The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 774: An Unexpected Turn

"Go on."

Lu Li's dark gaze shifted from Ienard Metyus's trembling left hand.

A waiter passed by with a tray, and Ienard picked up a glass of red wine.

"Her ritual was to enter a victim's shadow and mimic them. And if she was exposed, the victim would die, correct?"

That was Anna's ritual.

"What happened to her after Silence became the Moment of Silence?"

"Her?"

Ienard Metyus was surprised by how Lu Li referred to her.

"I haven't heard anything more about her. Perhaps she disappeared or was destroyed. You know, anomalies fight amongst themselves as well."

Silence fell after his words."I need to step away," Lu Li said, turning toward a nearby waiter.

Watching him go, Ienard Metyus narrowed his eyes and took a sip of his wine.

"Where is Advisor Sophie Shestrelen?" Lu Li asked.

"Oh... Please, Mr. Exorcist, follow me," the waiter replied, recovering his composure, and led Lu Li to the edge of the hall.

An elderly man in a gray tailcoat was quietly conversing with a lavishly dressed lady in a dark violet gown. The waiter approached and whispered something to him.

The man looked up and, addressing the approaching Lu Li, raised his glass.

"It is a great honor to have you grace us with your presence."

The lavish lady looked Lu Li over, her gaze lingering on his face and chest.

"I'd like to ask you something," Lu Li said.

The old man placed his glass on the waiter's tray and, waiting until he had moved away, nodded.

"Of course. Please, ask away."

"About the Shadow Maiden."

"I know, you assigned this case to us this afternoon, correct?" Advisor Sophie Shestrelen still remembered.

"But it requires time... Our people are still investigating. Perhaps this evening, or tomorrow..."

He beckoned to a subordinate nearby to inquire about the investigation's progress. They had indeed managed to learn a few things: for example, that the Shadow Maiden had not appeared in the Wastelands, and also about the saying, "In the Hillerwig Mountains, no one dares to kill a cat."

"She's on the Main Continent. We need to contact Vinnelag."

"Will that take a long time?"

Although telephones and telegraphs had not disappeared, and other mystical means of communication existed, the great distance would inevitably slow the process.

"Not too long," Advisor Sophie Shestrelen smiled.

"Perhaps you don't know this, but you are even more popular there. They say that all the newspapers reporting your return sold out on the same day. And you still remain on the front pages of the local papers. The ambassador from Vinnelag has already requested a meeting with you at the city hall several times."

Vinnelag, striving to reclaim its former glory, was more invested in Lu Li.

"Please, tell them I am looking for the Shadow Maiden. If there's any news, I will meet with the ambassador."

"Leave it to me."

Advisor Sophie Shestrelen agreed and asked curiously:

"Is this evil spirit an enemy of yours?"

Clap, clap.

Before Lu Li could answer, applause echoed from the center of the hall.

Ienard Metyus lowered his hands and, as the conversations died down, smiled.

"A simple party is too boring. Why don't I tell you all a story that happened to me before I fell asleep?"

"We would be delighted to hear it," a middle-aged man with an advisor's insignia said with a smile.

People began to gather around.

"Let us go as well," Advisor Sophie Shestrelen said, offering the lady his arm.

Together with Lu Li, they joined the crowd.

"I called it the Dream Eater, but it didn't devour dreams—it deprived you of the ability to fall asleep..."

Ienard Metyus was a good storyteller.

His infectious tone and animated expressions made the story captivating. Even the important figures of Midnight couldn't help but exclaim and sigh as they followed the plot's twists and turns.

"In the end, I awoke from a long sleep, pushed apart its thick, wall-like, jellyfish-like sides, and climbed out from underground. Fortunately, the old sewer was not far from me. There, I met Advisor Serus Reymon's people and asked them to help me get out."

"Of course! I remember when that little rascal came running to me, saying he'd found Ienard Metyus. I almost threw him out of my estate, thinking he was mad," a man with the build of a bear, Advisor Serus Reymon, shouted from the crowd.

Ienard Metyus smiled and looked at Lu Li in the crowd.

"Before the party, I saw Naven Lynch. He's gotten so old he could barely remember me. But he remembered Mr. Lu Li and asked me to pass on his greetings and his thanks for leading him to the top of the mountain."

"Naven Lynch?"

Lu Li didn't recall the name.

"He's the poor fellow you led to the mountain's peak when the sea came rushing in. He later became the most respected dean in Midnight."

"I don't remember that," Lu Li replied calmly.

A hush fell over the hall. Many stared at him in confusion.

"...Perhaps he was mistaken," Ienard Metyus said, scratching the back of his head with a youthful air.

The crowd began to disperse, and the party resumed. But from time to time, questioning glances were cast in Lu Li's direction.

Ienard Metyus did not approach him again.

Lu Li didn't stay long at the city hall party. Around seven in the evening, he left the building and returned to the University of Claire by carriage.

Lu Li had business the next day.

The Lange family and several other families had sent invitations for an evening at the Lange estate.

On Dean Rolens's advice, Lu Li did not refuse.

As evening approached, Lu Li arrived at the lavish Lange family estate, a rare sight even in the old days.

Unlike the stuffy party at city hall, this event was more of a society gala.

Besides the heads of the families, many young people were also present.

To the soft music, young aristocrats danced in pairs.

A girl, pale as a ghost, approached Lu Li, her eyelashes fluttering nervously.

"May I have this dance?"

"I don't know how to dance."

The girl's cheeks flushed.

"Th-that's alright, I can teach you."

"I don't want to dance."

The disappointed girl walked away.

"She is the youngest daughter of one of the advisors. You shouldn't have refused her so bluntly, Mr. Lu Li," the current head of the Lange family, Tur Lange, who was sitting nearby, said with a gentle smile.

Just then, a commotion was heard from outside.

Tur Lange turned his head, the gentle smile vanishing from his face.

A squad of knights from the city hall burst into the party.

"Mr. Ienard Metyus," Tur Lange said, looking at the man who had entered.

"Should I say 'welcome'?"

Tur Lange hadn't invited Ienard Metyus, as he was not part of their circle.

"I am very sorry to interrupt your party. I must say something," Ienard Metyus ignored Tur Lange and looked at Lu Li standing behind him, his gaze fixed and intense.

"About this impostor who is pretending to be Lu Li."