You Are Really Kind People

Lynch did not doubt Judy's request.

Having used the ring so often, his subconscious had already developed a trace of affinity for the Blazing Lady, and the attitude of the two Judys—both inside and out—treating him like one of their own was impossible to hide. Therefore, Lynch was willing to trust Judy, at least for the time being.

Besides, her explanation was logical. The evil gods worshipped by both sides were indeed mortal enemies; otherwise, the neighbor would surely have warned him.

Then I might as well make use of it. It is a gift of assistance delivered to my doorstep; it would be a waste not to use it.

"Of course it must be cancelled. Otherwise, do you want to let the followers of the Blazing Lady have their way?"

Lynch was not polite this time. Holding the round fan, he spoke with an air that left no room for negotiation:

"Big sister's intuition was correct after all. One of her apostles really has infiltrated the team. It is fortunate that I came over, otherwise, who knows what conspiracies you were plotting against us behind our backs."

"Wait, Ms. Selene." Mayor Howard grew anxious. He stood up, circled from behind the coffee table, and said with a tense expression, "What followers of the Blazing Lady? What conspiracy?"

"One of our mortal enemies has mixed into the six members of the external group, biding their time to scheme. Regardless of whether you are aware of it or not, such behavior is a betrayal and a blasphemy against big sister."

The voice emerging from behind the round fan was cold and chilling. Lynch mimicked the tone of a villain, speaking in a sinister manner:

"Our cooperation over these past two years has been fairly smooth, and big sister has been relatively satisfied. Therefore, I do not wish to attribute the worst intentions to you, and I am willing to believe you were unaware, or only partially aware. However, the cooperation must be cancelled. We will resolve this matter in our own way; otherwise, who knows what might happen if things continue to develop this way. As for whether we can continue our cooperation, we will decide after we have uncovered the full truth. If you are unwilling to wait, then find another way."

"Ms. Selene, this..."

Walker was also anxious, but the moment he opened his mouth, Lynch cut him off ruthlessly: "I represent the Swelling Monastery. This is a notification, not a negotiation. If you feel this is not formal enough, the monastery will send an official notice to Prince William and his arcanist, Moliere. And also..."

"Please wait a moment, Ms. Selene." Mayor Howard said in a deep voice, "We have been preparing for this cooperation for two years. To let all our efforts go to waste because of an incident we were unaware of is truly unfair. Moreover, the cooperation is inherently beneficial to both sides. Cancelling it just like that is a huge loss for that lady as well. You surely would not want to damage her interests due to being overly sensitive, would you? Why don't you first tell us who this apostle of the Great Old Ones you mentioned is, and we..."

"Are you trying to silence me?" Lynch narrowed his alluring eyes and sneered, "This makes me even more suspicious that you are involved in this matter."

"No, no, no, Ms. Selene, you have misunderstood." Walker quickly stepped in to mediate, "His Honor the Mayor simply does not wish for that lady's interests to be harmed and wants to work together to resolve the problem."

"I know your methods of resolving problems all too well; you only let them fester." Lynch's icy expression softened slightly, and his voice became somewhat more peaceful, "I do not want our interests to be harmed either, but this matter is too serious and leaves no room for negotiation. I must keep a close eye on him and personally determine what his goal is before I can feel at ease, so..."

"Wait, Ms. Selene, I actually have a compromise in mind." Mayor Howard's shrewd eyes darted about, and he put on a commercial smile, "You see, what you just said also contains a contradiction. If the cooperation is cancelled, wouldn't you also be unable to find out what his goal is?"

"This..." Lynch's expression stiffened; he could find no reason to refute this.

"So, why don't we let the plan proceed? That way, if you have misunderstood, the entire plan can still proceed smoothly, and our mutual interests will not be harmed. If that person truly has a conspiracy, we can lure him into revealing it. Wouldn't you then be able to personally determine his goal?"

"Hmm?"

"I know you are worried, so you could completely act as you did when you deceived Karl Jones and the others. You could truly join them yourself. This way, all problems would be solved."

"Are you dreaming?" The haughty Ms. Selene examined Mayor Howard with a bizarre gaze, as if looking at a deranged cultist, "The agreement did not say I had to do such a thing. I am here to watch the show, not to play a role. Why should I accompany you in your madness?"

"This is not madness, madam." Mayor Howard piled on the smiles, his tone full of the same persuasiveness a bank manager uses to recommend a financial product, speaking with great 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 goal. I am doing this entirely for your sake."

Tsk, well then, I really must thank you. You are actually quite a decent person. However, you must not be accustomed to the rhetorical strategy of 'retreating in order to advance' from my past life. This is something you requested yourself; I certainly did not force you.

"Heh, worthy of being a banker. Your mind turns faster than the sound of gears; even I could hear it." Lynch chuckled inwardly, while outwardly he snorted coldly without changing his expression, "This way, not only can we proceed according to the original plan, but with me joining in to watch, you no longer have to worry about the problem of an internal mole. You have cleared away all your concerns. You have gained all the benefits, while I not only cannot cancel the cooperation but must continue to help you clean up the trouble that follows, ensuring the plan has no issues. Do you think we rarely have contact with the current world and have therefore become stupid?"

"You have misunderstood." Howard put on a pained look, "I am doing this entirely for our common interests; there is absolutely no selfishness involved."

Lynch smiled noncommittally, pondered for a moment, and then said: "Thinking about it carefully, it does make sense. We can give it a try. I hope you will not regret it when the time comes."

"I will absolutely not regret it, Ms. Selene. You are overthinking things. I believe that with you presiding over it, there will absolutely be no more problems."

"Very well then." Lynch felt as if his heart were bleeding as he spoke. At this moment, he could have extorted a heavy price, making these sinister guys not only step into the trap voluntarily but also pay a price. Unfortunately, in order to maintain his persona, he could only painfully give up the plan to extort them, "However, to ensure the cooperation goes smoothly, tell me which of those six people are yours."

"Ah?"

"Heh, it is hard to say which of them is the real mole, but everyone has issues. I do not believe you could feel at ease without planting someone in there. There must be one of your people inside. Hand over their information and contact details; my subsequent surveillance will require their cooperation."

"This... very well." Mayor Howard signaled to Walker with his eyes. Walker nodded and said, "Salin is our man. He appears to be a swindler, but in reality, he is an informant for the Rangers. We have worked together for many years; he is absolutely reliable."

Sure enough, this person also has issues. But is someone so easily revealed to me truly a key figure? Can an informant really dictate the direction of the entire mission?

Or is this Salin merely a decoy thrown out, while others are actually in control from the shadows?

I will remain skeptical for now.

"Fine, then you can formally notify them that I will be participating in the operation. How you phrase it so they do not suspect you is for you to figure out; I will not concern myself with that. I will approach them as a teammate tomorrow to fully understand their plan."

"Hmm? Ms. Selene, could I ask for your help with one more thing?" Walker pondered for a moment, then suddenly said with great embarrassment, "The first step of the plan officially begins tomorrow. Although it is an action for the internal group, could I ask you to participate temporarily? I am very worried that some slip-up might occur. It would be safer if you were the one to come forward and bring them home. As long as you bring them into the monastery and hand them over to Master Moliere, who is waiting there, it will be fine."

Hiss, are you kidding me? I am a fake!

However, this request was actually quite reasonable. If he were to make an excuse and refuse, it would easily arouse suspicion.

This is going to be trouble.