The good news was that the gray fog zone was peaceful—no factories had exploded, and everyone was safe.
The bad news was that the explosion came from the harbor in the Twin Towers District, where someone at sea seemed to be firing cannons.
This was the news the coachman had gleaned from a fellow driver along the way.
Baffled, Lynch followed Officer Natalie as they headed straight down the Lande River toward the harbor.
Honestly, he had no reason to join the commotion, but what choice did he have with a professional busybody Watcher beside him? He had just declared to her father that he would look after her from now on. Abandoning her less than half an hour later to go home and catch up on sleep felt a bit hard to justify. Even if their neighbor didn't oversee striking people down with lightning, Lynch was still a little worried someone might knock on his door in the middle of the night.
He might as well tag along.
Arriving at the harbor, he was taken aback. A vast fleet of sea vessels was docked here—several times more than when he had tracked down the stolen Red Moon Memories and fallen into the water.
Vessels waiting to enter port dotted the entire surface of the sea: coastal ships, ocean liners, and even steamships spewing thick black smoke. Flags of all kinds blanketed the water, presenting quite a grand spectacle from afar.
The earlier cannon fire had come from two of these fleets. Supposedly, they had crossed paths with old rivals while entering the port and traded a few friendly rounds. This had drawn armed forces from the Hall of Order, the Watchers, the Governor's Guard, and the Southern Navy fleet, until the intimidating presence of coastal defense artillery shells finally forced them to shake hands and make peace.
The captains of the two troublemaking fleets were currently getting a sound dressing-down from the harbor master, while onlookers jeered and caused trouble, plunging the dock into total chaos.
Watching this farce, Lynch's sole thought was... Are these people insane?
But what was going on? How had this place become so lively when he hadn't visited for a while?
The two exchanged a look, both seeing the confusion on each other's faces. Still, they shrugged it off—it was probably just some event. Who cared? Surely this couldn't have anything to do with them.
Yet it did, and the connection was direct.
Upon inquiring, they learned that all these ships had come to collect the medicine.
Through the contacts of the Churches of the Twelve Major Gods, invitation notices had been sent across the globe. According to the original plan Lynch and Mrs. Nightingale had discussed, the twelve churches were supposed to partner with several major maritime trading nations to distribute the medicine.
However, this plan had met with unanimous opposition from every nation. No country was willing to entrust its safety to others, even with church guarantees. Besides, under Lynch's original plan, deciding which country received shipments first could have triggered a world war.
Consequently, over seventy nations across three continents had dispatched fleets to collect the medicine themselves. Even smaller countries unable to make the long journey had hitched rides on other nations' fleets under the coordination of the churches. For a time, Rhine City had practically become the center of the world.
Those arriving now were merely fleets from nearby nations. Ships from the Old Continent and New Continent were still en route. However, in about ten days, Rhine's harbor was expected to be packed to capacity with ocean-going vessels. By then, many fleets would likely have nowhere to dock and would have to drop anchor across the strait in Friedman. Fortunately, through the coordination of the church of Mica, the Lord of Joy, this centuries-old rival hadn't created any obstacles.
“So, our actions triggered an operation on this scale?”
Influencing the entire world sounded simple enough when spoken, but when Lynch actually stood face-to-face with the fruits of his actions, he felt an unreal, dreamlike sensation.
Did I really do this? Did I really cause such a massive uproar?
As a former shut-in from his past life, he had never imagined experiencing anything like this, nor had he ever thought such a scene would move him so deeply. Gazing out at the silhouette of sails covering the sea, he stood utterly stunned.
“Yes, this is the change you have brought to this world.”
A familiar voice sounded behind him, aged and weak. It was praise from Mrs. Nightingale:
“Seeing this scene, do you have any thoughts, my child?”
Thoughts? Lynch felt like weeping without tears, filled with deep regret.
I should have charged a fee! If I got a commission—even just one penny per dose—I wouldn't have to worry about money for several lifetimes!
Why didn't I think of that back then?
Though his anguished heart was practically submerged in tears, Lynch forced himself to maintain a solemn tone as he lamented:
“I feel a strange sense of fulfillment.”
Is this what people call the pursuit of self-actualization?
Lynch gazed at the sails on the sea, let out a soft sigh, and turned around...
Holy shit, why are there so many people? Thank goodness I didn't talk nonsense just now, or I would've embarrassed myself terribly.
Standing behind him were at least twenty to thirty people. Several leaders of the Rhine dioceses of Lande's Four Major Churches had arrived, each accompanied by a few priests and knights. Diana was among them, secretly glaring at him and Natalie with tiny, quail-like eyes, looking rather cute in her puffed-up annoyance.
Standing alongside them was a group wearing priestly robes of unfamiliar colors and designs. Among them were also several in civilian attire—a group of brightly dressed young ladies, radiant and glamorous. Every look and movement seemed infused with endless charm; a mere faint smile from them was enough to draw the eyes of every passerby around.
Every nation had three or four official state-sanctioned churches with the right to build grand cathedrals in major cities. Unofficial faiths could only construct chapels, with much smaller scales and influence. Thus, Lynch could only tell that these people belonged to other churches, though he had no idea which ones.
But for this group of high-ranking clergy to turn out in full force to greet them, their identities were certainly extraordinary—at the very least, they were high-ranking figures of equivalent status from other churches, or perhaps even a pope.
“For people like us, the fulfillment you speak of is precisely what we pursue. Praise the Serene Night, praise the crimson moon! Child, your deeds do honor to the red moon's name, and the Lord is full of praise for you. Do not forget our prior agreement; drop by the Black Night Cathedral when you have time over the next few days.” Archbishop Trinlais stepped forward and patted Lynch's shoulder, then turned to the unfamiliar clergy and said, “This is Sir Lynch Levive, whom Mrs. Nightingale has mentioned many times—a follower of the Crimson Lady.”
Mrs. Nightingale chuckled and called Lynch over to give a brief introduction. Only then did Lynch and Natalie learn that these visitors had come from Friedman across the strait and were high-ranking members of neighboring churches.
Friedman's official religions were quite fascinating. The most mainstream faith was Mica, the Lord of Joy, followed by Selo, the Lord of Dust and Wind, guardian god of travelers. The other two were Franda, the Lord of Plants, revered as the patron of floral gardening, and Gaia, the Lord of the Earth, seen as the patron of architecture and sculpture.
In short, by Lynch's understanding, none of them seemed like mainstream, conventional faiths. Perhaps the deities themselves were respectable, but something about their worship felt distinctly questionable. Still, the fundamental principle for peaceful coexistence in a polytheistic world was to never question another's doctrine—everyone minded their own business and refrained from poking into others'.
Yes, even if the other party walked right up to him in radiant attire, swaying her hips with effortless grace, he should just pretend not to see it and... Holy shit.
Before Lynch could react, he was pulled into a tight embrace by the prettiest woman in the group of beauties before him.
And from both behind him and right in front of him, two distinct waves of murderous intent instantly surged.
Rate on N.U.
