Detective Agency of the Bizarre

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wisps of smoke rose from chimneys of some houses lining the street.

Holding a steaming leather paper bag, Lu Li walked out of Mrs. Phelin's bakery, distributing the bread to the surrounding children as he had done several times before.

It wasn't a crowd of children, some Lu Li had seen before, others he had not, but all were polite and enthusiastic without exception.

In any case, they had not yet been stained by the darker colors of the world.

Clutching another leather paper bag filled with five pounds of oranges, Lu Li knew this world was not like the past where one could get the necessary energy from everyday meals. Most residents primarily ate black bread, along with small amounts of fish and meat.

Lu Li had to regularly supplement with vitamins, to avoid malnutrition.

After distributing the bread, and handing out two oranges to the cheering children, Lu Li returned to the Detective Agency under the benevolent gazes and greetings of the residents.

...

Creak——

Dust floated in the empty, silent Detective Agency, becoming visible against the pallor of the windows.

Silence flowed through the Detective Agency until a moment later, the opening of a door disturbed everything.

Dust scattered away from the door as the entity known as Silence darted into a corner and disappeared.

A set of keys described an arc through the air, landing on the sofa with a soft sound.

Lu Li looked around the increasingly familiar Detective Agency; the portraits on the bookshelf were as usual, and the sculpture by the door had not wandered off.

Setting down the two leather paper bags on his desk, Lu Li turned and headed for the kitchen.

One of the bags toppled over, its mouth gaping open, and an orange the size of a fist rolled out onto the floor, thudding softly before rolling a few times.

Lu Li glanced back but didn't bother with it, continuing into the kitchen to wash his hands.

After a short while, he emerged from the kitchen with wet hands, not bothering to dry them, bent down by the desk to retrieve the orange and placed it back into the leather paper bag.

The other leather paper bag, which contained bread, was somewhat damp, and its wrinkled leather paper kept the mouth closed, trapping the heat inside.

Indifferently opening the bag and wiping his hands on it, Lu Li took out a white bread, soft and exuding a wheat fragrance, and bit into it.

His other hand reached for the kettle, which felt alarmingly light, causing Lu Li to frown slightly as he poured the remaining water into a cup.

The water was nearly gone; he would have to go to the water room later to fetch some, one shilling per pot.

Lu Li chewed on the bread in silence, occasionally taking a sip of water when his mouth felt dry. He ate quietly, neither chewing with his mouth open nor making any noise, blending in almost perfectly with the quiet Detective Agency.

The one-pound loaf of soft bread was quite large, much larger than the bran bread known as black bread, roughly the size of two hands. However, if he were to compress it tightly, it might reduce to less than the size of a fist.

He finished the white bread in less than three minutes and washed it down with the last cup of water.

Lu Li got up briskly, crumpled the paper bag into a ball, and took the kettle, leaving the Detective Agency.

The Detective Agency was not a standalone building but one of a row in the Long House—the largest one.

Most of the Long House's inhabitants were fishermen and seamen, yet the dimly lit corridors didn't carry much of a fishy smell. The water room had other residents as well; upon seeing Lu Li, they courteously made way for him to go first. Lu Li nodded his thanks.

"Will it be boiled water again, Mr. Luli?" the water room attendant asked with a polite smile, taking Lu Li's kettle.

"Mhm."

The attendant turned on the tap, and boiling water, steaming hot, poured into the kettle.

Before long, the kettle was full, and Lu Li took it back, handing the attendant one shilling.

Not far from the somewhat crowded water room, a clamor broke out behind him in the corridor.

"I want a pot of boiled water too! There must be a good reason the big detective drinks boiled water every day!"

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"I'll have a bucket too, make one for me!"

"Back off, sailor, what do you need that much for?"

"What, can't a man take a bath?"

Bang.

The door closed, and the sound of the argument in the corridor was shut out.

Placing the kettle on the desk, he poured a cup of water, took off his black coat, and hesitated for a moment between the coat rack and the sculpture, eventually choosing the former.

After all, dressing and undressing the sculpture was a hassle, definitely not as convenient as hanging it on the rack.

Passersby bustled on the street outside the window; occasionally, a curious onlooker glanced over, only to have their view obstructed by the sheer curtain behind the window.

Lu Li sat down in his chair, moving aside the steaming cup, and picked up the handset to call Oliver.

He waited a while before the call was answered, but it wasn't Mrs. Slav on the line, it was Oliver.

"Hey, boss, is the gallery all sorted?"

Lu Li didn't ask why he was the one answering the phone, he calmly said, "Yeah. Are there any bookstores in Belfast?"

Oliver hesitated for a moment, then realizing the "yeah" had already answered his question, he cleared his throat, "Of course, boss, what are you looking to buy?"

"Books about general history or cultural geography. When you come over, I'll give you the money for the books and your share for this commission, a total of 30 shillings."

"Thank you, boss, you're the best!"

Oliver said excitedly, as 30 shillings was not a small sum. The everyday expenses for an ordinary family of three wouldn't exceed seven or eight shillings.

After hanging up the phone, the smile remained on Oliver's face, but suddenly, a heavy breathing sound came from behind him.

Oliver turned around as if struck by lightning, his head stiffly lifting as he forced a smile, "Mrs. Slav, your..."

"Hmm?"

A thunderous intonation rose, and Oliver shuddered from head to toe: "I... I mean Mrs. Luli, is your... love letter ready?"

"It's in my room, come to my door to pick it up later."

"Yes, of course..." Oliver bowed his head respectfully.

This display of weakness did nothing to soften Mrs. Slav's demeanor; she still stood in front of Oliver, her gaze scrutinizing, her tone skeptical: "How can I be sure you won't peek at my letter?"

"Rest assured! I definitely won't!" Oliver suddenly looked up, assuring her loudly: "Such fiery love from you can naturally only be borne by my boss. How could we ordinary people even dare to covet it!"

...

Meanwhile, back at the Detective Agency, Lu Li replaced the handset and closed his eyes to wait for Oliver's arrival.

However, as the daylight outside gradually faded and evening approached, with people hurrying along the streets and stores closing their doors, Lu Li still hadn't seen Oliver come by.

Awakening from a light sleep, Lu Li opened his eyes and looked around the dim-lit Detective Agency, finally remembering something. He picked up a box of matches and struck one, lighting the oil lamp on the desk.

Whiff—

He flicked off the match and tossed it casually into the waste bin, then covered the oil lamp with its glass shade.

Outside, the noise eventually simmered down to a calm, and the occasional late passerby could be seen holding a light source, moving through the dim twilight.

At that moment, a ghostly chill emanated from behind him, spreading throughout his body. A semi-transparent figure in a white dress floated out from the portrait on the bookshelf.

Anna looked around, then lowered her gaze to meet Lu Li's eyes.

"Hmph, you say you don't want it, but your body is pretty honest, huh?"