The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 961: The Shadow of Divination

Warm, brilliant sunlight flooded the assembly hall, illuminating the countless tiny dust motes dancing in its beams.

The students were surprised to discover that although the New Year's decorations had been taken down late in the night, the old professor's cheerful, sun-inspired theme had been left in place.

Fudot rushed in, but as she entered the assembly hall, she instantly composed herself, regaining her usual elegance and pride. Lifting her chin, she glanced out of the corner of her eye at the black-haired figure bathed in sunlight before taking her usual seat.

"That was just my cousin."

"What?"

Eating peacefully, Lu Li's dark eyes shifted slightly.

"The one who danced with me..."

Fudot struggled to maintain her proud composure.

Lu Li’s dark eyes returned to their usual tranquility, and he went back to chewing his food in silence.

Fudot turned to Dogmeat, who had been the first to arrive. "What's with Lu Li?" she asked."He looks like he's not fully awake yet," Dogmeat replied, who was in excellent spirits.

The food at the New Year's banquet had been impeccable in both taste and aroma.

"When I get really sleepy, I'm just like that," he added.

"Lu Li is not you," Fudot retorted, unable to hide her disdain for Dogmeat.

Little did she know, Dogmeat was right.

Lu Li was still under the influence of the Pleasant Dreams Potion—or more accurately, its side effects.

Ever since waking, everything around Lu Li had felt unreal, as if he were still trapped in a dream.

Perhaps it was a side effect of the potion, or perhaps his abrupt awakening had prevented its effects from fully dissipating.

It wasn't until the end of the first mysticism class, spurred by Professor Haig's worried attention, that Lu Li managed to regain a weak grasp on his thoughts.

The Level 1 trials on the In-Between, originally scheduled for today, were postponed. Outside of his required classes, Lu Li spent most of his time reading in his room.

A day that could be described as wasted passed by. That night, as Lu Li drifted off to sleep, he plunged into a chaotic, drowning nightmare.

When morning came, Lu Li's mind was clear again. The daze was gone, and he had never felt so awake.

What's more, the knowledge he had absorbed the day before was now perfectly imprinted in his mind.

And so, over the next two days, Lu Li proceeded to pass the Level 1 trials for both anomaly studies and botany.

He now needed only two more academic credits to advance to the middle courses. He could earn them by passing the Level 1 divination trial, but divination was a subject he had yet to master.

"Meditate... Perceive... The answers rise to the surface of your mind..."

In the dark void, the haunting whisper of the Nameless Lady echoed in his ears.

"Your will pierces the void... Your eye perceives the truth behind the cards... Whispers of answers echo in your ears... Your hand records the truth..."

The dim blue candles flickered out, and the light from the oil lamps gradually brightened, illuminating the divination classroom once more.

"Let me see... Mondo... Raphael... Oh, seven of you little ones wrote nothing." The Nameless Lady turned to the other students.

"Laru... correct. Vasily... hmm... yes, also perfectly correct. Mendy? Your penmanship is getting worse... You should have your hand practice its letters... Fudot... you are quite talented, aren't you?"

"And now for our Mister Lu Li... Unfortunately, you are mistaken once again."

Evidently, divination, which demanded intuitive thought and a gift for inspiration, had not deigned to spread its blessed wings for Lu Li.

Nor could Lu Li afford to waste too much time on a subject for which he only needed a Level 1 pass.

He needed a different approach.

The next day in divination class, Lu Li took his seat in the amphitheater. Nothing seemed different, except for the single chess piece shaped like a book resting on his desk.

Today's divination lesson was, once again, about guessing Tarot cards. By the light of dim, burning blue candles, the Nameless Lady—her face as pale as a specter's—turned over a card and began to guide the students into a meditative state.

"The answers rise in your mind... Your will pierces the void... Your eye perceives the truth behind the cards... Whispers of answers echo in your ears..."

In the silence between the Nameless Lady's guiding words, a voice drifted through the misty void, reaching Lu Li’s ear as a whisper.

"The Hanged Man..."

"...Your hand records the truth..."

The darkness gave way to bright light. Lu Li wrote "The Hanged Man" on his parchment and set down his pen.

He glanced around but didn't see the figure who had been on his mind day and night. In silence, he picked up the Book of the Apocalypse.

The Nameless Lady continued her evaluations until she came to Lu Li. "...Mister Lu Li... you've succeeded... Whether by chance or by destiny, the truth of it will be revealed tomorrow..."

At lunch later that day, Lu Li appeared in the assembly hall carrying a deck of Tarot cards.

Lu Li needed Dogmeat's help to practice his divination.

"All he wants to do is eat. I'll help you instead," Fudot declared, glaring at Dogmeat, who looked as if he was about to speak. She then flipped over a Tarot card.

Under the curious gazes of the others, Lu Li set down the Book of the Apocalypse, closed his eyes, and reached for inspiration.

The noise faded, and the world dissolved into a void.

"The Tower..."

The whisper drifted through the mist, sounding from a great distance.

"The Tower," Lu Li stated calmly.

"Correct. Next one."

The sound of the card being flipped faded, and silence fell once more. Lu Li listened intently... and heard a forlorn whisper. "Wheel of Fortune... where are you?"

"The Wheel of Fortune."

"Correct again. Do you want to continue?"

"Continue."

In the chaotic void, a whisper slowly began to echo.

"The Hermit... Continue... Continue..."

Lu Li's brow furrowed. The voice was getting closer...

He snapped his eyes open. The void receded, and brilliant sunlight flooded back, illuminating the tables, chairs, and the people around them.

"That's the 'Watcher.' You should stop," Fudot said, her lips thinning as she noticed red veins appearing at the edges of Lu Li's dark irises.

Because Lu Li was relying on a low Level of Reason to gain inspiration, he had slipped into a negative state known in divination as the "Watcher." If he had continued, his body might have been temporarily possessed by some other entity...

The effect vanished the moment Lu Li picked up the Book of the Apocalypse, but so did his inspiration.

The following day at noon, the Nameless Lady's words were proven true: whether by chance or by destiny, the answer was revealed.

Only Lu Li and a freckled girl named Vasily took part in the Level 1 divination trial.

Vasily, whose talents the Nameless Lady had praised highly, looked surprised to see Lu Li there and gave him a wave.

Lu Li nodded in return and took his seat.

Cold-faced proctors distributed the parchment exam sheets. Most of the questions were similar to those on other Level 1 trials, requiring only theoretical knowledge.

Only the last question was different: the back of a Tarot card was printed on the parchment.

"Guess its face."

Lu Li took out the Book of the Apocalypse, let his hand go limp, and closed his eyes.

Perceive... Listen... Contact.

"Death..."

The whisper came again, wrapped in a cold aura and approaching fast.

Lu Li's eyes snapped open. He gripped the Book of the Apocalypse, and the chill that had seeped in from the void rapidly receded.

Lu Li wouldn't be able to attempt another divination for some time, but he didn't need to. After writing his answer on the parchment, he left the classroom.

A few minutes later, on the outskirts of the student common area, Lu Li knocked on the door of the mysticism professor's office.

"Professor Haig."

Behind the door, Professor Haig was overcome with a complex mix of emotions and excitement.

"I know why you're here... Might we take a moment to discuss it?"