Out of Thin Air

An ambush out of nowhere right at the door made Lynch's hair stand on end.

Miss Valente had been walking ahead of Lynch, but the streak of light shot in from the side, cleanly missing the young noblewoman and heading straight for the point between Lynch's eyebrows.

His brain didn't even have time to react; driven by Cat's Favor, his body acted on pure instinct. He lurched backward, knocking the front-desk girl behind him off her feet, but he couldn't dodge in time himself—he could only cross his arms to shield his face.

At that exact moment, Miss Valente suddenly stepped sideways, placing herself directly in front of Lynch.

【Authority, Protection, Ability, Shield of Piety】

A faint shield of light erupted from her body, protecting the young noblewoman.

Yet the streak of light passed straight through the shield without the slightest resistance, sinking between her eyebrows amidst her stunned gaze.

Hell.

Lynch had no idea why, but his eyes suddenly turned bloodshot. He jerked her behind him, raising his revolver toward the direction the light had come from, ready to empty the entire cylinder at the first sign of trouble.

“I’m fine, Mr. Lynch, thank you.”

A soft hand rested against his back, and Lynch felt the urgency in his heart instantly subside by half. At the same time, chaotic footsteps and noisy voices echoed from the direction where the light had originated.

“Don’t be nervous, don’t be nervous! There’s no danger!”

“We wouldn’t tinker with dangerous items on the ground floor.”

“Ha! So that’s how this thing works. How fascinating! Quick, write it down!”

“Try it again! Try it again!”

“That’s enough out of all of you!”

A crowd came rushing over in a chaotic bustle, some dressed in formal gentlemanly suits, others wearing long white robes. Leading them was a man in his fifties with small eyes, a bulbous red nose, and a tangled mess of hair, looking thoroughly ridiculous.

“Are you alright? Are you alright? Ah, looks like you’re fine.”

Lynch’s temples throbbed as anger flared in his chest. Concerned by the silence from the young noblewoman behind him, he asked with a darkened face, “What on earth was that thing?”

“A special cultural relic we excavated in the past. Oh, you’re a Soul Severer! Yes, a mystery relic we dug up back then called Ocean Currents in a Dream. When it goes uncontrolled, it shoots out colorful light that chases people around.”

“And then?” Lynch felt a headache coming on at the word ‘uncontrolled.’ “What happens next?”

The little old man looked utterly bewildered instead. “Well... it shoots colorful light.”

Lynch was already wondering if this man had a screw loose. “I mean the effect of the light.”

“Effect?” The little old man scratched his head, asking tentatively, “Scaring people?”

【Pfft.】

It seemed someone found that amusing, but Lynch rolled his eyes hard. What a completely useless answer. If he hadn't sensed that this guy might be mid-tier, he would have stepped up and punched him in the face already.

Still, Lynch understood now. It turned out this relic's uncontrolled state was simply emitting tracking colorful light with zero actual effect. It had just been a false alarm.

“Mr. Lynch, don’t be nervous, I’m really fine.” Miss Valente patted his back again and stepped out from behind him, explaining with a smile, “Sorry I didn’t react earlier—it was just because... I was startled? Pfft.”

Is watching me suffer really that funny? Both of you laughing so happily.

“Glad you’re fine, back to the experiment!” Seeing that both were unhurt, the little old man immediately led the noisy crowd back the way they came. “We finally stumbled on a safe one, so hurry up and get the research report written! Quick, quick, get moving, you lazy slacks!”

“Roar—”

A beastly roar suddenly echoed from deep within the museum, accompanied by a tremor in the ground.

“Hahaha! Who woke up that bear statue? We get to eat a feast tonight! Hurry, ignore those fools, hahaha!”

Cold sweat broke out on Lynch's forehead, and he turned to see Miss Valente looking equally horrified.

Now I damn well know why this place is so deserted! Mystery relics going uncontrolled left and right, or monsters randomly popping up—what kind of fool would dare visit?

On second thought, though, it was surprisingly logical. Most of the items in the museum were excavated through archaeology, each bizarre in its own right. It would actually be abnormal if no trouble broke out. Damn it, is archaeology really such a dangerous field? What in the world did I study in my past life?

Maybe I should slip away first and reconsider. With my trouble-attracting aura combined with archaeology, it’s a gamble whether Rhine City will even remain standing.

However, just as Lynch was darting his eyes around preparing to make a break for it, a hand slapped onto his shoulder from behind.

“Student Lynch Levive, are you ready to resume your exam?”

Exam for what? I’ve already graduated! Guess I’m not getting away after all.

Lynch clicked his tongue in regret. Turning around, he saw Professor Dartmond—a familiar face—standing behind them alongside the aged President Olei, who was dressed in a formal gentleman's suit.

“Don’t be nervous, Mr. Levive. This is all completely normal,” President Olei said with a smile, stroking his beard. “And don’t blame Professor Green. His mind is indeed a bit unstable, but it’s no big deal. In truth, anyone who does archaeology long enough ends up a little unhinged like him. But there’s a silver lining—veteran archaeologists become exceedingly powerful. I myself am a prime example.”

“Hm? Why is that?”

“Because those who weren’t strong enough either died or went mad. Regrettably, they were a step too slow and got caught by madness.”

