As the only race in the entire world capable of safely traveling back and forth through the River of Time, the Yithians naturally possessed a method to evade the pursuit of the hounds.
They could ignore the existence of the hounds, projecting their consciousness to any time and location where living beings existed without being marked by them.
The secret lay in the fact that neither their physical bodies nor their souls—not even their wills—ever truly entered the River of Time. Instead, they transmitted their thoughts through the river in the form of waves, traveling upstream and downstream until reaching their target point in time.
The moment Lynch heard this, he understood. He was talking about brainwaves. However, this meant the Yithians' method of evading the hounds was exclusive to their own species and useless to Lynch.
Upon arriving at the target point in time, their brainwaves would locate the most suitable target, construct a soul inside the victim's mind, take over their body, and bundle up the original soul and will to send them back into the Yithian's original body.
This whole process immediately reminded Lynch of account hacking in online games.
It was a thoroughly despicable act, but it presented an opportunity for Lynch.
The souls being packaged and shipped away were not in wave form, which meant they could be targeted by the hounds. Considering that some stolen bodies had to be returned in the future, the Yithians could not allow the original souls to be casually hunted down. Thus, these heteromorphs with top-tier technology had developed a piece of dark technology:
An information communicator.
It allowed a mind, under its protection, to evade the hounds' perception and travel safely through the River of Time. Although bound by many restrictions, it made time travel significantly safer.
In theory, at least.
What Lynch needed to do was enter the River of Time in the form of a thought body—or spirit body—with the Milt siblings' help. That way, he could enjoy the protection of the communicator and take the chance to slip through the Silver Gate.
Oh, and he also had to slam that box onto the face of the Lord of Tindalos first. Just thinking about it gave Lynch a headache.
The only silver lining was that the Yithian repeatedly emphasized the safety of the task, assuring him that this action would not provoke an attack from either the hounds or the Lord of Tindalos. Since Lynch was already willing to trust a Yithian enough to dive into the River of Time, he saw no point in doubting their motives. If they truly wished him dead, there were far easier ways than going through all this trouble.
Thus, the group arrived at Wilson Town in the afternoon. The Yithian mentioned needing to measure some data and departed alone, leaving Lynch and the others to wait in town.
Though Lynch had only been gone for a few days, noticeable changes had already taken place.
It was completely lifeless.
The mayor was dead, and no replacement had been appointed yet. With no one in charge, all government functions had ground to a halt.
The banker was dead as well. Death wiped away debts, so the townsfolk indeed no longer owed anything. However, the cattle raised on those loans had been wiped out in one fell swoop, leaving the residents with nothing except the land beneath their feet.
Starting over from scratch was no easy feat. The town's wealth had been built up over a century. If the government intervened now with interest-free loans, there might still be hope for a revival.
Rhine City had indeed sent a few representatives, but unfortunately, they weren't from the municipal government—they were several prominent bankers.
“【Douglas Bank Support: Top Prices Paid for Ranches and Pastures】”
“【Sell Your Burdens Today, Buy Property in the City Tomorrow】”
“【Cast Off Your Loads, Work in the City, and Become a City Dweller Today】”
Several bank clerks held tin megaphones, shouting until their throats were hoarse. The townsfolk watched from a distance with complex expressions.
Without any source of income, they had to rely solely on their savings. It wouldn't be long before they were forced to sell their land and move their families to the city. That was how most of the poor in King District had come to be.
Lynch sighed softly. He had no interest in playing savior; resolving the Color Out of Space threat for the town had already been more than generous. As for the tragedy unfolding here, it was merely a miniature reflection of a grand era.
The tides of the times swept forward like the rushing torrents within the River of Time, barreling down a predetermined trajectory. They might veer off course briefly, but their overall direction would never change. People along the way either danced upon the waves or stood in their path, only to be overwhelmed and torn to shreds.
There was no third option.
Lynch couldn't stop it, nor did he care to try, but he could offer the greatest kindness within his power.
Close his eyes and look away.
And yet...
“What do you think of this land?”
Lynch blinked, looking at the young countess visiting the town for the first time. Standing on the carriage, she gazed out at the wide-open pastures, ranches, and livestock farms surrounding the town with a look of curious intrigue.
Huh?
“Just a few dozen kilometers away lies another range of the Carlos Mountains. Although its mineral resources aren't as abundant as Bester Mountain, it's never been exploited. Its potential value is far higher than Bester Mountain, which has been mined for thousands of years. If my family exchanges our fief for this mountain forest, Elder Nikolai and his people could relocate easily without much change to their way of life. They could hunker down for another few thousand years while dropping by the excavation site from time to time to check on Zur-Baha-Sahr's progress.”
