“As part of the Norin-Rhine Railway, the Bester Tunnel incident is relatively independent, and the specific circumstances have now been largely clarified.”
“The primary conflict in the Bester Tunnel centered on disputes between non-human tribes, involving the existence of evil god worship and ancient ruins, details of which follow below. However, there remain many outstanding issues regarding the entire railway incident that require further investigation.”
“The Valente family, as landowners of several excavation zones, holds an opposing stance. They have united with the cave-dwelling hillmen, a minority group within their fiefdom. The arguments for minority protection and the assertion that mining is the nation’s lifeblood—frequently appearing in media in the capital, Norin, and Rhine City—are orchestrated by the family. Furthermore, of the nine opposition seats in the House of Commons, three are held by forces belonging to the Valente family.”
“Beyond this, the Valente family and the cave-dwelling hillmen combined to sow panic among the early construction workers, directly leading to several fatalities (limited to the construction staff of the Bester Tunnel project).”
“The above constitutes the opposition to the Bester Tunnel project, while the supporters are represented by Chairman Grant of the House of Commons. According to reliable intelligence, Chairman Grant is backed by the Metallurgy Guild and the Manufacturing Association, representing the interests of most factory owners in Rhine. The reason for their support has not yet been confirmed, but it is reliably speculated to be related to the supply of materials for the excavation project. Definite information requires further investigation.”
“According to informed sources, representatives from the Lande River Shipping Association and the Dockworkers’ Mutual Aid Association previously contacted the Valente family, indicating that certain forces, pressured by circumstances, appeared to have formed an anti-Norin-Rhine Railway alliance and hoped the Valente family would join. However, due to considerations of status, scale, and other factors, the Valente family did not pursue further contact. Thus, the conclusion remains that the Bester Mountain incident is relatively independent; the railway project has other opponents, and the aforementioned forces may serve as a breakthrough for the next stage of investigation.”
“Reporter, Detective Lynch Levive, June 5, 1399, Fifth Age.”
Exhaling softly, Lynch placed the finished summary on top of the thick stack of reports, set down his pen, and looked toward the sunset outside the window.
It had been sixteen days since the Zur-Baha-Sahr incident, and he had been bedridden for sixteen of them.
In the early hours of May 21, a farmhouse in the Green Wheat District was in a state of extreme tension.
The Watchers, led by their head, Mr. V, brought over a dozen official hunters, a large number of auxiliary hunters, and over a hundred blue uniforms from the Hall of Order to surround the Valente family’s farm overnight, confronting the eight hillmen inside from beyond the tall grass.
They had only one demand: hand over the Watchers’ consultant.
It was said that an unnamed cross-dressing female hunter suddenly felt uneasy in the night, checked the underground caves of the Thorn Flower, and found a letter—God only knows why Consultant Lynch had left it there—that clearly stated his intentions and destination.
Consequently, that unnamed Officer Angel kicked down her superior’s door overnight, smashed half the glasses in the Scarecrow Club bar, and charged toward the Green Wheat District with a hundred people.
Mr. V not only failed to stop her but supported her with all his might, and he even sent out urgent notifications to several top-tier experts from civilian organizations overnight.
Although there was no hard evidence, if it were true, it could escalate at any moment into a disaster grade (fourth grade) or even a manifestation grade (fifth grade) incident involving an evil god, requiring full preparation to prevent sudden emergencies.
Thus, on one side was a team led by a mid-level soul severer with level-five authority, backed by a large official force; on the other were minority tribes protected by high-level experts. Because Lynch had not appeared, both sides hesitated to engage directly, leading to a ten-minute standoff at the farmhouse where conflict felt imminent.
It was at this critical moment that Lynch and Miss Valente appeared out of thin air at the farm, wrapped in a tattered tent and stepping on a large serving tray.
Twenty meters above.
They fell from the sky with a scream, landing in the center of the standoff, causing Lynch, who was cushioned underneath, to break his leg on the spot.
And so, a story was born: an evil god attempted to descend into the mortal world, and two courageous, responsible, and capable young people, with the help of hillmen, used food, wine, and swords to disguise themselves as sacrifices, bravely fighting the evil god’s avatar until they ultimately defeated it and saved the world. Although Mr. V would not publicize it at Lynch’s strong request, the high-level experts and elite forces in Rhine City would surely know something of it.
As the nameless hero who stopped the evil god’s conspiracy, Lynch was sent back to his apartment, where he remained bedridden for sixteen days.
It wasn’t just his broken leg; his injuries were severe.
