When she mentioned the time, Officer Natalie watched Lynch’s expression with some concern. After all, having just swung from despair to joy, his emotions were still raw, and now being told to go from joy back to despair would be hard for any normal person to handle.
However, Lynch let out an uncharacteristic scoff and shook his head.
“Ha, one month. At least that’s longer than five hours. Should I feel lucky?”
“Are you alright?”
“Don’t worry. I’m the type who adjusts my mindset well. If you told me I’d die in an hour, I’d be terrified, but if it’s a month, I’ll just muddle through for a few days. No need to rush.”
Lynch’s internal thought was simply to hide away for a few days—that was the adjustment capability of a homebody. Besides, even if he really died in a month, it wouldn’t be a total loss if he got to see more of this bizarre new world.
“Besides, since I’ve managed to extend it from a hopeless five hours to a month, I have confidence I can keep extending it until I solve the problem completely. I’m not easily scared. But why a month? Is it always that punctual?”
“This traces back to the Mythic Age of the First Era. Back then, besides sacrificing captives and livestock, they would sometimes sacrifice members of their own tribe who held higher status. People would select a sacrifice a month in advance and serve them with the highest honors until the month was up and they were sent to the altar to be killed. This custom continued for many years and gradually solidified into a rule. So, it’s the same for all evil gods; even if the chosen sacrifice doesn’t die on the spot when the ritual is interrupted, their soul will be reaped after a month. It is the result of the world’s rules operating automatically.”
“So it’s still Randall’s fault.” He glared resentfully at the strange head on the floor. “Is there any countermeasure? Ah, you said my only way out is to become a Soul Severer. Is that because of the current situation?”
“Yes. Actually, there are many preventative measures before becoming a sacrifice, but once you have become one, the result cannot be changed. There is almost no way to stop it unless you can defeat the evil god’s true body head-on. It is very difficult to escape. However, a sacrifice can run away—as long as they aren’t found.”
Lynch had a sudden flash of insight. “No wonder I need to become a Soul Severer. Is this about tampering with the soul so that the Flicker cannot find me?”
“You catch on fast. No wonder you performed the way you did today; you’re worthy of being a detective. That’s right. The process of a Soul Severer alienating their own soul is just enough to erase the mark on the sacrifice’s soul. This is your only way out.”
“Become a Soul Severer within a month?”
“Yes. Actually, it isn’t easy because becoming a Soul Severer is complex and requires long-term contact with the mysteries of the holy gods, feeling the echoes of history from the mysteries left behind by divinity. But with a month, at least there is time to try. You can see soul manifestations, which means you have the potential to become a Soul Severer yourself. It is worth a try. Actually, under normal circumstances, letting you become a Soul Severer would be harming you, and I wouldn’t suggest it, but with the current circumstances forcing our hand, I don’t have those concerns anymore.”
“Wait, why is becoming a Soul Severer harming me? Do I die faster the more forbidden knowledge I possess?”
“Do you think there’s a good end to toying with your own soul? You touch the mystery, understand the mystery, and then... become the mystery. That is our journey. Each time you complete an alienation, your soul draws closer to the mystery, and the erosion by the mystery becomes more severe. Once you fail to resist that erosion, you either become a bloodthirsty maniac or a twisted monster, eventually dying at the hands of your former companions. That is the ending for most Soul Severers. In the future, when I become like that, remember to finish me off yourself. I will thank you in the underworld.”
“You...” Looking at Officer Natalie’s faint expression, Lynch felt a weight and suppression in his heart.
“No need for that expression. We are all used to it. In the future, if you survive, you will get used to it too—used to living on the edge of madness and distortion every day, thanking yourself for still being clear-headed every time you open your eyes in the morning. Someone once said that we are either already mad or currently going mad; there is no third state. So, do you dare to walk this path?”
Lynch squinted, his breathing a bit rapid. He did not doubt that Officer Natalie was exaggerating, but he had long yearned for the world of the supernatural in his past life. With tonight’s experience, he was even more desperate for the power to protect himself, and besides...
“I don’t really have a choice, do I?”
“Survival or death—that is the choice.” Officer Natalie wrote an address on a piece of paper. “Go back and think about it carefully tonight. Tomorrow, no matter the result, come to this address to find me in the afternoon. If you decide to walk this path, I will take you to meet someone who can introduce you to some channels that can help you become a Soul Severer.”
34 Barley Street, Scarecrow Club.
“That name... is this the headquarters of you Watchers?”
“You could say that. I will notify security to let you in.”
Officer Natalie said this while repeatedly checking the two mystery relics, only then closing the box.
“And this.”
Lynch opened his palm, revealing the ring held in his hand.
Officer Natalie acted as if she didn’t see it, her gaze drifting to the side. “Lynch, tonight’s cooperation showed me the will and ability of a common person. I look forward to the possibility of another cooperation, so I hope even more that you will appear tomorrow. But if you don’t appear, I will also wish you luck.”