A gleam of astute intelligence shone in the countess's eyes as she gestured over the surrounding pastures from her elevated vantage point, exuding an air of commanding authority.
“If we seize this chance to acquire all the land surrounding the town for the family, then when exchanging fiefs, His Majesty Rudolph will very likely offer symbolic compensation—perhaps throwing in a bit extra to connect the mountains with the pastures. That way, whenever I visit Rhine City, I won't have to crawl into mountain caves or cram into that townhouse in the city. It's far too small anyway. Building a grand manor here would be much better, enough for three—”
As she spoke, she seemed to recall something. Her cheeks suddenly flushed crimson, and she averted her gaze.
“Enough for three what? Why did you stop halfway?”
Before Lynch could register what was happening, a foot suddenly thrust out from beside him.
Stomp! Grind!
“Ouch! What was that for?!”
Lynch howled, hopping around on one foot. The perpetrator—Officer Natalie—glared at him fiercely before looking up testily. “A Color Out of Space was just rampaging here. They say anywhere that creature ravages stays completely barren for decades, unable to support human or beast.”
“Which is all thanks to the two of you.” Showing not an ounce of sympathy, the countess ignored Lynch's suffering and held her folding fan over her mouth, her voice exceptionally brisk. “I've looked into it. When a Color Out of Space fully matures, it absorbs all vitality within its range, leaving the land barren and riddled with contamination—exactly the state you described. However, you suppressed it before it reached maturity, so it didn't have time to drain the vitality. The filth left behind in the plants will dissipate quickly now that it's gone—a few months at most. Had you waited a few more days, this land might have only been good for industrial or construction use, but right now, it's still immensely valuable.”
She truly is born of high nobility, never missing an opportunity to seize profit, Lynch mused inwardly. And she's already planning how to scoop up family assets to support our household.
Tsk, don't be like that. Doesn't this make me look like a gigolo living off a woman? I, Lynch Levive, am a self-reliant, upright man who resolutely opposes such unprincipled behavior.
Before he realized it, the police officer beside him stepped back. “What are you plotting? Why do I smell the stench of a criminal and a scoundrel on you?”
Tsk, this silly girl is way too sensitive. Are all cops like this?
Lynch twitched his lips and put away those trashy thoughts, though he still cautioned, “Outbidding those banks will require a massive expenditure. If they see competition, they'll raise their offers, and the townsfolk might not all agree.”
“That is indeed a problem. It will require careful negotiation with the residents.”
“I actually have an idea,” Lynch whispered. “We only take ownership of the land while letting them retain the usage rights. We give them a free trial for the first few years, then lease it back to them at a reasonable price. As long as they don't voluntarily give it up, they can lease it indefinitely. If someone can't afford rent or wants to relinquish their rights, we offer a lump sum of compensation to reclaim the usage rights. During the lease period, all agricultural yield belongs entirely to them. This offer is far more attractive than what the banks are pitching. Even if our initial payout is lower, it will be tempting enough. With that cash in hand, they can immediately rebuild their livestock operations and recover from their losses in no time.”
“Huh? That...” Diana stared blankly at Lynch. After pondering it for a long while, she said with a bizarre expression, “It's certainly feasible, but isn't that far too ruthless? It's filled with traps.”
“Ruthless?” Lynch spread his hands. “At least right now you're paying them money instead of making them pay you to buy the usage rights before charging them rent. It's already plenty merciful.”
“...” This time, even the countess took a step back, putting distance between herself and Lynch. “How on earth did you come up with an idea like that?”
“Who knows? Maybe it was a custom from somewhere back in the Mythological Era.”
【I didn't, I wasn't, don't spread rumors—there was nobody like that in the Mythological Era.】
“Alright, maybe it's a bit devious, but it really is the best solution for the current problem. Do you think it's inappropriate?”
Miss Diana bit her lip in thought, then hopped off the carriage and scampered over to whisper with the old steward. Moments later, she returned with quick, delicate steps, a cunning smile gracing her face.
“Don't you know? Nobles are the most devious creatures in this world, and I just happen to be one of them. Mr. Louis will handle the follow-up work. When the time comes, we'll build a grand manor in town. Hmm... what should we name it?”
“Let's just call it Downton Manor.”
“Our last name isn't Downton! It should be called...”
Diana shot Lynch a strange look before quickly turning her head away to hide her blushing face. As a result, Mr. Levive never found out what the manor was named.
Unfortunately, happy moments are always fleeting. Amidst their laughter, the Yithian returned alone.
“The parameters are aligned. We can set off now.”
???
Rate on N.U.
