Going to Himfast 315: 172.
Going to Himfast “How do I cut it?”
After confirming the effect of the Deep Sea Stone, Lu Li inquired.
“The same as normal stones, 10 centimeters can isolate spirits.”
“And vengeful spirits?”
This meant if Lu Li wanted his refuge to be sufficiently safe, his shortage would increase from four pieces of Deep Sea Stone to four hundred — and the refuge was only 10 square meters.
Hopefully, Anna’s family treasure was precious enough.
The merchant then handed Lu Li three newspapers, the smell of fresh ink indicating they had just been made.
A large stone and three newspapers cost Lu Li 7,290 shillings — the Detective Agency in the Long House was priced at only 2,300 shillings.
“Are the newspapers freshly made?”
He rubbed his fingertip on the text of the “Investigator Weekly,” and the printed words blurred on the paper.
Perhaps only a few hours old.
Lu Li had already learned from previous inquiries that the weekly was produced according to subscription numbers, without surplus, and that his request for outdated newspapers would be made individually, but a question arose, “Then why is there a price discount?”
“Timeliness and revenue.”
“The newspaper income is distributed to the Exorcists who publish the news; they don’t mind the extra revenue from past issues.”
Unintentionally, the speaker sparked the listener’s interest, as Lu Li was looking for ways to earn a large amount of shillings.
created a story significant enough to make the newspapers, maybe he could earn hundreds or thousands from the news.
It wasn’t much, but the advantage was that he didn’t need to actively do anything.
The premise was that Lu Li decided to take on the case.
Whether or not Lu Li would take on the case to earn money depended on the value of Anna’s family treasure.
Besides the newspapers and stone, Lu Li also purchased a piece of rotten meat and an eyeball, the former for 50 shillings and the latter for 100 shillings.
The rotten meat was a moldy piece no bigger than a fingertip.
It had no smell and was kept in a wooden box slightly bigger than itself.
When needed, it was taken out of the box for more than a minute, and nearby crows would detect it.
The eyeball was the same size and kept in the same kind of wooden box, from an unidentified creature.
Lu Li also inquired about the price of flashlights, receiving moderately good news: a flashlight could be taken for free before undertaking a mission.
Of course, they could also be purchased from the merchant, but the price was the same as that of the Spirit-Calling Gun, 500 shillings, with no discount.
After the merchant left, Lu Li had Anna test the specific effects of the Deep Sea Stone, such as whether it was possible to pass through and move the stone without further dampening her aura.
Anna still concealed some of her power, suppressing her strength below that of a vengeful spirit, and found she could only enter 8 to 9 centimeters into the Deep Sea Stone, unable to pass through or move it.
Just as the merchant said, 10 centimeters to protect against spirits, one meter to fend off vengeful spirits.
Anna returned to the kitchen to continue cooking, while Lu Li observed the roughly cut stone.
The Deep Sea Stone’s color is similar to that of obsidian, but not exactly the same; its black is not a pure black, it is intermingled with a barely noticeable blue, like the deep sea—perhaps that’s also the reason for its name.
The rough surface is like granite, close enough that one can smell an almost imperceptible scent of the deep ocean bottom emanating from the stone.
It was a good item, but unfortunately, it was expensive.
After the transaction, Lu Li began preparing for the trip to Himfast.
He rented a carriage, two days’ worth of food and water, a set of clothes, as well as an official and an internal map of the Ailen Peninsula.
Now just past 7 a.m., leaving shortly would allow him to arrive at Himfast in the afternoon.
Lu Li’s remaining money was 800 Shillings, and there were still four days until the next payroll for detectives.
Half an hour later, a carriage stopped outside the window, blocking out more light on an already gloomy rainy day.
Lu Li returned to the dim Detective Agency to finish his food, gathered the things he needed, and left with Anna.
As before, the sculpture stood guard.
Before departure, two letters and a newspaper were delivered to the Detective Agency.
One letter was tinged with an overpowering scent of perfume; the other was from Raimy & Jimmy.
The love letter was stuffed by Lu Li under the door while he carried the remaining envelope and newspaper onto the carriage.
He picked up the reins, and their crisp sound echoed over the wet cobblestone streets in the misty rain.
A few dozen minutes later, the carriage followed the main road to the highest point of Sugard Mountain, from where one could see both the bustling urban spread of Belfast and the desolate backside of the mountain, as well as the distant Agate Lake and the surrounding estate villas.
The road stretched into the distant mist of the fine rain, and the long line of carriages on it made one feel less alone.
Anna volunteered to take the map of Ailen Peninsula and the reins, hiding behind the curtains in the carriage compartment to drive the carriage.
Lu Li leaned against the swaying carriage, lit an oil lamp beside his leg, and opened the envelope that was slightly scented with perfume in the illuminated carriage interior.
[This letter is sent from Essex County, we got lost, which is to blame on that fool Jimmy.
Because of him, we had to keep as far away from human towns as possible.
Although we saw quite a lot of beautiful scenery on the way… it’s really not convenient.]
[But please don’t worry, if you’re reading this, it means we’ve already found a human town.
This letter was sent from a port town called Insmouth.]
[Although it wasn’t our initial destination, this place also produces gold and fish.
My brother and I intended to put some grains of gold we dug out from the river in the envelope to show you, but the locals seem to really dislike outsiders; they forbade us from approaching the river, and I can feel they are somehow watching us.]
[I’ve felt an uncomfortable gaze more than once.]
[I asked a merchant who often passes through this town; he said the locals are very hostile towards outsiders and that there might be some kind of cult here—the reason he is so sure is that he has never seen any elderly people in this town and there are several days each month when there is a strong fishy smell that feels like being in the middle of a school of fish, so much so that it makes one want to die when smelled from a carriage.]
[This place isn’t welcoming to outsiders; if you want to travel to relax, it’s best not to come to Insmouth Town.]
[After sending this letter, we will continue to the east; there’s a town called Shanjiao Town waiting for us there, which is close to the ‘City of Art,’ Himfast.
I wonder what Himfast is like?
Will it be as bustling as your city?]
[That’s all for now, if we find something interesting, we will include it in the letter to share with you.]
[Your good friends, Raimy & Jimmy.]
Still not a response.
An interesting point is that Raimy and Jimmy’s next stop is less than forty miles from Himfast, and they seem interested in checking out Himfast.
If it’s coincidental enough, Lu Li might run into them in Himfast.