Encounter

On the banks of the Lande River in the Crown District stands a square, three-story building.

Four slab-style buildings, each several dozen meters long, enclose a square. In the center of this courtyard stands a towering structure that pierces the sky, topped with a massive clock that constantly emits a rhythmic, mechanical clicking sound.

The Hall of Order, Order Square, and the Tower of Justice are among the iconic landmarks of Rhine City.

This is the headquarters for the Rhine police, capable of housing thousands of officers, and for over a century, it has guarded the order of Rhine.

But today, thick, rolling smoke is pouring from within.

Natalie grabbed Lynch by the arm, and the two sprinted for several hundred meters, appearing outside the Hall of Order in less than a minute.

The moment they stopped, Lynch collapsed to his knees, his vision blurring, his chest heaving like a bellows.

Officer Natalie did not even seem winded, though her expression was far uglier than Lynch’s as she glared grimly at the chaotic scene within the Hall of Order.

The basic order was still intact.

But groups of police officers were gathered in Order Square, and piles of debris were scattered across the open space.

“Huff, huff, huff, burn, burned, ha, ha, which...”

Drenched in sweat, Lynch dragged himself up using Officer Natalie’s arm. Before he could even catch his breath, he asked his question impatiently.

Officer Natalie shook her head with a dark expression, frowning at Lynch. “Can you walk?”

His legs were still trembling, but Lynch managed a few steps and gritted his teeth. “Yes. Let’s go in and take a look.”

“What do you mean, yes? Your physical fitness really needs training. Once your trouble is resolved, I’m going to find you every night for a run.”

After glaring at him, the officer looked away, reached out to take his arm, and helped him into Order Square.

The air was filled with a thick, acrid smell of burning. Fine ash drifted everywhere, large pools of water covered the ground, the walls bore clear scorch marks, and black smoke continued to billow from several shattered windows.

Up close, the accident did not actually look that severe. The open flames had been extinguished, and the fire had not spread to the surrounding areas; the situation was basically under control.

Only a section of rooms on the first floor of the west wing had been affected. It looked intense, but the structural integrity remained intact. It was a very ordinary fire; it was hard to tell what had burned to produce such a massive amount of smoke and fire.

As they entered the square, several officers in blue uniforms barked at them, but as soon as Officer Natalie revealed the badge hidden inside her trench coat, their faces immediately softened into smiles.

“Which department caught fire?” Natalie asked.

“Reporting to the officer, it’s the archives, specifically the rooms storing files from the last few years.”

The officer’s casual reply sent a chill creeping up Lynch’s spine.

The very thing he feared had come to pass. It was indeed the archives, and specifically the recent ones—wouldn't that be exactly where the documents related to the Rhine-Norin Railway were stored?

How could it be such a coincidence?

Lynch felt a coldness in his heart. He exchanged a look with Officer Natalie, released her arm, and slowly approached the still-smoking room.

A humid, scorched stench hit him. Heat still radiated from the interior. Looking through the thick smoke, almost nothing remained intact. The papers, already ravaged by fire and then repeatedly doused with water, had long since crumbled into ash, losing any possibility of restoration.

“What was the cause of the fire?” the officer asked from behind him.

“Reporting to the officer, it’s not yet confirmed, but the preliminary theory is that a staff member was smoking inside against regulations and carelessly knocked the ashes from their pipe onto a wooden desk.”

“Do you... often do things like this?”

The blue-uniformed officer’s gaze drifted awkwardly to the side.

“Fine, very good. Where is that person now?”

Before the officer could answer, a group of people in white robes, covered in dust, ran out of the building carrying three stretchers.

They were covered with sheets, but parts of bodies were still visible beneath, pitch black and charred, the flesh completely carbonized.

Lynch immediately covered his mouth and backed away a few steps, his stomach churning. He almost vomited on the spot, but managed to ask, “Were these found at the scene on the first floor?”

“Where else?” The person in the white robe glanced at Lynch as if he were an idiot and hurried away without stopping.

Good question. The corner of Lynch’s mouth twitched, and he heard Officer Natalie ask from behind him, “Is the one who was smoking among them?”

“Officer, I don’t know, but it should be. Rumor has it the administrator wasn't seen running out.”

Now there was no way to verify the truth. Lynch frowned and looked at the burnt archive rooms again. He had always been an armchair strategist; he couldn't see anything by actually inspecting the scene, but he gestured to Natalie, and they found an empty corner by the main gate.

“Their deaths aren't right.” Lynch looked left and right before lowering his voice. “I highly suspect...”

“They lost consciousness before the fire started?”

“Yeah, you think so too?”

“I heard you questioning the people from the Hall of Suffering. They died on the first floor, but the windows on the first floor are less than two meters from the outside. They could have easily jumped out to escape. But none of the three did so. That is clearly abnormal.”

She was a professional officer after all. Lynch was once again secretly glad he had pulled her into his investigation team. He listened as she continued:

“Did you find anything just now?”

