"Of course, you can. In fact, this is just a small technique. The only downside is that I need to replenish this state on you from time to time, but that's not a big deal…" Lynn smiled and nodded, looking at Azik.
"But with this, you can no longer return to the Balam Empire. Although Salinger won't be able to sense you, if you run into someone familiar, this could get exposed."
Hearing this, Azik's expression turned melancholy for a moment, but then he smiled and said, "That's fine…"
After all, there's nothing there that could make him linger, whether people or things.
This wasn't because Azik was heartless, but because the Balam Empire hadn't brought him any pleasant memories—neither the people nor the objects.
All of Azik's memories of that place consisted of dark palaces, endless work, punishments from the God of Death, timid and distant servants, jealous and isolating siblings, and ministers who were humble yet cold.
Azik even vaguely remembered whether he had ever seen sunlight in that palace.
"Hey, snap out of it!"
Suddenly, someone waved an arm in front of him. Azik snapped back to reality, seeing Lynn's bright smile.
"Well, let's not waste any time. Let's plan how to give your despicable father a surprise…"
Thus, a day later, in the palace of the Balam Empire, far on the southern continent—
The God of Death, Salinger, suddenly raised his head and looked in a particular direction.
In that instant, he sensed that Azik, who shared his bloodline, had suddenly fallen, along with the safeguards Salinger had placed on him.
This sudden event caused Salinger, to frown. He wouldn't feel sad over the death of a bloodline descendant, but he was indeed a bit angry.
Not because of anything else, but because Azik's fall not only meant that he had to choose another Death Consul for the Balam Empire but also that all the arrangements he had made for Azik were in vain.
That was supposed to be his designated resurrection vessel. Who on earth dared…!
Salinger's expression darkened. He then muttered a curse under his breath, "Worthless!"
It was unclear who this insult was aimed at.
"Someone, come here." Salinger suddenly calmed down. He called out softly, and a servant appeared in the palace, kneeling before him.
"Go to the Tudor Empire. I want to know what happened…"
…
The servant sent by the God of Death, Salinger, failed to uncover what had happened in the Tudor Empire, but he brought back a somewhat special guest.
"I am truly sorry. It's all due to my negligence that Azik fell into the cosmos and was captured by an Outer God…" Lynn stood in the center of the palace, his face full of regret. Beside him was Bethel, who had come to support him, and his expression also showed a hint of apology.
Salinger, listened to Lynn's explanation, his expression growing colder. He looked at Lynn and said, "So, you and Azik, along with Mr. Door, went to explore the cosmos together, but unfortunately encountered the Mother Goddess of Depravity. While you and Mr. Door managed to escape, Azik was captured?"
"Though the process was a bit more complicated, that's essentially what happened," Lynn nodded heavily.
Indeed, the script Lynn had devised for Azik's fake death was just that—they went to explore the cosmos together, but unfortunately encountered an Outer God. In the end, the two of them managed to escape, while Azik tragically met his end.
Though it sounded quite absurd, almost like a farce, when examined closely, it was a rather reasonable scenario.
After all, Bethel did have a habit of exploring the cosmos, and there were indeed Outer Gods in the cosmos. If the three of them had truly encountered an Outer God, Azik was indeed the most likely to meet a tragic end.
Hearing this, Salinger's expression grew even darker. His gaze swept over Lynn and Mr. Door with suspicion and doubt, but he said nothing.
Salinger didn't outright believe Lynn's fabricated story. However, he didn't doubt Azik's death, either. After all, both the bloodline connection and the safeguards he had placed on Azik indicated that Azik was truly dead.
What Salinger suspected was whether Azik's death was an accident or if it was orchestrated by the father and son before him.
—Due to the intentional information blockade by the Night Emperor Trunsoest, the Evernight Goddess, the Lord of Storms, and the seriously wounded Eternal Blazing Sun, the incident of Lynn severely injuring the Eternal Blazing Sun wasn't widely known. As a result, the God of Death, Salinger, only knew that something seemed to have happened in the Trunsoest Empire, that the Eternal Blazing Sun was possibly attacked and gravely injured, but didn't know who the attacker was.
"I need an explanation. I entrusted Azik to you, not to get such a result." Salinger said, his cold gaze falling on Bethel. "The Balam Empire cannot bear the loss of a Death Consul, and I cannot accept that one of my children will forever remain in the cosmos…"
Lynn lowered his head at these words, no longer listening to the rest of Salinger's litany of accusations. He could see that, no matter what flowery words he spoke, the God of Death didn't genuinely feel any sorrow over Azik's death. Everything he said was just to maximize his own gains.
'A scumbag will always be a scumbag. Don't expect a scumbag to suddenly develop a conscience…' Lynn muttered in his heart as he listened to Bethel begin to speak in an official tone, expressing that he was equally saddened by Azik's passing and was willing to compensate the Balam Empire.
Salinger wasn't surprised by Bethel's words. The two sides then began haggling over the compensation, and it wasn't until Lynn was practically dozing off that they finally reached an agreement.
—Bethel and Lynn would compensate the Balam Empire with a Sequence 2 Characteristic to make up for the loss, and Bethel would assist the God of Death, Salinger, once, without violating his principles.
"I will hold a funeral for Azik in half a month. I hope you will come to mourn my child…" Salinger stated, now satisfied with the compensation.
"We will attend Azik's funeral," Bethel responded with a sad nod.
"Poor Azik… May he rest in peace in another world," Lynn sighed.
After a few more hypocritical pleasantries, Lynn and Bethel bid farewell to the God of Death and returned to the Abraham Family's residence.
"Ugh…" As soon as they returned, Lynn pretended to retch and complained, "He's such a good actor. He talks about how much he loved Azik, but he didn't show an ounce of sorrow…"
"Salinger is a heartless person," Bethel said, unsurprised.
"So he deserved to fail…" Lynn retorted, then looked over at Azik, not far away, with a bright smile and said, "It's done, Azik. Congratulations on your rebirth."
Azik's expression faltered at these words, then he too smiled and said to Lynn, "Please take care of me from now on."
(End of Chapter)
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