The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 978: The Same Result

The Mike family perished in a stupor, their hearts pierced without a trace of pain.

Emerging from the final Memories of Death, Lu Li, the "killer," rejoined his teammates.

Lingering doubts compelled the Holy Light Squad to search the dilapidated hut one more time, but they still came up empty. After leaving the shack, they contacted the local police station to handle the aftermath and then returned to the Academy of Giant Trees' camp.

Lu Li shared his doubts with Kiruet.

"It's because of these churches. They compete for believers, provide aid to the residents..."

And that was fundamentally different from a police station.

The churches were more like farmers tending their fields. When pesky sparrows and wild boars threatened the harvest, the farmers grabbed their pitchforks and drove them away.

The residents of Midnicht's outer city couldn't escape three things in their lives: churches, gangs, and death.

Just as they were leaving, a cultist blocked their path.

"The Rotten Mother is watching you... Blessed mortal."The cultist—or rather, the Rotten Mother speaking through him—sensed something special about Lu Li.

"Step aside. We're students from the Academy of Giant Trees."

Kiruet dismissed the believer blocking their path.

"The Great One knows all..."

The cultist stepped aside, muttering something under his breath as Lu Li passed him by.

"Pay them no mind. They're just trying to attract followers. There's no malicious intent."

Kiruet had seen many similar situations:

"Only when enough believers and faith have been accumulated can the deity be hatched."

After their brief visit to Midnicht, they ascended to the Academy of Giant Trees and returned to the Trunk Level.

Before heading to the mission hall to turn in their quest, they returned to their lounge to discuss their next steps.

Kiruet stepped back from the hearth, and the fire, fed with fresh logs, began to burn brighter.

"Do we continue, or should we rest for the day?" Kiruet asked, standing by the fire.

"Either way is fine."

"It's still early, and we barely did anything on that mission."

Nasi and Yeger spoke at the same time, and Kiruet turned her gaze to Lu Li.

"Let's continue."

The trials for the fourth and fifth levels of mysticism required a great deal of combat experience, which was exactly what Lu Li was lacking.

"What type of mission?" Kiruet asked.

"How about one in Midnicht?"

"Maybe we could try a surface exploration?"

"We can't go to the surface! There are countless anomalies there that want to kill Lu Li," Kiruet shot down Yeger's suggestion, though Lu Li replied that he didn't mind.

So, Yeger and Nasi remained in the lounge, while Lu Li followed Kiruet to the mission hall to submit their completed task and choose a new one.

The mission hall was like a hollow in a tree, open to the outside. A long window offered a view of the dark, dusty city on the surface far below. But considering the sheer scale of the World Tree, the hall under their feet felt minuscule, like a tiny hole bored by an insect.

Parchment scrolls detailing available missions covered the oval walls of the hall, displayed much like books on a shelf.

A huge hide of some unknown material, inscribed with the rankings of the middle-course teams, hung prominently on one wall. Every so often, team names on the hide would seem to scorch and darken as they shifted in the rankings.

Lu Li's eyes scanned the top few teams, skipped the middle, and settled on the bottom. The hundredth-place spot no longer showed yesterday's score of 63 points, nor was it held by the same team.

Kiruet submitted the mission report. The Mike family incident earned the Holy Light Squad two academic credits and three team points. As before, Kiruet gave half the credits to Lu Li and split the remainder equally between herself, Yeger, and Nasi.

The mission scrolls were organized by zone. Kiruet skipped past the sections for the surface, the Forbidden Zone, and the Old Sewer, focusing her search on quests within Midnicht.

Following behind her, Lu Li silently scanned the quests posted on the scrolls.

Most middle-course missions offered rewards of one to two academic credits and team points. Kiruet explained to Lu Li that quests worth more than three points were rare at their level and typically handled by senior teams or exceptionally skilled solo students.

Kiruet climbed a ladder to inspect the missions posted higher up and finally plucked a scroll from the wall. Its base reward was two academic credits and two team points.

[Midnicht - Outer City - Tongues District]

[A foreign cultist recently moved into the Tongues District. He doesn't interact with anyone and never leaves his house, though neighbors have occasionally seen him leaving the district at night. On the third day after his arrival, a believer from the local Church of the Cloud Lord disappeared. On the fourth day, two more believers vanished. On the fifth day, four more went missing.]

[Mission: Investigate the disappearances at the Church of the Cloud Lord]

[Bonus Objective: Fully resolve the incident]

[Note: There is no evidence to suggest the foreign cultist is the killer, nor is there any proof directly linking him to the disappearances. The suspicions originate from the believers of the Church of the Cloud Lord; proceed with caution.]

[Base Reward: 2 academic credits; 2 team points]

"I know the Church of the Cloud Lord. It's a small church that hasn't started hatching its deity yet, and its doctrines are mild, not radical."

This was the reason Kiruet chose this mission.

After accepting the mission, they headed back to the lounge. But as they were leaving the hall, a cloaked figure stepped into their path.

"Even an exorcist can make a mistake."

The figure recognized them and rushed toward them.

Making no effort to hide her contempt and hostility for Kiruet, she whispered to Lu Li before departing:

"You've made the wrong choice, and the facts will prove it. The radiance will be buried, reduced to dust..."

Kiruet fell silent.

Nearly every student believed that Lu Li joining the Holy Light Squad was an unwise decision. That included the members of the Holy Light Squad themselves.

It was like a crown prince, undertaking his trials, choosing not to be escorted by his loyal guards, but instead allowing a few farmers to accompany him—

The opinion seemed correct, but it was based on a flawed premise: that Lu Li cared about his reputation.

In reality, Lu Li never cared whether his name and prestige spread. All his actions were born of justice, not for the sake of glory.

Returning to the lounge to collect Yeger and Nasi, the Holy Light Squad descended to Midnicht once more.

They first went to the Church of the Cloud Lord—a place connected to a residential building that hardly looked like a proper church.

The disappearance of seven believers in three days had thrown the remaining congregation into a panic. The residential building serving as a chapel was furnished in a style best described as "just lie down in the hall," and aside from a few devout followers and a handful of priests and nuns, no other believers were present.

"Yes... we believe that foreign cultist is behind this. That heretic is trying to steal believers from our Lord!"

A flame of anger burned in the elderly nun's eyes, mingled with fear.

"Are there any other suspects?" Kiruet inquired.

The nun said no; the Church of the Cloud Lord was a peaceful congregation with no enemies or rival churches.

At the moment, the only suspect was the foreign cultist.

Led by the nun, the Holy Light Squad approached the house where the foreign cultist was staying. Kiruet drank a potion before knocking on the door.

After a long wait with no reply, Nasi picked the lock. He and Kiruet then burst into the house.

A single wooden chair stood in the middle of the living room. Seated on it was a body, head slumped forward, long since dead.

"It's him! That heretic!"

The nun cried out, backing away in fear.

Kiruet frowned, her eyes scanning the room. Just then, Lu Li walked over to the chair, picked up a notebook resting on the corpse's lap, and opened it.

[I am responsible for the disappearance of the heretics from the Church of the Cloud Lord]

After glancing at the notebook, Kiruet looked up in astonishment.

Not again!