Lynch kept looking back as he left the archives.
Just moments ago, he had watched Mr. Klin professionally wrap the photos in parchment and place them inside a specialized glass box.
The transparent parchment was as thin as a cicada's wing, turning extremely brittle once set. Any attempt to unseal it would cause the paper to tear, exposing the tampering. The transparent glass box allowed for constant monitoring of the contents. According to Mr. Klin's own established protocol, a two-person team would inspect it every two hours to minimize risk.
They had an entire fixed procedure for handling mystery documents, which looked quite professional, yet Lynch still felt uneasy. After all, what Mr. Klin had said earlier was too dangerous.
"You don't need to worry, Lynch. Mr. Klin has extensive experience in handling these things. Within the entire Kingdom of Lande, his level of occult knowledge is at least in the top three. Sometimes, even the capital headquarters sends people to consult him. As long as he is willing to take it on, it is a guarantee that the mission is as good as done. We are all used to it; we just need to wait patiently."
"I hope nothing goes wrong."
Lynch sighed. He had a theory: the earlier photos likely held clues to Maya's encounter, which were also important, but the real trouble that led to Donnie's death was hidden in the later photos. This 'real trouble' was the core of the entire Norin-Rhine Railway case.
Now that some of the information had been burned, the records were likely limited to these blurry photos of Maya's. He could only hope that Mr. Klin's interpretation would uncover the problems within.
"In the meantime, we still need to find Maya."
"It is not very meaningful, actually," Officer Natalie said in a low voice. "Being deeply connected to a mystery event means her life is already on a countdown. It makes no difference whether you save her or not. But since she is the key figure in the case you want to investigate, we should try to find her. Why are you laughing?"
"It is nothing. I have a friend who said something similar a couple of days ago, and then she spent her time complaining while helping me until now, and she even... Ouch, my shoe, it cost 3 pounds."
Although Lynch was hopping on one foot in the club's underground passage, he actually really wanted to find Maya.
Reasonably, he could come up with countless explanations, but in reality, there was only one reason.
Sympathy for those in similar circumstances.
Both were ordinary people caught up in mystery events. Lynch could imagine how desperate Maya must feel right now. If it hadn't been for a woman with a sharp tongue who had desperately rushed over to pull him back that night a few days ago, he likely wouldn't have survived until now.
So, he wanted to pull someone else in a similar situation out of the abyss, and that was all.
"If you want to do it, then do it." The officer bit her lip, a look of appreciation hidden in her eyes, and lightly punched Lynch's arm. "Now that we have found what the secret base is, we will go find her in a moment."
"Hm?" Lynch looked at the photo. The background only showed a small cabin. He had checked it carefully; there were no house numbers, no reference points nearby, and he had absolutely no clue. "You know where this place is?"
So you also have times when you don't know, he thought. The officer gave a silent smile, grabbed Lynch, and ran outside. She hesitated for a moment at the fork leading to the stables, didn't summon the police carriage, and instead rented a public carriage directly in front of the train station.
Destination: Green Wheat District.
As soon as they climbed into the carriage, the officer made a shushing gesture. Lynch understood and immediately activated his silence ability.
"I really didn't expect you not to know this place. This is the Anna Hills in the suburbs of the Green Wheat District. It is a forest, and it covers a large area. Many of Rhine's middle class like to buy a small plot of land there to build cabins, moving in during the hottest part of August to escape the heat. It is very distinctive and easy to recognize. You didn't know?"
How can you ask someone whose total cash assets are only six pounds if they know about such things? Lynch rolled his eyes and turned his gaze to the window, refusing to look at this detestable person.
The carriage was moving toward the Green Wheat District. It was the largest urban area in Rhine City, located in the east. A single district accounted for half of Rhine City's area. Its exterior connected to the far suburbs of Rhine. As soon as they entered the Green Wheat District, all they could see were endless fields of crops. Verdant wheat filled the ridges, and several huge waterwheels emitted creaking, half-dead sounds by the fields.
"The fields used to be divided into small plots, but ever since the land purchase order was issued, many fields have been consolidated for unified planting. It is said that they will introduce steam pumps for irrigation later, which will further increase yields. But the farmers who lost their land have had it very difficult; they have only been able to go into the factories to sell their labor. It seems like many people in your Crown District moved there in this way. I don't know if it is a good thing or a bad thing."
