Lynch suddenly felt as if he had gone to borrow something from a neighbor, only to find the president sitting in the living room smiling at him the moment he stepped inside.
The other old man who had followed him in was Duke Vane, the governor of Rhine City.
A century ago, the title would have been 'Lord,' but although the name had changed, the significance remained much the same. He was the head of a thousand-year-old family that had managed the south for generations on behalf of the Rose family of the Kingdom of Lande.
Looking at this old man, who appeared kindly but possessed an oppressive gaze, Lynch suddenly realized that Duke Vane was likely the client behind Archbishop Trinlais. That he had come to meet him personally meant he was truly satisfied with last night's performance and was prepared to place greater trust in him.
Lynch didn't really care about the trust. As a transmigrator, he couldn't hold the nobility of this world in the same awe as the natives, so he wasn't exactly flattered. However, since he had already decided to repay the Archbishop's earlier kindness by carrying out this mission, a deeper understanding meant more initiative, which was all to his benefit.
"Not bad. Very calm, more steady than most children your age. Trinlais didn't pick the wrong candidate."
Lynch hesitated about what attitude to project, but the thought of facing two old political foxes made any posturing seem ridiculous. Better to be frank, so he smiled and replied, "It's not calmness. Once I saw you, I was already imagining how much I could raise my fee. I was too busy thinking about that to be nervous."
"Hahaha, well said. Pity it's just a dream." The old Duke naturally took off his hat and formal coat, sitting comfortably on the sofa in just his shirt, propping his feet on the coffee table. The majesty he had displayed at the council that morning was nowhere to be found. "We already agreed on the payment yesterday. To get a raise, you have to show results first. It's impossible now. I may be a rich and powerful noble, but I'm not a fool."
"Tsk, a pity. If you didn't come to give me a chance to raise my price, do you have any extra instructions for me?"
Duke Vane didn't speak. He simply sat up, poured himself a cup of the tea the church served to guests, and closed his eyes to savor it. Meanwhile, Archbishop Trinlais walked to the door, took a glass cover handed to him from outside, and brought it back to place over the coffee table.
【The Silent World of Roman I, a treasure Emperor Roman often used to keep his working environment quiet, until he was driven mad by the sound of his own heartbeat and dug out his heart.】
"Is it ready?"
"Yes. It's a destruction grade mystery relic. The soundproofing isn't absolutely foolproof, but it's sufficient for non-classified conversations," Archbishop Trinlais said. "I must explain first that I truly did not expect that after tens of thousands of years of silence, there would still be a Soul Severer of the Crimson Lady active in the world, capable of triggering an outburst of her power. If this has offended anyone, please allow me to apologize in advance."
Hm? Why do you believe a super-expert helped me too? And the rumors have already updated to say this expert is a Soul Severer of the Crimson Lady? This development is too fast. Neighbor, there isn't actually such a person, is there?
【No.】
'Should I just own it?'
As expected, there was silence. The Crimson Lady was clearly too lazy to answer such questions.
Lynch had a bit of a headache. The benefits of this misunderstanding far outweighed the disadvantages in the short term, which was why he had ambiguously refrained from denying it that morning. But if the truth were exposed, he would definitely be branded a liar and targeted by these high-level figures. After hesitating for a moment, he tried to explain, "Actually, you've misunderstood. That moonlight was just a coincidence; it was some phenomena I triggered during my alienation."
"Mhm, I understand. I understand."
The Archbishop said this with a knowing smile, looking as if they shared a secret:
"The memory of the red moon you used to guide your alienation was just something you accidentally picked up after leaving here, definitely not provided by that lady. That power of the red moon was just something that happened to shine down, also unrelated to her. The fact that even the mysterious filth left behind by the power surge was cleaned up so thoroughly must also be a coincidence, because that person doesn't exist at all. Yes, I understand completely."
I don't think you understand at all.
Lynch was torn between laughter and tears, but these were inherently unexplainable problems. Now that he had helped weave a self-consistent story, it was actually for the best. Otherwise, if others found out there was a voice in his head that sounded suspiciously like the Crimson Lady herself, it would be even harder to clean up than the current situation. He could only maintain an awkward but polite smile.
However, seeing Lynch's smile, Archbishop Trinlais's expression became even more certain. He asked, "We certainly won't ask about the internal affairs of the fallen gods and their Soul Severers, but I need to confirm: do you still need the memory of the red moon as the reward for yesterday's mission?"
"Of course. I don't have any ready-made holy memories for when I reach the second level of authority; I must use that."
Lynch was startled. That item was essential for leveling up; he couldn't let it go.
"You don't have any ready-made ones? Oh, I see. A life-saving holy memory can be provided to you in time, but you have to obtain and collect the regular advancement items yourself, right? That's excellent training for you. It seems you have a very responsible guide. Is she still in Rhine City?"
You high-level people must have all started out writing web novels. How do you come up with so much stuff in your heads?
Lynch understood that what had been decided could no longer be explained away. He simply gave an ambiguous answer: "In the short term, you won't find the person you're imagining anywhere in Lande."
"So she has already left Lande?" The Archbishop breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed the pressure of having a legendary expert of unknown identity in the city was quite high.
