After repeatedly checking Lynch's mental state and even using abilities, Miss Valente finally discovered that Lynch's physical condition had some problems.
Very serious problems, potentially even life threatening.
He was hungry.
He hadn't eaten all night, and his stomach was growling loudly.
Literally, of course.
Miss Valente poked her chin with her index finger, rolled her eyes a few times, and suddenly revealed a cunning smile. She beckoned to Lynch and quietly snuck out of the room with him.
The night was deep.
The empty corridor was silent, with only a row of gas lamps casting warm yellow light to illuminate the surroundings.
Hiss, does your family keep the lights on in the middle of the night? The world of the rich is truly hard to understand.
Shh.
The noble girl turned back, winked playfully, and made a shushing gesture. She lifted her skirt and tiptoed, leading Lynch through the corridor all the way to the first floor.
What is this girl doing? She acts like she's a thief in her own home; not only is she skilled, but she looks so excited.
She must have done this often.
I know why the old butler looks at me like a thief; it must be because this girl is always stealing food at home, which got me misunderstood by the old butler.
Yes, that must be it.
To save some face for the shotgun in the noble girl's hand, Lynch didn't dare say his thoughts aloud. He tiptoed in coordination with Miss Valente and rushed all the way into the first floor kitchen.
There was still a burnt smell in the kitchen, but it had faded significantly; that was a lingering issue from the arson attempt that afternoon.
The situation that afternoon had been investigated; it wasn't the room that caught fire, but someone hiding 《Rabbit Tears》 in the fireplace flue within the wall. It was an ordinary plant with excellent smoke effects, often used on the grasslands to smoke out rabbits.
The opponent used some unknown method to send these plants into the flue and light them, setting a high temperature trap in the library after driving everyone out of the mansion.
Clearly, they didn't want to hurt anyone, which was why Miss Valente confirmed the opponent's identity was more official. Thanks to the fact that they didn't actually set a fire, the rest of the mansion was normal.
Of course, that included the kitchen.
"Quick, come here."
After peeking into the kitchen, Miss Valente skillfully turned on the gas lamp and pulled Lynch inside before giggling and raising her voice slightly.
"We are stealing some food. Hehe, I was often hungry at night when I was a child, and my tutor was very fierce and wouldn't let me eat at night, so I often snuck into the kitchen to steal food. I suspect the cook at home makes everyone's food taste bad on purpose, because every time I steal food in the kitchen, I feel it tastes much better than the food on the dining table."
No, girl, that's just because stolen goods taste extra delicious.
Pushed into a chair, Lynch watched this girl skillfully play the thief—no, skillfully open the cabinet and carry out a large piece of smoked meat and several eggs. Her practiced movements made Lynch unable to help but smile.
"When you stole food, did you prepare it yourself instead of calling the cook? I remember many wealthy families have cooks on call twenty four hours a day."
Like that detestable Princess Chloe.
"I could wake her up, but it's already so late. I don't like to disturb their rest unless necessary. After all, she isn't a dedicated night shift cook. We can just make something simple to fill our stomachs."
"We? You didn't have dinner either?"
"Hehe, you sit for a while, and I'll bring it to you when it's ready."
Watching the noble girl's busy back, Lynch felt warm from his body to his heart. Hmm... case closed; it must be because she turned on the stove.
【Hehe.】
Watching the scenery and peeping are essentially different, neighbor.
Withdrawing his gaze from the busy little cook, Lynch sat by the table with his chin in his hand and opened the ancient parchment book he had brought down again.
He had actually read a part of this book before Miss Valente woke up. After official verification by Lady Red Moon, the Swelling Daughter hadn't tampered with it, and Lynch could handle it, so he started reading.
It is said that for these mystery books, one must read them entirely to know what can be gained. It is true that one might get something interesting, but of course, it could also be forbidden knowledge that humans shouldn't know, and no one is responsible for what happens during the process.
Lighting a pipe of ordinary 《Soul-Calming Grass》, Lynch stroked the ancient book. The book was indeed quite old; the parchment had turned pitch black, dry, and brittle, yet it remained intact, which was quite eerie.
《Goddess of the Black Fan》
The book title was actually just some symbols Lynch didn't recognize, looking a bit like the reflection of a railway map or the patterns on that stone slab in another world, but when he saw the title, Lynch automatically understood its meaning.
The book was thin, only a dozen pages or so. As for the content, it was written in the language of the Fourth Age Emma Dynasty, belonging to the common texts of archaeology, which happened to be one of the five languages Lynch had learned.
"Treading upon endless corpses, the Lord walks from death."
"Crossing the realm of death and rebirth, directly reaching the kingdom of eternity, right in this gap between death and life, in this holy great cemetery, the Lord's will spreads to this world and the beyond."
"Transcending time and space, transcending darkness and light, the Lord's shadow, shrouds the ages, transcending eternity."
"Darkness, bloated, twisted, crazy, suffering, sin, disaster, praise the Lord, sing to the Lord..."
