Princess Chloe certainly wouldn't be honest about the full truth. The information she provided was bound to be a mix of truth and lies, carefully crafted to avoid exposing her own actions.
However, basic information of this nature is easy to verify and likely holds higher credibility, so Lynch did not doubt that the item could truly point to a manifestation grade mystery relic.
A manifestation grade, by definition, means that if the relic goes out of control, the hazard is equivalent to the arrival of an evil god, ranking it among the most dangerous of mystery threats.
Therefore, level four destruction grade and level five manifestation grade mystery relics are considered highly sensitive dangerous goods. Any such relics already brought to light are typically kept in secret containment by national authorities and major churches. Any operation involving them is strictly controlled and subject to rigorous oversight by multiple factions.
As for those destruction and manifestation grade relics that remain undiscovered and exist only in legends, they are incredibly terrifying and unstable factors. They often possess extremely powerful effects, constantly tempting their holders to use them and become their captives. Once used even once, it is difficult to break free, forcing the user to continue a second or third time until the relic goes completely out of control.
Relics of this level, even in a contained state, constantly radiate mysterious filth into their surroundings, threatening everyone nearby every second. Their level of terror is in no way inferior to the projection of an evil god. Hearing the introduction, Lynch suddenly felt his heart jump. He deeply suspected that the sensation was a sign that he had already established a weak connection with the mystery itself.
【Be confident, Lynch.】 The gentle lady offered him thoughtful comfort. 【Do not doubt it.】
‘Thank you, Miss Confidence, I feel so much better now.’
Lynch sighed. He suspected that his blood carried the genes of a masochist because, at this moment, instead of feeling fear or shrinking away, he felt a surge of intense interest.
Since the connection was already staring him in the face, why shrink back? It would be better to simply accept his fate and jump in. Besides, this was a mystery event that most people would never encounter in several lifetimes. If he had just wanted to take revenge on the princess and the Count before, Lynch was now truly, genuinely curious.
Looking at it this way, the gemstone itself was unimportant; what truly deserved attention was the manifestation grade mystery relic it pointed to. After a moment of thought, Lynch immediately pressed on: “So, what exactly is the effect of that… gate? And why are the Flaming Red Lips able to find it?”
“I don’t know.” Chloe replied with a blank expression. “These are all legends from thousands of years ago, dating back to the Fourth Age. How would I know? Besides, no one knows if they are true or false. It isn’t even certain if the Gate of Falsehood and Reality exists; the Flaming Red Lips is just a gemstone with a story, that’s all.”
Huh? You don’t know, yet you hid the gem and played the innocent? Don’t tell me you only stole it because you thought the trinket looked shiny and pretty.
Thinking this to himself, Lynch did not expose her behavior. He simply nodded with a wry smile: “Fair enough. Then let’s talk about something you should know. How did this key to a manifestation grade mystery relic end up in your hands?”
“This has nothing to do with the theft, detective.” The princess put on a stern face and said gloomily, “Do your own job. Do not ask about things that do not concern you.”
Lynch narrowed his eyes, his smile hiding a needle. He said without a hint of politeness: “You are a princess, and I am a detective. I am professional at investigating cases, but you are not. Whether information is relevant to a case is not something a princess can judge; that is the detective’s job. If you feel that a princess can help a detective judge information, then why did you invite me here in the first place? Or is it that you aren’t looking forward to me helping you solve the case, catch the thief, and recover the gem? If that is the case, please just say so. As a gentleman of Lande, I would never force a noble lady.”
Princess Chloe took a deep breath, lowered her gaze, and said, “That was jewelry I chose from the royal treasury when I left home.”
“Your Highness Chloe.” Knowing there were things Lynch did not understand, Miss Valente set down her coffee cup and smiled elegantly. “Are you implying that the Salter royal family has fallen into a financial crisis, to the point where they can only provide royal princesses with such special items of hidden meaning as accessories? This would be sensational news, especially coming from the lips of a Salter princess herself.”
“I…”
“Or perhaps, is the Kingdom of Salter intentionally letting you bring such items of special significance into the territory of Lande, without considering the impact or destruction it might cause here? If that is the case, then this is no longer a matter of theft; the mid to high level officials of the Salter Protocol Department should probably be lined up and hanged in front of the palace square.”
