The Bizarre Detective Agency

[Haunted House]

– Location: Simpson Park

– Description: Belfast has never been a paradise for children. It constantly faces the corrosion of sea winds and the deadly smog from the industrial district, though conditions have improved slightly in recent times. Simpson Park, a representative of the city’s dreary environment, offers little more than a circus, a creaking carousel, and some shrubs and flowers. The newly constructed, meticulously designed haunted house, with its earnest staff, has been open for less than a month, and it severely clashes with the park’s overall atmosphere.

– Honestly, who would even pay to see such ghostly nonsense?

– Answer: Apparently, a lot of fools (pardon my bluntness) have spent money to see the staff dressed as ghosts, claiming that the performances feel incredibly real… But come on, why pay to see fake ghosts when you can encounter real ones for free?

– Backstory: This information comes from someone who was either curious or frightened by the haunted house. After visiting, the client had nightmares for several days and now suspects that the ghosts in the haunted house are real and not just actors. They are considering hiring a detective agency to investigate.

– Payment Offered: 50–200 shillings. The client is a modestly wealthy commoner and cannot afford to pay much.

– Note: A contact of mine at Simpson Park confirmed that aside from the haunted house’s opening, no other strange events have been reported in the park.

—

– Location: 23 Da Vinci District

– Description: Rumors suggest that sculptures move around the gallery at night and paintings come to life. In a place like Belfast, which has no real appreciation for art, it’s not surprising that people are scared of sculptures and paintings—decades ago, they were even afraid of cameras… Am I rambling?

– Anyway, several night-shift employees have quit, claiming that the gallery becomes terrifying at night, more despair-inducing than the ocean at midnight.

– Backstory: This information was obtained through private inquiries. It’s said that the gallery owner isn’t planning to hire an exorcist unless customers are attacked. However, they are currently hiring night guards, offering 20 shillings per night. Boss, you could give it a try—if you manage to catch a ghost, you’d have leverage to negotiate a higher fee. I hear the gallery owner, who’s new to town, is very wealthy.

– Payment Offered: Unknown. The gallery owner is reportedly stingy, especially since they haven’t seen a ghost themselves.

– Note: A contact in the Da Vinci District says the gallery’s business is struggling, unsurprisingly.

—

[Forest Phantom]

– Location: Stoffer Lumberyard

– Description: This commission comes from a group of lumberjacks who claim to see moving figures and hear strange voices in the forest every evening. They’ve observed from a distance several times, only to find that the apparitions remain even after nightfall. The lumberjacks hope someone can uncover the truth and drive away the ghosts. ɽἁ

– Backstory: This commission has been posted on the notice board for weeks but has been ignored. Those who can handle it don’t consider the payment worth their time, and those who need the money don’t have the skills to take it on. After asking around, I learned that the lumberyard is still shipping out several loads of timber daily, and the workers don’t seem to be in any trouble. Could it be someone playing tricks?

– Payment Offered: 180 shillings. Six lumberjacks are contributing 30 shillings each.

– Note: I don’t have contacts living in that area.

—

[Abandoned Asylum]

– Location: Outskirts of Rodster Port

– Description: Asylum, mental hospital—call it whatever you like. It reportedly closed down three years ago due to poor management. Since it was privately owned, the property has remained unsold and abandoned. Nearby residents claim to hear screams coming from the asylum at night.

– Backstory: After the asylum’s closure, all medical staff left, but some patients who were under supervision were allegedly forgotten inside.

– The client is a relative of one such patient—a cousin, to be precise. His cousin, Edward, was reportedly sent to the asylum after losing his sanity and hasn’t been heard from since. Too afraid to investigate himself, the client has posted commissions across several streets, looking for someone to enter the asylum and find his cousin.

– Payment Offered: 100 shillings. The client believes the asylum is merely eerie, with no actual paranormal activity.

– Note: A contact in the suburbs confirmed that the part about the patients being left behind is true. When the asylum was evacuated, some poor, homeless patients were abandoned. Hopefully, none of them were left locked in cages.

—

[Library Ruins]

– Location: Belfast Library

– Description: The ruins of Belfast Library remain untouched, a sad testament to the failures of both the government and its citizens. Fortunately, this has little to do with us.

– Backstory: This isn’t a commission in the traditional sense. The library’s former head librarian believes some books may have survived the fire and has advertised in the newspaper, asking residents to search the ruins for intact books (a copy of the ad is included). For every book recovered, the librarian is offering 5 shillings.

– Personal Note: I tried this myself. Aside from exhausting myself and nearly getting hit by charred debris, I found nothing. I’m listing it here only because I think you might find it interesting. If you’re really strapped for cash, you could try your luck—but don’t get your hopes up.

– Payment Offered: 5 shillings per book.

– Note: A contact near the library mentioned the possibility of wandering spirits in the ruins. People have reported seeing figures moving through the rubble at night without any lights.

—

Oliver had compiled a long list of commissions. After ruling out some with low pay and a high likelihood of encountering ghosts, Lu Li spread out the remaining options on the desk and ranked them by priority.

After reviewing the five commissions for the third time, Lu Li decided to make the haunted house his primary target.

Simply investigating whether ghosts were present could earn a decent sum of shillings—an opportunity Lu Li wasn’t about to pass up.

However, plans shifted when Oliver informed him that the haunted house commission had already been taken.

Lu Li moved on to his second choice: Madame Anlef’s Art Gallery.

While 20 shillings per night wasn’t much more than a shopkeeper’s wage, working the night shift meant Lu Li could only take on tasks after dark. However, he was well aware of one thing: earning money was never easy.

Cases like Henry’s, where someone duped their own father, were rare exceptions. With just a single Spirit Gun, Lu Li wasn’t yet capable of accepting commissions to eliminate ghosts like a true exorcist.

He still had much to learn.

The upper class likely had plenty of money, but Lu Li wasn’t ready to interact with them too much.

In the early stages of capitalism, businessmen and nobles were akin to a mix of vampires and hyenas—insatiably greedy and endlessly demanding.

Lu Li didn’t think he could handle negotiating with them on his own.

To avoid someone else taking the gallery commission first, Lu Li decided to visit Madame Anlef’s Art Gallery in the Da Vinci District that very afternoon.