Bizarre Detective Agency

   Chapter 31 Thirty-one. The country road takes me home

   "Athena and Ruth have been resolved. The remaining Anna oil paintings and sculptures will not attack people. It is enough for professionals who have joined the job to clarify the situation with them, and the gallery can operate normally in the future."

  Turn off the gas valve of the oil lamp, the flame is extinguished due to the exhaustion of oxygen.

   In the slightly deserted morning light, Lu Lili continued by the door: "By the way, one of the arms of the sculpture was broken during the exorcism yesterday, please ask someone to restore it."

"Okay, okay... Thank you very much, Your Excellency Exorcist. You saved the future of our Lady Anlei Art Gallery. I think your actions will definitely make this gallery more popular with local residents." Benjamin rubbed. The palm said excitedly.

   "So it's time to talk about compensation."

   "Uh..." Benjamin's smile froze, and he changed the subject: "How about we go to the gallery first?"

"Can."

  Lu Li nodded, not objecting to Benjamin's acceptance of the same behavior, which is common sense.

   After closing the door, Lu Li and Benjamin walked deep into the corridor.

   "This painting is called "The Pride of Heros", a scene when Heros III was sent to the gallows by our ancestors."

  Benjamin seems to intentionally introduce each painting, and will introduce it as he passes through an exhibit.

  Lu Li was not interested in this and kept his pace. Benjamin had to drag his bloated body behind him, skipping a few exhibits that were too late to tell.

   Lu Li didn't stop until he passed Anna's portrait.

Benjamin's eyes lit up, and he explained attentively: "This painting is called "Mrs. An Lei's Daughter", but we usually call it "Anna", which was painted by Mrs. An Lei in her manor when Anna was sixteen years old. You can see the artistic lines and colors, and the darker tones give it a special beauty of this era…”

   While Benjamin was chattering, Lu Li approached the portrait.

   He has not yet looked closely at the portrait.

  The place depicted in the portrait is in the manor, and you can see the dark green and pink flowerbeds on both sides of the path and the mansion as the background.

  Anna sat in the seat of the manor, her hands lightly pressing the skirt, and she was wearing a white gothic pleated dress that was as delicate as a doll. The aristocratic girl's attitude could not hide her lively atmosphere.

  Some fine particles are scattered all over the oil painting, making the canvas a little uneven. Perhaps because there are no protective measures, the pigments have also oxidized, making the oil paintings somewhat distorted and dim. But as Benjamin describes it, this distorted, darker color gives the painting and Anna a special mottled beauty.

"Mrs. Anne Ley is a famous painter in Symfast. After she passed away due to illness, this gallery was handed over to me by members of her family. As a businessman engaged in art, I am well aware of Mrs. Ally's Value, especially after she died er... I mean after she couldn't paint."

   "There are many collectors who will be interested in these works, such as this one in front of you. As long as you deal with the supernatural problems arising from it, I think you will be able to sell it for a high price."

  Benjamin talked nonstop from oil painting to Mrs. Anlei, and then from Mrs. Anlei to value, and finally revealed part of his intentions.

  Lu Li retracted his gaze, turned to look at Benjamin, and frowned slightly: "What do you want to say?"

   Under that gaze, Benjamin only felt his body go cold, but he had to bite the bullet and say, "I want to give you this "Anna" to cover part of the commission fee."

   He did this not only because he was stingy, but the most crucial point: he had no money.

   I have to say that Belfast is an artless place. The air here is only pungent smoke and the lingering smell of fish, and there is no soil for art to take root.

  Especially after the ghost time of the gallery spreads out.

   There were only 14 tourists in the whole day yesterday, and the next day's income was 70 shillings for a ticket of 5 shillings, and in addition to the salaries to three employees, he also had to bear the expensive rent—

  Benjamin pinned all his hopes on getting rid of the ghostly hidden danger.

   But with Lu Li's emotionless eyes and silence, his mood gradually fell to the bottom.

"Can."

  Benjamin raised his head in surprise, and his eyes, which had always been squeezed into slits by the fat, opened to the widest in history. He saw that Lu Li was holding on to the frame and was going to take off the oil painting, and he seemed to be familiar with the road - Lu Li saw Anna being so safe.

  Benjamin was very smart, turned around and ran to the depths of the corridor, and after a while there was a faint movement from the second floor. After dozens of seconds, he came back out of breath, clutching a layer of white cloth in his hand.

  Lu Li took it, just before and after the portrait.

   "Then please continue." Benjamin breathed out.

  Lu Li took a deep look at Benjamin and continued to follow him without saying anything.

   has been seen through the intention, Benjamin did not continue to introduce other collections to cover up - and he really needs a few breaths.

   "When did Anna die."

   When Benjamin's breath was no longer in a hurry, Lu Li asked aloud.

  Benjamin thought for a while and replied, "About half a year ago."

   "How old were you then?"

   "Eighteen."

   Walking to the sculpture during the conversation, as expected, Benjamin deliberately slowed down.

  Lu Li ignored Benjamin, looked at the sculpture, and noticed that the severed arm that was supposed to be in the arms of the sculpture was gone.

   "Where's your arm?"

  Benjamin held his breath and quietly took a few steps back.

The    sculpture didn’t answer, maybe it wasn’t awake yet, maybe it was unable to speak.

  Looking around the sculptures, Lu Li didn't find the broken arm, and turned to look at Benjamin.

   "If I find the broken arm, it will definitely be sent to your detective agency!" Benjamin hurriedly assured that a sculpture had returned to Luli's tone.

  Lu Li's expression was still calm, but his tone was slightly raised, with irony: "You sold two ghosts to the exorcist, and also let the exorcist pay for them?"

  Benjamin bowed his head in shame.

   "I want these two things, how much will you pay for the rest."

   "250 shillings!" Benjamin raised his head and answered quickly.

  Lu Li shook his head gently: "300."

  Benjamin nodded and said, "Okay."

  Lu Li said: "But just in case, I have something to inform you. I'm not sure if the sculpture is willing to leave with me, so if it sneaks back to the gallery at night, I need you to pay it accordingly."

"no problem!"

   Maybe because he knew that his behavior was really wrong, Benjamin agreed very readily.

   This is a win-win to some extent. Benjamin solved the hidden dangers of shyness and ghosts, and Lu Li exchanged 700 shillings for two ghosts who had good feelings for him.

  Benjamin was not stingy in the end. He rented a carriage, sealed the sculpture in a wooden box, and let the carriage take Lu Li all the way back to the detective agency.

  When Lu Li returned to the Lonely Detective Agency with the crates and oil paintings that stored the sculptures, even Lu Li couldn’t help but feel a little confusion in his heart.

   I went to exorcise myself, why did I bring two ghosts home...

   (end of this chapter)