Lynch was in a daze for a moment.
It was hard for him to describe what exactly he was seeing.
A long green river flowed slowly, with no known beginning or end. Countless green flames floated and sank on the river's surface, flickering unstably. Faint, ethereal weeping and agonizing screams echoed from the depths of the long river. The dark, eerie river seemed to exude an unparalleled allure, terrifying yet filled with mystery, making one unconsciously want to throw themselves into it and merge with the river.
Floating aimlessly, Lynch did not know how much time had passed. Time had lost its meaning here; a single second was no different from a billion years. Lynch wandered like this, his mind growing increasingly numb and dull, until a sharp pain shot through his forehead.
“Hot, hot, hot!”
Lynch let out a yelp and jumped up, rubbing his forehead, which had been burned red by the pipe. Only then did he realize he had returned to the dimly lit secret room. The red-haired lady was holding her pipe in her mouth, looking at him from a very close distance. A faint, musty scent drifted from her fiery red hair into his nose.
“Awake?” Madam Bessie's eyes flickered as she stared into Lynch's eyes, raising a finger. “How many is this?”
“...Fifteen?”
“He's turned into an idiot. Looks like I need to perform a thirty-pound ritual...”
“One. It's one.”
Pfft.
The red-haired lady gave a contemptuous laugh, her expression saying “as if I can't handle you.” “It seems your mind has recovered quite well; you didn't get lost on the other side. Not bad. But if you don't want to leave permanent trauma, forget everything you just saw as soon as possible.”
“What was all that?” The question slipped out, and only then did he realize she didn't know what he had seen. “I saw...”
“Stop, I don't want to know, thank you.” Madam Bessie glared at Lynch and said crossly, “You actually want to repeat that kind of thing to me? Why don't you describe the image of an evil god to me while you're at it? Are you annoyed that I didn't die completely last time, or do you think it's a pity that I recovered?”
“Huh? You want to hear about evil gods? What a coincidence, I happen to have some.”
“I don't!” Madam Bessie's pipe twitched. She seemed to be struggling hard to resist the urge to whack Lynch on the head. In the end, her heart softened, and she explained, “Theoretically, you should have glimpsed the River Styx, a bizarre river that flows along the boundary between the mortal world and the other side, spanning life and death. What flows in the River Styx is not water, but soul fire. All of the dead must cross the River Styx after death to wash away their soul fire, so their souls can cross the River Styx and enter the kingdom of the God of the Underworld, returning to eternal rest. If you had unconsciously wandered into the River Styx while lost just now, you would never have come back. Although the God of the Underworld has fallen now, the way everything operates remains unaffected. Once you enter the River Styx, you embark on the path to the other side.”
“There really is a God of the Underworld,” Lynch said, dazed. “Then doesn't my death authority contest for divine authority with him?”
“Have you ever wondered why he's called the God of the Underworld and not the God of Death? The divine authority he held exclusively should have been the kingdom of the dead, not death. The authority of death is scattered among several different deities. As far as I know, at least Gaia, the Lord of the Earth; Nyx, the Lord of the Black Night; Shilin, the Lord of the Oceans; Fiona, the Lord of Suffering; and Lady Luna, the Lady of the Red Moon whom you follow, all share a portion of the death authority. Oh, right, Tyr, the Lord of War, seems to share it too, but I'm not sure.”
“What is exclusive divine authority?”
This was the first time a professional occultist was willing to explain theological knowledge to Lynch. Crucially, she could explain it clearly without all the taboos of the major gods' believers, so Lynch listened very attentively.
“Every major god has at least one exclusive primary divine authority, which is usually their title. For example, 'crafts' for the Lord of Fire and Crafts, 'blazing sun' for the Lord of the Sun, 'joy' for the Joyful Maiden. Aside from their primary authority, other authorities are shared with other deities.”
“Oh? What if someone gathered a shared authority all together, turning it into a single, exclusive authority?”
