Detective Agency of the Bizarre

Chapter 117: Black Cat


The Earl's Manor is located in the southern part of Midnight City.

Although the manor is far from the slums, it is not a rich district. Given Count Hunter's wealth and power, he could have built the manor in the aristocratic district of Midnight City.

Creak—

The cellar door and the heavy object pressed on top of it were slowly lifted.

A vibrant Iris Sparrow flew out of the cellar, followed by a shadow-like black cat leaping out.

Lu Li and Claire appeared in an abandoned woodshed.

Claire flapped her wings to avoid the area where dust was rising, and Lu Li skillfully jumped onto the windowsill, thick with accumulated dust, swinging his tail to wipe a small section of the window.

The slightly clearer outdoor scenery revealed to Lu Li the reason Count Hunter hadn't done it.

A mansion stood at the edge of a dark garden, with sinister crimson flowers covering the flowerbeds along the paths. Beyond the flowerbeds, across the shadowy mansion, past the twisted branches reaching skyward from the dark garden, one could glimpse the magnificent castle standing at the base of the Alchemical Tower.

That is where Count Hunter's true domain lies, undeniably more fitting for Count Hunter's status than the "manor."

Getting close to the Viscount was even more difficult than imagined.

Claire landed on Lu Li's back, her bird claws sinking into the pitch-black fur.

Her mental projection surprised Lu Li—it was assumed Claire would transform into a lathe or some sort of powerful anomaly.

"We should be at the Head Maid's Estate."

The Head Maid, gardener, head chef, and farm owner guarded the Viscount. Except for the farm owner located at the Bloody Farm on the outskirts, the former three were in the Viscount's estate, with the head chef stationed at the castle.

"We don't have much time, outside competitors clearing the way these two or three days are our best chance. Find a way into the castle, we'll meet at the south tower's tip."

Claire left Lu Li's back, landing on the latch. But the tiny Iris Sparrow, weighing less than a pound, couldn't open the latch.

She turned her head to look behind, where a swaying black tail was retracting into the cellar.

Claire sensed the merchant's presence, soon after, Lu Li leaped out with several eyeballs in his curled tail.

He and Claire had handed their clothing and tools to the merchant for safekeeping, including Will Ken's Parchment and the Doomsday Apocalypse.

And the loss of the amplifying 14 volumes of humanity protected Lu Li from being manipulated by low Sanity Value delirium.

The eyeballs were scattered in the corners of the woodshed by Lu Li, while his long tail swept away the petal footprints behind, then pulled the cellar door shut. After completing this, Lu Li stepped through the choking dust to the door, his long tail curling up the latch.

Claire landed on the ground, using her bird beak's brute force to push the old wooden door that scraped the floor, opening a gap.

"Remember to meet at the tower tip, and your tail's dirty." Claire left the reminder, flying into the sky, merging into the dark of noon.

Before leaving, Lu Li surveyed the dust-filled woodshed. Soon after, falling dust would again make the woodshed appear unvisited, deceiving the vision-based anomalies enough.

Squeezing through the door gap to leave the woodshed, Lu Li bypassed the distant flowerbed that was visibly tended to, and also bypassed the seemingly safe manor within the woods. Compared to the Head Maid, who had equal status with the farm owner, the withered garden with its effective Cursed Title was naturally Lu Li's ally.

Avoiding the hidden dangers within the withered shrubs, as he was about to step into the forest, a peculiar curling breeze emerged beside him.

Lu Li felt a sensation, his glass ball-like pupils turning towards the manor.

On the mansion's second-floor balcony, a figure dressed in maid attire was looking his way.

Lu Li didn't know if he had been discovered, only able to squeeze into the woods like a cat.

As he entered the forest, Lu Li sensed both good and bad news: this forest was alive, in another manner. They wouldn't betray or harm Lu Li, gently shaking tentacle-like branches in a welcoming gesture.

The bad news was their alert range was farther than imagined, reaching a hundred meters above ground which was their airspace. If Claire flew not so high...

But Claire was evidently familiar with this place, and Lu Li had no concern for her.

Just then, the breeze sensed at the forest's edge swept past again, accompanied by anxious shouting echoing in the lonely forest.

"Raimy, where are you? Don't run, wait for me..."

Lu Li hoped she wasn't the Head Maid and wasn't calling out for him. But the echoing voice was indeed approaching, and the surrounding "friends" told him it was the Head Maid, she was searching for him.

"Help me stop—"

The calm statement abruptly ceased, leaving no plea for the forest's help in obstruction.

This forest could possibly trap and even kill the Head Maid.

But their arrival would also lead to exposure.

Using the information provided by the forest, Lu Li evaded the Head Maid's pursuit, silently landing on the ground with soft pads, a shadow-like black cat flowing over the twisted tree roots spreading across the dirt.

At the western forest edge, a shadowy black cat quietly emerged.

Outside the forest was a vast, trimmed flowerbed garden. Knee-high shrubs could hide Lu Li's body.

But before reaching the garden, a grotesque body pieced together from different limbs blocked Lu Li. Its body exuded a stench and held pruning shears.

"Vermin! Get away from my family!"

A shrill gust of wind suddenly scraped past, and the grotesque body in front was severed as if by an invisible blade, dismembered and scattered with vile blood.

The gentle breeze lifted Lu Li, held tightly by the figure rushing from behind.

Lu Li heard the sound of wind emanating from the nearby icy body, followed by longing whispers rising softly.

"Raimy... I finally found you..."

...

The gathering wind dispersed, and the Head Maid who called Lu Li "Raimy" landed on the mansion's terrace, entered the bedroom, and gently put him down.

"This is our new home, Raimy."

The Head Maid stood behind Lu Li, her body encased in layers of bandages shrouded by obscure wind sounds, with a complex maid dress of black and white outside.

Confirmed unharmed, Lu Li quietly observed the bedroom before him.

It resembled an ordinary girl's room, a thin muslin curtain hiding the bed in the middle, colorful books arranged on the shelves, a photo frame on the dressing table: inside, a ponytailed girl holding a black cat, smiling brightly in a fading photograph.

The true reason for the Head Maid's pursuit of Lu Li emerged without harm, having brought him back.

She mistook Lu Li for her erstwhile pet, or rather "family."

From the fourth level onward, a strange force of good fortune seemed to be watching over him.

The Blood-colored Farmland receded because of him; the hidden path directly led to the destination; the mutant potion prepared early by Claire; the forest outside the castle welcomed him, and the mutated black cat was mistaken by the Head Maid for her pet.

As if fate was guiding Lu Li on his journey.

This feeling was not good—because Lu Li thought of the Rope of God.

"Maintain the investigator's caution, objectively scrutinize everything around, including myself."

Will Ken's reminder rang in his mind, only to be scattered by the soft breeze rising by his ear.

"Raimy, did you come looking for me?"

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