Welcome, Lynch

May in Rhine City had already entered early summer, and the warm night breeze blew in through the open windows.

Orange flames spewed from the gas lamp nozzles, brightly illuminating the small dining room.

This was the communal dining room on the first floor of 221 Villa Avenue, not a large space. Four people were seated around the table, enjoying the landlady's cooking.

Everyone was happy, their faces alight with relaxed smiles. It was hard to imagine that less than two hours ago, the four of them had just finished a farce.

After the chaos subsided, everyone finally calmed down and sat together under Officer Natalie's coordination.

Once they could act rationally, things were easy; it was just a misunderstanding after all.

Through the officer's introduction, Lynch finally learned that the landlady's name was Maggie Hudson. Her husband, Duncan Hudson, had died in an accident two years ago, leaving behind their only daughter, Martha. Since then, mother and daughter had relied on each other, making a living from this apartment building.

Mrs. Maggie adored Martha, the fruit of her love with her deceased husband. Lynch thought about how he had just been holding the girl's ever-present ring, flaunting it repeatedly in front of her mother. It was no wonder he was misunderstood.

The problem is, do you even know how much your precious daughter deserves a beating?

Lynch really wanted to tell her right then what her beloved daughter had done today, especially seeing little Martha, who had just been swindling and robbing and swinging a ceramic pot at him, now snuggled in her mother's arms like a well-behaved child. This thought grew particularly strong in Lynch.

His previous experiences truly gave him a scare. Neither Lynch had ever imagined that a group of children would use such insidious methods to rob, almost falling into their trap twice without any defense. Thinking back on it now still sent shivers down his spine; that child definitely needed a lesson.

The words were on the tip of his tongue, but Lynch swallowed them back.

Now he had no evidence apart from the ring, and even if he spoke, the landlady's doting affection for her daughter meant she might not believe him, and he would only end up being the bad guy for nothing.

There was no way he would let her off so easily, but he would wait a couple of days. He'd see what other tricks this brat had up her sleeve, and when the opportunity arose, he'd deliver a fatal blow, letting her experience the cunning and terror of adults.

So, Lynch simply concocted a story: he was asking for directions in the alley, Martha got scared and ran off, and he accidentally pulled off her ring when he reached out. Martha, though surprised, immediately played along, temporarily covering up the incident.

As for Officer Natalie, she was the 'Auntie' Martha had mentioned. She rushed over immediately after finishing her report, intending to ask if Lynch had come to view the rooms, only to stumble upon the scene of the crime.

Mrs. Maggie, having understood everything, was so embarrassed she almost fainted on the spot; her head was hot enough to boil coffee. After recovering, she enthusiastically invited Lynch to stay, offering to lower the rent by another ten shillings a month as an apology.

However, Lynch didn't accept her reduced price, still opting for a rent of three pounds ten shillings a month, only changing the upfront payment for the first three months to a monthly payment. After all, she also lived off the rent, and Lynch didn't feel desperate enough to take advantage of someone's misfortune.

In truth, Lynch still had some reservations. Although he was satisfied with the place in every aspect, and the taste of the recent events lingered with an endlessly fascinating aftertaste, he felt that Mrs. Maggie's affection for her daughter was overly reactive. It wasn't just doting; it was as if she constantly worried her daughter would die a violent death.

Overprotective parents were common, but constantly worrying about a daughter dying a violent death was quite unsettling. So Lynch felt there must be a story behind it, and getting involved could lead to unknown troubles. But considering he was already steeped in trouble, a little more or less didn't matter much. Most importantly, Officer Natalie had recommended it.

Lynch could sense that Officer Natalie actually wanted him to move in here.

The officer was practically his savior. He had just been rescued by her, made a substantial profit thanks to her, and she had introduced him to an excellent residence. He couldn't just turn around and ignore her request for help; Lynch wouldn't be able to do something so inhumane.

Thus, on the evening of May 14th, 1399, Lynch officially decided to move into the apartment at 221 Villa Avenue.

