Chapter 211 - 211 68

Words : 1404 Updated : Sep 25th, 2025

211: 68. Old Pick Laundry 211: 68. Old Pick Laundry Old Pick Laundry. The most historic shop in the coastal district. So historic that all the residents on this street remember it existing since they were first aware of their surroundings. The current owner is Old Pick, but not the original Old Pick. The now Old Pick had taken over after the original Old Pick aged and handed it over to Little Pick, Little Pick grew old and taught Little Little Pick, Little Little Pick aged and handed it to Tiny Little Pick... after countless handovers, it progressed to the now Old Pick. A family-run laundry business. At this moment, Lu Li stood in front of the entrance to Old Pick Laundry, or rather... where the entrance should have been. For the door had disappeared. Inside the hollow shop, some chairs and tables that hadn’t been moved in yet lay scattered about, and an old man was wrapped in a leather jacket, dozing off under the light of an oil lamp at the counter. The background of the place made it seem like a Sanity Value test location, but what Lu Li saw in front of him seemed to be saying, “No, it’s not.” Though Lu Li had no understanding of Sanity Value test locations, it surely couldn’t be so tragic that the door had been destroyed by a hurricane and had yet to be replaced up to this day. The figure that had been standing for a long time at the entrance caught the old man’s attention. His head stopped nodding off sleepily, and he stood up behind the counter, looking strangely first at Lu Li, then at the empty space behind Lu Li. “Ghost?” “Ghost.” “Exorcist?” “Exorcist.” “Sanity Value test?” “Sanity Value test.” Each of Lu Li’s repetitions sounded like a question, and then he realized, this place really was a Sanity Value test location. The old man began to grumble at Lu Li for lacking respect for the elderly and disturbing him so late, telling Lu Li to come back tomorrow after daybreak, as they were closed for the night. Misunderstanding the process for Sanity Value testing, Lu Li turned around to leave, deciding to return tomorrow for the test. The old man called out to Lu Li, reminding him not to bring that ghost with him tomorrow, as it might be seen as food and eaten by the evil spirit that was bound to descend upon them. For the manifestation of Sanity Value itself was a malevolent spirit. By the time Lu Li and Anna got back to Sailor Street it was already nine o’clock at night. After finishing the remaining bread, Lu Li borrowed a wooden basin from a neighbor, filled it with water at the water house, and began to wash the clothes he had brought back from Shadow Swamp. Swish swish swish swish— Rolling up his sleeves to his elbows, Lu Li sat on a small stool at the kitchen doorway, engrossed in washing the clothes. The room was filled with the scent of soap. Anna wanted to help, the notion gave her a warm feeling, but such meticulous work was nothing short of a nightmare to her. Especially since she didn’t know how to do laundry. Anna slumped on the sofa behind Lu Li; since he couldn’t see this spot, she no longer maintained an elegant and dignified demeanor. Although she had lost that side of herself long ago. “The man we saw in our street, wasn’t he...” “Mhm.” Swish swish swish swish— “It’s really sad, his wife and children are still waiting at home for him...” Swish swish swish swish— “It’s a wonder how he managed to find his way back from the vast ocean.” Splash splash— “It seems like only his ghost returned, poor thing. At least he got to see his family one last time before disappearing. Speaking of which, it’s strange...” Swish swish swish swish— “...his presence felt like it was leaking out like a deflated balloon, didn’t it?” Laundry sounds stopped, and Lu Li turned around to look at Anna, who hastily sat up properly: “What did you say?” “It’s really sad his wife and...” Anna started over, stunned. “The sentence before that.” “His presence was like a... balloon leaking out...?” “Describe it in detail.” “Eh... to describe a balloon...” Anna’s voice grew fainter, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. “Describe the leaking presence, I didn’t see that.” “Uh... It’s like his aura seeped out from his head, flew higher and higher until it disappeared, and then his power began to weaken. He might die again before long...” Thud— Clothes were thrown back into the wooden tub, splashing some dirty water. Seeing Lu Li’s expression grow somber, Anna couldn’t help but ask, “What’s wrong?” “On my head, do those people and ghosts possessed by the Blood-Colored Tentacles have the same thing?” Anna looked puzzledly at Lu Li’s head and saw nothing. In the next moment, she suddenly realized what Lu Li was concerned about, “You suspect it’s been possessed by Blood-Colored Tentacles too!?” “Yes.” “You don’t have it, others...” Anna fell into recollection, then became perplexed. “I can’t remember... I’m sorry...” Thoughtful, Lu Li picked up the clothes again and the sound of washing resumed, mingling with his voice: “It might not be the Blood-Colored Tentacles, maybe I’m overthinking, or something happened to him.” I always feel like it’s not a mere coincidence... Hopefully, it’s just my own overthinking. After washing the clothes, he poured out the black muddy water like soup, rinsed away the soap with clean water, and finally wrung them dry. He hung the woolen coat and trousers, now twice as heavy, on the kitchen drying line; a wooden basin beneath caught the dripping water, and amid the drip-drop sound, Lu Li turned on the faucet to wash up. Before long, Lu Li, with his face slightly pale, let his sleeves down and stepped out of the kitchen. “Aren’t you going to rest?” Anna glanced at the time; it was already 10 PM. “In a moment.” Lu Li walked to his desk and sat down, pulled open a drawer and took out a piece of paper sandwiched between the pages of a book. He added new brackets and tasks after the ones on the list. [Important: Resolve the ghost wrapped around oneself (Complete)] [Important: Understand where one is (Complete) — Gather 1,000 Shillings for more content in a trade with Hades (Complete)] [Important: Find the source of the anomaly (Complete) — Figure out what the door is] [Important: Resolve the Blood-Colored Tentacles in the brain] [Minor: Find a new place to live] [Minor: Purchase books to understand this place] [Minor: Save up enough Shillings] [Minor: Understand Tillage Garden and the deep sea] Minor tasks kept piling up, never being resolved. But these weren’t things that could be accomplished overnight; they required time to accumulate. After some thought, Lu Li crossed out the tasks of buying books and understanding Tillage Garden, and added a new line below. [Important: Understand this world] Lu Li didn’t add any more items, like understanding detectives and night watchmen—too many tasks could cause his memories to disperse. After the Sanity Value test tomorrow, Lu Li would try to contact them anyway. He clipped the paper back between the book pages, closed the drawer, and looked up at Anna, who was sitting across the table. “Aren’t you going to rest?” “I think I’d prefer to sleep outside.” Anna squirmed as she replied. She felt it was better outside than inside the painting—when Lu Li was around. Lu Li loosened his tie and cuffs, walked around the desk: “The bedroom is yours.” “But what about you?” “I’ll sleep on the couch.” “That doesn’t seem right...” Anna said with a guilty pleasure, feigning reluctance. “Then you sleep on the couch.” “Eh...” Stunned, Anna watched Lu Li remove his woolen trench coat from the rack and lie down on the sofa beneath the window. Blinking, Anna floated into the bedroom. “Goodnight.” Before resting, Anna spoke to the space outside the bedroom. There was still no reply. The quiet sound of rain outside occupied the Detective Agency.

Chapter 211 - 211 68

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