The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 759: Civilization of the Age of Anomalies

"Really?" Prusius raised his head joyfully, stealing a glance at Katerina. "And Miss Katerina won't mind?"

"I don't care," Katerina replied indifferently.

All she wanted was to reach Midnight City, collect the reward for Lu Li, and start a new life.

Prusius's tail drooped slightly as he asked dejectedly, "But how am I supposed to get into Midnight City...?"

Anomalies were forbidden from entering Midnight City, at least officially.

Lu Li glanced at the cluster of rat-men nearby.

They had already inquired about sneaking into the city. The rat-men, whose natural gift was digging tunnels, had beaten their chests and sworn they could guide them into the city quickly and safely. However, their steep price had been a deal-breaker—all of Katerina's money wouldn't have been enough to smuggle in Prusius alone.

And Katerina had no intention of spending all her savings anyway.

Prusius would just have to wait in the Old Sewer until Lu Li could either earn enough shillings or attain a high enough position to come back for him.

Lu Li asked Katerina for some money, rented a room in a nearby tavern, and left Prusius there.The Elder Sister decided to stay with him, proudly declaring that the people from the Midnight Church wouldn't notice her.

"Don't get into trouble, kid," Katerina said goodbye to Prusius, and she and Lu Li headed for the exit from the Old Sewer that led to the surface.

The sewer tunnel was filled with other travelers. Some were dressed in hunter's leather armor, others in simple canvas clothes.

Katerina eagerly awaited her first sight of Midnight City—and her money.

"Don't forget to pay me back the money you borrowed for him," Katerina told Lu Li as they felt a breeze blowing from the Gloom Wastes.

The oppressive stone walls vanished from overhead. The night sky, veiled in clouds, opened up before them. A light breeze carried the scent of the Gloom Wastes.

Ahead, a vast city with no walls stretched out before them.

Endless rows of houses extended to the horizon. The low buildings formed the outskirts of Midnight City, while closer to the center, the structures grew taller and brighter.

Mysterious black towers, scattered throughout the city, pierced the low clouds with beams from searchlights, illuminating the night sky.

Night did not exist here.

In the very heart of the city rose a hundred-meter-tall bronze statue of the Midnight Lady, seemingly wrapped in a black cloak.

"It's even more beautiful than in the paintings..." Katerina whispered, gazing at Midnight City in awe.

In the Age of Anomalies, when humanity was barely surviving, this majestic city, open to all winds and rising from the middle of the Gloom Wastes, made an indelible impression.

And it only strengthened the gratitude and faith people felt for the Midnight Lady who protected them.

Humanity was creating a new civilization in a land overrun by Anomalies.

As beautiful as a rose.

And just as fragile.

Lu Li could not forget the fate of the Allen Kingdom.

He turned and looked back the way they had come.

His gaze pierced through the Old Sewer and flew toward the distant eastern horizon. There, faint lights flickered in the sky like fireflies.

They were giant winged creatures known as Yegers.

Averting his gaze, Lu Li and Katerina, who looked as if she were about to convert to the faith on the spot, continued toward Midnight City.

"What are those towers?" Lu Li asked.

They looked alien against the backdrop of the other buildings, lending the city a mysterious air.

"I don't know... Churches, maybe?"

The closer they got to Midnight City, the more people they encountered.

Pilgrims gathered in groups, singing hymns along with the nuns of Midnight City.

The Elder Sister, hidden under his hood, shrank back from their singing.

"The Midnight Lady came to the earth."

"Her grace descended and created places where Anomalies dare not tread."

"She does not need the praises of men."

"She only wishes for the seeds to take root and sprout."

"Carried by the wind, fallen with the rain, written in books, she is everywhere..."

The singing reminded Lu Li of the rule Prusius had mentioned: never speak ill of the Midnight Lady.

The faithful of the Midnight Church were different from those they had met in the smaller towns.

Those believers had been more distant, keeping themselves apart from the common folk as if wrapping themselves in a veil of secrecy to preserve their authority and mystique.

Midnight City had no need for such things.

Stepping onto a bustling Midnight street, Katerina suddenly became hesitant.

She didn't know how to find a "buyer."

The city leader? The church? Or the nobility?

Katerina was a hunter.

And hunters had their own ways of solving problems.

Katerina flagged down a passing carriage pulled by a mushroom-horse. The coachman, instantly on guard, drew a short sword. Unfazed, Katerina shouted toward the carriage's passenger, "I've come from Mantistown! Tell me, how can I find the city leader, the church, or someone from the nobility!"

There was a short pause, and then an elderly voice came from the carriage. "Mantistown? Is that the city where it's forbidden to harm oneself?"

"Yes."

"First, Midnight City is governed by a council. There is a city hall, but no single city leader. Second, which church are you looking for? If it's the Church of the Midnight Lady, it's easy to find. And finally, you are free to visit the estates of the nobility."

The calm and measured reply conjured the image of an elderly scholar.

"Are you from the nobility or the city hall?" Katerina asked.

"The city hall? Perhaps," the old man answered evasively.

From the slightly ajar carriage door, a withered hand emerged, holding a parchment business card.

The coachman took the card and passed it to Katerina, who in turn handed it to Lu Li. "What does it say?"

"University of Claire. Professor of Archaeology. Nuno Alexandrovich."

"It's a business card. There's a university professor in the carriage."

"A university professor..." Katerina repeated, as if she'd heard the term somewhere before. "Does that mean he's rich?"

"You could say that."

"Excellent." Katerina clenched her fists and, lowering her voice, said to the old man in the carriage, "I have information about a pureblood human."

"A pureblood human? You should take that to the powers that be, not to a scholar," the professor said slowly.

Katerina frowned. "You're not interested in pureblood humans?"

"That's a complicated question..." A sigh came from the carriage. "Alright, please, get in. We'll return to the university and discuss everything there."

Katerina didn't answer, looking instead to Lu Li.

"If his identity is genuine, he's more reliable than most aristocrats," Lu Li answered her unspoken question.

Besides, a scholar's status might help Lu Li learn a few interesting things.

Understanding that Lu Li was leaning toward this option, Katerina agreed to get into the carriage and go with him.

They didn't go inside, however, choosing instead to sit next to the coachman.

The coachman snapped the reins, and the mushroom-horse, hooves clattering on the cobblestones, set off.

Lu Li raised his head, looked at the towers scattered all over Midnight, and asked, "What are those black towers?"

The professor's reply came immediately from within the carriage:

"We call them the Alchemy Towers."