Azik's Suggestion

As Azik drew out the aura of the True Creator from within Luther, strange hallucinations gradually engulfed him.

A Feathered Serpent soared, a bronze gate swung wide... these were all things he had seen before. Yet, as the hallucinations deepened, more scenes he had never witnessed began to emerge.

Countless bizarre creatures, rotting corpses, vengeful spirits, skeletons... a mausoleum built downward like an inverted pyramid hollowed out of the earth, ancient South Continent people with phosphorus flames burning on their bodies, praying to the tomb in extreme agony...

Just then, the hallucinatory scene suddenly expanded, and he saw a battlefield that felt like the Mythological Era. Under a lead-gray sky, dragons soared and giant beasts roared; ordinary humans were like tiny ants, slaughtering each other on a land burning with hellish flames. Among them, there were occasionally powerful individuals who, despite their small stature, could kill mountain-sized Giants with a mere wave of their hands!

At the end of that battlefield stood a tall, black throne, upon which a black emperor as magnificent as a mountain sat, overlooking everything below. He seemed to sense Luther's gaze; his eyes shifted, and he looked toward Luther with a heavy, oppressive pressure...

"Clatter—"

The sound of ocean tides rang out at the perfect moment, and the hallucinations before him vanished in an instant, like mist blown away by a gale.

"Bang!"

The translucent tentacles resting on Luther's forehead exploded. The necromantic creature, resembling both an octopus and a jellyfish, let out a mournful cry and dragged its tattered body back into the gate, which creaked shut and vanished.

Luther opened his eyes to find that everything around him had returned to normal, save for Azik, who sat on the sofa with his eyes closed, brows tightly furrowed, beads of sweat seeping from his forehead as if trapped in a deep, long-forgotten nightmare.

Should I wake him?

While Luther was hesitating, Azik slowly opened his eyes, the usual calm and weathered depths of his gaze now tinged with a sense of emptiness.

"No, that's not enough..."

He muttered to himself, rubbing his temples as if trying to forcibly squeeze out deeply buried memories. After about half a minute, Azik slowly recovered, offered a bitter smile, and looked up at Luther. "My apologies, I've kept you waiting."

"It's alright. Are you doing okay, Mr. Azik? I'm not sure if I actually helped you recover your memories."

Luther said.

Azik shook his head.

"I recalled many scenes from the past, but... I still don't understand..." He noticed Luther's hesitant expression and smiled. "However, achieving this level of effect is already beyond my expectations. I will pay the reward as promised."

"So, what do you need? Or is there any question I can help you with?"

Asking me directly what I lack?

Impressive, as expected of a high-sequence powerhouse; the way he speaks is so magnanimous!

Luther drew a sharp breath, marveling at the thought.

But then again, what did he actually lack right now?

Luther lowered his head to calculate.

Rather than what he lacked, it was more a matter of what he needed to resolve.

From the moment he transmigrated until now, he had faced no shortage of trouble. Excluding those already resolved, the pressing issues could be divided into the near-term and the long-term.

The near-term troubles consisted of two things: one was the unresolved Human Trafficking case, where hidden enemies might be plotting against him; the other was what Azik had once told him—that both he and Klein possessed a strange sense of disharmony in their fates, seemingly related to a house with a red chimney.

The long-term troubles were also twofold: the first was the issue of his inability to advance along his pathway, as the damned True Creator had too great an influence on low sequences, and becoming a Listener would turn him into a madman who worshipped Him; the second was Lanerius, who had been ruined by him and surely hated him to the core—as long as he wasn't eliminated, he would remain a hidden threat.

Among these, Lanerius and the Human Trafficking case could be ignored for now. Since both were already on the Night Watcher investigation list, the Goddess Church would naturally dispatch personnel to handle them, leaving no need for an ordinary Night Watcher like Luther to worry.

As for what remained, it concerned his own well-being. Regarding the red chimney, Klein was already investigating it; since Klein had a better relationship with Azik, it was more convenient and appropriate for him to ask.

With the analysis complete, the answer was simple—ask Azik how to advance to Sequence 8 while avoiding the influence of the True Creator.

Having clarified his question, Luther looked at Azik, who was waiting calmly.

"Mr. Azik, do you have any understanding of my sequence?"

"Black Knight? I suppose I know a little."

"The foundation of my pathway is easily influenced by the top of the sequence, and upon advancing to Sequence 8..." Luther introduced his situation, and after waiting for Azik to digest the information, he continued, "Mr. Azik, do you have any way to prevent me from being mentally controlled by the True Creator?"

Azik pinched his cigar, pondered in silence for a moment, and then nodded slowly.

"There is one way, but the risk is very high."

There really is one?

Luther felt a surge of joy and hurriedly asked, "What is it?"

"Skip Sequence 8 entirely and forcibly advance to Sequence 7. This requires you to consume both the Sequence 8 and Sequence 7 potions simultaneously."

"...Ah?"

Luther was stunned.

The method Mr. Azik provided was unexpectedly radical.

"Is, is this achievable?"

"Although dangerous, if a high-sequence Beyonder is there to assist, such a thing is not impossible. However, my current state is not very good, and I would need you to wait for me to recover for a period of time... Besides, you don't have the corresponding potion formulas and materials right now, do you?"

"Yes."

Luther nodded.

He only had the idea for now, but the potion formula for "Listener" remained unknown, and obtaining the formula, verifying its authenticity, and spending money to buy the materials were all fraught with difficulties. Looking at it this way, even if he ignored the influence of the True Creator and advanced directly, it wouldn't be an easy task.

"By the way, Mr. Azik, I have another idea. See if it might work."

He explained his theory to Azik—the so-called method of changing the object of his listening, shifting from the True Creator to the Goddess of the Night.

To his surprise, Azik nodded slowly after listening.

"Theoretically, it is possible, but."

But, it was always a "but"; how many good things in this world have been ruined by that single word?

He heard Azik continue, "Only the True Creator actively spreads whispers for his believers to listen to. If you want to change the object of your listening to the Goddess, you first need the Goddess to actively sow her gospel into your ears—such special treatment from a deity is far too extravagant; I fear only the high-ranking members of the Church or the blessed of the Goddess would have such an opportunity."

The blessed, huh? I'm definitely not that; I don't even count as a believer.

Luther listened and gave an awkward smile. It was true; why would a dignified True God go out of her way to help a small-fry Sequence 8 like him digest a Potion for no reason?

But with things as they were, his promotion problem remained temporarily unsolvable.

So, what should he ask Azik for instead?