Lynch did not doubt Judy's request.
Having used that ring so many times, a hint of familiarity with the Lady of Fire had already bloomed in his subconscious. Furthermore, the way both the inner and outer Judy treated him like one of their own was impossible to hide. Therefore, Lynch was willing to trust Judy—at least for now.
Besides, her explanation was reasonable. The evil gods they worshipped were indeed mortal enemies; otherwise, the neighbor would have warned him.
In that case, he might as well make use of it. It would be a waste not to utilize a helping hand that had practically delivered itself to his doorstep.
“Of course it must be canceled. Or do you want the followers of the Lady of Fire to get their way?”
Lynch was not polite at all this time. Holding up his round fan, his tone left absolutely no room for negotiation.
“Eldest Sister's premonition was indeed correct. An apostle of hers actually snuck into the team. Fortunately, I came over, otherwise who knows what kind of conspiracy you would have secretly plotted against us behind our backs.”
“Wait, Ms. Selene.” Mayor Howard grew anxious, standing up and walking out from behind the coffee table with a tense expression. “What followers of the Lady of Fire? What conspiracy?”
“One of our mortal enemies has snuck into the six members of the external group, waiting for an opportunity to make a move. Whether you were aware of it or not, this act is a betrayal and desecration of Eldest Sister.”
The voice coming from behind the round fan was cold. Lynch imitated a villain's grim tone:
“Our cooperation over the past two years has gone smoothly, and Eldest Sister is relatively satisfied. Therefore, I do not wish to assume the worst of your intentions, and I am willing to believe you were unaware, or at least not fully aware. However, the cooperation must be canceled. We will resolve this matter in our own way, otherwise who knows what will happen if things continue to develop like this. As for whether we can continue cooperating, we will decide after we uncover the whole truth. If you are unwilling to wait, find another way.”
“Ms. Selene, this...” Walker was also getting anxious, but the moment he spoke, Lynch ruthlessly interrupted him. “I represent the Swelling Monastery. This is a notification, not a negotiation. If you feel it is not formal enough, the monastery can send a formal notification to Prince William and his arcanist, Moliere, as well as...”
“Please wait, Ms. Selene,” Mayor Howard said in a deep voice. “We have been preparing for this cooperation for two years. It is truly unfair to let all our efforts go to waste over an unexpected incident we were unaware of. Besides, cooperation was originally beneficial to both parties; canceling it just like this would also be a huge loss for that lady. You wouldn't want that lady's interests to suffer due to oversensitivity, would you? Why don't you first tell us who this apostle of the Great Old Ones you mentioned is, and we...”
“You want to silence them?” Lynch's charming eyes narrowed into slits as he sneered. “This makes me suspect even more that you are involved in this matter.”
“No, no, no, Ms. Selene, you've misunderstood,” Walker quickly tried to smooth things over. “His Honor the Mayor simply doesn't want that lady's interests to suffer and wants to work together to solve the problem.”
“I know your way of solving problems all too well; it will only cause the issue to fester further.” Lynch's grim expression softened slightly, and his voice became a bit calmer. “I don't want our interests to suffer either, but this matter is too serious. There is no room for negotiation. I must keep a close eye on him and personally find out what his true purpose is before I can rest easy. Therefore...”
“Wait, Ms. Selene, I have a compromise in mind.” Mayor Howard's shrewd eyes darted around as he put on a business-like smile. “You see, what you just said actually contains a contradiction. If the cooperation is canceled, wouldn't you also be unable to find out what his purpose is?”
“This...” Lynch's expression froze, completely unable to find a reason to refute.
“So why don't we let the plan proceed? That way, if you were mistaken, the entire plan can still run smoothly, and neither of our interests will suffer. If that person really has some conspiracy, we can draw him out to show it, and wouldn't you be able to personally find out his purpose then?”
“Oh?”
“I know you are worried, so you can completely do what you told Karl Jones and the others—you can actually enter with them. That way, all the problems will be solved.”
“Are you dreaming?” The proud Ms. Selene sized up Mayor Howard with a strange look, as if she were looking at a crazy cultist. “The agreement never said I had to do such a thing. I came to watch the show, not to play a role. Why should I go mad with you?”
“This isn't going mad, Ms. Selene.” Mayor Howard put on a smile, his words filled with the tone of a bank manager recommending a financial product, speaking with deep emotion. “This is the method that best meets your requirements. Only in this way can you personally keep an eye on him and draw out his true purpose. I'm doing all of this for your sake.”
Tsk, thank you so much then. You're surprisingly nice. But you must not be used to the push-and-pull rhetoric of my previous life. You asked for this yourself; I didn't force you.
“Heh, as expected of a banker. Your calculations are turning louder than gears; even I can hear them.” Lynch sneered inwardly, but on the surface, he coldly snorted and said, “This way, not only can we proceed according to the original plan, but with me going in to keep an eye on things, you won't have to worry about a mole either, completely eliminating your concerns. You get all the benefits, while I not only can't cancel the cooperation, but also have to continue helping you clean up the subsequent trouble to ensure nothing goes wrong with the plan. Do you think because we rarely interact with the mortal world, we've all turned stupid?”
“You've misunderstood.” Howard showed a pained expression. “I am entirely doing this for our common interests, absolutely without any selfish motives.”
Lynch smiled noncommittally and pondered for a moment before saying, “Thinking about it carefully, it does make some sense. We can give it a try. I hope you won't regret it when the time comes.”
“Never. You worry too much, Ms. Selene. I believe that with you overseeing things, there absolutely won't be any more problems.”
“Very well then.” Lynch's heart bled as he spoke. At a time like this, he could have easily extorted them for a hefty sum, making these insidious guys not only walk into his trap voluntarily but also pay a price. Unfortunately, to maintain his persona, he could only painfully give up his plans of extortion. “However, to ensure the smooth progress of our cooperation, tell me who your person is among those six.”
“Ah?”
“Heh, it's hard to say who among them is the real mole, but everyone has their issues. I don't believe you would rest easy without planting your own person inside. There must be one of yours. Hand over their information and contact details; my subsequent surveillance will require their cooperation.”
“This... very well.” Mayor Howard signaled Walker with his eyes. Walker nodded and said, “Salin is our man. On the surface, he's a fraud, but he's actually an informant for the Rangers. We've worked together for many years, and he is absolutely reliable.”
As expected, this person also has issues. But is someone they revealed so easily really a key figure? Can an informant really direct the course of the entire mission?
Or is this Salin just a decoy thrown out, while someone else is secretly pulling the strings?
Let's keep it in doubt for now.
“Fine. Then you will formally notify them that I will be participating in the operation. Figure out how to explain it so they won't suspect anything; I won't bother with that. Tomorrow, I will make further contact with them as a teammate to fully understand their plan.”
“Hmm? Ms. Selene, could I ask you for a favor?” Walker pondered for a moment, then suddenly said with embarrassment, “The first step of the plan officially begins tomorrow. Although it's an operation for the internal group, could we ask you to temporarily participate? I'm very worried about any slip-ups. It would be safer if you personally escorted them back home. You just need to bring them into the monastery and hand them over to Master Moliere, who is waiting there.”
Hiss, are you fucking kidding me? I'm a goddamn fake.
Yet, this request was actually perfectly reasonable. If he made up an excuse to refuse, it would easily arouse suspicion.
This was going to be troublesome.
Rate on N.U.