“I’m looking forward to it too.” Lynch smiled and took back the ring. “I will appear. After all, I don’t want to die yet.”
“You’ve just been through so much; don’t rush to make a decision now. Go back and get a good night’s rest. Don’t worry, you are safe for the time being.”
“Won’t the ‘master’ behind the scenes do anything else?”
“You are already a sacrifice of the Flicker. Unless he wants to fight the Flicker for the sacrifice, he won’t dare to do anything. This is a very sensitive matter.”
“I understand. Then I’ve noted the address. See you tomorrow.” Lynch stood up and put on his hat. Seeing the officer seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, he tilted his head and asked with a strange expression, “Officer, you’re in such a hurry to send me back to rest—you haven’t decided how to resolve the bet, have you?”
“You, you, you...” Officer Natalie didn’t know what she was thinking of, but her face turned bright red in an instant. She stammered, “Wh-what are you talking about? You are still a sacrifice; it hasn’t been determined that you can survive yet. It-it-it isn’t over yet. We have to wait until after a month to see the result.”
“I see. Then what is there to consider? I will definitely appear tomorrow. I must seize this chance to live, otherwise, how can I bring up the bet after a month?”
“I-I-I am not joking with you.” The officer, who had just faced a hundred alone, suddenly became like a little girl whose secret had been spoken aloud. With drifting eyes, she said, “Th-th-this kind of thing is very serious. There is no room for regret. You...”
“Mm, I understand, I understand.”
Lynch took a long stride to stand in front of Officer Natalie, looking down at the seated woman. Just as her expression became increasingly awkward, he bowed deeply and solemnly, saying sincerely:
“Although there are still many problems to clarify about tonight’s encounter, I know that you saved my life. If you hadn’t been with me the whole time working hard, I couldn’t have survived until now. So, thank you, Officer Natalie Angel. I will not forget your help tonight.”
“Don’t misunderstand. I have no interest in saving you; it was just my duty.” The officer averted her gaze, saying awkwardly, “I’ll arrange a carriage to take you back. Remember to make your decision after thinking it over tomorrow.”
Lynch nodded and turned to leave, but before he had taken a step, his movements suddenly froze in place.
“What is it?” Officer Natalie followed his gaze, and her expression darkened as well.
This was the Randall family’s living room. On the far wall hung large oil paintings, all of which were portraits.
The mystery relic Ghost of the Dannis Residence had been found from behind one of them.
However, looking at it now, the two saw a bizarre scene.
The frame of one of the portraits was empty, turned into a blank background.
Lynch felt a chill run through his body, as if a cold wind had blown past.
He quickly ran under the portrait to observe carefully. The canvas was completely normal, without any traces of having just been replaced.
It was as if the person in the painting had left of their own accord.
“Ability...” The voice of Officer Natalie came from beside him. “When we came back after suppressing the mystery relic just now, these paintings were all normal. This means someone was spying on us from the very beginning and only just stopped.”
‘Travel companion, what is going on? Isn’t this related to the mystery?’
【Ability: Illusion and Reality. It requires advance preparation. Spying remotely through a painting belongs to the power of the mystery.】
‘But... alright, you said before that at least two of the mystery reactions were mystery relics. Is this a mystery outside of mystery relics?’
【Yes. What is shown here is only the effect of the ability, not the source. There is no obvious mystery reaction, so it cannot be distinguished in advance.】
‘Can it be traced?’
【No.】
‘I understand. Thank you.’
Lynch sighed and looked at the officer who had walked to his side. “It seems Randall letting us into the living room from the start wasn’t just to confuse us.”
“Very likely.” The woman said with a grim face. “I’m afraid this is the ‘master’ Randall spoke of, who has been spying on our actions. Damn it, he actually didn’t care about Randall’s ending at all and was just watching from the sidelines. What exactly does he want to do?”
“No matter what he wants to do, as long as he isn’t just acting on a whim, there will definitely be a next step.” Lynch stared gloomily at the blank frame. “I was worried he would hide and not show himself, but since he is willing to show himself, I will eventually drag him out. But before that, I must survive first. Ha, it seems there’s even less to consider now. Even just to drag him out, I must become a Soul Severer and survive.”
“Alright, if that is your choice. I’ll have someone send you back. Remember to come over tomorrow afternoon; I won’t be here earlier.”
Lynch nodded and followed the guiding blue uniform out of the Randall mansion. More police had already surrounded the area, leaving the mansion in chaotic disarray.
Walking out the front door and looking up at the sky, midnight had passed. The red moon and silver moon intersected in the firmament, making the moonlight as bright as water.
Dragging his sore and exhausted body into the carriage, he closed his eyes and gripped the pendant around his neck, silently enjoying the feeling of the crimson moonlight shining on him. The fear and anxiety of the last few hours quickly receded, leaving only the tranquility that had lasted for thousands of years.
The Hall of Order’s police carriage soon stopped outside his apartment in the Valley District. The lock on his front door had been kicked in by Officer Natalie and was left ajar just as it was when he left. Walking into the room and pulling a chair against the door, Lynch let out a long sigh of relief, collapsed onto the sofa, and stared at the blood-red full moon outside the window, momentarily dazed.
