In Lynch's sight, a blood-red full moon appeared out of nowhere in the dark night sky, its crimson moonlight spilling onto his shoulders through the hazy red fog.
The moment he was bathed in moonlight, Lynch's turbulent heart, filled with fear, doubt, unease, and hesitation, miraculously settled.
【Heh...】
As if sensing Lynch's change in mood, a familiar soft chuckle echoed in his consciousness. Within that laughter, the crimson moonlight itself seemed to grow even gentler.
“Grandma, you're my elder sister, please don't scare me like that! Where did you suddenly go?” Lynch abruptly stopped in the middle of the road, protesting loudly in his mind. “I thought this place had blocked you out, and I was panicking for ages.”
【I told you, I am always here.】The gentle voice was faint, as if stating an undeniable truth. 【My words are truth; no one can block my will within your soul, not even another supreme's domain.】
“But you just then…”
【I am always here, but do you truly believe it?】
Lynch's mouth twitched. He had grasped Lady Luna's unspoken meaning: “I am with you” and “you believe I am with you” were, in fact, two different concepts. No one could block her connection to him, but when he himself harbored doubts, his perception might not accept that reality. Just now, it was likely his anxious heart that had produced an intense longing, breaking through the confusion in his mind, allowing the crimson moonlight to continue shining upon him in this world.
“Tsk, is this what this world calls faith?”
【No, merely trust.】
“Heh, I understand now. So, it's settled, you're always here.” Lynch smiled in his imagination. “So you just said this place is another supreme's domain?”
【Not exactly. You cannot yet directly face the supreme. This is merely somewhat similar, a certain evil god's fantasy…】
The gentle voice didn't continue. Lynch waited for a moment, realized something, and nodded. “I understand. I'll find the answers to the rest myself. You just keep peeking at my journey.”
【Mm, have a pleasant journey, Lynch.】
When he withdrew his gaze from the night sky, the confusion and unease in his eyes had vanished. A calm and composed smile appeared on his face. He casually adjusted his top hat and walked straight to knock on the monastery door.
Prince William and his group went to great lengths to connect with this place and contact the evil god here, indicating that they were not one entity but, at most, in a cooperative relationship. Lynch's intrusion into the evil god's world made the possibility of him remaining undetected very low. However, the evil god hadn't notified Walker and the other man who had just left, suggesting the evil god's attitude was profound.
Given this, rather than sneaking around like an idiot and letting the evil god enjoy the spectacle, it was better to kick the door open directly.
I'm not mindlessly kicking doors and rushing in; I'm… rushing in after careful consideration.
Just rush it.
Lynch directly knocked the door knocker. Hearing light footsteps approaching from inside, he took a deep breath to calm his nerves, then stepped back two paces, surveying everything before him.
The world after his transmigration didn't have the concept of an Eastern nation, yet these buildings unexpectedly incorporated some Eastern styles, reminding Lynch of a certain metropolis from his previous life over a hundred years ago. As the door opened, this feeling intensified.
Inside was likely the alluring young lady who had just seen Walker and the other man off.
Even with a fan covering her face, her considerable beauty was evident. She had a slender figure and wore a form-fitting, qipao-like long dress. As she walked, her figure swayed, making it hard to look away.
Seeing Lynch, the young lady paused slightly, then displayed a very professional smile. She naturally took Lynch's hand and familiarly pulled him into the monastery.
“Is this your first time, customer? Please come in, I'm sure to make you relax tonight.”
???
Lynch was a bit bewildered. The vibe was all wrong. Was this really a place for decent people? What was going on? Encountering such a place in such an eerie setting felt a bit too bizarre, even for here.
“Let go! I'm not a customer. Miss Valente and Officer Natalie are waiting for me to return home. I don't want to relax; I'm a respectable person. Release me!”
Wait, I must be under mind control. How did I just follow her in? I'm a respectable person, I can withstand temptation. Don't pull me, my legs are moving on their own, I… holy crap.
His inner monologue was in full swing. Lynch looked down, then up again, and when he saw the young lady once more, he abruptly recoiled, his legs turning a bit soft, nearly letting out a gasp.
What the hell is this thing?
The alluring, beautiful, and charming qipao-clad young lady had suddenly doubled in size. Her body was bloated and swollen, appearing like a drowned corpse, her skin ripped in many places, constantly oozing grayish-white viscous liquid. Over a dozen tentacles extended from behind her swollen body, writhing and coiling in the air. Putrid-smelling liquid dripped from the tentacles, vaporizing into clumps of red fog upon hitting the ground.
