Chapter 220 - 220 Seventy-seven

Words : 1377 Updated : Sep 25th, 2025

220: Seventy-seven. Once again 220: Seventy-seven. Once again “He seems to have recovered quite quickly, now acting as if nothing had happened.” Anna, counting crisp shillings, drifted from behind to his side. The total fee for the commission was 350 shillings, including the cost of the broth and compensation for the mirror. Since Senge had claimed to be a writer, Lu Li’s asking price... was a bit higher. Now it seemed that it was still too less. Lu Li did not reply to Anna, but simply glanced at her in silence. Anna, very familiar with Lu Li’s personality, realized she had spoken amiss, and without changing her expression, secretly pondered what was wrong. Thinking hard, suddenly, an idea flashed through her mind. “The Senge we saw was a fake Senge!” Anna exclaimed, her earlier jubilant mood from her power increase completely vanishing, sending a chill down her spine. “The ghost in the mirror had possessed Senge’s body before even coming to the Detective Agency, and Senge’s soul had been driven into the mirror space. By then, the real Senge had already contacted us, so the fake Senge continued following the real Senge’s actions, found us, and made us disperse the spirit in the mirror... the real Senge’s soul.” This thought once it appeared, dominated Anna’s mind. She felt frightened, pained, and somewhat unable to understand. Why had Lu Li noticed all this yet still let her cleanse the mirror’s— “Keep guessing.” Lu Li’s short and calm words interrupted Anna’s creeping horror. “Uh—” Anna drew out the tone, her expression gradually turning odd, “It’s not what I’m thinking?” “It’s not.” “Hmm...” Anna tapped her chin with her fingertips, tilting her head in thought: “Could it be the door? No, that’s not it either... Its traps can only be seen by you... Can you give me just a little hint, just a tiny one?” She gestured a small amount with her fingers. “It’s related to the investigator.” “A tiny hint is fine, not so many,” Anna chuckled, guessing something about Senge’s origin, “Is it some kind of test for investigators...?” “That’s probably it.” Lu Li turned away from the window and sat on a nearby sofa. “Did you notice it early on?” Anna floated beside Lu Li to the sofa. “I guessed, but couldn’t be sure.” What caused Lu Li to suspect was the abrupt appearance of Senge. As long as Oliver hadn’t returned, Lu Li had no commission tasks. Without Oliver to post advertisements and seek out commissions, Lu Li’s reputation hardly spread beyond Sailor Street. At such a time, Senge’s appearance seemed very strange and coincidental. Marcus was also a possibility, but if it were him, he would have called with his sleazy “hehehe” laugh before Senge found them. The target was almost confirmed; the next step was to consider the purpose behind the opponent’s actions. In the morning, the Sanity Value test failed, and after showing the flashlight, the elderly man said meaningfully, “Someone has already made the choice for you.” In the afternoon, the investigator organization appeared and conducted a test... Some kind of prerequisite for becoming an investigator? Lu Li was not opposed to becoming an investigator. For others, investigators were like those explorers of old. The latter scavenged for treasures among the deep seas of the archipelago, while the former sought death in the same waters. But one important thing about investigators was that they didn’t lock away knowledge. They wouldn’t block your access to any kind of knowledge due to a decrease in Sanity Value. A contrast would be the night watchmen. Aside from their operational targets, they wouldn’t know more than necessary to keep their Sanity Values even. To the former, curiosity was a fine trait; to the latter, curiosity could kill. If becoming an investigator wouldn’t restrict his freedom, Lu Li wouldn’t mind joining them. Anna really wanted to remark how Lu Li thinking all these wasn’t exhausting, but then she remembered if Lu Li didn’t think about these, no one else would... That’s fine, I’ll just protect Lu Li, he can use his head, and I’ll use my fists. The powers of the young girl, now confident, thought to herself. Lu Li asked her how much her power had increased, and Anna tilted her head in thought for a while before giving a rough estimate: it had doubled from the beginning. Although Anna had become stronger, it still wasn’t enough. The unique traits associated with being close to specters hadn’t appeared in Anna. For instance, Mishelia’s black halo, or the dark tentacles behind the gallery ghost. This might be a good thing, as Lu Li couldn’t be sure whether those traits, akin to Soul Projection, might infect and alter Anna’s personality. “Speaking of which, there have been many fewer ghosts around lately...” Anna’s murmuring roused Lu Li from his thoughts. The speaker unintentional, the listener intentional, Lu Li thoughtfully asked, “When did it start?” Anna leaned over the window for a while, then pulled the curtains shut and turned to say, “It was after we came back...” After coming back... Was it related to the hurricane? “How many fewer?” “Probably more than half?” The bizarre hurricane had also taken away a large number of ghosts... Lu Li’s gaze fell on the newspaper on the desk. The report from the Earlen Peninsula Duchy Navy stated that the hurricane had suddenly appeared about 150 nautical miles from Belfast. The decrease in ghosts was something the city’s night watchmen had probably noticed long ago. He only needed to be aware, no action was necessary. Lu Li slipped 300 Shillings from the commission fee into the book page in the drawer. Besides these three “Macdonald II,” the book page held sixteen of the same. Most of them were brought by Baron Joseph. There was no fire for dinner, Lu Li finished the leftover bread from the morning, lay down on the sofa, and prepared to rest. Anna, energized by the absorbed power, seemed very lively and didn’t need to rest; she hugged the last unread romance novel and burrowed into the bedroom. “Good night.” She called out to the outside. There was still no reply. ... The curtains took on a bluish hue. The day brightened once again. Lu Li woke up, gazing at the ethereal and desolately pale curtains. Waking up brought disordered thoughts, making him wonder if there might come a day when, after nightfall, the sun would never rise again? Lu Li sat up, the blanket slipping off him. He removed the blanket Anna had quietly placed over him the night before and stood up to walk towards the kitchen. Hearing movement in the living room, Anna floated out of the bedroom, rubbing her eyes and greeted, “Morning.” “Morning.” After finishing morning ablutions, Lu Li emerged from the kitchen. The cold light from outside poured into the room through the curtains he opened, somewhat dim due to the extinguished oil lamp. The air mixed with the scent of food, uncertain if it was from the street outside or wafting from the corridor. This made Anna propose again to prepare breakfast. Remembering the sack of sugar that had been thrown away, Lu Li did not refuse. Dressed in a wool coat, this morning was unusually rain-free, although the sky was still overcast. Lu Li donned his top hat, left the Long House, and stepped onto the somewhat damp cobblestone path due to the dew. A few minutes later, Lu Li returned with the same ingredients as the day before; entering the home, sounds of boiling water came from the kitchen. Back in the living room waiting, the aroma of meat continued for half an hour until Anna floated out of the kitchen with the pot. “It’s ready! It’s definitely tastier than yesterday, try some, try some!” Lu Li sat down at the dining table, filled the wooden bowl in front of him, scooped up the meat soup, blew the steam away, and took a sip. At this moment, Anna spoke from the side. “Speaking of which, why did you throw away a bag of salt?”

Chapter 220 - 220 Seventy-seven

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