Mystery: The Last Shepherd

Chapter 16 Agreement
After locking the door, Lu Ze stepped down the stairs.

A room away, the door to No. 2 Narcissus was pushed open, and a young man with brown eyes and black hair, exuding a scholarly air, came out. When he saw Lu Ze, he gave him a friendly smile.

Good morning, Lu Ze.

Good morning, Klein.

The young man was Klein Moretti, a colleague who had joined the company a few weeks earlier.

This friendly colleague, upon learning that he was in a hurry to find a place, gave him advice, recommending that he move to Narcissus Street and become his neighbor. Especially helpful was Klein's brother, Benson, who assisted him with many procedures and even negotiated a price reduction with the manager, managing to get the rent down to 12 sourres per week. Luzer was very grateful for this.

"Have you taken care of everything at home?"

"Well, I'm going to report to the captain now," Lu Ze said with a smile. "I also have to thank you for helping me rent a place, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to finish so quickly."

"Then you should thank Benson; he got everything done."

Klein said.

"The houses on Narcissus Street are really nice, and my sister loves them. It's the first time she's had her own room, and she's so happy she can't sleep."

"My sister was the same; she didn't want to leave the house the moment she saw it."

The two men, both with younger sisters, exchanged a few knowing glances and smiled knowingly at each other. They chatted as they walked, eventually boarding a public carriage. Along the way, women frequently cast glances at Luze. Luze pretended not to notice, while Klein seemed a little uncomfortable. Fortunately, they soon arrived at Zorant Street, disembarked together, and walked to the entrance of the Blackthorn Security Company.

Speaking of which, the last time I came here was... cough cough, it was at night.

Looking at the sign, Lu Ze thought with a touch of emotion as he followed Klein through the door. The once ravaged hall had been completely renovated, with new furniture, new partitions, and even brand-new floors—a sight that was pleasing to the eye.

Rosanne, the brown-haired girl I'd met before, was making coffee at the front desk when she looked up at someone coming in. She recognized Klein and was about to greet him when she saw Luzer behind him, and her eyes lit up.

Good morning, Roxanne.

"Good morning, Klein, and who is this?"

She stared at Lu Ze with great interest.

“Luze Rondor, we’ve met before.”

Lu Ze nodded slightly in greeting, a gesture of considerable elegance that made Rosanne's eyes glaze over.

"Hello, Luze, I'm Rosanne. Ah? Luze Rondor!"

She answered instinctively, then suddenly seemed to remember something and exclaimed, "You're... the one from that day!"

"it's me."

Lu Zedao.

"Forehead"

Rosanne shrugged, her smile vanishing quickly, replaced by fear and unease, as if recalling something she had experienced.

"The captain is in his office, the first room on the right behind the partition. He told me that you can go directly to him after you arrive."

She said it carefully.

"I understand, thank you, Miss Rosanne."

Lu Ze didn't seem to care about Rosanne's change at all. He casually thanked her and walked into the partition.

Rosanne glanced at Luzer as he walked behind the partition, then immediately moved closer to Klein and lowered her voice.

"Klein, Klein, is he really going to join the Night Watch squad?"

"Yes, what's wrong? Are you afraid of him?"

Klein couldn't help but laugh.

"To be honest, a little bit."

Rosanne said with a pained expression, "Just seeing Hainas that night was terrifying enough. He even killed Hainas God. I almost fainted when I saw that pool of blood and flesh on the floor. I had nightmares for several nights afterward."

"It's alright, Lu Ze is a good person."

Klein could only offer words of comfort, "Besides, think about it, if he were really that dangerous, would the captain have kept him here?"

After his explanation, Rosanne lowered her guard somewhat.

— "Knock knock".

Lu Ze stopped outside the office and knocked on the door with his fingers.

"Please come in."

Dunn's deep, gentle voice came from inside.

Pushing open the door, I saw him sitting behind the table, his grey eyes deep and calm. His usual black overcoat and top hat hung on the coat rack; he was only wearing a shirt and vest. Compared to when we encountered him the night before, the nightmarish, deep, and terrifying aura emanating from him had subsided considerably, replaced by a warmer demeanor.

"team leader."

Lu Ze greeted Dunn, and since he had joined the team, he naturally changed his form of address.

“The telegram from the sanctuary has come back; it’s good news.” He put down the document in his hand. “The higher-ups have cautiously approved your application to join the team, but they’ve instructed me to keep a close eye on you.”

"That's definitely a good thing, I'll cooperate."

Lu Ze smiled.

Dunn hummed in agreement, looking Lu Ze up and down. "You've been having hallucinations before. Have you been hallucinating since that night?"

"He hasn't gone crazy since."

Lu Ze's heart skipped a beat, but he pretended to be clueless and asked, "Captain, why is that?"

He certainly knew why, but at this point, retreating to advance would make him seem less suspicious.

"I've thought about it, and that might be the reason."

Dunn slowly analyzed, "Because of chance, some people may be born with some extraordinary characteristics, which is equivalent to solidifying half of the sequence initiation - there is an orphan named Admitso in Tingen City who is like this. He is naturally suited to the 'monster' pathway."

"As for you, I speculate that you may be a natural-born Mystic. Therefore, you have a naturally high level of inspiration, making you susceptible to harm from evil gods, which often leads to hallucinations. The Aurora Society may have captured you for this reason. Now, you have consumed the Mystic potion, successfully solidifying your sequence. Your previously unstable inspiration has been brought under control, and naturally, you no longer have hallucinations."

Dunn concluded.

Lu Ze was momentarily surprised.

That seems to make a lot of sense?

If I hadn't known that the illusory tide was working, I might have actually believed it.

No, it's better if I pretend to believe it!

"I see, Captain. What you said makes a lot of sense."

Lu Ze immediately said with a happy smile, "So, I don't have to worry about falling into hallucinations anymore! That's great!"

"This is just my speculation, for reference only."

Dunn nodded slightly.

With a swift movement, he pulled open a drawer in his desk and took out two copies of a document. "This is the contract for joining the team. Take a look, and sign it if there are no problems."

Lu Ze took it and carefully read through the clauses and rules. The various confidentiality clauses and obligations were densely packed together, and even though he was mentally prepared, he still felt a bit overwhelmed.

Oh well, I've already paid my salary in advance, it's too late to back out now.

He smiled resignedly, used the pen on Dunn's desk to sign his name on the two documents, and pressed his fingerprint on them.

Dunn took the contract from him, stamped it, kept one copy, and returned the other to Luze. "Very good, Mr. Luze Rondor, from this moment on, you are officially a member of the Night Watch."

"My pleasure."

Lu Ze laughed.

But Dunn didn't laugh; instead, he became even more serious.

"But before that, I have a few important things to tell you in advance."

"Um, please go ahead?"

"First and foremost, under no circumstances should you seek a promotion!"

　The protagonist will definitely be promoted, otherwise the story couldn't continue. Dunn's statement here is simply a reasonable reaction based on his understanding of the Mystic Path.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)