According to the elderly gentleman, the Milt family had lived in the town for decades, residing in a family estate on the eastern outskirts. Rumor had it that they were very learned—reclusive scholars.
Back when old Milt was still alive, he would occasionally stroll into town. After his death, only the brother and sister remained in the mansion, living with an elderly butler and a few long-serving servants. They rarely ever stepped foot outside, with only the butler and servants occasionally showing up in town.
Yet it wasn't as if the two sides had no contact at all. Over the years, whenever cattle murrain broke out, the sister, Ms. Milt, would step in to help resolve it. Furthermore, whenever the townspeople encountered difficult problems, they would seek guidance from the Milt family's old butler, who would soon relay answers back to them.
The two sides had maintained this peculiar, distant relationship for years. And yet...
“Gentlemen! Let’s confront them at their doorstep today! If they dare refuse to help again, we’ll fight them to the bitter end!”
“That’s right, we’ll fight them with our lives! We have nowhere left to turn anyway—if we’re going down, we’re taking them with us!”
“It’s all because the Milt family refused to step forward that so many cattle died in town. It’s entirely their fault!”
“Yes, it’s all their fault! Today, they have to give us an explanation, and they must compensate us for our losses!”
Compensate your asses. They never owed you anything to begin with. When trouble hits, instead of blaming your own greed or the bank pressing for debts, you blame the people who helped you countless times just because they won't help again?
Officer Natalie’s expression darkened with anger. Clenching her fists, she felt no sympathy whatsoever for this group of 'victims.' All she wanted was to charge forward in her capacity as a police officer, shout them down, and teach them a harsh lesson.
I moved freely among hordes of hundreds of monsters—why would I be afraid of a bunch of ordinary people like you? Yet before she could move, Lynch caught her hand. Turning her head, she saw Lynch chin-nodding toward the crowd.
By now, more and more people had gathered in the town center, quickly exceeding a hundred. Nearly all the able-bodied men in town were assembled, brandishing clubs, pitchforks, and other tools, aggressively venting the despair and rage in their hearts.
Several gentlemen—the town’s administrators—were trying to calm the chaos. Even the town’s only three blue uniforms had arrived to help dissuade the crowd. However, the townsfolk were like a gang of gamblers who had lost everything, long since shorn of all reason. With bloodshot eyes, none of them listened to a word. It was fortunate that the administrators enjoyed a decent reputation in normal times; otherwise, they might have been beaten to death on the spot alongside the rest.
“Do you plan to kill them? In a situation like this, it’s hard to calm things down without bloodshed.”
Indeed, they weren't monsters, after all. Natalie’s tense hand quickly relaxed, and she let out an indignant snort. Her years of experience told her that Lynch was probably right—gathered together like this, these people had likely gone mad.
“It makes me angry to watch too, but let’s observe the situation first. Don’t rush.”
The crowd soon began to move. Over a hundred people shouted and clamored as they surged toward the town’s eastern outskirts. Leaving their carriage parked by the town’s only tavern, the two followed on foot.
The furious mob moved fast, reaching the outskirts in just over half an hour. A three-story Western-style mansion appeared before their eyes.
Unlike most city residences of this era, the Milt family estate was enclosed by towering walls topped with sharp iron spikes and wire mesh, with only a thick iron gate connecting it to the outside world.
A few farmers at the front could not wait and rushed toward the entrance to smash the gate. But before they could even get close, the heavy gate swung open on its own. An old butler who looked to be in his sixties charged out holding a shotgun, followed by four sturdy servants, each carrying a hunting rifle.
Bang!
The old butler fired a shot into the sky, quelling the rowdy crowd. Then, the five of them blocked the doorway, confronting the hundred-plus townsfolk.
“Have your master come out!”
“Treat our livestock!”
“Our cattle are dead, and you must take responsibility!”
“Compensate us for all our hard work over the years!”
“Step back! My young lady has no desire to see rude thugs like you!”
The five men aimed their guns but didn't dare actually fire, while the farmers brandished their clubs and kept edging forward yet feared the firearms too much to truly charge. Maintaining a face-to-face standoff, both sides fell into a tense stalemate.
“No, we can’t let them keep causing trouble like this,” Officer Natalie, who had been watching from behind, could bear it no longer. “We must stop them. If a clash erupts, there will be massive casualties.”
“What do you plan to do?”
“Deter the farmers, then inflict injuries directly to suppress them by force.” Officer Natalie pursed her lips, hesitating slightly. “That’s the only way.”
“Perhaps there’s a way to resolve this peacefully, or at least without hurting anyone.”
“Impossible. These people have lost their minds. A peaceful approach could never make them calm down.”
“How about a bet?” Lynch asked unhurriedly, watching the escalating tension. “Same old rules: if you win, all your old debts are cleared. If I win, hehehe, that’ll be the eighth condition... Ouch!”
Officer Natalie withdrew her foot from Lynch’s toes. Seeing his pained grimace, she glared at him with slightly flushed cheeks.
“Hurry up and do something! Stop talking nonsense—things are about to get out of hand.”
This woman is so violent. How am I supposed to survive in the future?
With bloodshot eyes, the farmers shouted and cursed, growing increasingly agitated. Those in the back gradually shoved forward, pushing the front ranks closer until the distance between the two sides shrank enough that clubs could reach right over to strike heads.
Thud.
A club grazed the old butler’s forehead, sending a trail of blood sliding down through his graying hair and across his cheek. The scene fell dead silent for a heartbeat, but then the sight of blood drove the townsfolk even more frantic. Completely losing control, they were about to swarm forward and kill the five people blocking their way despite the threat of firearms.