He had been run through twice, his intestines had suffered multiple wounds, and those were the least of his problems. More serious was the fact that he had used the Blood Elegy on himself to draw out a massive amount of blood, leaving him in a state of extreme weakness that required bed rest. Combined with his leg injury, it was fortunate he had only been bedridden for sixteen days.
However, compared to Miss Valente, Lynch’s injuries were nothing.
Lynch hadn't known at first, but after hearing the explanation from the old woman who treated him, he realized Miss Valente’s condition was far less optimistic than it appeared.
In essence, her body had become a battlefield for gods and evil gods. The collision of two supreme wills within her, even if not directed at her, had caused enough aftermath to destroy all her vitality. It was not something a simple, targeted temporary treatment could save.
Fortunately, Lynch had chosen the most appropriate method; the Blood Elegy’s healing was an automatic, all-encompassing repair of the damaged areas. Coupled with her own self-rescue after regaining consciousness, she had barely managed to hold on, though she collapsed shortly after returning to the world and had yet to wake up.
However, according to the old woman who treated Lynch, the Hall of Suffering had arranged the best treatment for this sister in faith, and her soul had unexpectedly not been eroded by the evil god, so she should wake up soon.
The old woman was a nun, a Nightingale of the Hall of Suffering, said to be a prominent figure in the church who was highly respected by other nuns; even Mrs. Maggie and little Martha were respectful when they saw her. Although he didn't know why someone of her status had personally come to treat him, Lynch felt quite favorably toward her and did not doubt her diagnosis. He no longer worried about Miss Valente, but the requirement for bed rest was truly torturous, especially since Mrs. Maggie, under the old woman’s instructions, had helped him decline all visitors. Bored, Lynch simply finished Duke Vane’s report.
Putting down his pen and thinking, still feeling uneasy, Lynch opened the report again and added a sentence.
“Additionally, the attitude of the Shadow Alliance is extremely dangerous and must be treated with high alert. Their information is credible but also highly manipulative. It is necessary to avoid making any decisions based on their information whenever possible; otherwise, there is a high probability of being led astray.”
Only then did he close the report again. In truth, he still felt a chill down his spine.
Every word from this Black Spider seemed true, yet once one believed him, one could only fall into the abyss without realizing it. Looking back, if he hadn't embarked on the path of immortality and possessed the trump card of the supreme will, and were instead just an ordinary soul severer, he would have been dead long ago.
Not only would he and Miss Valente have died, but he would have personally awakened the evil god, and countless innocent people would have died because of him. He would have become a sinner to all of Middle Earth, and if his identity were exposed, the Lady Red Moon behind him would surely be burdened with great infamy, making it difficult to clear her name.
‘Being able to know of your existence, being able to plot against me from the very beginning, and even pointing the target directly at you. Heh, I remember you saying that even evil gods cannot discover your existence. So the answer is obvious: he stands behind beings higher than those Great Old Ones, for instance, another god who wants to embark on the path home? Or one of the twelve?’
【No, you are special. No one is like you. I will not lie to you.】
‘Will you just pretend you didn't hear that to avoid answering?’
Lady Luna immediately illustrated what it meant to pretend not to hear with her actions.
‘Then, does he represent a fallen god, just with a different situation than mine?’
【Not a fallen god. A fallen god would not know of my existence.】
‘Is it a major god?’ Lynch gasped, feeling his throat go dry. ‘So, among the twelve major gods, there is one who holds hostility toward you and me, and for that, they are willing to let an evil god descend into the world, creating a massive catastrophe that engulfs the globe?’
【No, there is at least one.】
‘Thanks for the correction. That is truly good news.’ Lynch smiled bitterly. ‘Do you know who it is?’
【Sorry, I really do not know.】
‘The rest are all lies, right?’ Lynch rolled his eyes in secret, though he didn't care much; he actually liked this mode of interaction. There were no rigid requirements, and everything was judged and decided by himself. Although he sometimes lacked help, one must lose to gain, and one must pay a price for freedom. ‘Then answer another question you know. I realized that day that the end of the Third Age was indeed a time of termination and disaster, and it was also plague, war, and famine. It can't be that every age ends with this script, right? And now it's starting again, so you want me to help you stop these?’
【No need. Doing so is meaningless.】
‘Sss, so you didn't deny that it's starting again?’
“Knock, knock, knock.”
Before Lady Luna could answer, there was a knock on the bedroom door, and Mrs. Maggie’s gentle smile appeared outside.
“You have a visitor, Mr. Lynch.”
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