Chapter 155 - 155 13

Words : 1374 Updated : Sep 19th, 2025

155: 13. Baron Joseph 155: 13. Baron Joseph “` The cold room, adrift with dust, was permeated with a stench that could not be waved away. It seemed to be the smell of some kind of meat that had been left too long and had spoiled, yet there was no way to locate the source of the odor—it was omnipresent. Perhaps the source of the rotting scent had already been taken away—or had left on its own. The old, faded floor was not heavily footmarked, with disordered prints scattered near the living room and by the door, the owners of the footprints moved with distinct purpose. Lu Li found the same footprints and faint acrid smell in room number 6 across from them. Indeed, room number 6 also had the stench of decay. The windows were open, and it seemed that airing out the room for a long time had significantly reduced the odor. If one went directly from room 12 to room 6, it would be easy to overlook this foul smell. By now, the situation had become very clear. Even the somewhat foolish—or rather, non-contemplative—Anna had noticed something. Aging, decaying. These two keywords were enough to link the clues Lu Li had gathered. This kind of revival by taking over a living body did not come without a cost. First, he had learned from Hol that by occupying a living body, one would also possess the memories of the body’s owner, as if cramming two sets of memories inside one body. Setting aside the question of whether the person with the mixed memories was Hol or Brian, as well as whether it would cause a split personality, the mixing of such memories definitely wouldn’t be gentle. The stark contrast in Hol’s personality before and after hinted at this. His affectionate behavior toward Brian’s wife might have originated from Brian’s memories. And once away from his wife, he switched back to Hol’s personality. Another side effect was “told” to him by O’Connor. The moment the possession took place, that body was already dead— Not breathing, no blood circulation, and with the cells dying off and losing their oxidative reactions, bacteria would begin to grow, causing the body to rot like any other corpse. This is why there was a stench of decay both on and around O’Connor and why she appeared so aged. Because she was rotting. Luke had gone missing on the 13th, returned on his own on the 15th, and today was the 21st of June. Six days was just the right amount of time for the body to be in a swollen state—that’s also why she looked somewhat bloated. The same problem was occurring with Hol. He wasn’t breathing, and there was a clear scent of disinfectant on him, but Lu Li could only recognize this detail in retrospect. While Anna was still trying to think through the truth of the matter, Lu Li simply told her the answer. “If they’re going to rot... evil...” Anna hugged herself, feeling a chill. “Does it mean they’ll die once they’ve completely rotted away?” “Perhaps not...” Some residents had already noticed the problem, and Lu Li and Anna had left the Long House before they came out, returning to the carriage. “There are two possibilities. Richard lied to them, intentionally hiding the fact that doing so would result in the body’s decay. But that seems unlikely, as if this were the case, Hol and O’Connor would be more eager to find Richard than us.” “And the second?” Anna pressed on. “The second... they knew about the decay and had prepared in advance to deal with what happens after.” “Prepared in advance...” Anna whispered softly, feeling that something was wrong. Lu Li’s dark eyes settled on the distant misty streets, and he spoke calmly. “Like finding a new body.” ... Taking advantage of the remaining daylight, the carriage slowly left Watch Town, moving along the road toward Belfast. A very practical problem appeared before Lu Li. It was unrelated to Richard, but no less vexing. He was running out of money. Money was important, but like most other things, it seemed quite indifferent in Lu Li’s eyes. This led to the fact that no matter what the situation was, Lu Li never thought about “penny-pinching” or “frugality”; everything was about efficiency. “` So he spent 1,000 shillings to buy answers to a few questions. But there was still time. Before O’Connor found a new victim, Lu Li could use the time to take on a few more commissions and earn some remuneration. Or think of some other way. For example, Lu Li was considering whether he could contact Anna’s family and try to get some shillings, or reach out to Baron Joseph, who had problematic behavior and was interested in him, and try to exchange it for some shillings. This idea lasted until the carriage returned to Sailor Street. A carriage was parked in front of the Long House where the Detective Agency was located, surrounded by many nearby residents who were watching the commotion. The sky was already approaching dusk, and the rain had temporarily stopped; it was rare to see so many people gathered outside at this time. Anna was shy and went back into the Detective Agency through the wall ahead of everyone. Lu Li stopped the carriage under the outer wall and stepped down onto the street. “It’s Detective Lu Li!” “Mr. Luli is back!” Someone shouted, and a wave of eager gazes turned toward him, the crowd unconsciously parting to make way. Lu Li saw that it was a carriage full of golden tulips, and the looks from the surrounding residents made him realize something; he walked straight to the side of the carriage: “So these flowers have something to do with me?” The fragrance of the flowers entered his nose, which was so strong that it turned pungent and foul-smelling, but it was much better than the scent of rot. “I am the manager of Stephen’s Carriage Services; these tulips were commissioned by Baron Joseph to be delivered to you. You are Mr. Luli, right?” said the manager, standing next to the carriage, wearing a tailcoat and an elegant demeanor, as he bowed slightly. Stephen’s Carriage Services specialized in serving the nobility. “That’s me.” Lu Li’s gaze shifted away from him and onto the carriage. “So this carriage of flowers now belongs to me?” “Yes, according to Baron Joseph’s instructions, this carriage of flowers is now yours,” the manager confirmed. Getting the answer, Lu Li nodded slightly, “Then please do me a favor and help me sell these flowers. You can take a ten percent cut of the sales proceeds.” The manager smiled, “Mr. Luli, these flowers come from Baron Jos—” “Twenty percent.” The manager kept his smile, “I’m sorry, we are professionally trained, and no matter—” “Thirty percent, or I can find someone else willing to do this.” The manager took a deep breath, and his smile brightened considerably, “Alright, you are our guest, and your command is equally valid. Minus the thirty percent for our service fee, we will deliver the remaining seventy percent to your estate later today.” “Hmm.” Lu Li nodded and, gesturing to the surrounding residents who were greeting him, returned to the Long House. At that moment, not far from the flower carriage, inside an elegant carriage adorned with carved patterns. “Truly worthy of being the man I’ve set my sights on. He remains unmoved in such a romantic scene.” A lazy voice rose in the carriage, and a slender hand lifted gently, “He likes shillings, doesn’t he? Order it to be done, tomorrow send him a carriage of flowers made from folded shillings.” Another voice spoke up, “Baron, even using ten-shilling notes, it would cost us tens of thousands of shillings... Perhaps we could start with a single bouquet for now?” The lazy voice was slightly dissatisfied, “Wouldn’t that be a bit stingy?” “What’s important is the sentiment. I believe Mr. Luli would want you to pursue her with sentiment, not with shillings that stink.”

Chapter 155 - 155 13

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