President Olei gave a calm smile, waved off the front-desk girl, and guided Lynch and Miss Valente into his office.

It was a massive room filled with various ancient artifacts displayed all around, all exuding an extremely eerie aura. Lynch felt that if he stayed in this room alone for even a single hour, he would have nightmares all night. Yet President Olei and Professor Dartmond acted like it was just business as usual, which Lynch couldn't help but admire.

“Student Lynch,” the old professors motioned for Lynch and Miss Valente to take their seats as one of them lit a stick of calming grass. “You arrived earlier than our agreed time. Did something happen?”

“Something did happen, and I’m afraid I have to inform you gentlemen of a regretful turn,” Lynch said with a solemn expression. “Our previously agreed-upon academic exchange must be canceled. I’m truly sorry, but my hands are tied.”

“Why?” President Olei’s white eyebrows knitted tightly together. Even without losing his temper, the oppressive aura of a rank eight authority user was intimidating enough.

“The Lynch visiting you two professors today is not a student of mid-tier archaeology. I am here as the representative of the cave-dwelling ghouls, the sewer ghouls, Chairman Grant—the logistics commander of the Bester Project—and the Governor’s Guard. On behalf of them all, I am here to negotiate a deal with the Archaeological Association.”

“First, regarding academics, I can provide members from both the cave-dwelling ghoul and sewer ghoul tribes to give technical support to the Archaeological Association. They will collaborate with you from a native perspective. If you have any questions, you can verify them directly with them.”

“But they’ve never entered Zur-Baha-Sahr,” President Olei shook his head. “That’s still not enough.”

“Which brings me to my second point: the engineering aspect. On behalf of the hillmen, I can provide the Archaeological Association with the approximate location of Zur-Baha-Sahr, with absolute credibility guaranteed. We can even perform the preliminary excavation using our own methods, leaving the fine work for the Archaeological Association to carry out afterward. After all, how can listening to someone else's academic exchange compare to seeing it with your own eyes and studying it in your own hands?”

“Whew... sounds great, but even if we know the location, excavating it won’t be easy. It requires a lot of—”

“Third, I can promise on behalf of the Governor’s Guard that we will cooperate fully on policy so the Archaeological Association can carry out its work smoothly. Neither the Governor’s Guard nor city hall will make things difficult for you.”

“It seems Student Lynch really intends to take the exam after all, daring to tease your professors just now,” Professor Dartmond said with twitching eyebrows, barely suppressing his excitement. “Is there a fourth point? Spit it out quickly!”

“Fourth, funding will be provided in full by city hall, with additional support from the Governor’s Guard.”

“Are you certain? Do you realize how vast a sum that is?” President Olei crushed the cigarette in his hand, his mustache twitching with intense agitation. His eyes locked onto Lynch like a predator sizing up prey. “What do you want? If you can truly pull this off, I will do everything in my power to fulfill any request you have.”

“First, if the Archaeological Association is interested, I will arrange a face-to-face meeting between the factions. However, as there are matters to coordinate, I need Your Excellency’s verbal authorization to negotiate with them on behalf of the Archaeological Association. No written documents required—as long as you acknowledge my authority in the end.”

“Of course, that’s not a problem. You’re Dartmond’s student to begin with.”

“Second, the ancient city should lie right along the path of the Bester Mountain Tunnel project. I hope that when the Archaeological Association conducts its academic evaluation, you won’t place obstacles in front of the tunnel project unless there is a truly irreconcilable conflict between the two.”

“I can’t guarantee that. I must be responsible for the reputation of the Archaeological Association. I can only promise to do my best to ensure the smooth progress of the tunnel project unless there is no other choice.”

“However, it must be executed under the name of the Governor’s Guard. And once the excavation is complete, the ancient city will be handed over to the Governor’s Guard for development and operations, with all profits going to the Governor’s Guard or the Lande royal family.”

“Agreed. Those are minor details.” President Olei kept his eyes fixed on Lynch, pressing further: “What I’m asking is what you want, Student Lynch.”

“Heh... Then I’ll be blunt. First, I want practical mystery relics worth no less than a thousand Lande pounds—no recreational novelties like Ocean Currents in a Dream. Second, if there are any relics you wish to dispose of in the future that lack collectible value, I want right of first refusal. Third, I want holy mystery related to the red moon. At minimum, help me find one. If there are multiples, I’ll buy the extras at market price.”

“Hss... Red Moon Memories...” The president’s expression turned conflicted. “I’ll do my best. Keep going.”

Heh-heh, it worked.

Lynch secretly smiled. He was getting all of this out of thin air without having to pay a single penny out of his own pocket.

This put Lynch in an excellent mood, and he held up a fourth finger: “And one final point. I want detailed information on the Gate of Falsehood and Reality—the more detailed, the better. And... as soon as possible. Ideally right now.”

“A manifestation grade mystery relic?” The president’s expression stiffened slightly. After a moment of hesitation, he slowly said, “For that, you’ll need to see Professor Green. He’s done some research on that relic, but whether he’s willing to share it with you isn't up to me.”

“Who’s that?” Lynch and Miss Valente exchanged glances.

“The rather unusual gentleman from earlier—the one with Ocean Currents in a Dream,” the president said with a gloating smile.

Fuck, it's that lunatic.