Thump.
The little deep one's legs went weak, and she collapsed at the entrance of the first mate's cabin. She held the wooden box in her hands, her eyes fixed in a vacant stare. Her mouth opened and closed, but she could not make a sound, like a dying fish. The fish-like faces of the other deep ones were equally pale, staring blankly at the empty wooden box.
Only the white-haired elder remained calm. He glanced back at Lynch, then jumped straight into the seawater beneath the large hole.
“It seems we were truly used,” Miss Valente’s lowered voice came through the conch. “The other party was unwilling or afraid to confront them directly, so they used us to attract the deep ones' attention and stole the gem in secret.”
“I’ve heard a saying: the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the bird behind it,” Lynch said, his voice dark and somber. “It was just simple information manipulation. They didn't even have to make direct contact with us to trick us into jumping into their trap. This style and method remind me of an old friend of ours.”
“The Black Spider from the Shadow Alliance?”
“Yes. Using reality to back us into a corner where we had no other choice, naturally guiding us down the path they wanted, ultimately achieving their goal. This is exactly how they acted in the last incident. I highly suspect that even if he isn't the mastermind, he is at least involved.”
Lynch clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, saying:
“We were lucky enough to hammer Mordiggian last time and ruin his plan, but it seems he hasn't given up; he’s back again.”
“Are they not letting us go? What exactly do they want?”
“I don't know, but to be precise, they are targeting me.”
Lynch narrowed his eyes, a sense of unease rising in his heart. Since he had crossed over, the shadow of the Shadow Alliance had been behind every major event he encountered. It was as if they were truly fixated on him.
Although he had successfully won every confrontation and not only suffered no losses but managed to establish a foothold in this world, everything had gone smoothly. But wasn't today’s event the same? He had followed the clues to the target with ease, only to have the gem stolen from them in the middle of the chaos.
Could it be that his previous choices—which felt like he had no other option—were actually made under their guidance and manipulation, just like this time? And that those narrow victories were only smooth because the timing wasn't right yet? Once the timing matured, would they just experience a reversal like this, a smooth run ending in a total loss?
Lynch could not be certain, but the more he thought about it, the more uneasy he became. He felt as though he had fallen into an invisible, intangible web. He was struggling desperately within it, yet he was sinking deeper and deeper without realizing it.
Their methods were simply impossible to guard against. No wonder people with the status of Duke Vane and Archbishop Trinlais were so wary of the Shadow Alliance.
“No, even if they are targeting us, they are targeting Lynch and Diana.” As he felt chaotic and uneasy, Miss Valente’s gentle voice came through the conch. “No matter who he is or what he wants to do, I am willing to fight side by side with my friend.”
“Heh...”
The unease in his heart faded quickly. Yes, in this world, he had friends willing to fight by his side. No matter what your true goal is, come ahead. I will meet your moves one by one, crush your conspiracies, and leave you with nothing in the end.
Let’s start with this matter.
With a splash, the white-haired elder emerged from the hole. He was empty-handed, his expression gloomy as he shook his head at the little girl.
“Wah!” The light of expectation in the little deep one’s eyes dimmed instantly. She hugged the box and let out a heart-wrenching wail. “Mom, Dad, boohoo, I lost the gem, wuwuwu...”
The elder sighed and squatted beside the little girl. She threw herself into the old man's arms, her crying becoming even louder. The surrounding deep ones gathered around with low spirits; for a moment, no one paid any attention to Lynch’s presence.
“Do you want to come back first?” Miss Valente whispered. “I’m worried that if they regain their composure and come for you, it will be too dangerous. It’s better to retreat to a safe place and think of a plan.”
“No, you should call Manager West back as well. Wait for me on the shore; leave this to me.”
Lynch refused firmly. If one is wrong, one must admit it; if one is to be beaten, one must stand tall. He never avoided his responsibilities.
If everything the other side said was true, then the essence of this matter was that he had been used as a weapon, and the one who stole the gem was the truly dangerous person. Lynch felt a responsibility to remedy this. Besides, he couldn't let the mastermind’s plan succeed; he had to get the gem back exactly how it was stolen.
He stepped forward, but the soft sound of his footsteps startled the group of deep ones. Hundreds of dead fish eyes instantly fixed on his face. The gaze filled with anger made his heart race and cold sweat bead on his forehead.
However, he merely tipped his top hat and bowed slightly, walking straight toward the deep ones. As he approached, the group subconsciously cleared a path, allowing him to walk all the way to the side of the elder and the little girl, where he sat down cross-legged, very casually.
“The Yellow Apostle has already been sent back by us. The following content represents only me and my comrades speaking with you. First, regarding today’s events, I don't feel I was wrong. I started with good intentions; it was Princess Chloe who showed hostility first, which pushed the situation to this point. Perhaps she had sufficient reasons to be hostile, but I have no obligation to accommodate her or endure her malice. So, for things to reach this point, she is at least half to blame.”
