Aftermath

“Read all about it! Read all about it! Last night, a meteor fell into the Carlos Mountain Range, causing a localized collapse! No casualties have been reported! Weather experts say the meteor's appearance portends favorable weather and good fortune for Lande in the coming years!”

“Extra! Extra! Mayor Howard falls from grace! The well-dressed, gentlemanly mayor turns out to be the leader of a grave-robbing syndicate! Is this a degradation of humanity or a loss of morality?”

“Extra! Extra! Last night, the Governor's Guard launched a surprise raid on Granvi Village, capturing the grave-robbing leader and numerous subordinates on the spot! Various figures have praised the Governor's Mansion for its decisive action and expressed deep gratitude to the unsung hero who made it all possible!”

With the newsboys' shouting, Rhine City entered a new day.

People suddenly realized that so much had happened last night; they woke up to find their world completely changed.

On the night of June 20, 1399, residents of the cities surrounding the Carlos Mountain Range witnessed a spectacular sight they would never forget.

A meteor, trailing a long streak of brilliant fire, tore through the sky. Just as it was about to crash into the mountains, it suddenly exploded in midair like fireworks without any warning, dissolving into a dazzling display of light that slowly faded into the night.

On this day, the Gate of Falsehood and Reality—a manifestation grade mystery relic, a highly dangerous item possessing the authority of copying—was destroyed by the joint efforts of powerful figures just before it could reach the mortal world. It dissolved into memories and returned to the Dreamlands.

Perhaps hundreds of years later, drawn by the mysterious, it would reform and plague this world once again. But that was a story for the future; at least for this generation, the world was safe.

Officer Natalie and Miss Valente deserved the utmost credit for this outcome.

Using the information transmitted through the notebook, the two ladies leveraged the favors Lynch had accumulated and mobilized all of their own connections. They finally succeeded in calling upon the apostles of three evil gods and high-ranking clergy members from three of the Churches of the Major Gods.

Trinlais and Mrs. Nightingale owed favors and were relatively reasonable, agreeing immediately. The bald bishop of the Church of the Sun, Bru, had wanted to make excuses, but Miss Valente slapped a photo of the fire scene onto his face, causing him to immediately swallow his words and obediently contribute his strength.

And that wasn't all the two young ladies did. Miss Valente approached Duke Vane directly in the name of her family.

Normally, before everything was fully revealed, it would have been difficult for the Governor's Mansion to formally intervene. However, Miss Valente managed to use the existing evidence and clever maneuvering to persuade Duke Vane to step in early, dispatching troops to Granvi Village outside the mountains. Furthermore, leveraging their cooperation in excavating Zur-Baha-Sahr, she invited President Olei of the Archaeological Association. Meanwhile, Officer Natalie used the Watchers' channels to have Mr. V, in the name of the Watchers, invite the rank seven president of the Arcane Research Society.

Thus, a massive force consisting of hundreds of soldiers from the Governor's Guard, along with a rank eight expert, a rank seven expert, and a crowd of police officers from the Watchers, charged into Granvi Village.

Their arrival was incredibly timely. Howard's syndicate had already concentrated its forces in Granvi Village. The moment the fog dissipated, signaling the end of the event, they had planned to charge into the valley camp to seize the Gate of Falsehood and Reality. Their ranks included two rank seven high-level experts and numerous mid-tier masters, all mercenaries and wanted criminals hired by Howard and Walker at great expense.

The two sides clashed near the village.

The collateral damage of a battle between high-level experts was too vast, and the threat to ordinary soldiers was lethal. As a result, both sides fell into a brief standoff. After all, no government in any world would immediately resort to the equivalent of throwing nuclear bombs at each other just to suppress bandits.

Just as the tension grew thick and battle was on the verge of breaking out, the celestial phenomenon suddenly appeared in the sky.

The battlefield erupted into an uproar.

In particular, when that final lady summoned the red moon’s power and completely crushed the menacingly approaching mystery relic with a single glance, a bizarre silence fell over the field.

Specifically, President Olei, the rank eight expert from the Archaeological Association, and Branch President Gulman, the rank seven expert from the Arcane Research Society, exchanged looks. Both simultaneously recalled the sky-rending red moon’s power they had witnessed at Thorn Flower a month ago.

Our suspicions were correct, they thought. Lynch indeed has a legendary expert who can summon the red moon's power standing behind him, and it must be this woman. To avoid offending such a super-expert, they resolved to maintain the best possible relationship with Lynch in the future.

While the two were murmuring to themselves, the enemy's high-level combatants, unnerved by the celestial display, lost their will to fight and quickly retreated. The authorities had no intention of starting a nuclear-level war here either, so they did not block them, allowing the experts to withdraw.

