77: Infection Source: Door 77: Infection Source: Door On his return journey, Lu Li passed by a newsstand, taking note of the news about Tillage Garden and the ocean.
No news about the deep sea appeared, but the newsboy turned to a recent article related to Tillage Garden.
Lu Li purchased this copy of the Walson Post and quietly flipped through it while walking back—the remaining money was scarce, so he spent sparingly.
To the average person, spending 1000 Shillings for a few answers, equivalent to the salary of most people, seemed like an extremely foolish idea.
The only notions on par with this would be setting sail at night without an oil lamp or using a 100 Shilling note to buy nine 10 Shilling notes.
By the way, whether anyone has done the former remains unknown, but the latter truly has been done.
1000 Shillings could do a lot, like providing meat for every meal for a family of three for almost two months, buying several dozens of pounds of kerosene, or eating black bread until sick of it.
However, Lu Li felt it was worth it.
Exchanging money for knowledge, no matter what, was a very cost-effective transaction.
Especially for hard-to-acquire knowledge.
The content related to Tillage Garden was on the third page of the newspaper; Lu Li skimmed through the first two pages to confirm that the main content of the Walson Post was real-time news about the Ailen Peninsula before flipping to the third page.
[Himfast man refused change, furiously exchanges 100 Shillings for 90 Shilling worth of coins.
Some homeless people consider this to be art—]
[New route confirmed: to sail from Lennon Islands, passing through Barren Lands and Tillage Garden, ultimately arriving at Belfast’s Rodest Port.]
[Baron Joseph faced with a lawsuit—she will be prosecuted for invading privacy, unlawful imprisonment, inciting riots, assaulting males, and for not wearing underwear.]
This Baron Joseph frequently made the news.
After briefly pausing on the gossip, Lu Li focused on the news about the new route.
[Hodgkin Royal Sailing Company seeks to initiate reform, shedding outdated, conservative titles.
Its first steam-powered giant cruise liner, the “Kodasselson” (Barren Lands language, meaning: Immortal Giant) was launched half a month ago and will serve as the pioneer for the newly established route.
The new journey starts at the commercial port of Hasko in the Lennon Islands, passing the north coast of Barren Lands and Seaview Cape in Tillage Garden, before finally reaching Belfast’s Rodest Port.
The total sailing distance is 3500 nautical miles, estimated to take 23 days.
Hodgkin Royal Sailing Company states that they will start operating the Immortal Giant cruise liner from the port in a month’s time.]
In the newspaper, Tillage Garden was merely mentioned in passing; aside from knowing about a new route that passed through Tillage Garden and a place called Seaview Cape, Lu Li knew nothing else.
To learn more about Tillage Garden he would need books or to ask others.
The former was difficult to obtain geographical-related books, the latter about the same as newspapers—only letting Lu Li know, but not understand.
However, Tillage Garden was still far from Lu Li at the moment, both the problem and the distance were immense.
Tillage Garden could be investigated, but before that, Lu Li had more pressing matters to resolve.
Such as livelihood issues.
Such as those voices and the huge eyeballs emerging on the ceiling.
Her translucent ghostly figure was tied with an apron around her waist, as she commandeered a broom to clean the floor.
Lu Li nodded, then turned to close the door.
Anna was almost used to Lu Li’s calm, or rather indifferent, demeanor, continuing to expertly wield the broom like a conductor with an orchestra.
Lu Li sat down at his desk after returning, stacking the folded newspaper neatly in the corner with other piled newspapers.
He opened a drawer, pulling out the task list from the only book there.
Lu Li picked up the pen, prying off the cap, and added “completed” after the first line.
This task chain could now be considered complete.
Lu Li thought for a moment and proceeded to write down new content below.
[Important: Know where you are (completed) — Gather 1000 Shilling to trade more content with Hades (completed)]
[Important: Find the source of the anomaly]
[Secondary: Look for a new residence]
[Secondary: Buy books to understand more about this place]
[Secondary: Save up enough Shilling]
[Secondary: Understand Tillage Garden and the deep sea]
He capped the pen, packed up the pen and task list, and closed the drawer.
Anna was cleaning the bedroom floor; Lu Li sat quietly in his chair, contemplating the anomaly he had encountered with Hades.
Generally speaking, when you encounter a question without a source, it is a good idea to relate the question to other clues.
It might be futile, but it could help broaden your thinking.
That was what Lu Li did.
Unable to understand where the anomaly came from, Lu Li connected it with all the supernatural occurrences he had encountered.
He linked the anomaly to the first ghost, to the gallery, to the diary of James Campbell, to Hades, to the door in the sewer, to Mishelia, to the Illusion-Breaking Candle…
Lu Li’s gaze unconsciously fell on the corner of the table where an envelope, seemingly visible only to him, lay quietly on the surface.
…linked the anomaly to the letter invisible to others.
But it seemed far-fetched; apart from having no source, there was nothing similar or relatable between the two.
Not until Lu Li introduced a new clue: the diary of James Campbell.
The inquiry from the void and the emergent gigantic eyeball.
The unsigned letter of unknown origin.
The last entry in the diary of James Campbell suddenly flashed in Lu Li’s mind.
[I can’t hold on anymore…
I must stick to it to remain sane…
This is the last entry, I am going in.
If anyone reads this diary, remember— stay away from it.
When you hear it, they can see you.
When you see it, they can touch you.
Never touch them… Never… The door is open.]
“When you hear it, they can see you.
When you see it, they can touch you.
Never touch them,” Lu Li murmured the content, nearly on instinct, as he added a new clue: the door in the sewer.
This seemed to complete a critical juncture, allowing Lu Li to logically deduce through the four connected threads of clues.
Viewing the diary, Lu Li was contaminated by them, or rather, by some curse.
The door in the sewer he encountered afterward was one of them.
The door infected Lu Li, transforming him into a special individual like James Campbell.
If partitioning its infection into three stages, Lu Li was currently in the first stage: hearing.
This explained the unsigned, invisible letter.
It also explained the inquiry from the void and the eye that was about to open.
The speculation seemed ludicrous, but Lu Li could not think of any other possibility at the moment…
Just then, the telephone suddenly started ringing violently.