The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 699: The People Sing the Exorcist's Praises

The carriages of the nobles and the wealthy mingled with the crowd.

Dressed in their finest clothes, they reveled in the envious and respectful gazes of the common folk, as if they were heading not to an evacuation, but to a grand social affair.

Order at the city gates was barely maintained as some residents tried to haul away all their worldly possessions. The guards had to shout and urge them on, forcing them to abandon most of their things, lest they face certain death in the wastelands.

One man was trying to drag no less than fifty kilograms of baggage out of the city, and if the guards hadn't stopped him, he wouldn't have made it even five kilometers.

Soon, Elder Abidel and other villagers appeared to bid Lu Li farewell.

"See you at Storm Cape."

After they left, a small commotion arose at the gates: a family of three, having received their three cans of preserves, tried to return to Revoltown. The guards stopped them, explaining that there was no food left in the city and that it could be dangerous.

"Why not just lie to them?" a woman named Gulian asked Lu Li. "If you said an anomaly had attacked the city, maybe those who don't want to leave would obey."

"Because that might actually attract an anomaly," Lu Li replied.

The town head, Enva Ebilie, stood on a platform, watching the crowd filling the streets. He ordered the guards to reorganize the column: women, children, and the elderly were to go first, followed by the men.They had more strength and could move faster.

The evacuation continued for half an hour, during which half the population left the city. But soon, the guards reported that some residents, after receiving their food, had secretly returned through other gates.

"Why?" Gulian asked, bewildered.

"They're weak. Some are children, some are too old... They won't make it to Storm Cape by nightfall..." a guard answered, his head bowed.

Lu Li's gaze swept over the crowd at the gates, at the elderly, at the people who could barely stay on their feet. Helplessness and despair filled their eyes.

"Town Head," Lu Li called out to Enva Ebilie.

Enva Ebilie inclined his head slightly, indicating he was listening.

"Gather all the carts in the city and put those who can't reach Storm Cape by dark on them."

Even the slowest cart was faster than walking.

"Many of the carts belong to the nobles and the rich. They're using them to transport their property..." Enva Ebilie hesitated. He didn't believe the nobles would agree to leave their wealth behind, not even those who had sided with him.

"Anomalies aren't interested in such things. They can come back for them anytime," Gulian said.

"I'll try."

Enva Ebilie summoned the guards and ordered them to commandeer the carts.

Most of the nobles and wealthy merchants were displeased, but under the pressure of Anna's "magic," they were forced to empty the carts of their less valuable cargo so the town head could load them with the elderly, children, and the disabled.

An hour later, the last residents left the city.

The next morning, Revoltown, shrouded in a light mist, was empty and silent. Empty crates lay scattered by the gates. The figures of the nobles and the rich were gone from the platform; only Lu Li and Anna remained.

The guards stood in formation at the gates. A cart pulled up, carrying Town Head Enva Ebilie and Gulian.

"Are you really not coming with us?" Gulian asked, her voice laced with concern.

"Like we said, we have to deal with Silence," Anna replied.

Gulian already knew this. But Town Head Enva Ebilie and the guards were stunned, their surprise quickly replaced by respect.

Enva Ebilie removed his hat, placed a hand over his heart, and bowed deeply. "The people of this land will remember you."

"I'll be waiting for good news from you at Storm Cape," Gulian said.

After the farewells, the town head's cart, escorted by guards, drove through the gates, heading toward the column of refugees that stretched for several miles.

And the rumor that an exorcist named Lu Li was going to deal with Silence spread across the land.

"Let's go to the dungeon," Anna said, turning her gaze away.

She and Lu Li descended from the platform and walked side by side through the empty, refuse-strewn streets.

Another city, fallen victim to anomalies.

The dungeon was located beneath the city administration building. The iron door leading into the gloomy depths stood wide open, and the keys to the cells hung on the wall, untouched.

The guards had abandoned their post, either forgetting or choosing not to remember the prisoners. When the torches on the walls burned out, darkness would swallow everyone left below.

Lu Li took the keys from the wall and entered the dungeon with Anna.

Dozens of eyes stared at them from behind bars. Seeing that Lu Li was not a guard but held the keys, the prisoners rushed to the grates, shouting or pleading to be released.

"Only those who've committed serious crimes, the equivalent of murder, end up here. But the choice is yours," Anna said softly.

In the dungeon, even quiet sounds carried far. Hearing Anna's words, some prisoners began to curse loudly, while others screamed that they were innocent.

A light breeze swept past Lu Li, and from the cells where the most furious cries had come, a dull thud echoed, followed by silence.

The remaining prisoners froze.

Lu Li and Anna walked to the cell that held the followers of the Church of Silence.

Behind the bars, five figures shrouded in cloaks could be seen, muttering something under their breath. They were easy to recognize.

Anna stepped closer and recited the creed of the Church of Silence: "People only think in silence."

The muttering ceased. The figures raised their heads and looked at them.

A wise-looking old man regarded Lu Li and Anna, his tone benevolent, a stark contrast to the image of a cultist. "The guards left an hour ago. What has happened outside, children?"

"All the residents have left the city. It's deserted," Anna replied. She took the keys from Lu Li and, after a few tries, opened the lock.

"Thank you, children. Though to die in peace and silence is not a bad end," the elder said gratefully.

The other four cultists remained silent, as was befitting for members of the Church of Silence.

They stepped out of the cell, and the emboldened prisoners once again began to beg for freedom.

The elder stopped, looked over their faces, and shook his head. "Sinners..."

Surrounded by his followers, the elder, ignoring the shouts, ascended the steps and disappeared from view.

The ring of keys flew through the air and landed in front of the first cell. A few seconds later, a grimy hand shot out, grabbed the keys, and vanished into the darkness.

"The lost souls have departed..." the elder murmured as he stepped out onto the street.

After finding some food and clothes in the empty city, the elder asked Lu Li and Anna if they wished to return with them to the Church of Silence, where they would undergo a baptism ritual and meet their "Master."

This was precisely why Lu Li and Anna had come, and they did not refuse.

After resting until noon, Lu Li and Anna set off with the cultists toward an oasis one hundred and twenty-five miles from the city, where the true body of Silence was located.

That afternoon, while crossing the wasteland, the travelers encountered Silence.

The cultists remained unfazed. Only Lu Li stopped at the tolling of a bell and, meeting the cultists' gazes, said, "My faith in the Master is not yet strong enough. I cannot yet resist His ritual."

Lu Li's calm demeanor made his words all the more convincing.