Bizarre Detective Agency

   Chapter 25 Twenty-five. Unformed Wraith

  Before the sky was completely bright, Lu Li took down the sculpture in the office on the second floor and put it back in place.

   The strangeness of the night tends to calm down with the gradually lit windows.

  In the early morning shrouded in hazy mist, some pedestrians began to appear on the bluestone-paved street.

  Somewhat surprising, the first person to come to the gallery was Benjamin. He saw Lu Li standing in front of the door safe and sound, and spread his arms happily: "Nice to meet you, Mr. Lu Li."

  Lu Li took two steps back to avoid Benjamin's embrace, and said straight to the point: "I found four ghosts temporarily, one of which has been resolved. There are some questions about the other three, maybe you know something."

  Benjamin lowered his arms indifferently, took off his hat, walked into the gallery, turned around and closed the door.

   The noise on the bluestone road is blocked by wooden doors.

   "What do you want to know about Mr. Lu Li?" The fat man lost his philistine appearance and showed sincerity that he didn't have yesterday.

   Maybe because Lu Li used his actions to prove that he could solve this matter.

   Lu Li asked, "Athena, do you still have any impressions?"

   "Athena..." Benjamin's face showed a trace of nostalgia. "Of course I know that she, poor girl, died in childbirth after being abandoned by her fiancé, and the undead lingered in the gallery forever."

   "You know this?"

   "Yes, she used to be my employee, of course I know it." Benjamin lowered his head and sighed slightly, unable to see faces in the silent and dim gallery: "I know all the supernatural beings you have encountered."

  Lu Li's black eyes gradually narrowed: "But you are still recruiting ordinary people to be night guards."

   "Because they only haunt at night, and they don't want to hurt anyone." Benjamin explained and sighed again: "Until a few days ago, the last night watchman was scared away by a ghost attack."

"Then you are hesitant to spend a lot of money asking the exorcist to get rid of these four ghosts, and finally choose to hire another night watchman to try his luck, in case these are just the mistakes of the previous employee. After all, please An exorcist is expensive, especially since you have more than one here."

  Benjamin didn't say anything, just nodded.

"With all due respect, the four ghosts in the gallery have grown to a certain point. You may not know that the girl in the oil painting can leave the portrait freely, the sculpture will follow the footsteps of people at night, and Athena has already attacked people omen and Ruth..."

   Having said this, Lu Li paused slightly, staring at Benjamin with his black eyes.

   "She attacked me and was killed by me."

  Benjamin seemed to have made up his mind and smiled bitterly: "I already understand the situation. Then, Your Excellency Exorcist, I have decided to formally entrust you. How much do you want?"

   "How much can you pay?" Lu Li asked back.

   Lu Li is not clear about the local price of exorcism.

   "1000 shillings."

   sounds a bit small, four ghosts are equivalent to 250 shillings each.

   But Anna and the sculpture will not take the initiative to attack people, only Athena and Ruth need to be dealt with - the latter has been dealt with.

   "Yes." Lu Li nodded calmly, not bothering too much about the price. "What else do you know about Athena?"

   "I've already told you everything I know."

   "Others, that pair of Anna's oil paintings and sculptures."

"The oil painting existed before I took over the gallery, and Mrs. Annette said it was made by the artist on Anna's 16th birthday. I bought the sculpture cheaply from a bankrupt art gallery in Shymfast. You know, the cataclysm of the night. Let the public lose the mood to appreciate art.”

   "The ghost in that painting claimed to be Anna."

  Benjamin categorically denied it, looking like he heard a joke: "It's impossible, Anna has died, and her mother died in that infectious disease. Maybe it's just a problem with the drawing, she thought she was Anna."

  Lu Li was noncommittal and didn't talk much about it.

   "Mr. Lu Li, are you going to start exorcism next?"

   "I have to wait until tonight, I need to investigate something about Athena." Lu Li replied.

   After all, he is not a real exorcist, and the only way to deal with ghosts is a psychic gun. And the psychic gun obviously won't do much for Athena, he needs to find another way and try to solve her from other directions.

   "Then today..."

   "They won't come out during the day. If you are worried, you can close the business for a day."

   "That's good..." Benjamin let out a long sigh of relief, wondering if he meant the former or the latter—probably the former.

   When Lu Li left, Benjamin opened the door and put up a business sign.

   He turned his collar up and smoothed it, put on his hood, and Lu Li walked into the morning mist, not in the direction of his detective agency, but Hades.

  …

   ding bell - ding bell -

  The wind chimes behind the wooden door swayed.

   "Oh, look who's here? I didn't read the wrong person. You've saved enough money so quickly. You're the gold nugget among our exorcists... I mean a new star."

  The exaggerated exclamation particle came out of Hades' mouth, and he opened his arms as his golden teeth flickered.

Just like last time.

  Lu Li walked to the counter and sat down: "I just have some problems."

  Enthusiasm is fading at a speed visible to the naked eye, manifested in the drop of outstretched arms and rest on the counter.

   "Do you think I am the charity department?" Hades' face was gloomy under the oil lamp.

   "If you are willing to answer some of my questions, the fees earned from this commission are enough for me to buy answers."

   Hades' golden teeth bloomed again: "What do you want to ask."

Just like last time.

   On the way over, Lu Li had already prepared what he wanted to ask questions, and said directly: "Can the psychic gun become stronger? I killed a ghost, and the pattern on its gun body bloomed."

The    psychic gun and holster were placed on the counter by Lu Li and pushed in front of Hades.

"Why not? That's why it's dangerous and charming. It's possible to keep getting stronger, but the longer the contact time, the more disaster it will bring to the owner..." Under the oil lamp, Haders admired the body of the psychic gun intoxicatedly. rose pattern. One of the buds bloomed a little.

   "But be careful, don't get carried away by this force."

The    psychic gun was thrown at Lu Li by Hades, and Lu Li caught it and tucked it back behind him again.

   "Second question, I met a ghost with a strange phantom behind her..."

  Lu Li described the phantom behind Athena.

   "It sounds familiar to me..." Hades was stunned, as if he had an answer in his heart. "But there's a fee for that."

  Lu Li was not fooled by his little trick: "I think other exorcists don't mind answering this kind of question, it's free."

   "Break..." Hades was a little disappointed, unable to lift his interest: "That is a wraith that has not yet formed."

   "What are the dancing phantom tentacles?"

   "Unfortunately I don't know either, otherwise this message would be worth at least 1,000 shillings."

   "Can I deal with it? This unformed wraith."

   "Deal with? If I were you..."

   Hades sneered, leaned forward slightly, his narrowed eyes flashed a dangerous cold light, and his whispers echoed in the empty tavern.

   "I'll ask for more."

   (end of this chapter)