The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 903: The Deep God's Eyeball

After returning from Glossy Station—a long way from Midnicht Central Station—to the station in Locou, they faced no more attacks from those coveting the crystal currency.

Perhaps it was because the Elder Sister's mother had frightened them, or because the steam-like figure had delayed their pursuers, or perhaps a combination of both. The worm had also provided considerable assistance.

If one could speak of faction allegiances, the Eye-Worm's disposition toward Lu Li ought to have been friendly. After all, thanks to the wormhole, they were no longer being dissolved by corrosive, sticky, face-melting stomach acid.

Ophelia speculated that a strange, hive-like collective consciousness existed among the worms, much like the one in the Elm Forest at Sea Gaze Cliff.

Returning from the offshoot tunnel in Locou, under the watchful and unsettling gaze of the local cult, the group, now half its original size, retreated to the beach and boarded the Andrea to wait.

The tentacled cultist was furious that Lu Li had returned empty-handed, but that was the extent of it. The mission wasn't a failure yet, and Lu Li was certainly not his subordinate.

During the long wait, Lu Li and his companions discussed their plans for the one Merchant who had joined them.

The other guide, a spider-like humanoid, had cowardly fled when the believers left to provide support in the Spiral Hall. He'd even made off with the several hundred shillings they had left as a deposit at the inn.

Not that they would have had time to collect it anyway.

Ophelia thought this Merchant should be sent to Midnicht, to mirror the one in Winnelag. Prusius, on the other hand, hoped the Merchant could wander the earth as they did in the Ancient Era, answering the calls of those in need.Lu Li accepted neither suggestion. Firstly, his connection to Midnicht was tenuous at best. Secondly, in the age of anomalies, the world was no longer safe for a Merchant to roam freely; the other anomalies would never permit it.

Most importantly, the Merchant had already decided his own purpose.

He would return to cleanse the intermediate layer of the Merchant's domain in the In-Between.

In any case, finding a third Merchant meant their ranks were no longer in such desperate need of reinforcement.

Then, there were the believers from the Church of Shadows.

Because of Anna, Lu Li trusted them enough to let them follow, but he still maintained a certain distance. For instance, he never inquired about their organizational structure or their duties.

However, during the operation to retrieve the Ancient God's eyeball, Lu Li realized this group of believers was far more devoted than he had anticipated.

The believers regarded Lu Li as their deity, a fact confirmed by the aura of faith surrounding them. But Lu Li knew far too little about them; even Prusius was more familiar with them than he was.

Prusius, at least, had memorized each believer's name and had even given new names to the few who only had ecclesiastical titles.

Communicating with them, however, was difficult and exhausting. Whenever they addressed Lu Li, they used a distinctly inhuman method of speech—a complex, verbose, and tedious prayer-like whisper.

And the fate of the only one among them who could communicate normally, Bishop John, remained unknown.

Lu Li found a believer among them who was intelligent enough to speak comprehensibly and appointed him as their temporary leader until Bishop John returned.

On the third day of waiting, none of the surviving cultists had returned, but the objective of their journey took an unexpected turn: the steam-like figure's eyeball summoned the Merchant, Anthony.

Except, it didn't want to deal with the Merchant. It wanted to make a personal transaction with Lu Li.

They agreed to meet on the coast, where a magic circle had been inscribed, but a disagreement arose over the details of the transaction.

Ophelia didn't want Lu Li to go through with the deal, but Lu Li knew exactly why the steam-like figure insisted on meeting in person: it wanted to see him.

There was a sense of familiarity in the way it regarded Lu Li.

"No. I'm going too."

...

That evening, as the tide rose, the steam-like figure materialized on the coast.

Incandescent, dark red steam vitrified the sand in its path, but before entering the magic circle inscribed by the tentacled cultist, the figure seemed to sense something. It retracted its terrifying aura and stepped inside, its form now merely an obscure silhouette.

"Your actions aren't befitting of an exorcist. You're more like one of the fallen."

The steam-like figure glanced at the Andrea anchored in the coastal waters and at the believers gathered nearby; its opening remark had nothing to do with their transaction.

"Before the three major organizations merged, I was an investigator," Lu Li replied, the sea breeze ruffling his black hair. His suspicions were confirmed.

"You recognize me?" A hint of emotion colored the figure's cold tone.

"No. It's just that you're showing emotion at the mention of an exorcist."

Ophelia, standing beside him, voiced her surprise. "You... were human, too?"

"Human, yes... I am merely a monster that happened to devour an exorcist's soul. It was exceptionally delicious, unforgettable. I've been reminiscing about it for a long time... A shame the side effects have haunted me ever since. I've known no peace."

A human complexity entered the figure's tone—a chaotic blend of emotions woven from longing, joy, resentment, and anger.

Perhaps these complicated emotions were the very "side effects" the figure had mentioned.

"Have you brought the crystal currency?" the steam-like figure asked, abandoning its line of probing.

"Ophelia," Lu Li said calmly.

Ophelia produced a wooden box encrusted with new crystals and asked the figure, "Where's the merchandise?"

The indistinct figure shifted, and a faded, murky eyeball flew out from the steam, landing in Lu Li's hand.

The sensation in his bandaged right palm suddenly extended outward through the eyeball, transforming into an invisible appendage capable of interacting with matter.

In that moment, Lu Li realized he could control water. He tested it immediately: the humid steam before him condensed into a sphere of water, which then lost its cohesion and splashed onto the sand.

"Did you kill that devil?" Lu Li asked, now certain of the eyeball's authenticity.

"Devils are adept at escaping. That was merely a clone."

Or rather, being cunning creatures, they never reveal their true forms.

At least the item was genuine.

"She said she'd be back for you before she left," the steam-like figure added with a spiteful edge, and then asked Lu Li for more eyeballs.

"If you have any trouble, you can find me," Lu Li replied. "But the price won't be cheap."

As he watched the steam-like figure disappear over the horizon, Lu Li calmly reflected on what had happened.

Clearly, the figure bore him no ill will. But simply devouring an exorcist couldn't account for such benevolence... It must have at least absorbed the exorcist's memories—or perhaps, it had once been an exorcist itself.

Ophelia, who had been thinking the same thing, gazed at Lu Li's profile. She hoped it was the latter. That would mean Lu Li was no longer alone.

Lu Li walked back to the shallows and handed the Ancient God's eyeball to the tentacled cultist.

The tentacled cultist was a whirlwind of contradictory emotions, a mix of sheer terror and wild excitement. Without a word, it dove hastily into the abyss, dissolving into the lead-gray waves.

Lu Li waited on the beach for a short while for its return. But after more than ten minutes, it still hadn't resurfaced. Just as he was about to head back to the ship to wait, a figure shrouded in damp, veil-like robes emerged from the water.

The figure stepped onto the surface of the sea. It appeared small and insignificant, yet in one's perception, it was vaster than the ocean itself, a presence that filled all of space like a deity blotting out the sun.

It spread its arms and slowly announced its identity.

"I am the Lord, Master of the Oceans, the Deep God."