A Thank-You Gift

Lynch realized that he was reshaping this era.

For under his guidance, the very first press conference in this world was currently underway.

The venue was not the docks, but city hall.

Having already obtained the memory, Lynch decided to blow the entire affair wide open in the grand spirit of causing as much chaos as possible.

Archbishop Trinlais reached out to invite his old friends, Duke Vane and Mayor Howard Hoffman of city hall, while Lynch personally went to invite Mr. V from the Watchers, as well as Director Holf of the Hall of Order along with his two capable assistants, Inspector Bruno and Inspector Walter.

This was a free windfall dropped right into their laps—solving a major treason case and gunning down a culprit on the spot who had been hiding in Rhine City for years while colluding with wanted criminals. For everyone involved, it was a massive achievement. The same went for Knight Rick of the Church of the Black Night. Recovering the stolen property and bringing the culprit to justice on the very same day not only protected the church's reputation, but was more than enough to offset the fault of losing the items in the first place.

Of course, this hinged on the treason charge being nailed down. But with irrefutable witness and physical evidence, and the dead culprit having blown himself up beyond the point of offering any defense, there were only benefits for everyone involved and zero risks.

Could something really be this good? At first, the trio from the Hall of Order hesitated to believe it, terrified that it was a trap. Only after confirming that members of the Church of the Black Night were involved did they feel safe enough to join in.

The only person who didn't care about these political benefits was Duke Vane. Given his standing, such achievements meant little to him, but he couldn't refuse the request of his old friend and the Church of the Black Night. Coupled with his desire for Lynch to complete the commission as soon as possible, he ultimately agreed to participate.

Thus, a press conference featuring the majority of Rhine City's official organizations commenced.

The leaders of these institutions were no fools; as soon as they heard the concept of a press conference, they immediately grasped its benefits. Under Lynch's guidance, they quickly learned how to control the room and address reporters. Lynch himself, however, had no desire for deep contact with the media. Having already been quite prominent during the operation, he remained hidden behind the scenes throughout the press conference and never showed his face.

The results were phenomenal. At the conference, an operation where official organizations across Rhine City cooperated wholeheartedly to foil a treasonous plot was presented to all the media. The mysterious details of the case, the cruel and malicious enemy, the thrilling pursuit, the last-minute interception, and the culprit's final, heart-stopping self-detonation left over fifty reporters from fifteen newspaper agencies completely spellbound.

It seemed Jefferson's charge of treason was firmly established. There were no immediate lingering concerns regarding this matter, though it remained to be seen whether other cultists from the Flicker would cause further trouble.

Only then did Lynch breathe a sigh of relief. Carrying the Red Moon Memories that finally truly belonged to him, he quietly slipped out of city hall and returned to his second-floor apartment at 221 Villa Avenue under the glow of the setting sun.

The living room was a bit untidy. While Lynch had been away that afternoon, workers supervised by Mrs. Maggie had come to install the safe. The thick cast-iron safe was exceedingly heavy, requiring two burly men just to move it, making it look exceptionally secure.

From now on, dangerous mystery relics and his pistol would be locked inside.

It wasn't that he was worried about little Martha touching things. Based on the little girl's behavior over the past two days, she truly seemed repentant and wouldn't tamper with dangerous items.

However, public security in King District was regrettably poor, so locking up these valuables was safer. The current items were manageable, but if he acquired more dangerous destruction grade or disaster grade relics in the future and a thief stole them, it could trigger a catastrophe. This was for the protection of both the thieves and the neighbors.

Lynch changed into loose loungewear, slipped into his slippers, and collapsed comfortably onto the soft sofa. Holding the figurine-sized Red Moon Memories statue in his hand, he gazed at it and fell into deep thought for a long time.

After seeing Lady Luna's memories earlier that afternoon, Lynch had formed a vague conjecture.

That must have been the world-ending catastrophe at the end of the First Age. Watching the demise of countless living beings, Lynch felt an overwhelming sorrow and a bitter unwillingness to accept that outcome.

Unfortunately, everything had already come to pass and could not be altered. She had remained asleep within the memories of living beings ever since. But her sudden movement this time... could it mean...

A chill ran through him as an ominous foreboding settled in his heart. Something terrible wasn't about to happen again, was it?

Lynch had always disliked owing favors, even if the party involved was a fallen god.

Lady Luna had stayed by his side when he needed her most, helping him through his hardest days, and ultimately helped him enter his current body to embark on a new journey.

She definitely had her own agenda and needed him to do something for her. But regardless of her motives, he undeniably owed her a great deal. One must settle debts and return favors; having received such immense kindness, he had to repay her.

The issue was that this awkward deity stubbornly refused to state what she wanted him to do. Lynch could actually understand her reasoning to an extent—she didn't want to place shackles on him or force him to bend his will just to repay a debt, which was why she had refrained from offering substantive suggestions ever since his transmigration. Still, I want to repay you. Isn't keeping silent like this making things hard for me?

【You are a good person, Lynch.】

‘Why are you suddenly insulting me...’

【Heh, it's the truth. You've done very well, and I am quite satisfied. As for my goal, it is actually far more complex than what you've guessed. You don't need to overthink things right now—just do as you wish. When you reach the point where you can touch upon it, you will naturally understand.】

‘I see. It seems those aren't things I should be worrying about "right now." Heh, understood. I'll pick up the pace.’

【Mm.】

Lynch chuckled and tucked the Red Moon Memories close to his chest. Right now, these memories were of no practical use to him; only after absorbing the lost divine authority of the Red Moon would they serve as tools to help him activate his next authority.

“Mr. Levive, you have visitors.”

Just as he stowed the statue away, Mrs. Maggie's pleasant voice echoed from the doorway.

Hm? More guests?

Lynch looked up in surprise, only to find that Mrs. Maggie looked even more startled than he was. Her eyes were filled with sheer disbelief, laced with a hint of reverence.

Yet no matter how he asked, Mrs. Maggie refused to say who it was, nor did she invite them up to the second floor, instead urging Lynch to go downstairs to meet them.

Lynch was completely baffled, but he followed Mrs. Maggie downstairs anyway.

Two people stood in the hallway downstairs: Trinlais and Rick. They had likely rushed straight over right after the press conference concluded, still wearing their formal priestly robes—one six-star and one eight-star.

What was there to be so worked up about? Lynch was taken aback, but then it occurred to him that for the natives of this world, this was probably terrifying.

It was like a believer in his past life opening their front door one day only to find the Pope smiling standing outside. Mrs. Maggie's reaction was already remarkably composed.

The question was, what were they doing here? Had something gone wrong at the press conference?

Lynch felt a surge of tension, but before he could ask, the archbishop smiled and spoke:

“Mr. Levive, you left in such a hurry. Did you forget something?”

“Huh?”

“We made an agreement this morning that if you successfully completed the commission, we would offer an item as a thank-you gift.” Trinlais clapped Lynch on the shoulder warmly. “Due to today's events, Rick must depart for Norin tonight to report the situation. Before leaving, he insisted on handing the gift over to you in person, so we had no choice but to drop by unannounced. We hope this lady doesn't mind the intrusion.”

Clink, crash.

In her overwhelming excitement, the teacup in Mrs. Maggie's hand shattered onto the floor.