Her body was still that of the charming girl, but it was enveloped by a bizarre phantom. Lynch had seen monsters before, but never one with such a stark contrast between beauty and ugliness. Moreover, previous monsters had kept their distance. This thing wasn't just in his face; it was holding his hand, its cold tentacles directly smeared against his cheek, making Lynch nearly gag on the spot.
“Hm?”
The alluring young lady's cold gaze swept over Lynch's face. Cold sweat broke out on Lynch's back. He tried to pretend he hadn't seen anything, as he usually did, but he had been startled, and his reaction was a bit too strong. He hoped she was blind and hadn't noticed.
“Did you see it, outsider customer…?” Her bone-chillingly seductive voice carried a hint of mockery, but Lynch felt as if thorns were pricking his back. “So, do you still want to come in and relax?”
Relax, my ass. More like permanently relaxed.
However, the monster girl's words stirred something in Lynch. Her attitude was rather ambiguous; it seemed she wasn't completely incommunicado. Perhaps he could try… Lynch tentatively turned his gaze back to her. After all, he had experienced so many mystery contacts that his psychological endurance was far beyond what it was when he first transmigrated. This level of mystery impact, I… gag.
One glance revealed a putrid, pus-oozing tentacle tying itself into a bow before his eyes. Lynch immediately, expressionlessly, averted his gaze again. “Whether I come in or not is beside the point. Can you please put on a normal appearance, or I'll be completely ‘relaxed’.”
“You can't blame me for this. It's your own eyes that aren't well-behaved, customer. I can't help it; I can only let you see me fully.” The young lady covered her chest, her voice full of grievance. Without the phantom outside her, it would have been quite suggestive, but as it was, “Or, if the customer truly doesn't want to see, I can help you pluck out your eyes, then you won't see anything.”
“Never mind, that solution is a bit too thorough.”
Lynch lowered his gaze, avoiding the anomaly, and had silently made up his mind.
Although the other party was a monster, since she showed a tendency to communicate, it was worth trying. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. After all, this was his only chance to escape this world or understand the true nature of the events. As long as there was a sliver of hope, he had to seize it.
“Hehe, the customer is indeed an outsider, very bold. Even though your arms are trembling, your words are still so tough. Heh, you look quite delicious. If you want to solve your problem, come on in.”
The other party considerately moved the tentacle phantom away from Lynch's face, which touched Lynch for a moment. But can you please not link arms with me? You know I'm trembling, yet you're still linking arms; your malice is too obvious.
Unfortunately, though his mind resisted, his body was honest. He followed the young lady into the monastery and, upon entering, saw a hall resembling a bar.
Inside, numerous sofas were arranged, with several male customers seated, surrounded by multiple 'qipao' young ladies. They leaned close to the men, bringing wine glasses to their lips. In the center of the hall, other young ladies swayed their hips on a stage, making the atmosphere quite seductive.
However, from another perspective, these were all bloated monsters, each with several tentacles extending from their backs, inserting themselves into the men's bodies through the back of their heads, as if sucking something from within. Yet, the men were not dead; they merely wore expressions of intoxicated oblivion.
“They won't die, at least not in the short term. And once they've experienced it, they'll never forget it. Are you truly not going to relax, customer?”
Seeing Lynch's unyielding refusal, the young lady sighed regretfully. She pulled Lynch into a dark corner, then suddenly dropped the smile from her face and said coldly:
“In that case, you must be here to see the Eldest Sister, just like those two outsiders from earlier.”
Who knows who your Eldest Sister is? But Lynch quickly had a thought, immediately realizing this was a helpful hint from her, and nodded.
“If you want to see her, help us with something first. Once it's done, we'll let you meet her.”
“Wait.” Lynch's mind finally cleared. He looked directly at the swollen phantom and asked, “Although I don't understand the situation here, theoretically, you shouldn't need outsiders like us to do things, right?”
“The omnipotent one is the Eldest Sister, not us individuals.”
“Can't you tell me the situation here first? It would make it easier for me to help you.”
“You'll know after you've done the task, but not now.” The monster girl asked with a half-smile, “So, do you want to give it a try?”
Lynch, however, felt a flicker of interest. After a moment of thought, he nodded and replied, “Alright, what do you need me to do?”
“Deal with a few people.” The monster girl smiled coldly. “A few people who have realized the truth of this world.”
Rate on N.U.
