Chapter 318 - 318 175

Words : 1309 Updated : Oct 5th, 2025

318: 175. Mrs. Anlei’s Most Precious Treasure 318: 175. Mrs. Anlei’s Most Precious Treasure A plain carriage with no designs or patterns was stopped in front of the gate. The drizzle had momentarily ceased, or perhaps the weather of Belfast didn’t extend to Himfast, a hundred and fifty miles away. Behind the openwork gate, the dilapidated manor devoid of greenery revealed itself; the path extended from behind the gate to the front of the building, circling around the fountain. The road had been swept clean, and occasionally, groups of two or three could be seen moving in and out between the manor and the building. This place had not been abandoned. “It has become an academy now... It hadn’t changed last time I was here,” Anna said, gazing at the young boys and girls, her tone mixed with an indescribable sentiment. If she hadn’t died, she would be about their age now. “Where did you go last time you were here?” Lu Li asked. “Back home, and I visited my mother...” At that time, after Anna had visited her mother’s gravestone at the cemetery, she had aimlessly returned to the gallery, hidden inside a painting for months, until she later opened her heart again and met Lu Li. The carriage parked outside the manor’s gates caught the attention of the gatekeeper of the manor, which had once been Anna’s home and was now an art academy. The elderly man with a limp appeared behind the gate. “May I ask who you are?” Lu Li’s attire and demeanor made the gatekeeper’s tone polite. Lu Li stepped down from the carriage, standing in front of the gate saying, “I am looking for the person in charge here.” A breeze blew behind him, and the invisible Anna followed him down. “Do you mean Ms. Mary, the dean?” “If she is the person in charge, yes.” The gatekeeper looked uncertain and asked hesitantly, “But may I ask who you are...” His memory wasn’t very good, but he was certain he had never met the man with black hair and black eyes standing before him. “Investigator.” Lu Li pulled out his Three-Eyed Black Crow Badge. Uncertainty flashed in the old man’s eyes, as he hadn’t heard of an investigator; it sounded like someone from a government agency? “Please wait a moment; I will go ask Ms. Mary for instructions,” the old man said, limping towards the three-story building. Lu Li did not put away his badge, standing straight outside the gate waiting. The gatekeeper might not have heard of an investigator, but the dean should recognize this identity and badge. It wasn’t long before a figure in a black long dress appeared at the entrance of the building. She walked briskly towards the gate, bypassing the fountain and lifting her skirt with an expression full of urgency. She couldn’t wait to ask, “Good day, Mr. Investigator, may I ask if you have found something unusual in the academy?” She clearly knew something. “No, it’s a bit complicated to explain,” Lu Li’s gaze passed over Ms. Mary’s shoulder, landing on the approaching gatekeeper. “Let’s talk somewhere quiet.” The old man opened the gate, and Lu Li entered the manor, followed by the invisible Anna and Ms. Mary as they walked towards the building. This woman, about forty years old, relaxed considerably but still carried a trace of tension: “We can talk in my office.” “No need, here is fine,” Lu Li said. After walking about twenty meters, Lu Li looked back; the gatekeeper had already returned to his cabin. “Anna, you talk to her.” Ms. Mary instinctively paused, puzzled, intending to ask just as a silhouette materialized beside Lu Li. “Aunt Mary...” “My goodness, Anna, you... wait, you...” Surprised, astonished, shocked, and joyful emotions all surfaced on the face of the lady no longer young—all jumbled together. She covered her mouth, momentarily unable to speak. Suddenly, Lu Li turned and walked away, not planning to watch this sentimental reunion. “Don’t go too far from me,” Anna called from behind. “Okay.” As Lu Li walked about ten meters away, Ms. Mary eagerly began to question Anna. “What on earth is going on?” ... Two figures thirty meters away, Lu Li walked onto a small path off the road. Like everywhere else, the vegetation in the manor had long withered, the bushes and grass mixed with the barren ground, and the bare dead trees showed not a hint of green. This manor showed no signs of life. The same was true for the world itself. There were many trees in the manor, and Lu Li could not tell which one was Anna’s “sister.” After silently observing for a while, his hair suddenly fluttered in the still air. Lu Li turned his gaze back and returned to where Anna and Ms. Mary were. “Anna said you came back to retrieve the Lota family’s treasure,” Ms. Mary said, looking at Lu Li with a hint of closeness in her eyes. Anna telling her about the treasure meant she deemed it possible. At least, that’s what Anna thought. So Lu Li nodded. “Please search for it, but try not to disturb the students,” she said. “It’s in the manor,” Lu Li said, turning his head to look at Anna. “Can you find it?” “I won’t forget it...” Anna murmured, her clear eyes resting on a distant dead tree. She walked down the path, her bare feet stepping on the withered lawn. Lu Li followed behind her, while Ms. Mary stayed by the roadside, not following, looking at them from a distance. Anna walked to a withered elm tree planted in the garden. The tree’s branches were tangled, but it bore not a single leaf. Reaching out to touch the rough exterior of the trunk, Anna circled around it, then suddenly tiptoed up, floating into the air. At a height of one meter from the ground, she saw a faint scratch. “You’ve grown so tall...” Anna touched the scratch, whispering softly, her forehead resting against it for several seconds before floating down and saying to Lu Li, “The treasure is here.” Before Lu Li could say anything, Anna remembered the spot from her memories, and began digging the soil less than half a meter away from the elm tree. An invisible shovel swung through the air, overturning the withered lawn, and clods of earth were scattered to the side, visibly lowering the ground. When she reached a depth of 40 to 50 centimeters, the soil suddenly became soft as freshly baked bread. Anna stopped her ability, picked up the weirdly soft “stone.” Dirt fell from the “stone,” which, as she fully lifted it, revealed its shape as a filthy, dirt-covered doll. Anna pursed her lips, setting her once best friend aside, and continued digging. A few seconds later, a palm-sized wooden box appeared at the bottom of the pit. Anna crouched down, pulled the box out from the pit’s bottom, brushed off the sand, and gently opened it. The wooden box contained only a yellowed piece of paper. Forgotten memories resurfaced, and Anna recalled that it contained the words her mother wanted to say to her twenty years later. She unfolded the paper, revealing a line of childish handwriting. [I hope everyone will like me and my paintings.] On the paper, two figures, one big and one small, stood together, the larger hand holding the smaller. Anna quietly looked at the painting and the memories behind it. The clouds on the horizon displayed a blood-like dark red. Behind her, Lu Li stood straight as a javelin. This place held no treasure. This place was Madame Annalef’s most precious treasure.

Chapter 318 - 318 175

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