Chapter 354 - 354 Two hundred eleven

Words : 1343 Updated : Oct 9th, 2025

354: Two hundred eleven. Trouble 354: Two hundred eleven. Trouble The carriage first returned to the Sailor District and briefly stopped before carrying Lu Li to Anres Brothers Repair Station on Snowflake Street. Perhaps because the rainy season was nearing, there were particularly many customers coming to buy tools and seek consultations. The Alliance Personnel playing the role of the boss was even too busy to greet Lu Li and could only respond to the inquiries of the customers crowded in front of the counter. Lu Li accessed the underground base through an elevator hidden behind a mural, noting that there were several more buckets for catching leaks in the corner of the wall than there had been the day before. The hall was as empty as ever, with only Alliance Personnel wiping glasses behind the bar in the rest area. “A glass of milk.” Lu Li said to him, sitting down at the edge. A chill rose from beneath him, and Lu Li suddenly remembered that this week’s base duty officer was Rachel, not Tesla. Nevertheless, Lu Li waited a few minutes, stood, and left after the milk was brought to him and he had finished drinking it. He did not exit through the pipe passage, but instead entered a room previously shown to him by Tristan, and after walking through a narrow dark passage, an ancient carved wooden door appeared under the dim light of the overhead electric lamp. Pushing open the secret door, Lu Li appeared in the True Library. The air was filled with the damp smell of books, and some figures stood quietly flipping through the books in front of the shelves. Reiss still recognized Lu Li and waved at him. Lu Li asked about the events that had transpired that day, but Reiss was also unclear about the specifics. He only knew that the Evil Spirit had not appeared since then. Nodding slightly, Lu Li asked him about books that recorded “forest emotions.” “Such obscure knowledge... You might want to check the third bookcase by the wall,” he pointed, and then picked up an oil lamp from under the table and handed it to Lu Li. The lighting in the library was dim, requiring an oil lamp to read the words on the books. Lu Li went to the third cabinet. Without the “Book Sprite” providing prompts this time, he had to go through the books one by one. Twenty minutes later, he found a description of forest emotions on page eighty-five of a book titled “Compendium of Aberrant Geography.” Contrary to what the limping Barton had described, in this book the Demon Slayers named it “forest consciousness” instead of “forest emotions,” but the content was exactly the same, discussing how emotions had emerged in the forest. The Demon Slayers believed this was related to the strange rains. These forests had each experienced a rain before the forest emotions emerged. That rain might have been the strange rain. In addition, Lu Li found some information about forest emotions in another book titled “Manual of Aberrant Survival.” “Do not approach mysterious forests, you never know what hides within, nor whether the forest breathes. Venturing blindly into the forest is as foolish as swinging a fist at a stone.” “Of course, unless you are being chased by a very dangerous entity.” Just finding these two books with peripheral descriptions took Lu Li nearly an hour. To better understand the situation, it would be best for Lu Li to ask someone familiar with the details such as Tesla, who had taken over the responsibility of answering questions from Hades. And it was free of charge. Tesla had previously told Lu Li his address, so after having Reiss escort him out through another exit of the library, Lu Li took a rented carriage up the mountain, where Tesla’s mansion was located. ... Shore of Agate Lake. This lake was named for its clear surface and the agate at the bottom. However, some also say it’s named for the shimmering, multicolored reflections akin to agate under the sunlight. Lu Li had never seen either, as under the tremendously heavy rain, all he could see were dense splashes on the gloomy water surface. The carriage drove along the lakeside path for half a circle before turning into a series of contiguous detached mansions, stopping outside gate number 16. Stepping down from the carriage, Lu Li raised his hand to ring the doorbell. After a moment, the door opened, revealing an older maid holding an umbrella behind the warmly lit door. She walked down the steps and inquired through the gate. “I am Lu Li, Tesla’s colleague.” “Please wait a moment,” the old maid said, returning behind the door. Soon, she reappeared, followed by Tesla holding an umbrella. The old maid opened the gate to let Lu Li enter into the courtyard. Tesla smiled warmly, “Let me guess... you have new questions you want to ask?” “Yes.” “I knew it. Come in.” Tesla chuckled and led Lu Li into the mansion. The bright, warm light and the burning logs in the fireplace dispelled the chill. Surprisingly, Tesla’s mansion wasn’t as luxurious inside as it appeared from the outside; instead, it had relatively cozy decor. “Where’s your assistant?” Tesla asked abruptly. Taking off his raincoat, Lu Li handed it to the old maid waiting beside him. After thanking her, he replied, “I came here from the Detective’s base; it’s not suitable for her to go there.” Tesla nodded slightly and sat down with Lu Li in front of the fireplace, “Aidanvoya is still resting.” Aidanvoya was Tesla’s wife, and if Lu Li’s guess was right, she, like Anna, was a spirit. Lu Li got straight to the point, “Do you know about the emotional state of the forest?” “The emotions pervading the forest? Of course, we conducted many investigations when they first appeared.” The Head Maid brought two cups of hot coffee, then retreated to the kitchen, leaving only the two of them warming themselves by the fireplace. “And the results?” Lu Li asked. “Just be cautious. They are born from the aberrant rain’s emotions, but they don’t have the capacity to think. Just avoid attacking those Tree Kings... Since you asked about the forest emotions, you must know what Tree Kings are.” “Yes.” Without asking why Lu Li wanted to know this, Tesla relayed all the information he knew about the forest’s emotional state. After understanding the general situation, Lu Li asked about another matter, “Has there been any response to the letter about the infection source sent to the headquarters?” “No response from the headquarters yet,” Tesla expressed a touch of confusion. “Theoretically, they should have conducted the checks by now.” “Maybe something happened?” “We would have received a message if that were the case,” Tesla gently shook his head, speculating, “Maybe something has delayed the headquarters. You know, our situation is getting increasingly difficult...” Some ten minutes later, Lu Li left Tesla’s mansion, carrying ingredients he had bought from the market back to the Detective Agency. Anna took the ingredients and got busy in the kitchen, her crisp voice emanating, “Once the rainy season is over, we should be able to bring Annie here. She’s an elm, and that forest is also—” Knock knock knock— The knocking interrupted her. A neighbor came by and told Lu Li that the phone had been ringing for a long time after he left in the morning. Lu Li thanked the neighbor and called the telephone office to inquire about the morning’s call before dialing back. “May I ask who’s calling?” After a moment, the call connected, and Aunt Mary’s voice came through the receiver. “This is Lu Li. A neighbor told me you called many times earlier.” “Is that Lu Li!” Mary’s voice suddenly became anxious. “Hurry to Himfast, that tree... Annie is dying!”

Chapter 354 - 354 Two hundred eleven

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