Lynch smiled, choosing not to comment.
This was simply a change brought about by the tide of the era. There was no right or wrong, no good or bad; it was just happening. Based on his experience from Earth, it had only just begun, and similar actions would become more and more common until most land was concentrated in the hands of a few, and most people were driven into factories to sell their lives. But that was a long time away. Unless he successfully walked the path of immortality, he wouldn't have the chance to witness it. He had better take care of the present first.
After more than an hour of travel, the tall buildings outside the carriage grew fewer, the view opened up, and even buildings rarely appeared anymore, leaving only vast fields and farmhouses dotted between them.
Smelling the fragrance of soil and plants outside the window, the carriage swayed along the dirt road in the countryside. Cows and sheep walked leisurely past the road from time to time, and a few chickens startled by the wheels flapped their wings and flew across the road into the fields.
Amidst the thick, rustic atmosphere, a dark, looming shadow appeared at the end of the horizon. It was a vast area of undulating hills covered with trees, and the forest extended far into the distant mountains.
"The Anna Hills have been a forest region for thousands of years. They used to be the private property of the Duke of Vane family, and commoners were not allowed to enter without permission, or they would face whipping for poaching. But times have changed. The council is now nationwide, and the lords have been renamed as governors. Although it is just a nicer name, the essence hasn't changed much, but superficial changes are still necessary. Forest land can now be sold to commoners. Although it is only for a few decades of usage rights, it is indeed nice for escaping the heat."
Lynch suddenly realized the key point belatedly and looked at the officer with a look of horror. "You know so much about it... you aren't one of those rich people who bought a cabin, are you? I misjudged you, Natalie Angel."
"Heh... It is indeed quiet there, especially since it is not yet the season for escaping the heat. Besides the local farmers, it is unlikely to see anyone else outside the woods. As for inside the woods, it is even quieter; you might not see a person for a month."
These detestable rich people, this corrupt and decadent life.
We, the determined transmigrators, will not be corrupted by such decadence. I despise you.
Lynch curled his lips and decided not to get angry at these decadent people anymore. He took out the photo of the secret base again.
This was indeed a fairly vast hilly area, and the trees seemed to stretch on forever. There could be dozens or even nearly a hundred similar cabins hidden inside.
It was not easy to find.
But there was still a reference point in the photo: the distant mountain peaks.
This forest was quite vast, and cabins for the wealthy to vacation in couldn't be built deep in the forest; that would be suicide, not a vacation. Therefore, the target was likely on the periphery of the hilly area, and since the mountains were quite far away and the hills were undulating, there were actually very few directions from which one could capture the distant mountains in a photo.
Working together, combining Lynch's analytical approach using clues from his other world with Officer Natalie's experience from this world, they soon narrowed down a few possible locations.
When they actually reached one of them, Lynch realized it wasn't the dense, primeval forest he had imagined. The trees here were relatively sparse, and there were roads accessible by carriage. Thinking about it carefully, this made sense; otherwise, when those idlers came to escape the heat, they would surely bring a large amount of daily necessities. If the carriage couldn't get in and they had to rely on human labor to carry them, it wouldn't be a vacation but forced labor.
And this was the basis for Officer Natalie's certainty that they could find the reporter, Ms. Maya.
This place was too far, and with the distinct odor on Maya's body, it would have been easier to attract attention if she had walked here herself. To be safe, she most likely chose a carriage, specifically a box carriage.
Given the weight of a box carriage, traveling on the forest roads would inevitably leave clear wheel tracks. It had only been a few days, so they wouldn't be easily covered. And since it was May, there wouldn't be other vehicles to interfere, making it easy to discover signs of entry into the forest.
Sure enough, when they reached the fourth possible location, a clear set of carriage tracks appeared on the ground, extending deep into the forest.
To be safe, they checked a few other targets and confirmed that only this one had wheel tracks before letting the coachman wait in a nearby village to avoid being tracked by the same method.
After sending the coachman away, the two looked at each other and quietly entered the forest, following the carriage tracks.
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