The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 673: Traces of Anna and Aunt Mary

"I need help finding someone."

Lu Li approached the captain with a different request. He gave the man what information he had about Aunt Mary.

He didn't mention Anna. While she had also left the port by ship, it likely hadn't been as a paying passenger.

"Of course. Where will you be staying? We'll have the results delivered to you by dawn."

"I need the information now," Lu Li replied.

Dawn was less than three hours away.

"Ah... of course."

The captain summoned his first mate and whispered something in his ear. The man then followed the disembarking passengers ashore to make inquiries.

Lu Li declined the captain's invitation to his cabin, asking only for a windbreaker for Selika.

An icy sea wind swept across the deck. Fifteen minutes later, the first mate returned with news, a ragged newsboy in tow.Aunt Mary had arrived at Prince's Port in the evening, then bought a ticket to Vinnelag.

"Has she already sailed?"

"Yes. The lady you're looking for seemed to be in a great hurry—she bought her ticket right after coming ashore. By now, she's likely already crossing the Plains of Rest..."

Vinnelag, located in the northeast of the Main Continent, had once been the busiest port—at least, until Port Roadster was built.

But now it had reclaimed its former glory, becoming a crucial link between the Main Continent, the Wastelands, and the Lennon Archipelago.

"And this boy?" the captain asked, looking at the newsboy his first mate had brought along.

"I saw him at the docks. The lad was shouting to the departing passengers, asking if anyone knew a Mr. Lu Li, so I brought him over..." the first mate explained, glancing at Lu Li with curiosity.

"I'm Lu Li," the detective said, his gaze falling upon the newsboy.

The boy studied Lu Li intently for a few seconds, as if verifying a description. Then, from inside his tightly buttoned coat, he pulled out an envelope still warm from his body. "A mysterious lady told me to give this to you."

Anna? Or Aunt Mary?

"What did she tell you?"

Lu Li took the envelope and drew out two letters.

One was from Aunt Mary, the other from Anna.

Aunt Mary's letter expressed her worry that Lu Li and Anna were still following her, pleading with them to stop their pursuit.

Anna wrote that Aunt Mary had set off for Vinnelag. She assured him she would find her there and asked Lu Li to wait for them to return together.

"Are we going to wait for Miss Anna?" Selika asked. She had apparently gleaned the gist of the letters.

"No."

Lu Li put the envelope away and pulled out a hundred shillings to tip the boy.

The boy's eyes widened at the generous tip, but he hesitated. "Sir, the lady already paid me..."

"This is extra."

The boy finally took the money with a delighted grin and vanished into the bustling port.

"Why not?" Selika asked. "Anna will be worried."

"So am I."

Lu Li nodded.

Anna would have to hide among humans, and the exorcist community on the Main Continent was notoriously hostile toward anomalies. Faced with what appeared to be an intelligent entity, they were unlikely to attempt communication first.

If the exorcists found Anna, something terrible could happen. For the exorcists... and for Anna.

Selika said no more.

Lu Li turned back to the first mate. "Are there any ships sailing for Vinnelag tonight?"

"No, sir... The last one departed at ten. The next isn't until nine in the morning."

Lu Li clearly couldn't wait another six hours. "Does Company Fourteen run that route?"

The first mate's heart began to pound. He realized what was coming and shot a questioning look at the captain.

"Yes. All our company's vessels rotate routes regularly, so every crew member is familiar with that heading," the captain replied politely, while his first mate's eyes widened in disbelief. "If you require it, we can set sail as soon as we're prepared."

"How long will that take?"

"No more than two hours."

Learning that Lu Li had no lodgings, the captain instructed his second mate, a man named Tal, to arrange a place for him to rest.

As they stepped ashore, the bewildered second mate asked, "Are we really setting sail again? The crew needs to rest..."

The captain gave a firm nod. "I know they're tired. Pass the word to everyone: for this voyage, pay is quintupled. All officers will be promoted one rank."

A jolt of uncontrollable excitement shot through the second mate, and his throat went dry.

A promotion... That meant he would become first mate, second-in-command of the whole vessel.

"But what if this gentleman is bluffing..." the second mate ventured.

"That's why you'll have the carriage made ready. I'm going to the count's estate," the captain declared, a spark of determination flaring anew in his old frame.

He would find out the truth from the count himself.

...

The Adler Estate.

The carriage emerged from the fog, pulling to a stop before the lantern-lit gates.

The guards entered the estate to make their report and returned a short while later with a steward.

"Master Solang, this is an urgent matter," the captain said, before recounting the events that had transpired on his ship.

The steward considered this for a moment. "Wait here. I will ask the count."

After another wait in the misty glow of the lanterns, the steward's figure reappeared.

"Please, come in. My lord will see you now."

The captain bowed respectfully and was led through the estate to the main hall.

With the help of a maid, Count Friedrich Adler was just settling into an armchair.

"My Lord."

The captain bowed respectfully and repeated the story he had told the steward.

"And that is the whole of it?"

"Yes, my lord..."

Count Friedrich Adler nodded, then turned to his steward. "Bring the stone medallion from my study."

The steward went upstairs.

"Which vessel do you command, Captain?" the Count asked, his curious gaze seeming to peer right through to the man's ambition.

"The Reislin, Your Grace," the captain replied, lowering his head, not daring to meet the count's eyes.

The count fell silent. The captain stood in tense silence for a good ten minutes before the nobleman spoke again.

"Our guest has arrived. Show the captain to the drawing-room."

A maid led the captain to the drawing-room. Before he stepped inside, he caught a glimpse of a tall, disheveled figure standing by the estate gates...

Count Friedrich Adler straightened his posture, addressing the grimy Trader. "An exorcist by the name of Lu Li wishes to purchase my shipping company. He said I should come to you for payment."

After a brief pause, the Trader's emotionless voice emerged from beneath a tattered scarf:

"How many shillings."

"Shillings are merely numbers to me... I want contribution points," the count said, his eyes fixed on the Trader, attempting to raise the stakes before the negotiations began.

But the count had clearly underestimated something.