The Main Course Arrives

“In summary, the situation regarding the Norin-Rhine Railway incident has now become clear.

“Led by the various organizations associated with Lande River shipping, dockworker organizations, and national railway transportation agencies, those whose future interests would be severely damaged are opposed to the construction of the railway.

“Among them, the railway transportation agencies are a special case, having split into two opposing stances. The local railway transportation agencies in Rhine City lean toward supporting the railway's construction, as they can obtain greater profits through direct transport from Rhine to Norin. To this end, they put forward the Rhine Railway Workers’ Union to cooperate with Grant and orchestrate the square incident. Conversely, the national railway transportation agencies are opposed to it. The completion of this railway would actually shorten transportation distances nationwide, which would impact national railway transit. However, these opposing departments have yet to take any substantive action.

“The supporters, driven by similar interests, revolve around the metallurgy, coal, gas, industrial, and commercial sectors. For the sake of profit, their actions have been relatively extreme. Aside from joining forces with Grant to orchestrate the Square Massacre and the recent incident with Mayor Howard, they have also launched multiple attacks against the passive opposition faction. The docks, in particular, have been under immense pressure.

“In addition to the aforementioned forces, the Valente family, who originally opposed the railway project, along with the minority hillmen they represent, have switched sides. They are willing to cooperate with the railway construction using their family territory. The specific details will be discussed in depth between the family's representative and the Duke's mansion.

“The above outlines the entanglements of the various factions surrounding the Norin-Rhine Railway project. Following the resolution of the evil god threat in the ancient city ruins and the elimination of the manifestation grade mystery relic crisis orchestrated by the Shadow Alliance through Mayor Howard and Ranger Walker, no further high-risk mystical threats related to the railway project have been detected in Lande. As for the conflict of interests on the mortal plane, this project will take at least twenty years to yield results. There is ample time to coordinate the interests of all parties and minimize any adverse effects, which is also one of the reasons why the opposition has not yet taken any drastic measures.

“Based on current information, the railway project plan is highly feasible and can continue to move forward.

“Private Investigator Lynch Levive.

“June 25, 1399.”

It was finally over.

Lynch closed the report on his desk, took a deep drag from his pipe, blew a column of smoke toward the ceiling, and felt a wave of relief wash over him.

Although the letter from the Shadow Alliance still weighed on his mind, he had at least lifted a major burden from his shoulders.

During his first few days as a transmigrator, he had been under the constant threat of death. Aside from the Watchers, the Church of the Black Night and the Duke's mansion were the first to extend a helping hand, at least allowing Lynch to find a direction and see a glimmer of hope for survival.

If he didn't pay off this debt of gratitude as soon as possible, Lynch wouldn't even be able to sleep soundly. Thus, as he penned the final stroke, he finally felt a genuine sense of belonging to this world.

It seemed the risk he took this time had not been in vain.

In fact, ever since Mr. Klin met his tragic end and Officer Natalie was nearly dragged into the fallout, Lynch had kept his guard up to the maximum. He would not take any related events lightly and had gone all out, completely disregarding his own safety.

His efforts had finally paid off; the railway incident was completely resolved. It was just a pity about the tomb full of gold and silver treasures.

The earthquake was unexpected yet logical. The passage had been established deep within the tomb. Lady Luna, borrowing Lynch's body, had indeed looked incredibly dominant when she shattered the mirror with a single glance. However, that action also detonated the invisible passage, conceptually destroying the tomb and triggering the earthquake.

Fortunately, by relying on his activated Divine Authority and holding Judy tight, Lynch had managed to withstand the forces of nature, ultimately ending up buried near the surface. Otherwise, just as the two ladies had feared, he really would have been buried deep underground alongside the funerary objects.

Indeed, the funerary objects had been buried under tens of thousands of tons of rock and soil along with the earthquake. It wasn't that they couldn't be dug out—with the support of the Duke's mansion, the people from the Archaeological Association had already begun salvage operations and should eventually recover some of them. However, once the official authorities got involved, what would ultimately end up in Lynch's hands would be far less than before.

“I was so foolish, truly. I should have known that the ancient tomb could collapse at any moment. But then again, maybe it's because my name isn't Lara and my last name isn't Drake. Next time, I'll definitely pack up the funerary objects beforehand, ready to take them with me... No, let's hope there isn't a next time.”

Lynch sighed, mourning for a few seconds for the twelve workers and five companions who had died inside and outside the ancient tomb, and then picked up the small pouch on his desk.

Hidden inside were three items that had been placed before the throne in the main tomb chamber. Unsurprisingly, these were the most important funerary objects of this Arke Dynasty tomb. Taking them meant he hadn't come away empty-handed.

A thick tome, a few loose pages tucked inside it, and a small golden hourglass.

The loose pages were written in characters Lynch couldn't decipher, likely some unknown mystery documents. Lynch planned to visit the Knowledge Library in the next few days. Those swindlers were practically begging to be ripped off, so he might as well let them wrangle with this document.

As for the remaining book and the hourglass, Lynch's breathing quickened slightly just looking at them.

Both were disaster grade mystery relics—meaning they were danger level three items.

In Lande's underground market, fear grade mystery relics were relatively cheap, generally ranging from a dozen to several dozen pounds. Destruction grade ones were slightly more expensive, but not by much—usually just adding another zero to the price.

