Call of Death

The clatter of hooves rang loud as five nearly identical carriages sped down Rhine Avenue under the setting sun.

It was just past five in the evening, peak rush hour for Rhine City's main thoroughfare, yet the road beneath the carriages was entirely empty—bereft not only of other carriages, but even of pedestrians.

Every ten meters, a pair of blue uniforms stood on either side of the street, completely blocking it off. Burly and equipped with truncheons, they refused to let any living creature approach the main road, regardless of how loudly the held-back drivers and pedestrians complained.

Lynch sighed softly. Even after transmigrating, he still couldn't escape traffic control. Fortunately, he wasn't the one being blocked this time.

This was the official procession of Chairman Grant of city hall. Lynch sat directly opposite Chairman Grant in the third carriage, enjoying a level of high-class treatment he had never experienced before.

By now, Lynch had changed into his cheap formal suit. With his revolver and ring close at hand and his newly acquired Blood Elegy resting in his grasp, he sat bolt upright on the carriage sofa. When Chairman Grant had extended the invitation earlier, Lynch had accepted on the spot.

It was risky. He had already guessed that the so-called friends likely referred to the sewer ghouls, yet he hadn't declined.

Although he hadn't figured out what they wanted from him by suddenly showing goodwill, he was clearly useful to them—otherwise, they wouldn't be trying to buy him off. As long as his value hadn't been exhausted, he didn't need to worry about them eliminating him on the spot just yet.

Besides, Rhine City was a civilized society after all, so the other side would have reservations. As long as he remained in public spaces, his safety was reasonably assured.

Thus, there was no harm in meeting them. Opportunities like this were rare, and at the very least, he could find out why they were so eager to unearth Zur Baha Sahr.

Even with reasonable confidence, Lynch had taken precautions. If he failed to return tonight, Mrs. Maggie had been instructed to hand a note to the Watchers explaining his whereabouts.

Under the afterglow of the setting sun, the carriage sped down the empty main avenue. Watching the grand, imposing architecture on both sides blur past—and seeing even the perpetually congested Rhine Bridge cleared ahead of time for an unobstructed crossing—the stark contrast was an immensely thrilling experience.

This sheer, irreplaceable sense of privilege was enough to intoxicate anyone. He had to admit that power and money were truly wonderful things; no wonder so many people fought for them at any cost. Even a transmigrator like Lynch couldn't say for sure whether he would lose himself in such temptation if he hadn't embarked on the path of immortality.

“Almost time.”

Chairman Grant's voice interrupted Lynch's self-reflection. Surprised, Lynch looked around.

The procession had already reached Crown District, heading toward an unknown destination without any sign of slowing down. The surrounding scenery was completely ordinary, with nothing unusual in sight.

Almost time for what?

Just as Lynch was wondering, he watched Chairman Grant open a hidden compartment beneath the sofa and pull out a small birdcage.

Inside was a beautiful canary. The moment it caught the light, it immediately burst into a crisp, melodious chirping.

Grant deftly reached in, pulled the canary out, and perched it on his finger, gently stroking the top of its head. The bird fluttered its wings contentedly, its song growing even livelier. But after only a few twitters, the chirping cut off abruptly. Without warning, Grant applied force and snapped the canary's neck with a sharp twist. The bird's body twitched feebly a few times before falling entirely still.

Lynch frowned. He then saw Grant casually toss the bird's corpse onto the floor. Heart skipping a beat, Lynch instinctively tightened his grip on his cane. In the very next moment, the stiff tiny corpse suddenly twitched violently. After a burst of writhing, it expanded at an alarming speed, transforming from a dead bird into a humanoid figure crouching on the floor.

Suppressing the impulse to smash it with his cane, Lynch forced himself to remain calm, watching the transformation inside the carriage. The dead canary on the floor had vanished, replaced by the newly emerged humanoid, who agilely stood up, glanced around, and sat down beside Chairman Grant.

The eerie figure was a bald human dressed in tattered rags. Lynch recognized his face instantly—it was the vagrant who had led the pursuit of Maya at the train station yesterday, the very culprit who had first transformed into a ghoul in the carriage graveyard and demolished several train cars.

At such close quarters, Lynch felt a sudden pang of apprehension, though he was far calmer than when he had met Elder Nikolai of the hillmen. Having gained experience, Lynch silently estimated that this ghoul's strength placed him as a mid-tier expert at rank four to six authority.

“Is he Lynch?”

The voice resembled a wailing infant's, yet even shriller than those of the hillmen, grating so harshly on Lynch's ears that he frowned again and barely suppressed his discomfort.

“Yes, Elder Bru,” Chairman Grant said, subtly shifting a bit further to the side. “He is still hesitating. It seems he doesn't realize how severe the situation is.”

Elder Bru, the ghoul, scrutinized Lynch with blood-red eyes, a sinister expression on his face. “We met yesterday, so I don't need to explain what I am, do I, Lynch?”

Lynch narrowed his eyes and nodded.

“By saving that woman yesterday, you stirred up major trouble. Because of your actions, this city has been thrown into an extremely perilous position. You must join us to stop the hillmen's madness. Otherwise, there's no telling how many people will die—and their deaths will be entirely on your head.”

Lynch scoffed, taking a firm stance. “If that's all you have to say, I might as well head back right now. Coming along to meet you was already a show of good faith on my part—I came to understand the situation so I could make a decision, not to listen to your exaggerated nonsense. Either explain the exact details clearly, or I'm leaving right this second. And as for asking me to hand over that woman, you'd better keep that to yourself. I have zero interest in discussing it.”

Elder Bru didn't get angry, merely giving a cold snort. “That woman? We don't have the slightest interest in her; we only want to stop the hillmen tribe. If you don't want Mordiggian descending upon this world and destroying everything, then cooperate with us to halt the hillmen tribe's move against her.”

“Hmm?”

“Their tribe are the guardians of Zur Baha Sahr, protecting a fragment of Mordiggian's soul inside the holy city for generations. We, on the other hand, are the Awakened—we abandoned that evil god, Mordiggian, and returned to live in the city. Originally, neither side interfered with the other. But a while ago, Mordiggian's soul fragment grew restless, and the hillmen tribe decided to seize the opportunity to awaken that evil god. Using a special ritual, they've been repeatedly offering sacrifices to Mordiggian, continually strengthening his soul fragment. Once the time is ripe, they will use that fragment to guide the evil god's true body to manifest.”

Hiss... Lynch was still somewhat skeptical, but if what Bru said was true, it would indeed clear up several lingering questions.

“It was precisely because we learned of their conspiracy that we insisted on excavating the Bester Mountain Tunnel. As long as we unearth Zur Baha Sahr, we can expose their plot to the public, and others will naturally step in to stop them. To conceal their true objective, they have been trying to halt the tunnel's excavation all along.”

So that was how it was. No wonder the conflict was so intense.

Lynch pondered for a moment before pressing further. “But what does that have to do with that woman?”

“She is the instrument of sacrifice.”