Detective Agency of the Bizarre

The sound of the steam whistle from the bay echoed over Old Belfast as Andrea trailed into the dark waters.

This voyage would head to the Shadow Swamp to load five Banyan Tree Guardians and some twisted trees. The giant tree could hardly wait, but it was not suitable to migrate before a forest of twisted trees formed at the camp—when the trees were too few, it could not think, and even became a mindless plant.

The list of new residents has not yet been drafted, and the school facilities cannot accommodate so many people, so there is no need to migrate the seventh batch of residents for the time being.

Lu Li gave the sixth batch of residents a day of rest. The next morning, the Vine Cultists reported their physical condition: a dozen of the new residents showed symptoms of acclimatization issues, mostly middle-aged and older, but all were mild, with no severe low Sanity Value syndrome or other diseases. Mayor Matthias also wouldn't allow such patients to arrive in the Land of Light as elites.

Lu Li did not summon them immediately but had the Vine Cultists distribute "Basic Knowledge" and a copy of "Mysticology Level 1" to all of them.

In the afternoon, the first to be summoned were knowledgeable professors, doctors, some scholars, and a descendant of an Exorcist.

The Mother of the Marsh stood beside Lu Li as the representative of the Agate Lake Camp's bizarre forces, believing it was necessary to appear.

"I am Lu Li."

"I am the Mother of the Marsh, the most beautiful flower of Saint Mark, Roland Toya Aargon."

Lu Li did not waste time and directly assigned them tasks: The first two fields involved linguistics, science, and technology, so the school would be temporarily divided into linguistics, botany, science, mechanics, and mathematics. Starting from tomorrow, they would teach the residents, conduct weekly tests, and track residents who excelled in various disciplines.

Doctors received Level 1 and Level 2 alchemy books. They didn't have to teach classes for now, just learn how to make ordinary potions.

Lu Li finally looked at the calm young man who appeared to be his age: "Knowledge is poison, are you ready to engage with it?"

"For the glory of the Exorcists," he said, "the Kreya Family has long been prepared to contribute to the world."

Books containing Mysticism Levels 1 and 2 and a bottle of Sequence Potion were handed by Lu Li to the Exorcist descendant: "Take the Tranquilizing Potion before reading 'Mysticology Level 2'. If you experience auditory or visual hallucinations, stop immediately to rest or come to me."

They left Agate Lake, and Lu Li summoned the second batch of new residents: scientists, craftsmen, and other scholars.

These people made up nearly half of the ninety-four new residents, and the tailor was among them.

Some of them would, as per Lu Li's requirements, organize and record the knowledge from their respective fields, while the rest had to push the technological level of the Land of Light as quickly as possible to the Old Era. Merchant Anthony would help them collect blueprints and provide unlimited resources.

"I can't see this integration of science and mysticism you describe."

After they left, the Mother of the Marsh whispered.

Lu Li was merely allowing science and mysticism to appear simultaneously in the Land of Light.

"They come from Vena Ice-Free Port, where there was once firm opposition to the mystical side. Although hiding in the refuge zone has softened their stance, the large ship is hard to turn back. Before blending science and mysticism, we first have to let them know what mysticism is," Lu Li replied.

Survivors from Midnight City had a better advantage here. Compared to the Vena Neverfreeze Harbourers, who knew nothing about mysticism and did not reject science, Midnight City was more informed, as evidenced by scientist Sterling.

They simply didn't prioritize it.

The second batch of new residents summoned by Lu Li were descendants of legislators, lawyers, and nobles proficient in law.

"Why are you here?"

Among a few young people, Lu Li noticed a familiar face: Mayor Matteus's assistant, Valendo.

Indeed, there was a Valendo on the list, but what prevented Lu Li from associating with it was that there were also three Michaels and five Georges.

"Mr. Matteus arranged it secretly."

Valodo's emotions weren't overly excited, but he talked more, unable to hide secrets and thoughts: "The mayor believes the Land of Light should have someone you are familiar with and can trust, so he sent me over. As you can see, the talents you need all come from families and officials..."

Valodo frankly revealed the initial intention of his companions, who had lost their smiles.

"It doesn't matter. The Land of Light won't follow the old human systems." Lu Li's gaze fell on the young people who had turned pale: "The camp doesn't need too many rules for now. Just prohibit fighting and brawling, maintaining absolute equality among all residents, so that human residents will not be higher in status than the Bizarre Cultists, nor will the Bizarre Cultists be higher than human residents."

The population of Agate Lake Camp, slightly larger than a village, didn't need too many laws.

They would draw up the bills according to Lu Li's requirements, then send them to the wooden house on Lake Heart Island for Lu Li to revise and prune.

Valendo was left behind, though he felt uneasy, unrelated to Lu Li—it was the presence of the Mother of the Marsh, even doing nothing, standing there as an Alien God that brought unspeakable pressure.

Lu Li, by reason and affection, could ignore these, but Valendo could not.

"How did you do it?"

Before the last batch of new residents arrived, Valendo asked.

"Do what?"

"Make a group of... law-ignorant poor seem as normal as commoners." Valendo euphemistically described his prejudice against those people.

He despised both nobles and the poor, stemming from the dirty and ugly things he saw in the refuge zones.

"When survival is unassured, evil arises," Lu Li said calmly. "Bad people aren't born bad, nor are good people."

"Bad people aren't..." Valendo muttered in repetition, leaning more towards the idea that it was Lu Li's prestige and the presence of the Land of Light that stopped all residents from doing evil: "How do you plan to arrange those residents who know nothing?"

"Let them learn and join fields where they excel. Craftsmen, scholars, alchemists, or Exorcists."

"Exorcists?!"

Valendo was so shocked his expression could swallow several eggs if they were there: "Wouldn't it be blasphemous to make them Exorcists—"

"Exorcists never pride themselves on their identity but on their actions."

Lu Li understood the deification of Exorcists by people of the Weird Times and The Dark Era, but as previously mentioned—Exorcists were not born as Exorcists.

"Are they suitable?" Valendo fell into a certain hesitation and expectation.

"The Old Era's Exorcists had even lesser conditions, no Sequence Potion, no Homogeneous Item, only Spirit-Calling Guns or Exorcism Rapiers, and couldn't summon merchants in real-time."

However, Exorcists at that time also had harbors to rest, and danger wasn't as pervasive as it is now.

In any case, Lu Li was trying to rebuild the rules of Exorcists.

Valendo was so stunned by this news that he could hardly think, and he didn't even pay attention to what happened next, even forgetting to bid farewell to Lu Li, leaving Lake Heart Island in a daze.