Chapter 39: Saints and Madmen

After completing their systematic review of historical documents and modern reports, Lin Jie and William's investigation had built a solid theoretical framework.But this wasn't enough, because history consisted of cold words and rumors were empty imagination—they still needed the freshest perspective from an "eyewitness" to inject soul and detail into this framework.

Their target was the key person Sergeant William had identified during that successful "tavern investigation"—Ian McGregor.

This old man was the direct eyewitness who had provided the latest "monster" sighting report to the Inverness Courier, and he was also the center of all recent rumors.

However, since that sighting incident, this once bravest old fisherman of Urquhart Bay had become a different person. He sold his fishing gear, hid in his wooden cabin all day, isolating himself from the entire world with cheap whisky, becoming a "crazy old man" that everyone avoided like the plague.

Early the next morning, a rented carriage carried the two along the winding lakeside road of Loch Ness toward the remote fishing village where Ian lived.

Fisherman Ian's home was a lonely wooden and stone cottage situated at the edge of the fishing village.

Even before approaching, they could smell a strong alcohol odor drifting from the cracks in the doors and windows.

William stepped forward and knocked on the door, but there was no response from inside, only a drunken, indistinct stream of curses.

After several failed attempts, William could only give up helplessly.

"Perhaps we should try a different approach to communication."

Lin Jie, however, wasn't disappointed. His gaze passed over the wooden cabin and landed on a dilapidated fishing boat dragged ashore nearby.

He glanced at the cabin window facing the fishing boat, and a plan instantly formed in his mind.

"Sergeant William, can you find a way to lure him out of the house, even if only for five minutes? I think this boat might be able to tell us more than its owner."

William immediately understood Lin Jie's intention.

He nodded, then circled around to the back of the wooden cabin. Soon after, a loud crashing sound accompanied by deliberately imitated mournful cries of wild deer echoed from the pine forest.

The cursing inside the cabin abruptly stopped, then the cabin door was violently pulled open. A disheveled, red-faced old man stumbled out carrying an old hunting rifle, roaring "Which damned poacher is it?" as he staggered unevenly toward the source of the commotion William had created.

The opportunity had arrived.

Lin Jie immediately walked quickly to the dilapidated fishing boat.

He didn't touch it directly, but first circled the boat like an experienced appraiser, conducting a detailed observation.

He soon discovered several unusually large scrape marks on the keel at the bottom of the boat—marks that looked more like they were left after the boat had been "lifted" by some object beneath it.

This discovery made the guess in his heart about the UMA's nature become even clearer.

Without further hesitation, he took off his leather gloves and pressed his entire palm heavily against the ice-cold, water-eroded wooden plank of the gunwale.

Reverberation Touch quietly activated.

Lin Jie's vision was immediately flooded with fragmented sensory images mixed with lake water, moonlight, and a massive shadow!

He "saw" it!

He saw old fisherman Ian on that moonlit night when his boat went out of control due to a sudden underwater current, about to crash into sharp rocks.

At this critical moment, a massive black shadow emitting a soft blue light slowly rose from the lake bottom, steadily supporting his small boat and pushing him away from the deadly danger!

Lin Jie's consciousness synchronized with old fisherman Ian's in that moment.

He clearly "felt" Ian's true emotions at that time—it wasn't fear at all, but the ultimate ecstasy and reverence of a devout believer finally witnessing with their own eyes the "deity" they had believed in their entire life descending with unstoppable majesty, trembling with excitement to the core, awestruck to the point of breathlessness!

What old fisherman Ian saw wasn't some ferocious water monster, but the benevolent and powerful "guardian deity" he had heard about since childhood!

Lin Jie withdrew his hand, gasping for breath heavily.

He completely understood why old fisherman Ian drank heavily all day and kept everyone at bay—not because of fear, but because of the deepest anger and disappointment!

He had witnessed a miracle, but when he shared this sacred experience with this mundane world already eroded by money and rationality, all he received was merciless ridicule and insults.

Everyone treated him as a madman.

Just then, William's figure emerged from the pine forest with the cursing old fisherman.

After discovering he had been tricked, Ian was so angry his face turned crimson, raising his hunting rifle to drive away these two damned outsiders.

But just as he roared while loading the gun, Lin Jie slowly raised his head to meet his angry gaze and spoke a sentence in an extremely calm and understanding tone.

"The guardian deity of the Lake of Tears and Light... I understand."

Old fisherman Ian's roar of anger and drunkenness caught in his throat.

He stared incredulously at this unfamiliar young Eastern man before him.

Finally, this tough Scottish Highlander who had been resolute his entire life slowly knelt on the ground and released the wailing cries he had suppressed for weeks.

After Ian's emotions stabilized, his attitude toward the two underwent a complete transformation.