“Impossible. No deity could do such a thing, let alone an evil god or even a human.”
“I'm saying what if? Just in case there is.”
“Then it would mean a new deity has been born.” The red-haired lady glanced at Lynch. “For example, you. If you gathered all the authority of money-grubbers into yourself, you would be the new Lord of Money-Grubbers.”
“Huh? There's actually an authority of money-grubbers?”
“That would be Accumulation and Greed. But first, you would have to conceptually plunder another deity's authority—and more than one, at that. You would face siege from all the gods. Besides, you are merely a mortal.”
‘Neighbor, is that possible? Does this mean that if I continue like this, without taking your divine authority, I also have a chance to reach the supreme?’
【Lynch, I have said that you do not need to worry about my destination. I have my own arrangements.】
‘Whether I worry or not is my business. What does it have to do with you? Just watch your scenery and don't influence my choices.’
The voice in his mind fell silent. Hopefully she wasn't researching how to crush him to death with the red moon. Lynch stopped probing into the matter of divine authority and followed the impatient red-haired lady out of the secret room.
“Are you sure you've learned it?”
The moment they returned to the prop shop, the bizarre atmosphere of the secret room vanished instantly, and even the dim yellow light of the gas lamps felt much warmer. Hearing Madam Bessie's question, Lynch finally remembered his business. He closed his eyes and sensed quietly. Outside the light orb representing the death authority in his soul manifestation, two more spots of light had appeared.
The ability Death Omen, which had been triggered during his battle with the twisted one, and the newly learned ability End Resonance.
Death Omen was a very good ability, allowing him to instinctively foresee the location and timing of the next fatal attack. However, it was probabilistic, meaning it could only be treated as a pleasant surprise and could not be completely relied upon.
As for the End Resonance ability, after his experience just now, Lynch felt that the light spot carried a gloomy chill, making his skin crawl.
“Yes, indeed. The eight pounds was definitely not wasted.”
“Of course, I never sell fake goods.”
“Huh? What about that statue earlier?”
“Oh, I generally don't sell fake goods,” the red-haired lady corrected herself righteously, blowing a plume of smoke at Lynch and saying lazily, “Is there anything else you want to spend money on?”
This reminded Lynch: “Do you have any soul-returning grass here? I want to buy some for backup.”
Then he found the red-haired lady looking at him as if he were an evil god.
What was going on? Was that stuff not for sale?
Madam Bessie asked with a look of mock admiration, “Do you even know what that is?”
“An herb to stabilize the will and resist filth, right?”
“That stuff comes from the New Continent and only grows on the barren Plain of Souls. Its effect is indeed excellent, but its annual yield is too low. Because of that thing, the Plain of Souls has become the most fiercely contested area for the pioneering teams of various nations. The seven great nations break out into large-scale armed conflicts there every year just to secure a larger area for growing soul-returning grass. Actually, it's not that expensive—only twenty pounds.”
“A kilogram or a pound?”
“...A gram. And this price is just a number with no practical meaning because it's very hard to find a supplier. In any case, I don't have it here. Having a single gram as a backup is considered a life-saving strategic resource, so how could it possibly be put up for sale?”
Lynch's lips twitched. He realized he had really let success go to his head, actually attempting to try something Miss Valente used on a daily basis.
“You don't have to make that face either. There is a lower-tier substitute, calming grass. Normal people use this. It's relatively cheap—only five pounds for a hundred grams.”
“Do you have some kind of misunderstanding about the word 'cheap'?” Cold sweat practically broke out on Lynch's forehead.
“Do you have some kind of misunderstanding about mysterious materials?”
“Uh, I guess I do.”
He felt deep pain in his heart, but money that needed to be spent still had to be spent. However, seeing a hundred grams of calming grass packed like loose tobacco into a plump, full pouch filled Lynch with a sense of satisfaction. But just as Madam Bessie was about to hand it over, she pulled her hand back.
