"Absolutely not, it is not up for negotiation."
The rigid Mr. V stared expressionlessly at the man and woman before him, who were, of course, Lynch and Officer Natalie.
After leaving Maya's cell, Lynch had first made a trip to the Scarecrow Club.
The chaos in the Cross District had subsided. The hillmen had finally been driven out of the city by the Watchers, and their whereabouts were unknown.
This was the limit of what the Watchers could do. Lynch only learned from V at this moment that the hillmen possessed legal status.
Tens of thousands of hillmen lived in the Carlos Mountain Range, and they shared a unified designation: ethnic minorities of the Kingdom of Lande.
Therefore, as long as these hillmen did not cause a sensational incident, it was inconvenient for the Hall of Order to interfere in whatever they did. Otherwise, it would trigger a massive public opinion storm. This reminded Lynch of stories about being unable to breathe back home, and he felt deep sympathy for them.
The only reason they were driven away this time was that their leader, Nicolai, a high-end combatant, had entered the city without prior notification. Otherwise, even if they refused to leave, the Hall of Order could only keep them tightly surrounded to prevent them from causing trouble.
The ghouls in the sewers were also nowhere to be found, but these alien beings that relied on the city's sewers to appear and disappear unpredictably were always this mysterious.
In short, the entire Rhine City had returned to a surface calm. As for the undercurrents beneath the water, they were at least not much related to ordinary people.
"Having the Watchers dispatch reliable personnel to be responsible for care is a request that is fine; we can take very good care of that reporter. But all living supplies are to be provided by the Watchers? That is absolutely impossible. The Watchers' funds also rely on royal appropriations. How do you expect me to explain this expenditure to headquarters? Tell them we are secretly raising a ghoul? And look at what you wrote on this list? YXL cosmetics? JFX fashions? Things I cannot even afford to wear, and you want us to provide them to a reporter for free? Lynch Levive, reimbursements must be within a reasonable range. You cannot abandon basic logic just for the sake of reimbursement."
Lynch looked distractedly at the gas lamp overhead, discovering for the first time that this object was so attractive.
"And you, Natalie Angel. You have only known him for a few days, and you believe everything he says? Even bringing him to me to cause trouble?"
Officer Natalie was busy stuffing small pastries from the coffee table into her mouth. Upon hearing this, she looked up in astonishment, wearing an expression that said, 'You can scold him if you want, but why are you dragging me into this?'
Mr. V was filled with despair, feeling as though the cabbage he had raised had brought a pig along to root through his garden, which made the look he gave Lynch grow increasingly fierce.
"Uh, actually, it can be explained." Realizing that old grudges and new grievances were now intertwined, Lynch had to clear his throat and explain sincerely, "I have a suggestion that you could propose to headquarters. I think this concept is quite forward-looking and feasible."
"Including the YXL cosmetics and the JFX fashions?"
"Cough, cough, that might have been a slip of the hand when I was writing it down."
"Hmph, speak."
"A witness protection program. Every law enforcement department should secretly prepare a few safe houses to provide concealment and protection for key targets. For government appropriations, a few safe houses would not cost much, but the effects would be significant. You are much more professional than I am; you should understand that this is not an excuse."
Mr. V rested his chin on his hands, lowered his gaze, and pondered in silence. After a moment, he said in a low voice, "Continue."
"The greatest suspect in the Square incident right now is Grant, and Maya is the key witness who can identify Grant colluding with the sewer ghouls. I probably do not need to tell you how important she is to the Watchers. There are certainly many similar cases. If there could be a witness protection program that establishes fixed regulations, it would be of great help to both the Watchers and the witnesses themselves. More importantly, for the person who proposes this regulation, even if there are no substantive benefits, at least in terms of reputation..."
"That is enough, you do not need to say any more. The expenditure for the witness protection program must be limited to a reasonable range, and every specific expenditure will certainly have to undergo strict review. In any case, YXL and JFX are absolutely not allowed."
Lynch revealed a subtle smile. Officer Natalie had successfully finished eating a small cookie.
"You have succeeded again this time. All 'reasonable' expenses during the period the female reporter is under protection will be provided by the Watchers. Protecting citizens is the duty of us, the maintainers of order. However, you had best provide a deadline; it is impossible to protect her indefinitely."
"Maya asked that as well, but the deadline is really hard to say. It depends on the specific results of the investigation."
"Do you already have a target?"
"Yes. The ghouls—the hillman ghouls and the sewer ghouls—moved simultaneously to hunt down Maya. I fear it cannot be a coincidence. I think they very likely know what happened to Maya."
"And so?"
"I am prepared to start with the sewer ghouls, or rather, start with Grant. Since they just lost track of Maya, as the two cooperating parties, Grant and the sewer ghouls must have had an exchange of information. Contacting ghouls is dangerous and easy to be discovered, but Grant is an ordinary person. Eavesdropping on some information from him should be no problem. If I cannot find satisfactory clues from them, then I can only try the hillmen. Since they have legal status, that is actually easier to handle. As long as I can find their foothold, I can openly go to them."
"Do you know their foothold?"
"I do not, but someone else does."
"That makes sense. You can give it a try, but be careful. Once there are signs of danger, notify us immediately. We will not stand by and watch our allies put themselves in harm's way. Then, the security work for the female reporter's hiding place and all reasonable expenses during this period will be the responsibility of the Watchers, but your investigation results..."
"Will, of course, be completely shared with the Watchers."
Having finalized the protection work for Maya with Mr. V, Lynch had completely resolved his worries, and his mood was excellent.
After lingering in Officer Natalie's room 304 to drink two cups of coffee and eat a small cupcake, he was finally chased out of the bedroom by the officer after accidentally picking up a throw pillow to knead it, and he was pursued all the way to the bar on the first floor before she stopped.
Lynch could only scratch his head sheepishly and lift his boots toward the bearded Truen, who was laughing heartily at his misfortune. Seeing his expression instantly turn awkward, Lynch finally regained his good mood and left the Scarecrow Club at a leisurely pace.
May 19, 1399, 14:00.
Only a few days had passed, but people seemed to have forgotten the tragedy at the square. Crown Square had returned to its former bustle.
In particular, several cafes at the entrance of the city hall were already filled with passing pedestrians. The sun was intense, and the pedestrians were hiding in the shade of the cafes, enjoying a rare, cool respite.
Lynch did not hide himself. He had changed into a linen shirt, wore a flat cap, and sat at an outdoor seat at a cafe, using a newspaper to block his face.
Actually, he had intended to sneak directly into the city hall to stake out the area near Grant's office. However, just as he was passing this cafe, the gentle voice of Lady Luna rang out in his mind once again.
【Karina's Exquisite Makeup.】
Hmm?
Diana of the Valente family?
Lynch's heart stirred. He sat down calmly and, using the newspaper as cover, quietly observed the people around him.
Rate on N.U.
