When Zayne arrived at the entrance of Astrachior’s courtyard, Double J and Astrachior were already waiting inside. Standing behind Astrachior was Nia, who had clearly dressed up with extra care.
"You are here? I made beef soup. Eat a bit before we leave," Astrachior said as he picked up a bowl and ladled out a serving of steaming, fragrant soup for Zayne.
The hot soup slid down his throat and settled into his stomach, warmth spreading through his body. It was incredibly comforting.
Of course, it would have been even better if Nia were not sitting across from him, her face flushed as she kept sneaking glances his way.
Every ti their eyes t, she imdiately looked away like a startled rabbit.
Zayne said nothing.
At long last, the al ended. Zayne finally breathed a sigh of relief and stood up, ready to leave.
At that mont, Nia suddenly called out.
"Shadowcaster!"
"What is it?" Zayne asked helplessly.
"Well... when you co back, after you beco my father’s disciple... could I... could I invite you to watch a movie with ?"
Nia lowered her head, her face burning red as she fidgeted with her clothes.
"We will talk about it when I get back," Zayne said coldly, turning away.
"Okay..." Nia looked disappointed at first, but her fighting spirit quickly reignited.
In Shadowcaster’s heart, she must still matter at least a little. Otherwise, he would have rejected her outright instead of giving such an ambiguous answer.
As long as she kept trying, she would definitely lt that iceberg.
Nia, you can do this.
She silently encouraged herself.
Crouching by the door, Double J rubbed his chin, glanced at Nia, then at Zayne, and chuckled quietly.
"It is pretty obvious that the young miss is very interested in you."
"I am not interested in her," Zayne said, shaking his head.
"Still, it is kind of fun, right? She does not know that Shadowcaster is Zayne. She likes Shadowcaster and hates Zayne. You get her to fall for you first, and then later, swoosh."
"You rip off the mask and give her a big surprise. Then you shout, silly girl, there is no Shadowcaster. I was Zayne all along."
The more Double J spoke, the brighter his eyes beca. He slapped his thigh hard.
"That is it. How did I never think of such a fun idea before?"
Zayne was speechless.
Double J’s brain was beyond saving. He could turn any topic into sothing strange.
Talk about green beans, he smiled weirdly.
Talk about tigers, he smiled weirdly.
Talk about fans, he smiled weirdly.
Even talking about a teor shower at eight tonight could make him grin in that sa unsettling way.
Sotis Zayne really wanted to pry open Double J’s skull just to see how his brain was wired.
"What are you two chatting about?" Astrachior walked over with a half smile.
"Nothing, nothing. Astrachior, let us get going," Double J said awkwardly.
If Astrachior found out he had been teaching Zayne how to ss with Nia, he would skin him alive.
"You had better an that," Astrachior said, casting Double J a glance that made chills run down his spine.
"Let us depart."
Fortunately, Astrachior did not pursue the matter. Double J finally relaxed, jumped into the black off road vehicle parked outside, and took the driver’s seat.
Zayne and Astrachior sat in the back.
"Are we going to the teleport array?" Zayne asked.
"No. There is no need. The Gate of Apocalypse is in the wilderness near Old Shipyard Port. Also, stop calling teacher. It makes your identity easier to expose. Just call Astrachior like Double J does," Astrachior said with a smile as he adjusted his glasses.
"Alright," Zayne replied, nodding.
Double J floored the accelerator, and the vehicle shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.
At the city gates, seeing Astrachior inside the car, no one dared to stop them. The black off road vehicle passed straight through and left Old Shipyard Port.
Once outside the city, the road quickly beca uneven and broken.
Astrachior took out a sheet of white paper and a pen, scribbled lines and symbols, then handed it to Double J.
"Follow this route."
"Understood, Astrachior."
Double J drove according to the map Astrachior had drawn, and Zayne finally witnessed firsthand just how terrifying the astrologer class truly was.
As the vehicle traveled over rugged terrain, Zayne stayed alert, ready for monsters to appear at any mont. After all, this was the wilderness.
Yet to his surprise, not a single monster appeared along the way.
Those ferocious beasts that normally road the wilds seed to have received advance notice, deliberately avoiding them.
From ti to ti, roars and howls echoed in the distance, but none ever showed themselves to block the road.
The realization sent a chill down Zayne’s spine. He could not help but glance at Astrachior, who sat with his eyes closed, resting.
Foreknowledge. Avoiding calamity. Anticipating danger.
Such thods were simply too strange and unfathomable.
If Astrachior truly harbored ill intentions toward him, it would be utterly terrifying.
After crossing hills and passing through a narrow forest path, the vehicle stopped at the entrance of a valley.
"We are here. Get out," Astrachior said as he opened his eyes.
He led Zayne and Double J into the valley.
A thin white mist hung in the air. Not long after entering, Zayne saw many figures gathered ahead.
At the front of the crowd stood a massive stone gate.
It towered into the sky, broad as drifting clouds, its surface carved with suns, moons, stars, mountains, rivers, dragons, phoenixes, qilin, and countless other motifs. It was both mysterious and solemn.
The gate stood abruptly within the valley. The eerie part was that it could only be seen from directly in front. From any other angle, the valley appeared completely empty.
"That is the Gate of Apocalypse?" Zayne asked, unable to hide his awe.
"That is right," Astrachior replied. Even his eyes behind the gold rimd glasses were filled with amazent. This was his first ti seeing the Gate of Apocalypse in person as well.
"Astrachior, you finally made it. If you had not shown up soon, I was about to send soone to check whether you had run into trouble."
A middle aged man in a tailored suit spoke in an even tone. Behind him stood a group of class users, each radiating a terrifying presence. None of them appeared to be below level 30.
"Thank you for your concern," Astrachior said with a calm smile.
Seeing the confusion on Zayne’s face, Double J leaned over and whispered.
"That is John, the deputy director of the Old Shipyard Port Investigation Bureau. Back when I was being a womanizer, I got locked up by the bureau because I flirted with his wife."
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