A dim and shabby corridor, many doors with signs, smoke curling around.

"Where is this?"

Standing in the corridor, Lu Li looked out the window shrouded in mist.

"Jones Psychiatric Clinic," the psychologist answered.

"Which city?"

"...Belfast." The psychologist quietly opened the drawer, knowing how to handle this type of "patient": "Are you here to inquire or are you a patient with an appointment?"

Black eyes calmly surveyed the clinic, Lu Li said nothing and left the clinic.

The wooden stairs transferred beneath him, as Lu Li retreated downstairs into the dim light at the end——

The dimness receded, the landscape revealed was neither a yellowed swamp nor the awaiting Silver Cross·Sloan and Mildred Hampri.

The sting of the air with the arrival of mist vanished due to the industrial district's shutdown. Pedestrians on the streets were slightly more numerous than the previous days, though the ladies still hadn't removed the black veils covering their faces.

The postman riding a bicycle rang the bell ding-a-ling to remind passersby, whispered conversations and hoofbeats swept past, as a steam car surged black smoke facing him as it approached.

The winding streets stretched downwards, disappearing behind house outlines. The bay at the end was obscured by mist, only the occasional distant sound of a steam whistle could be heard.

Old Era, Belfast.

Where it all began.

Lu Li stayed put waiting. If it were some sort of perception-obscuring illusion, the two controllers would be sufficient to rescue him from it.

Meanwhile, he checked himself, there was no Doomsday Apocalypse, neither the stomach nor the Spirit-Calling Gun was present——

The texture of the shirt and coat also became more refined.

Lu Li opened his palm, there was no inverted pentagram imprint, no scar embedded after redemption.

The power brought by the Redemption Fragments disappeared, his left hand returned to its original state, and he no longer felt the presence of humanity.

All his pocket contained was some Shillings and a key ring, a box of matches.

As if Lu Li indeed returned to the beginning.

And after standing there for a while, besides garnering curious looks, Lu Li awaited nothing.

So it seems it should consider the reality at this moment——just like Lu Li suddenly descended upon this world, on some day this world was dying, Lu Li unexpectedly returned to the start seems not entirely surprising.

But what triggered it?

The only clue about this is: Lu Li pushed open a door.

But it won't be "The Door." Lu Li hadn't seen any trace of it, it also needed some time to arrive at Giant Tree Academy.

Unable to wait for "rescue," Lu Li walked along the street, returned to the Sailor District from his memory.

The fishy smell in the wet and cold mist smelled like standing on a fisherman's deck floating on the sea, it was soon covered by mingled sweat stench and other smells.

The streets were bustling like a market, children chased and ran past, the households drying sea fish stopped as Lu Li passed by, to avoid dirtying the neat and expensive clothes.

The familiar Long House emerged far down the street.

The Weird And Multicolored Detective Agency

The still new wooden sign hanging at the Long House door.

Push open the half-covered door, stepping on the creaky floor, along the narrow dark corridor, returned to that familiar door.

Swish swish——

From the half-open door opposite, came sounds of cooking, nearby came children's cries being reprimanded.

Taking out the key ring, Lu Li popped out the copper key plugging into the keyhole.

Click——

The damp smell like dregs of wood permeated the nose, Lu Li stepped into a silent and serene living room.

Anna wasn't here.

This time, he hadn't met Anna yet.

After a brief stop, Lu Li left the Detective Agency again.

He had work to do, even if everything before his eyes might be false.

"Going out? It's getting dark." In the corridor, the chubby landlord with a face oily reflecting under the oil lamp greeted slightly ingratiatingly.

"I brought an oil lamp."

A few dozen minutes later, Lu Li arrived at Da Vinci Boulevard No. 23.

Madam Anne's Art Gallery

Near dusk, only a weak oil lamp lit within the gallery's window.

The current owner of the gallery, Benjamin, was wiping the floor, without turning his head at the footstep sounds saying: "Looking to apply for the new staff?"

"A guest." Lu Li calmly answered.

With a polite rise, Benjamin hurriedly climbed up, putting the dirty mop into the bucket, sizing up the mysteriously nuanced, seemingly either rich or noble Lu Li: "My apologies, sir, we have already closed you may come tomorrow morning——"

Lu Li took out a handful of Shillings from his pocket, squeezed it into Benjamin's subconsciously open fleshy hand. Roughly skimming, it should be close to a hundred Shillings——

"I am a friend of the Bessey Family, heard the gallery opened here so came to have a look."

"Uh..."

The Shillings in the palm and Lu Li's 'acquaintance' status made Benjamin hesitate.

"But I still suggest you come back during the daytime." Benjamin hesitantly looked toward the increasingly dim gallery deeper inside: "You might not know, this gallery has begun to haunt at night recently..."

"I came just for that." Lu Li interrupted Benjamin again: "I am an Exorcist."

Benjamin's breathing suddenly became rapid a lot, hurriedly shoved back the Shillings Lu Li gave him as compensation to Lu Li: "These all for you! Please help solve the gallery haunting!"

Dong—dong—dong—

At the same time, the church's evening bell echoed through the street.

Benjamin's bulging flesh trembled on his face, leaving a line "This is now in your hands," not even bothering with the mop bucket before he couldn't wait to leave, leaving Lu Li and the entire art gallery.

Witnessing Benjamin's corpulent figure vanish, Lu Li lit the oil lamp.

The yellow light gradually spread, driving away the surrounding gloom. Holding the oil lamp, Lu Li with an echoing footstep sound entered further into the gallery's darkness.

He saw that oil painting titled "Madam Anne's Daughter."

The place depicted in the painting was within the manor, seen along the path dark green and pale pink flower beds and the residence serving as a backdrop.

Anna sat in the manor's chair, her dainty hands lightly pressed against the skirt hem, in a white Gothic pleated long dress delicate like a doll. The aristocratic girl's pose yet unable to hide the lively energy.

Some fine particles scattered across the oil painting, making the canvas somewhat uneven. Perhaps due to lack of protection, pigments also oxidized, giving the oil painting a slightly distorted and dull hue. This distortion towards a dark color counterintuitively endowed the portrait and Anna with a unique mottled beauty.

Like the weight of time.

Paused a moment, Anna didn't awaken from repose, Lu Li temporarily left the portrait, continued walking deeper.

A plaster statue as if a perfect artwork stood on the display stand. Once back at Seaview Cliff, Lu Li hadn't found it, the Jimmy siblings took it together for Paradise Valley. Only until now, Lu Li hadn't obtained any information about "Paradise Valley."

Lu Li returned the original path, without going upstairs, and didn't approach the central staircase with that Dracula portrait.

Now he didn't even have the Spirit-Calling Gun, no means whatsoever to combat the strange phenomena.

When Lu Li returned before Anna's painting, the just vacated gallery interior suddenly emitted eerie sounds of stones scraping against the floorboards.

And the dimly grayed mottled oil painting, that lovely and exquisite outline color was becoming distinct.

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