章節 3: Exorcist
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The serenity of his face was as deep as a pool, showing an almost imperceptible disgust, a scene more nauseating than if blood were flowing from the tap instead of water.
Lu Li frowned and took a half step back as he witnessed the sticky, distorted, pale face slipping out of the tap and into the drain.
Whirr—
In the silent night, only the sound of running water continued to echo.
The clear water flowed for a while before Lu Li approached the tap and turned it off.
Drip, drip, drop—
The water ceased, and the surroundings returned to the original dead silence.
Lu Li retreated to the kitchen door, and the closed door blocked out the light, plunging the kitchen into darkness.
Back in the living room, Lu Li didn't bother with the single bed in the bedroom but chose to rest for the night in the chair behind his desk.
Perhaps it was the calm Lu Li displayed, or perhaps it was the kitchen knife he clenched in his hand, but that night passed without incident.
A night without event.
...
The next morning, a little earlier than usual.
Morning mist enveloped every corner of Rhodest Port, with gloomy clouds covering the sky, an overcast that never dispersed.
Contrary to what one might expect of a chilly, quiet dawn, it was a bustling and noisy morning here.
After a night's silence, it seemed as though the residents were making up for many hours of deathly stillness. Smoke rose from a cluster of chimneys, dried fish were hung outside windows, workers prepared for labor, bidding farewell to their families, the sound of ship horns echoed from the port, and the aroma of breakfast spread through every cobblestone-paved street.
"Hello, Mr. Luli."
"Good morning, Detective!"
"Why are your eyes black?"
As a new face on Sailor Street, Lu Li was well-received by the locals, especially the children.
Though no one had ever seen any emotion on Lu Li's face.
Lu Li nodded in acknowledgment to the greeting residents as he made his way to a carriage at the end of the road, and stepped aboard.
The carriage was not an enclosed coach, but an open cart, like a rickshaw.
"To the nearby church or the Exorcist's Detective Agency."
"3 shillings, sir," said the coachman, hastily stuffing the last of his black bread in his mouth, his words muffled.
"Hmm."
Lu Li leaned back into the seat, donning a black bowler hat, concealing his dark eyes in the shadow.
With unique black hair and eyes, Lu Li preferred not to be scrutinized too much.
The coachman hopped onto the carriage and urged the horse away from Sailor Street.
He struggled to swallow the rough, dry food, coughed quietly a few times, then turned his head to strike up a conversation, "Have you encountered a ghost?"
"Hmm."
"Then I suggest you visit Mr. Hades' Detective Agency."
With only half his face visible, Lu Li asked, "Why not the church or another detective agency?"
"You're from another town, aren't you? The churches in Belfast have stopped dealing with exorcisms a long time ago. Most of the other exorcists are quite cantankerous or only serve nobility. Only Mr. Hades is open to everyone, as long as you have the money."
Aside from Lu Li, it seemed that everyone else knew that ghosts existed in the world.
After a brief silence, Lu Li replied, "Yes, I'm from another place; this is the first time I've encountered a ghost."
"Then your homeland must be very safe," the coachman said with a thick tone of envy.
"Can you tell me about the ghost?"
"... I'm sorry, sir, I can't tell you,"
The coachman's tone stumbled, and he shook his head in refusal, as others had done when Lu Li had asked them before.
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"Why, because I am haunted by a ghost?"
"...Yes, if we talk about it too much, it might change its target. Even if not haunted by a ghost, talking about it many times could also..."
The coachman stopped speaking decisively.
This seemed to explain why the ghost had latched onto Lu Li after the exorcism for the elderly couple.
As the topic ended, the carriage fell silent.
The carriage moved along the street, and as the buildings on the left disappeared, the view opened up.
Lu Li tilted his head, looking past where the buildings had been, to the undulating rooftops below and the harbor with its docked sailboats and cruise ships in the distance. Scattered fishing boats dotted the vast dark sea.
Unfortunately, there was no sunrise, and the sea, which should have glistened, looked bleak and lifeless without a single ripple.
After staring blankly at the harbor for a while, Lu Li withdrew his gaze, his face shrouded in the shadow of his hat's brim.
Several minutes later, the carriage stopped in front of a white two-story building.
The street was quiet and clean, with passersby wearing old but neat clothes, a stark contrast to the noisy chaos of Sailor Street.
Lu Li handed three coins to the coachman before walking into the Detective Agency.
As he pushed the door open, dimness and silence enveloped him from all around.
The spacious ground floor was scattered with several round tables, and a figure was wiping an oil lamp behind the counter at the far end.
Dim light beamed in from the outside, casting onto the brown wooden floor.
If not for the sign outside bearing the words "Detective Agency," it would have resembled an unopened tavern.
Tap—Tap—Tap—
Boots tapped against the flooring as Lu Li approached the counter.
"Does the gentleman have something to entrust?" the slightly plump figure behind the counter put down the oil lamp and cloth, conjuring up a smile.
"Concerning a ghost."
In the following minutes, Lu Li gave a brief account of what he had witnessed the night before, deliberately omitting the fact that he was an Exorcist.
"You've done well. Fear can nourish the ghost, making it stronger. It's still weak now and can't harm people, but if it absorbs more emotions, that could change," the portly figure, like a waiter, curled the corner of his mouth. In the dim light, his teeth seemed to hide something that glittered faintly as he extended his palm to Lu Li: "I am Hades, the Exorcist you're looking for."
Lu Li reached out his hand for a brief touch, then withdrew: "Before I commission, I have a question. Besides an Exorcist, what other ways are there to destroy a ghost?"
Hades looked at Lu Li with interest: "You want to take care of the ghost yourself?"
"If possible, yes," Lu Li removed his hat that obstructed his vision, not denying it.
"You've asked the right person. Most Exorcists would probably loudly scold you for having such a delusion, but I happen to be part of that small fraction," Hades said, bending down to retrieve an item from under the counter and placed it on the table, pushing it toward Lu Li.
A short Flintlock Pistol.
Lu Li reached out, intending to take it, but a palm landed on the Flintlock Pistol before his.
Slap!
Hades's palm covered the Flintlock Pistol, the counter shook slightly, and he grinned with a razor-like frenzied smile: "This isn't free."
"How much?"
"2,300 Shillings."
"2,000."
"Alright, as a welcome to the newcomer."
The bargain was struck in a few words, and Lu Li pulled out four 500-denomination Shilling notes to hand over to Hades, who took them with the hand covering the Flintlock Pistol, counting the 2,000 Shillings back and forth, again and again.
Lu Li picked up the Flintlock Pistol lying across the counter, and a faint light suddenly emerged in front of him.
Lu Li glanced at Hades, who had lit the oil lamp, and focused his attention on the Flintlock Pistol.
The engraving on the Flintlock Pistol was exquisite, under the glow the engraved roses seemed to come to life, unfurling slowly, and the streamlined body of the pistol was as elegant as a piece of art.
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