Lynch gave a non-committal smile. You all insist on being deceived, and there's no pulling you back. Since it does no harm and only brings benefits, I'll let you imagine what you want and just make my fortune in silence.
Trinlais nodded at the old Duke, who raised his cup in thanks to his friend before turning to Lynch. "Young man, I came to visit Trinlais today to ask him to arrange a private meeting for us. I didn't expect you to take the initiative to come, which saves me the trouble. According to my original plan, this meeting shouldn't have happened, and you should be able to understand why. But now that the situation has changed, on one hand, your results from yesterday were indeed effective; on the other hand, your identity... sticking to the original plan wouldn't be very appropriate."
Lynch understood the implication. It seemed that due to his impressive results and his new 'backing,' what was previously a simple relationship of exploitation and employment now required more sincerity.
"We still won't provide any information—that won't change, to avoid affecting your investigation results—but at least we must explain the mission to you. Otherwise, you won't even know what you're doing, which would be too difficult for you."
As expected. Lynch didn't mind; as long as he knew the other party wasn't just being deliberately mysterious, he could accept it.
"This railway is actually a joint project planned by the Vane family and the Rose family. It will tunnel through the Carlos Mountain Range to connect the north and south of Lande. Theoretically, it could benefit Lande for centuries, but it also carries many risks, both overt and covert. Rudolph and I have both fully prepared ourselves for this. If the harm truly outweighs the benefits, we are willing to accept it. Heh, this project is enormously expensive, and the long construction period will last at least ten years. Lande's national strength may not be able to support it for long, and I estimate it will empty the entire Rose family's pockets. Rudolph and I are not so lowly that we would insist on spending this money."
Lynch nodded, immediately thinking of an emperor from his homeland who built a canal, but shouldn't this kind of risk assessment be done before the project starts? Or had the fighting between various factions crossed the line?
Just as he was pondering this, he heard the old Duke explain, "Of course, we would do a proper assessment in advance, and we are prepared for all kinds of resistance we might encounter. The current level of conflict is actually far from exceeding our expectations. Normally, we wouldn't interfere too much, but..."
"Hm?"
"Someone warned us that some very dangerous conspiracies are brewing behind this project, which is hard to accept."
"Some?"
"Yes, more than one." Duke Vane's gaze was hidden behind his teacup, but the rising steam could not warm the chill in his eyes. "That is why I asked Trinlais to scout for a suitable person to investigate. I don't want you to have any preconceived notions, nor do I need you to know what the conspiracies are. Analyze the goals and behaviors of all parties based solely on your own contact, and finally report to us."
"Hiss..."
Lynch hesitated. He had been prepared for the difficulty of the commission; after all, his investigation yesterday had already collided with the eerie will of an evil god, and the subsequent difficulty would certainly not be low. But he still had no concept of what an evil god was, so he consistently felt that for the sake of repaying the Archbishop and his own next advancement, this risk was worth taking.
But now, seeing the old Duke's attitude, it was clear the darkness behind this matter was far deeper than he had anticipated, which meant it was even more dangerous. He was just a bungling detective who had just transmigrated and hadn't even learned any abilities yet. If he rashly got involved, he feared that no matter how many lives he had, it wouldn't be enough.
Seeing Lynch's hesitation, the old Duke said calmly, "Telling you the inside story is to give you room to choose. If you truly believe the risk is too high, the previous commission can be canceled entirely. You don't need to have any concerns."
"I'd like to ask, for such an important matter, you're entrusting it to a novice detective who just turned twenty?" Lynch pointed at himself. "Even I don't feel reliable when I look in the mirror. Don't you think it's a bit reckless to hand this to me?"
The old Duke and Trinlais both looked at him with very strange expressions. The Archbishop sighed and shook his head, saying, "We never said I only found one candidate."
Damn it, casting a wide net, are we?
Lynch couldn't help but roll his eyes, immediately making up his mind.
Such a dangerous matter, and since I don't need to worry about returning a favor, I'd better stay away. Otherwise, no amount of lives would be enough. As for Officer Natalie, finding a way to make her investigation come to an end and stopping her from going deeper shouldn't be too difficult.
However, he was still a bit curious and couldn't help but ask, "I have a question. You received news that there is more than one conspiracy? Isn't it a bit overly sensitive to launch such a large-scale investigation based on such uncertain news?"
"Sensitive? I don't think so." The old Duke hesitated for a moment before answering truthfully, "The news came from the Shadow Alliance. Their information is reliable."
A name he had never heard of, but Lynch guessed it was some kind of intelligence organization aimed only at major powers. It was just...
"If it's reliable, why not just buy the news directly from them?"
"Reliable information and a reliable stance are two different concepts. They are regarded as dangerous elements in every country and are subject to severe crackdowns. You can imagine their behavior; no country dares to trust them completely and cannot afford not to be on guard."
"Then they still dare to come and sell intelligence?" Lynch just asked casually.
"They don't need to come in person," the old Duke answered casually. "They have a special way of making contact. You just need to prepare an empty picture frame."
"You said... what?"
Lynch felt a chill rush from his tailbone to the top of his skull, his whole body turning cold.
Rate on N.U.
