Lynn was undoubtedly serious when he spoke; he genuinely hoped Azik would join him and sincerely believed that Salinger, the God of Death, was a terrible father.
As for ensuring his mental and physical health—although Lynn admitted that working for him might be tiring, especially given the current state of the True Creator's Church, which lacked capable individuals.
Perhaps in the future, as things developed, the various positions within the True Creator's Church would be filled with talent. But in the current early stages, where there were only a few people, Lynn clearly relied on the few capable individuals, including Azik and Artisan, to maintain the church's operations through sheer effort.
For Lynn, this also served as a preliminary testing phase. He could first experiment with his ideas within the True Creator's Church to see how a church should be run. This way, whether he later took over the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery or started a church of his own, he could follow the model he established here.
Azik, of course, had no idea what kind of overtime hell awaited him. But even if he knew, he probably wouldn't care too much—after all, the workload as the Death Consul in the Balam Empire was no less demanding than managing a church.
After listening to Lynn's invitation, Azik fell silent, or rather, began to contemplate.
This wasn't the first time Lynn had extended an invitation, but it was the first time he had been so straightforward.
Nor was it the first time Azik had considered such matters—ever since he first met Lynn and was persuaded by him, Azik had been pondering his future.
He had been lost, had moments of unwillingness, and had even resigned himself to his fate. But then, at some point, Lynn, who had suddenly appeared, had pulled him out of that dark palace.
Azik had long been swayed, and during these days, although brief, they had been incredibly eventful. He had contemplated his future many times, envisioned various possibilities, and now it was time to make a decision.
As he thought about this, Azik looked up at Lynn. The young angel's smile was gentle, with a hint of expectation, making it impossible to believe that he had just done something earth-shattering not long ago.
"I think it's time for a change of job," Azik said with a relieved smile. "I just hope my father won't be too angry."
He still didn't want to return to that palace, to that cage.
Azik no longer wished to be the Death Consul of the Balam Empire, to become the vessel for the resurrection of the God of Death, nor to be a mere tool confined to a palace, handling mundane matters.
"Don't worry, leave Salinger to me. We'll end up as enemies eventually," Lynn said, patting Azik on the shoulder with a smile tugging at his lips.
He had finally recruited Azik, a prime candidate, into his garden!
Hearing this, Azik's expression became somewhat subtle. He couldn't help but recall the events of the past few days.
In all fairness, the journey with Lynn to the Trunsoest Empire hadn't been long. From the perspective of the centuries Azik had lived as the Death Consul, those few days were as fleeting as a moment.
But in those few days, Azik had experienced more than he had in hundreds or thousands of years.
During his time as the Death Consul in the Loen Empire, Azik had never imagined he would one day pretend to be Mr. Door's brother, sneak into the Trunsoest Empire's palace, carry a cage containing a miniature version of Amon, and witness the Eternal Blazing Sun being beaten like a dog.
It was certainly thrilling, but Azik sincerely felt... his heart couldn't take much more.
"Ahem..." Azik coughed lightly, then said tactfully, "I believe you can handle it, but it's better to avoid direct conflict if possible..."
"What, you don't want to see him get beaten?" Lynn glanced at Azik, surprised.
If you said Azik had feelings for his descendants and for Klein, Lynn would believe it. But if you said Azik had feelings for that deadbeat father, Salinger, Lynn would be genuinely shocked.
"Not really..." Azik shook his head honestly, sighed, and said with concern, "I'm just worried about you. You're already at odds with His Majesty Tudor, and now you're completely antagonistic towards the Eternal Blazing Sun. If you also become enemies with the God of Death... I believe you're not afraid of them, but this could cause trouble for you."
"I do want to escape the God of Death, and I certainly want your help... but I don't want to push you into danger because of it," Azik said seriously. Although they hadn't known each other for long, after all they'd been through, Azik had already considered Lynn his only friend.
So Azik didn't want Lynn to be in danger because of him.
Lynn was taken aback, then he smiled brightly, a smile full of joy. "Azik, your nature hasn't changed at all."
Even a thousand years ago, the Death Consul had a strong sense of loyalty and righteousness.
The influence of the God of Death and the suppression of divinity had clouded his humanity, but they couldn't completely erase his true nature.
Azik was momentarily stunned by Lynn's words, lost in thought.
Lynn, meanwhile, rubbed his chin and said, "You have a point. Although I'm not afraid of them, antagonizing three Sequence 0s at once would be... challenging."
Lynn's gaze fell on Azik, as if contemplating something. A few seconds later, he said, "Azik, would you be willing to give up your current identity?"
Azik looked at him, puzzled, then smiled and said, "I've never been attached to it."
"Good!" Lynn nodded, his expression unusually serious. "Then let's 'kill' the past you!"
Azik was taken aback, then seemed to realize something and said, "You mean faking my death to escape? Or perhaps truly dying once to shed my old identity? It's possible, but my bloodline with the God of Death is connected. Even if I die, he might still sense me after I revive, and he has also set up some arrangements within me..."
"Don't worry, I'll take care of that!" Lynn said confidently, patting his chest. "Remember the power I used on the Eternal Blazing Sun?"
Azik was once again surprised.
Lynn continued, "I can use that same power on you, fixing the state of death on you in a false form. This won't affect your real condition but will block Salinger's perception of you... To him, you'll always be dead. As for the other arrangements, I can help you remove them as well."
"Is that even possible?" Azik was clearly stunned, not having expected such an approach.
(End of Chapter)
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