Read Novel Full Chapter 801 - 17: Clues
Chapter 801: Chapter 17: Clues
Lynch walked into the cold, damp dungeon, his gaze immediately locking onto the corner. There, a figure was curled up beneath the cold stone wall, heavy chains wrapped around their body, with arms and legs bent at unnatural angles, obviously broken.
A large hood completely covered her head and face, making her look utterly miserable, her breath so faint it seemed as if it might dissipate at any moment.
Lynch took a deep breath, suppressing the emotions surging in his heart, and slowly walked over, crouching down. He reached out, his fingertips gently lifting the hood stained with grime and congealed blood.
The hood fell away, revealing a face both young and incredibly pale. Around twenty or so, her flaxen hair was matted with dried blood, obscuring part of her features. This was a completely unfamiliar face.
It isn’t her...
Lynch felt a slight relief as if a heavy stone had landed, but what surged thereafter was a more complex sense of melancholy and loss. He truly didn’t wish to see Avery suffering such torment here, but inability to find her also meant her whereabouts remained a mystery, her fate uncertain.
He gently pushed the witch’s shoulder and whispered, "Wake up."
The witch didn’t respond, deeply sunk in a coma, seemingly because the injuries were so severe, her life force already like a candle flickering in the wind.
Lynch frowned, hesitating no longer. He moved his thoughts slightly, and the Power of Revival, brimming with vitality, flowed from his fingertips like warm spring water, gently channeling into the witch’s broken body.
Under the influence of this powerful force, the external injuries on the witch’s body began to heal at a visible rate, the bruising fading, and the damaged skin returning to smoothness.
Even more astounding, the bones in her broken limbs emitted a faint "crackling" sound, resetting and reconnecting on their own. In just a moment, they had recovered as before, though the new bones and muscles still seemed somewhat fragile.
A moment later, the witch’s brows furrowed in pain, her long lashes fluttering slightly, and finally, she slowly regained consciousness.
Lynch watched as clarity returned to her eyes and asked, "Are you awake?"
"Ah?!"
The witch abruptly opened her eyes, seeing Lynch so close, and instinctively let out a short, sharp cry, her body recoiling as if in fear, like a startled small animal.
Lynch quickly infused a thread of gentle and soothing spiritual power into his voice, wrapping around her like an invisible warm current: "Don’t be afraid; no one here will harm you."
Under the comforting influence of this spiritual power, the witch’s wildly beating heart gradually calmed, and her tense body relaxed. She timidly reopened her eyes, carefully examining the man in front of her. His attire was unusual, his demeanor deep, seemingly... without malice.
Meanwhile, Lynch was also carefully considering his words, preparing to ask her about Avery’s whereabouts.
However, before Lynch could speak, the witch, after examining his face for a moment, suddenly had an expression of disbelief in her eyes. With a great uncertainty and a faint hope, she tentatively, nervously asked:
"Excuse me... are you Mr. Lynch?"
Lynch was taken aback by the question, evident confusion on his face: "You know me?"
The witch, seeing that he did not deny it, instantly had a burst of relieved excitement in her eyes. She nodded vigorously, her voice filled with sobbing and absolute certainty: "Yes... yes, sir! I... I am Miss Avery’s personal maid, my name is Shirley! I’ve seen you a few times at the castle!"
Hearing the witch—Shirley’s affirmative answer, the last doubt in Lynch’s mind was dispelled, but a deeper concern followed.
Shirley, looking at Lynch as if she had finally seen a guiding lighthouse in endless darkness, spoke with a choking, relieved voice: "You... you’ve finally come..."
Lynch keenly caught the unusual meaning in her words and asked, "You knew I would come?"
Shirley nodded vigorously, tears mixed with grime on her face, as she struggled to find the words to explain:
"Yes, sir! Ever since... since Mr. Blair came back with the alliance news from Jade Land, news about you quietly spread in the Witch Domain. We all knew then, not only were you safe, but you had become the dominant Lord of Emerald, a member of the Supreme Council!"
In her eyes flashed a light from past hopeful days:
"Later, your emissary also came to the Witch Domain, reaching an agreement with the Starlight Council. At that time... we all thought that the horrible days of hiding and fleeing were finally coming to an end, that we had awaited the strongest reinforcements and would no longer have to fear the church’s persecution..."
Her voice gradually faded, replaced by massive sorrow and fear: "But... but before your army could arrive, the Freemasonry Church... they launched their attack first! They came too suddenly, their assault more fierce than any before, we... we had no preparation at all..."
Her body trembled slightly as she recalled the brutal scene: "The castle’s defenses were swiftly breached, everyone... everyone was scattered... Miss Avery, she..."
Lynch’s heart tightened, and he quickly pressed on, his voice unconsciously rising in urgency: "What about Avery? How is Avery?!"
Shirley was infected by his urgency but showed even more difficulty and pain on her face as she tried to recall, speaking in fragments:
"Specifically... I’m not sure either, sir. It was too chaotic that day when the Freemasonry Church attacked... Miss Avery wasn’t at the castle. She had gone to inspect the Magic Array at the ancient forest’s edge, as several vital nodes at the border seemed... seemed to fail without reason, the energy fluctuations extremely unstable..."
Her voice carried remorse and fear, as if blaming herself for not protecting her master:
"But... just as Miss Avery left the castle, and even perhaps... perhaps just as she reached the border areas, the Freemasonry Church’s army launched a total assault without any warning! Their offensive was fiercer than ever..."
Shirley’s body trembled slightly in fear:
"After that... we were completely scattered, lost command, everyone fighting on their own... Without the Ancient Magic Array’s barrier, we... we couldn’t resist those fanatical Knights and Priests at all..."
Her eyes were filled with the panic of those fleeing:
"I... I and a few others tried to break out but were always chased by several priests from the Freemasonry Church with their hound squads... They acted like maniacs, determined to capture us... One by one my companions fell... I barely managed to escape alone, hiding, trying to find a safe place to stay..."
Her voice took on a hopeless, teary tone:
"Yet... yet just when I reached this town, trying to find something to eat... I was recognized by the patrolling Knight..."
Lynch frowned, aware that it was unsafe to stay here too long and he needed to extract more clues about Avery’s whereabouts from Shirley as quickly as possible. Making a swift decision, he said to Shirley, "This is not a place to talk, we must leave..."
However, before he could finish his sentence—
"Boy in the dungeon! Get out here!"
An enraged shout like thunder seemed to penetrate the heavy rock layers, bursting through the narrow dungeon corridor! The voice carried powerful spiritual pressure, shaking the dust off the walls, even causing the frozen gray space-time to ripple slightly.
Soon after, a spiritual field far stronger and more concentrated than any previous Knights and Priests, filled with heat and judgment, suddenly pierced through from above the church, instantly locking onto Lynch deep in the dungeon! This force was extremely domineering, subtly interfering with his absolute control over the local time.
The one who came was no ordinary character!