You Really Don't Know How!

Lynch had a bit of a headache; although he knew he would be targeted once he arrived in Tingen, he had always assumed he was merely a backup candidate.

However, looking at the reminders from 008 and Ince Zangwill, it seemed those two had initially intended to write him to death, only to discover he had met with Azik and that he was a descendant of one of Azik's past lives.

Out of a sense of guilt, they had given him a heads-up, letting him know he was being watched and that if he didn't want to die, he should leave immediately—which could also be seen as doing a favor for Azik.

It was also possible they were afraid Azik might disrupt their plans because of him.

This explained why the other party hadn't stopped him from throwing the Antigonus Notebook into that room.

Of course, it was also possible that in the original story, the notebook was already there!

It was just that his arrival had interrupted the process.

"What do you think I should do?"

Lynch looked toward Azik.

The person sitting across from him was an angel, so he naturally had to ask for his opinion, especially at such a critical juncture.

"They are likely trying to curry favor with me, which means they won't let anything happen to you, but this is also a warning: from now on, do not get involved in the matter you currently have on your hands."

Lynch nodded thoughtfully.

He felt a bit troubled, though; if his teammates were all going out to work and he didn't go, would he still be considered a full-fledged member? Would he still get a raise?

Azik seemed to see through his thoughts and began to teach Lynch how to shirk responsibility after a superior assigned a task, even giving Lynch a necklace.

"I call this necklace Troublemaker. Its ability is to increase your luck, but it will also make you unlucky. In other words, you might find a gold pound, but at the same time, you'll trip and fall. You might see a beautiful girl smile at you, but when you turn your head, you'll find your wallet is gone..."

Lynch's mouth fell open.

Good grief, so this is what they mean by "misfortune is where fortune lies," right?

Surely this thing wouldn't be of any use to an ordinary person, would it?

Azik smiled when he saw his expression.

He hadn't intended to give Lynch this Beyonder item before; these little trinkets were just fun toys in his hands, but they could cause harm if they fell into Lynch's hands.

Therefore, he had tried his best to choose Beyonder items with minimal side effects that would actually be helpful to Lynch right now.

This item hadn't even been among the options he considered for Lynch.

However, now that Lynch had encountered this situation, it seemed he might have reasons he couldn't refuse, so he had brought this out.

"If you utilize the side effects well, they can help you a lot. When you don't want to participate in certain tasks, just wear it on your person, and it will make it impossible for you to participate. Although the process might make you a bit angry, it will save your life."

Azik pushed the necklace toward Lynch.

Lynch understood that Azik wanted him to make good use of the necklace's side effects, but he hesitated and decided that he would have the Stone of Myriad Phenomena absorb the energy on this item later to bind it to him, so he wouldn't have to deal with the side effects.

He planned to have the Stone of Myriad Phenomena generate the original plot once he obtained the Sefirah Castle energy from Klein on Monday, so he would be able to see the plot and avoid danger in advance; there was no need to suffer such side effects.

The side effects were just too miserable; he didn't want to be hopping along on a broken leg to join the Nighthawks on a mission.

After taking the Beyonder item from Azik, Lynch chatted with him for a while longer before bidding farewell to the still-engaged Azik.

He still had things to do in the afternoon.

He went straight to the Duel Club to practice his marksmanship, then ran to the Nighthawks squad to collect the ten pounds of funding for his cane.

Afterward, he went to Old Neil's house and dragged him out to help him buy a cane.

Old Neil always told them that he was an expert at picking canes and knew how to get the most cost-effective one, so Lynch certainly wouldn't let him off the hook.

It just so happened that Old Neil was off today.

Thinking about the day off, Lynch thought of poor Old Neil, who hadn't even slept in on his day off.

He had been woken up by Dunn at three in the morning, had been busy with them until morning, and had likely barely rested after getting home before being dragged out by Lynch to buy a cane.

Lynch felt a bit guilty just thinking about it.

But he did it anyway, and with a clear conscience.

Old Neil had been constantly manipulated by the Hidden Sage into trying to resurrect his fiancée; staying at home would likely just lead to him overthinking things, so it was better to drag him out shopping.

And it had to be said, Old Neil's taste was quite good.

Not only did he use six pounds to help Lynch buy a cane with a great feel that whistled when swung, but he also had the clerk write them a receipt for ten pounds.

Old Neil then took Lynch to buy a suit with the remaining four pounds.

The suit Benson had helped Lynch and Klein buy earlier was indeed very good, but it was a bit too good, and Lynch and Klein were reluctant to wear it, so Old Neil took him to buy one that was decent—not as high quality, but durable and practical.

Lynch was so pleased that he put it on immediately.

He praised Old Neil the whole way, feeling that this old clerk really knew how to shop and understood what they cared about.

Old Neil was pleased by the praise and decided to take Lynch back for a drink.

Lynch agreed immediately, and with thick skin, he arrived at Old Neil's house without bringing any gifts.

As soon as he stepped through the door, he was drawn to the beautiful piano in the center of the room.

If you asked him, a piano like that wouldn't be bought for less than several thousand gold pounds.

Soon, he asked Old Neil for the price.

"Three thousand five hundred pounds."

"Can I play it? Even though I don't know how to play the piano, I'd like to try."

Lynch rubbed his hands together.

Old Neil looked at him in astonishment, unable to fathom why he would want to play the piano.

Lynch said he didn't know how, but Old Neil felt that Lynch was just being modest; how could someone who didn't know how to play go to someone else's house and immediately ask to try their piano?

He was certain in his heart that Lynch knew how, so he nodded.

"Go ahead and try, let me listen to your masterpiece."

Old Neil picked up his coffee cup and said with a chuckle.

Lynch immediately sat on the piano bench, then poked around with one finger, eventually pressing every single key before standing up, very satisfied.

"Old Neil, although I don't know how to play, your piano really has a nice tone."

Old Neil:...

"You really don't know how?"

He had thought Lynch was being modest, but it turned out he was being realistic!

"You could have guessed I didn't know; I've been out working since I was a teenager, how could I possibly know these things?"

Lynch shrugged his shoulders, looking as if his artistic cells had been buried by life. In fact, in his previous life, his mother had bought him an electronic keyboard and told him to follow online lessons, but he had no interest at all and gave the piano to his sister.

In this life, he was simply blinded by the price of this piano and wanted to get up close and personal with a piano worth three thousand five hundred pounds so he could brag about it later!

"Alright! Don't be angry, Old Neil. I just remembered something; you said last time that I could come over to listen to your lectures, and I think I have time for that right now!"