Looking at the massive stack of documents before him, Lynch felt an incredibly complex range of emotions.
These items were likely the source of the photos Donnie had, the original mystery documents themselves. Since the photos alone were so dangerous, one could only imagine what the originals were like. It felt just as exhilarating as if he had spent the entire night cuddling a nuclear bomb.
Moreover, after going through so much trouble, putting in so much effort, and witnessing several deaths—even Officer Natalie had nearly been sent to her grave—it was unexpected to find that the very thing he was searching for had been right beside him all along.
He had to admit, fate was a truly strange thing. But now that he knew these were connected to a manifestation grade relic, should he continue the investigation?
【Do not misunderstand, Lynch. This has nothing to do with fate.】
‘Hm?’
【All of this was already destined the moment you stepped onto the path of immortality. Lynch, the supreme will strongly attracts mystery and filth to entangle around you. Given your attraction to the mysterious, how far do you think the mystery events that have already associated with you could possibly be? Has the last twenty days of your journey not made you realize it yet? No matter where you hide, no matter how you try to turn a blind eye, the mystery will always appear by your side when you least expect it. You have no choice but to endure.】
Lynch opened his mouth, but found he had nothing to say.
【This is the price of your own choice, Lynch. I warned you that the path of immortality is a journey from which there is no return. The moment you stepped onto the starting point, your life was destined to be tightly intertwined with the mysterious. It cannot be stopped, cannot be separated, until you reach the supreme, or... return to the depths of the Dreamlands.】
‘Hm? Wait, neighbor, did you slip up and say something you shouldn’t have? Shouldn’t it be crossing the River Styx to return to an eternal slumber? There has never been any mention of returning to the Dreamlands. Don’t you think something is wrong there?’
【...】
‘Hey, are you there?’
【...】
‘Hello, is anyone there?’
【Lynch, do you understand the meaning of the phrase “slipped up”?】
The female voice in his mind remained as gentle as ever, but for some reason, Lynch suddenly felt a chill run through his body, as if the apocalypse had already arrived.
【It seems you do. Then, have those stories in your memory ever told you what kind of treatment you receive when you discover some unknown secret and insist on showing it off?】
A dark night for murder, a windy night for arson, and feeding the young master a meat pie.
The treatment, of course, was to silence the witness and dump the body in the Lande River wrapped in concrete.
No, it was broad daylight now; he shouldn't be afraid.
Lynch felt no panic at all. He sneered and, within his mind, metaphorically hugged the crimson moon in his soul manifestation: “I was wrong. I don’t know anything. Boo hoo, please spare me, you are my dear neighbor.”
Bang. He felt himself kicked out of the consciousness world. Lady Luna’s gentle voice sighed faintly: 【It is not that I do not want to tell you, but rather...】
‘Is it that I am not suited to know yet?’
【No, it is that you cannot know. Therefore, you must not even think about it, otherwise, it will lead to irreversible consequences.】
Hiss. Lynch truly felt a chill on his body this time. On matters like this, his neighbor would not lie. It was likely truly dangerous information, but to tell him not to think about it...
‘Isn’t this just like that demand to absolutely not think about the white polar bear? This is too difficult for a person.’
【Even if you cannot do it, you must. This is also a test brought to you by the path of immortality.】
‘Hm? Isn’t this because you slipped up? What does it have to do with the path of immortality?’
【...Lynch, do you understand the meaning of the phrase “flustered and exasperated” from your homeland?】
‘I was wrong. Praise the great Crimson Lady. I will never dare to do it again.’
The fearless detective Lynch Levive mollified the enraged goddess at the speed of light, his attention returning to the massive stack of materials before him. He sighed softly. Since he could not hide from it, he would face it bravely. He did not believe that an evil god would jump out of this pile and pin him to the ground... Forget it, it was actually quite possible.
This was the thing that killed Donnie and Mr. Klin, blew up Madam Bessie’s prop shop, and left Officer Natalie severely wounded. Should he call those two ladies over to appreciate it together?
Forget it, they would probably beat him to death.
Lynch shook his head and informed Miss Valente of everything regarding these materials, though he did not explicitly mention the Duke of Vane’s commission. Miss Valente was tactful enough not to pursue it; they had a tacit understanding.
“I have read these materials. Every page, and repeatedly at that, and I did not feel any problems. Therefore, normal reading should be safe.”
After listening intently to Lynch’s account, Miss Valente flipped through a few pages casually, her beautiful brows furrowed slightly as she mused:
“But according to your description, there is a clear strong correlation between the deaths of those people and these materials. This means these are indeed mystery documents. However, there should be many people who have read these files. You said there are copies in Norin, so that number should be at least several times higher, yet these people are all fine.”
“Isn’t that a contradiction?”
“It is not a contradiction, because the condition for mystery documents to take effect is not simply reading, but understanding. Unlike those skill manuals written in cipher, normal mystery documents only inflict filth upon the reader once they grasp the core information the document intends to convey.”
Miss Valente spread the files out completely, page by page:
“This means the information conveyed by the text and graphics in the files is normal and harmless, but there is core information hidden within that requires specific methods to understand. That information is the true carrier of the mystery filth. So you see, normal reading is fine; so many people have read them and are fine, including Maya. But once the true method of interpretation is found, even if it is just by chance or inadvertently stumbled upon, the moment the reader realizes the information interpreted by this method... bang.”
Miss Valente softly made an explosive sound effect, making the hair on the back of Lynch’s neck stand up. This girl explained it in much more detail than Mr. Klin, and it made him fully understand the danger of mystery documents.
When you cannot understand it, you can look at it all you want without any issues, even if you memorize all the text. But the moment you have a sudden flash of insight and realize the true core information, you are already dead.
Even more terrifyingly, if you had already memorized all the ordinary information in detail, once you understood the interpretation method, you would not even be able to stop reading, because that information had already remained in your consciousness. It was just like that white polar bear; the more you did not want to think about that information, the more clearly you would remember it, until you were completely devoured by the mystery filth.
“Hmm, so although I did not know these were mystery documents, I habitually did not try to memorize them, nor did I make copies.”
“Correct, you just moved them straight home.”
Lynch gave a wry smile. The fire at the Hall of Order seemed intentional in hindsight; it was highly probable that Mayor Howard had instructed Walker and the others to set it to burn these things. But no one expected that when this girl was investigating the tunnel incident, she had simply moved everything away, leaving them with nothing but ashes.
Coincidence?
No, there are no coincidences in the world of mystery. Even a novice like Lynch realized that this was likely just a means for the mystery filth to keep spreading.
It was an extremely troublesome thing. If it were before, Lynch might have hesitated about whether to look, but after his recent exchange with the Crimson Lady, Lynch realized that since these matters had actively come to his door, he could not simply dodge them. If he stuck his head out, it was a blade; if he pulled it back, it was also a blade. He might as well face it head on and master more information to be more secure.
He pulled out his pipe and placed it in his mouth. Before he could light it, it was taken away by Miss Valente, who filled it with beautifully packaged soul-returning grass and stuffed it back into his mouth, but...
“You should step out first, Miss Diana. My will is different from ordinary people, at least I can better guarantee safety.”
Miss Valente was startled, then beamed with a smile: “I have already seen it, Mr. Lynch. It is meaningless to avoid it now. And are you insulting me? Do you think Diana de Valente would leave behind a companion with whom she has entrusted her life to run off to a safe place? You also need a safety officer when you read. I am watching you, Mr. Lynch.”
“I...”
Looking at the noble girl’s gentle smile, Lynch felt a warmth in his heart. He no longer had heavy concerns, and after lighting his pipe, he opened the documents.
Rate on N.U.
