The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 886: The Revival Day Sacrifice

In the evening, golden rays of sun pierced a gap in the dark clouds, bathing the old cornices and dilapidated chimneys in a tranquil glow, as if the storm were about to pass. But soon, the thick clouds sealed the breach, swallowing the light once more.

Lu Li peered once more through the murky spyglass at the port by the bay.

Factories belching black smoke by the waterfront resembled oil refineries or some other kind of processing plants, with workers bustling about.

While all of that might have been considered ordinary for such a town, the port square evoked a sinister and repulsive feeling.

The bas-reliefs on the stone pillars lining the square's edge seemed the work of a non-human civilization. They were intricate, exuding a deep-sea, mysterious aura, so potent one could almost hear the crashing of the surf.

Slosh...

Stains spread across the walls as seawater seeped through the damp floorboards, rising in waves.

A chill, coiling around his scalp, stirred restlessly, spreading in silence.

The rising seawater submerged his knees, yet Lu Li remained still, spyglass in hand, lost in the intricate details of the pillars' bas-reliefs—

Snap.A faint snap by his ear jolted Lu Li back to his senses. Suppressing the allure of the unknown, he tore his eyes away.

The seawater receded, and the room was dry once more.

The cold, slick scales on his scalp had spread even wider. He could almost smell a revolting, fishy odor clinging to him.

—Continue.

He raised the spyglass again, aiming it at the port square.

A few repulsive, Innsmouth-looking locals in plain clothes had gathered just outside the square, while cultists in ritual robes addressed the praying townspeople.

Lu Li heard faint, indistinct whispers carried on the sound of crashing waves.

Seawater crashed against Lu Li's body. He stood motionless as a reef as it submerged his chest, then his face. His black hair drifted like seaweed in the current...

—Lu Li... Lu Li...

The distant call, like a voice from a dream, echoed in his ears before vanishing with the churning waves.

Lu Li strained to hear the cultist's beautiful, soul-lifting whispers.

—I am Anna...

This time, the distant call was clear, and the seawater that had filled the room vanished like a mirage.

Clatter—

The spyglass fell from his grasp, landing on the table and rolling toward the edge.

What was terrifying was that even after he came to his senses, the vile, indistinct whispers still echoed in his ears.

—Continue.

His hand, trembling slightly, snatched the spyglass.

—If you plunge any deeper, you may not return, Anna warned.

Lu Li's black eyes, filled with a profound silence, froze for an instant. Then he turned his gaze back to the port.

—Continue.

Plunge.

The ground beneath his feet vanished without a sound. Weightless, Lu Li plunged into the sea, and the churning waters consumed him.

Light spilled into the inky-dark ocean, blurring the shallows and the silhouette of a slowly descending figure.

His weary body couldn't muster an ounce of strength as it sank into the dark, profound abyss.

Lu Li slowly lowered his head, his black eyes gazing from beneath his lashes into the depths.

It was as if time had lost all meaning. From the eternal, silent abyss, the vague outline of a colossal being began to emerge.

The shape at the bottom of the abyss, a darkness deeper than darkness itself, seemed capable of driving a man mad with a single glance. Yet Lu Li watched It calmly, studying Its form.

It seemed to be crouching in the abyss, yet it also hovered. It was like a graceful maiden, yet it was also an indescribable being. Its long, flowing tentacles resembled a girl's flowing hair. Both revered and terrifying, beautiful and decaying.

Its enormous, ship-like palm rose slowly, catching the falling Lu Li in the hazy darkness.

The being sleeping in the deep sea awaits you in your dreams.

...

Lu Li, who had collapsed by the window, slowly came to his senses.

—How long was I asleep?

His question went unanswered. Anna's ghostly silhouette was gone.

Lu Li glanced out the window. The oppressive clouds had only grown a shade darker. Not much time had passed.

He recalled what he had seen in his delirium, or perhaps his dream. Was the being in the abyss the Lord of the Depths? Or was it Dagon, or Mother Hydra?

A webbed, slimy hand, more like a paw, gripped the corner of the table, pulling him to his feet. Lu Li approached the basin of water he had prepared. A repulsive silhouette was dimly reflected on its surface.

Even Lu Li himself did not want to recall the seaweed-colored skin, the cold and slimy scales.

The gloves he'd brought were useless, but the scarf and hat might still serve their purpose. Looking like one of the Traders, Lu Li wrapped the scarf around his face and pulled on the hat. With demonic, diamond-shaped pupils, he glanced at the square. The vision no longer held any power over him. He left the room and descended the stairs.

The old man was stunned by Lu Li's transformation. He stared at Lu Li's eyes, which, far from being insane, now held a look of pure reason and calm. The old man heaved a heavy, bitter sigh:

—No one can refuse eternal life, not even an exorcist...

—Where would I go to learn the fate of the people brought here from the outside?

Lu Li had no intention of revealing his true purpose.

—The church.

—Thank you.

Followed by gazes even more complex than before, Lu Li walked out of the inn.

The townspeople on the street no longer gave Lu Li strange looks. On the contrary, they now beamed with sincere, human smiles. A few enthusiastic mothers even approached him, trying to introduce him to their daughters or any other woman in their family—

No longer hounded by the townspeople, Lu Li managed to slip away from one such mother and headed for the rendezvous point in the southern part of town.

But as he entered the cluster of abandoned houses to the south, Lu Li stopped.

If Ophelia saw him in this state, she would most likely refuse to let him go back into town. She might even try to drag him away by force.

After a moment's thought, Lu Li turned and headed back into town.

The doors and windows of many of the surrounding houses were boarded up. Before the Secret Cult of Dagon had seized control of the town, these houses had been used to contain "the sick, infected with a terrible plague." Now, they served as incubators for the Deep Ones. What, he wondered, was locked inside them now?

Walking past the deserted and eerie abandoned houses, Lu Li returned to the relatively "bustling" town center, where the colonnaded church of the Secret Cult of Dagon stood.

Lu Li stepped into the gloomy, quiet church. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he saw a priest in vestments, an ornate golden crown upon his head. The priest squirmed as he approached, muttering something indistinct, almost a growl.

—Outsider, we have seen all that you have done. Welcome. Follow the will of the father-god Dagon and the Great Being. Join us. Now, please, make your first vow to the father-god Dagon.

There were three vows in total, and as a newcomer, Lu Li was not yet worthy of the other two. The first vow simply required him not to be an informant, lest he be rejected by Dagon and suffer punishment.

After Lu Li repeated the vow, which was far less severe than he had imagined, the priest joyfully declared him a member of the Secret Cult of Dagon. The consciousness of the father-god and the mother-goddess, the priest added, would now be watching over him.

Lu Li, however, felt nothing.

—Where are the others like me? —Lu Li asked the priest as he was about to depart.

—You took my companion, Katerina, from Vinnelag a few days ago. Do you know where she is?

—They are among us, child. They, like you, are scattered throughout the town. You will see them this evening, at the Revival Day sacrifice.

—This is important.

—Do not be hasty, child. You will see her tonight... I swear it by Dagon.