When he hurriedly hired a carriage and rushed back to the Valley District, transporting all his belongings to his new home, he was surprised to find that Mrs. Maggie had already cooked dinner. Three ladies, two adults and one child, were sitting at the table, chatting and laughing as they waited for him to join them.

He suddenly felt immensely grateful for his decision to move here. The restless, anxious soul, adrift like duckweed when he first transmigrated, seemed to find a reason to take root in this world at this moment. It was a simple wait, yet it instilled in him a strong sense of belonging to this world.

At least someone is waiting for me, at least someone accepts me. Travel Companion, what do you think about making this the first stop on our journey?

【This is your journey, Awakened, and I will bear witness to your every decision.】

‘I know, that’s why I didn’t ask if it was good for you, I asked if you thought it was good.’

Silence filled his mind, and only after a long pause did a gentle voice reply.

【Good.】

‘Thanks, Travel Companion.’ Lynch gripped the pendant at his chest. ‘From now on, I belong to this world. I am Lynch Levive.’

【Then, welcome… Lynch.】

Dumping his luggage in the doorway, Lynch let out a cheer and excitedly took his seat, startling the three ladies. They then couldn't help but chuckle, unsure what he was so happy about, only suspecting he was faint from hunger.

Before him was a large plate of cream stew, two slices of fried bacon, and a big piece of white bread. It wasn't exactly lavish, but compared to the hard bread he had for lunch, this was a delicacy.

The rich, fragrant cream, soft, mushy potatoes, and tender, delicate chickpeas were simmered together into a thick stew that melted in the mouth. Yet, the greens floating on top were crisp, fresh, and left a pleasant aftertaste, also soaked in the creamy broth. One flavor, two textures—it made it hard to put down the utensils.

He took a large spoonful of the thick soup, then a small bite of bacon, letting the crispy, salty texture fill his mouth. Seizing the chance, he took a big bite of bread, mixing the flavors together and swallowing it all. None of it was fancy, but each bite was full of the taste of life.

It was the first satisfying meal since his transmigration. Lynch sighed contentedly, looking at the three ladies before him. He suddenly winked mysteriously, put a finger to his lips in a shushing gesture, then crept over to his luggage, retrieved a bottle of red wine, and stealthily brought it back, placing it in front of Officer Natalie.

The officer curiously picked it up and glanced at it, her expression turning serious.

No official sales label. In the world of red wine, this itself was a label, signifying the wine's value. Generally, such wines… The lady skillfully examined the bottle neck, then suddenly let out a shriek.

“Wiska Winery Ten-Year Vintage? This is a high-end item you can't even buy for a pound a bottle, Lynch! Where did you get it? What do you mean by putting such a good thing out like this? Quick, put it away!”

Yes, a high-end item. This was the good wine the original owner of the body had ordered from Lattis Kitchen just before he died last night—a bottle of Wiska wine for one pound.

It wasn't a top-tier wine, as it could be ordered in a restaurant, but it was still quite expensive.

When Lynch was moving earlier, he made a detour to Lattis Kitchen. He had originally intended to resell the wine on the spot, as he wasn't interested in red wine and a pound in cash was more practical. However, after getting the wine, he suddenly remembered something.

Last night, when suppressing the uncontrolled mystery relic, Officer Natalie had mentioned twice that if he survived, she would buy him a drink. Coupled with the officer's practiced movements today at the Scarecrow Club, she likely had a unique fondness for alcohol.

Although Lynch was currently living frugally and knew he would likely have to economize for a long time, he wasn't so stingy as to be ungenerous with friends. So, after a slight hesitation, he packed the bottle into his luggage and brought it back, intending it as a surprise for the officer.

Sure enough, he hadn't guessed wrong. With a shriek, Officer Natalie was already incoherent. Mrs. Maggie, ever thoughtful, saw Lynch's expression and guessed his intentions, then instinctively fetched a corkscrew and glasses, opening the red wine on the spot.

‘If I gave you a whole bottle of red wine, you might not accept such a valuable gift, but if it's opened and we all drink together, there's no problem, right? Drink a few glasses, and then you can take the rest. What normal person would refuse that?’

Lynch couldn't help but secretly give Mrs. Maggie a thumbs-up. This was the subtle approach of a mature woman; he knew he still had a long way to go.

