Where did this brat come from?
Lynch felt a headache the moment he turned around.
The stress response left behind by that little brat back home made Lynch instinctively want to pin any child he saw to the ground and beat them, but he suppressed the impulse and scrutinized the person speaking.
Physically, she appeared to be a girl of eleven or twelve, slightly taller than Martha, wearing a floral dress and a large red bow. A rabbit mask covered her face. Most people here wore various masks, and those like Lynch who revealed their faces were actually the minority.
How could a girl of this age appear here, let alone browse catalogs and pick out merchandise with such seriousness? Based on what she said, she was just an ordinary person.
Facing Lynch's questioning gaze, the librarian Dalil smiled calmly. "As long as one knows how to enter the library and passes the screening upon entry, anyone is qualified to enter. Of course, the prerequisite is to have a sufficiently devout heart toward knowledge."
As he spoke, he cast a disdainful glance at the money bag Lynch had been clutching earlier.
"It seems your idea of a devout heart refers to Lande pounds. I am now quite suspicious that the 'billions of radiance' from your Lord refers to the shimmer of billions of gold coins."
"Heh heh, the light of gold coins is, of course, part of the radiance of truth."
Dalil did not mind at all. After his explanation, Lynch learned that those who passed the library's entry audit were never purely ordinary people; they at least had some understanding of the mystical. They were somewhat like the ordinary hunters in the Scarecrow Club, though the degree was not as severe, and they had not yet begun true mystical contact.
This girl was such a visitor, and a regular one at that. She was filled with a deep interest in the mystical, arcane arts, secret medicines, and rituals, and had purchased many strange tomes to experiment with. Fortunately, nothing truly disastrous had happened yet.
But at this rate, it would happen soon.
Lynch sighed. It seemed that no matter which world he was in, there was no shortage of people actively seeking their own demise. "Does the official side not stop them?"
"The mystical imprints deep in people's souls include not just fear, but also curiosity. Curiosity about forbidden knowledge cannot be blocked. Therefore, as long as nothing goes wrong, the authorities will not interfere."
"But if something does go wrong, it would be too late, wouldn't it?"
"That is why if something goes wrong, there is no need to interfere; is that not simpler?" A chill seemed to permeate the old man's smile. "Everyone must be responsible for their own actions. That principle does not just apply to you and me, Mr. Levive."
At that moment, a chill seemed to drift through the bottom of Lynch's heart, and his scalp went numb.
It was not fear, but rather a shock from further realizing the reality of the situation. It seemed this world was not filled only with warmth; in essence, it remained a cold and real world.
Lynch nodded, no longer having so many reservations, and sat directly across from the girl. "Good afternoon, Miss Rabbit. You can call me Mr. Detective. I am very interested in the Flash you mentioned, but before that, I need to confirm: did you get your family's support to come to a place like this? Otherwise, how are you handling the costs?"
Miss Rabbit was a bit dazed by the question. "Costs? It is not expensive here, just a few pounds each time. My pocket money is enough."
She was indeed a child from a wealthy family, living too comfortably and having too much time on her hands. Lynch opened his mouth like a dead fish and sighed powerlessly. "Can you give me a detailed introduction? Including its origin. I do not want to be tracked down by angry parents after completing the transaction, demanding a refund or return on the grounds that a child did not know any better."
"How rude, Mr. Detective. Although I am young, I am a senior researcher of mysticism and know exactly what I am doing." Miss Rabbit glared at Lynch and replied sullenly, "I found those when I was organizing the ancestral home, tucked away in the attic. They should have been left by my great-grandfather. I cannot understand those things, but I brought them here to have the librarians authenticate them. They are all mystery documents, and among them is the Flash I mentioned."
"Then you can handle these documents on your own? Your parents do not interfere?"
Miss Rabbit was silent for a moment before whispering, "They only see what they care about; they cannot understand anything that exceeds their common sense. In their eyes, these mystery documents are just waste paper covered in foreign characters and strange symbols. Other than throwing them away as trash, there is no other outcome."
Lynch hesitated, but asked anyway, "Then how much do you intend to sell them for?"
"Money? I do not want money." The eyes beneath the mask sparkled, and Miss Rabbit subconsciously lowered her voice. "I want to trade."
Is this girl alright? Lynch felt a headache coming on and asked powerlessly, "Trade for what?"
"Um... things I can understand, I suppose." Miss Rabbit bit her finger and pondered for a long time before hesitantly saying, "Arcane arts or secret medicines would be nice, but it is best if they are things I can learn. Of course, it would be best if they were complex rituals, provided I can understand them."
This request... Lynch had a bad premonition. Over the past twenty days, he had encountered rituals several times. Not only was the process extremely eerie, but the effects were quite dangerous; death was the lightest consequence. This made Lynch unable to help but ask, "I can understand wanting arcane arts or secret medicines, but why do you need the detailed operation for rituals? Those are not good things."
"These are very popular in school right now. Many classmates are playing with them, like calling upon cup spirits or coin spirits. It is interesting, but those are fake and not fun." Miss Rabbit's voice trembled with excitement, her breathing quickening as she said, "If you are going to play, you have to play for real. The more obvious the effect, the better. I will scare those idiots to death and see if they dare call me a fake witch again."
Ha? What in the world? You want to learn mystical rituals for this kind of thing and want to practice them in person?
Are you out of your mind? Why would you want to play with your life instead of something else?
If he were not in the land of gentlemen, Lynch figured he would have already cursed out loud. In his view, this behavior was akin to buying a 'Little Boy' bomb and lighting it with classmates; not only was it boring, but it was also stupid.
Let alone the fact that he did not have any, even if he did, there was no way he would trade them.
He could not even be bothered to refuse; he simply stood up, turned around, and left.
"Hey, Mr. Detective, you should think carefully. It is said that Flash is a very rare and useful arcane art. If you miss it, you will not get another chance."
Nonsense. In any game, if used well, this thing could be used as a campaign-level spell. Did she think he did not know? Of course he wanted it, but the problem was...
Lynch turned back abruptly, stared into Miss Rabbit's eyes, and said seriously, "Listen, child, I do indeed want it, but the mystical is not something to play with. It is not a game. It will truly kill people, so I will not trade with you. You have money and treasures; perhaps you will soon trade with others for useful things and then practice them to your heart's content, regardless of whether you live or die. That is your choice, and I have no right to stop or interfere. But at the very least, I can control myself and refuse to trade with you. Even if I want it, I must refuse. This is my bottom line as a human being. For the sake of profit, I will not lower myself to pushing a child toward death."
After speaking, Lynch turned and left. He stopped after a few steps, hesitated for a moment, turned back, pulled out a business card, and placed it in front of Miss Rabbit. "This is my address. If you change your mind, or... if something truly irreversible happens, come find me."
"Eh, this address..."
Lynch did not pay any more attention to Miss Rabbit's words. He bought the End Resonance from Dalil and then hurried away. His mood had turned sour. Lynch kept a straight face as he pressed against the door he had entered through. After a dizzying spin, he found himself appearing under the vast sunset.
Back outside, then.
Looking at the library behind him, Lynch left in a hurry. However, he had not even walked two hundred meters when a burst of hurried footsteps sounded beside him. More than twenty people in blue uniforms rushed over from all directions.
"That is him! The item went missing after he was there. He must have stolen it! Catch him!"
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