Chapter 368 - 368 Two Hundred and Twenty-Five

Words : 1373 Updated : Oct 9th, 2025

368: Two Hundred and Twenty-Five. Selling Bizarre Items 368: Two Hundred and Twenty-Five. Selling Bizarre Items The coachman paid little attention to the merchant’s physique, attire, or huge backpack, as if in his eyes, this was just an ordinary passenger accompanying Lu Li. The “three” boarded the carriage, and the wheels rolled over the damp and cold bluestone pavement, heading to their destination. The merchant would not speak without reason. Lu Li would not speak without reason. Anna would, but she was shy, and the presence of an extra merchant in the carriage deterred her from speaking to Lu Li. In the silence, Lu Li lifted the curtain to look outside the carriage. Streets and people flashed by outside the window, the vague blood-colored tentacles high in the clouds, gently swaying like seaweed, visible to Lu Li even through the veil of rain. As they passed the main street, Lu Li saw many carriages loaded with goods forming a long queue on the road. Lu Li lifted the curtain and asked the coachman, who carefully chose his words before informing Lu Li, “It seems they are moving to the Shore of Agate Lake.” Lu Li inquired thoughtfully, “Has this been happening a lot recently?” “It’s alright... It started increasing just yesterday, and who knows where all these wealthy people came from,” the coachman said enviously, the housing prices by Agate Lake were beyond the imagination of a commoner like him. The high-status individuals were moving away from the shore. Lu Li thought, it seemed that some were becoming aware of the terrifying scenes occurring in Zenster City. It might be people from the three major organizations, or ordinary people who had received news from them. Lowering the curtain and retracting his gaze, Lu Li looked at the merchant, a question suddenly surfaced in his mind, urging him to ask. But Lu Li refrained for the time being, it wasn’t the time to inquire. At least not now. Forty minutes later, the carriage arrived at the Old Cozy District. The coachman was somewhat reluctant to drive into this area, worried about being entangled by the undead that haunted this long street, but Lu Li assured him that he was an Exorcist, which gave the coachman the courage to drive in and stop in front of building number “19”. A day passed, and 6 fell once again. Carrying an oil lamp, Lu Li walked into the building, the tall, slender merchant appearing like Lu Li’s elongated, pitch-black shadow stretching out behind him. Passing the deathly still corridor and pushing open the unlocked door, Lu Li entered the living room, opened the wooden door leading to the basement, turned to the merchant, and said, “It’s down there.” A slight chill seeped out from the dark space beyond the door, the mysterious allure reemerging, beckoning Lu Li to enter and unlock it. “You can go and take it, I’ll stay up here.” Lu Li didn’t intend to go down again. The merchant said nothing, stepped forward in his damp, squelching boots, and descended into the basement. His figure blended into the darkness, leaving only his echoing footsteps to reach the surface, causing Lu Li, still holding the oil lamp, to frown... The merchant apparently wasn’t afraid of the dark. What exactly were they... Anna hadn’t noticed this, she emerged quietly, hiding behind Lu Li and peering over his shoulder into the basement, “It still feels like such a waste...” Lu Li turned his head slightly, his eyes questioning. “We didn’t open the notebook and the stone box, maybe there was useful information inside?” “Many who die from the supernatural think the same thing just before their end.” Like the Senior Investigator Thomas, who was right before their eyes. However, he didn’t quite fit the profile; Thomas died from overconfidence and negligence, curiosity wasn’t the main factor. The Exorcist Survival Manual quite bluntly instructs: Keep away from an old friend who hasn’t contacted you for a long time but suddenly reaches out claiming to have found a treasure and invites you to join; never open an ancient notebook or diary; curb your curiosity and stay away from strange and bizarre phenomena; and flee immediately when you hear an unidentified call or prayer, instead of assuming someone is calling you or there are devotees praying nearby. Strictly speaking, the Exorcist Survival Manual teaches how to evade the supernatural, not confront it. Which is quite fitting for Lu Li right now. The world is amid a transition period, and Lu Li doesn’t want to take risks at this time. He even temporarily shelved the idea of finding a way back. The footsteps in the basement had disappeared for a while before resuming, this time heading upwards. Anna stared at the pitch-dark doorway and suddenly exclaimed with realization, “It just walked into the darkness!” “Hmm.” “How is that possible...” “Don’t forget we call the merchant ‘it’, rather than ‘he’ or ‘she’.” At the edge of the basement lit by the oil lamp, the corner of a tattered piece of clothing emerged; Anna fell silent and her figure faded away again. The merchant finished climbing the last step and returned to the ground floor. Lu Li closed the door to the cold and damp basement, his gaze scanning over the stone box and notebook in the merchant’s hands, “How much are they worth?” “400 contribution points and 400 contribution points.” “Are they priced the same?” The useless Dracula had been sold for 400 contribution points, and the items in the stone box and the notebook were surprisingly the same as it. “They have the same intensity as a ghost,” the merchant replied. Lu Li nodded, then asked suddenly as if something occurred to him, “If I want to know the contents of the notes and what’s in the stone box, what would be the price?” “750 contribution points.” Lu Li frowned, were the messages worth 7,500 shillings? But before Lu Li could react, the merchant added, “You have 750 contribution points left.” That meant the messages were only 50 contribution points. 500 shillings, neither cheap nor expensive. It was precisely within the price range that would make Lu Li “hesitate”. “Tell me about these two things,” Lu Li said after thinking it over. Knowledge is another form of wealth, especially for investigators. “The notes were left by a Follower of the Evil God, imbued with the Evil God’s power. Reading them will transform the reader’s physique and soul over time into a Follower suitable for the Evil God, whilst hearing the whispers of the Evil God, until finally falling into the abyss and becoming a Follower of the Evil God.” “The necklace in the stone box comes with a conscious ghost. Wearing it will allow the ghost in the necklace to assault you, leading to nightmares at night, deteriorating health, and eventually being possessed by the ghost.” Because it was a “trade”, the merchant very clearly detailed their specific uses and abilities. Both items were evil objects. What was incomprehensible was why such things would be in her family’s basement. Fortunately, Lu Li hadn’t opened them; he already had enough trouble on his hands. Lu Li’s zeroed-out investigation points were replenished to 750, and correspondingly, the price of the Deep Sea Stone had risen to 10,500 shillings the next day. With the shillings he had, Lu Li was still short by a little over 1,000 to buy the fourth stone. Moreover, he had to hire workers to expand the cave in the cliff while the weather was good the next day. Without mentioning buying the fourth batch of shillings, he watched the merchant leave, then stood in the living room, scrutinizing the house. He looked very carefully. Anna sensed something and said wordlessly, “You’re not planning to sell these pieces of furniture as well, are you...” Anna always felt it wasn’t quite right to empty someone else’s house... even though that strange woman might already be dead. Lu Li found nothing wrong with the act. “She said that all these things belong to me.”

Chapter 368 - 368 Two Hundred and Twenty-Five

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