“No. I already perceived it through the window. I didn't detect any mysterious filth, but that doesn't mean it’s unrelated to the mysterious; it just means no filth was left behind.” This was exactly what the Travel Companion had just said in his head.

“Is someone intentionally preventing us from seeing those documents?” Officer Natalie clearly had the same thought. She stroked her sword and bowed her head in thought.

“Could it just be a coincidence?” Lynch still held onto a sliver of hope.

“Don't make jokes like that.” The officer glanced at him, realized he was still a rookie, and explained, “Someone once said that believing in coincidences in the world of the mysterious is the most convenient path to death.”

“Hmm?”

“In the mysterious world, the connections between things are twisted to the extreme, and causal relationships cannot be understood by people, which is why many things are mistakenly thought to be coincidences. But just because they cannot be understood does not mean the causal links do not exist. If you truly treat them as coincidences, you are not far from death. Therefore, in the future, when you encounter events related to the mysterious, it is best not to view any sudden situation you find peculiar as a coincidence. Mystery hunters prefer to call them omens. Remember, we can be overly sensitive a hundred times, but if we are not vigilant just once, there will not be a next chance.”

“I understand.” Lynch nodded seriously, firmly keeping it in his heart. “But I don't think it looks like it was done by a person. No one knew we were coming here to check the files; even we ourselves only decided this morning.”

“I’d rather hope it was done by a person; otherwise, it’s even more troublesome.” The officer sighed. “That would mean this is a mysterious incident, and one that can self-erase the connections that might expose it, which represents a fairly high level of mystery.”

“Is it also a mystery relic?”

“Not necessarily. In the mysterious world, anything is possible. I hope I guessed wrong. If we really run into a mystery this strong, I’m afraid it will be quite tricky.” The officer shook her head. “It’s impossible to judge right now, but the archive fire is not a small matter. The Hall of Order will definitely send specialists to investigate. Let’s wait for the investigation results from the professionals before judging. It’s a pity we can't access the files for now. I really can't think of where else to find the relevant records; otherwise, I’d really like to see that information. There might be some weirdness hidden inside.”

“Actually, I thought of a place that might still have some of the documents, but we have to get them to cooperate voluntarily. We can't force those people.”

Officer Natalie frowned. “Where?”

Lynch opened his mouth to speak, but his expression suddenly changed, and he lunged violently at Officer Natalie.

The officer’s expression sharpened, and her fist was already raised. However, seeing Lynch lunging over without any defenses, her heart softened, and she pulled her fist back. The next moment, she was pulled into an embrace by Lynch, who covered her mouth and dragged her into the dark corner of the doorway, the two of them pressed tightly together.

Hmm? Something seems wrong.

The subtle sensations from their bodies, the faint scent of hair in his nose—Lynch finally realized what he had done, and cold sweat instantly crawled down his back.

The person in his arms tensed and did not move, not even struggling. But the more she remained still, the more terrified Lynch became. It was as if he could already hear the funeral bell tolling.

However, he still braced himself and huddled in the corner with the officer. Then, he saw an old woman wrapped in a headscarf, dressed in simple clothing, walking past them with a trembling gait, leaning on a cane.

By this time, Lynch couldn't worry about his own state. He lowered his gaze to avoid his eyes exposing him, but pricked up his ears, listening carefully to the movements in the doorway.

The old woman walked with a limp and was not fast, but she did not stop, slowly walking out of the doorway.

Lynch was terrified she would suddenly turn back, so he still did not move until, a moment later, someone poked his arm.

He lowered his head and met a pair of eyes filled with murderous intent. Only then did Lynch realize he was still covering the officer’s mouth and pinning her against the wall with his body.

The cold sweat on his back intensified. He retracted his hand as if he had touched burning coals, retreated several steps, raised his hands, and gave a dry laugh. “Um, I... is it too late for me to explain now?”

“It’s not too late. Go ahead.” The officer’s voice was flat as she rolled up her sleeves and flexed her wrists. “I will help you carve it onto your tombstone, word for word.”

“No tombstone, please listen to my explanation.”

“Enough talk.” Using the action of fixing her hair to hide her flushed cheeks, the officer glared at him viciously. “What on earth is going on? Who is that old woman? Do you know her?”

“Karina’s Exquisite Makeup.”

“Hmm?”

“The mystery relic I sensed at the city hall just now—it was on that old woman.” Lynch glanced in the direction the person had left and whispered, “I suspect that old woman is the eldest daughter of that noble family from the city hall, disguised as an old woman using this mystery relic. Furthermore, she is also a Soul Severer.”

“Hiss. A Soul Severer, appearing at the city hall before the tragedy, appearing at the Hall of Order when the fire broke out, and even using a disguise to hide her identity...”

The two exchanged a look, both realizing the problem here.

“Let’s go. Follow her.”

Officer Natalie nodded vigorously, then suddenly, as if remembering something, she gave Lynch a ‘light’ kick in the shin.

“I’m keeping the tombstone for you, you jerk.”

“Ow.”