“Are you suggesting we target the soul fragments of the evil god directly, Mr. Levive?”
Miss Valente leaned forward, bracing her hands against the dining table until she was nearly hovering over Lynch. Their eyes met, and her expression was filled with disbelief, though perhaps she did not even realize that beneath her shock lay a profound sense of anticipation.
“Heh. Actually, I understand your previous choices perfectly well. Yes, we are merely the weakest of humans, low-level beings in the current world, while they are Great Old Ones—far superior existences. Before them, we are as pathetic as insects; even a single image or a sound could drive us to madness or death. For the sake of the lives of the many, we have no choice but to bear the sin, pacifying them against our will and offering up flesh and soul as sacrifices.”
Miss Valente tilted her head, the corners of her eyes shimmering with moisture in the firelight. Ever since she had learned the family secret, these thoughts had haunted her like a nightmare every day. Now, every word from Lynch pierced deep into her heart, resonating powerfully with the pain and guilt she had suppressed in the depths of her soul.
“If your reason for replacing Maya just now was simply to complete the ritual or fulfill a noble’s duty to their territory, I would be deeply moved, yet I would still refuse your commission because I cannot empathize with that. But since you feel the same unwillingness to submit, since you are willing to stake your life and soul on one final act of defiance—even if it is just to splash your own blood in its face before you die—then you might as well count me in.”
“Why?”
“We are indeed as weak as insects, but even insects have their dignity. Even if we are about to be crushed by a finger, we should bare our fangs and bite back hard. This is my most basic principle. Seven days ago, that was exactly how I struggled to survive, which is why I can empathize with your hatred and unwillingness. I understand your desire to strike a blow against the evil god, and that is why I am willing to help you with all my might. Besides, this evil god likely possesses something I need most, so this is also helping myself.”
Lynch smiled and reached out, staring directly into Miss Valente’s bright eyes as he said softly:
“So, answer me one last time: do you truly wish to replace Maya, willing to be consumed by the evil god from body to soul, just to trade for a chance to kick its ass?”
Miss Valente was silent for a moment. Then, she reached out and gripped Lynch’s hand. The choke in her voice vanished, and her expression regained its composure. “Please tell me what I need to do. As long as it does not end the possibility of the sacrifice, I will obey your instructions.”
“I once heard a saying: rather than pouring cold water into boiling water to lower the temperature, it is better to simply pull out the burning firewood. The same logic applies to solving the trolley problem. I found a blind spot in the situation you described.”
“Hmm?”
“Completing the sacrifice pacifies the manifestation of Mordiggian, but digging up Zur Baha Sahr awakens his manifestation. Even if someone destroys the manifestation, it brings great disaster.”
“Correct.”
“But you have never mentioned whether those disasters would still occur if someone entered Zur Baha Sahr without digging up the ancient site and destroyed the fragments while they were still in their slumber, without awakening the manifestation.”
“That is impossible.” Miss Valente shook her head firmly without a second thought. “One cannot enter without digging it out, and besides…”
“Regardless of whether it is possible, just tell me the result.” Lynch flicked his fingers and asked bluntly, “If I am not mistaken, the disasters would not occur, right?”
Miss Valente froze, but she answered, “Yes, but… but how did you know? Was it really just through deduction?”
“It is simple; you told me when you were narrating the situation.” Lynch explained with absolute confidence. “The purpose of your sacrifice is to keep the manifestation in slumber, and that process does not cause disaster, which indicates that the key to triggering the disaster is the act of waking up. Therefore, as long as it is destroyed while it is still in its dreams, the world will be safe, correct?”
“Theoretically, that is true. After the manifestation wakes up, it gradually reveals heavenly omens, and various disasters become more frequent until the manifestation is destroyed. That is why we are so opposed to excavating the tunnel. While that would completely eliminate the shadow of Mordiggian, even if one could invite a top-tier powerhouse capable of rivaling the evil god’s manifestation, the disasters that would follow would lead to the deaths of thousands.”
“That brings me to a little folk tale I heard during my studies.” Lynch smiled mysteriously and whispered, “It is a story about a little girl sent into a cave as a sacrifice, who eventually gets the giant snake drunk and kills it.”
“You want me to…”
“Yes. I realized this is the best opportunity. There is a way to enter Zur Baha Sahr without digging it out: once the zero sacrifice enters the final state, one can enter the true Zur Baha Sahr through her dreams. I heard this from Elder Bruno; that should be correct, right?”
“Indeed, the sacrifice can enter Zur Baha Sahr directly, but…” Miss Valente sighed and said bitterly, “That is impossible, because I cannot do it. The evil god’s manifestation is extremely powerful. Even in a sleeping state, it is not something a rank two soul manifestation soul severer can handle. One would need at least rank nine power or a legendary transcendent powerhouse to even have a chance of defeating the evil god’s manifestation. My hope of firing a shot at it was merely for venting; it would not cause any actual effect.”
Lynch asked thoughtfully, “With the resources of the Valente family, can you not find such a powerhouse to help?”
“Not to mention the Valente family, even the Rose family of the Lande royal line cannot do it.” Miss Valente sounded somewhat disappointed, but she explained, “You can imagine that this would mean going to a top-tier powerhouse and saying, ‘I am going to sacrifice you, please do not resist. After you are sacrificed, you will have to fight the manifestation of an evil god for your life. You will most likely fail and die inside, and there is a very small chance you will destroy the manifestation, only to be trapped inside and die.’ Do you think anyone would believe me? Even if someone dared to believe it, no one would dare to agree. In truth, what the Valente family does is no secret in Lande, but all the great families maintain a tacit acceptance because they know this is an unsolvable problem. No one would volunteer to be a sacrifice.”
“Now there is.”
“Ah? Are you talking about yourself?”
Miss Valente then saw Lynch point at himself with a faint smile.
“You didn't think that when I said I would help you with all my might, I was just offering empty encouragement or ideas while I stayed on the sidelines to watch the show, did you?”
Miss Valente was completely stunned. An unprecedented and indescribable emotion flooded her consciousness, causing her lips to tremble even more violently. She could not utter a complete sentence for a long time. After a while, she stammered, “You… you… want to accompany me… to be a sacrifice?”
“I simply cannot bear the thought of a beautiful lady going to her death all alone, Miss Valente. As for whether I can solve the problem, I think Elder Nikolai would have a lot to say on that.” Lynch tapped the dining table, looking at Miss Valente’s slowly reddening eyes with a smirk. “Listen, I have another plan.”
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