The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 677: Assigning the Roles

Port Most was just a small harbor.

Its name said as much, as did the adjoining town of Rys.

There was nothing here but cliffs, sand, and withered shrubs. But its location gave the town of Rys a unique advantage: its geography.

The town was situated at the very edge of the World's Spine mountains. To the north, the mountains stretched for thousands of kilometers, rising ever higher toward the horizon. To the south lay a gentle continental shelf and vast plains.

Because of this, the northern part of Rys possessed a natural deep-water harbor. Even a simple pier allowed giants like the "Ashori" to dock.

Admittedly, this was unsettling.

Because just beyond the narrow strip of beach, the sea plunged into a bottomless abyss.

The steamship's whistle blew in the evening twilight. Lu Li and Emin Grolin disembarked along with a few other passengers.

The "Ashori" was scheduled for a stop to replenish its supplies. Lu Li took the suitcase from Emin Grolin, and she, clutching three thick books to her chest, followed him, weaving past the locals waiting to board and stepping onto the creaking planks of the pier.

In the distance, the lights of Rys began to flicker on.Emin Grolin quickened her pace to keep up with Lu Li and began to chatter like an assistant, "According to the exorcist manual, we first need to survey the locals about any strange occurrences... Right, Mr. Lu Li?"

"That's right."

But it might be possible to skip the formalities. For instance, if Anna was waiting for them in Rys, or had left a clue there.

Upon entering the town, they didn't sense the decline typical of many remote settlements—a benefit of the sea route. But with so few residents, the place felt deserted. Most had moved to Thunder Castle, located a hundred kilometers from here.

Before nightfall, Lu Li and Emin Grolin walked through the town of Rys.

The locals of the Wastelands looked almost no different from the inhabitants of the Main Continent, except for their tanned, wheat-colored skin.

It used to be darker, but after the sky had become shrouded in a solid veil of clouds a few months ago, depriving the land of sun, the people here had grown noticeably paler.

"It will be dark soon, Mr. Lu Li. We could split up to ask around and meet back here," Emin Grolin suggested.

Lu Li didn't object. He took out a pen, drew the symbol for Aunt Mary on a piece of paper, and handed it to Emin Grolin.

"Be careful. Your spirit gun isn't just an accessory," Lu Li warned. Emin Grolin had a spirit gun as well, but it was unlikely she would dare to fire it.

"Of course, you can count on me, Mr. Lu Li!" Emin Grolin lifted her chin proudly, baring her white neck. "I am a daughter of the Grolin family, after all."

They parted ways. Lu Li, holding two lanterns—an ordinary one and the "Beacon"—continued his search along the streets.

A tavern was open in the center of town. There weren't many patrons, but it seemed they all knew the owner behind the bar well.

When Lu Li entered, they fell silent, their eyes following the stranger.

"I need to ask about something," Lu Li said, approaching the bar.

"Of course, stranger," the tavern owner grinned. It wasn't hard to tell a local from the Wastelands from a visitor.

"Has anything strange been happening lately in Rys or the settlement of Peschanyy Obval?"

The owner's smile froze. After a silence of about ten seconds, he muttered quietly, "You shouldn't be asking about that... Take my advice: spend the night and go back where you came from."

"I'm an exorcist," Lu Li replied calmly.

"...It's not a good place to talk, the customers might get scared. Let's go upstairs." After a long look at Lu Li, the tavern owner told the curious patrons to mind their business and led his guest to the second floor.

"Are you here to deal with it?!" the tavern owner asked impatiently, as soon as they entered the room.

"First, I need to understand what's happening," Lu Li answered.

"Of course... of course..." the tavern owner repeated softly, slowly recounting the shadow that had recently fallen over the two settlements.

The town of Rys and the settlement of Peschanyy Obval were inseparable, like brothers. They grew rich together thanks to Port Most, fell into poverty together because of the Silence, and now, they were under attack by an anomaly together.

The first victim was a cart driver. He vanished on the ten-kilometer road between Rys and Peschanyy Obval, leaving behind his cart and goods. People tried to follow his tracks, but the relentless, sandy wind had erased them.

Soon, the next victim appeared—a respected elder from Peschanyy Obval. Strangely, on the day he disappeared, everyone had seen him interacting with people as usual. Then he walked out of the settlement and never returned.

The third victim was the port's ticket agent in Rys. The poor woman was just sitting in her cramped ticket booth, selling tickets, when she vanished.

Soon there was a fourth, a fifth, and then more victims. Some vanished suddenly, while others would say strange things to their family or friends before disappearing, phrases like "It's calling me" or "It's time for me to go," and then walk out of the settlements.

The residents of both settlements lived in fear. The local exorcist was just a priest from a small church filling the role temporarily, not a true specialist.

Their situation almost perfectly matched Aunt Mary's story. It seemed the culprit had been found.

But where were Anna and Aunt Mary now?

He asked the tavern owner if he had seen Aunt Mary or a figure cloaked from head to toe. The owner shook his head—never.

Before Lu Li left, the tavern owner begged him to help the settlements. Lu Li said he would think about it and went to meet Emin Grolin.

The tavern owner returned to the main room. The patrons immediately began to question him, and one even joked if the visitor was some rich nephew from far away.

"It's dark, you should all be heading home," the tavern owner waved his hand impatiently. "And be on your best behavior. That gentleman is a respected spirit exterminator from the Main Continent. He's come to help us with our trouble."

"A spirit exterminator?!" The quiet tavern suddenly erupted with noise.

"I read about them in the news! Spirit exterminators are stronger than exorcists!"

"Does this spirit exterminator know how to stop the disappearances?"

"Did you tell him people are vanishing every day?!"

The patrons all shouted at once.

The tavern owner took a deep breath and roared, "I told Lu Li everything! Now get out of my tavern!"

The guests grumbled, but the adamant owner ushered them out. When the room was empty, his anger vanished as suddenly as it had appeared, replaced by a strange, unnatural detachment.

The tavern owner bent down, picked up a thin coin purse from the floor, and placed it with a letter on a round table where the guests had just been sitting. Then, as if in a trance, he walked out of the tavern and disappeared into a dark, unlit alley.

Nearby, three tipsy patrons were heading back toward the tavern. One of them was patting down his clothes, as if he had lost something important.