As expected, Officer Natalie had no resistance and drank several glasses. The dinner regretfully ended only when the ten o'clock chimes rang, and the landlady and her daughter needed to rest. Mrs. Maggie took Martha to clean up the dishes and prepare for bed, while Officer Natalie followed Lynch to his new home on the second floor.

“Thank you for today.” Turning on the gas lamp, the officer naturally sat on the living room sofa. “You could tell I wanted you to live here?”

“I genuinely like it here too, and the value for money is definitely good; it’s worth the extra cost. So, what exactly is their problem?”

The officer sighed and explained, “That was two years ago. My father had just passed away, and I took over his responsibilities as the new Watcher. The Duncan Hudson family was the first group of mystery contactees I wanted to save.”

Lynch nodded and sat opposite her.

“Unfortunately, Duncan became too deeply entangled with the mystery and didn't survive, but Maggie and Martha did.”

“That’s still a success, half a victory.”

“The world of mystery is not so gentle. Once a connection with mystery is established, there’s no escaping it. Mystery is like a nightmare; it will forever linger, often appearing unexpectedly to make victims confront bizarre deaths again. It’s unsolvable. So every survivor of a mystery event actually lives under the shadow of mystery, spending the rest of their lives in fear.”

Only then did Lynch understand what Linda, the club bartender, had meant. It seemed if he didn't have to become a Soul Severer to survive, he would also be in this situation, constantly guarding against mystery coming for him.

“That’s why I had selfish reasons for suggesting you live here. I wouldn’t recommend ordinary people, that would harm them, but you don’t have those concerns. So I hoped you could help me look after them both. I believe with your adaptability, living together, you can completely ensure their safety.”

“I’ll do my best, don’t worry. But is this why Mrs. Maggie is so overly anxious about Martha?”

“Yes, Martha was actually affected by the mystery no less severely than her father at the time; she just got lucky and didn't die. This makes her more susceptible to mysterious disturbances than Maggie, which is why Maggie is always overly anxious, constantly fearing that the mystery will take Martha away from her. Today was no different, please don’t mind her.”

“Today might not have been just excessive anxiety,” Lynch sighed. “My mystery intuition detected mysterious residue on that ring of hers, though it wasn’t obvious on her person. It was her father’s relic, wasn’t it? Could it have been left over from two years ago?”

“Impossible. No residue could last two years.” Officer Natalie’s expression turned serious. “This means she’s recently come into contact with a mystery.”

“Is there danger?”

“Hard to say. I’ll find an opportunity to ask her about it first.”

“Alright, I’ll also look for a chance to ask her these next couple of days.”

“You should focus on sorting out your own affairs first.” Natalie glared at him. “I’ve already finished my report. If you don’t resolve your situation, my efforts will have been in vain.”

“Okay, I’ll go to a few churches tomorrow to get some information. I’ll be back every evening. If you can’t find me for anything, just leave a message here.”

“If you need me, go to the club; I’m usually there.”

Natalie stood up, put on her hat, picked up her sword, and wagged a finger at Lynch. “Good luck, Lynch. I hope everything goes smoothly for you tomorrow. See you next time.”

Lynch didn’t get up either. He waved goodbye to the departing officer and leaned back on the sofa in his new home, gazing at the hazy red moon outside the window. He fell into thought for a while before finally snapping out of it.

Phew, he had finally found his footing in this new world and could live a normal life, like a person.

Not bad, he had successfully navigated his first day and acquired everything he needed.

So, starting tomorrow, he would have to fight for his survival.

Tomorrow, he would try a few churches, hoping for a good outcome. He also needed to learn more about the mysteries and supernatural elements of this world. Did he think he could succeed?

【Anything is possible.】

‘Heh, that’s not the kind of response a system usually gives.’

Lynch didn't expect an answer. He got up, turned off the gas lamp, walked into his new bedroom, drew back the curtains, and waved at the red moon above.

‘Good night, Travel Companion. Tomorrow, we continue our new journey.’

The red moon hung high, as always.

The moonlight was hazy and mysterious.