Eerie content. Every character made one feel a chill in their heart. Through the text, one could feel the madness and blindness of the writer. Lynch took puffs of the 《Soul-Calming Grass》, and with slightly trembling hands, carefully flipped through the parchment book until he finally finished the last few pages.
The whole book was actually a classic of the Swelling Daughter's church. This was a very niche church, mainly hiding in that small world. In the present world, only a very small number of Swelling Maidens were active. They had actually been twisted into the monsters Lynch saw with his inspiration, relying on absorbing the evil thoughts and desires of humans to survive, usually maintaining a human form with black fans.
As for the evil god they worshipped, the Swelling Daughter herself, she was mysterious, fickle, and keen on enjoying all suffering and disaster, yet she always hid outside the gaze of history, just like always covering her face with a round fan, only using a pair of eerie and twisted eyes to stare at endless sins.
"Hoo..."
Letting out a long breath, Lynch recovered from the book, drenched in cold sweat. As soon as he looked up, he saw Miss Valente's concerned eyes.
Simple food had been placed in front of him. The noble girl was leaning in front of Lynch, her big eyes staring at him without blinking.
"How is it, Mr. Lynch? Are you okay? If you feel uncomfortable, take a rest before reading; there's no need to finish these classics all at once."
"It's fine; I've already finished it, and the harvest is quite abundant."
"Hmm? So fast? A truly rare speed." A joyful light flashed in her big eyes. "Did you comprehend a new ability?"
"More than one. I must admit, that evil god is truly generous; I'm almost starting to forgive her."
Lynch smiled. Regarding the highly private topic of personal abilities, Lynch didn't avoid Miss Valente at all and explained casually:
"The first is the most useless: 《Gaze of the Dead》. After using it, I can see souls wandering within three meters of me. Unfortunately, it's limited to those souls who didn't enter the underworld due to special reasons; it can't be seen in ordinary places. Oh my, there's one behind you."
Waving her little fist, Miss Valente rolled her eyes at him: "Actually, it counts as a very practical ability, especially for a brilliant detective like you."
"Hmm, but compared to the other two, it's far behind."
Lynch suddenly raised his hand, gesturing with his thumb and index finger like a pistol, and then a miniature version of a skull condensed from black fog floated at his fingertips like a black ball:
"《Death Coil》, long range attack, will traction. The effect depends on the energy I invest and my understanding of the death authority. After the understanding deepens, an instant death effect will also appear, although the probability is very low, and it doesn't exist now."
"I've heard of it. Among the 《Soul Severers》 of the Church of the Black Night and the Church of the Earth who grasp the death authority, some have comprehended this ability. Once the authority rank is high, the effect is very strong, not even weaker than 《Starlight Burst》. Well, maybe a little weaker, just a little, and I remember it has other functions."
Lynch smiled, suddenly turned the muzzle, and pressed the black ball into his own chest.
"It can also be used on myself. Within five minutes, it can amplify my physical quality, temporarily increasing it by about twenty percent. It's just that if used continuously, the body won't be able to bear it and will develop serious problems."
"This is already very practical. The kind of damage you describe can all be treated. It's simply too suitable for you, Mr. Detective. That evil god is truly generous."
Miss Valente was beaming with joy and subconsciously grabbed Lynch's wrist and shook it, appearing genuinely happy. However, after shaking it a few times, she suddenly realized what she was doing, her face flushed, and she threw down Lynch's wrist like it was scalding hot, looking elsewhere and saying:
"There... there is another one. According to your ranking method, it must be worth looking forward to."
"Heh, yes." Lynch smiled strangely, deciding not to wash his wrist for half a month. "It is precisely because of the third ability that I feel I even owe her a favor."
"What is it?" This girl had already forgotten her shyness and asked with anticipation.
"Tsk, this will have to wait for the next chapter to be paid for reading..."
"Click."
No, why are you carrying a gun even when you come to the kitchen to steal food? Is your kitchen a battlefield of the Kingdom of Friedman? And don't people who end chapters on cliffhangers have human rights? What happened to only sending razor blades? Why move directly to firearms?
Lynch sighed and gave up his plan to tease the noble girl: "《Death Veto》."
"Hmm?"
"Automatically triggered, once a day, lasting one minute, 《Death Veto》." Lynch let out a breath. "Simply put, within one minute after activation, no matter how serious the injury is, even if cut into pieces, one won't die."
Miss Valente forgot even to breathe. She was stunned for a long time before asking: "And what about after that minute?"
"Absolutely will die."
"You..."
"Ahem, but if you get emergency treatment before it expires, you can still save your life."
"This, this, this..." Miss Valente stammered, unable to even speak a complete sentence, and it took her a long time to recover. "Doesn't that mean having one more life than others every day?"
"It's only effective for physical damage, not for mental damage. However, my willpower is just fine."
Lynch narrowed his eyes, smiled reservedly, and whispered:
"Her gift is very timely. With these abilities, I am more confident in the next plan. Let us join forces and teach those guys who want to cause trouble a hard lesson. Tomorrow we will let Chloe spread the word, and then... hehe, in a certain kingdom of the Mythological Era, this is called inviting yourself into the urn."
Rate on N.U.