Lynch’s expression was serious, his tone solemn. He showed no fear at all in the face of the deep ones' anger:
“But this does not mean I am without responsibility. In fact, being used by others is proof that I was not cautious enough and failed to see through the other party's scheme in advance. I bear great responsibility. Therefore, I am willing to make up for my mistake. While they have just taken the item, I will retrieve the gem immediately. You should have felt it earlier—I actually have no malice toward you.”
The little girl glared fiercely at Lynch, rubbing the forehead that had just been pressed by the muzzle of his gun. Her clenched teeth slowly relaxed.
“It seems you agree, then.” Lynch smiled. “So, I need your cooperation to answer some questions so that I can find the gem as soon as possible.”
The little girl shook her body and stood up from the elder’s arms. She puffed out her chest, acting arrogant, and said, “Since you truly haven't shown any malice, I will give you this chance to make amends. If you can really help us retrieve the lost gem, we will no longer pursue your previous behavior and will be willing to treat you as a friend. However... you know what happens otherwise. So, what do you need to know?”
“First, explain the situation clearly, then provide some suspects. Who do you think would do such a thing?”
“We are the Willwood tribe from the New Continent. I am Alice, the daughter of the tribal chief, and this is Merlin, the tribe’s priest.” The little girl pointed to herself and the elder, then continued, “That gem is our tribe’s sacred relic, passed down for three thousand years.”
Lynch calculated: the Fourth Age had lasted over two thousand eight hundred years. Three thousand years ago was likely the middle of the Fourth Age.
“We always treated it as just an exceptionally beautiful gem and only used it as a ritual prop during ceremonies. This had been the case for three thousand years, but two years ago, a fleet of five ships suddenly docked at our town’s port.”
“Mom and Dad entertained them warmly, helped them cure their sailors’ infectious diseases, repaired their damaged ships, restocked their supplies, and gave them many pearls and tortoiseshells as gifts. But they took advantage of the time when the able-bodied people of the town were out at sea to raid our town, kill over three hundred of our kin, bomb my mom and dad to death, and steal our sacred relic.”
“So we have been hunting them. We discovered they were a temporarily assembled pirate crew, and their goal was our sacred gem. It is said that someone offered fifty kilograms of gold to hire them to seize the relic.”
“After they took it, they broke out into a conflict and scattered. We spent two years finding four of those ships, and from the mouths of our enemies, we forced a confession that the relic was lost during their internal strife. No one had managed to complete the commission.”
“We never found the fifth ship, and the relic remained missing. However, a few months ago, Chloe finally helped us find it. Then, she intentionally advertised it everywhere, finally luring out this group of thieves who had been disguised as merchant ships. We successfully fed all our enemies to Dagon, hoping it would offer their flesh and souls to the Lord of R'lyeh, to comfort the souls of Mom and Dad drifting in R'lyeh.”
So that was it.
Lynch roughly cleared up the threads of the event and understood the reason for the Princess’s inexplicable attacks on him. He figured she must have misunderstood his stance, thinking he had the same goal as those pirates. Merely playing tricks at the party was actually quite mild.
“So, what exactly is Princess Chloe’s identity?”
“I cannot tell you that. It is her privacy.” The little deep one, Alice, shook her head vigorously. “I can only say she is our friend—a friend who will not betray us. She did not want us to come into conflict with the local powers of Lande, which is why we agreed with her never to go ashore.”
“But why did she use such a sneaky method to give the gem to you?”
“That was Chloe’s idea.” Alice shook her head dejectedly. “It is said that one of her partners, the Mayor of Rhine City, came forward to borrow the gem from her. And that Mayor was actually representing a big figure in Lande. She really couldn't refuse, but she suspected they were in league with that group of pirates, so she used this method.”
“Then everything makes sense.”
Lynch sighed with a bitter smile. The so-called big figure must be the eldest prince of the Rose family, William. This matched the intelligence from West.
Miss Valente’s voice came through the conch: “Do you already have an idea, Mr. Detective?”
“Yes. There is one problem with the whole thing.” Lynch mused. “That Princess promoted the fact that the gem was in her possession very high-profilely for months, but the mastermind never made a move. They let her keep it in the bank vault for three months, yet within days of the Princess herself stealing the gem, they used us to steal it? The timing is too coincidental. Is this a coincidence?”
“One cannot believe in coincidences in the world of mystery, Mr. Lynch.”
“So it cannot be a coincidence; there must be a deeper reason.” Lynch curled his lips and narrowed his eyes, saying, “The only explanation I can think of is that if the item hadn't been stolen by the Princess herself, it should have fallen smoothly into the mastermind’s hands according to the original plan. Therefore, they wouldn't have needed to exert any effort to steal it. They were only forced to act once the situation changed. And according to the established trajectory, there is only one person who would have gotten the gem.”
“Prince William, Mayor Howard, I’ve found you.”
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