Fifteen. Mrs. Slav's Sorrow

The metal lock on the bolt barred Lu Li's way.

Without giving Lu Li any time to think, slow and heavy footsteps came from upstairs, approaching this side.

"Mr. Luli, where are you? No need to hide, come out quickly."

Glancing around the living room, Lu Li silently walked behind the desk and crouched down to hide.

Click—

Click—

Click—

The heavy dragging noise sounded like a death knell, approaching the living room step by unrelenting step.

The dust on the edge of the stairs was shaken off, and the thick legs beneath the flowered nightgown appeared between the banisters.

Mrs. Slav had reached the living room.

This beast-like barbaric woman stepped into the center of the living room, and a thunderous voice boomed, "So this is what you're into, Mr. Luli? You really are an interesting man."

Click—

Click—

Click—

The slippers grated against the wooden floor as Mrs. Slav moved again, starting to walk toward the desk, getting closer and closer.

Lu Li could already hear the oppressive and excited breathing.

Splat—

Just as Mrs. Slav was about to reach the desk, a faint noise came from the staircase, like the sound of a pebble rolling down or the inadvertent step on a protruding floorboard.

The footsteps paused, and Mrs. Slav's laughter erupted from behind the desk: "Mr. Luli, I have found you."

Thump thump thump—

The running footsteps of Mrs. Slav were like a battering ram, even the hall could feel it

Lu Li stood up from his hiding spot, his elusive and serene gaze towards the bend in the staircase on the second floor.

...

Poor, weak, and helpless Oliver cowered beside the bed, inwardly and outwardly filled with guilt and concern for Lu Li.

He dared not imagine what it would look like with Mrs. Slav on top of Lu Li.

Should he go help his boss? But Mrs. Slav could snap my neck with just one hand...

Amidst inner turmoil, the soil on the door was pushed aside, and an unexpected figure appeared at the doorway.

"Let's talk about what happened."

In the face of surprised eyes, Lu Li's tone remained calm as he silently closed the door.

Outside, some voices arose; some tenants had discovered the apartment door was locked and were asking Mrs. Slav.

The already deeply conflicted Oliver didn't hide anything and told Lu Li everything that had happened.

"So because I complimented Mrs. Slav, she thought I liked her and asked you to bring me over?"

"Roughly... roughly speaking, yes."

Oliver could think of no other reason, and Mrs. Slav indeed had shown an... infatuation with Lu Li.

Lu Li fell silent, leaving Oliver trembling with fear.

"The main door is locked; do you have any way to leave this place?"

Lu Li's voice rose, not dwelling too much on the matter of Oliver betraying him.

Oliver suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with hope. He opened his mouth to say something, but Mrs. Slav's footsteps echoed again in the hallway outside.

Oliver's face turned pale, and he quickly said, "Boss, you better hide, Mrs. Slav is coming."

Lu Li gave Oliver a deep look and hid behind the bed.

Click—

Click—

Click—

The approaching footsteps disappeared behind the door, and the doorknob slowly turned.

Creak—

The grating sound of the door opening resounded, and Mrs. Slav's figure blocked the entrance.

Oliver quickly approached with a look of surprise on his face, "Mrs. Slav, what brings you here? Have you already seen my employer?"

"Has Mr. Luli been here?" her gaze fell on Oliver like a lighthouse beam.

Oliver couldn't meet that penetrating stare and hung his head low. Suddenly, as if making up his mind, he raised his head and stammered, "He— he has been..."

"The boss said he was going to hide on the third floor, just left!"

"You did well, young Oliver," Mrs. Slav was pleased with his response. "If Luli becomes your employer, perhaps you won't have to spend a penny to stay here anymore."

"I wish you success, Mrs. Luli," Oliver respectfully bowed his head in a salute.

Only after Mrs. Slav had left did Oliver raise his head and close the door.

Leaning against the door, he sighed with relief and said to Luli, who stood up from behind the bed, "Boss, you can escape through the window!"

Oliver rushed to the window and flung it open, letting in a breeze that fluttered the curtain edges.

"What about the commission information?"

Luli's voice made Oliver pause, and with a thought, he dashed to the dining table, tidied up a stack of papers not far from the unwashed dishes, and handed them to Luli with excitement.

He thought this new job was over, but Luli's remark showed that he was still willing to enlist his services.

"Boss, I had no choice! If I die, please take care of my sister, her name is Joanna!" Oliver's frail form swelled with courage as he met Luli's gaze, "Now, hurry and go."

Oliver opened the door and shouted with all his might toward the hallway, "Mrs. Slav! My employer is here!"

After the shout, without looking back at Luli, his forehead struck heavily against the doorframe.

Bang!

A muffled sound, and Oliver collapsed to the ground, eyes rolling back in unconsciousness.

Luli, having silently observed everything, withdrew his gaze, glanced at the rapidly approaching footsteps in the corridor, and turned to head towards the window.

Black Gold Street bustled with passersby.

A figure falling from the sky provoked exclamations from the onlookers, their gazes shifting back and forth between it and the second-floor window, filled with surprise.

Luli, as if an outsider, brushed off the dust from his coat, donned his top hat, and his figure receded in the distance down the street.

...

"Why did Mr. Luli run?"

Mrs. Slav's tone carried a tinge of sadness. If one didn't look at her, she sounded like a woman who had been heartbroken by a man.

"Hiss...maybe... maybe you scared him, ma'am..." Oliver touched the swelling on his forehead, inhaling sharply from the pain.

With a dreadful gaze upon him, Oliver quickly added, "My employer is a very introverted person, and you're too enthusiastic, ma'am."

"Young Oliver, do you have any ideas?"

"Like...writing a love letter...?"

...

Bang—

The door slammed shut, blown by the wind.

The top hat hung on the coat rack, and Luli returned to the quiet Detective Agency, sat down in the chair behind the desk, and unfolded the newspaper for the day.

He saw nothing in the newspaper about the events that happened at the port the previous day.

It seemed definitive that something from the depths had encountered the Rod just yesterday at the harbor.

After quietly finishing all the content in the newspaper, including some advertisements, Luli took a book from the drawer and pulled out the paper.

[Important: Resolve the ghost wrapped around oneself (completed)]

He added the content in brackets, put down the pen, and thought about what to do next.

Luli hadn't yet decided if he wanted to become an Exorcist.

The world was already full of dangers, and Exorcists who confronted ghosts directly were even more at risk, which did not align with Luli's goal of understanding the world in peace.

So, he might as well aim to earn 1000 Shillings through commissions first.