the plot.

The story continued. After drinking the potion, Jamie grew several years younger, but it came at a price—he lost... his sense of pain.

Jamie was dissatisfied. Not because he could no longer feel the burn from hot food or the bite of a non-venomous snake, but because a man in his forties still required the same amount of time in the privy.

The elixir could be improved; it wasn't worth abandoning.

The loss of pain seemed like a benefit, but it created everyday inconveniences: for example, he wouldn't feel it if he stepped on a nail, only discovering his blood-soaked boot later.

Jamie hired a personal servant to look after him. A wife? An alchemist had no need for a wife—the knowledge of alchemy was his spouse.

Soon, the improved elixir was ready. After testing it on himself, Jamie felt as if he were thirty... or rather, thirty-nine.

But there was a side effect: Jamie lost his sense of smell.

For Jamie, a gourmand, this was a devastating blow. Without his sense of smell, he lost all concept of "aroma" and "stench." It affected his taste as well—he could only distinguish sweet, sour, bitter, and salty.

To put it simply, he couldn't tell the difference between a medium-rare steak and a pork chop—both were just salty.

Jamie improved the elixir again, hoping to eliminate the previous flaws.

This time, he lost his sense of taste.

Jamie stopped. He had reclaimed his youth, but his resources were running out...

Sight, hearing, and touch remained. He couldn't afford to sacrifice any of them. Two more attempts at most—and there would be no turning back.

Years passed. Jamie perfected the potion, and on his fiftieth birthday, he drank the elixir of immortality.

["Jamie drank it just as he had drunk his coffee for the past ten years—without hesitation, not spilling a single drop. Alchemists hate it when liquids are spilled..."]

Knock, knock.

Dull knocks broke the silence.

Lu Li looked up from his book. Remi froze, needle in hand. Anna extended her aura, shielding Lu Li.

A knock sounded from beyond the door of the fog-shrouded hut.