I Have Another Plan

“Are you saying we target the evil god's soul fragment itself, Mr. Levive?”

Miss Valente leaned forward over the table, almost hovering right in front of Lynch, her eyes fixed directly on his. Disbelief shone in her gaze, though beneath it—perhaps even unknown to herself—lay a deep, hidden anticipation.

“Heh, in truth, I understand the choice your family made. Yes, we are merely fragile humans, low-tier beings of the mortal world, while they are Great Old Ones, existences far above us. Before them, we are as pitiful as insects; even a single image or sound from them could drive us mad or bring death. To allow the majority to go on living, you had no choice but to shoulder those sins, reluctantly appeasing them and offering flesh, blood, and souls as sacrifices.”

Miss Valente turned her head to the side, tears glistening at the corners of her eyes in the warm glow of the fire. Ever since learning her family’s secret, these thoughts had haunted her like relentless nightmares. Every word Lynch spoke pierced the deepest corners of her heart, striking a resonant chord with the agonizing guilt she had suppressed for so long.

“If your reason for replacing Maya just now was simply to complete the sacrifice or fulfill a noble duty to your domain, I would be deeply moved, but I would reject your commission—because I couldn't truly empathize with that. However, since you feel that same burning unwillingness, since you're willing to stake your life and soul to fight back just once—even if it only means spitting blood in its face before you die—then count me in.”

“Why?”

“We are indeed as weak as insects, but even insects have their dignity. Even if a finger is about to crush us to death, we should still sink our poisonous fangs into it. That is my most fundamental principle. Seven days ago, that was how I struggled to survive. So I can truly empathize with your hatred and unwillingness. I understand your desire to throw a punch at an evil god, which is why I am willing to help you with everything I have. Besides, this evil god likely possesses something I need most, so I am helping myself as well.”

Lynch smiled and extended a hand, staring straight into Miss Valente's bright eyes as he spoke softly:

“So, answer me one last time: do you really want to replace Maya—willing to let everything from your body to your soul be devoured by an evil god—just for a chance to kick its ass hard?”

Miss Valente fell silent for a moment. Then, she firmly grasped Lynch's outstretched hand. The choked catch in her voice vanished, replaced by a cool, steady composure. “Tell me what I need to do. As long as it doesn't sever the possibility of completing the sacrifice afterward, I will follow your instructions.”

“I once heard an old saying: rather than pouring cold water into a boiling pot to cool it down, it's better to pull the burning firewood directly out from under it. Solving the trolley problem works on the same principle. From what you just described, I noticed a blind spot.”

“Hmm?”

“Completing the sacrifice appeases Mordiggian's avatar. Meanwhile, excavating Zur Baha Sahr will wake his avatar, and even if someone manages to destroy it, immense disasters will follow.”

“Yes.”

“But you never mentioned one thing: if that ancient ruin is never excavated, but someone enters Zur Baha Sahr and destroys his avatar directly without waking it first, will those disasters still happen?”

“That's impossible.” Miss Valente shook her head firmly without a second thought. “Without excavating it, no one can enter in the first place, and—”

“Setting aside whether it's possible for a moment, tell me the result first.” Lynch waved a finger, interrupting her unabashedly. “If I'm not mistaken, those disasters wouldn't happen, right?”

Miss Valente froze, but still answered: “Right. But... but how did you know? Was it really through deduction?”

“Simple. You already told me when you recounted the story,” Lynch explained with total confidence. “The entire purpose of your sacrifice is to keep the avatar asleep, and no disasters occur during that process. That means the key trigger for the disasters is it waking up. Therefore, as long as it's destroyed while still asleep, this world stays safe, right?”

“Theoretically, yes. Once the avatar awakens, celestial omens begin to manifest, and various disasters grow more frequent until the avatar is destroyed. That is why we opposed digging the tunnel so fiercely. While excavating it could eliminate Mordiggian's shadow once and for all, even if we could invite a top-tier expert strong enough to destroy the evil god's avatar, the accompanying disasters alone would cause tens of thousands of deaths.”

“That brings us back to a folk story I heard during my school days.” Lynch smiled mysteriously and said softly, “It's about a little girl sent into a cave as a sacrifice, who ultimately gets the giant serpent drunk and slays it.”

“You want me to...”

“Yes. That's when I realized this is our best opportunity. Even without excavating the ruins, there is still one way to enter Zur Baha Sahr: once zero sacrifice enters her final state, enter the real Zur Baha Sahr directly through her dream. That's what Elder Bru said, and it should be correct, right?”

“It is true that the sacrifice can enter Zur Baha Sahr directly, but...” Miss Valente let out a bitter sigh. “That is impossible, because I simply can't do it. An evil god's avatar is terrifyingly powerful. Even while dormant, it isn't something a rank two soul manifestation soul severer can deal with. It would take at least a rank nine authority—or even a transcendent expert who has stepped into legend—to stand a chance of defeating it. My hope to shoot it was merely to vent my frustration; it wouldn't achieve any actual effect.”

Lynch asked thoughtfully, “With the Valente family's standing, you can't find an expert like that to help?”

“Forget the Valente family—even the Rose family, the royal house of Lande, couldn't do it.” Miss Valente felt a bit disheartened, but she explained nonetheless, “Just imagine: it means going up to a top-tier expert and saying, ‘I want to offer you up as a sacrifice, so please don't resist. After you're sacrificed, you need to risk your life against an evil god's avatar. There's a high chance you'll fail and die inside, and a minuscule chance you'll destroy it, only to be trapped inside and die anyway.’ Do you think anyone would believe me? Even if someone dared to believe it, no one would ever agree to it. What the Valente family does isn't a secret in Lande; the other noble families simply turn a blind eye because they know it's an unsolvable problem. No one would ever voluntarily become a sacrifice.”

“There is one now.”

“Huh? You mean... me?”

Miss Valente then saw Lynch point a finger at his own chest, a faint, subtle smile gracing his face.

“Did you really think that when I said I'd help you with all my strength, I meant offering verbal encouragement or throwing out ideas while standing safely on the sidelines watching the show?”

Miss Valente froze entirely. A wave of an unprecedented, indescribable emotion surged through her conscious mind, causing her lips to tremble even more intensely. For a long while, she couldn't utter a complete sentence, finally stuttering out: “You... you want to... enter the sacrifice... with me?”

“I really can't bring myself to stand by and watch a beautiful lady march off to her death alone, Miss Valente. As for whether I have a way to solve the problem... well, I believe Elder Nikolai has a say in that.” Lynch tapped his fingers gently against the dining table, watching Miss Valente's eyes slowly turn red, and offered a warm smile. “Listen up. I have another plan.”