“This stuff is more effective the stronger your willpower is, so most Soul Severers don't really use it. It has a very poor effect on them, and they often suffer a mental collapse before they even have time to use it. If you think this is useful, it means your willpower is quite good, so let me recommend a matching mystery relic to go with it.”
With that, she retrieved an ancient and simple pipe from the counter.
It wasn't the long lady's pipe that Madam Bessie used, but a men's pipe similar to what some detectives habitually used. It was brownish-yellow, shimmering with a mysterious luster.
【Lawrence's Pipe. The legendary investigator Lawrence smoked this pipe, facing evil gods time and again and returning safely, until lung disease claimed his life.】
“Your inspiration is truly exaggerated. Yes, Lawrence's Pipe, a fear grade mystery relic. Burning various mysterious materials with it will increase their effects by fifty percent. Moreover, it inherently possesses a clearing and calming function, helping the user think calmly and escape the fear brought by filth. Its containment method is also very simple: maintain it with essential oil once a day, otherwise it will go out of control, causing the surrounding people to suffer from continuous insomnia for at least a month.”
Hiss, this was indeed a good thing. Lynch was instantly tempted.
The effect was indeed enticing, but that wasn't the most critical part. The most critical part was that it looked cool. Both cool and highly effective—it was simply perfect. However, since this was recommended by the unscrupulous merchant before him, Lynch's heart was filled with an ominous premonition.
“It's cheap. Everything in my shop is a bargain, don't worry.” The red-haired lady's eyes squinted almost into slits. “With the calming grass, let's call it twenty pounds. Ah, and I'll throw in five grams each of cold incense grass to calm emotions, clearing-heart grass to improve focus, and dream-leaf to let the mind drift and the will wander, as a trial. If they work well, remember to buy from me again next time.”
With that, without even waiting for Lynch to refuse, she had already skillfully wrapped the items up, pushed them across the counter with a smile, and placed them in front of Lynch.
Wait, was there some mistake?
A twenty-pound mystery relic and herbs, eight pounds for the ritual materials, and ten and a half pounds for the mystery document. Lynch counted on his fingers for a long time and realized that after a single trip, the fifty pounds that had made him so complacent now had only a bit over ten pounds left.
At this moment, Lynch felt that the smile on the red-haired lady's face before him was incredibly sinister. Feeling deep heartache, he dropped twenty pounds in notes, grabbed his parcel, and bolted, leaving a leisurely “thank you for your business” far behind him.
So expensive. He must never come back unless he was loaded.
However, it was indeed worth the money. Lynch patted the paper parcel, which exuded a grassy fragrance, and revealed a satisfied smile. Before it got dark, he hurried back to 221 Villa Avenue, eager to play with the luxury goods he had just purchased.
As soon as he entered the door, he saw Mrs. Maggie in an apron, with a little follower behind her. The mother and daughter were busy in and out of the kitchen preparing dinner. Upon seeing Lynch, Mrs. Maggie immediately revealed a warm smile.
“Are your legs alright? Ah, that's good. Dinner will be ready soon, why don't you go upstairs and rest for a bit first? By the way, Natalie came looking for you earlier. She looked quite serious. Hearing that you weren't back yet, she seemed a bit disappointed and left.”
Hmm?
“Did she say anything else? Like when I should go find her?”
“No, she didn't say anything. She just said she understood and then left.”
Something was wrong.
Lynch's heart instantly leaped into his throat.
They had just parted, yet she immediately came looking for him, but couldn't wait and left right away. And she was very serious. There must be some urgent matter, and an important one at that.
But why didn't she leave a message? Was she hesitating about whether to continue asking for my help?
Things being out of the ordinary meant there was definitely a problem.
The more Lynch thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. Frowning in thought for a moment, he suddenly turned and left.
“I'm going to the station square. Don't wait for me for dinner.”
Rate on N.U.
