No one knew who the Traders were—at least, not the exorcists who saw their line of work as nothing more than a job. Such n never bothered to ask.
Gades, for instance.
And yet, the Traders were a true enigma. Most of them wore grimy cloaks and weather-beaten scarves that concealed their faces, their backs burdened by old, heavy rucksacks. They were a taciturn and reserved lot.
The Traders sought out exorcists of so repute, appearing unbidden to offer their wares. But their business wasn't limited to the contents of their rucksacks. They also dealt in obscure information, bartered for items, and peddled strange curiosities.
Spirit Guns, Silver Bullets, and Truth Candles—these were Gades's most frequent purchases from them.
It was a rare thing indeed to hear one of them say, "I can't do that. Ask for sothing else."
If they agreed to a transaction, they would deliver the requested item on their very next visit.
They typically knocked early in the morning. If the door remained unanswered after the tenth knock, they would depart. Their appearances were unpredictable; they might return in a few days, or it could be several weeks.
That was the extent of Gades's information on the matter.
He explicitly warned Lu Li not to be a fool and try to attack the Traders. One greedy exorcist had made that mistake, and the Traders had blacklisted him completely, refusing to deal with him even through interdiaries.
The prevailing theory was that the Traders were connected to the secretive Spirit Hunters Association.
That would explain why they chose to deal exclusively with exorcists.
Lu Li grew thoughtful. The Traders sounded like a more capable, upgraded version of Gades. Consequently, the assistance they could offer would likely be far more substantial.
Naturally, their prices would be much steeper as well.
Unfortunately, they couldn't be sought out. To make contact, Lu Li's only option was to wait for them to appear at the door of his detective agency.
Lu Li changed the subject. "What do you know about the Night's Watch and the Investigators?"
"Investigators?" Gades, leaning against the bar, shot Lu Li a peculiar look. "Ordinary folk don't know about those secretive types. You've run into them?"
Lu Li's silence was his answer.
"Looks like sothing went down in the Shadow Swamp..." Gades mused, rubbing his chin. "Of course, I can tell you about the Night's Watch and the Investigators, but..."
"I still haven't paid you for the information on the Lightfruit," Lu Li said, knowing exactly where this was going.
Gades's narrowed eyes flew wide open. He slamd a fist on the counter, his expression one of pure indignation. "Are you trying to blackmail
with my own paynt?!"
"All you did was flip through a few pages," Lu Li answered, his voice even.
"Er..." Gades stamred, tucking his stinging hand behind his back. "To put it simply: the Investigators go looking for trouble, and the Night's Watch cleans it up."
Both the Investigators and the Night's Watch answered to the Council of Elders and were officially sanctioned organizations.
The forr tended to work alone, traveling across land and sea to explore the world's mysterious and dangerous desolate places. The latter were a highly structured organization, operating in squads to eliminate the threats uncovered by the Investigators.
It was hard to say which profession was more perilous.
Investigators confronted the unimaginable, learning and retaining knowledge that eroded their Mind Level. They were like moths drawn to a fla, living by the grim principle that the more you know, the sooner you die.
The Night's Watch, on the other hand, was tasked with eliminating these phenona. They were shielded from most of the mind-eroding information, allowing them to focus solely on their objective. But to solve a problem ant to confront it directly, and they were forced to fight these entities to the bitter end—until one side was utterly destroyed.
From Lu Li's perspective, the work of an Investigator better suited his own pursuit of knowledge.
"How do I contact them?"
"I don't know."
Gades truly didn't know.
To preserve that ignorance, he actively avoided learning about things like the Mind Level.
Gades might have suspected many things, but he had no desire to delve any deeper. He valued his life above all else—except, perhaps, for shillings.
Realizing he would get nothing more from Gades, Lu Li departed. A mont later, an infuriated roar echoed from the tavern: "Where's my money, you scoundrel!"
...
The sky had nearly darkened, with only the last vestiges of twilight lingering in the west.
Lu Li returned the wagon to the rental stable, collected his deposit, and started on his way back.
The rain fell steadily as he walked, a tall figure under a black umbrella. In his hand, an oil lamp cast a dim, flickering glow upon the quiet cobblestones.
Lights began to flicker on in the houses lining the street, holding the encroaching darkness at bay. The number of pedestrians dwindled until he was nearly alone, and none who remained walked with such a deliberate, unhurried pace.
His trip to Tenebrae had left him with an aversion to the dark.
But the nights in Belfast were nothing compared to what he had endured in that hut in the Shadow Swamp. A sailor who survives a hurricane no longer fears the swelling of the waves.
The beam from the lighthouse on the reef cut through the darkness and the driving rain, sweeping over a patch of the sea, a guiding beacon for any lost ships.
Lu Li stood silently at the railing. Before him, the beach stretched into the gloom; behind him lay the quiet, tavern-lined streets.
He watched the silhouette of the lighthouse against the rainy night until a chill finally seeped into his bones, and then he turned toward the laundromat on the sa street.
He had only taken a few steps when he saw a dark figure in the distance, slowly approaching.
The man was unshaven, his hair a tangled ss. He walked with an unsteady gait, muttering to himself.
"Evelyn... Evelyn..."
As the man drew near, Lu Li called out unexpectedly, "Harben?"
"You... you know ?" The man looked up, startled, his eyes dull and vacant as they focused on Lu Li.
His pale face was etched with suffering, and his soaked, coarse-spun clothes clung to his thin fra.
Lu Li's gaze fell to the man's little finger, the top half of which was missing.
"Go ho. Your wife and son are waiting for you."
A flicker of clarity returned to Harben's bloodshot eyes.
He lifted his head again, peering intently at the face beneath the umbrella. Harben opened his mouth to speak, but Lu Li had already moved past him.
Harben watched him go, his eyes fixed on Lu Li's back until he disappeared through a nearby doorway.
Turning away, he continued on, stumbling through the rain. A forgotten purpose began to surface, a flicker of clarity in his tornted mind.
Ho...
Harben stumbled his way to Sailor Street. Everything here seed at once familiar and strangely alien, as if an unseen voice were calling his na.
He walked up to one of the houses and pushed on a door that was already ajar.
The hallway was quiet. Harben paused before an unlocked door, then slipped silently into the room...
A wave of warmth enveloped him, pushing back the chill of the street. An oil lamp cast a soft glow over the room.
A woman was lying on the bed, her arms wrapped around a small boy curled beside her.
"Evelyn..." Harben's voice was a trembling whisper as tears stread down his face. He reached out a dirty, calloused hand and gently caressed her cheek.
"I'm back..."
...
Evelyn's eyes fluttered open. She slowly sat up, looking down at the boy in her arms. Tear tracks still stained his cheeks.
She glanced around the room, bewildered. The door was still shut.
A profound sadness filled Evelyn's eyes.
For a mont, she had thought her husband was there with her.
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