Union

The Duke of Vane spoke with an air of nonchalance, but Lynch could hear the hidden, immense crisis lurking within the mission.

Schemes that could make someone like Emperor Rudolph II and the Duke himself treat them as a mortal threat were limited to a few possibilities: political upheaval, the rise and fall of nations, the shifting fortunes of cities, the survival of families, or perhaps in the harsh political climate of Lande, the lives of the common people.

None of these were things an ordinary transmigrator who hadn't even mastered his first ability should touch. One wrong step, and he would be crushed to pieces. Even without a wrong step, he might still be destroyed.

Take the current situation: setting aside how bizarre the Weaver's method of keeping secrets was, the mere fact that two investigative journalists had already become involved, with one dead and one missing in such eerie ways, was proof enough of the danger.

Reciprocating kindness was gratitude, but being headstrong to the point of courting death was just stupid.

Lynch had the refusal on the tip of his tongue. However, after a few seconds of hesitation following the old Duke's words, what came out was: "To give me a choice now, aren't you two underestimating me? I don't need to reconsider. I have already accepted this commission."

"Hm?" The two old men looked at each other, momentarily losing the composure expected of two old foxes.

"A promise is a promise. It was my own failure that I didn't assess the danger correctly before, but danger is no excuse for breaking a promise." Lynch clenched his fists and said with righteous indignation, "Do you really take me for the kind of person who breaks their word the moment they face danger? I could never do such a thing."

The two elders were momentarily stunned by the holiness on Lynch's face, looking at him with surprise and admiration, though neither of them heard what he was chanting in his heart.

Found you, enemy. It's time to settle the debt for those six pounds and fifteen shillings.

The empty picture frame on the wall of the Randall house had repeatedly appeared in Lynch's dreams every night. It concealed an unseen person who watched his every move with sinister eyes.

After surviving, Lynch had asked Officer Natalie. She had helped him look into it, but it seemed to be a very rare ability or the effect of a mystery relic, and even she had no leads.

Since even a professional mystery hunter didn't know about it, it had to be a rather unique technique. Lynch had kept it in mind, so the moment the old Duke mentioned an empty picture frame, he realized this person was likely the mastermind behind the schemes against him, or at the very least, closely related to them.

Ever since the former landlord had sent that mocking letter, there had been no word from this person for several days. But Lynch didn't dare ignore this viper lurking in the shadows. He believed the viper would soon jump out to bite him again, especially now that he had escaped the gaze of a Flicker.

There was no such thing as guarding against a thief for a thousand days. Until he dragged this viper out and killed it, Lynch didn't feel he could sleep soundly.

Besides, Lady Luna refused to elaborate on many things, citing his lack of maturity, so he could only rely on himself to dig for answers.

The fact that the other party had deliberately chosen him, that the original owner of the body had carried a red moon pendant for years, and that he had subsequently transmigrated into that very body—according to Officer Natalie, there were no coincidences in the mystery world. There had to be a connection he didn't yet understand.

He had lacked the opportunity before, so Lynch had been forced to endure. Now that he had finally found a clue, with his personality—where he would rather die on the path to controlling his own destiny than give up—he would never let this go, no matter how many lives he had to risk.

The two old men exchanged a look. The Archbishop set aside his doubts and said with approval, "It seems I underestimated you before. Since you are so honorable, I will arrange for the red moon memory from the capital headquarters to be transferred over. It should take about ten days or so on the road."

"That is not important. I trust your sincerity." Lynch calculated in his mind and asked nonchalantly, "However, while I must investigate other matters myself and cannot be told the details, the information on the Shadow Alliance should not need to be hidden, right? I hope to learn more about them. Perhaps I can spot something from their movements."

"You really did find a formidable young man." The old Duke looked at his old friend with surprise before turning to Lynch. "As expected of a professional detective, how did you spot the key issue at a single glance?"

Huh? What are you filling in with your own imagination now? Say it out loud so I can know what I'm thinking, too.

He thought this to himself, but Lynch only smiled without a word.

"The Shadow Alliance is a secret society. Most of them are believers in fallen gods and Soul Severers, though there may also be some followers of the major gods among them." The old Duke explained, "They don't just sell intelligence; sometimes they secretly manipulate schemes to create trouble. Or rather, creating trouble is their primary goal, while selling intelligence is merely a means to recoup funds and lower the target's vigilance. Their fundamental purpose is conspiracy and destruction."

Lynch listened calmly, though his heart was quite conflicted. His encounter was likely not a coincidence; it was highly probable that it was a conspiracy of the Shadow Alliance, or at least a part of one. After a moment of thought, Lynch pressed, "And their goal in doing this?"

"Unknown. There are legends that they wish to resurrect a fallen god whose portfolio includes conspiracy and lies. Others claim they want to destroy the world to end the Fifth Age, and there are various other theories. The only common thread is that they are all quite insane." The old Duke continued, "Therefore, we can obtain intelligence from them, but we dare not trust it completely, and we must always consider whether they are brewing some conspiracy by giving us that information. This is also a key area for your investigation: whether it relates to them, and if so, what exactly they are trying to do."

"In other words, they are likely directly related to the railway incident I am investigating."

"Precisely, and it is highly probable." The old Duke warned, "But their plans are often extremely complex and hidden. When you think you have seen through their purpose, you are likely only seeing a tiny corner of it. Therefore, it is very difficult for others to discover their conspiracies in advance and prepare defenses."

Lynch nodded inwardly. Then there was no mistake; as long as he kept a close watch on the railway incident, there was a good chance he could drag that viper out.

"Moreover, this insane secret society is linked to many extremist societies and will even cooperate with cultists. There are even rumors that there are cultists within their ranks, or that they directly control some of the less insane cults." Archbishop Trinlais added, "In short, this is a very dangerous and insane secret society. If you find yourself investigating them, you must be extremely careful."

Well, I know all too well that they cooperate with cultists; otherwise, I wouldn't have had to rig that gas pipe that night.

"If you need any assistance, come here and find Trinlais. It is inconvenient for me to step forward directly, and he will pass the message to me." The old Duke pondered for a moment and added, "Also, remember: you have two months for this mission. Before July 20th, no matter the progress of your investigation, you must provide me with a progress report. The sooner, the better."

"Hm? Isn't the deadline in August?"

"Remember, before July 20th." The old Duke did not answer.

Lynch nodded, took out his detective's notebook, recorded the information on the Shadow Alliance one by one, and finally marked a large "July 20th" on the page.

Mastermind in the picture frame, prepare for the second round.