Out of Control

Sitting in the magnificent guest room, Lynch finally had some time to himself. The heart that had been in suspense all night was finally put at ease, and even this room, dripping with nouveau riche gaudiness, didn't look like such an eyesore anymore.

However, Lynch still didn't dare to relax too much. Although there was no surveillance or wiretapping in this era, bizarre and unpredictable abilities were everywhere, making it hard to say whether he was being watched.

He would just maintain this state for the next few days. Throwing himself lazily onto the sofa, Lynch dusted off his long dress and couldn't help but smile bitterly.

Sure enough, cross-dressing was either zero times or countless times, and he had actually gotten a bit used to it.

He was actually still wearing an ordinary men's shirt and casual trousers, and his shoes were also ordinary men's leather shoes. However, under the effect of the round fan, his entire being, including his clothing, had conceptually transformed into a female state, making him a cross-dresser in the truest sense.

How terrifying. Maintaining this state for a long time seemed to subtly create a psychological sense of identity. Hiss, could this fan have some side effects? If there were side effects, he couldn't use it casually in the future.

【There are no side effects.】

‘Whew, that's good.’

【It is just that some unique tastes have awakened.】

‘I told you not to rummage through my memories. Look at the absolute nonsense you've picked up.’

【Isn't the real question why there are such strange things in your memories in the first place? The informational disturbance is even affecting me.】

‘That's the cultural accumulation of thousands of years from an entire world. Tsk, how did they manage to accumulate a pile of junk like this... Be serious, what about the mole?’

Enjoying the gentle laughter in his mind, the tension of entering the enemy's nest gradually faded. Lynch slowly calmed down and carefully pondered his task for the next few days.

Find the mole, hand over the evidence to Walker to soothe their anxiety, and lure them into proceeding with the ritual using the real gem. The ritual would naturally fail, and he would take that opportunity to expose the conspiracy of Howard and Prince William. As for what came after, that was not something a rank two rookie like him should worry about.

In theory, that was how it should go, but he couldn't actually expose the mole just to have them killed. The specifics would have to be decided based on the situation when the time came, but the urgent priority was still to find the mole first.

Within three days.

The question was, how? Frowning, Lynch opened the files Walker had given him before leaving.

The files listed the twelve people gathered by Howard, divided into internal and external groups, with five performing the ritual and one acting as a backup just in case. It was said that once the ritual was successfully completed, a Third Age ancient tomb would be opened. At that time, Howard would only take one item from it, and the rest of the spoils would be divided equally among the twelve.

Greed was the original sin of humanity. For a few Elizabeths, many people would even sell out their own parents, let alone help Howard and Prince William orchestrate a disaster. Lynch had seen this kind of thing plenty of times in movies and TV shows, so he didn't find it strange.

However, after a preliminary assessment, the mole was more likely to be hidden among the six people responsible for the external ritual, because they at least possessed legal identities. The other six responsible for the internal ritual were all cultists with bounties on their heads, and they might not even be human. The possibility of such individuals cooperating with the authorities—especially the Churches of the Major Gods—was almost non-existent.

Focusing on the six people in the mortal world group, Lynch reread the files, and by the end, he had a bit of a headache.

The people in this manor were truly a collection of “talents.” Just reading about them made Lynch want to pack up and leave.

The six members of the external ritual:

A ruin explorer who focused all his energy on ancient tombs;

An archaeologist who was expelled from the Archaeological Association a few years ago and harbored a deep-seated hatred for it;

An antique hunter, said to be a lucky survivor who had been in the business for twenty years without dying a bizarre death;

An ancient book broker who specialized in finding victims for sellers;

A folklorist who specialized in going deep into the hidden villages of Middle Earth to study folklore, except that every single time, he would bring back “local specialties” like tribal holy relics or totems;

A philologist specializing in translating ancient scripts, proficient in various languages of the Savage Age of the Second Age and the Dark Age of the Third Age—far more professional than a rookie archaeologist like Lynch who only had a passing familiarity with five languages.

