Lynch was taken aback, looking from Miss Valente to the white haired ghoul, unable to process the situation for a moment.
"Forget it. This isn't the place for explanations. Let's go to the room ahead and talk in detail."
Miss Valente sighed, but as she tried to stand, she pressed a hand to her shoulder, showing pain and shooting a dissatisfied glare at Lynch.
You almost gave me a facelift with that shotgun, and you have the nerve to be dissatisfied.
Although he thought this, Lynch's smile remained somewhat awkward.
When they were enemies, they had used every means and fought to the death. But with the sudden peace, and remembering the feeling of pinning a beautiful woman to the ground and struggling with her, Lynch could not help but feel a bit embarrassed. He reached out to help Miss Valente up.
Miss Valente did not seem to mind. She braced herself against Lynch's hand, rose successfully, twisted her arm, and secretly wrinkled her nose and shook her fist at him. Then, with a nod to the old ghoul, she led Lynch away from the barn and back toward the farmhouse.
"It is truly astonishing that you were able to just walk right in."
Miss Valente glanced at the black stone in the yard but ignored it. She led Lynch into the room and sat down opposite him at the dining table before sighing and explaining:
"Since Elder Bruno and the others have already told you most of the inner story, there is no need for me to continue covering for their race. In truth, most of what Elder Bruno said was the truth, but he lied about some details, which changed the nature of the entire matter. I will tell you everything, and you can judge for yourself."
Lynch nodded thoughtfully.
"One thing Bruno lied about: the hillman tribe are not followers of Mordiggian, but jailers. They long ago abandoned their faith in Mordiggian and converted to Gaia, the Lord of the Earth. They have been stationed in the depths of Bester Mountain for years solely to guard Zur Baha Sahr and prevent Mordiggian from manifesting in this world through soul fragments. Once Mordiggian manifests, half the living beings on Middle Earth will be assimilated by him."
Lynch pressed, "So Maya's situation wasn't caused by Elder Nikolai and the others?"
"No, it was them, myself included, which is why I said I wasn't innocent." Miss Valente gave a wry smile, speaking without reservation. "I didn't lie to you yesterday; I simply withheld some information. According to the records of Nikolai's tribe, the soul fragments within Zur Baha Sahr remain in an active state. Even if they are not dug up, they could attract Mordiggian to manifest in the world at any time. To keep the soul fragments in slumber, every twenty years, the hillman tribe as jailers holds a sacrifice. They send thirteen living beings into the sleeping Zur Baha Sahr to appease Mordiggian's soul fragments, buying twenty years of safety."
Lynch frowned. "Human sacrifice?"
"Yes. Ever since the ancestors of the Valente family were granted Bester Mountain nine hundred and thirty four years ago, we have maintained a deep connection with the hillman tribe. We have been secretly supporting the sacrificial activities of Nikolai's tribe in exchange for regional peace. The new twenty year cycle has arrived, and another sacrifice is about to begin. The reporter, Maya, is the sacrificial tool. Every sacrifice features a character like her. As Elder Bruno said, when Maya completes her final transformation, her dreams will connect directly to Zur Baha Sahr. Once twelve more beings are sent in, the sacrifice is successfully completed."
"Do you think this behavior is reasonable?" Lynch asked with dissatisfaction. "Is it fair to those who are sacrificed?"
"It is not fair. This world has never been truly fair to begin with. Besides, do you have a better solution?" Miss Valente countered. "Furthermore, while it is indeed hard to accept for the thirteen victims, what about those who are spared because of their sacrifice? What about the territory administrators? What about the entire country?"
Lynch opened his mouth but found himself speechless. Thinking carefully, this was the classic trolley problem from his homeland; there was no standard answer. To the thirteen victims, the hillmen and the Valente family were murderers, but to everyone else, they were nothing short of unsung heroes.
"We do not want to do this, but some evil things must be borne by someone." Miss Valente said bitterly. "Every few decades, one or two direct descendants in our family commit suicide. They are the ones who preside over the sacrifice. No one knows if they were affected by the sacrifice or if they simply could not bear the condemnation of their own conscience."
Lynch's expression shifted, but ultimately he could only sigh and change the subject. "So, is the sacrifice the reason the hillmen oppose the excavation of the tunnel?"
"Yes." Miss Valente regained her earlier composure. "Once Zur Baha Sahr is revealed to the world, it will no longer be possible to appease the soul fragments through sacrifice."
"Then what happens if the sacrifice is not completed and the soul fragments are not appeased? What about those two outcomes you mentioned yesterday?"
"Yes. If a top tier powerhouse could risk their life to destroy the fragments and drive them back to their origin in the Dreamlands, or if one simply sacrificed thousands upon thousands of fresh souls to the fragments, then the fragments would return to their origin in the Dreamlands. The world would only suffer minor interference, at most destroying a small portion of the Kingdom of Lande. But if no one destroys the fragments, Mordiggian will manifest in the world."
"Is that the goal of the ghouls in the sewers who support digging the tunnel?"
"I am not sure, which is why I have been investigating the reasons for their collusion these past few days." Miss Valente sighed. "Now it seems their goal is to disrupt this sacrifice so we cannot appease Mordiggian, forcing us to cooperate and dig open Zur Baha Sahr, and then find a way to defeat Mordiggian's soul fragments head on. As for their ultimate goal, I haven't figured it out yet. If we cannot clear that up, even if this sacrifice is completed, they will persist in digging open Zur Baha Sahr and letting things spiral out of control."
