Playing with Fire

Where did this brat come from?

Lynch felt his head throb the moment he turned around.

The stress reaction left by that little rascal at home made Lynch instinctively want to pin any child he saw to the ground and beat them senseless, but he managed to control his impulse and sized up the speaker.

From her build, she was an eleven or twelve-year-old girl, slightly taller than Martha, wearing a floral dress and a large red bow, with a rabbit mask covering her face. Most people here wore various masks; those like Lynch, who showed their faces, were in the minority.

How could a girl this young be here, seriously reading a catalog and picking out items? From what she said, she was just an ordinary person.

Meeting Lynch's questioning gaze, the librarian Daryl smiled calmly. “As long as one knows how to enter the library and passes the entry screening, anyone is qualified to enter the library. Of course, the prerequisite is to possess a sufficient devotion to knowledge.”

As he spoke, he cast a disdainful glance at the money pouch Lynch had just clutched.

“So your 'devotion to knowledge' really means Lande pounds. I'm starting to suspect your Lord of a Billion Radiance actually refers to the glint of a billion gold coins.”

“Hehe, the light of gold coins is, of course, also part of the light of truth.”

Daryl didn't mind in the slightest. Through his explanation, Lynch learned that those who could pass the library's entry screening were never purely ordinary people; they at least had some understanding of the mysterious. They were a bit like the ordinary hunters in the Scarecrow Club, just not as severely affected as the hunters, having not yet begun mystery contact.

This girl was one such visitor, and a regular customer at that. She was deeply interested in mystery, arcana, arcane medicine, and rituals, having bought many strange tomes to try out. Fortunately, nothing serious had happened yet.

But it wouldn't be long if she continued.

Lynch sighed. Sure enough, no matter the world, there was no shortage of people actively seeking trouble. “Don't the authorities stop them?”

“Beyond fear, curiosity is also etched deep within people's souls regarding the mysterious. Curiosity about forbidden knowledge cannot be stopped. So, as long as nothing happens, the authorities won't interfere.”

“But if something happens, it's already too late, isn't it?”

“So if something happens, there's no need to interfere, isn't that simpler?” The old man's smile seemed to carry a chill. “Everyone must be responsible for their own actions. This principle applies not only to you and me, Mr. Levive.”

At that moment, a trace of chill seemed to drift through Lynch's heart, and his scalp tingled.

It wasn't fear, but more like the shock of further recognizing reality. It seemed this world wasn't all warmth; at its core, it was still a cold and harsh reality.

Lynch nodded, no longer so hesitant, and sat directly across from the girl. “Good afternoon, Miss Rabbit. You can call me Mr. Detective. I'm very interested in the Flash you mentioned, but before that, I need to confirm something: do your family support you coming to a place like this? Otherwise, how do you handle the expenses?”

Miss Rabbit looked a bit bewildered by the question. “Expenses? It's not expensive here, is it? Just a few pounds each time; my pocket money is enough.”

She really was a child from a wealthy family, too comfortable with too much time on her hands. Lynch opened his mouth like a dead fish and sighed weakly. “Can you introduce it in detail? Including its origin. I don't want angry parents showing up at my door after the transaction, demanding refunds and returns on the grounds that their child was ignorant.”

“That's very rude, Mr. Detective. Though I'm young, I'm also an experienced occult researcher, and I know very well what I'm doing.” Miss Rabbit glared at Lynch and huffily replied, “I found it in the attic while tidying my ancestral home; it should be something my great-grandfather left behind. I couldn't understand any of it, but I brought it here and had the librarians examine it. They confirmed they were mystery documents, and among them was the Flash I mentioned.”

“So you can dispose of these documents yourself? Your parents don't interfere?”

Miss Rabbit fell silent for a moment, then whispered, “They only see what they care about and can't understand anything beyond their common sense. To them, these mystery documents are just waste paper with foreign writing and strange symbols. There's no other outcome than throwing them away as trash.”

Lynch hesitated a little, but still asked, “Then how much do you want for it?”

“Money? I don't want money.” Her eyes sparkled under the mask, and Miss Rabbit unconsciously lowered her voice. “I want to trade.”

Is this girl alright? Lynch felt a headache coming on and asked weakly, “Trade for what?”

“Hmm... something I can understand, I suppose.” Miss Rabbit chewed on her finger, thought for a long time, then hesitantly said, “Arcana, arcane medicine—those are good. But ideally, something I can learn. And of course, the best would be complex rituals, provided I can understand them.”

This request... Lynch had a bad feeling. In the past twenty-odd days, he had encountered several rituals, whose processes were not only extremely bizarre but also quite dangerous; death was the least of it. This made Lynch press further, “I understand wanting arcana and arcane medicine, but why do you want detailed instructions for rituals? Those aren't good things.”

“They're really popular in school right now! Lots of classmates are playing around with them, like inviting spirits for money. It's interesting, sure, but they're all fake and not fun.” Miss Rabbit's voice trembled with excitement, and she spoke with hurried breaths, “If we're going to play, let's play for real! The more obvious the effects, the better, to scare those idiots to death and see if they dare call me a fake witch again!”

Huh? What the hell? You want to learn occult rituals and even perform them yourself, all for this?

You've got too much time on your hands, haven't you? Of all things to do, you choose to play with your life.

If he weren't in the nation of gentlemen, Lynch probably would have cursed aloud. In his view, this behavior was akin to buying a ‘Little Boy’ and lighting it with classmates—not only pointless, but also utterly foolish.

Even if he had it, let alone not having it, there was no way he would trade for that.

He didn't even bother to refuse, simply standing up and turning to leave.

“Hey, Mr. Detective, you should think carefully! Flash is said to be a very rare and useful arcane art; you might not get another chance if you miss this one.”

No kidding. In any game, if used well, that thing could be a game-changer. Of course I want it, but the problem is...

Lynch spun around, staring intently into Miss Rabbit's eyes, and said seriously, “Listen, kid, I really want it, but the mysterious isn't something to play with. It's truly deadly, so I won't trade with you. You have money and treasures, and perhaps you'll soon trade for useful things from others, then recklessly experiment for fun. That's your choice; I have no right to stop or interfere. But I can at least control myself and refuse to deal with you, no matter how much I want it. This is my bottom line as a person. I wouldn't stoop to pushing a child towards death for profit.”

Having said that, Lynch turned to leave. After two steps, he stopped, hesitated for a moment, then turned back and placed a business card in front of Miss Rabbit. “This is my address. If you change your mind, or... if something truly irreparable happens, come find me anytime.”

“Oh, this address...”

Lynch ignored Miss Rabbit's words, bought the End Resonance from Daryl, and quickly turned to leave. His mood soured instantly. Lynch, stone-faced, pressed against the door he'd entered through. After a dizzying spin, he found himself standing under the vast evening sun.

Back outside.

Glancing back at the library, Lynch hurried away. However, he hadn't walked even two hundred meters when hurried footsteps sounded beside him. Over twenty blue uniforms rushed out from all directions.

“It's him! Things went missing after he visited; he must have stolen them! Catch him quickly!”