After finishing the initial adjustment, he immediately flew off to Kyrgyzstan to meet up with Felix.
As if Felix knew something about his condition, he waited for Theo at the airport. It seemed he had come one day prior so that he could wait for him here.
Even Theo was quite surprised by his dedication.
"Felix?"
Felix looked at Theo with a serious face and asked, "Are you sure nothing happened?"
Theo smiled and patted his shoulder. "Not at the level you need to worry about."
"…" Felix still didn't buy it.
So, Theo gave his first and most loyal follower another secret. "Felix. My power requires me not to tell a single lie."
When he heard that statement, his body shuddered. It was clear how hard it was for a normal person to never lie, let alone a person like Theo who manipulated people in the darkness. Yet, Theo claimed he never lied.
At first, he wanted to deny that, but he soon realized that Theo never really told other than the truth. It was just others misunderstanding his words.
In other words, he said he couldn't lie, and that statement was also not a lie.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"I apologize." Felix lowered his head. To think that Theo needed to tell that secret to convince him, it seemed he had overstepped his bounds.
"It's nothing. Let's go. I want to finish this as soon as possible."
"I understand." Felix paused for a moment and remembered the little talk they had. "Still, with your current condition, do you need to visit Thersland?"
"Mhm…" If it were the previous Theo, he wouldn't hesitate to go there. However, he had wasted seven days in France, and the adjustment for his eyes would take months if not years, so he couldn't really waste too much time.
At the same time, it might be the last time he could relax before a training session that would last until he reached the Mythical Rank.
After pondering the pros and cons, Theo smiled, "I guess I'll visit… Let's say, two to three days."
"I understand." Felix nodded in agreement.
When they came out of the airport, there was a black Cubicar waiting for them. The driver came out and immediately greeted them. "Welcome, Sir Felix, Sir Joker. My boss has been waiting for you."
"Boss?" Theo narrowed his eyes and glanced at Felix, wondering if he knew this person.
Felix nodded and said, "His boss is Akbaraly Ibraev, the person we're looking for."
"So, he is…"
"Yes. Though, he must have found me yesterday and started looking at the information."
"Thus calculating my time of arrival and our identities."
"Yeah."
"I see. It seems he is a real deal." Theo acknowledged this man and said to the driver. "Lead the way."
Theo and Felix entered the car as the driver brought them to a small house in a rundown area.
"Hmm… He sure loves to blend in, eh?" Theo narrowed his eyes.
"Yes. Every time I met him, the house was different, but all of them were in an area like this. It's quite hard to find him." Felix confirmed his suspicion.
"Should we go there?"
"Yes."
After coming to an agreement, the driver opened the door as Felix entered first to protect Theo from whatever the man had prepared for them.
Theo also observed this place with his Reality Eyes, albeit it was useless. He still couldn't control the reality he saw, so he didn't find anything suspicious in this home.
Surprisingly, the house was a completely normal one without any traps or devices that would harm them.
And the house's owner was sitting on a sofa while taking out his cigarette.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmThe man looked at least two decades younger than Felix. He had black hair and slightly denser eyebrows. His body was skinny but still had some muscles here and there, making him look fit instead of malnourished.
He wore a blue t-shirt and long white pants.
"Welcome." The man put on a gentle smile. "I'm Akbaraly Ibraev. You can call me Akbar if you think my name is too long. Please sit."
He pointed at the couch in front of him. Since they were going to talk, he wanted the conversation to be as relaxed as possible.
"Well, I know that you want to recruit me. But I'm pretty sure Felix has told you about what I'm searching for, right? And if you still come despite that, I believe you have it. It's just…" Akbar paused for a moment and let out a long sigh. "It seems I'm the one who gets judged instead of you, even though you're the one trying to recruit me, not the other way around."
Akbar already knew about his intention and Theo's condition. There was no way Felix would recommend someone that didn't have the thing he wanted to see the most. So, Theo came here simply because he wanted to confirm his ability and proceed to recruit him if he passed the test.
That was why, Akbar presented them with three pictures and said, "Anyway, I have investigated what you've done in the past few months.
"The first picture is when you were spotted taking a stroll with five Mythical Rank Experts. Of course, it wouldn't be that weird because the Star Group had asked its people to move around in a group of five. Getting protected by five Mythical Rank Experts would be able to push any enemy away.
"And assuming that the beggars have suddenly become stronger… I believe you're there to meet the beggars… I don't know about the details though, since it's already beyond me. The beggars are also good at manipulating information.
"The second picture was taken when you came to the Asda Banquet. The fact that you chose to make a move means you've prepared everything. You're already aware of your enemy's true strength and still proceed to kill her.
"And the last picture… Well, it's the picture the beggars used to threaten other countries. As of now, many countries in the world have received the news of the Death Reaper's death. I'm pretty sure they're going to elevate your status even further, making sure you were not messing with them.
"In fact, some of the countries have put you in their eyes. Whether killing you, capturing you, or forming a relationship, they're going to do whatever they think is right…
"That's why… going to Thersland might be the same as telling them your identity, Theodore Griffith." Akbar's expression turned grim as he somehow managed to guess Joker's real identity.