The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 891: A Commission from the Ancient God

The Deep God—an ancient deity worshipped by the tentacled cultists, and an enemy of the Lord of the Depths.

Noticing the insignificant believer and Lu Li, the ancient deity seemed to truly bestow its grace. The divine revelation it sent down left the tentacled cultist trembling with mad fervor.

It demanded Lu Li perform a task.

The arbitrary demand of the Deep God was like a human commanding an ant, utterly disregarding the vast difference in their power or the imbalance of the exchange.

Yet, should that ant truly connect with the human, the aid it might receive would be far beyond its wildest expectations.

Though He had been defeated in his struggle with the Lord of the Depths, His status was no less than his rival's.

Lu Li, however, knew he had to be cautious. He couldn't allow the Deep God's aura to warp his mind, whether by design or by accident.

"What does He want me to do?"

Reverently, fanatically, the tentacled cultist relayed the Deep God's revelation: a rare treasure auction was about to begin deep within Midnight City's Old Sewer. Lu Li was to go there and claim the final item.

It sounded like some kind of test.The Deep God had innumerable followers; it shouldn't need an outsider to retrieve an item—unless, for some reason, its followers were barred from entering the Old Sewer.

"Will you go with us?"

The tentacled cultist revealed the hidden reason:

"We cannot set foot in the depths of the earth."

Lu Li had no choice. Even if the Deep God offered no payment, he had to accept the commission. Otherwise, the devout tentacled cultist before him would tear them to pieces.

Still, perhaps things weren't as bad as they seemed; at least the tentacled cultist had provided a crystal of Anomaly Currency to pay for the item.

The moment Lu Li touched it, a pale blue frost spread across his palm. Only when he tossed it to Ofelia did the frost recede.

The Distorted Figure confirmed that this piece of Anomaly Currency, sent by the Lord of the Depths through a ritual, was a crystal formed from the death of a powerful soul—a top-tier form of payment.

Ofelia soon handed it to the Merchant, Antony, for safekeeping; she too was affected by the crystal currency, her scorched palms resembling cooled lava.

Before departing, they went to the neighboring Vine camp. The Prophet had not yet awakened, and Prusius suggested that Lu Li use his Dreamwalker power.

Lu Li refused. He had not yet mastered the power of the Dreamwalker. If he entered the dream and couldn't escape... he would be lost in a river of time spanning billions of years.

Leaving the Church of Twisted Vines, they headed for Port Roadster. Along the way, anomalies retreated before the troop of several dozen heretics.

Having arrived safely at the port, just before boarding the ship, the leader of the fugitive cult found Lu Li.

The ocean vessel was expected to be completed in half a month, and they hoped Lu Li would come to see them off.

After boarding the Andrea, the tentacled cultists also followed; they would be traveling with Lu Li to the Wastelands.

Under the gazes of several believers from the fugitive cult, the Andrea entered the thick darkness, its wake dissolving into the ceaseless waves.

...

Bubble, bubble, bubble—

The coffee on the stove began to boil, its aroma filling the air.

Ofelia took the pot off the stove, poured a cup for Lu Li, and then filled a bowl for Prusius.

"Thank you, Miss Ofelia."

Prusius was in low spirits.

He was still mired in sorrow over the loss of his comrade. But in time, he would gradually come to accept Katerina's departure.

At least Katerina was alive and would likely outlive them. If not for this encounter, she might have one day died just like the Fallen.

"What are you... thinking about?"

Ofelia set down the coffee pot and asked Lu Li, who was pondering over a spread-out map.

"Our landing spot."

Thanks to the Andrea, they no longer needed to take the long route: landing at Port of Storms and then traveling by a long caravan to Midnight City through the Old Sewer.

But that didn't mean the other routes were easy. Even if they went through the closest known town with an entrance to the Old Sewer, it would only shorten the journey by 75 kilometers compared to the route from Port of Storms.

Besides, they didn't know enough about the regions the Old Sewer extended into.

They urgently needed a map of the Old Sewer, which could only be obtained in Vinnelag.

Lu Li emerged from his thoughts and said to the Merchant, Antony:

"I need a map of the Old Sewer."

The request was relayed to Mayor Matteus, who was preoccupied with problems from the exorcist incident. He hesitated, replying that it might reveal Lu Li's location.

"Let it be revealed."

The Old Sewer was vast enough that the Inquisition could do nothing even if they knew.

Mayor Matteus grabbed the phone and summoned his assistant, ordering him to gather maps of the Wastelands, the Old Sewer, the ruined Lennon Archipelago, and the World's Spine mountains as quickly as possible.

"Is this for Mr. Lu Li?" the assistant, Valendo, couldn't help but ask.

After receiving confirmation, he left the office and made his way by the light of dim lamps to the Secret Council, located across the street.

He was not welcomed. On the contrary, the Secret Council's employees avoided him as if he were carrying a deadly plague.

After the exorcist incident, only a small fraction of officials remained loyal to Mayor Matteus.

"The mayor needs maps of the Wastelands, the Old Sewer, the ruined Lennon Archipelago, and the World's Spine mountains."

The assistant, Valendo, found them and relayed Mayor Matteus's instructions, though they all knew the maps were really for Mr. Lu Li.

He sent his subordinates to watch the door, and then an anxious wait ensued.

Unfortunately, exposure was inevitable. When his subordinates rushed back to report the Inquisition's arrival, they had to stop their search.

"We only found maps of the Wastelands and the Old Sewer..."

"It's too late... Give them to me, quickly!"

Valendo glanced around hurriedly; surprised shouts and heavy footsteps echoed from the adjacent hall. He grabbed the freshly gathered maps of the Wastelands and the Old Sewer and headed for the back exit.

Creak—

The back door opened a crack, and Valendo peered out to see his subordinates being interrogated by the Inquisition Guard. He quietly closed the door again.

Climbing a side staircase to the second floor, he heard questioning voices from below as he clambered through a window.

"Who just left?"

"It's the assistant, Valendo!" someone shouted.

Then the heavy footsteps faded into the distance.

Valendo gritted his teeth, climbed out of the window, and leaped from the ledge, landing far enough away that his figure was enveloped by the misty tide.

But the misty tide also prevented him from seeing the ground, and he managed to twist his ankle.

Clutching the documents tightly, he limped around the area cordoned off by the Inquisition and hurried toward the City Hall.

Passing one of his subordinates standing guard, Valendo called out to him:

"Call the mayor, tell him to summon the Merchant! Wait..."

Two minutes later.

Valendo staggered to the steps of the City Hall.

"Search him."

The waiting Inquisition Guard approached indifferently.

Valendo allowed the coarse men to search him.

"May I enter?"

The Inquisition Guard didn't answer, merely clearing a path on the blocked steps.

Dragging his injured leg, Valendo climbed the stairs. As soon as he was out of the guards' sight, he quickened his pace, breaking into a run toward the mayor's office.

Bang!

The breathless Valendo threw open the door and looked at Mayor Matteus behind his desk:

"Mr. Mayor..."

"It's already been sent."