The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 997: The Final Level

It was like the world just beneath the surface. The senior courses were gloomy and cold, damp and sinister. The dark corridors, as complex as an anthill, felt like a labyrinth one could never hope to escape.

The gatekeeper stopped at the edge of the dim passage, taking a step back.

They would not set foot in the senior courses.

Lu Li averted his gaze, looking calmly at Claire, who was waiting in a nearby corridor, holding an oil lamp.

"Are you sure you don't want to team up? The two of us could definitely make the senior courses bow their heads."

Following the labyrinthine corridors, Lu Li walked beside Claire, a flowerpot in his hands. Her energy was a stark contrast to the surroundings. The same could be said for Lu Li, but his was an alteration of aura, imperceptible to the eye.

"I won't be staying in the senior courses for long."

Lu Li was different from the other students. He didn't need to follow a demanding curriculum, make friends, or choose a mentor. His sole purpose for coming to the Academy of Giant Trees was to learn how to become a Lord of a Cursed Title.

Claire, who already knew the outcome from her mother, said with a hint of regret:

"You'll miss out on a lot of fun, and the Tournament of Ten Powers..."In truth, Lu Li had already missed a great deal. He had reached the senior courses in just two months of the Academy of Giant Trees' three-year program.

"So, where are your belongings?"

"I gave some of it to the Holy Light Squad, and a Trader named Anthony sent the rest back to the Land of Light."

Now, clad in his cloak, Lu Li carried only the flowerpot with its growing sprout.

Since Lu Li had no intention of joining a team, Claire led him to the residential area for hunters—or, more accurately, solo players. Compared to the team dormitories, this place was more chaotic and grim.

Without the gatekeepers' management or any sense of order, it was difficult to compel the disorganized students who had chosen to go solo to actively maintain a clean environment.

The residential area resembled a smoky, noisy tavern filled with drunks and smokers—lively and chaotic. Claire found an empty room for Lu Li. It had no windows and was as cramped as a cheap inn room, with just enough space for a bed, a table, and a wardrobe. And it hadn't been cleaned.

"One Sequence Potion to clean the room."

A figure approached Claire as she stood hesitantly at the door and named a price.

"No," Claire started to say, then stopped herself and looked at Lu Li.

"Fine."

The student who had taken the job approached eagerly. Soon, his expression turned to surprise as he stared at the cloaked figure, from whom a pleasant aura emanated.

"Kid, remember the rules of the senior courses. Don't look around, and don't go prying into secrets."

Claire threatened quietly.

The student snapped out of it and entered the room. Well-prepared, he pulled a broom and clean linens from his pack. Clearly, this wasn't his first time working as a cleaner.

A senior student from the Academy of Giant Trees working as a cleaner might seem hard to understand; even without graduating, they could easily secure a high-paying job and status in the inner city. But outside, you couldn't clean a room and get a Sequence Potion.

The student deftly cleared the trash from the bed and from under the wardrobe, then wiped the dust from the table with a rag. He waited for the dust to settle before making the bed with the fresh linens.

Having cleaned the room in just a few minutes, the student returned to the corridor, lingering avidly near Lu Li. Before Lu Li could pay him, he bowed his head slightly in respect:

"It's free. It is an honor to clean the room for Your Excellency."

"It seems he recognized you."

Watching the student retreat, Claire entered the room and inspected it carefully.

Because of who Lu Li was, people naturally formed a preconceived notion about him.

In most cases, such preconceptions are wrong, but in this instance, a few coincidences had actually led the student to the correct answer.

Lu Li placed the flowerpot on the table, and as he lowered his hood, Claire invited:

"Would you like to see the show I've prepared for you first?"

"For me?"

...

Like the abyss of the deep sea. Figures in cloaks and clerical robes walked the corridor, holding fluorite stones or oil lamps, resembling ferocious monster fish ready to devour a man whole.

This atmosphere, to some extent, highlighted the unique nature of the solo players' residential area: a grim and solemn church juxtaposed with a lively and noisy tavern.

Following the vaguely formed crowd, they passed through an archway.

"We're here," Claire said.

In the center of the hall, a duel was underway, watched by several dozen students.

One of the duelists was not a student. A middle-aged man was toying with his opponent—a senior—like a cat with a mouse.

"You've forgotten what to do."

The student reached for his stomach and froze, trying in confusion to recall what he had forgotten. He didn't come to his senses until his stomach clenched, biting his palm and jolting him with pain.

"You've forgotten my identity."

Another quiet whisper echoed.

"Who are you?" The student, who had just cleared his head, seemed to become befuddled again, glancing around in confusion.

"Why am I in the arena?"

"This is your home."

The arena seemed to transform, becoming familiar and cozy. The student gradually relaxed, looking strangely at the middle-aged man.

"Who are you...? Why are you in my house?"

"I am your father."

The unfamiliar man gradually began to seem familiar to the student, and a sense of kinship stemming from his bloodline made him cry out impulsively:

"Father..."

Amid the laughter that rippled from the edges of the arena, the middle-aged man waved his hand, dispelling the nebulous power formed by his words. The student came to his senses, his expression a mixture of embarrassment and anger—

Lu Li was able to recognize the source of the power: the strength of the Pantheon of Blind Madness and the skills of divination.

"A divination mentor... I can't say his name. Divination mentors are more sensitive to those who speak their names," Claire said from the archway at the edge of the arena.

In the dueling arena, the divination mentor looked over the crowd and announced:

"I am Olders Berg, a divination mentor."

"Usually, students duel each other here. For a mentor to appear can only mean he's recruiting. He's come for you."

The senior courses had a unique mentorship system. In addition to their teaching duties, professors also recruited students to serve as their assistants or apprentices. The students gained experience and grew, while the mentors could cultivate their own power.

Just as Claire had said, Olders Berg then began to state his terms for recruitment.

Since the number of mentors was limited, and not all of them enjoyed teaching, many students who hadn't yet found a mentor were interested.

"But don't worry. You're already marked by my mother's seal. If anyone else dares to recruit you, they'll just get their head smashed in... Unless, of course, you go looking for a mentor yourself."

Lu Li, of course, had no intention of doing so. As the deputy dean, Professor Kris was protection enough to shield him from many problems.

Leaving the dueling arena, Claire escorted Lu Li back to his room. After he declined her invitation once more, she departed with a sense of helplessness.

Over the next few days, Lu Li used his room as a base to gradually explore his surroundings, acclimatizing to life in the senior courses and to the real world, now that the Academy of Giant Trees no longer served as his shield.

It was difficult for Lu Li to hide his identity. Or rather, one only had to get close to him to feel his vibrant life force and then, through "preconception," guess who he was.

Meanwhile, Lu Li began to prepare for the final prerequisite: the 7th level of mysticism.

Compared to the trials for the previous six levels, the 7th-level trial, designed for the senior courses, was somewhat different.

He was entering a new domain.