Mystery: The Last Shepherd

Chapter 41 Night Visit to the Dock
After finishing their work lunch and resting for a while at the company, Luze and Klein, who had returned from the fortune-telling club, went to the home of their martial arts instructor, Gawain, to continue their training. They didn't stop until the afternoon was drawing to a close. After changing out of their training knight uniforms and taking a bath, the two said goodbye to Gawain and left the house, taking a public carriage back to Narcissus Street.

Throughout the process, Klein would occasionally glance at Luzer, as if observing him.

He must be asking me how well I'm digesting the potion.

Lu Ze guessed with great confidence.

So Luze met Klein's gaze and smiled slightly:
"Klein, your method really works! I feel the potion's effects are much less!"

"Huh? Cough cough. It works, that's good."

Klein coughed and said seriously, "Then I feel this method can be further promoted. Once you and I have fully mastered potion making, we'll share it with the other members."

The two chatted casually for a few minutes before parting ways in front of their respective homes.

"Cecilia, how long has the mutton been cooking?"

As soon as Lu Ze pushed open the door, he called out to the person inside, and then chatted with his sister with a grin.

—Could he really be a favorite of the true Creator?
Klein stood at his front door, watching Luze's retreating figure, a strange expression on his face. "He so vehemently hated the Aurora Society, personally killed three cultists, and thwarted several rituals of the evil god—such a blasphemous chosen one couldn't possibly exist, could he?"

Shaking his head, with mixed emotions, Klein closed the door.

The glistening mutton and radish chunks were submerged in the milky white broth, and as the soup simmered, the tender mutton trembled and swayed gently. The kitchen was filled with a delicious aroma and a faint muttony smell, which was very pleasant.

Good mutton doesn't need many seasonings; just a little bit of spices to remove the gamey smell will bring out the meat's natural sweetness. Seeing that the meat was almost cooked, Lu Ze turned off the heat, sprinkled in some salt, and stirred well. Don't add salt too early when cooking mutton, otherwise the meat will become tough. After waiting a few minutes, he scooped out the mutton and radish chunks along with the broth, placed them in a bowl, and garnished them with bright green basil leaves.

Sprinkle in some pepper, scoop up a piece of mutton, take a bite—it's tender yet chewy, the savory flavor and aroma of the meat filling your nose and mouth. Then take a sip of the steaming hot broth. Good heavens, the two siblings, Longdor and his sister, ate so much they couldn't even lift their heads.

“Cecilia, I’ve just discovered a serious problem.”

"What's wrong, brother?"

"Yes, um,"

Lu Ze took a sip of soup and said a little guiltyly, "I just remembered that I should have prepared a dress for you to wear to the theater."

Cecilia looked at him in surprise.

"Lu Ze, how did you manage to discover something like this? No, wasn't it some observant lady who reminded you?"

"Little sister, do you really have so little faith in your brother? Okay. This time, someone else told me."

Lu Ze raised his voice a few decibels, then quickly lowered it again. "Anyway, the theater performance is in the evening, so let's go out during the day and buy a ready-made set on the street."

“Buying ready-made clothes would be much more expensive, wouldn’t it? Even though you have a high weekly salary, you can’t just spend money like that,” Cecilia said. “Brother, I don’t really care about those things. As long as you can come with me, it doesn’t have to be to the theater, anywhere is fine.”

Sis, why do you talk like my mom instead of my sister?

Lu Ze blinked, then laughed.

"No, that won't do. Everyone else has it, how can my sister not? Don't worry, the money will be there soon."

Boom boom boom!
As they were talking, someone knocked on the door. Leonard had come to pick him up.

“Who is it?” Cecilia asked.

"The person who came to give you money for the dress."

Lu Ze smiled and stood up.

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.

After instructing his younger sister to be careful at home, Luze and Leonard, who was behind the door, got into the carriage together.

As soon as he sat down, he suddenly became worried about his younger sister's safety. Such a pretty girl—what if someone had malicious intentions? It seemed he would have to teach her close-quarters combat skills, at least so she could defend herself.
With that thought in mind, he spoke little to Leonard along the way, quietly letting the carriage take them to the dock area on the outskirts of the city.

Tingen boasts a favorable geographical location, with two main rivers: the Hoy and the Tasok. The Hoy flows into the Tasok within the city and then continues towards the capital, Backlund. Numerous passenger and cargo ships travel back and forth along the rivers, docking at the wharf area.

Thanks to the passage of these ships, the dock area developed rapidly, with trading posts, warehouses, and slums stretching out in a continuous line. Stewards, beggars, streetwalkers, and all sorts of people gathered here, mixing together in a complex way, making it the most chaotic area in Tingen.

Night has fallen, but the dock area remains bustling.

Dockworkers returning from work drank cheap liquor in taverns, while those who had earned more went to chat with the women. Beggars huddled in corners to avoid the wind, and shirtless children sucked their fingers, their eyes wide as they watched the lively scene illuminated by the lights.

In the river bend behind them, boats lay silently in the darkness, like man-eating beasts floating back and forth on the water.

Luzer and Leonard trudged through the muddy ground to Mr. Pound's transport company. William Transport Company primarily handled cargo transport on the Tasok River; the company owned five cargo ships and was said to be very profitable.

"The name etched in eternal sleep is reflected in the sunset,"

"One of them was awakened by your night."

The guards at the gate were no match for Leonard. He simply recited a few lines of poetry from afar, and the poor fellows immediately closed their eyes and collapsed in all directions.

“At this moment, reciting poetry at night, I can be considered a true midnight poet, right, Mr. Miqiren?”

He said to Lu Ze with a smile.

Is this implying that I'm playing the role of a lawyer?

One or two of them know these secrets.
Lu Ze simply nodded, pretending not to understand at all, and said, "You're right."

Leonard's face fell slightly upon hearing this, but he quickly rallied and swaggered into the company building with Luzer.

The orange glow of the gas lamp illuminated the corridor. Following the signs, they searched floor by floor and soon found the manager's office, the door of which was locked. Just as Luze was thinking about how to unlock it, he saw Leonard take two pieces of wire from his pocket, insert them into the keyhole, fidget for a few moments, and with a "click," he had deftly opened the door.

"I learned it specifically from the petty thieves in the police station."

Leonard put away the two wires and smiled smugly.

There's no need to be proud of it.
Luze followed behind him. The moment the door opened, the lantern illuminated the way ahead, and there seemed to be a thin white thread lying in front of Leonard. He didn't notice it and stepped forward, and the thread was snapped.

It's probably a spider silk thread.

Lu Ze thought to himself, seeing that Leonard had already gone in, he didn't bother to remind him and followed him into the office.

(End of this chapter)