The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 871: In Belfast, Do Not Fall in Love

The wind and snow swirled at the entrance, as if weeping.

They stepped into the quiet passage, where faint oil lamps illuminated walls that receded into the depths.

A line of unmelted patches of snow also stretched into the darkness.

The place's connection to the Church of Shadows grew even stronger.

Lu Li examined the first oil lamp.

The flame flickered at their approach, and the unique oil lamp, shaped like clasped hands, resembled a work of art.

Only a thin layer of dark kerosene remained at the bottom, soon to run dry and be extinguished.

Glancing once more down the passage, he saw Anna's elegant silhouette standing at the visible end, silently awaiting his approach.

They continued onward, following the gradually melting snow scattered along the path and the flames held by metal hands.

...The oil lamps in the passage lit up one by one as an elegant silhouette passed them.

She reached the end of the passage, the edge of a vast, echoing subterranean hall.

"Do you wish to work for me?"

John, sniffling through a numb nose, nodded in disappointment:

"Looking like this, they'll mistake me for a monster on the streets... And you saved me."

"I have no need for subordinates," she said.

An anxious John cried out instinctively:

"A servant, or..."

"But there is something you can do."

Hearing this, John bowed, and a sharp pain shot through his crushed, torn wounds, yet he felt no loss of vitality.

"Please, give your command."

"Light all the oil lamps in the hall."

The Shadow Maiden turned gracefully, as if gazing back at the passage from which she had come.

"Prepare to welcome the coming... guests."

...

"The master... of this... place... knows... of our... arrival."

They entered the subterranean hall of the Stone Forest.

Countless oil lamps illuminated the man-made underground structure, as well as the strange and bizarre silhouettes standing within.

These were works of art that had not yet been removed. Most were metal pieces, left behind in the Stone Forest due to their weight.

However, some of the lighter or more valuable pieces had been taken, leaving behind shallow impressions that marked their former existence.

These works of art, veiled in dust and gloom, stood silently in the empty, soundless hall like tomb guardians—

The subterranean hall had always given off such an impression, even when the Stone Forest was still active.

This could be attributed to Duke Valentin's unique aesthetic taste and dark sense of humor.

Lu Li and Ophelia focused on their surroundings as they passed by these strange works of art—some abstract, others reproductions of certain creations.

The intertwining shadows and silhouettes created numerous illusions, but there were no living creatures among them.

This subterranean hall was also larger than expected, resembling a tomb more than a museum.

Perhaps that had been Duke Valentin's intention from the start?

After some distance, Anna... Ophelia prompted Lu Li to look ahead and to the left.

There, on a stone slab, stood a metal tree with outstretched branches.

Ruins, abyss, cultists, tree, brown carriage.

The metal tree was much taller than the other works of art around it, its top reaching nearly three meters, almost completely blanketing the surrounding pieces in its shadow.

Lu Li hadn't noticed it at first because of the chaotic shadows in the hall, but he would have seen it eventually as he drew closer.

In other words, it hadn't appeared by chance.

It was quite conspicuous and stood directly in their path.

Now, only the final element of the Everlasting Dreamer's prophecy remained—the "brown carriage."

But so far, they had seen no sign of the beings occupying this place, be they an anomaly or the Church of Shadows.

Only the oil lamps that greeted them burned on in silence.

At some point, Lu Li and Ophelia reached the middle of the Stone Forest, and a pair of dim eyes flashed from the shadows behind an inscription on a stele. Then, a figure stumbled forward.

"I... am so hungry!"

Lava seeped from the cracks in Ophelia's body, and hot steam rushed toward the attacker.

But he completely ignored the hundred-degree steam, hot enough to scald flesh, and lunged at Lu Li, grabbing his left arm and pleading:

"Food... please, give me food!"

"A wretched... one."

Ophelia identified it.

An evil spirit, the Wretched One.

When it appears, it takes food, water, light, or anything related to survival.

This time, it needed food.

Lu Li had dealt with this before. He took out the canned food he carried and opened it for the "Wretched One," but it was far from enough. The creature practically swallowed the can, continuing to plead with Lu Li as its grip on his left arm grew tighter.

The power of his aid was corroding the "Wretched One," but its complete disappearance would take a very long time. Ophelia's attack might have accelerated the process.

However, they had no need to provoke an evil spirit over something like food.

"Merchant, get the food."

After giving his second and last can of food to the insatiable "Wretched One," Lu Li spoke to the Merchant, Antoni.

The Merchant, Antoni, pulled a crate of canned food from his pack. Ophelia opened the wooden box, took out the cans, and opened them, handing them one by one to the "Wretched One."

The "Wretched One" gulped greedily, not chewing, but swallowing the contents of the cans in huge chunks.

An entire crate of canned food dwindled, and when only a few cans remained, the "Wretched One" finally stopped. It released Lu Li but still clutched its stomach, muttering in a starved whisper:

"So hungry... I'm so hungry..."

"There is still food."

The evil spirit, the Wretched One, suddenly reacted to Lu Li's words, raising its emaciated face as if observing him.

"I can't do that... You must go on living... Thank you..."

The evil spirit rarely gave thanks. It cried out painfully, "So hungry!" and rushed into the depths, its voice fading into the darkness.

After this episode, they continued forward, eventually stopping deep within the subterranean hall.

A black iron carriage stood by the path.

It was a work of art from the Stone Forest; its lack of detail and hazy form might not seem so refined by modern standards, but in its time, it was surely the work of a master.

The dark metal body of the carriage, coated in dust, had turned an almost grayish-brown.

The final link in the Everlasting Dreamer's prophecy manifested at that moment.

And at the same time, silhouettes appeared at the edge of the subterranean hall.

One of the silhouettes emerged from the depths of the Stone Forest, its figure concealed by a cloak, and approached Lu Li.

"Respected Mr. Lu Li, congratulations on passing the test. We have long awaited your arrival."

He bowed slightly, candidly revealing the truth behind the "Wretched One's" appearance.

"The Church of Shadows."

Lu Li stated his identity.

"Yes... I am a bishop of the Church of Shadows, a believer in the Shadow Maiden. Because of your close connection to our Lord, you may call me by my name... John."

A hand wrapped in bandages from beneath his sleeve rose and lowered his hood, revealing the face of a middle-aged man, elderly in appearance yet filled with piety and fanaticism.

"We have finally lived to see your return..."

...

In the dimly lit subterranean hall, illuminated by oil lamps, an elegant silhouette stood facing the depths of the passage.

"Why did you come here..."

"I came for you."

At the edge of the oil lamp's glow, held by a hand, a pale but determined face appeared, unable to conceal its weariness.

The Shadow Maiden whispered his name.

"...Tesla."