Mystery: The Last Shepherd

Chapter 37 Azik's Abnormality
Lu Ze had a strange dream.

In his dream, he saw a giant serpent as large as a mountain.

The giant serpent was covered in enormous, dark green scales, from which white feathers stained with pale yellow oil extended. It even had a pair of wings that could be spread out on its back, and with each flap of its wings, the giant serpent soared and circled between the dark sky and the blue sea.

The ancient, decaying bronze gate slowly opened above the giant serpent, and countless eerie creatures peered out from within. They were either made of bones or covered in decay, exuding an aura of death.

The overall imagery, while terrifying and bizarre, also seems to carry a touch of the sacred.

Lu Ze looked at the giant snake, and for some reason, in his dream, he didn't find it terrifying at all.

The giant serpent coiled and circled around, finally revealing its face to him—it was a human face, and pale flames were burning in the eye sockets of this face.

Lu Ze and the giant snake stared at each other.

Then he saw terror suddenly appear in the giant serpent's eyes, which were burning with pale flames. It was as if Lu Ze, who was staring at it, was something far more dangerous than itself!
Is it afraid of me?

Lu Ze was somewhat surprised. He was about to speak when he realized he couldn't move at all; he was nailed to the frame and hanging upside down! The dark sky he saw was actually the ground, and the blue sea was actually the sky.
Then, he suddenly woke up.

Slowly sitting up, Lu Ze realized he seemed to be in a room at the Dragon Bar. Looking down, he saw he was lying on a bench, his coat covering him.

"you're awake?"

A calm voice sounded from the side.

Lu Ze looked in the direction of the speaker, and a very distinctive man immediately came into view.

The man had bronze skin, black hair, brown eyes, and gentle features. Judging from his appearance, he was probably only in his thirties or forties, but his eyes revealed an indescribable sense of vicissitude, as if he had seen it all and remained calm and composed.

He looked at Lu Ze with a strange expression, as if he were recalling something from the past, appearing sad and lonely.

Lu Ze felt that he looked somewhat familiar.

Ah, yes, his face looks very similar to the human face on that giant snake!

I fainted because I saw something pale white.
Don't look at him!

Lu Ze quickly closed his eyes, turned his head, grabbed the back of the chair, flipped over, and jumped behind the bench. As he landed, his right hand reached for the holster in his pocket.

This person is definitely extraordinary!
Lu Ze had been shocked before by seeing the true creator or the hidden sage, but those were due to rituals or illusions, where he only glimpsed the phantoms symbolizing evil gods. But this time, with the other party right in his face, even his internal cheat abilities didn't have time to activate before his brain shut down in self-preservation.

This also shows that the man he saw was definitely a strong person.

"No need to close your eyes, I have already concealed all my presence."

The man's gentle voice came over.

“I am the Night Watchman. To lay a hand on me is to be an enemy of the Church of the Goddess.”

Lu Ze warned the other party as if he hadn't heard him, keeping his eyes closed and fumbling to draw his revolver.

"I meant no harm, I just didn't expect you to be so perceptive, able to see the mystery surrounding me." The man's tone seemed somewhat helpless. "Besides, if I really wanted to hurt you, why didn't I do it while you were unconscious?"

What he said seemed to make some sense.
After thinking about it, Lu Ze had to admit it.

He cautiously got up, observing the other person out of the corner of his eye. He found no suspicious odor on the person, who seemed like an ordinary person. If he hadn't just been knocked unconscious by the shock, he might have thought there was something wrong with his eyes.

“Don’t be so wary. My name is Azik. I’m a history teacher at Hoy University. I know Klein. I’m not a suspicious person.”

The bronze-skinned man introduced himself.

Not suspicious? Nobody would believe you.

Lu Ze thought to himself. He recalled that Klein was a history graduate of Hoy University. If the man in front of him was indeed the right person, it would be reasonable for Klein to know him and greet him.

"Where's Klein?"

he asked.

"I've gone to get you some water."

Azik said.

Sure enough, not long after, Klein entered the room carrying a glass of water.

"You're awake? That's great!"

He was pleased to see Luze standing up.

But Luze wasn't happy at all. First Old Neil, then Azik. Klein, what kind of monsters are your teachers?
Lu Ze forced a smile at him, took the water glass, and took a sip.

He noticed that Azik was looking at him, but his gaze was unfocused, as if it were penetrating his body.

"There's a scent about you that feels very familiar to me, but I can't quite place it."

He said with a hint of melancholy.

But I don't know you.

Lu Ze thought to himself.

"Besides, like Klein, there's something incongruous about your intertwined fate. Have you been encountering a lot of coincidences lately?"

Azik continued.

coincidence?

Lu Ze subconsciously recalled, and then remembered a series of encounters he had after transmigrating.

For example, the fact that Sirius's letter was burned, that he arrived at the Blackthorn Security Company's Hynas in the middle of the night, that he happened to become roommates with Hood Eugen on the day he was hospitalized, and that he was involved in Lannus's ritual—it's safe to say that coincidences are everywhere.

Could there be some deeper reason behind this? Especially since the other party is a high-ranking expert, their words carry even more credibility.

"Mr. Azik, you mean Luze was also affected?"

Klein exclaimed in surprise.

"Ah."

Azik nodded, offering no further explanation, and then stood up to put on his hat.

"Since you are alright, please allow me to take my leave."

He sensed Lu Ze's wariness and seemed unwilling to put too much pressure on him, so he chose to temporarily avoid the situation. He didn't turn back until he reached the door.

“Your aura is quite peculiar, and it might be very important to me. If it’s convenient for you sometime, I’d like to meet with you privately and ask you to do me a favor,” Azik said. “Of course, you can refuse at any time. However, if you do come, I will definitely offer you a reward that will satisfy you.”

Lu Ze hesitated for a moment upon hearing this.

The promise of a powerful figure is indeed very tempting. And who knows, he might even be able to use this opportunity to uncover the secrets surrounding him.

"How can I contact you?"

he asked.

"Through Klein."

Azik left after saying this.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Afterwards, Luze inquired about Mr. Azik. It turned out that he had only discovered Azik's peculiarity after becoming an Extraordinary, and he guessed that the other party might be a high-sequence powerhouse.

"Didn't you think about reporting him?"

“Mr. Azik doesn’t seem like a bad person, and I’ve done a divination; if I don’t report him, he’ll save my life in some way later.”

Klein explained.

"Okay. Then what about the incompatible fate he mentioned?"

Then Klein shared another story with him. It turned out he too had encountered many coincidences. Through dream divination, he discovered the culprit was connected to a house with a red chimney.

Klein has already hired a detective to help him find the house.

Lu Ze nodded and said, "I think we can cooperate on this matter. I'm willing to offer my help. Remember to let me know if there's any news. Keep it a secret from the captain for now."

"Well, it's best not to let too many people know about it yet."

The two chatted as they returned to Blackthorn Security Company.

Next, Luze will try to create a slumbering spell.

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(End of this chapter)