"I see. So that is why you considered cooperating with me yesterday, to get me to help figure out their motives?"
Lynch nodded thoughtfully. Most things made sense now, though the goals of both sides were so intertwined that it was hard to say who was right and who was wrong.
"Hmm. Your performance has satisfied me. I hope to have your help in assisting us with this sacrifice, as well as helping us uncover their motives and resolve their subsequent conspiracies."
Miss Valente said faintly:
"But for such long term cooperation, I do not want you to have the illusion that I am using Maya's safety to threaten you, which is why today's ritual happened. The goal was to transfer Maya's condition to myself and serve as the zero sacrifice for this cycle. Unfortunately, you interrupted it. Perhaps Bruno and the others misunderstood, thinking we were performing the final transformation ritual and wanting to sabotage it, which is why they goaded you into interrupting. But it doesn't matter. We can prepare another ritual. And you, Mr. Levive, you already know everything and do not need to worry about the safety of the female reporter. Now, I sincerely request that you help us complete this sacrifice and, after I die, stop the conspiracies of Bruno and Grant. Uh, of course, doing it before I die would be better, but I fear there isn't enough time."
It was as expected. Lynch's expression was a bit stiff, and he asked with a complicated look, "Why replace her with yourself?"
"Why? Why indeed?" Miss Valente hung her head, silent for a moment, before smiling reservedly. "Don't you think this fate is unfair to the victims? The hearts of our Valente family are not carved from stone. We know guilt, and we know we carry sin. I am neither the first nor the last family member to want to wash away our sins with our lives. There is no need for a reason."
"It is not the same. Committing suicide out of guilt and becoming a sacrifice in place of someone else, especially the most special one, are two completely different things. You can tell from Elder Nikolai's attitude that they are actually against you doing this. You don't need to replace Maya just to appease me. Don't forget I am a detective; I can distinguish excuses of this magnitude. I want to hear the truth."
"This is the responsibility of a member of the Valente family. Compared to just anyone else, the children of our Valente family have more responsibility to bear this doom for the reporter lady." Miss Valente straightened her body without hesitation. "And don't forget, I am a believer in Fiona, the Lord of Suffering. Sacrificing for the innocent is an honor for us."
Lynch smiled noncommittally and sighed. "Can we be sincere with each other, Miss Valente? There are only the two of us here. I will not tell anyone about today's conversation. I want to know your true attitude. Why make yourself a sacrifice? This relates to whether I am willing to accept your commission."
Miss Valente lowered her gaze, falling into a long silence. Lynch did not urge her, simply watching her delicate face quietly.
Gradually, her stiff posture softened. Her body began to tremble slightly, her teeth biting her lip until it was nearly bleeding. Her eyes slowly turned red, and even her breathing became ragged.
"I am not reconciled."
"Hmm?" Lynch raised an eyebrow.
"I never thought the family was wrong; this is the safest choice. But... no matter how noble the reason, letting me use the lives and souls of my own kind to trade for it, I am not reconciled!" Miss Valente slammed her fist onto the dining table, shouting with a choked voice. "I have my responsibilities. For the family, for Lande, the sacrifice must continue. I cannot bear the sin of waking the evil god. But I hate that damned city, and I hate that bastard evil god. Although I am only a weak, rank two soul manifestation soul severer, I am at least a human being. I want to fight back in my own way. Before I die, I want to see with my own eyes what is going on in that damned city. It would be best if I could personally fire a shot at that bastard evil god, then my death would be worth it."
Her fist pressed tightly against her mouth, and Miss Valente could not stop sobbing before she even finished speaking. The immense guilt she had endured for so long finally broke, causing her to lose the emotional control of a noble lady, crying until her face was covered in tears and she could no longer speak.
"Phew. I understand." Lynch did not mock her. Instead, he gently patted Miss Valente's trembling hand. Leaning back in his chair, he thought for a long time before speaking softly, "I once heard a story. One person is tied to one track and five people to another. You control the direction of the steam engine. If you have to choose between running over one person or five, how would you choose?"
"Isn't that the situation we are facing now?" Miss Valente's voice was still choked. "No matter how many times I have to choose, I can only choose one person."
"Hmm, as expected. But I am different from you."
"Hmm?" Miss Valente leaned forward, staring at Lynch's face. "You choose the five? Why?"
"No. Perhaps Grant and the others chose the five, but I think children make choices. Adults take it all. I have decided to simply blow that train off the tracks. Wouldn't that solve everything?"
"Huh?" Miss Valente stared at Lynch with red, swollen eyes, looking at him blankly. "How could that possibly be done?"
"How would you know it can't be done if you don't try? To be honest, I have no interest in helping you complete the sacrifice or preventing Bruno and Grant from sabotaging the next step." Lynch ignored the disappointment on Miss Valente's face, also leaning forward across the table to whisper in her ear, "However, I am very happy to hear that you want to do something else. I am very interested in that. Do you want to take a gamble with me?"
"Gamble on wh, what?"
"Blowing that broken train off the tracks and beating it until its own origin doesn't recognize it?"
Miss Valente stared at Lynch's face, her breathing slowly becoming rapid, and her eyes growing brighter and brighter.
Rate on N.U.