“I remembered incorrectly; it was not brought from home.” Princess Chloe lowered her head, twisting the hem of her skirt, and said sullenly, “It was a treasure offered to me by a subject of the kingdom when I returned home for this vacation, and I just brought it along.”
Lynch smiled, knowing she was definitely still not telling the truth, but the timeline matched. There had been no rumors of this gemstone before, but after Princess Chloe returned to Rhine from Salter a few months ago, it was deposited in the Douglas bank vault. She must have gotten it from somewhere during that time.
The question was, why did she bring such a thing to Lande? It couldn’t possibly be just to show it off, could it?
Damn it!
Lynch suddenly felt a chill run through his entire body. Could it be that the hiding place of the so-called Gate of Falsehood and Reality was in Lande—specifically, in Rhine—and that was why she had deliberately brought it here, all to dig out that dangerous thing?
She must be insane.
Lynch’s gaze toward Princess Chloe had completely changed. But on second thought, that wasn’t right. If that were the case, she wouldn’t have needed to stage an inside job. There must be others behind this. Under normal circumstances, the item would have fallen into that person’s hands, but she wanted to keep it for herself, so she stole the gem in advance and put on a show of diligently searching for it.
In other words, there was a group of people hiding in this city, plotting to find something that could rival the arrival of an evil god, and at some point, this ticking bomb would be detonated?
Who exactly was behind her? Someone from the Hall of Order? No, the Hall of Order didn’t have the qualifications. This was a princess of a kingdom; to make her wary, the position must be even higher. But the Hall of Order definitely had a connection to the people behind her, otherwise, the princess would not have found it so hard to refuse their recommendation.
Could it be the person putting pressure on the Hall of Order? He remembered Inspector Bruno mentioning that Duke Vane, Mayor Howard Hoffman, and Chairman Grant were the ones applying pressure behind the scenes, demanding they solve the case quickly.
The Duke could be temporarily ruled out; this was his territory, and he shouldn't be reckless. Moreover, he was the one bearing the political fallout of a royal family member being robbed, so his pressure was normal. But the mayor and the chairman applying pressure was a bit strange; it seemed entirely due to the railway investment.
Wait, the railway project. The princess represented the railway investors, and the mayor and chairman were the promoters of the railway plan. The railway plan linked them all together.
Could this mystery relic also be related to the railway project?
Or rather, was the railway project incident itself related to this manifestation grade mystery relic? That would explain why those related photographs held such intense mystery, killing a large number of personnel, killing the reporter Donnie, killing Klin from the archives, and even almost indirectly killing Officer Natalie.
The more he thought, the more terrified he became. Lynch looked at the princess and the Count opposite him, then at the three police officers from the Hall of Order, and felt at a loss.
It seemed like just a theft, but the more he thought about it, the wider the implications became. Before figuring out what purpose these people were harboring, Lynch didn’t dare make a decision lightly. Yet, he couldn’t just wash his hands of it either. No matter whose hands the gem ended up in, there was no guarantee that the person wouldn’t suddenly go insane and trigger a major incident.
That was a major incident capable of destroying a city, or even a kingdom. It might not matter if others died, but he couldn’t watch Officer Natalie, the noble lady, the landlady, and the others get killed.
Perhaps, until everything was clarified, keeping the gem in his own hands was the safest course of action.
But if he exposed Chloe as the thief right now, not to mention that he didn’t have a shred of evidence and it would be impossible to accuse a princess based on empty words, even if someone did believe him and the gem was found on the spot, it would ultimately end up in the hands of the mastermind or Princess Chloe.
No, he could not act rashly. It was best to maintain the status quo for now and gather as much information as possible. In any case, the gem had been in Princess Chloe’s hands for months; a few more days wouldn’t hurt.
“I have a general understanding of the situation, and I am aware of the gravity of the problem. Let’s stop here for today. I will begin my investigation, and if there is anything I need you both to cooperate with, I will pay another visit.” Lynch nodded to the three officers with a smile. “Three gentlemen, please rest assured. I will do my utmost to uncover the truth and recover the lost property as quickly as possible.”
As he spoke, Lynch let out a long sigh. Perhaps he was just scaring himself, but until the truth was revealed, he didn’t dare trust anyone who might be related to this matter.
No, there was still one person he could trust.
Lynch and Miss Valente exchanged a look and smiled, then stood up together to bid farewell.
Rate on N.U.
