Parting ways with Officer Natalie at the entrance of the Scarecrow Club, Lynch felt a lingering sense of melancholy, though he could not say why.
Well, only a little. He must have grown accustomed to her presence after being together day and night for the past few days, and found it hard to adjust to the sudden separation.
Indeed, Officer Natalie had been busy rushing about with Lynch for the last two days, and quite a lot had happened. However, the square incident was, after all, a long-term investigation. As a Watcher, Officer Natalie had other cases on her hands. Now that the investigation was temporarily suspended pending information from various sources, the officer naturally needed to return to her normal work.
Thus, they agreed to search for clues separately over the next few days and proceed with the next step of the investigation once the results were in, before waving goodbye.
Lynch planned to walk back.
It was absolutely not to save money, but rather that Lynch intended to use the time on the road to properly plan his future arrangements.
Since he intended to live in this world for the long term, he had to start considering his future life in addition to the archbishop's commission. He had to earn as much money as possible to make his life more comfortable.
After all, not being able to afford a teaching document for abilities or arcane arts, or even a single mystery relic, was truly too embarrassing for a Soul Severer. His current income might be considered quite substantial to an ordinary person, but in the world of Soul Severers, it was barely enough to scrape by; he still needed to improve it as much as he could.
However, making money was secondary; surviving was far more important.
The rich experience from his other world told Lynch that since he had stepped through the gates of the extraordinary, nothing was as reliable as personal strength. He had to improve his strength to a level where he could fight normally as soon as possible. Otherwise, having to hide behind the officer every time—while that position wasn't exactly bad—would lead to self-loathing if it happened too often.
The officer also highly agreed with Lynch's thoughts. Therefore, according to the original plan, she was going to take Lynch to test his affinity for arcane arts today. However, after encountering the powerful ghoul, she needed to report such sensitive and dangerous information in a timely manner, so she definitely couldn't spare the time today. Moreover, given Lynch's current assets, going would only result in a test with nothing to buy, so it was better to wait for the future.
However, Natalie did leave him a few addresses. They were all private clubs like fencing clubs, boxing clubs, and shooting associations, as well as secret establishments like Madam Bessie's magic shop. She even gave him the entry passwords, telling him he could visit them on his own whenever he needed.
Lynch planned to explore Rhine City thoroughly over the next few days and visit all these places before starting his own improvement plan. But that was a problem for tomorrow; now, there were more important things to consider.
He had now stepped into that web-like alleyway once again.
He shouldn't get pelted today, right? He was wearing ordinary linen clothes, and that little punk should be on his bed nursing his injuries. Although he thought this, Lynch still kept his pistol and ring in the most accessible places.
Even knowing they were just a bunch of children, Lynch didn't intend to indulge them. If they really didn't know what was good for them, he would make sure they learned their lesson.
Fortunately, there were many residents coming and going in the alley at this hour, so it didn't seem suitable for a robbery. He had traveled halfway through without encountering any robbers, which made Lynch feel relieved. He muttered to himself in amusement, "What is this? This city is actually quite safe."
Whether it was because this remark was too tempting fate, less than a minute after he finished speaking, Lynch felt something was off.
He had an inexplicable feeling of being watched.
There were no illusions in horror films, and there were no coincidences in a world of mystery. Lynch became alert immediately, and while maintaining a normal walking pace, he scrutinized his surroundings very covertly.
It was very quiet all around, and there wasn't even a shadow of a person in the alley. Yet, the feeling of being watched refused to fade.
He had been moving the entire time, so the watcher couldn't be someone hiding in a room; the person must be following him.
But where?
There was absolutely no one around. What on earth was watching him?
Lynch decided to retract the comment he had just made; this city was indeed strange and dangerous.
Still feeling a bit creeped out, Lynch asked softly in his consciousness: 'Neighbor, are you still there?'
【I am always here.】
'What is the situation now?'
【I will accompany you by your side, witnessing your immortal journey.】
'Just watching the show, aren't you? And not even paying for a ticket. How wicked.'
It felt good to have company. Lynch was no longer afraid, and while calming down, he saw a black shadow flash in the corner of his eye.
What was that?
He stopped abruptly and looked up quickly, only to see a black cat lying on the eaves of a nearby building, a pair of green eyes staring at him lazily.
Huh? You were the one staring at me? Was I scaring myself again?
Lynch looked closely at the black cat; it looked quite beautiful.
Its pure black fur was as smooth and shiny as satin, its body slender and supple but strong, and its two eyes, though lazy, were sparkling. It was like a beautiful elf in the darkness.
One tall and one short, one big and one small, the two stared at each other from a distance for a long time. Lynch raised his front paw and waved: "Good evening."
The black cat flicked its tail and closed its eyes completely, as if it wouldn't even pay attention to an idiot talking to a cat.
His intelligence had been questioned by a cat.
Lynch curled his lip, turned and walked away in frustration. After a few steps, he looked back and found the distance between the black cat and him remained about the same. It was clearly following him.
Something is wrong. Is it following me on purpose?
Lynch's heart tightened, and he immediately quickened his pace. He rushed through an alleyway, and when he looked back again, the black cat was still lying on the wall, lazily flicking its tail.
It really is still there. Are you tracking me?
He couldn't let it keep following him. This thing was a bit strange, and its purpose was unknown, making it hard to tell friend from foe. Letting it continue would lead to trouble.
Lynch stood where he was, staring at the black cat in thought for a moment, then suddenly drew his pistol and pointed it at the cat. The black cat let out a meow, flicked its tail in dissatisfaction, and disappeared from Lynch's sight with a few leaps.
Had it been scared by a gun before and developed a psychological shadow, or did it really know what a gun was?
Lynch couldn't be sure for a moment. He just felt that even the cats in this world were so strange; it was better to be careful.
Fortunately, the feeling of being watched had vanished with the departure of the black cat. Lynch felt a little relieved, but the fact that he had been tracked by a cat still bothered him quite a bit, so he quickened his pace immediately.
Afraid of getting lost in the alleys, he didn't dare to wander around. As soon as he rushed out of the alley, Lynch dove straight into the crowd of people near Charles Square who had just finished work and were heading home. The noisy human voices and messy figures immediately surrounded him, finally giving him a sense of security.
Looking back then, Lynch saw the black cat again. It was lying on the eaves at the entrance of the alley, watching Lynch from afar, but it didn't continue to follow him.
Seemed like it had no malice?
Thinking about it, Lynch still felt it was a bit strange. He simply took off his flat cap, pressed it against his chest, and bowed slightly to the black cat in the distance, apologizing for drawing his gun just now.
This time the black cat finally had a reaction. It licked its paw, turned around, and disdainfully switched to pointing its tail at Lynch.
"Mr. Levive?" A soft voice came from beside him. "Why are you standing outside?"
It was the landlady, returning from the direction of the square with a vegetable basket, a warm smile on her exquisite face beneath her blonde hair.
"Nothing, just saw a cat." Lynch looked up again, but the black cat in the distance was already gone. Everything that had just happened seemed like nothing more than an illusion.
"There are often stray cats around here. Mr. Levive, don't worry too much about it. Let's go home."
"Mm."
Lynch nodded, glanced back at the empty eaves once more, and followed the landlady. Just as the two opened the door to the 221 apartment building, a cat's meow came from above.
Looking up, he saw that black cat licking its paw, its green eyes shooting out a grim gaze that swept over Lynch, before it leaped up and vanished into the surrounding ancient buildings.
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