The Call of Death

The sound of horse hooves was rapid as five nearly identical carriages sped along Rhine Avenue under the setting sun.

It was past five in the evening, the peak of congestion for Rhine City's main thoroughfare, yet the road was completely empty. There were no other carriages, not even a single pedestrian in sight.

Every ten meters, a pair of blue uniforms stood on either side, sealing off the entire street. These guards were burly and equipped with rubber batons, ensuring no living creature could approach the avenue, regardless of the complaints from the few motorists and pedestrians blocked at the periphery.

Lynch sighed softly. Even after transmigrating, he could not escape traffic control. Fortunately, he was not the one being controlled this time.

This was the convoy of Chairman Grant from city hall. Lynch sat face to face with the chairman in the third carriage, enjoying a level of high-spec treatment he had never experienced before.

Lynch had changed into his own inexpensive formal suit, keeping his pistol and ring close at hand. He held the newly acquired Blood Elegy, sitting upright on the carriage sofa. Regarding Chairman Grant's invitation from earlier, he had accepted on the spot.

It was somewhat dangerous; he had guessed that the so-called friend was likely a sewer ghoul, yet he had not refused.

Although he had not yet figured out what they hoped to gain from him by suddenly showing favor, it was clear he was useful to them. They were choosing to buy him off, so until his value was exhausted, he did not need to worry about them disposing of him right then and there.

Moreover, Rhine City was, after all, a civilized society, and the other party would have their own concerns. As long as he kept himself in public spaces, his safety was largely guaranteed.

He might as well meet them. It was a rare opportunity, and at the very least, he could figure out why they wanted to excavate Zur-Baha-Sahr.

Even with some confidence, Lynch had still taken precautions. If he did not return by nightfall, he had arranged for Mrs. Maggie to deliver a note to the Watchers, detailing his whereabouts.

Under the sunset's glow, the carriage raced down the empty main road. Watching the grand, heavy buildings fly past on both sides—even the Rhine Bridge, which was crowded day and night, had been cleared in advance—the stark contrast was truly an exhilarating experience.

The sheer exclusivity of such a moment was enough to intoxicate anyone. One had to admit that power and money were indeed good things; it was no wonder so many people would do anything to seize them. Even a transmigrator like Lynch could not be certain if he would lose himself to the temptation if he had not embarked on the path of immortality.

"That is close enough."

Chairman Grant's voice interrupted Lynch's self-reflection, and Lynch looked around in surprise.

The convoy had already reached the Crown District. He did not know exactly where they were heading, but there was no sign of stopping. The surrounding scenery remained as it always was, with nothing particularly unusual.

What was close enough?

Just as he was wondering, he saw Grant open a secret compartment under the sofa and retrieve a small birdcage.

A beautiful canary sat inside. As soon as it hit the light, it began to sing crisply, its chirping quite pleasant.

Grant skillfully took it out of the cage and placed it on his finger, gently stroking the top of the canary's head. The little bird flapped its wings comfortably, its song becoming even more cheerful. However, after only a few notes, the singing stopped abruptly. Without warning, Grant applied force and snapped the canary's neck. The bird's body struggled feebly for a moment before falling completely silent.

Lynch frowned, then watched as Grant casually tossed the bird's corpse onto the floor. Lynch's heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively tightened his grip on his cane. The next moment, the stiff corpse suddenly began to struggle violently again. After a series of contortions, it rapidly expanded, transforming from the bird's body into a humanoid figure crouching on the floor.

Restraining the urge to strike with his cane, Lynch forced himself to remain calm and watched the changes in the carriage. The bird corpse on the floor had vanished, and the newly appeared figure stood up nimbly, looked around, and then sat down beside Chairman Grant.

The eerily appearing entity was a bald human in ragged clothes. Lynch remembered this face; it was the leader of the drifters who had chased Maya at the train station yesterday, and the culprit who had first transformed into a ghoul in the carriage graveyard, tearing apart several train cars.

At close range, Lynch felt a wave of palpitations, but he was much calmer than when he had met Elder Nicolai of the hillmen. Lynch had experience now, and he silently estimated that this ghoul's strength was that of a mid-level powerhouse, around level four to six of Authority.

"Is this Lynch?"

The voice was like the cry of an infant, even harsher than that of the hillman, causing Lynch to frown again, though he endured it.

"Yes, Elder Bru," Chairman Grant shifted slightly to the side. "He is still somewhat hesitant; it seems he does not yet know how serious the situation is."

The ghoul elder, Bru, looked Lynch up and down with blood-red eyes and said with a savage expression, "We met yesterday, so there is no need to explain what I am, Lynch."

Lynch squinted and nodded.

"The woman you rescued yesterday has already caused a major catastrophe. Because of your actions, this city is now in a very dangerous situation. You must join us to stop the hillmen's crazy behavior; otherwise, there is no telling how many people will die, and their deaths will be your responsibility."

Lynch scoffed and replied firmly, "If that is all you have to say, then I might as well go back. Following you here was already a gesture of sincerity, intended to understand the situation to make a decision, not to listen to your exaggerated nonsense. Either you explain the specific situation, or I leave now. Also, you had better drop the demand for me to hand over that woman; I have no interest in discussing that."

Elder Bru was not angry, merely snorting coldly. "That woman? We have no interest in her at all; we only want to stop the hillmen tribe. If you do not wish for Mordiggian to descend into this world and destroy everything, then cooperate with us to stop the hillmen tribe's actions against that woman."

"Hmm?"

"Their tribe are the guardians of Zur-Baha-Sahr, watching over a soul of Mordiggian in the holy city for generations. We are the Awakened, who abandoned the evil god Mordiggian to live in the city. Originally, both sides did not interfere with each other, but a while ago, the soul fragment of Mordiggian became restless, and the hillmen tribe planned to use this opportunity to awaken the evil god. They used special methods to repeatedly sacrifice to Mordiggian, constantly strengthening his soul fragment. Once the time is ripe, they will use the fragment to guide the descent of the evil god's true form."

Hiss... Lynch was still only half-convinced, but if what he said was true, it explained a few questions.

"We only discovered their conspiracy, which is why we insisted on excavating the Bester Mountain tunnel. As long as we seize the chance to dig out Zur-Baha-Sahr, we can expose their plot, and naturally, someone will stop them. To cover up their goal, they have been trying to block the tunnel excavation."

So that was it; no wonder the conflict was so intense.

Lynch thought for a moment and asked, "But what does this have to do with that woman?"

"She is the tool for the sacrifice."