Azik’s Gift

Mr. Azik, your stare is making me uncomfortable... Cullen felt a bit uneasy and instinctively straightened his posture, causing Silica, who was perched on his shoulder and nuzzling his face, to tilt and nearly fall off... 

Fortunately, Silica was a spirit, and "floating" was her innate ability, so no real accident occurred. 

Just as Cullen was about to say something, he heard the bronze-skinned gentleman speak in a slightly deep voice: "Your strength is still too low... This will make Silica worry." 

As he spoke, he took out a bone flute about 20 centimeters long with seven holes from his pocket and continued: 

"This is a token from a powerful spirit world creature that recently chose to follow me... As long as you blow it, you can summon 'Tajik' into reality to assist you in battle... Well, 'Tajik' is the true name of that spirit world creature. 

"Of course, since it is loyal to me and not you, each summoning will require some payment. 

"Take it, so Silica won't have to worry about you getting into danger again." 

Cullen fell silent for a moment. He glanced at Silica, who was chirping on his shoulder, and finally accepted the bone flute, saying, "Thank you." 

After studying the bone flute for a moment, Cullen asked calmly, "What exactly is the cost for summoning 'Tajik'?" 

"Each time it acts, it will take 20 years of your life... So, you'd better become a demigod as soon as possible. Otherwise, with your current lifespan, you might not last more than a few summons before you die." Mr. Azik patted Cullen's shoulder and spoke earnestly. 

...

Meanwhile, while Cullen and Mr. Azik were talking, Ebner and the other two tactfully retreated from the cave where the altar was located. Judy even took the time to fly out of the valley and bring down the plant lady, who had been shivering at the top of the cliff. 

However, upon her return, Judy's expression was slightly strange, and she kept sneaking glances at Ebner. 

Ebner completely understood this. Anyone who discovered that their clone's mind was filled with someone else would surely react the same way... 

After a while, Cullen and Mr. Azik finally emerged from the cave with the altar. The latter nodded to the others and said, "If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave now..." 

"Wait, Mr. Azik... I'd like to invite you to my estate as a guest." At this moment, Ebner suddenly spoke up, hinting at something. "I've recently discovered a place that might be related to you..." 

Since this matter involved Azik's secrets, Ebner spoke vaguely. After all, aside from Cullen, who was Azik's "future son-in-law," Judy and Asenov were present, and Ebner couldn't be sure if Azik wanted his affairs known to unrelated people. 

Mr. Azik stared at him for a moment before nodding, "Alright." 

Seeing that the expected "big shot" was likely to be secured, Ebner breathed a sigh of relief. He then turned to Cullen, Judy, and the others and asked, "What about you? Would you like to come to my estate as well? There are plenty of rooms... Well, Cullen knows." 

Upon hearing his invitation, while the plant lady seemed very interested, the other three "Desolate Ones" all shook their heads. Finally, Cullen spoke up, "Our mission isn't fully completed yet. We still need to thoroughly search this valley... 

"Also, as 'Desolate Ones,' entering a colonial city of Loen without reporting it would cause unnecessary trouble and complications." 

The implication was that they were there illegally. Sneaking around was one thing, but entering the city openly might lead to arrest. 

Cullen and Judy could still disguise themselves to enter, but Captain Asenov's height and build made it impossible for him to stay low-key... 

Understanding this, Ebner bid the "Desolate Ones" farewell for now. Then, Mr. Azik grabbed his arm, and the two of them traversed through layers of vibrant colors. 

Although Mr. Azik didn't know the address of Ebner's estate, he could locate the being in Bayam with the strongest connection to Ebner's aura. Thus, the two of them soon appeared in Elaine's bedroom. 

Looking at the sleeping girl on the bed, Mr. Azik gave Ebner a knowing look before silently leaving the bedroom and entering the hallway. 

Ebner felt slightly awkward and immediately simulated "psychological invisibility," thinking to himself: *As my personal maid, Elaine naturally carries the strongest trace of my aura in Bayam... Not to mention, when crafting mystical items, I spent half a day boiling water in the basement, so our spiritual energies must have intertwined... But would Mr. Azik believe me if I explained it this way?* 

Fortunately, Mr. Azik had long heard of the "Hero Detective's" reputation and wasn't surprised. He didn't ask further and followed Ebner into the study, where he took a sip of the Fairmount coffee Ebner had prepared for him. 

Fairmount coffee from the Pas Valley near the Star Plateau was one of the best coffees in the world, on par with Highland coffee and Feynapotter Plateau coffee. Ebner, who knew how to enjoy life, had bought quite a lot during his time in the Southern Continent. 

