"Ddddddddd..."

The unique morning scent mixed with the fishy smell of the harbor drifted in from outside the window, blowing open the curtains, and wafting into the Detective Agency's living room.

Oliver curled up in the corner of the sofa, trembling all over.

"He's Oliver, my companion, Jojo's brother," Lu Li introduced.

"Hello, I'm Anna," Anna said, lightly lifting her skirt and giving a slight curtsey, observing noble etiquette.

Upon meeting new strangers, Anna maintained a certain level of reserve. Of course, Lu Li was an exception.

"Ddddddddd..."

Oliver's trembling increased violently, his jaw wouldn't stop quivering.

He awkwardly turned his head, not daring to look at Anna, with eyes full of plea looking towards Lu Li.

Ignoring Oliver's plea for help, Lu Li continued to introduce, "Anna, my family."

Nervously, it was Anna's turn. Her pale, ethereal cheeks flushed red like boiled shrimp as she retreated into the oil painting, fading to reveal only her back to the Detective Agency.

Anna's departure relieved Oliver's pressure instantaneously. He cautiously glanced at the portrait out of the corner of his eye, "Boss, I'm moved by your soul-stirring love, but as an ordinary person, I bless you but feel I don't fit in with this..."

Due to having spent only a brief time with Lu Li, Oliver's desire to back out was more resolute.

They had not yet had the camaraderie they would later experience.

Lu Li remained calm, allowing Oliver to leave.

"Uh... Boss, I mean, sir, how did you know about my sister?" Oliver asked, still worried.

"You told me."

"I told you...?" Oliver couldn't remember when, so he just bit the bullet and said, "My sister just wants to live a peaceful life..."

"I won't disturb her."

Oliver hoped Lu Li would keep his word. But growing up in the slums and on the fringes of society, he felt he should warn his sister to be cautious for the time being...

Oliver tiptoed to the door like a monkey.

Click—

"Do you know about the Vena Ice-Free Port?"

As he opened the door, he heard the calm words of his mysterious former boss.

"Uh...what? I know, it's in the northern part of the Main Affinity Continent, right?"

"It's going to be the center of human civilization in the future, with more opportunities and safety."

"I'll think about it."

With these words lingering in his mind, Oliver completely left the Detective Agency.

"He's gone."

As the Detective Agency returned to tranquility, Lu Li looked once again at the oil painting.

The distinct silhouette clearly separated from the mottled oil painting.

"It has nothing to do with him..."

Anna's voice echoed from within the painting.

"Then should I leave?"

Lu Li's "slowness" was intolerable for Anna, who floated out, exclaiming, "I think we're progressing too fast!"

"We haven't even gone out on a date, met each other's parents, or exchanged tokens of commitment—"

Anna's cheeks became redder as she spoke, like a young girl in the throes of her first love.

Then Anna saw Lu Li tighten his loose tie, grab the coat from the rack, put it on, and look at her.

"Now."

...

Swoosh—swoosh—

In the distance, the waves endlessly crashed against the rocks day and night.

The gentle tide gently caressed the light brown beach.

Away from the hustle and bustle of the streets and harbor, children picking up shells in the distant sandbanks walked amidst the serenity formed under the shadow of the withered woods, with the carriages on the street growing further behind.

Seagulls circled low, a poster was swept by the wind, landing at their feet.

[Belfast, where you're closest to the ocean and prosperity]

Clear eyes seemed to be emitting light, filled with surprise, "How did you know I like the beach?"

"You told me."

"Hmm..."

An odd expression appeared on Anna's face, wanting to say something, but soon immersed once more in the vastness and beauty of the bay.

"It's so beautiful... If the plants were to grow, no clouds, and the sun shines... perhaps it would be even more beautiful than the beach in the painting."

"That day will come."

Unfortunately, by then, Anna would no longer be able to witness it firsthand.

Two figures stood on the deserted beach. Even if looked upon from afar, it would be hard to discern that one of the outlines was illusory and not real.

"Was it when we were children?"

"What?"

"Did we know each other when we were children, and you remembered me then..." Anna refrained from expressing her imagined scenario of "a grown-up boy returning to Himfast to find his loved one already passed away, weeping at her grave, then hearing rumors about a haunted gallery one day, and the hopeful boy visiting the gallery where the prince meets his princess—".

"No."

The beautiful imagination shattered like a bubble.

"But I feel like you know me, know a lot about me..." Anna didn't give up.

"We met in the future."

Anna's cheeks blushed, interpreting it as a romantic sentiment. The romance novels and poetry she had read hadn't covered the theme of "time" or "rebirth", so she couldn't comprehend what it meant to be a lover returned from the future.

Soon, Anna's attention shifted back from the sea view to her side. She felt that they resembled a loving couple from an oil painting admiring the scenery, but Lu Li seemed uninterested in the vastness of the bay, instead surveying the surroundings and observing the streets behind.

"Don't you like the scenery?"

"The most beautiful scene is already by my side."

Unaware of the impact of his calmly delivered statement, Lu Li's dark eyes were fixed on the sewer below the embankment.

"I... I, we should go back..."

"Hmm."

Shoulder to shoulder, the contemplative Lu Li and the bashful Anna headed back along the coastal street.

Occasionally, that swinging ethereal white hand came close to Lu Li's hanging hand, overlapping and then passing through one another—

Back in the carriage, Lu Li didn't return to the Sailor District, but drove along the coastal street towards the port, buying a pen and some sheets of stationery from a roadside grocery store.

Writing slowly amidst the jolting of the carriage on the cobblestone road.

Anna peeked furtively from the carriage, barely recognizing the most repeated words on the two sheets of paper: "Marcus", "Richard", "sewer", "children", "a gate", "curse". Passing through the bustling port street, Lu Li pulled the reins.

"Wait for me in the carriage."

Lu Li said, heading towards a shop in the distance called [Love and Brotherhood Anres Brothers Underground Pipeline Repair Station].

"Deliver the letters to Tesla."

Handing the two letters to one of the Anres brothers behind the counter, Lu Li left the repair station and returned to the carriage to continue the journey.

Still not in the direction of Sailor Street.

On the edge of the affluent district, the carriage stopped in front of a standalone house with white walls.

"Wait for me."

Lu Li said, pushing open the door and entering Hades's Detective Agency.

Ding-ling—ding-ling—

The wind chime jingled crisply as Lu Li passed through the living room that resembled a closed pub, arriving at the counter and placing 500 shillings on the table.

"A Spirit-Calling Gun, 10 bullets."

Hades grinned, his golden teeth glinting under the oil lamp with a dark glow, "That's not enough, my friend."

"It's cheaper at the merchant's," Lu Li said placidly.

Hades gazed at Lu Li for a few seconds, confirming he was a fellow colleague and not an easy mark, then reached out to draw away the shillings on the table.

"Deal."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.