Right now. This explosion of emotion is exactly what I need.
Lynch took a deep breath, then let out a thunderous shout.
“ENOUGH!”
Activating the ability of phantasmal sound, he cranked the volume to maximum. Like a clap of thunder detonating, everyone on both sides was stunned. They froze in their tracks and turned in astonishment toward the source of the sound.
Click, clack.
With the rhythmic tapping of a cane against the ground, Lynch, trailed by Officer Natalie, stepped out from behind. They strode into everyone's view and made their way toward the space between the two factions.
The two sides were still in close quarters when they froze, but Lynch walked right past them. Stopping just before making physical contact with the men in the center, he expressionlessly raised his cane and tapped a farmer on the chest.
“You. Make way.”
Their detonated emotions had been shattered by the thunderous shout, and building that rage back up would take time. The deflated farmer subconsciously took two steps back, staring blankly at Lynch.
Lynch stepped into the cleared space between the two sides. Turning to face the crowd, he adjusted his top hat and announced with an arrogant sneer:
“I am an aide to the noble Chairman Grant of the Rhine City Municipal Government and the House of Commons that represents the citizenry. The reason I came to your wretched town today is that I heard cattle murrain has broken out here. On behalf of the noble Lord Grant, I am here to negotiate with you wretches to purchase your dead and diseased cattle at two-thirds of the market price.”
The root of all the conflict lay in the devastation of losing everything. Lynch’s words struck right at the vital point, jarring everyone out of their frenzy and gradually restoring their ability to think.
Chairman Grant—he's a big shot in the city, we've heard of him! What does he want to do? Buy our sick cattle? Good god, even though we’ll lose a good chunk of money, at least we can repay the loan! Our family farms can be saved!
With a lifesaving straw suddenly thrown their way, how could the townsfolk care about the Milt family anymore? Everyone was ecstatic. However, a few of the leaders still had some wits about them—especially the one who had just struck the old butler with a club. He asked suspiciously, “What are you buying diseased dead cattle for? Hiss, you aren't planning to sell diseased cattle as good beef, are you? That’s illegal!”
Lynch’s face darkened, and he hooked his finger. Suspecting nothing, the farmer leaned in.
Whereupon Lynch wound up his arm and delivered two hard slaps—forehand and backhand—across the man's face, spinning him around before sending him crashing to the ground.
“Is it your turn to ask questions? What business is it of yours why we're buying them? If you want to sell your goods, keep your mouths shut! Ask any more nonsense like that, and I’ll turn around and leave right now. Do you hear me? Well? Do you want to sell or not? Huh?”
“Yes, yes, yes! My lord, please don't leave! I won't ask anything!”
Now that was the right flavor—that was exactly how the lords from the city behaved. Even with his face swollen from the blows, the farmer forced an ingratiating smile and nodded his head like a steam piston.
“It’s good that you want to sell. Hmph. Let me tell you, I don't want to spend another minute in this wretched town. All of you, get the hell back to town right now, order the finest wine for me at the tavern, and wait there obediently for me to settle the accounts with you in detail. If you haven't prepared everything by the time I arrive, I’ll leave immediately.”
“My lord... w-will you really buy them?”
Someone in the crowd still couldn't hold back and asked the question everyone cared about most. Lynch shot him a sidelong glare and hooked his finger once again.
“Come over here. I'll tell you.”
The person immediately covered his face and took two steps back.
“You're not entirely stupid, are you? Hmph. Did I say I’m definitely buying? Can't you understand plain speech? Don't you know what 'negotiate' means? If talks go well, of course I’ll buy. If talks go poorly, why would I buy anything? Where did you get all these questions? Now, all of you, get lost!”
The mob that had been so ferocious moments ago instantly dispersed. Only after running for a while did someone realize: Wait a second, didn't we come here to murder and burn?
Whatever, the main priority is what matters. As long as someone is buying, who cares if it’s illegal? Heh.
Lynch shook his hand. Delivering those two slaps made his hand ache, but it had felt quite satisfying.
Pitiable people often had hateful traits—a bunch of petty scoundrels.
Shaking his head at the fleeing crowd, Lynch turned around, winked at Officer Natalie, and gestured an 'eight' with his fingers.
This guy actually pulled it off.
Though Officer Natalie felt a touch of admiration and astonishment in her heart, her face reddened as she waved her fist and snapped, “The question is, how do you plan to wrap this up? Where are you going to get the money to buy all those dead cattle?”
“Hm? Chairman Grant wants to buy dead cattle—what does that have to do with me, Ru... Lynch?”
Lynch spread his hands, smiled, and added:
“First stabilize them to buy us time to investigate the situation. Though those people are despicable, they are ultimately victims. Teaching them a lesson is enough. Let's see if we can solve the underlying problem first; if not, we still have backup plans.”
“Yeah.” Officer Natalie nodded gently, her gaze toward Lynch secretly softening.
“My lords,” the old butler’s voice called from behind. “Thank you both for resolving this trouble for the Milt family. If you don't mind, please come inside to rest for a moment. My young lady wishes to thank you in person.”
Of course they didn't mind.
Lynch and Officer Natalie exchanged a smile and followed him through the iron gate. However, as soon as they walked in, Lynch happened to glance back, and his footsteps froze in place.
On the inside of the gate, Lynch spotted a familiar symbol.
Round spheres resembling eyes were stacked together, forming an eerie pattern that looked as if it were composed of countless eyeballs.
Outside the Knowledge Library, Lynch had seen this emblem before.
The Lord of a Billion Radiance.
An evil god so perilous that even the neighbor had stepped in to stop Lynch from peering at it.
Rate on N.U.
