Mystery: The Last Shepherd

Chapter 204 The Key to Listening

Backlund, Queens.

The carriage traveled on a flat, wide road. The smooth road, the luxurious carriage, and the soft cushions meant that the people inside felt no bumps at all.

"Cecilia, you've already advanced to Sequence 8?"

Fors said enviously, "That's so convenient."

"It was mainly because of my brother's help."

Opposite her, the beautiful black-haired girl smiled and answered, supporting the handsome young man beside her. His eyes held a deep madness, and his entire body was wrapped in a straitjacket bound by black leather straps, even his mouth was tightly covered.

"Right, brother?"

She asked gently and helped Lu Ze tidy his hair.

The latter could only murmur vaguely through the belt.

"Uh, hehe."

Fors looked embarrassed, tried to smile, and turned to look at Hugh beside her, giving him a meaningful look.

There's something very wrong with this family!
Xiu also returned the look with a wink.

—Didn't you bring them here?
Fors was on the verge of tears. This was the first time she had witnessed Luzer in such a state, far more serious than she had imagined. Facing Miss Audrey in this state, there was no doubt she wouldn't pass.

It has now been three days since their visit to Luzer. Yesterday, they told Miss Audrey about it, and after consideration, Miss Audrey agreed to Luzer's proposal. So today, they specially sent a carriage to pick them up to meet their employer.

But who could have predicted that Lu Ze would fall ill today?

The carriage carried the group of confused individuals forward, the scenery outside the windows constantly changing. A few minutes later, the carriage stopped in front of a villa.

This is not Earl Hall's residence, but the home of Audrey's friend, Viscount Grelint.

"Brother, we've arrived."

Fors saw that the black-haired girl gently touched Luze's arm. Then, as if receiving some kind of signal, Luze's previously crazed eyes gradually cleared, and he slowly sat up straight, allowing the other girl to untie the belt and regain his freedom.

Is that all?

Fors thought in surprise.

"Let's go."

Lu Ze stretched his body and spoke to the others in the carriage. The surging, unrealistic thoughts in his mind continued to echo, suppressing the frenzied parts of his mind.

After returning home that day, his mental state deteriorated. He couldn't even concoct a potion for his sister before falling into a frenzied hallucination, leaving her to do it herself. By the time he regained consciousness, his sister had already drunk the potion and successfully advanced.

The true Creator's ramblings have been particularly intense these past two days; I wonder if it's related to the name I called out back then.
As Lu Ze thought to himself, he stepped onto the flat ground using the footboard extending from the outside of the carriage.

Queens is much better than the East Side; the roads are wide and comfortable, not muddy at all. Rows of tall plane trees are planted, the pedestrians are well-dressed and have good figures, and police officers patrol diligently every now and then.

Lu Ze recalled the situation in the East District, a slight mocking smile appearing on his lips.

However, his descent into madness unexpectedly caused his last remaining "Listener" potion to waver slightly, and Lu Ze somewhat guessed why.

Perhaps it was because he understood the intention behind the true Creator's ramblings.

The essence of "listening" lies not only in the process but also in the outcome. The ultimate goal of listening is to fully understand the true meaning the other person is trying to convey. Lu Ze speculated that perhaps when he fully comprehended the emotions and intentions of the true Creator, the last remnant of the "Listener" potion was able to be digested.

The group arrived at the villa, and after being announced by a servant, they entered through the gate. Passing through the ornately decorated porch and hall, they met their employers in a reception room.

"Miss Audrey, these two are the Anderson siblings."

Fors stepped forward and introduced them.

Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly noticed a slight change in Miss Audrey's expression, which had remained consistently elegant. "It's you?"

Audrey, dressed in a white tulle dress, stared wide-eyed at her beautiful emerald green eyes and exclaimed incredulously.

"Oh, it's you."

Lu Ze recognized the other person's face and, after a moment's recollection, remembered that she was the noble lady he had met in the mental hospital.

I still owe her several hundred pounds. If it were her, it would be normal for her to know about Laneus.

He remembered that when he was examining the body of the prostitute, he had muttered the name Lanius to himself, which was probably why the other party had started to send people to investigate.

"Do you two know each other?"

The somewhat thin Viscount Grelint looked the two of them back and forth a few times, and couldn't help but ask.

This question voiced the thoughts of everyone else present, not just him, but also Hugh and Fors. They simply couldn't ask because of their positions.

"Yes, this gentleman once saved me."

Audrey's surprise lasted only a moment before she smiled impeccably. "It was that incident that landed me in confinement. Without him, I might have been in danger."

"So that's how it is. What a wonderful coincidence."

Viscount Grelint was deeply impressed upon hearing this.

In his understanding, Luze might be a slightly stronger Extraordinary. But Audrey knew much more clearly that this man was likely the perpetrator of the Capin case, a powerful and dangerous figure who could easily wipe out the entire villa.

Calm down, Audrey. He's not an enemy. You need to make him like you.
She kept reminding herself of this, then looked at Hugh and Fors.

“Hugh, Fors, you did a great job,” Audrey said with a smile. “I have already witnessed this gentleman’s strength firsthand. If it is him, he would surely be able to easily defeat my family’s extraordinary guards.”

After saying that, she pushed the envelope containing the commission across the table in front of the two of them.

"Thank you very much, Miss Audrey."

Hugh quickly took the envelope, opened it to check, and thanked him after confirming that everything was correct.

Audrey smiled and nodded at her, then turned her gaze to Luze and the girl beside him. "So, nominally my bodyguard is your sister?"

“Cecilia Anderson”.

She saw the blue-eyed girl step forward and said.

So beautiful!
Audrey thought to herself that, given her experience in aristocratic circles, among the women she had met, very few could possess such an appearance.

However, she seems to be very dependent on her brother. No, I can't analyze this!
She almost instinctively wanted to use mind reading, but quickly remembered the lesson she learned from Luze last time and immediately dismissed the idea.

“Although you two already know my name, please allow me to introduce myself. I am Audrey Hall.” She rose from the sofa, gracefully lifting her skirt. “Welcome to be my bodyguards.”

Why do I keep seeing women lifting their skirts to bow lately?
"It's not too late to say that after we pass the test."

Lu Zedao.

"makes sense."

Audrey's emerald eyes flickered slightly, and she nodded in agreement. "Then let's set off immediately. I can't be away from home for too long right now."

Out of courtesy, she should have entertained the two visitors, but since she was still under restrictions, she could only return to the villa as soon as possible. However, Lu Ze didn't care about such things, and so the group left the Viscount's house in a grand procession.

At Audrey's feet, a large golden retriever shuffled cautiously along her leg. After being glanced at by Lu Ze, it immediately tucked its tail between its legs.

(End of this chapter)