Howard, are you fucking raising Gu here?

These were all high-risk professions in the occult world. Choosing any one of them and letting them loose could cause several horrific incidents, starting with a total party wipeout and no upper limit. Now that they were all gathered together, Lynch seriously wondered if Mayor Howard had grown tired of his manor and planned to tear it down and rebuild it from scratch.

Forget it, there was no use worrying. He would try to make contact with them first, acting carefully without exposing himself. With his level of inspiration, perhaps he would detect something unusual during their interactions.

It had to be as soon as possible.

Having made up his mind, Lynch rubbed his temples, stuffed the files into his storage bracelet, and left the room carrying his round fan.

He didn't turn off the lights—just that extravagant!

The corridor was also brilliantly lit, with two rows of magnificent wooden doors neatly arranged along the long hallway. This entire floor consisted of guest rooms for Riverside Manor, and all the guests Howard had gathered were concentrated here.

Knocking on doors to chat with people might be something Lynch could do, but Selene absolutely could not. However, Lynch was not troubled. Holding the round fan, he walked leisurely toward the stairs.

The recreation room was on the first floor, where Howard had prepared fine wines, gourmet food, and various entertainment facilities for the guests. Although it was already past nine o'clock, there should still be people who hadn't left yet.

He needed to seize the time to make contact with a few of them and assess the situation.

Clack, clack. The click of heels on the smooth stone floor echoed in the empty corridor. However, after Lynch had walked only a few steps, a door beside him suddenly flew open, and someone rushed out in a hurry, heading straight toward him.

Without any warning.

Oh no.

In the blink of an eye, Lynch had no time to think. He reacted purely on instinct.

And that reaction was to do absolutely nothing.

A playful look flashed in his eyes. Without breaking his stride, he continued forward at his original pace, elegant as a dancer, as if he hadn't seen the person rushing toward him at all.

The next moment, the figure collided with him.

Then, as if passing through a phantom, the person slipped straight through Lynch. At the very last moment, Lynch had activated his phase defense necklace, consuming its once-a-day charge.

It was an instinctive reaction, but Lynch didn't regret it in the least. This person's recklessness was highly likely a test. Whether he dodged or shoved, it would make him look flustered and expose his strength. Only by resolving it in this manner could he shrug it off effortlessly and maintain his aura.

The only reason he could bluff Walker and the others with this identity was by maintaining his aura. Damaging his mystique would be nothing short of a disaster.

Therefore, Lynch merely let out a soft chuckle and said in a low, ethereal voice, “Heh... Be very careful when walking. Sometimes, walking is like life. Once you take a wrong step, there is no turning back, don't you think? Hehehe.”

With that, he finally turned his gaze to the person who had run into him.

It was a young man in his twenties, wearing a dusty vest and a flat cap, with a handsome face framed by short golden hair.

The shock on the young man's face was gone in a flash, immediately replaced by an apologetic smile of questionable sincerity. Placing a hand over his chest, he bowed. “My deepest apologies, beautiful lady. I was distracted. Otherwise, with your stunning appearance, there is no way I could have overlooked you. I am Karl Jones, an explorer and a guest of the manor's master. If you wouldn't mind, I would like to invite you downstairs for a couple of drinks to make amends.”

Hiss, the first name on the list has delivered himself right to my door. It wouldn't hurt to chat, and it's the perfect opportunity to feel out the situation. Despite his thoughts, Lynch maintained his enigmatic smile and sneered, “Regrettably, I do mind.”

With that, he slowly bypassed Karl Jones and walked toward the recreation room on the first floor. Karl was nearly choked by the blunt rejection. He scratched his head awkwardly, let out a couple of silly chuckles, and quickly followed.

Before long, the two arrived at the recreation room one after another. However, just as Karl stepped forward to open the door for Lynch, a startled cry rang out from within.

“Watch out! It's out of control!”

At the same time, a streak of colorful light, like a speeding rainbow, rushed straight toward Lynch.