But the others in the village were not so fortunate. The grave-robbing syndicate led by Mayor Howard was captured on the spot; not a single one managed to escape.

For confidentiality reasons, they could not be prosecuted for inciting a disaster, so their crimes were publicized under the guise of grave robbing.

As for their actual sentences, that would depend on the subsequent handling of the affair. After all, this matter had too great an impact, directly implicating the Crown Prince and court arcanists. It was not something local authorities like Rhine City or Duke Vane could decide.

But at least the first step had been taken. The grave-robbing syndicate led by Howard was completely dismantled, and a massive conspiracy threatening the Kingdom of Lande was resolved.

The haze dispersed, and the thick fog that had blanketed the mountains all day vanished along with the shattered meteor. The mountains became clear once more.

But just then, with a deafening rumble, a violent earthquake shook the mountains. It seemed a massive landslide had occurred somewhere.

The two ladies paled at the same time. If they hadn't been held back, they would have charged into the mountains right then and there. Anxiously waiting for the tremors to stop, they ignored the threat of aftershocks and risked rushing inside with their teams.

Following the connection of the Lover's Beetle, they found that a massive collapse had occurred in the valley. The good news was that Mr. Lynch Levive hadn't broken his legs this time. The bad news was that he was completely missing, buried under tens of thousands of tons of rock and soil.

The workers who had stayed behind were fortunately unharmed, though their faces were pale with terror. However, the entire tomb chamber, including the cliff and the entrance by the small lake, was completely blocked, sealing the archaeological team inside.

The two ladies were close to despair. In a situation like this, finding a missing person would take at least ten to fifteen days. Even if he had brought plenty of supplies, could he really survive underground for that long?

However, before despair could truly settle in, a beam of colorful light struck the two ladies in the face, giving them another fright.

Fortunately, the two girls immediately realized what it was. Ocean Currents in a Dream. It had to be him.

“He's definitely still alive! Dig along the light!”

The rescue team immediately set to work. They found that the target didn't seem to be buried very deeply; the earthquake had actually exposed him. A few hours later, he was dug out.

The moment they saw the target, all the rescuers subconsciously looked at the two ladies, only to find that they, too, had subtle expressions on their faces.

Clearly, Lynch wasn't dead yet, but that might not be the case in a few minutes.

For the completely unharmed Lynch was currently cradling a young girl, protectively shielding her beneath his body.

Judy was also still alive.

“No, no, no! This is an accident! Don't misunderstand, she really isn't what you think!”

“So, in other words, everything else about her is exactly what we think?”

Stared down by the intense, burning gazes of the two girls, Lynch thought for a moment, suddenly let out an “Ah!”, and fainted on the spot.

???

This made both ladies laugh out of sheer exasperation. Looking at the very much alive Lynch, the wry smiles on their faces couldn't be suppressed.

The two of them let the fellow play dumb, directing the stretcher-bearers to carry him out of the mountains. No one spoke along the way, but their exchanging glances and the smiles at the corners of their mouths said everything. The silent companionship of the two ladies warmed Mr. Levive through and through. Although only a single day had passed since he entered the mountains, he felt as if a lifetime had gone by, feeling entirely light and unburdened.

“Is this Mr. Lynch Levive?” As soon as he was carried into the village, the commander of the troops stopped them. “We just found a letter on Howard. It was addressed to you.”

With that, the commander handed the letter to Lynch.

Unfolding the letter casually, Lynch read just a few lines before his face darkened.

“Thank you for your enthusiastic cooperation over the past month. Without your involvement, it would have been very difficult for us to realize our plans. Now that everything is ready, your mission has concluded. We hope you will remember this rare experience of cooperation. As for our purpose, you will soon see it with your own eyes. We hope you will enjoy our gift when the time comes. Your friend, Black Spider.”

It was actually them?

So they were the ones pulling the strings behind this matter as well.

What exactly were they trying to do? “Soon”... were they finally about to make their true move?

A heavy feeling settled in Lynch's chest, and much of the joy from his narrow escape evaporated. But when he turned his head, he saw the faces of Miss Valente and Officer Natalie.

“Who cares about their conspiracies? We fight side by side. Do they really think we're afraid of them?”

“That's right, Mr. Lynch. No matter what they want to do, as long as we stand together, we have nothing to fear.”

Lynch was taken aback, but his expression gradually relaxed, and the smile returned to his face.

“Yes, fearless,” Lynch said with a soft chuckle. “No need to worry. Let's go home Bim.”

“Hmm?” The gazes of the two ladies grew somewhat strange again. “Home?”

“...Ah.”

Under their scrutiny, Mr. Levive, after careful consideration, fainted again at the perfect moment.