Locking the Door, Lu Ze stepped down the stairs.
A house away, the door to 2 Narcissus Street opened, and a scholarly young man with brown eyes and black hair emerged. Seeing Lu Ze, he offered a friendly smile.
"Good morning, Lu Ze."
"Morning, Klein."
This young man was his colleague, Klein Moretti, who had joined a few weeks before him.
This friendly colleague, upon learning that Lu Ze was in a hurry to rent a house, offered advice and recommended Narcissus Street as a place to be neighbors. Especially Klein's brother, Benson, helped him with many procedures, even bargaining with the person in charge to lower the rent to 12 Sol per week. This made Lu Ze very grateful.
"Have you settled everything at home?"
"Yes, I'm about to report to the Captain now," Lu Ze said with a smile, "I still have to thank you for helping me rent the house; otherwise, I wouldn't have finished so quickly."
"Then you should thank Benson; he handled everything."
Klein said.
"The houses here on Narcissus Street are indeed quite good. My sister loves it. It's her first time having her own room, and she was so happy she couldn't sleep."
"My sister too; the first time she saw the house, she couldn't bear to leave."
The two men, both with sisters, exchanged a round of bragging, each showing an unspoken smile. They chatted as they walked, then boarded a public carriage. Along the way, women occasionally cast glances at Lu Ze. Lu Ze pretended not to notice, but Klein seemed a bit uncomfortable. Fortunately, Zorante Street arrived quickly, and they both got off, walking to the front of Blackthorn Security Company.
Speaking of which, the last time I was here was the last time. Ahem, it was at night.
Lu Ze looked at the sign, thinking with a mix of emotions, and followed Klein through the main door. The once-damaged hall had been completely redecorated, with new furniture, new partitions, and even new flooring, which was a pleasant sight.
Rosanne, the brown-haired girl he had seen before, was making coffee at the front desk. Hearing someone enter, she looked up. She recognized Klein and was about to greet him when she saw Lu Ze behind him, and her eyes lit up.
"Good morning, Rosanne."
"Morning, Klein, and this is..."
She looked at Lu Ze with great interest.
"Luze Longdaoer, we've met before."
Lu Ze nodded slightly in greeting, a graceful gesture that made Rosanne's eyes dazed.
"Hello, Lu Ze, I'm Rosanne. Ah? Luze Longdaoer!"
She answered subconsciously, then suddenly seemed to recall something and exclaimed, "You are, that person from that day."
"That's me."
Lu Ze said.
"Uh..."
Rosanne shrugged her shoulders, the smile on her face quickly disappearing, replaced by a hint of fear and unease, as if recalling what had happened. "The Captain, he's in his office, the first one on the right behind the partition. He told me that you could go directly to him once you arrived."
She said cautiously.
"I understand, thank you, Miss Rosanne."
Lu Ze, however, was indifferent to Rosanne's change, casually thanked her, and walked inside the partition.
Rosanne glanced at Lu Ze as he walked behind the partition, then immediately leaned close to Klein, lowering her voice.
"Klein, Klein, is he really joining the Nighthawks team?"
"Yes, why, are you afraid of him?"
Klein couldn't help but want to laugh.
"To be honest, a little."
Rosanne made a bitter face, "Just seeing Haynes that night was scary enough; he even killed Haynes. My goodness, I nearly fainted when I saw that puddle of flesh and blood on the floor, and I had nightmares for several nights afterward..."
"It's okay, Lu Ze is a good person."
Klein could only comfort her, "And think about it, if he were really that dangerous, would the Captain keep him?"
Under his explanation, Rosanne somewhat lowered her guard.
— — — —
"Knock, knock."
Lu Ze stopped outside the office and knocked on the door.
"Come in."
Dunn's deep, gentle voice came from inside.
Pushing the door open, he was sitting behind his desk, his gray eyes deep and calm. His usual black overcoat and top hat hung on the coat rack, and he was only wearing a shirt and vest. Compared to their encounter two nights ago, the nightmare-like deep and terrifying feeling around him had faded considerably, becoming much warmer.
"Captain."
Lu Ze greeted Dunn. Since he had already joined the team, he naturally changed his address.
"The telegram from the Cathedral is back, and it's good news." He put down the document in his hand. "They cautiously approved your application to join, but they require me to pay extra attention to you."
"That is good news; I will cooperate."
Lu Ze smiled.
Dunn hummed in acknowledgment and scrutinized Lu Ze, "You used to have hallucinations. Since that night, have you fallen into hallucinations again?"
"I haven't gone crazy again."
Lu Ze's heart stirred, and he feigned ignorance, "Captain, why is that?"
He, of course, knew why, but at this moment, feigning ignorance would make him seem less suspicious.
"I've thought about it, and it might be for this reason."
Dunn slowly analyzed, "Due to a stroke of luck, some people might be born with certain Beyonder characteristics in their bodies, equivalent to having half a Sequence starting point solidified—there's an orphan in Tingen City named Admi Sol who is like this; he is naturally suited for the Monster Pathway."
"As for you, I speculate that you might be a natural Secret Supplicant Pathway. Therefore, your spirituality is naturally very high, making you susceptible to harm from evil gods, leading to frequent hallucinations. The Aurora Order might have also captured and sacrificed you based on this reason. And now, you've consumed the Secret Supplicant potion, successfully solidified your Sequence, and your previously unstable spirituality has been brought under control, so naturally, you no longer have hallucinations."
Dunn concluded.
Lu Ze was surprised for a moment.
That sounds quite reasonable, doesn't it?
If I didn't know that illusory tide was at work, I might actually believe it.
No, it's better if I pretend to believe it!
"So that's how it is, Captain, what you said makes so much sense."
Lu Ze immediately said, showing a happy smile, "So, I no longer have to worry about falling into hallucinations in the future, that's great!"
"This is just my speculation, for your reference only."
Dunn nodded slightly.
With a swish, he pulled open his desk drawer and took out two copies of a document. "This is the contract for joining the team. Take a look, and if there are no problems, sign it."
Lu Ze took it, carefully reading the clauses and conditions. The various confidentiality clauses and obligations were dense, and even though he was mentally prepared, he still felt a bit overwhelmed.
Never mind, the salary has already been advanced, so it's too late to back out now.
He smiled resignedly, signed his name on both documents with the pen on Dunn's desk, and pressed his fingerprint.
Dunn took the contracts from him, stamped them, kept one copy, and returned the other to Lu Ze, "Very good, Mr. Luze Longdaoer, from this moment on, you are officially a member of the Nighthawks."
"It's an honor."
Lu Ze said with a smile.
But Dunn didn't smile; instead, he became even more serious.
"However, before that, there are a few important things I must inform you of in advance."
"Uh, please tell me?"
"First and most importantly, under no circumstances are you to seek advancement!"
The protagonist will, of course, advance; otherwise, the story cannot continue. Dunn saying this here is merely his reasonable reaction based on his understanding of the Secret Supplicant Pathway.
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