Detective Agency of the Bizarre-Chapter 1343 - 183: Mayor Burb

Lu Li once found it hard to understand Hades’ obsession with wealth.

Those from the Land of Light who had come into contact with Hades attributed it to a mental illness—tragic childhood experiences or lifelong regrets.

When Lu Li first arrived in Belfast, he also had craved a considerable amount of Shillings due to necessity, but after completing his investigation and becoming an investigator, the significance of Shillings gradually reverted to the value of currency itself. Upon returning from the underground, the wealth at the merchant’s place became pure numbers he couldn’t carry.

But now, Lu Li somewhat understood Hades’ desire for money, because he felt the same.

Souls are the currency of Hell.

Currency can be exchanged for humanity.

"Eliminate threats? You want to help the town clear its hazards?" The Blue Blood Chief extinguished the subconscious scorn that arose again, perhaps this bastard marked by the Devil, who just made three guests permanently disappear from Beauty Lake Town, could really do it: "If you do it, I’ll ask the Mayor to allow you to become a resident of Beauty Lake Town."

"I need real compensation." Lu Li pointed to the waiter who was glaring at him: "At least let me have souls to pay."

"You want to earn money in town? Don’t even think about it." The Blue Blood Chief firmly rejected any pay-for projects: "They won’t break into town or affect us, and we won’t pay a penny for this."

Lu Li fell into thought, wondering what methods Hades would use to trick wealth if he were here.

"They do affect this town."

Mimicking Hades’ style, Lu Li’s gaze swept over the guests looking this way: "How long has it been since new guests visited Beauty Lake Town? The most important thing for a settlement is safety. No one... no feind likes to constantly encounter attacks on the way here."

"So true! I broke three legs on my way here, and they still haven’t healed! "

A Yong Demon perched on a seat raised the right side of its lower limb segments, with three of the comb-like densely aligned segments missing.

Being the self-proclaimed second smartest Demon in Beauty Lake Town after the Mayor, the Blue Blood Chief was intrigued by Lu Li’s hypothesis and found it reasonable—partly because of the Yong Demon’s considerable influence.

"Do you all think so too?" The Blue Blood Chief asked the other demons in the tavern.

"I think it’s absolutely right!" the waiter shrieked in agreement.

After all, Lu Li still owed it 1.3 shares of souls, and clearing the hazards might indeed increase travelers and improve the tavern’s business—anyway, it didn’t need to pay the bounty.

The guests agreed. Beauty Lake Town had nothing but wild winds and sand, with nothing allowed, so the chaos-inclined creatures were eager for some amusement.

The demons cheered, thumped tables, and clinked glasses, their raucous cries drowning out the wailing sandstorm outside the tavern.

The Blue Blood Chief looked down at Lu Li condescendingly: "I don’t make the decisions."

"You could take me to see Mayor Burb."

"... I’ll go ask Mr. Burbie."

The finally persuaded Blue Blood Chief left the tavern, and the demons couldn’t wait to cheer Lu Li on, blessing him for success, as if they were a group of kind people. Even the waiter stopped urgently demanding the 1.3 shares of souls as a bribe.

The Blue Blood Chief soon returned, and in the quiet tavern filled with expectant gazes, he announced, "Mr. Burbie wants to see you."

Amidst cheers and clapping, Lu Li calmly followed the Blue Blood Chief out of the tavern, walking up the Obsidian steps toward the upper layers of the rock wall.

Reaching the highest point of Beauty Lake Town, perched on the steep rock wall, stood an oblique roof-style Obsidian building. Entering the building, the doors, windows, and corridors were several times larger than those in the tavern, making even the Blue Blood Chief appear diminutive.

Knock, knock, knock—

In front of a delicate double-leaf carved door, the Blue Blood Chief knocked, silently opened the door, and respectfully bowed to a figure in the room, revealing Lu Li.

"Mr. Burbie, it’s here."

In a room brimming with literary flair akin to a noble’s study on the surface, a large silhouette sat in the special-made, bed-like chair, where only the armrests indicated it was a chair.

A noble-style crimson bow-tie coat covered revolting light-brown flesh, further obscured by an equally broadened desk.

In the context of Hell’s impoverishment, this Mayor must be quite wealthy.

Behind the chair was a wall of bookshelves, though Lu Li couldn’t decipher the florid script from a distance.

"Hohoho... was it you who came up with this devilish idea?" Mayor Burbie leaned forward with interest, reducing his chin stacked with layers of folds to one, sniffing the air forcefully: "I smell the devilish scent on our guest."

"The Devil Monarch marked it, so after death, it was dragged into Hell from the human world," the Blue Blood Chief answered.

"Who did you offend?" Mayor Burbie asked with interest.

"I don’t know. His domain is between the Main Affinity Continent and the Ailen Peninsula."

"Main Affinity Continent, such an ancient name..." Mayor Burbie fell into a reminiscence frequently observed in the elderly.

Lu Li observed it. Unlike the known or common Demons, Mayor Burbie lacked many demonic features, especially the evident traits of chaos. For instance, the nearby Blue Blood Chief, although an enforcer and adherent of order, still displayed chaos constrained within the framework of order. Mayor Burbie, however, didn’t emanate such chaos.

"Are you a devil?"

Lu Li inquired, not as an adjective but as a question.

"Hmm... I do have some devil’s blood." Mayor Burbie leaned back on the chair, layers of chins and the tightened buttons reappearing: "But don’t worry, devils hate devils the most, which is why Hell has never been unified."

"I’m very interested in what you said, human soul. How do you plan to cooperate?"

"Are there any bounty hunters here?"

"What’s that?"

"Clients publish bounties for hunts, and the tasked party completes the bounties."

"Like a mercenary corps?"

"More or less." Lu Li didn’t know about mercenary corps, but it didn’t affect his understanding of the meaning of mercenary representation.

"Alright, what about the next step?" Mayor Burbie continued to await with anticipation for Lu Li’s novel explanation he’d never heard before.

"First, I need to know their location and strength."

Mayor Burbie looked at the Blue Blood Chief beside him.

"Seven places, they’re no stronger than the three guests you killed, but more numerous."

"How many?"

"Between a dozen and hundreds."

That meant if luck wasn’t against him, Lu Li could increase his humanity by ten shares in Beauty Lake Town, and then receive compensation: "How much reward are you willing to offer?"

"How about following the mercenary corps’ pricing?" "You get as many souls as you hunt down."

Hades’ business strategy tempted Lu Li with room for bargaining, but Lu Li agreed directly: "Deal."

Extra compensation was already an unexpected boon. Even without rewards, Lu Li would have cleared the Hell Creatures around Beauty Lake Town, only they weren’t aware of this.