The Bizarre Detective Agency Chapter 35
Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch...
A distinct morning scent, a blend of salt and sea from Port Roadster, drifted through the open window. It stirred the curtains and filled the living room of the detective agency.
Oliver was huddled in the corner of the sofa, shivering uncontrollably. A stack of books he'd purchased on his way over sat beside him.
“Oliver, this is Anna. Anna, this is Oliver,” Lu Li said, making the introductions.
“A pleasure to meet you. I am Anna.”
Anna gave a spectral curtsy, lifting the hem of her dress in a gesture of aristocratic etiquette. She was still reserved when meeting strangers—with the notable exception of Lu Li, of course.
Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch...
Oliver’s trembling intensified, his cheeks quivering.
He turned his head stiffly, not daring to look directly at Anna. Instead, his eyes darted to Lu Li, pleading for help.
“I may work for you, but that doesn’t mean I’m not terrified of ghosts! Couldn’t you have eased me into it? This is too much, just bringing a ghost home without a thought for whether my heart can take it!”
The moment the words left his mouth, a spectral voice whispered right beside him, “Am... I... very frightening right now?”
A strange, contorted expression twisted Oliver’s features. It was the look of someone who hears a sound and instinctively starts to turn, only to remember just what was hovering beside him—a comical battle between reflex and self-preservation.
Then, Oliver froze solid.
Anna was floating beside him, gazing down at him. Her features were delicate, not at all repulsive, especially framed by her beautiful, white gothic dress.
“...I-It’s... manageable,” Oliver stammered, smacking his lips. Suddenly, he decided she wasn’t so frightening after all. In fact, he found himself thinking that Lu Li’s decision to bring home such a graceful ghost wasn’t a bad idea at all...
Anna drifted away from Oliver and floated back behind Lu Li. Visibly relieved, Oliver asked haltingly, “So... is this... ghost-lady... working for the agency now?”
“You could say that,” Lu Li replied without looking up. He opened the book to the first page, a frown slowly forming between his brows. After flipping through a few more pages, he turned the book toward Oliver. “What is this?”
“A Comprehensive History of the Formation of the Allen Peninsula,” Oliver answered, shrinking back and pulling his head into his shoulders. He couldn’t read, but that didn’t stop him from counting the words on the cover. One, two, three, four, five... nine words. That was right; the bookseller had said the same thing.
“Did anyone happen to mention...” Lu Li snapped the book shut and tossed it onto the dining table.
“...that this is a romance novel?”
“Uh... what does that mean?”
The word was clearly outside Oliver’s vocabulary.
“It means it’s fiction,” Anna said casually, hovering behind Lu Li and peering over his shoulder.
“Everything in it is made up.”
Shuff... shuff...
Oliver scratched his head, a look of partial understanding on his face.
Lu Li glanced at the other titles: "My Love Affair with Baron Joseph," "One Hundred Fables," "The Charms of Port Roadster," and "Martin and the Dog." He doubted any of them would contain what he was looking for.
“This is everything?”
Even so, Lu Li flipped through a few pages of each book, just to be sure there was no useful information. He found none, and his last shred of hope vanished.
Perhaps it was Anna’s presence, but Oliver’s tone with Lu Li was far more polite than usual. He said quietly,
“The bookseller said the ones you wanted are all sold out.”
“And the other bookshops?”
“Same story. No history or geography books anywhere.” “Sold out... and the library burned down. What a coincidence,” Lu Li muttered. He turned to Anna. “Do you remember anything about the general history of this place?”
Anna came from high society; she was well-read and had been taught by private tutors.
“I can’t recall...” Anna said, a little embarrassed. “After I woke up... I seem to have forgotten a lot of the less important memories.”
“I see,” Lu Li nodded, not yet ready to give up. There were schools in this world—several in Belfast alone—and he doubted they spent all day telling fairy tales.
“Wait, I think I just remembered something...” Anna said suddenly, her expression distant as she drifted into memory. “I recall my mother speaking with someone from the government about a similar topic.”
Lu Li didn’t interrupt with questions, content to wait patiently.
“I remember now! The official was asking my mother to destroy some historical artifacts.”
“Historical artifacts? Why would he want her to do that?”
“I don’t know... I was only eavesdropping from behind the door.”
“And what happened then?”
“My mother refused, but the men in the black uniforms were very insistent...”
Anna bit her lower lip lightly, and the light in her clear eyes seemed to dim as she remembered that her mother was gone.
“Wait. You said they were in black uniforms?”
Lu Li seized on the key phrase, his dark eyes narrowing. When Anna nodded in confirmation, he asked, “Do you remember if they wore any kind of insignia?”
Anna tilted her head. “A half-open eye?”
That matched the description of the men Lu Li had seen at Port Roadster. Those Night’s Watch members had also worn black uniforms with an eye insignia. The only difference was that their eyes were wide open, whereas the one Anna described was only half-open.
If they were the Night’s Watch, it raised a question: Why would they want to prevent people from studying history? The duty of the Night’s Watch was to protect the city and fight anomalies. Their work had nothing to do with history—unless... there was something wrong with history itself. Or, to be more precise, something anomalous.
But the assumption was so outlandish, so absurd, that even Lu Li didn’t dare to seriously entertain it.
Setting the thought aside for later, Lu Li returned to the matter at hand. “Can you return these books?”
“Probably not... but I’ll try!” Oliver quickly corrected himself, desperate for an excuse to leave. As pretty and sweet as Anna was, she was still a ghost. Like a beautiful tulip sculpted from... well, it was best not to think about it. The very comparison made his stomach turn.
Oliver hurriedly gathered the books, and as he did, an envelope slipped out from between the pages.
“What’s this?” Lu Li asked, stooping to pick the envelope off the floor.
“Er...”
For some reason, Oliver shot a guilty glance toward Anna before licking his dry lips. “That’s... uh... Mrs. Slav wrote you a letter. Well, I’ll be off to return these books, Mr. Lu Li! Goodbye, Anna!”
With that, Oliver practically bolted from the detective agency.
Lu Li watched him go, then, feeling Anna’s curious gaze on him, he opened the envelope. Inside was a single sheet of parchment, scented with perfume. He unfolded it.