Setting down the coffee cup, the study naturally entered a subtle state of "sealing." Mr. Azik then asked, "Can you tell me what you've discovered?" 

Ebner nodded and organized his thoughts before saying, "Actually, it was a friend of mine who found a ruin with your portrait..." 

He then recounted the entire story, omitting the parts related to the Tarot Club and Miss Justice, including how the mountain with the hot spring inn was once the castle of the giant descendants but was destroyed by a mysterious "disaster," as well as Ms. Closfia's invitation to a "performance" next Thursday. 

Mr. Azik listened carefully to Ebner's account. After a long, solemn silence, he frowned and said: 

"Your description feels familiar, but it hasn't helped me recall anything more." 

"That's a shame," Ebner sighed in disappointment. 

He had hoped to gain some important information from Azik. 

Azik took a sip of his coffee, his expression calm as he said: 

"I often encounter situations like this. If it were so easy to recall my past, I would have found a way to break free from my fate long ago." 

"Of course, I'm grateful that you always remember my matters. Although you have your own thoughts and secrets... I don't mind, as you are indeed helping me." 

He thought for a moment, then stood up and said: 

"I have some matters to attend to recently, but I'll come to Indor Harbor to find you next Wednesday... I assume you'll be at the hot spring inn you mentioned? 

"I'll bring you a gift then, as a token of my gratitude for telling me about this." 

Hearing this, Ebner quickly waved his hand and said, "Mr. Azik, there's no need for that... You've already helped me communicate with that emblem earlier, which counts as prepayment..." 

"Is that so?" Mr. Azik glanced at him and smiled. "What if the gift I'm giving you is the 'aura of the City of Calamity'?" 

The aura of the City of Calamity? The other main material needed to craft a bone dragon? Ebner's heart stirred, and he quickly changed his attitude, shamelessly saying, "Then I'll gladly accept your gift..." 

"You really don't hold back..." Azik laughed heartily, feeling that this detective was indeed quite compatible with him, just slightly less so than his student from Tingen. 

"Alright, I look forward to our meeting next Wednesday." After saying this, the space around him rippled like water, and his figure disappeared from the room. 

Ebner stood in place for a long time before muttering helplessly, "Mr. Azik, why leave so quickly? I wanted to ask about the possible 'God of Luck' ruins hidden beneath this estate... 

"But he didn't mention anything... This means even a powerhouse like Mr. Azik hasn't detected the existence of those ruins... 

"Hmm, angels of 'Fate' are the hardest to predict. Maybe it's truly not time for them to be revealed yet..." 

As Ebner pondered, the sky had already brightened, and Helene, the "Red Maid," came to the study to find him, looking as if she wanted to say something but hesitated. 

"If you have something to say, just say it," Ebner said, curious. 

"Sir... did you... did you come to my room last night?" Helene bit her lip and finally asked. 

*How do you know? You should have been sleeping soundly...* Ebner almost blurted out but managed to control his surprise, maintaining a neutral expression as he asked, "Why do you ask?" 

"There were muddy footprints in my room," Helene said, glancing at Ebner's shoes. 

*I was careless. I'll need to clean up traces after using 'psychological invisibility' in the future. Otherwise, even if the psychological intervention makes people overlook it at the time, they'll notice the clues afterward.* 

Ebner reflected inwardly but outwardly spoke seriously, "A demigod visited last night, but because you carry my aura, the teleportation landed in your room... 

"Well, keep this to yourself and don't tell anyone." 

He was telling the truth—a demigod had indeed visited, and the teleportation had indeed landed in Helene's room due to the aura connection. But by combining these facts, he successfully shifted the blame for "entering a young lady's room at night" onto Mr. Azik. 

Helene was indeed misled. She didn't think Ebner would joke about matters involving a demigod, so she was both intimidated and nodded solemnly, "I'll keep it secret!" 

After successfully sending Helene away, Ebner finally had time to study the emblem that had "communicated" with Mr. Azik. He went to the basement and prepared candles made from Wolfar beeswax for the emblem. 

Since Volfar beeswax was also a spiritual material, Ebner had some stored in his warehouse, but the amount wasn't enough for daily consumption. 

"It seems I'll need to buy some at tonight's Beyonder gathering... 

"But this isn't a long-term solution... The best option would be to borrow Bernadette's 'Pale Death' to shatter it and then reforge it into a mystical item with fewer negative effects... 

"However, this isn't something I can achieve in the short term... Not only do I have no connection with Bernadette, but with my current level of craftsmanship, items forged from a demigod's Beyonder characteristic might have worse side effects than this one... After all, this one is 'alive' and can be negotiated with. 

"I need to advance my sequence as soon as possible!" 

(End of Chapter)