Is this my rebirth?
Did I really come back to life? Did I really transmigrate?
Although it was full of difficulties and he had nearly lost his life several times, at least he had survived.
He took out his detective notebook and thought for a moment. To be safe, he used Chinese characters to write on the latest page.
May 13, 1399. I transmigrated into a new world and successfully survived the most urgent crisis of death. Starting tomorrow, I will spend my new life in this brand new world.
Putting down his pen, Lynch leaned back on the sofa, all his experiences before and after the transmigration swirling in his mind.
Starting tomorrow, the top priority is to find a way to become a Soul Severer, break through the one-month time limit, and truly gain a foothold in this world, holding my life in my own hands.
The second thing is to find out the truth about being chosen as a sacrifice. I must find the goal of the mastermind, and the sooner the better, otherwise, there will definitely be a second and third conspiracy. It is better to find the thief and kill him than to guard against him for a thousand days.
The third thing... wait.
How could I forget the most important problem?
Damn Randall, you didn’t even pay me for the goods before you died.
Who should I ask for my six pounds and fifteen shillings? What am I going to live on from now on?
Trembling, he took out his coin purse and turned the lining inside out. There were still only three shillings and six pence.
In the Kingdom of Lande, twelve pence make a shilling, and twenty shillings make a pound. Even if one penny were equivalent to five yuan in his previous life, his entire property now was only about two hundred and ten yuan. Even if he ate one meal every two days, he could only last for twenty days or so.
It seemed there was also rent, water bills, gas bills, and steam boiler fees. Added together, he had to give the landlord three pounds, and the deadline was the middle of the month.
Isn’t that the day after tomorrow? No, it’s tomorrow.
You are really cutting off my path to survival. Damn mastermind, I will be at odds with you from now on.
What to do, what to do.
Lynch suddenly dragged his exhausted body up and opened the wardrobe to search through all his clothing pockets.
Previous life, you must have left me a little change in your pockets, please. If not, I’ll be out picking up trash in a few days. No, you shouldn’t just leave change; you must have hidden some savings in your pockets.
It doesn’t need to be much, just a few dozen pounds would be enough. I’m not greedy at all.
However, no matter how many times he searched, all the pockets were empty. There wasn’t a single coin. In the end, Lynch could only give up dejectedly and close the wardrobe.
Starting tomorrow, I have to consider how to make a living. Transmigrating and still having to worry about making a living—I must be the most disgraceful transmigrator.
Sigh, tomorrow I’ll first ask Natalie to help me sell the ring. Although I’m a bit reluctant, eating and having a place to stay are more important.
Then I’ll go find a cheaper house. This place is too expensive; there must be cheaper ones.
After that, I’ll see what ways there are to make money. If there really aren’t any, I’ll quickly reopen the agency. After all, I still have the memories of that, so I’m an experienced hand.
Then I’ll slowly go about solving the mastermind problem. Otherwise, even if I sell the ring, the money will eventually run out, and I’ll end up becoming the first transmigrator to starve to death in another world.
Forget it, I’ll think about it tomorrow. Sleep.
He hung his formal wear neatly in the wardrobe. His trench coat had been stained with quite a bit of blood and dirt in the mystery relic’s memory, but after returning to reality, it was as clean as new. It was said that wasn’t real blood but a manifestation of the mystery. Unfortunately, the tear in the clothes was still there, so he would have to send it to be mended tomorrow.
Sigh, another expense.
Throwing himself into bed, Lynch experienced the feeling of lying down to sleep again after an unknown amount of time. However, he didn’t know if it was the bed or the world, but he tossed and turned and couldn’t fall asleep.
‘Travel companion, are you still there?’
【Yes.】
‘Now that I’m finally free, it’s time to figure out what you are.’
There was silence in his mind.
‘Giving me a hint so I can guess it myself is fine, right?’
Still silence.
‘Actually, I’ve already guessed what you are—someone watching me with zero sense of presence, and there’s also the existence of this pendant.’
Still silence.
‘Forget it. No matter what you are, it seems you won’t harm me. You will always be with me, right? Witnessing my journey of awakening.’
【Yes.】
‘Tsk, I knew you were still there. Just chatting with me is fine, right? I can’t sleep.’
Silence again.
Lynch was chattering in his mind to harass his travel companion when he suddenly had a flash of inspiration and sat up abruptly.
‘I know why I can’t sleep.’
He climbed off the small bed, dragged the bed under the window, pulled back the curtains, and then lay back down.
The crimson moonlight shone through the window onto Lynch’s body, as if he had returned to the days before he transmigrated.
His chaotic mood immediately calmed down. Lynch smiled and closed his eyes. His mind was still chattering and repeating all the thrilling things he had encountered today, but his consciousness was becoming increasingly blurred.
‘Tomorrow, let’s go witness this world together. Good night.’
【Mm, good night.】
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