The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 946: The Light of the Beacon

Professor Haig offered up his office.

Fearing any accidents, they didn't even let Lu Li leave the canopy level, while several professors hurried down to the lower levels to search for a Cursed Title holder.

Keepers stood guard outside the mysticism office, barring the way to curious students and any potential anomalies.

Knock, knock, knock—

The old professor sitting nearest the door opened it. The botany professor, the first to return, announced:

“We've found one.”

While they waited for the Cursed Title holder, Professor Haig opened his bookcase, retrieved a small pouch from the bottom shelf, and walked toward the center of the office, giving it a little shake.

Light trickled through Professor Haig's fingers. He continued shaking the pouch until the light, soft as an afternoon sunbeam, steadied. Then he hung it from a cord dangling in the middle of the room.

“Haig, you should have placed that sun-pouch by the window,” the old professor suggested.

“That would be too wasteful.”“How so?”

Professor Haig stopped what he was doing and handed the sun-pouch to the old professor.

The old professor wiped his hands on his wool sweater, took the sun-pouch, and walked over to the window. He hung it up and then drew the curtains, concealing it from view.

The curtains began to glow with a diffuse light. A pale-yellow luminescence seeped in from the edges, like the warm slant of an afternoon sun.

The old professor sighed.

“Much better. It reminds me of my first cup of afternoon tea during the Ancient Era, while I was relaxing in a small seaside town.”

“There's real sunlight in Mister Lu Li's domain. Perhaps you could settle there after you retire,” Professor Haig replied with a smile.

The old professor paused, a look of longing and anticipation crossing his aged face.

“It's open to anyone,” Lu Li said.

“Thank you for your kindness.” The old professor placed a hand over his heart and bowed.

Soon, the Nameless Lady and Reckless Maewen also returned to the office. Upon entering, Reckless Maewen paused for a moment, gave a slight nod to the old professor, then leaned against the wall and closed his eyes to rest, half his face bathed in the "sunlight."

Clack-clack-clack—

They heard the clacking of heels on the floor of the corridor.

The office door creaked open, and the newcomer slipped into the room, hunched over.

“Professor Kris, what are you doing here?” Professor Haig, who was in the middle of preparing tea, froze.

“I heard about your discovery,” Professor Kris said, her eyes sweeping across the office.

“News travels far too quickly...” Professor Haig murmured, frowning.

“Don't worry, not many people will find out.” Professor Kris shifted her gaze to Lu Li, her narrow eyes curving into a smile.

“My dear, you always manage to surprise me.”

“Didn't the Academy of Giant Trees know about Humanity either?” Lu Li asked.

He still remembered how, back at the beginning, in a side tunnel of the Old Sewer, the Elder Sister had recognized Humanity and called it "fuel." This implied that anomalies had long been aware of its existence—or at least, some of them were.

Professor Kris sat down on the sofa. Now barely level with the standing men, her presence was no longer as imposing.

“Actually, we did know something. We learned it from the anomalies.”

But only a little.

"Fuel," that's what the anomalies called it. It was a source of their power. Anomalies possessed "fuel" as well, but humans had more of it, and were easier to handle.

It's not like a soul, which can be touched or seen. It has no weight and no form. Humans can't observe it, nor can they measure it.

“It's like how we can only see three primary colors, whereas many anomalies perceive a wider spectrum of shades. We might be aware that other colors exist... but we can never know what they truly look like.”

Not all knowledge is created equal.

The knowledge held by anomalies and the knowledge held by the Academy of Giant Trees—the representative of human civilization—were not equivalent. And the knowledge Lu Li possessed and the knowledge of the Academy were also not equivalent.

That's why they never made the connection between this "fuel" and what a Cursed Title consumes.

“I'll write down everything I know later,” Lu Li said, having realized this disparity in knowledge.

“I knew I wasn't mistaken about you, my dear.” Professor Kris blew Lu Li a kiss.

“Ahem...” The old professor cleared his throat, smiling as if speaking to a youngster.

“Should we give you two some privacy?”

After a few more minutes of conversation, the Cursed Title holder finally arrived.

Contrary to the powerful image the term "Cursed Title holder" might evoke, this man was extraordinarily gaunt and listless. He had no muscle or fat; his skin was stretched taut over his skeleton, and he carried the grim, rotten stench of a dying man.

His very presence nearly dispelled the cozy atmosphere created by the "sunlight" behind the curtains.

“Kane...” Professor Kris murmured his name, her voice full of pity.

The man, who looked like a living corpse, seemed to stir at the sound of his name. His glazed eyes swiveled slightly to fix on Lu Li.

“So it was you... who summoned me for some foolish idea...”

“Please, show Mister Lu Li some respect,” Professor Haig reminded him, frowning.

“When your life is about to end, you don't respect anyone...” The man's eyes swiveled back, fixing on Lu Li. What remained of his mind spoke:

“But if, at that very moment, someone could save your life, you'd willingly become their slave.”

“Hold out your hand,” Lu Li said.

The man held out his withered, skeletal palm, allowing Lu Li to place his right hand upon it.

His listless, glazed, bloodshot eyes suddenly flew wide open. Kane felt a vital energy, something he had lacked for so long, flowing into his exhausted and withered body.

A sublime groan escaped his parched throat, twisting into a hoarse, almost painful roar. When he felt the influx of life force begin to wane, Kane pleaded shamelessly:

“Please, more... I'm begging you...”

Lu Li, who had been about to pull his hand back, hesitated. He continued to transfer the Humanity for another two or three seconds before stopping.

He had to preserve more than half of his Humanity to handle any crisis—at the very least, to avoid ending up like the wretched Kane himself.

“More... more... more!”

Kane's mouth hung open, drool trickling from the corner, as he lunged for Lu Li.

Before Lu Li could raise his left hand, an ivory-white palm in a long, lace glove shot out and seized Kane's wrist.

Professor Kris had appeared beside them at some point, her narrow eyes radiating a dark luminescence, like molten gold.

“Do you have any idea what you're doing?”

The madness in Kane's eyes slowly faded. He seemed to feel a flicker of fear and lowered his head.

“I feel... ashamed...”

“So, it worked?” Lu Li asked calmly, pulling back his hand. Red marks from Kane's grip were visible on his skin.

Professor Haig, with a cold expression, belatedly shoved Kane away from Lu Li.

“Yes... yes... that's exactly what I needed...” Kane stammered as if in a dream, staggering backward. Then, he suddenly seemed to come to his senses.

“That thing I've been consuming... it's called Humanity, right?”

“Also known as fuel,” Lu Li clarified.

“Fuel...”

Kane mulled over the word as if he were chewing on the flesh of an anomaly.

“Of course, I know that... So, Humanity is fuel?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“A pity the price is too steep... and it's not repeatable,” commented Reckless Maewen, who had been about to intervene but now leaned back against the wall.

“But Mister Lu Li can...” the old professor began, then trailed off, stopping himself just in time.

But Lu Li didn't bother to hide it.

“I can absorb Humanity from the anomalies I kill myself.”

“The stronger, the better?” asked Professor Kris.

After receiving confirmation from Lu Li, she headed for the door.

“Just wait here for a moment, my dear.”