Once an item reached the disaster grade, selling it was strictly prohibited. After all, although a contained disaster grade relic had little impact on ordinary citizens, it remained highly dangerous if it ever went out of control, potentially affecting thousands of people. Thus, they were theoretically banned from trade. However, occasionally, certain unscrupulous, red-haired merchants could still get their hands on low-risk disaster grade relics to sell under the table. As for the price, it simply required adding yet another zero.

Yes, thousands of pounds—the lifetime wage of a middle-class citizen in Lande. In the world of the occult, no matter how much money one made, it was never enough to spend.

“My poverty is like the wind, always by my side.”

With a sigh, Lynch picked up the hourglass.

【Secrets Hidden Beyond Time. A small prop used by Lady Diana for hide-and-seek. It prevents anyone from finding her, until she can never be found by anyone again.】

It was a highly bizarre mystery relic. According to Lynch's understanding, it could hide a target outside of time, making it as if the target had never existed, thereby concealing them. This was very similar to the trick Knight Rick of the Church of the Black Night used to hide his ship. Lynch figured that if his understanding of the Divine Authority of Concealment was high enough, he might even be able to glean some new abilities from it.

Although he couldn't comprehend anything from it yet, the item was still quite practical. Its trigger for losing control was a bit troublesome, though: if it concealed the same target continuously for over an hour, it would enter an uncontrolled state. Once uncontrolled, it would continuously devour surrounding people and man-made objects, erasing them from the perception of others as if they had never existed. Unless suppressed in time, those devoured would be lost outside of time forever. The catch was that it could even hide itself, making suppression incredibly difficult. Therefore, its classification as a disaster grade threat was not an exaggeration at all.

But it was still highly useful, serving as a form of absolute defense. Now he wouldn't have to constantly hog Miss Valente's necklace. See? He definitely wasn't a freeloador living off a woman; that was just a temporary loan.

Lynch pinched his chin, praising himself for a moment before setting down the hourglass and picking up the thick book.

【The Book of Purification. A secret treasure used by the arcanist Dulin to purify mysterious filth. It only served to make his germophobia increasingly severe.】

This was also a defensive mystery relic. Lynch felt that if this item were to be sold, its price could easily skyrocket to astronomical heights.

As long as it was placed on a bookshelf, it could dispel any mysterious filth contaminating the entire building, ensuring that the occupants' health would not be affected by its presence. He estimated that the ancient Arke royal family had relied on this kind of mystery relic to collect so many dangerous items without being corroded by filth and dying of illness within days.

Although it couldn't counter the effects of the mystery relics themselves, it could neutralize the damage caused by the filth. For collectors, this thing was practically a life-saving divine tool.

However, Lynch had no intention of selling it. Without a second thought, he placed the Book of Purification directly into his bookcase.

As his contact with the world of the occult grew deeper and his collection of mystery relics expanded, he might not care about the consequences himself, but Mrs. Maggie's little Martha wouldn't be able to withstand it.

Now that he had this item, he could shamelessly hoard mystery relics in his home without any restraint. Just thinking about it made him... Uh, actually, it still seemed a bit dangerous. Best to remain cautious.

The two mystery relics were quite good, making this adventure well worth it. And although the loss of those treasures was a pity, Lynch knew that his true reward had yet to arrive.

He had resolved a major crisis. Given the scale of the Duke's mansion and the royal family, there was no way they would let him lose out. He only needed to wait patiently; there was no need to feel any regret at all.

Besides, simply delivering a harsh slap to the face of that amusement-seeking evil god made it all worthwhile. Lynch was currently in an incredibly cheerful mood, almost feeling the urge to initiate the Swelling Daughter contact technique just to trade insults with her.

“Never mind, no need to seek death. I am a kind and gentle transmigrator; I shouldn't do foolish things like making unnecessary enemies.”

【Indeed. The Flicker, the Weaver, the King of Gloomy Cold Bones, the Swelling Daughter...】

‘Alright, alright, I know how kind I am. You don't need to spell it out.’

This neighbor of his really loved speaking the plain truth.

As he was muttering to himself, a sudden warmth settled on his head. Lynch rolled his eyes, turned around, and saw little Martha quietly approaching with a tray of hot tea, pressing the tray directly onto the crown of his head.

“Hehe, what is Uncle Lynch giggling about again?”

Having merely offered a greeting, the little rascal quickly lifted the tray, revealing her doll-like, smiling face.

Ever since the little brat had voluntarily taken risks to run errands for him, the slight friction between them had long since dissipated. However, forgiveness was one thing; a proper lesson was still in order.

“Put the tray down first. I have something to say to you.”

“I'm not stupid! The moment I put it down, you'll immediately drag me over and beat me. You're already rolling your wrists!”

Tsk. This is why I hate spoiled brats.

A soft laugh interrupted Lynch's internal complaints. Mrs. Maggie's blonde-haired, blue-eyed, smiling face appeared at the doorway of the second-floor living room.

The beautiful, gentle lady wore a casual long dress. She watched her daughter bickering with Lynch with a soft gaze, covering her mouth as she smiled.

You really should keep your little demon in check.

Perhaps because the blonde hair of the mother and daughter was too dazzling, Lynch suddenly felt his mood improve significantly. Deciding to temporarily let the beat-worthy little Martha off the hook, he took her tray and set it down, then smoothly accepted the envelope handed over by Mrs. Maggie.

A letter from the Duke's mansion.

Lynch smiled. It seemed the main course had arrived.