The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 930: A Deal with the Devil

The citizens in the square before the City Hall were gradually dispersing, ushered away by the guards.

Matteus didn't want this perfect resolution to be marred by any of the townspeople freezing to death on the cold streets.

It was easy to predict that the dream they had all experienced would be the talk of the town for a long time to come.

Knock, knock, knock.

— Come in...

The wooden office door swung open as soon as he spoke, revealing his assistant, Valendo.

— Mr. Lu Li is here.

Shortly after, Lu Li entered the mayor's office to inform him that they were preparing to leave.

— Leaving so soon?

The City Hall was in the process of taking over the Inquisition's assets, and the council still needed to be convened to discuss their distribution and organization. Lu Li's presence would help avoid many unnecessary disputes and complications.— Yes.

Lu Li glanced out the window. In the distance, out at sea, the Deep God stood before the port.

The Deep God was losing its essence with every passing second. Lingering for too long could create problems for Vinnelag.

— It's just incredible... An ancient being suddenly decided to help us.

Matteus gazed sentimentally at the distant bay. Compared to the being standing there, Vinnelag felt like a child's sandcastle on a beach.

— Were we wrong?

He suddenly asked quietly.

The Deep God had made him realize that deities weren't always repulsive. If They could truly protect Vinnelag...

— You were right, and the Inquisition was right, too.

Lu Li's answer made Matteus turn his gaze away from the port.

— You were all just trying to survive, to ensure your continued existence, though each of you ignored your own shortcomings while exaggerating those of others. We shouldn't judge that too harshly.

— I'm glad you see it that way, — Mayor Matteus replied respectfully, placing a hand on his chest.

— When Captain Lefrancia Werth regains consciousness, please let me know.

— I will, but it will be difficult.

Given Captain Lefrancia Werth's importance, many doctors were involved in her treatment, but progress was slow.

— With the aggressive Inquisition gone, I intend to strengthen our ties with Midnicht. Perhaps they can devise a way to treat Captain Lefrancia Werth, or at least bring her to consciousness temporarily.

Without the restraining influence of the Inquisition, Vinnelag's future might not be so hostile toward anomalous powers, but they were likely still a long way from reaching Midnicht's level of acceptance.

But before that could happen, Vinnelag urgently needed to stock up on supplies for any eventuality. Matteus asked Lu Li about the estimated firewood reserves, so Lu Li summoned the Merchant to go to the Shadow Swamp and find out.

It was obvious that even all the firewood from the Shadow Swamp wouldn't last Vinnelag's hundreds of thousands of residents for more than a few days. They would have to find new sources of coal and wood.

The Wastelands could help with that; they had abundant coal resources, but the cost and speed of transport had previously made it difficult to deliver. Now, with the Merchant's help, that would no longer be a problem. However, the Merchant's limited cargo retrieval speed meant it would still be difficult to supply the entire city.

They needed more Merchants, and Mayor Matteus had already assigned people to the task. A search across all human settlements on the Main Continent might soon lead to the discovery of new ones.

After bidding farewell to Mayor Matteus, Lu Li and his companions boarded the mayor's steam-powered automobile and headed for the port.

Just then, Lu Li suddenly encountered a problem.

The brand of an inverted pentagram on the back of his hand grew hot without warning. The devil was pursuing him again.

It dared to show itself?

Lu Li looked toward the Deep God in the bay. He ordered the driver to stop the car, told the soldiers to inform Mayor Matteus about the need to evacuate the nearby townspeople, and had the Merchant relay a message to the Deep God, telling it to conceal its aura and form while they awaited the devil's approach.

And then, they would deal with the problem.

Lu Li stepped out of the cramped steam car and took a seat by the window of a roadside café.

He didn't have to wait long. The heat from the brand on the back of his hand intensified, signaling its approach, until it became unbearably searing—

An elegant woman with a black ponytail, dressed in a tailcoat and white gloves, walked slowly down the quiet, deserted street.

Jingle, jingle, jingle—

The café door swung open, and a blast of cold air and the stench of sulfur flooded the room.

— Respected ancient one, the descendant of the Great Lord of Hell, Monliyabes the Sixteenth, greets you.

She greeted the Deep God first and then turned her gaze to Lu Li.

— This is merely my incarnation, so...

— If you wish, I can trace her true form in Hell, — He said suddenly.

— The passage is closed. You, mighty and respectable as you are, cannot descend into Hell, — the devil's body stiffened for a moment before she replied respectfully, her eyes on Lu Li.

— And you won't do it either, because I will help you.

— A devil's... temptation, — Ofelia remarked.

— This is an equal exchange. I have helped you, and I hope you will help me, — the devil revealed her intentions before any hostility could fully ignite.

— That is why I have been searching for you all this time.

— How can you help me, and how can I help you? — Lu Li asked calmly. The brand on the back of his hand no longer burned.

— I know a way for you to easily master power, and I can also protect your sanctuary in Hell from being discovered. In return, I hope you will help me oppose my father.

— Is that a threat?

Lu Li knew she was talking about Gades's shelter. It was a misunderstanding, but explaining it to her would be pointless.

— No, these are simply the terms of the contract, — she seemed to genuinely believe that.

— I can't do that.

Remembering the other devil who also favored tailcoats, Lu Li shook his head in refusal.

— You can. Just as you destroyed his avatar, — the devil's daughter radiated hatred for her father.

— This is your chance, too... The brand shows that he has never left you alone, has he?

— But I can't do anything right now.

Lu Li didn't ask the Deep God for help. The Great Lord of Hell might not be as powerful as the ancient being, but Hell was a place filled with lava and heat. The Deep God would only find a sea of lava there.

— Not right now, — the devil's daughter chipped away at Lu Li's resolve, her red lips parting and closing.

— I will tell you how to gain power, and when you become strong enough, then we will begin our plan.

— There's no downside for you. You'll gain an ally to fight your enemy, and you will acquire power.

Lu Li looked at her calmly.

— Why do you want to kill your father?

The devil's daughter concealed her hatred beneath a calm exterior.

— If you knew how he raises his children, you would want him dead too.

Just as she'd said, there was no disadvantage for Lu Li in this deal. Her only flaw—her status as a "devil's daughter"—was negligible as long as the Deep God was nearby.

— Draw up a contract with the Deep God as a witness, — Lu Li said.

— As you wish.

All the terms of the agreement were written on a repulsive parchment of human skin. After Lu Li and the devil's daughter had both left their blood on it, the contract vanished into the void.

The contract was sealed, and the devil's daughter revealed the answer:

— Cursed Titles are the most natural sources of power.

Go to the Academy of Giant Trees. There, you can learn how to use this power.

— What are Cursed Titles? — Lu Li asked.

— I believe they might be a gift to those who protect the world, a reward for the brave, the world's way of saving itself.