He welcomed them into his small wooden cabin and unreservedly recounted the experience of that night, angrily denouncing those "exploration tools that want to blast open the lake bottom," which again confirmed Lin Jie's speculation that human industrial activity was the main reason for the UMA's appearance.

"Those newspaper reporters, those clever people in town, they all treat me as a madman, as a drunkard!" Old Ian pounded violently on the wooden table before him, flames of anger burning in his eyes. "But only I know! I saw it! That is our 'deity'!"

After comforting the old man and promising to bring his warning to "those who should know," Lin Jie and William left the lonely small cabin.

"It seems our mission report will be much more interesting than the Association anticipated."

"If that thing is really as Ian described—a 'guardian deity' that only appears before those with good intentions—then perhaps all those ancient records in the Association's files about it 'attacking ships' need to be reevaluated."

Sergeant William said thoughtfully, "But we're still missing the final piece—an 'academic' evidence that can connect all these fragments together."

Lin Jie smiled, taking out from his pocket a small torn piece of newspaper.

On it was an academic article titled "Historical Origins of the Loch Ness Monster," authored by—Alistair MacDonald, a local folklore "eccentric" ostracized by mainstream academia.

Following the address provided by the newspaper office, they arrived at an ancient stone cottage on the other side of the lake.

Unlike Ian's residence, this place, though old, was meticulously maintained.

In front of the house was a small garden filled with various native Scottish plants, and a plump blue cat was lazily basking in the sun on the windowsill.

When they knocked on the door, it was opened by a tall, thin gentleman who appeared to be in his fifties, with graying hair but vigorous spirits.

He wore a clean tweed jacket, thick round glasses perched on his nose bridge, his eyes filled with curiosity and scrutiny.

"Gentlemen, if you're reporters from The Times or somewhere else, wanting to dig up some cheap monster stories from me to entertain your boring readers, then you may turn back now."

Before Lin Jie could even speak, he said in a polite yet distant tone, "My time is reserved only for true 'knowledge seekers.'"

This opening made Lin Jie realize they had found the right person.

"I'm afraid we'll have to disappoint you, Mr. Alistair."

Lin Jie smiled, taking out from his coat a handwritten manuscript he had personally drawn, comparing the Loch Ness "guardian deity" legend with Celtic star charts.

"We're not reporters, just two amateurs who are equally filled with reverence and curiosity for the truth..."

When the scholar's gaze fell upon that manuscript filled with complex symbols and ancient maps, his previously guarded expression was quickly replaced by immense delight!

"Good heavens... this comparative analysis method..."

Alistair was so excited he became incoherent, "Young man! Quickly! Please come in!"

This eccentric scholar who had just been keeping people at a distance welcomed the two into the cottage that resembled a private museum.

Every corner of the room was occupied by massive bookshelves and specimen cabinets, the walls covered with various hand-drawn hydrological maps and sketches of legendary creatures.

This was a sacred hall that a person had built with a lifetime's dedication for the "legend" he cherished.

The scholar showed these rare kindred spirits the precious "treasures" he had collected throughout his life.

From a locked chest, he took out a prehistoric whale vertebra fossil supposedly retrieved from the lake bottom, engraved with markings resembling ancient runes.

"This is the earliest evidence! Proving that even before humans had written records, the ancient people of the lake region were already communicating in some form with the great existence in the lake!"

He then unfolded a hand-drawn underwater topographic map of Loch Ness.

"Look! Based on my decades of manual sonar detection, I discovered that the bottom of Loch Ness isn't a flat basin, but contains a massive network of underwater caves and underground rivers! This network might directly connect to the open sea! This perfectly explains how that creature has managed to completely evade all human detection over the past millennia!"

He spoke nonstop, from water deity beliefs in Celtic mythology to mysterious shipwreck incidents during the Viking invasion period, to the environmental factors behind every modern sighting report.

His profound knowledge and Lin Jie's analysis based on "inner world" information created a resonance that crossed dimensions and cognitive barriers in this moment!

"So, Mr. Alistair, what is your final conclusion?" Lin Jie asked solemnly after listening to the scholar's brilliant "lecture" that lasted several hours.

The scholar adjusted his glasses, his fanatical expression gradually replaced by dignity and seriousness.

"My conclusion is," he said word by word, "that there indeed exists an unknown ancient creature in Loch Ness."

"But it is absolutely not some bloodthirsty water monster."

"It is a higher-level existence."

"It might be the last titan on this planet that still maintains pure 'natural divinity.'"

"It is not our enemy—it is the final silent guardian of these highlands."

"And we so-called 'civilized people' are using our arrogance and ignorance to step by step force it toward... either complete extinction, or... showing us the fangs it has forgotten for thousands of years in desperation."