The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 704: A Cruel Reality

Saintwood Gorge.

The locals, however, usually called it the Great Withered Fissure.

Wind howled ceaselessly through the labyrinthine gorge, which resembled a dried-up riverbed. For dozens of miles in every direction, there were no springs or oases, only a narrow desert corridor that bordered one side of the chasm.

In the afternoon, Lu Li stood atop a low rock, gazing into the distance.

The landscape reminded him of Hell.

Natural bridges spanned the chasms that fractured the terrain. Weather-beaten and sun-scorched, they seemed sturdy enough—at least, they wouldn't collapse under the weight of a single person.

Some sections of the gorge were like isolated islands, while others led to dead ends with no passage to the adjacent plateaus. Each time Lu Li set foot on a new "island," he had to scan his surroundings, searching for a path that led deeper into the maze.

But until he reached the very last "island" in a chain, it was impossible to know if a bridge to the desert corridor lay ahead, or just another dead end.

The wind whistled and wailed in the depths of the gorge.

The Rope of Descent was still affecting him.Lu Li was vaguely aware of it.

Instead of traversing this vast gorge and the desert beyond to reach the oasis where Silence resided, it would have been far easier and faster to travel to the coastal port, hire a boat, and simply sail upriver.

But, of course, overcoming a gauntlet of obstacles and trials before confronting Silence made for a much more epic tale.

Yet, awareness didn't equate to resistance.

The ritual of the Rope of Descent didn't compel; it rationalized.

It justified the decision to search for provisions when food ran low.

It justified the desire for revenge against the murderer of one's loved ones.

Sand and gravel crunched under Lu Li's boots as he stepped onto a fragile stone bridge. Cracks spiderwebbed across its surface.

Lu Li quickened his pace, trying to cross before the fissures could spread.

He had barely set foot on the next "island" when the bridge behind him collapsed with a roar, plunging into the chasm dozens of meters below.

A plume of dust billowed up, only to be instantly scattered by the wind. Lu Li averted his gaze and continued to study the path forward.

The ritual of the Rope of Descent was casting Lu Li in the role of a tragic hero, but it was also guiding him toward his denouement.

Regardless of whether that finale would be heroic or tragic.

Three hours later, Lu Li reached the desert corridor that bordered the gorge.

Within Saintwood Gorge, a place where any turn could have led to a dead end, he had found the one true path.

Chains of sand dunes rolled into hills, nearly erasing the border between the gorge and the desert, creating a landscape like a barren steppe.

A north wind carried sand and gravel from the foothills of the World's Spine Mountains toward the southern coast.

Lu Li unfolded a map drawn on a piece of parchment. According to it, the desert corridor was only about six miles wide. Beyond it lay his final destination: the flat plain of an ancient riverbed.

That was where Silence waited.

He had two hours until nightfall—more than enough time to cross the corridor.

Lu Li tied off the cuffs of his trousers, pulled his hood low to shield his face from the sand, and stepped into the desert.

Cloud cover made the journey easier. The wind erased his tracks as soon as he made them, but a compass kept him pointed in the right direction.

As he entered the domain of Silence, the Anomaly Detector in his pocket began to chime, but it didn't stop him.

Two hours later, Lu Li reached the edge of the desert corridor. The soft sand gave way to hard-packed earth.

A village appeared ahead on the horizon.

On his parchment map, it was marked as the Village of Lights.

Lu Li stopped about a mile from the village. He watched it for a moment, then crushed a stone medallion to summon the Merchant.

"Anna..." he began, then hesitated. "Has a new evil spirit appeared?"

"Seven hours ago, it attacked the deputy head of Kandergin. Three hours ago, a baroness. And an hour ago, a local councilor."

"All of them nobles?" Lu Li frowned beneath his hood.

"Yes."

Anna held no particular hatred for the aristocracy.

And Lu Li didn't think she was acting out of hatred, either.

Perhaps it was just a coincidence...

Anna was far away, on the Main Continent. After a moment's thought, Lu Li started toward the village.

Something was wrong with the village.

By the time he realized it, the villagers had already spotted him. Strange gazes fell upon him, and whispers followed.

"Look... how strange he is..."

"Poor thing. Is he deformed?"

"Maybe he's a monster..."

The locals discussed the uninvited guest.

They all had thin, long necks, nearly the length of their arms. This made them all stand over two meters tall. When they spoke, they would stretch their necks out, bringing their heads close together to whisper as they looked down on Lu Li.

Lu Li saw a couple in love. Their necks were even longer, and they were intertwined as they kissed.

He spotted another villager resting on his doorstep, his neck coiled like a snake with his head resting atop it.

Lu Li was clearly the odd one out.

In a situation like this, the sensible thing would be to quicken his pace and leave. But darkness was falling, the anomalous fog was closing in, and there was no shelter to be found on the open plain.

Staying in the village seemed the safer option.

Except, Lu Li couldn't be sure if the thought was his own, or a product of the Rope of Descent's ritual.

The "strange outsider" drew the villagers' attention. They gathered around the house he was given, their long necks craning in through the windows, faces peering out from the crowd—a bizarre and unsettling sight.

A knock sounded, and the door opened. A head on a long, extended neck poked inside.

The village elder set a bowl on the table. It was filled with something that looked like foul-smelling sludge. His neck curved, and his head lowered to look Lu Li in the eye.

"Guest, please, help yourself."

"What is this?" Lu Li eyed the bowl. Hard, stone-like fruits floated in the sludge.

"These are the local Silt Fruits. They will cure your ailment."

Lu Li raised an eyebrow.

"My ailment?"

It reminded him of the Rope of Descent's ritual, but this felt different.

"Yes. Only the Silt Fruits can heal your... deformed body."

These were fruits meant to make him just like them.

"I don't need it," Lu Li said.

The elder's head drew closer to Lu Li. His eyes narrowed, and his voice took on a threatening edge.

"This is our custom for dealing with outsiders."

Lu Li reached into his pocket, placed his Spirit Gun on the table beside the bowl, and replied calmly, "And this is my custom for dealing with things I don't want to do."

The elder recoiled, looking down his long neck at Lu Li. "We don't force anyone," he said coldly. "You may stay for a time, but you must leave at dawn. And remember..."

His towering figure gave his words an extra weight.

"After dark, don't go outside. And don't look out the windows."

The elder took the bowl and left. The moment he was gone, Lu Li slid the bolt across the door.

The faces of the villagers outside, full of resentment and malice, gradually dispersed. A few disgruntled youths tapped their foreheads against the windowpane in a final show of displeasure.

Dusk was falling.

Lu Li lit a lamp and drew the curtains, shutting out the view.

He could only hope the night would pass quietly.