The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 856: Work Complete

Before heading to the Tashufik Excavation Site, located in the former Allen Kingdom, there were several matters they needed to resolve.

The last time the Light Stealer had enveloped the world was nearly fifteen days ago, and following the pattern, it was due to appear again in the coming days.

Facing the Eternal Night while entering Sugra-Dno was clearly not a good idea.

Worse still, since Lu Li had emerged from underground, he hadn't once encountered the tide of fog. This meant that the fog, which typically engulfed the world once every half-month to a month, could arrive at any moment.

Compared to these threats, the harbingers of the Severe Winter seemed insignificant.

Therefore, Lu Li needed to complete the journey to the Tashufik Excavation Site within three days if possible.

While the Andrea sailed toward the Main Continent, Lu Li had the Merchant contact the Vinnelag city hall to gather information about Rylstein, the town closest to the excavation site.

He soon received a reply that Rylstein had vanished, leaving only ruins behind. Furthermore, since the Tashufik Excavation Site had been occupied by anomalies even before the Age of Anomalies, there were no human settlements nearby—at least, Vinnelag had not detected any.

"Can't we just go there directly?"

Compared to a slow and time-consuming route where unforeseen events could occur, Katerina preferred to enter Sugra-Dno at once and retrieve the fragment."We always need a foothold," Lu Li replied, studying the map.

The Tashufik Excavation Site was deep inland, which meant they would no longer have the Andrea as a safe haven.

The closest route was from the southern coast of the Main Continent, about thirty-five kilometers west of the coastal town, and up the Hyde River, which flowed into the sea. This would take them to the vicinity of Rylstein, located less than twenty-five kilometers from the Tashufik Excavation Site.

But if the Hyde River had disappeared or its channel was too shallow, their only option was to travel on foot from the southern coast of the Main Continent to the excavation site, relying on Ophelia to avoid anomalies.

The Andrea cut through the waves at full speed, breaking through the web of darkness and mist.

The shaking in the captain's cabin, which made Prusius reluctant to speak, would continue for some time until they reached the mouth of the Hyde River.

If they didn't slow down, they could get there before dawn.

Lu Li wrote down every village and town that had ever existed along the way; in a critical moment, these vanished or ruined places could become their footholds.

It was hard to say which was safer—the wilderness or the ruins. If Katerina had to choose, she would pick a cave or a grotto.

The Andrea slowed down. Elder Sister said she had detected something on the sea surface nearby.

Lu Li glanced at the map: from the Allen Peninsula to the southern coast of the Main Continent was a natural sea lane, with no reefs or islands.

Whatever had appeared on the sea surface had to be something else.

After moving away from the unknown object on the water, the Andrea resumed its speed.

Out at sea, the Andrea was not invincible.

The dangers of the deep sea were no less than those on land, and even the Andrea wouldn't venture into the ocean depths unless necessary.

Although the Andrea's body offered a natural advantage: anomalies disliked large steel ships.

During the voyage, Lu Li shared what he knew about Sugra-Dno with Katerina, the others, and the Merchant.

A very long time ago, Sugra-Dno was considered a forbidden zone and an abyss by the people of the previous generation.

The gray fog enveloping the abyss connected to another world. Perhaps it was the In-Between, or maybe a surface world like this one. The people of the previous generation had explored it, but the Guardian remembered little, and could only piece together an incomplete picture from the few remaining fragments.

The name Sugra-Dno came from a lord in the gray fog who called himself Socrates. He possessed wisdom and claimed that the other side of the entrance was his domain. During their interactions, he allowed the people of the previous generation to enter the gray fog to experience another world, but only wise beings could understand the true meaning of the world, while fools would only waste the time they had left.

Because of these words, the people of the previous generation paid a heavy price: not a single one of the warriors sent into the gray fog returned. This was part of what the Guardian remembered: among them were members of his own family.

The king of the previous generation was furious and ordered fortresses to be built around Sugra-Dno, not only to prevent anyone from entering the gray fog but also to stop it from invading.

The connection between the two worlds was severed. A long time passed until one warrior emerged from the gray fog.

He said that everyone was alive, that they had seen the truth of the world in the gray fog and did not want to leave. Only he had chosen to renounce everything he had gained and return.

The king of the previous generation wanted to contact Lord Socrates again, but it was too late: after the warrior's return, the gray fog leading to the other world receded back underground.

The warrior who returned soon took his own life.

"Vulture," that was what the Guardian’s residual memory called that world of gray fog.

The king of the previous generation declared that beyond the gray fog lay a world of vultures. They sought out worlds seized by anomalies, and when only embers remained, they would invade en masse and devour them.

But whether this was an excuse the king found for his mistakes or the truth had already vanished without a trace along with the gray fog.

"It seems the people of the previous generation knew more about the outside world than we do?" Prusius asked with curiosity.

"Yes."

The fire of humanity was extinguished just when it should have burned brightest; had they been given a few more decades, they would not have suffered such a crushing defeat.

"What... was... their... class... structure... like?"

Ophelia, as a scholar and librarian, was most keen to learn the history of the people of the previous generation themselves.

"Unknown."

The Guardian's memory was heavily fragmented, and they didn't have time to study the history of the previous generation.

However, it might be worth trying to find out, as the previous generation's knowledge of the outside world clearly surpassed their own.

Lu Li asked the Merchant, Anthony, to send a letter to Mayor Matteus, outlining his suggestions for communicating with the previous generation: to find scholars who, with the help of a Linguist's ability, could study the history and truth of the people of the previous generation.

But that would have to wait until they returned from the Tashufik Excavation Site and brought the Guardian with them.

Honestly, the wisdom of the previous generation was not much less than that of humans, at least Lu Li thought so: when they were able to create city-scale settlements and had their own language, the difference between them and humans might have only been in their physical structure and way of thinking.

And their physical structure became a double-edged sword for the people of the previous generation. It gave them greater strength, allowing them to resist anomalies even without external aids, but it also caused them to neglect external tools, focusing only on developing their bodies.

This led their way of thinking to lean towards strength rather than wisdom.

Thus, when the tide carrying the anomalies arrived, they, possessing only a modicum of strength, disappeared from the face of the earth faster than humans.

By the time Lu Li finished his account of the previous generation's "Sugra-Dno," the Andrea had already left the Allen Peninsula and was approaching the southern coast of the Main Continent.

The Fallen Leaves Mountains and the coastal town lay ahead, in the dark depths.

During the calm voyage, Lu Li recounted another event he knew of related to the Tashufik Excavation Site.

Namely, how the gray fog reappeared in the late period of the Ancient Era.