Repayment

Rolling wheels crushed the sunset, as vendors pushed their carts, scattering from Charles Square amidst the lingering glow of the setting sun.

Through the carved glass windows on the second floor of 221 Villa Avenue, a Victorian-style tableau of life slowly unfolded.

Watching the people returning home outside the window, Lynch suddenly realized he was becoming more and more like someone from this world.

Only six days had passed, from the evening of the 13th to the 19th, yet he felt he had already grown accustomed to this strange transcendent world.

Clad in Victorian-style attire, moving between carriages and railway tracks, using gas appliances and ancient machinery, he interacted with nobles, capitalists, and workers. Most importantly, his mind was filled with eerie and dangerous thoughts of evil gods, mysterious entities, and occult matters.

He felt increasingly distant from his ordinary, working-class life back home; perhaps this was one of the costs of embarking on the path of immortality.

Sighing, Lynch closed the window, sat on the sofa, and picked up his crucial detective notebook.

Yes, he had finished his surveillance task and returned home.

His investigation at city hall yielded nothing; none of his targets were present, and their office doors were locked. However, Lynch wasn't disappointed, as the information gained from his cooperation with Miss Valente was more than enough to compensate for everything.

As for the grudge over a cup of coffee, he had noted it down. Foolish nobles, he would surely repay them twofold in the future.

This was, of course, just self-amusement. In truth, Lynch was in good spirits. With Miss Valente's information, he had largely completed the puzzle.

The sewer ghouls, in order to excavate Zur-Baha-Sahr, had colluded with Chairman Grant, offering free labor in exchange. That man-eating mystery relic from before might even have been provided by them.

This was likely one of the key points of Duke Vane's commission. Lynch mused that he had probably touched upon the core of the task. As long as he followed the clues, found evidence of Zur-Baha-Sahr's existence—no, he had to go further and find evidence of Mordiggian's will fragment slumbering deep within Zur-Baha-Sahr—then he would be worthy of the agreed-upon reward: the Crimson Lady, Luna's first memory. As for the Cat Baron's second commission, it would likely require further investigation, understanding Mordiggian's purpose, and then thwarting it before he could comfortably accept the payment.

Both of these rewards were hard-earned, requiring him to fight for his life. Yet, Lynch didn't resist; in fact, he felt quite comfortable, because...

Lynch put down his notebook and picked up a letter whose wax seal had already been broken.

The envelope was made of exquisite paper, black with a scattering of stars. The wax seal was an emblem of a scepter wreathed in starlight, immediately identifying it as coming from the Black Night Cathedral.

Dear Detective Levive,

You are cordially invited to a meeting at the Black Night Cathedral at 9 AM on the 20th. The agreed-upon item has received permission from the Papal Seat and will soon arrive in Rhine City. I hope you can join me in receiving it.

Sincerely, Trinlais.

Lightly tossing the letter back onto the coffee table, Lynch leaned comfortably into the sofa, chuckled softly, and felt a surge of goodwill.

These two old schemers, cunning and treacherous, had pulled an ordinary man like him into such a troublesome affair when he needed help. But at least their sincerity was evident, and risking his life for them wouldn't be a loss. Besides, it wasn't just for them. Rhine City was his new home. While he could flee Rhine and live in another city, could he truly bear to watch his landlady, the naughty child, and that fierce woman fall into danger?

Smiling self-deprecatingly, Lynch had long since stopped hesitating. He reopened his notebook and meticulously recorded all the latest clues.

Next, he would follow Miss Valente's lead, delving deeper into the collusion between Grant and the sewer ghouls. Those creatures seemed far more volatile than the hillmen, and they tore apart train carriages like toys, making them extremely dangerous. His life-saving Divine Authority could only be used once for now, so he had to act with extreme caution.

However, he couldn't fully trust Valente's information. He also couldn't relax his guard regarding the hillmen, though their whereabouts were currently unknown. If he found their trail, he would have to pursue it.

Before that, he would still go to the Black Night Cathedral tomorrow to meet Trinlais, if only to express his gratitude.

As he was outlining his action plan in his notebook, footsteps suddenly echoed at the door. Lynch looked up to see two bright clumps of golden hair, one tall and one short, ascending the stairs.

Officer Natalie had already safely brought little Martha home, and he had seen them earlier when he returned. So Lynch wasn't surprised. What did surprise him was that Mrs. Maggie rarely came upstairs when he was home. He quickly rose and invited Mrs. Maggie into the living room, discovering that both ladies were holding his formal Ranger uniform.

“It's all cleaned, and the damaged spots have been sewn up, Mr. Levive,” Mrs. Maggie said with a soft smile. “Please try it on.”

“Hmm? There's no need to try it on right after it's been washed, is there?”

“Ah, you misunderstand. While cleaning it, I noticed some parts of this outfit weren't quite right for you.”

“You can tell that?”

“Because I used to be a seamstress, I'm quite sensitive to such things,” the landlady said, shaking out the clothes for Lynch and chuckling softly. “Please try it on, and I'll alter it for you tonight. If you don't mind, I can alter your other clothes too. I see all your clothes are ready-made, which are never as fitting as handmade ones.”

“Oh, I couldn't possibly.”

Lynch's face flushed, his body stiff as a stone, as he allowed Mrs. Maggie to put the clothes on him. Her fingers then lightly moved over him, making his heart race.

“Please give me a chance to repay you, Mr. Levive,” the landlady murmured softly, her head bowed as she took his measurements. “Martha behaved so poorly towards you then, yet you not only didn't hold it against her but were also willing to teach her right from wrong. That should have been my job as her mother, but I only spoiled her, which makes me utterly unqualified. If we hadn't met you, I truly don't know what would have become of that child. These past few nights, I've been waking from nightmares, dreaming of her doing terrible things. So, you might not understand how grateful we are to you.”

Lynch's face grew even redder, his gaze drifting. He then saw little Martha hanging onto her mother's leg, sticking her tongue out at him, though her eyes were red-rimmed and her gaze softer than usual.

“She also told me when she came back that you not only truly cared for her but also protected her from any threat when danger arose. We truly don't know how to repay you. I can't do much else; the only thing I can do is take better care of your daily life.”

“Well...”

“You taught Martha to do what's right, and isn't being grateful the right thing to do? You can't teach her how to act and then not let her practice it, can you?” Mrs. Maggie said with a hint of mischief in her eyes, covering her mouth as she whispered, “Or perhaps you'd prefer us to repay you in ‘another’ way?”

“Alter the clothes, just alter the clothes!” Lynch's hair stood on end, his head seemingly steaming. He dropped the uniform and turned to bolt downstairs. “I-I-I heard the water boiling downstairs, I'll go check on it.”

“Pfft.” Mrs. Maggie's cheeks were also flushed. Biting her lip, she let out a small smile, gently hugging her daughter. The two pretty faces pressed together made the scene in the room especially beautiful.